The street was quiet in a different way.
Not silent—there were still cars, voices, movement—but the rhythm was slower. Older. Like time itself had less urgency here.
Antique shops lined both sides, their windows filled with objects no one fully understood anymore.
Broken clocks.
Faded paintings.
Rust-covered blades.
And things that… didn't belong.
Su Chen walked through the street without hurry.
He wasn't dressed like a young master today.
No tailored suit.
No visible status.
Just simple clothes.
Plain.
Clean.
Forgettable.
But his presence—
Still didn't match.
He stopped in front of a shop.
The sign above the door was old, the paint chipped and barely readable.
The door itself carried a faint trace of something unusual.
Not formation.
Not protection.
Just… age.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Interesting."
Then he stepped inside.
The bell above the door rang softly.
The interior smelled of dust and old wood.
Shelves filled every wall, stacked with objects from different eras—some mundane, some quietly radiating faint traces of energy.
Behind the counter sat a middle-aged man.
Thin.
Lazy posture.
Eyes half-closed.
He glanced up briefly when Su Chen entered.
Then—
Dismissed him.
"Looking around?" the man said casually.
Su Chen didn't respond.
He walked deeper into the shop.
His gaze moved slowly across the shelves.
Not everything here was real.
Most were fakes.
Decorations.
Worthless items meant to fool ordinary collectors.
But hidden among them…
Were a few things.
Very few.
"Careful with those," the shopkeeper added lazily. "Some of them are expensive."
His tone carried no respect.
No attention.
Just assumption.
To him—
Su Chen was just another young man wandering into a place he couldn't afford.
Su Chen stopped in front of a shelf near the back.
A pile of old objects lay there without order.
Broken rings.
Cracked stones.
Fragments of metal.
Things even the shopkeeper didn't bother displaying properly.
Trash.
At least—
That's what it looked like.
Su Chen reached out.
And picked up a small piece of dark metal.
Rough.
Cold.
Completely ordinary at first glance.
The shopkeeper glanced over briefly.
"That?" he said. "You've got an eye for useless things."
He leaned back in his chair.
"That's scrap. Doesn't even react to energy. If you want it, I'll give it cheap."
Su Chen didn't respond.
His fingers moved slightly across the surface.
Then—
His eyes sharpened.
For a moment—
The world shifted.
Not physically.
Not visibly.
But to him—
Everything changed.
The dull metal in his hand…
Wasn't dull.
It was sealed.
Hidden.
Layered under something ancient.
Something that even time hadn't fully erased.
"…So that's how it is," he murmured.
The Primordial Body inside him reacted faintly.
Not strongly.
But enough.
Like recognizing something familiar.
The shopkeeper frowned slightly.
"What?"
Su Chen turned the piece slightly.
Then asked:
"How much?"
The shopkeeper snorted.
"You really want that thing?"
A pause.
Then he waved his hand casually.
"Fine. Ten thousand."
Overpriced.
For scrap.
But he didn't expect the buyer to argue.
Because people like this always did.
Su Chen placed the piece back on the shelf.
Then turned to leave.
No hesitation.
No reaction.
The shopkeeper blinked.
"…You're not buying it?"
Su Chen stopped at the door.
Then said calmly:
"It's not worth that price."
The shopkeeper scoffed.
"Of course it's not. That's why I said it."
A pause.
Then he leaned forward slightly.
"But if you can't afford it, just say so."
Silence.
The air shifted slightly.
Just for a moment.
Su Chen turned his head slightly.
Looked back at him.
Not angry.
Not offended.
Just… calm.
"You think I can't afford it?"
The shopkeeper shrugged.
"Look at what you're wearing."
Simple.
Direct.
Dismissive.
Su Chen didn't respond immediately.
Then he stepped back inside.
Walked straight to the counter.
Picked up the piece again.
And placed it down in front of the man.
"Wrap it."
Two words.
Calm.
Flat.
The shopkeeper smirked slightly.
"Money first."
Su Chen reached into his pocket.
Placed a card on the table.
No expression.
The shopkeeper glanced at it casually—
Then paused.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Picked it up.
Looked again.
Then again.
His posture straightened a little.
Not fully.
But enough.
"…Where did you get this?"
Su Chen didn't answer.
The shopkeeper's gaze flickered between the card and Su Chen.
Something didn't match anymore.
The clothes.
The presence.
The attitude.
He let out a small cough.
"…Ten thousand," he repeated, but this time his tone was different.
Less dismissive.
More cautious.
Su Chen didn't move.
The shopkeeper quickly processed the payment.
Wrapped the item.
And pushed it forward.
"Your item."
Su Chen picked it up.
Turned to leave.
But just before he stepped out—
The shopkeeper spoke again.
"…That thing," he said slowly.
"It's been here for years."
A pause.
"No one ever bought it."
Su Chen didn't stop.
But he answered.
"That's because no one could see it."
The door closed behind him.
The bell rang softly again.
Outside—
The street felt the same.
But in Su Chen's hand—
The object was no longer quiet.
A faint pulse.
Deep inside.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
He looked down at it once.
Then—
His fingers tightened slightly.
"Let's see what you really are."
Far away—
Inside the antique shop—
The shopkeeper stood still.
Watching the door.
His eyes no longer lazy.
No longer dismissive.
"…Strange kid," he muttered.
But something about his tone suggested—
He didn't fully believe that.
Back on the street—
Su Chen walked calmly.
The object hidden in his hand.
The Primordial Body within him responding faintly.
And somewhere deeper—
Something long sealed…
Had just been picked up by the wrong person.