parentshiftbook Chapter 495 The Library Tower
Chapter 495 The Library Tower
Chapter 495 The Library Tower
Twelve minutes after parting ways with the Blade of Vengeance team, Xia Nan once again encountered the appraiser "Aurie Silverheart," who possessed one-eighth high elf blood.
He sat right next to Ellison.
The world is always so small.
Xia Nan was not surprised by this.
His keen perception and divergent thinking allowed him to anticipate this situation the moment he saw the other person.
After all, Ellison had just recently said he would introduce him to a collector with abundant wealth and extensive connections who had a great interest in exotic items.
Today, Aurelius, who appeared in the meeting room of the Blade of Vengeance fleet, almost perfectly fits the role of the collector described by the other party.
Anyone with a less rigid mindset would inevitably make associations.
As it turned out, Xia Nan's guess was correct.
This Aurier was the very collector that Ellison intended to introduce to him.
Compared to Xia Nan's relatively calm expression, Auriel's expression was much richer as he watched Xia Nan enter the association's small conference room. He clearly hadn't expected to meet this young and outstanding adventurer again today.
"Hehe, it seems I said goodbye too soon. It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Xia Nan."
With an almost instinctive, aristocratic smile on his lips, Aurelius stood up from his seat and greeted Xia Nan.
“What a coincidence. I was wondering if the learned collector Mr. Ellison mentioned was you. I didn’t expect that I guessed right.”
Since the other party was so polite and took the initiative to show goodwill, Xia Nan naturally wouldn't pretend to be aloof and give them a cold look. Instead, he stepped forward to shake hands and respond.
"It seems... I don't need to introduce you two anymore?"
Sitting across the table in the conference room, seeing the two of them behaving this way, Ellison could tell that they had met before, and his tone was sarcastic with a hint of doubt.
"Do you remember the workbench I mentioned to you earlier? It was a trophy brought back by the Blade of Vengeance team during their mission. Mr. Xia Nan happened to be present when I appraised it ten minutes ago."
Oriel patiently explained to Ellison.
“Oh, no wonder.” After hearing what the collector next to him said, Ellison understood what had happened. “That’s good, saves me from wasting my breath. You can communicate yourselves.”
It was indeed a clever trick, but it wasn't quite to the point of being mysterious.
Ellison and Lorraine are siblings. Although they have become estranged in recent years due to their differing views on their father's disappearance and have had little communication, they still share some connections through the Morton family's network.
Oriel had already established a good relationship with their family before their father disappeared.
Lorraine would ask him to appraise some strange trophies whose actual value was unclear, and Ellison would often buy information from him about the origins of exotic items.
It's just that Xia Nan's presence today brought them together, which led to this seemingly coincidental but actually entirely reasonable situation.
"I heard from Ms. Lorraine that it was your reminder that made them notice that unique marble platform. It seems you also have expertise in equipment appraisal?"
As if recalling something, Aurelius turned his head, his words carrying a clear yet unintentional probing tone.
Xia Nan's expression remained unchanged, while his mind raced, trying to figure out how to answer in a way that would minimize the chance of revealing his attributes to this extremely experienced collector.
After pausing for a moment, and organizing his thoughts, he slowly began to speak:
"I don't have any insights or experience in appraising collectibles. If you ask me to explain the effects of any piece of equipment clearly, I can't do it."
"But because of my profession, I have a fairly keen sense of perception. During the mission, I immediately felt that something was wrong with that marble workbench. Later, I had the spellcasters in the team examine it carefully and that confirmed my opinion."
"In a way, I guess I was just lucky."
Aurelius simply smiled and shook his head.
“You’re too modest. Even the most experienced appraisers can’t guarantee they can clearly identify the items he has in his hands. In such cases, keen perception is especially crucial.”
"Clearly, you possess the talent to become an outstanding and great appraiser."
Xia Nan did not respond to this, but simply gave a polite, noncommittal smile.
Knowing that the topic had drifted a bit, Aurelius turned to look at Ellison and spoke first:
"Mr. Ellison said that you also seem to be interested in those items with an exotic style?"
"Of course," Xia Nan nodded without hesitation, "That's exactly why I came here."
"To be honest, I do have some collections in this area."
"If you don't mind, perhaps... I could take you on a tour of my storage room?"
Xia Nan glanced in Ellison's direction and saw him nod slightly, so he immediately agreed and stepped aside to make way for the door.
"Then trouble you."
……
……
The residence of this half-elf collector was somewhat unexpected for Xia Nan.
When he bid farewell to Ellison at the Adventurers' Guild and followed Aurelius all the way to the heart of the White Cliff District, passing through squads of patrolling guards, he arrived at the very center of one of the richest neighborhoods.
What came into view was a towering and extremely strange building.
Its main body is a stone tower that appears to be at least six stories high.
In terms of height alone, this building stands out from the surrounding houses.
Its unique architectural style immediately attracts the attention of all passersby. Unlike the luxurious or understated houses of the surrounding dignitaries, this stone house in Aurier can only be described as eccentric.
It is made entirely of gray-white granite, with bricks of varying sizes. Some are so large that it takes two people to hug them, while others are just big enough to fit into a doorway. They seem to be randomly stacked, but in reality, each piece of granite is as if it has been measured and cut with great care, fitting together perfectly. This gives people an indescribable sense of beauty that is orderly in chaos.
The base of the tower is nearly one-third wider than the top, making the entire building resemble a stalagmite rising from the ground.
It has many windows on its walls, but each window is completely different in size and style. There are thick glass windows that take up almost half of the wall, with complex geometric patterns on the surface. The window frames are exquisite and intricate, with vines entwining them. There are oak windows with a strong elven style, and dwarf combination windows made of steel and crystal, which are both sleek and luxurious. The windows with completely different styles, structures and materials are cleverly matched but do not appear chaotic at all. Instead, they make people unconsciously focus their attention and carefully observe the types of windows on the building.
