Earth, 2026.
A young man dressed flashily, his golden hair slicked back with glossy gel, was strolling down a street in the antique market. He wore sunglasses, and in his hand, he carried a heavy black suitcase with some banknotes peeking out.
Michael had just completed an online course on identifying antiques. Considering himself smart, he felt he could buy many good things from these senile old men.
Suddenly, he stopped, glancing at a simple stall. An old man with a kind face was selling dusty, ancient-looking items, as if they had just been brought up from underground.
The eyes behind the sunglasses assessed the old man for a moment before he smirked slightly. He was confident this would be the perfect place to smoothly test his learning results.
Then he looked at the items again; most were decorative or resembled things used in rituals. Among them, he was particularly drawn to a bronze lamp quite similar in style to a Roman oil lamp.
"Boss, can you tell me a bit about these things?"
Just from a glance, Michael felt these items must be genuine. But he didn't know their origins; if they belonged to some famous dynasty, their value would surely be good.
"You truly have an eye, recognizing at once that these items are special. These were dug up by my grandfather from a tomb when he was alive. At the time, he wasn't sure whose tomb it was. But I can guarantee they are rare goods; look around, you won't find anything like mine here."
The old man explained slowly, his tone gentle yet firm. A flicker of memory about the days with his grandfather seemed to pass through his eyes.
Michael was moved. Although he couldn't verify the old man's story, he could at least confirm that these items weren't mass-produced.
He had been walking around the market area just now; he hadn't covered every spot, but he hadn't seen any similar items.
Looking more carefully, he felt the other things were too ordinary, not appealing at all. Only that bronze oil lamp caught his eye a little.
He raised a finger to point at the lamp, and immediately, the old man's face turned rather unpleasant, as if he didn't want to sell it.
"Hey, don't be like that. You're here to sell stuff, don't change your mind now. I want this oil lamp... how much?"
Michael grew anxious. The old man's expression made him feel the item was more valuable than ever. Such a good item absolutely couldn't slip through his fingers; otherwise, he would feel very embarrassed.
The old man opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, as if torn between wanting to sell and feeling reluctant to part with it. Finally, he just let out a long sigh, his expression deflating as if giving in to Michael.
All these expressions were noted by Michael, making him feel extremely pleased. The more uncomfortable and reluctant the other party was, the more it proved his discerning eye.
"I didn't think you had such ability, to spot the best item at a glance. This piece is very ancient, it's worth..."
The old man said, his honest gaze holding up one finger.
"One thousand?" Michael feigned casualness as he spoke.
By saying one thousand, he was setting an anchor point to influence the old man's price. Of course, he knew this thing couldn't possibly be one thousand unless the old man truly didn't know its value.
"No. One hundred thousand." The old man shook his head, his gaze firm, not like someone lying or inflating prices.
Of course, someone like Michael wouldn't surrender so easily. He immediately pulled out his 'big bargaining knife' and slashed the price down.
"Ten thousand."
The old man's eyes widened, his pupils trembling in disbelief at the casual words uttered by the young man before him.
"That won't do. This is a family heirloom of mine, left by my grandfather. I've tried to keep it in its original state for decades, how could it be sold so cheaply? No deal, I won't sell it like this." The old man waved his hand, decisively not wanting to drag this out with Michael.
Seeing the old man's resolute attitude, Michael, even though he felt something was off, had no choice but to back down because he had already taken a liking to this lamp.
"Hey, hold on. We can still negotiate. Thirty thousand, that's the highest I can pay. I really want this lamp, but I can't spend more than that."
His tone carried sincerity, longing, and regret. One could say he had acted his best; if it didn't work, he'd have no choice but to give up.
Seeing this, the old man could only sigh, his expression softening considerably.
"Alright, consider it making a good connection. Take it."
"Thank you so much, boss. I might buy things from you again in the future." Michael smiled and replied.
Outwardly keeping calm, but inwardly, fireworks had long since gone off inside him. Through the 24-hour expert antique knowledge from his course, he could judge this item was worth at least several hundred thousand.
He didn't believe a senile, rustic old man could have modern knowledge like his, so there was no way he could be fooled.
Michael placed the bronze oil lamp into his bag and happily walked away. Even though he was just walking, his steps were very fast, clearly still afraid the old man might realize something was off and chase after him to demand the goods back.
When his figure had completely disappeared, the corner of the old man's mouth curled into an arc.
"Young people... indeed, green horses eager to bite, with a bit of knowledge they think they're better than an old man like me. Hahaha, a fake worth not even a few hundred dong traded for thirty thousand. You think you've won, but actually, from the moment you stepped into this place, you had already lost."
Only now could the look of a seasoned, cunning merchant be seen on the old man's face. If Michael knew the truth, he would definitely be furious enough to cough up blood.
---
Back home, Michael gleefully took out the bronze oil lamp to examine it carefully, trying to figure out its exact origin. If he really couldn't tell, he could spend money to invite an expert for an appraisal.
Holding the lamp in his hand, for some reason, the layer of dirt on it slipped off, causing him to drop the lamp to the ground. The dirt and grime fell off entirely in a strange manner, and the oxidized copper layer suddenly returned to a new state. This bizarre scene made Michael immediately step back.
"What... what the hell is this?!"
He frowned, his gaze fixed on the lamp changing at a dizzying speed. First, it was an antique, then like a new item, and now it was emitting a magical light.
From inside the lamp, a plume of smoke quickly emerged and then formed itself into the shape of a burly man with a long beard.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am the genie. You have one wish, think carefully."
"Huh???"