Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 33 (Patreon)

Chapter 33: Scores and Rusty Blades

Luo's goal was that blade and the strange pot, but it was best to leave their appraisal either for the middle or the end.

The first collectible he chose was a macaque stone statue, nearly one meter in height, depicting a macaque standing upright, wearing a pointed hat, its facial expression incredibly lifelike, perfectly capturing the ferocity of humanity.

The craftsmanship was outstanding, but still not enough to make this macaque statue valuable as a collectible.

Malevolent Face (Authentic)

Quality: Antique

Year: 612

This item was crafted by the renowned sculptor Fuding, who loved to carve and excelled at mimicking the facial expressions of sharp-mouthed monkeys, having carved 139 sharp-mouthed monkey statues in his lifetime, all with benevolent faces.

Malevolent Face was Fuding's 140th sharp-mouthed monkey statue, its value lying not just in its uniqueness, but also in the craftsmanship and materials that went into this work of art.

…

Luo nearly instantaneously understood everything there was to know about this stone macaque, not just that, but his mind was also swiftly flashed with a series of slightly blurred images.

In a room stripped of possessions, a middle-aged man in despair held a strangely shaped stone chisel, in front of a yet-to-be-finished stone pillar.

Even though the man's face was not very clear, one could feel an extreme madness emanating from him.

In the images, the man with the stone chisel persisted in repeating the same action in one spot, among other different scenes.

These bizarre images swirled in Luo's mind, as if a demon hidden in the shadows was whispering to him: accept it, accept it…

Luo slowly withdrew his hand, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He hadn't encountered this situation when touching the Ominous Hand.

If this was Fuding's spiritual essence left behind, then this stone macaque should also have residual Nen.

Since Luo was facing away from the elder, the elder didn't see Luo's unusual expression.

After standing still for about a minute, Luo suppressed his doubts, turned back to the elder, and said, "This is a sharp-mouthed monkey stone statue by the renowned sculptor Fuding. He carved a total of 140 sharp-mouthed monkey statues in his lifetime, liking to carve a straw hat on each monkey's head. Only this Malevolent Face sharp-mouthed monkey statue is the most special, whether it be its expression or its pointed hat."

"Firstly, Fuding's works were mainly benevolent faces, with the first 139 sharp-mouthed monkey statues all carved with kind, smiling expressions. Only this 140th sharp-mouthed monkey statue was carved with a malevolent face."

Luo lightly traced a faint bloodstain on the statue's pointed hat, sighing, "This is not only Fuding's last work but also a true labor of love."

"Although historical records only mention 139 sharp-mouthed monkey statues by Fuding and do not record the Malevolent Face, the unique craftsmanship is inimitable. Because of the special stone used, even time could not erode its edges, which is one of the reasons it could easily be mistaken for a forgery."

"But the inimitable craftsmanship speaks for its authenticity."

"Based on the time of Fuding's death, the Malevolent Face sharp-mouthed monkey dates back roughly 600 years."

"This piece, although not recorded in documents, would undoubtedly be named 'Malevolent Face,' following the convention for Fuding's other 139 sharp-mouthed monkey statues."

Luo organized the information in his mind along with his imagination into words, trying his best to explain about Malevolent Face. As for the deeper information he gleaned from those fleeting images, he would not reveal any of it.

If he ever left Meteor Street, he definitely wanted to visit Fuding's residence. The snippets of information revealed by those memory images seemed like a mysterious and unique score, named... Dark Sonata.

However, after 600 years of changes, that place likely no longer existed.

Despite this, Luo still wanted to go and see.

The unknown, just like the demon's whispers, was very tempting.

After hearing Luo's explanation, the basement fell into silence.

Kuli and his companion stared at Luo with a look of seeing a ghost, completely unexpected such a scenario.

Next to the Black Dog, about half of the pile of bones was because of this sharp-mouthed monkey statue.

Kuli and his companion witnessed with their own eyes how one by one, those who appeared dignified and authoritative art appraisers turned from living beings into corpses, because they all deemed the sharp-mouthed monkey statue a forgery.

The elder remained silent, but Luo could feel the elder's gaze filled with astonishment, and from Kuli's reaction, it was mostly correct.

Had Chrollo Lucilfer not explained the Ominous Hand before, Luo might not have been sure whether the information displayed in the smoke was accurate. Despite not wanting to admit it, Chrollo Lucilfer indeed provided significant help.

"Continue." At this moment, the elder had decided to let Luo live and furthermore, wanted Luo to collect ancient treasures for him.

That settled it…

Without showing any signs, Luo moved towards the next collectible, aiming to absorb the Nen from the blade and the strange pot under the watchful eyes of the elder and possibly distract them with his eloquent language—a kind of bluster, in simple terms.

The next collectible was an unremarkable silver bowl, its value lying in the name engraved at the bottom of the bowl, seemingly that of a famous martial artist from 300 years ago, etched into the silver with bare fingers.

After touching the silver bowl, Luo immediately understood the relevant information about it, but those bizarre images did not appear again.

With a lack of enthusiasm, Luo didn't just go through the motions; he was as detailed as possible, leaving the elder dumbfounded.

Just appraising two collectibles had already demonstrated remarkable value.

By this time, the elder regarded Luo as a true connoisseur, his youthful age notwithstanding.

After all, age and appearance have never been the standards of judgment in Meteor Street.

The third collectible was an intricately hollow-carved golden pen, valuable as a collectible not just for its age but also for its appearance.

Similarly, this royal golden pen, like the silver bowl, did not trigger any memory fragments in Luo's mind.

Once Luo stated the name and origin of the golden pen, Kuli knew the elder would certainly forgive him, but his twin brother's vendetta would not end there.

As long as the elder recognized Luo's value and tasked Luo with assignments, there would be plenty of opportunities.

At this moment, the elder's mood began to improve, finding Luo's demonstrated value beyond his expectations, truly a rare talent.

The fourth collectible... a long blade with a rusty surface, also a collectible with remnants of Nen.

Luo's heartbeat slightly quickened, feeling like he was stealing under someone else's watch.

It was a risky act, but he didn't want to miss this opportunity.

The blade was about five feet long, its appearance closely resembling that of a Miao dao, with a slender blade and a handle adorned with black and red patterns, lacking a guard.

Under the light, the rust on the blade formed spots the size of fingernails, densely packed in a row, resembling the patterns on a venomous snake's body.

A rusted blade, a blade that had fallen from grace and could no longer kill, a blade that ultimately became an object of admiration.

But still… its sharpness was not lost.

When Luo reached out his hand, before his fingertips even touched the blade, he felt a sharpness as if a fine needle lightly pricked his fingertip.

Luo was slightly startled, and as his hand touched the handle, his expression gradually changed.

At this moment, Luo had only one thought.

I must... obtain this blade.

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