"I designed this house myself back then."
Leading Xia Nan through the flowerbeds and small garden in front of the house, Auriye introduced the place with a smile.
"I liked a lot of things at the time, so I thought I'd add a little bit of everything."
"Looking back now, with so many elements combined, it should have been a failed and ugly product, but the finished product turned out quite well."
"Yes, the main credit definitely goes to the craftsmen. If you plan to settle in Suoyu Bay and design your own buildings in the future, I can introduce you to them."
For Xia Nan, at least for now, the trip to Suoyu Bay is just a short transitional period in his long career. He does not intend to live there for a long time, and given his tight finances, he has no intention of buying property in the short term.
But it's always good to get to know more people, especially when the people you meet are highly skilled craftsmen. So I kept this in mind, thinking that maybe I'd have a chance to meet them in the future.
The tower's main entrance is a heavy, double-leaf, dark brown oak door, about three meters long and wide enough for two people to ride horses side by side when the door is open.
Xia Nan followed Ellison as they pushed open the door and entered.
The first thing that comes into view is a magnificent hall.
It's like directly connecting the upper and lower floors, from the ground to the ceiling, with a height that's two and a half stories high like a typical building.
Almost every wall is covered with cabinets, row upon row, layer upon layer, made of copper, iron, wood... The sheer number and variety of these cabinets in different styles are so complex that they are hard to describe in words.
To some extent, if a guest like Xia Nan were to visit, the focus would probably not be on the type and origin of these cabinets, but rather on the countless rare collectibles displayed on the shelves in different ways.
From a vast collection of books comparable to a library to a dazzling array of glass bottles of potions that look even more spectacular than the shelves in an alchemist's shop; from beautiful paintings layered upon each other like fish scales to cashmere blankets embroidered with intricate and gorgeous patterns.
A huge clock that operates silently, only occasionally making a crisp sound; bronze statues with blurred faces whose male and female races are indistinguishable; a twisted, withered tree made of wind chimes, wire, flags, and dried flower wreaths; and an ornate chandelier made primarily of seashells, glass beads, porcelain plates, and metal parts.
Supporting pedestals, carpets, fractured carved stone pillars, and pristine white ivory wrapped in silk...
Xia Nan even saw a complete specimen of a displacement beast on the north wall.
It is unknown how it was preserved, but this dead displacement beast still retains its ferocious and violent appearance from its life. Its sharp white teeth reflect light, and the taut muscles under its black fur are solidified as they expand. Its long, split tail, like tentacles, stands upright and spreads out in a highly dynamic posture.
With its countless collections and overly dense layout, Xia Nan wouldn't even know where to go if the path from the main entrance to the stairwell wasn't relatively spacious and well-lit.
Compared to Aurelius's elegant and dignified attire, the furnishings of his room were extremely elaborate, displaying all the collectibles that could be seen in the light, making one dizzy at first glance, as if every corner held a unique and rare item.
"I'm sorry, the room might be a little messy."
Knowing that his interior design style was completely different from the aristocratic mansions in Baiya District and that ordinary people might not be used to it, Aurie, with an apologetic look on her face, led Xia Nan up the stairs.
"No, I think it's quite interesting."
It wasn't just empty talk.
Xia Nan herself prefers a simple and efficient style, both in terms of overall equipment appearance and daily life, and emphasizes practicality.
However, if a room is so complex and comprehensive that even he is overwhelmed by it, and it contains valuable collectibles, he will find it interesting and won't have any negative thoughts or emotions.
If given the chance later, Xia Nan even wanted to take a good look at the various collections that the half-elf kept in the lobby on the first floor, so as to broaden his horizons.
Following Orie up the stairs to the second-floor corridor, and stepping over a cashmere carpet embroidered with gold patterns, the two arrived at a small room.
The small room also displays many half-elf artifacts, but unlike the items downstairs that are haphazardly placed on shelves, each artifact has its own dedicated display case.
A mottled crown, entirely dark silver in color and of a design unlike any known kingdom on the continent, composed of three intertwined metal bands, lay quietly on a soft velvet cushion.
The surface is covered with cracks, as if it would break completely with the slightest force. On the inner circle is a small, now blurred, ancient Elvish inscription: "[Those who inherit the throne, betray like a shadow]".
"This crown is at least three thousand years old, which is older than the origin of many gods."
Auriye explained to Xia Nan from the side.
"He should belong to the king of some ancient kingdom, but I haven't collected any relevant intelligence or information about where he came from yet."
Three thousand years!?
Under normal circumstances, Xia Nan does not believe that this type of creation could be preserved in such a well-preserved form to this day.
But since they were in a fantasy world with supernatural powers, and who knows what kind of waterproof and rustproof magic it might have, they stopped thinking about it and simply examined it carefully as an artifact from another world.
The items stored in the glass cabinet next to it were even smaller.
—A tarot card.
The material is unknown, slightly transparent, much thinner than normal skin, yet it gives the impression of being even tougher than steel.
The image on the card is blurred and indistinct; only a tower struck by lightning and the rising sun gradually emerging from behind dark clouds in the background can be vaguely discerned.
"This is a token left behind by the god of gambling when he walked among mortals. It is said that if you can hold this tarot card after you die, the god will personally take you to his kingdom."
If what the other party said is true, Xia Nan dared not imagine what kind of astronomical price this tarot card could fetch on the market.
He looked away from the tarot cards and continued forward to the next counter.
Before I could even take a closer look, my intense focus caused the semi-transparent characters representing the attribute panel to appear before my eyes.
(End of this chapter)