<h4>Chapter 189: Protection Charm</h4>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    The case was opened, revealing a miniature crossbow.


    The miniature crossbow was made of steel. It was hard to tell if the exterior was actually coated with silver paint or if it were real steel itself, but it was extremely shiny and smooth. It reflected the light from the spotlights, sparkling on stage.


    It was a small bow, with a length of about eight inches and width of six inches. It was like a silver bird with its wings outstretched.


    The auctioneer brought up the miniature crossbow, on it was attached a quiver. He then stuffed six arrows into the bow and said in a loud voice, “Now, everyone pay attention to what I have on hand. Bat made this crossbow himself. I won’t be exining who he is, but if you don’t know, then you wouldn’t buy this fe anyway.


    “This fe is called “Pterosaur Rage”—handcrafted with aluminum, steel, and bronze, its arrows are made of carbon fiber and stainless steel—definitely a deadly weapon.


    “I will now begin epting offers—500 dors seems like a good starting price, so 500 dors, 500 dors, 500 dors for Bate’s handcrafted crossbow, together with fifty arrows!”


    Hans raised his hand and said, “550 dors!”


    “Alright, 550 dors, 550, 550—anyone for 600 dors? Without a doubt, something of this workmanship is worth 600 dors…”


    “Me, 600 dors!”


    “Alright 600 dors, 600, 600—congrattions kiddo, but it doesn’t belong to you yet—650, 650, anyone going for it?”


    Hans raised his hand again, yelling, “700 dors!”


    “Seven hundred fifty!”


    “Eight hundred!”


    “Eight hundred fifty!”


    Hans shook his hand and yelled, “One thousand!”


    The crowd groaned and mumbled. The ones who had made an offer previously took a step back, indicating that they had given up on the crossbow.


    The auctioneer called three times for 1,000 dors; with no one bidding, he mmed the hammer and said, “Alright, now this ferocious little pterosaur belongs to that buddy over there. A round of apuse for him while we bring out the new babies.”


    Another bunch of items came out, including the motorcycles.


    At that moment, the crowd burst into cheers and apuse, while several young people squeezed to the front. They were all potential soon-to-be owners.


    They looked different from when they were first assembled. Stephen and Hannah had given the motorcycles a fresh coat of paint, with the three bikes each different colors: red, white, and ck.


    On top of the glossy paint coating were decals of mes, skulls, Cerberus, and other details, making the motorcycles seem more manly and tough.


    The auctioneer yelled into the megaphone, “Alright, a beast has appeared—these were provided by a good fe named “Hans Fox”… don’t ask me who that is, because even I don’t know…”


    Hans wasughing from below; he waved to the surrounding people, then pointed to his own chest, implying that these were goods he had provided.


    “But we don’t need to care who the previous owner was, we just need to remember who the new owners will be, don’t tell me the young ones aren’t feeling up for it…”


    “Look at this: these monsters have a 60 discements, and they are undeniably the kings of beasts. Look at how beautiful the workmanship is—I’m starting to think that they might be descendants of the monsters in Soviet…


    “We all know that the more simple motorcycles are built, the easier they are to maintain, and the more thrilling they are to ride, so let’s give these a starting bid of one thousand dors. I believe everyone should to happy to make an offer…”


    Immediately, someone called out: “One thousand—me, me, me!”


    “One thousand one hundred—I’ll take it!”


    “One thousand five!”


    “One thousand eight!”


    “Move away you peasants—two thousand from me!”


    “Two thousand one hundred! Buzz off!”


    The price quickly shot up. After 2,000 dors, the offers greatly decreased, but this price had already made Li Du very satisfied.


    From 2,100 dors, the price slowly—but steadily—rose, until it reached 2,500 dors. The one who made that offer was a young ck man about Li Du’s age.


    The auctioneer called for the final bid three times, and with no one else making an offer he mmed the hammer, indicating that the motorcycle belonged to the young ck man now.


    Hans led the apuse, and the crowd followed with their own thundering apuse. The young ck man and his friends around him bumped fists with him and exchanged embraces.


    Next, another motorcycle was pushed forward.


    Li Du felt things were strange and said, “These motorcycles were assembled by us—I don’t think the actual value is that high. It should have been tough to get more than a thousand each.”


    Hans said with augh, “That’s the charm of used-goods auctions. Everyone wants the item, so the price skyrockets.”


    “Then why would theye here to buy them? American motorcycles are everywhere, right?” Li Du asked.


    Hans said, “First off, ours have a 60 discement, with premium grade engines by the Japanese. Although they are second-hand, their value is still high.


    “Second, the old-goods auctions business has already established itself. Also, you should understand why so many people here like this trade: they believe in this market, so they’ll specificallye to this market to trade.


    “Lastly, self-assembled bikes are very umon in a small ce like gstaff. If you don’t want to go to Phoenix or Tucson, then you can only get them by chance.”


    “Likewise for the other items, right?” Li Du said, feeling enlightened.


    “Correct.”


    The other two motorcycles sold for 2,500 dors and 2,600 dors—about the same as the first bike. The total profit from the three motorcycles was above their expectations, totaling 7,600 dors.


    Hans went to collect the payment from the motorcycle sales. He then paid for the crossbow and gave it to Li Du.


    “Why did you buy this thing for me?”


    Hans sighed and said tiredly, “I don’t know why, but you tend to offend people. You don’t have the license to buy and possess guns—this crossbow is for you to protect yourself.”


    Mr. Li thought about it, and felt that it was a good idea. Embarrassed, he said, “I shouldn’t have made you pay for it.”


    Hans said, “Don’t hold back with a brother, just take it. But before using it, make sure you shout as loud as you can: ‘Judgement from Big Fox!’”


    He shouted loudly, and the people around all turned their heads toward him. Mr. Li could only pretend that he didn’t know the idiot.


    The auction ended. It waste, already nine at night.


    The crowd started thinning, with everyone leaving the ce, marking the end of the auction for this week.


    Li Du was also preparing to leave, but then Hans brought him to the market. The second-hand market was still quite lively, with many people shopping in the streets.


    Hans said, “It’s not just an old-goods market, but also a night market. Because of the hot weather in the day, night is the time when it reallyes alive.”


    Li Du said, “The people here sure are gutsy.”


    Under the sunlight, the flowers and greenery were luscious and bright. But at night, in many ces of America, it would turn dark and dangerous. People loved to perform some illegal acts in the night, and thus, security would be poor when the sun went down.


    “The rural areas of gstaff have good security. The cops are quite hard working in that aspect, and there aren’t any gangs controlling these ces. Anyhow, this isn’t Memphis, and even more so, not Detroit.”


    After Hans exined himself, he brought Li Du to one of the stalls and sat down.