Chapter 38
Suzy found it astonishing.
It felt as though a miniature game map had been activated inside her mind—like stepping into a virtual world with a glowing navigation system.
Following the red blinking dots, she entered the antique street.
Shops lined both sides of the narrow road, their wooden signs weathered and understated. Across the way, just beyond the antique row, was a lively commercial street filled with restaurants and cafés.
The antique district itself was bustling with tourists. People wandered in and out of shops, pausing to admire displays, picking things up, asking questions—yet most of them only looked and rarely bought.
Guided by the red dot hovering in her mental map, Suzy stepped into one of the stores.
Behind the counter lounged a young woman, lazily propped on her elbows, watching short drama clips on her phone. When Suzy entered, she barely lifted her eyelids.
"Feel free to browse," she said casually before returning her full attention to the screen.
Suzy walked slowly around the shop, pretending to browse at random.
Then she located the first red dot’s source.
A vase, placed quietly inside a glass cabinet.
On the surface, it looked unremarkable—aged porcelain, muted glaze, the kind of "antique-style" decorative piece that filled countless shops.
If not for the treasure map’s signal, she would have assumed it was just another artificially aged ornament.
"How much is this?" Suzy asked, pointing at the vase.
The shop owner straightened slightly, walked over, and glanced at it.
When she looked back at Suzy, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Good eye. That’s an authentic Victorian piece. Fifteen thousand dollars."
Suzy nodded calmly.
Internally, she clicked her tongue. Fifteen thousand dollars—for a small vase.
Even though she could afford it without hesitation, that didn’t stop her from thinking it was expensive.
"So, you want it?" the owner asked.
"I’ll keep looking," Suzy replied.
The owner shrugged and returned to her short dramas.
Suzy continued browsing.
The shop was fairly large, divided into two sections—antiques in one area, modern handicrafts in the other.
According to her mental map, there were two flashing points in this store.
The first had been the vase.
The second...
Her gaze settled on a chipped porcelain bowl.
One edge was cracked, its surface worn with time.
And then she saw it—a faint shimmer. A flowing glimmer of light.
Her breath caught.
It was the same kind of luminous current she had seen on the bracelet Leonard had once brought her.
The exact same.
The only difference was that this bowl’s glow was faint—far weaker than the bracelet’s brilliance.
Shock rippled through her.
A thought formed clearly in her mind.
This can upgrade the space.
When she had placed the glowing bracelet into the space, it had triggered the upgrade.
That flowing light must be the energy the space needed.
"Miss, how much is this one?" she asked again.
This time, she was standing in a corner, partially obscured from view. The owner couldn’t immediately see what she meant and walked over with her phone in hand.
"Oh, that?" She squinted at the bowl. "If you want it, it’s one hundred."
"Can you make it a little cheaper?" Suzy asked.
After a short round of bargaining, she secured it for seventy dollars.
As she stepped out of the shop, she felt invigorated. For the first time, she had a clear direction for upgrading her space.
She found a secluded corner and quietly transferred the porcelain bowl into her space.
Then she checked the other blinking red points on her mental map.
One by one, she visited several more shops.
She purchased a few additional antiques that carried that same faint glow.
By the time she finished, she had spent a total of twenty thousand.
For Suzy, the treasure-detection function was an absolute game-changer.
What she could now confirm was this: every "treasure" marked on the map was a genuine, valuable antique.
But among those authentic pieces, only a small fraction carried that faint flowing light.
Even so, she was more than satisfied. The treasure-detection function at least helped her lock onto specific locations.
The only downside was that it could only be used once every three days, and its range was limited to one kilometer.
After checking every blinking point within range, Suzy finally turned to more practical matters.
It was time to collect her food orders.
The milk tea, fried chicken cutlets, burgers, skewers, and assorted snacks she had ordered were all ready.
With the help of store employees, box after box was carried out and loaded into her rented truck.
When asked, she casually explained they were for students.
The staff didn’t question it. On the contrary, they enthusiastically recommended several nearby shops with great flavors.
Suzy bought all along the commercial street, packing food almost frantically.
It wasn’t until her preset alarm rang that she finally stopped and drove toward the warehouse.
After collecting the final batch of goods, she headed home.
***
By the time she returned, the afternoon had drained her energy.
She smelled faintly of sweat.
The temperature had been steadily climbing these past few days; the heat felt oppressive and unnatural.
All she wanted now was a shower.
After changing her shoes at the entryway, she stepped into the living room and saw Leonard sitting there.
"Uncle."
"Back already?" Leonard looked up at her with a smile.
"I’m heading upstairs first." Without waiting, she hurried up the stairs.
Leonard opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing her rush off, he swallowed his words.
Half an hour later, freshly showered and dressed in comfortable home clothes, Suzy came downstairs again.
She intended to talk to Leonard about the medicine issue.
As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, a rich aroma drifted from the kitchen.
She sniffed instinctively.
"That smells amazing."
Leonard chuckled. "You’re in for a treat tonight. We have a real chef in the house."
Suzy didn’t quite catch the meaning behind his words and simply sat beside him.
"Oh, right, Uncle. I need your help with something."
Leonard leaned back slightly. "Let’s hear it."
Suzy was organizing her thoughts, about to speak, when her phone rang.
Caller ID: Wendy.
Her expression shifted subtly.
"Uncle, I need to take this."
She walked out to the balcony before answering. If Wendy was calling at this hour, it definitely wasn’t for anything good.
Suzy took a slow breath, softened her voice deliberately, and picked up. "Wendy... is something wrong? Cough... why are you calling so suddenly?"
Her voice sounded weak, slightly hoarse, with a faint cough woven in.
Wendy’s voice came through brightly. "Just reminding you that tomorrow’s my birthday. Don’t forget to come."
She paused, then added, "How are you feeling? Do you want me to pick you up?"
"I’m okay," Suzy replied vaguely. "Nothing serious."
"That’s good."
Wendy offered a few more hollow words of concern before finally revealing her true purpose.
"By the way, Suzy... besides that gold pendant, do you have any others?"
There it is.
Suzy’s lips curved faintly in a silent, cold smile.
Of course, she was calling about the pendant.
"I do have others," she replied innocently. "Why?"
Wendy hesitated, then said, "The one you gave me last time... it’s not the one I wanted. Suzy, did you mix them up?"
In the past few days, Wendy had been busy stockpiling supplies and hadn’t paid much attention to the pendant. But now her warehouse was nearly full.
Without a functional space, she would have to rent another one.
She was starting to panic.
Which was why she’d finally called.
"That was the pendant Mom gave me for my eighteenth birthday," Suzy said lightly. "Isn’t that the one you asked for?"
Wendy fell silent.
When she’d demanded the pendant before, she had indeed specified the one Suzy received on her eighteenth birthday.
But she had tried pricking her finger several times. She’d let blood drip onto it.
There had been no reaction. No activation.
What was wrong?
Was Suzy playing tricks on her after all?