Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 535: Buy Them All and Get Free Shipping?
Entering the museum turned out to be far easier than Steven had imagined. Lin Yuxia's identity proved quite useful—after briefly showing some kind of ID to the receptionist, the two of them were led straight into what was clearly an inner exhibition area that ordinary ticket buyers probably couldn't even access.
At least, Steven had never experienced a museum visit where tourists could observe exhibits up close without protective barriers.
"Do you come to places like this often? You seem really familiar with everything."
He whispered to Lin Yuxia, who looked even more excited than he did while examining the displays.
"I suppose so. Don't you think this feeling is wonderful? Looking at artworks left behind by those who came before us, then imagining their legendary lives from these pieces—that's one of the values preserved in art."
She lowered her voice as well. Lin Yuxia had originally assumed this boy, who seemed like he'd escaped from a mental hospital, wouldn't last long in such an atmosphere. But judging by the curiosity in Santiago's eyes, he didn't seem particularly resistant to it.
Could this guy—clearly a little unhinged—actually appreciate art?
"So… these exhibits must be worth a lot, right? If I packed them all up and robbed the place, I could probably resell them for a fortune."
Just as Lin Yuxia was beginning to revise her impression of him, Steven's next sentence shattered it completely. She realized she should never have expected anything different. He was still the same loose-screwed boy, and that wasn't changing anytime soon.
"These are just art exhibits. Given the current state of this land, they're not worth much. In times of war, how many people do you think can even appreciate them? Rather than spending effort stealing paintings and sculptures, people would much rather go after Originium, which has practical value."
"Though I consider them priceless, to many others they're nothing more than useless paper and wood."
Lin Yuxia sighed. This was one of the reasons she had ended up as an executor handling Wei Yenwu's affairs despite loving art. On this land, art was cheap—and produced little tangible value.
"Yeah, makes sense. I never really understood why these things get auctioned for astronomical prices anyway. Seems like your world is more grounded."
Steven raised an eyebrow. With barely a trace of artistic sensibility, he couldn't fully grasp her meaning. To him, these were simply objects with their inherent material value. Art was something he neither understood nor particularly cared to.
That said, he could still appreciate beauty. Most people shared similar tastes, after all. Abstract styles like Picasso's remained a minority.
But compared to all that, something else had caught Steven's attention.
Right in front of him stood a wooden sculpture depicting a mermaid—half human, half fish—like something out of a fairy tale. He found himself quite intrigued.
"By the way, based on what you said… are these exhibits for sale? There's an auction later, right?"
Looking at the finely carved mermaid seated on a rock, singing gracefully, Steven immediately thought of a certain little shark who had recently become obsessed with carving after he fixed her mental issues. If he brought this back as a souvenir, she'd probably be so happy she'd bite him hard.
But giving a souvenir to just one person felt unfair… and once he started thinking about it, there were actually quite a few people he ought to bring gifts for.
Scratching his chin in mild dilemma, Steven glanced at the name of the artist beneath the sculpture—Mizuki—before turning to Lin Yuxia and asking his question.
"Of course. While I'd like to say that measuring these artworks in money is a form of desecration, the museum staff clearly don't see it that way. They're more concerned about whether their paycheck might increase tomorrow if a sucker shows up. As I mentioned earlier, not many people appreciate art these days—and wealthy patrons are even rarer."
"If you really like it, getting this piece shouldn't be too difficult. I could even buy it for you in my personal capacity."
Her salary wasn't particularly high, but the wooden sculpture Santiago had his eye on wasn't especially expensive either. If she dipped into her small personal savings, Lin Yuxia felt she could manage it.
She had been so irritated by Santiago before that she practically wanted to grind her teeth and swallow him whole—but if spending this little could earn his goodwill, it would definitely be worth it.
"Hm, I'll pass. We're not that close. I don't take gifts casually, after all, debts of gratitude aren't easy to repay."
Steven waved his hand. He had no intention of accepting her kindness. That would create a favor owed, and those were troublesome to settle.
Besides, he wasn't short on money. In fact, if he were buying souvenirs, he'd rather just clear out the entire exhibition in one go. After all, he'd be spending Lungmen dollars—those things were practically worthless. One gold bar could exchange for a ridiculous amount of them. To him, they were cheaper than paper.
At least paper took three sugarcane to craft.
Lin Yuxia, meanwhile, was surprised by his sudden politeness. He chose now to act courteous? Why hadn't he thought about that when he was tugging at her stockings earlier?
She rolled her eyes helplessly, unaware that Steven was already calculating how much it would cost to haul everything away. She continued admiring the exhibits she liked, silently lamenting that even something she herself hesitated to buy was refused by him.
"So I can only buy things during the auction? There's no way to just privately name a price and have everything packaged and shipped home?"
Steven spoke again, sounding as though he were pondering logistics. His words dealt another heavy mental blow to Lin Yuxia. Shipped home? Did he think this was some kind of shopping mall?
She was about to retort, but suddenly paused. Most people couldn't pull that off—but if Santiago's identity was genuine, he actually did have the means to say something like that.
It was all because his behavior didn't resemble that of a wealthy man at all. She had almost forgotten that this guy was, in effect, the head of a conglomerate controlling Kazimierz's economic lifeline.
"…I can help you contact the staff. But there's apparently a finale item that will require bidding today. Quite a few people in Lungmen are interested in it. Aside from that, I think everything else should be negotiable."
Though slightly reluctant, Lin Yuxia explained responsibly and began preparing to contact the museum staff. She didn't understand why someone who seemed devoid of artistic sense wanted to buy these things, but if he wanted to play the fool with money, she had no reason to stop him.
"Hm? A finale item? What is it?"
Steven, who had been thinking about how to distribute souvenirs, immediately perked up. He might not care much about art, but he was definitely curious about something so many people were interested in.
"I heard it's a set of chess pieces. They didn't reveal who made them or who used them. Personally, I think it's just hype."
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 617: A Bold Guess[1]
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