Chapter 162
In a show of good faith, Austin had handpicked only the finest goods, each one personally
inspected by himself.
Ste responded with a smile, "My family has been passionate about antiques for three
generations, so I have some knowledge in this area."
Austin was taken aback, but he wasn''t an expert in the field, "I may have been mistaken. I’ll rece
them with new ones tomorrow."
All of his books and antiques were traded from wealthy individuals, and he never thought that there
could be counterfeits among them. He took his mistake in stride. He would review his records when
he returned and then cease coboration.
After the transaction, Ste left with her bag.
At that time, it was approaching dawn,. The eastern sky was slowly brightening, dispelling the
darkness and a new day was beginning. Ignoring the harsh, dry heat, the sight of a clear blue sky
bathed in the red light of dawn was indeed a rare beauty.
On their way back to the neighbourhood, the streets were getting crowded. Some were returning
home from work, others were out seeking food and resources, and some... were robbers.
"Help me."
A frail girl, who had somehow found a dead snake, was being targeted by a simrly emaciated
man with a knife, demanding her to hand over the snake.
This was happening in broad daylight, with many passersby around, each with an indifferent
expression. None stepped in to help, instead quickening their pace, eager to avoid any trouble.
Ste initially didn''t want to get involved, but the desperate girl reminded her of herself three years
ago. At that time, she had caught a rat, but was immediately surrounded by a group of people
wanting to snatch it away. Their eyes glowed with greed, fixated on the dead rat.
Watching the girl struggle, Ste picked up a stone and threw it at them. Despite the distance, her
aim was urate, the stone hitting the man in the back. He stumbled and fell to the ground.
The girl, holding the snake, didn''t even thank Ste or look back. She just quickly fled.
The man got up, looking around for the person who had attacked him. Upon seeing Ste and
Jasper across the street and realizing he was no match for them, he left in a huff.
In the sweltering heat, it was impossible to hide the truth about your circumstances.
Even though Ste and Jasper were in disguise, they stood out, and were attracting more and more
attention. As they neared the city, Jasper turned to look at their followers. Without a word, he drew
his weapon. Immediately, their followers scattered like birds.
They managed to reach home safely before the sun was fully up.
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Rosie was already awake, diligently going about her morning routine of brushing her teeth, washing
her face, and practicing boxing and archery.
Cooper was also busy, hanging around in the corridor.
After freshening up and changing clothes, they brought out some cereal and bagels, calling Rosie
and the dog over for breakfast.
This time, they managed to add two more rooms to the third floor and expanded The Garden by a
hundred square feet. Quite a profitable deal.
After a hearty breakfast, Ste went to bed to catch up on sleep. Jasper tutored Rosie and after
assigning her homework, he also went to rest.
Cooper was tasked with overseeing Rosie. Only when she finished her homework could she watch
cartoons.
In the afternoon, Ste woke up to spar with Jasper, followed by dinner, watching a show, and
petting the dog.
When the time was right, they went to the agreed spot to pick up the car. This time, neither Austin
nor Monkey hade, but the man who hade with the car was familiar - the one who had
collected the condoms.
He had brought a different vase with him. After verification by Arcadia, it was found to be genuine.
Ste began to lead a nocturnal lifestyle, sleeping during the day at home and releasing water at
Arcadia at night.
It had to be said, there were a lot of counterfeits in this business. Almost every time, there were one
or two fake items. But Austin was a good sport, always taking the counterfeits back without any
argument.
Under Ste''s generous feeding, the fourth floor of Arcadia finally came into existence, but it only
had two storage rooms.
The house was no longer expanding. It seemed like it was a three-and-a-half-story vi. Fortunately,
The Garden was still growing.
One night, Monkey finally showed up, "Could you spare two cars of water in a few days?"
Ste frowned, "That much?"
Ste was silent for a moment before saying, "I''ll think of a way. Shouldn''t be a problem."
Monkey pushed his luck further, "Can you get some ice?"
"That wouldn''t be easy."
"Yeah. But the rich kids are so extravagant, not only throwing a party but also having an ice
banquet."
The boss was eager to secure this deal, not only for the potential earnings but also for the
opportunity to establish a new connection. The reward offered was not small.
Just for providing a car of ice, they were offering a piece of diamond raw stone.
The boss had made it clear that if Ste could provide the ice, she could keep the raw stone.
Diamond raw stone? Ste was somewhat tempted. She had stockpiled a lot of ice in Arcadia,
enough for several years'' use. Even without that, she could produce ice with an ice machine.
She looked at Jasper, should they take this deal?
After several transactions, The Garden had expanded by about 1000 square feet, and Austin had
given a heads up that he didn''t have many antiques and paintings left, and subsequent trades could
be done with gold.
A car of water for 2 pounds of gold. Compared to antiques and paintings, gold seemed to be less
attractive to Arcadia. So Ste nned to exchange all the antiques and paintings in Austin''s
possession, and then set off for Swan Hill Beach.
Diamond raw stone, maybe they could give it a try.
Ste yed coy, "I''ll look into it, and I''ll give you an answer tomorrow."
Monkey was especially happy and hurried back to report to the boss.
When they got back home, they decided after some discussion that they would wrap up their
dealings after this one.
Both parties were cautious, but they still had been targeted several times. Jasper and Ste had to
make detours and use the cover of night and Arcadia to shake off their tails.
Once, they even yed a game of chicken on the road. Jasper didn''t stop the car, he just rammed
right into them.
They hid the car, and the two of them made a counterattack. It was a gang of experienced
carjackers, as many as ten people, and they all had weapons.
Fortunately, both of them had richbat experience and were always on guard, so they didn''t give
them any opportunity to take advantage of. They realized, it was important to quit while you were
ahead.
They now had an extra water tanker truck to fill, and they didn''t sleep all night. It was almost time for
the transaction before they managed to fill the truck with water.
Austin came in person. There were only 18 paintings and 12 antiques. The rest were made up with
jewels. The value of antiques and paintings depreciated quickly. Thanks to Ste, he was finally
able to clear all the goods he had umted.
"Ste, Jasper, gold is more stable in value right now, how about we trade with gold from now on?"
Ste declined his proposal, "Austin, I''m sorry, but we''re going to have to suspend our trades for a
while. We''re nning a trip to Swan Hill."
"Swan Hill?" Austin asked, surprise coloring his voice. "You''re heading to the coast?"
"We have a client interested in sea produce, we''re nning on checking it out."
Austin felt a twinge of disappointment, but he didn''t try to dissuade them. "Alright, then. We''ll catch
up when you get back. But be careful around Swan Hill. There''s a toll booth, and they''re not to be
trifled with. Any problem that can be solved with goods isn''t a problem. Don''t pick a fight you don''t
need to."
After sharing their gratitude, they returned home for some rest before a hard afternoon of ice
delivery.