Earth, 2026.
A teenager dressed flashily, his golden hair slicked back with shiny gel, was striding down the street of the antique market. He wore sunglasses, one hand carrying a heavy black suitcase with some banknotes sticking out.
Michael had just taken an online course on how to identify antiques. Thinking he was so smart, he felt he could buy a lot of good stuff from these senile old men here.
Suddenly he stopped, looking over a sparse stall. An old, elderly man with a kind face was selling old items covered in thick dust as if they had just been brought up from underground.
The eyes behind the sunglasses sized up the old man for a moment, and then he gave a slight smirk. He was sure this would be the place to smoothly verify the results of his studies.
Then he looked back at the items, mostly decorations or things that looked like they were used in rituals. Among these things, he was particularly drawn to a bronze lamp quite similar to a Roman oil lamp in style.
"Boss, can you introduce these things a bit?"
Michael took one look and immediately felt these items must be real. But he didn't know their background. If they belonged to some famous dynasty, their value would surely be good.
"You really have an eye. You recognized at a glance these objects are extraordinary. These things were dug up by my grandfather when he was alive from under a tomb. At the time, he didn't know whose tomb it was either. But I can confirm they are rare goods. Look around, you won't find items like mine."
The old man explained slowly, his tone gentle yet firm. In his eyes, there seemed to flash a glimmer of memory of the days with his grandfather.
Michael was moved, though he couldn't verify the old man's story, at least he could confirm these items weren't mass-produced.
He had been walking around the market area just now, hadn't been everywhere yet but hadn't seen any similar items.
Looking more carefully, he felt the other things were too ordinary and held no appeal. Only that bronze oil lamp was a bit to his liking.
He raised a finger to point at the lamp, immediately the old man's expression became rather unpleasant, as if he didn't want to sell it.
"Hey, don't be like that. You came here to sell stuff, don't change your mind now. I want this oil lamp, how much?"
Michael was getting impatient, the old man's expression made him think this item was more valuable than ever. Such a good thing absolutely could not slip through his fingers. Otherwise, he'd feel really embarrassed.
The old man opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again as if both wanting to sell and being reluctant to part with it. In the end he just let out a long sigh, his expression deflating as if giving in to Michael.
All these expressions were noticed by Michael, making him feel extremely pleased with himself. The more upset and the more reluctant the other party was, the more it proved his eye was sharp.
"Didn't think you'd have such ability, spotting the best item at a glance. This item is from a very ancient era, it's worth..."
The old man said, his honest eyes holding up one finger.
"One thousand?" Michael pretended to speak casually.
Him saying one thousand was to create an anchor point so the old man would base his price on that. Of course he knew this thing could absolutely not be one thousand unless the old man really didn't know its value.
"No. One hundred thousand." The old man shook his head, his eyes firm, not like the type of person who lies or quotes sky-high prices.
Of course someone like Michael couldn't surrender so easily. He immediately pulled out his 'big cleaver' to slash the price straight down.
"Ten thousand."
The old man's eyes widened, his pupils trembling, unable to believe the words lightly uttered by the youth before him.
"No. 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 so cheap? Not selling. If that's the case, then I won't sell anymore." The old man waved his hand, decisively not wanting to prolong things with Michael.
Seeing the old man's attitude so resolute, Michael, though feeling something was off, couldn't help but back down because he already liked this lamp.
"Hey, wait a minute. 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."
In his voice, one could hear sincerity and longing, along with regret. One could say he had acted his best. If it didn't work, then he'd have to give up.
The old man seeing this could only sigh, his expression softening quite a bit.
"Alright, consider it forming a good connection. You take it."
"Thank you very much, boss. I might buy more from you later." Michael smiled and replied.
Outwardly trying to stay calm, but inside he was already setting off fireworks. With the knowledge from his 24-hour expert antique course, he could determine this thing was worth at least a few hundred thousand.
He didn't think a senile, rustic old man could have modern knowledge like him, so there was no way he could be tricked.
Michael put the bronze oil lamp into his bag and left happily. Even though just walking, his steps were very fast, clearly still afraid the old man would realize something was wrong and chase after him to demand the goods back.
When his figure had completely disappeared, the corner of the old man's mouth curled up into a curve.
"Young people... indeed, a young horse eager to bite, with a bit of knowledge, they think they're better than an old man like me. Hahaha, a fake worth less than a few hundred bucks exchanged for thirty thousand. You think you won, but actually from the moment you stepped into this place, you had already lost."
Only now could the appearance of a seasoned, cunning merchant be seen on the old man's face. Michael, if he knew the truth, would definitely be furious enough to vomit blood.
---
Back home, Michael gleefully took out the bronze oil lamp to examine it carefully, to see what its background really was. If he really couldn't figure it out, he could spend money to invite an expert to appraise it.
Holding the lamp in his hand, not sure why, the layer of dirt on it slipped off, causing him to drop the lamp onto the ground. The dirt and grime, in a strange way, all fell off completely, the oxidized bronze suddenly became like new again. This bizarre scene made Michael immediately step back.
"What... what the hell is this?!"
He frowned, his gaze fixed on the lamp that was changing at a dizzying speed. At first it was an antique, then it was like a new item, and now it was emitting a magical light.
From inside the lamp, a smoke quickly escaped and then formed itself into the shape of a brawny man with a long beard.
"Let me introduce myself. I am the genie. You have one wish, think carefully."
"Huh???"