Chapter 188
Chapter 188
Oliver was dumbfounded. He wondered, “Could such a thing truly exist?”
In his mind, concepts like “Air-driving Skill” or a “fist guidebook” were bullshit. They were only found in novels and movies.
It was true that combat arts existed, but they were far from the mythical abilities depicted in literature and films. Anyway, skills utilized by professionals like Wayne and Simon in military close combat did exist.
However, fantastical abilities such as “scaling walls”, “crossing rivers with a reed”, or utilizing “internal energy” were purely fictional concepts.
Nevertheless, Oliver’s perspective had shifted since gaining his own extraordinary abilities and encountering the mystical Enchanting Hollow.
He now believed that if he could possess such miraculous powers, then what impossibilities could truly exist in this world?
He thought to himself, “This is just a fist guidebook, so it is nothing compared to the Immortality Energy, isn’t it?”
Thinking of this, Oliver calmed down and began to identify the guidebook. A second later, an identification message appeared in his mind. Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.
[Style Fist Guidebook, authored in the fall of 1864 by a gentleman named Carl Allen, also known as Remex or Raymond Allen, the master of Style Fist. This was a genuine and handwritten manuscript penned by Raymond himself.]
[Craftsmanship: None.]
[Value assessment: The estimated worth as a historical artifact is approximately 200 thousand dollars; it’s worth 20 million dollars when it comes to its combat arts significance.]
What the hell?
Oliver was shocked.
He didn’t expect this battered manuscript possessed two extraordinary values: one as a historical artifact and the other as a treasure trove of combat arts knowledge.
He thought, ‘It’s worth a fortune, but it’s weird. Aren’t these people frauds?
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Why are these things genuine?
The first two may not be worth much, but at least they’re not fake!
Oliver thought for a while and didn’t show any expression of wanting these items. He just asked casually, “You know, I’m not particularly attached to them. But since you brought them here, how much are you thinking? If the price is right, I might consider it. If not, you can take them back with you.”
Seeing that Oliver was not very interested, Ryan said awkwardly, “Mr. Eastwood, perhaps this isn’t the best timing. I recently sold some incredible items, and I’m left with only a few things that aren’t worth a fortune. Siffre mentioned you to me, and I genuinely wanted to meet you, and maybe even become friends. Rest assured, if I come across remarkable items in the future, you’ll be the first to know!”
As soon as Oliver heard Ryan’s words, he immediately grasped that these individuals had no idea about the true value of the fist guidebook.
“Alright then, I feel like you guys are cool people. I’m in. You’re Ryan, right? Name your price, I want all of these items.”
Oliver said to Ryan with a smile.
When Jason heard this, he couldn’t help but think, “Wait a minute, Oliver didn’t plan it this way earlier. Wasn’t he going to punish the frauds?”
Jason couldn’t help but want to remind his son, but he looked at Oliver’s pleasant expression. Jason thought, “Does he have other plans?”
Jason glanced around and thought, there were their men on their turf. Everyone said that an outsider, however strong, should always respect the locals. Besides, these three people didn’t look powerful, so there was no
need to fear them.
He decided to sit quietly and see how his son dealt with them.
Ryan smiled cheerfully and nodded. “Mr. Eastwood, how about you give me 2,000 dollars for each item? This fist guidebook is not worth much, so I’ll give it to you as a gift.”
Oliver maintained a neutral expression on the surface, but inside, he couldn’t help but think, “This guy has no clue about the true value of that fist guidebook. It’s clear that he knows these two items are worthless.”
While Ryan and his buddies seemed decent at appraising most items, they were unfamiliar with the fist guidebook.
Nowadays, who even bothers reading a fist guidebook for boxing?
This fist guidebook holds genuine worth, something only true combat arts masters can truly appreciate.
The fist guidebook contained Raymond’s personal experiences and insights. And Raymond was the real deal, a renowned master of Style Fist. When it came to martial arts value, it was safe to say that this guidebook is simply priceless in combat arts.
Ryan and his crew simply estimated the collectible value of those items. They priced each one at 2,000 dollars, a fair but moderate amount.
After Ryan made his offer, Otis and Siffre both stared at Oliver.
Oliver pretended to contemplate for a moment before responding, “Ryan, building friendships isn’t something I take lightly. I despise taking advantage of friends. How about this instead? I’ll offer you guys 20,000 dollars for these three items. Consider anything extra as my treat for you to enjoy a nice meal together. Does that sound agreeable?”
Oliver’s words left Ryan and his gang dumbfounded.
They thought, ‘What’s going on?
Is Oliver a fool?
Or does he have more money than he can ever spend?”
They had been in this business for years and were accustomed to tough negotiations. It was unheard of for someone to willingly offer a higher price, let alone significantly more.
They had asked for 4,000 dollars, but Oliver wanna pay 20,000 dollars. Who would conduct business like this?
Jason didn’t know the truth. He thought, ‘So Oliver wants to keep them here and ask the police to deal with them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said so politely.
I’m curious to see what fate awaits these scammers.
However, it’s a shame that we didn’t catch those individuals who
scammed me last time.
If only we had caught them, that would have been immensely satisfying.’ Ryan and his two companions stood there, their faces filled with bewilderment as they exchanged perplexed glances.
Then Ryan stared at Oliver and asked seriously, “Mr. Eastwood, did you make a mistake in your statement, or did I mishear you? Are you certain that
you mentioned a price of 20,000 dollars, not 6,000 dollars?”
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Ryan pondered to himself, ‘If he just wanted to make friends with us, a mere additional 2,000 dollars would have sufficed. Why would he voluntarily offer us an extra 16,000 dollars?
It must have been a slip of the tongue.’
Oliver smiled and waved to Yvonne, who was standing behind him. “Yvonne, go over to the finance department and retrieve 20,000 dollars in cash.”
Yvonne nodded immediately and replied, “Okay. I’ll go right away.”
When it came to business transactions, the ideal method was through bank transfers. It eliminated the risk of counterfeit money and avoids potential disputes.
Undeniably, dealing with cash could be troublesome and inconvenient.
Fabian, in anticipation of urgent cash needs, made sure to stash a sum of 4 million dollars in the company safe.
Anyway, Yvonne couldn’t dare to defy Oliver’s arrangements.
Not just Yvonne, but even Fabian and anyone else in the company would never question Oliver’s instructions.
Ryan’s mind went blank as the young Oliver personally confirmed that it was indeed 20,000 dollars, with no room for error.
Otis and Siffre were also confused. They thought to themselves, ‘Oliver doesn’t appear to be a fool with excess money…
Weird things keep happening.’
The bills were neatly stacked, each bundle still secured with bank wrappers, and the notes looked absolutely pristine. As the money was placed on the table in the small meeting room, it immediately caught everyone’s attention.
After all, who could resist the allure of cold, hard cash?
Oliver smiled at Ryan and said, “You may verify the money.”
“Ryan paused for a moment before casually taking a stack of bills. He was skilled at checking for counterfeit bills, and as soon as his fingers touched the money, he could discern its authenticity and
detect any issues.
=
As soon as he got the money, he knew it was true. With a swift motion, he ran his hand over each bill, thoroughly examining them. Every single one was authentic, and the only notable aspect was that the
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money was brand new, with consecutive serial numbers. These were
pristine banknotes that had not yet entered circulation.