Chapter 189: Protection Charm
Translator: 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. Barnett made this crossbow himself. I won’t be explaining who he is, but if you don’t know, then you wouldn’t buy this fella anyway.
"This fella 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 accepting offers—500 dollars seems like a good starting price, so 500 dollars, 500 dollars, 500 dollars for Barnette’s handcrafted crossbow, together with fifty arrows!"
Hans raised his hand and said, "550 dollars!"
"Alright, 550 dollars, 550, 550—anyone for 600 dollars? Without a doubt, something of this workmanship is worth 600 dollars…"
"Me, 600 dollars!"
"Alright 600 dollars, 600, 600—congratulations kiddo, but it doesn’t belong to you yet—650, 650, anyone going for it?"
Hans raised his hand again, yelling, "700 dollars!"
"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 dollars; with no one bidding, he slammed the hammer and said, "Alright, now this ferocious little pterosaur belongs to that buddy over there. A round of applause 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 applause, 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 black.
On top of the glossy paint coating were decals of flames, 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 fella named "Hans Fox"... don’t ask me who that is, because even I don’t know…"
Hans was laughing 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 600cc displacements, 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 dollars. 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 dollars, the offers greatly decreased, but this price had already made Li Du very satisfied.
From 2,100 dollars, the price slowly—but steadily—rose, until it reached 2,500 dollars. The one who made that offer was a young black man about Li Du’s age.
The auctioneer called for the final bid three times, and with no one else making an offer he slammed the hammer, indicating that the motorcycle belonged to the young black man now.
Hans led the applause, and the crowd followed with their own thundering applause. The young black 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 a laugh, "That’s the charm of used-goods auctions. Everyone wants the item, so the price skyrockets."
"Then why would they come here to buy them? American motorcycles are everywhere, right?" Li Du asked.
Hans said, "First off, ours have a 600cc displacement, 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 specifically come to this market to trade.
"Lastly, self-assembled bikes are very uncommon in a small place like Flagstaff. 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 dollars and 2,600 dollars—about the same as the first bike. The total profit from the three motorcycles was above their expectations, totaling 7,600 dollars.
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 was late, already nine at night.
The crowd started thinning, with everyone leaving the place, 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 really comes 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 places of America, it would turn dark and dangerous. People loved to perform some illegal acts in the night, and thus, security would become poor when the sun went down.
"The rural areas of Flagstaff have good security. The cops are quite hard working in that aspect, and there aren’t any gangs controlling these places. Anyhow, this isn’t Memphis, and even more so, not Detroit."
After Hans explained himself, he brought Li Du to one of the stalls and sat down.