Chapter 98: Obtaining the Second Self-Awakened Artifact

Ye Chen’s method for finding a self-awakening artifact was simple: he would recreate the box’s earlier fear of his broken blade.

He hoped the trick would work. If not, then even if he had to sell himself or a kidney, he would still have to take every one of these things home.

So, under the astonished gaze of the crowd, Ye Chen drew the broken blade from his chest and gently pressed it against the necklace.

The gesture left both You Ya and the burly man from Mineral City dumbfounded.

If the venue’s security had not been so tight, the burly man might have suspected at one point that this fellow had come to rob them.

Watching Ye Chen, You Ya felt confusion, surprise, and a whole tangle of other emotions rise in her heart.

Confusion was a given. It made sense enough for a buyer of jewelry to take out a jeweler’s loupe and examine it carefully.

But pulling out an awakened artifact to inspect jewelry? What kind of bizarre move was that?

Her surprise came from the memory of Ye Chen opening the box earlier; his actions now were exactly the same.

Something was wrong.

She leaned close to Ye Chen’s ear and whispered, “Take it easy. Don’t scratch up their ornament. That’s not how jewelry is appraised.”

Of course Ye Chen knew that. The problem was that buying a self-awakening artifact really did require doing it this way.

The first piece was a necklace. It remained a dead thing, with no emotion or response at all.

Ye Chen handed it back and said, “Swap this one out and let me look at another.”

This time he pointed at a pair of earrings.

The burly man, still wearing gloves, checked the necklace over and over for scratches. Only after confirming it was unharmed did he finally put it back with lingering fear.

But the way he looked at Ye Chen had already grown highly guarded.

Though Ye Chen had not caused any real damage to the jewelry, he had wounded the man’s nerves. He had never done a business deal so nerve-racking in his life.

A moment later, after testing, the earrings were not it either.

Ye Chen kept changing them.

He went through five pieces in a row, and Ye Chen himself was starting to feel a little worn out. How long was this supposed to take?

What he did not know was that the burly man was even more exhausted.

Every time he saw Ye Chen bring the broken blade’s edge perilously close to a piece of jewelry, his heart leapt into his throat.

A man of two hundred-plus pounds stood on tiptoe, craning his neck, eyes bulging, mouth hanging open, terrified that the next second Ye Chen might accidentally mar the surface of the ornament.

He had even begun to suspect that the man in the white coat across from him had come here specifically to make trouble.

But before this, You Ya had already stated her identity, essentially vouching for Ye Chen.

That was the only reason the burly man had relaxed a little. After all, even if the jewelry were damaged, there was a big patron standing nearby who could cover the bill.

Just as Ye Chen randomly selected the sixth piece, a familiar tremor finally came from within the ornament.

Found it.

Ye Chen withdrew the broken blade, held the piece in his hand, and studied it again and again under the light.

Only then did the burly man begin explaining, now that the other party was finally behaving differently.

“This crystal-clear stone set into the ring was called a diamond by the people of the old world. It’s a stone of extremely high hardness.

“Compared with the elemental gem ornaments everyone likes to wear now, you might wonder why people of that era chose a stone that had nothing going for it except hardness.

“But as far as we know, in those days this kind of ring was a symbol of love.

“Because it had no other special effect, the price is two hundred thousand.”

Ye Chen was just about to say he wanted the ring, when he suddenly realized something extremely important.

He had not brought that much money.

What now?

Should he come clean with You Ya right here and tell her he knew this ring was a self-awakening artifact?

Then how was he supposed to explain the rest of the story?

But he was determined to get this item.

In the end, Ye Chen could only look at You Ya with pleading eyes.

“Can you lend me some money?”

Pfft.

This time You Ya really laughed. She tightened the muscles in her face, forcing the smile back down, and said blandly, “Do you already have someone? Otherwise, why would you want to buy this?”

That was a dangerous question. He absolutely could not answer it head-on.

Ye Chen pretended to be calm. “I’m preparing for the future.”

He had noticed that this ring was clearly meant for a woman. As a man, whether he could even use a self-awakening artifact like this was still an open question.

Worst case, he might have to give it away in the end.

You Ya tilted her head slightly. She did not believe a single word of what Ye Chen said. The brat was hiding something from her.

“A few days ago, I thought of five more experimental plans. I may need your cooperation.”

“Will I die?”

You Ya shook her head.

“Then is it dangerous?”

“Uh... probably not!”

What was that hesitation just now supposed to mean?

“One!” Ye Chen glared.

“Heh. Three.”

“...Deal.”

Ye Chen closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling as though he had just sold himself.

But when the ring was placed inside an exquisite little box and handed to him, he felt it was still a bargain.

Before, Yang Jicai had paid for Wen Yu.

Now, You Ya was paying for Ye Chen’s diamond ring.

The burly man quietly gave Ye Chen a thumbs-up and sent him an admiring look. Young man, eating soft rice the hard way—pretty sweet, isn’t it?

Ye Chen turned away expressionlessly and followed behind You Ya out of the display area.

Without even realizing it, I had really become the pretty boy Wen Yu called me.

Walking ahead of him, You Ya said softly, “If you don’t want to pay it back, that’s fine too. But then you need to tell me the secret of this ring.”

Sigh. So in the end, You Ya had noticed.

Having a woman this clever was not entirely a good thing.

But whether he returned the money or not, that would have to wait until he understood the ring’s true use.

The two of them walked one after the other toward an exhibition zone filled with an industrial atmosphere.

Ye Chen glanced up and immediately guessed that it belonged to Iron City.

You Ya looked back and said, “The performance in Iron City’s exhibition area is about to begin. I’m taking you there to broaden your horizons.”

Ye Chen noticed that Iron City’s exhibition zone, including both the stage and the backdrop, was built entirely from metal frameworks, with steam hissing out from pipes from time to time.

Anyone who did not know better might have thought this was a corner of some factory.

Ye Chen heard You Ya say to him, “This exhibit was brought here with me when I came to Energy City.”

“But even if you end up loving it, don’t buy it. Understand?” Her tone carried a hint of warning.

Ye Chen turned to look at her, nodded obediently, but his curiosity had already been piqued.

At this moment, what sat on the stage was a cubic metal box.

It was roughly thirty centimeters on a side, and one of its faces had a strap attached so it could be carried over the shoulder.

Among everyone present, perhaps only a very small number of informed insiders besides You Ya knew what this iron box was for.

The rest of the visitors exchanged blank looks, each more puzzled than the last.

Then the official presenter from Iron City took the stage at last: a fat man in a tailcoat with two small moustaches and a ringing voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Iron City exhibition booth.

“The product we have brought is one of the greatest scientific achievements of Iron City in recent years...”