Chapter 449
The cities that Zhang Xuan visited previously didn't have an appraiser guild, so he didn't expect to see an Appraiser Hall here in Honghai City . Since that was the case, they should conduct appraiser examinations here as well .
With this, Zhang Xuan could consider taking the examination so that he could conduct appraisals as a source of income .
Otherwise, even if he knew that the Soulless Metal Humanoid was here, he would have no money to buy it .
If anyone else were to know of his thoughts, they would definitely fall speechless .
Even though appraisers weren't part of the Upper Nine Paths, their examination was publicly known for its difficulty . Every appraiser would have to spend decades of their lives dedicated to the study of treasures before they could gain an in-depth understanding of the subject required to pass the examination .
Yet, this fellow wanted to take the examination just because he was short of money . If anyone else were to hear his words, they would definitely find themselves speechless .
"Let's go to the Appraiser Hall!"
With a plan in mind, Zhang Xuan immediately asked around for its location before heading over with the group .
The Appraiser Hall was grand and imposing . On top of being a guild for appraisers, it was also a massive trading market . All kinds of goods were placed on the counters, and a huge crowd walked in and out of the halls . Even before arriving at the location itself, Zhang Xuan already found himself awed by the bustle before him .
"This is a market managed by the Appraiser Hall . Most of the goods in here are authentic, having been verified by the Appraiser Hall, thus paving way for it to become the largest trading market in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance!"
Seeing the astonished expression on the face of this incredible genius, Zhao Feiwu couldn't help but feel slightly gleeful .
Due to the unique nature of the occupation, the Appraiser Hall had become a symbol of trust among the population . Most of the objects that the Appraiser Hall dealt in were expensive before the appraisal, and thus, most people were willing to fork out an additional sum to ensure the authenticity of the goods bought . As such, the business conducted by the guild grew steadily over time .
This was precisely the reason why even though appraiser wasn't a member of the Upper Nine Paths, it was one of the most lucrative occupations .
Most master teachers preferred to take on this occupation as their supporting occupation .
However, appraising required one to have a deep understanding of the artifacts' history, background, purpose, material, origin . . . Only when one was able to apply such vast knowledge in appraising would one be able to achieve some accomplishments in the art . Even so, the further one climbed, the harder the examinations became .
Thus, even though there were many people who dreamed of taking the appraiser examination, there were very few who had managed to achieve a rank of 3-star and above . In fact, the number was even far beneath that of master teachers .
This was the main reason why there were very few Appraiser Halls on the continent, such that even a place like Tianwu Kingdom didn't have an Appraiser Hall . This was also why an impersonator like Mo Yang was able to win the admiration of so many people easily .
"Can appraisers ensure that their appraisals are accurate?"
Sun Qiang couldn't help but ask .
He had once operated a shop in a market, and thus, he knew a thing or two about imitations . So what if one was an appraiser? There was no one who could ensure that their judgement would be hundred percent correct all of the time!
After all, it was normal for a mortal to err .
Just like how it was impossible for one to tread along the riverside often and avoid getting wet, formidable appraisers couldn't possibly ensure that they wouldn't make a mistake in their entire life either .
"Appraisers are limited by their discernment ability and rank, so it is indeed impossible for them to guarantee that all of their appraisals are accurate . Under such circumstances, they would invite other appraisers to appraise it together, and if the invited ones are unable to give a concrete answer as well, they would simply give the client their evaluation on the artifact to serve as a basis for consideration . " Zhao Feiwu said .
"But that's no different from giving no answer at all!" Sun Qiang shook his head .
"An appraiser is only allowed to make three judgmental errors throughout his life . Once they exceed this limit, they'll be stripped of their license . Thus, when stumbling across something they're unsure of, they won't give their judgement easily!" Jin Conghai interjected .
"Three times?"
"Un . From the moment one becomes an appraiser, every artifact that one appraises will be documented and filed . If something goes wrong with the artifact, it'll be considered as an error . Once the number of errors exceed three times, regardless of the rank of the appraiser, he'll be stripped of his license!" Jin Conghai continued .
Throughout his years, he had seen many appraisers being stripped of their licenses just because of a careless mistake .
Some of them had accrued prestigious reputations throughout their lives, only to lose it all due to a few careless mistakes .
Everyone fell silent .
Even though many people craved to become an appraiser, it seemed like this occupation wasn't as easy as it seemed .
Once the number of mistakes one committed exceeded three, one's license could be revoked . . . But who could ensure one wouldn't make any mistakes at all?
"Actually, all occupations are the same . The rules governing master teachers are even stricter; one's reputation could potentially be destroyed completely if they were to make a single mistake in their guidance, resulting in a loss in trust in one!" Seeing how everyone was sympathizing with appraisers, Zhang Xuan shook his head .
Before he came to this world, his previous self also committed the same error . Due to misguidance, he caused a student's cultivation to go berserk, resulting in Zhang Xuan being unable to recruit even a single student after his arrival .
"Indeed, physicians are the same as well . A single error could possibly result in a death . . . " Zhao Feiwu nodded in agreement as she glanced at the youngster before her .
Even though he seemed to be around the same age as her, how was he able to solve the Innate Muscular Deficiency, that even 5-star physicians were helpless before, and treat her?
"So many things . . . "
"How beautiful . . . "
Just as Zhao Feiwu was contemplating over how the latter managed to learn his medical skills, the excited voices of Yuan Tao and the others sounded from behind .
While she was deep in contemplation, the group had already walked into the grand hall . Everywhere that the eye could see were vendors selling their goods, and the variety of goods covered dozens of occupations .
Medicine, pills, cauldron, weapons, formation plates . . . As though stars in the skies, they densely filled the hall within, making it hard for one's mind to process everything .
The treasures which were impossible to see under normal circumstances gleamed all around them, stimulating their minds .
"Those who are passing by, come over and take a look . This is the newest [Treasure Discerning Mirror] . It has the ability of determining the value of an artifact automatically, giving you assurance when you're buying other goods . It's only going off at ten spirit stones now! If you don't buy it, you'll be making a huge loss and putting yourself at risk of scams!" a young man shouted .
"Treasure Discerning Mirror?"
Zhao Ya and the others blinked their eyes in interest, and they prepared to head over .
"It's just an ordinary mirror, it's a scam . If that were really a Treasure Discerning Mirror, he wouldn't be selling the mirror here for ten spirit stones!"
Zhang Xuan shook his head .
Even without using the Library of Heaven's Path, he could determine the value and background of some of the less potent artifacts via the Eye of Insight .
With just a single look, he could tell that the supposed Treasure Discerning Mirror in the young man's hand was a fake .
"A scam? Isn't everything in here authentic?" Zheng Yang couldn't help but glance doubtfully at Zhao Feiwu .
The other party had just said that the Appraiser Hall served as a guarantee for the authenticity of the goods here, so why would there be an imitation here?
"How many artifacts are there here?" Zhao Feiwu rolled her eyes as she gestured to the surroundings .
"There are at least several tens of millions of goods here, perhaps even a hundred million!"
Zheng Yang said, while taking a look around . "Furthermore, that is only as far as my eye can see . There are still some places beyond my view, so . . . there should be even more than that!"
There were nearly a hundred thousand booths scattered throughout the market, and innumerable treasures were placed neatly on each booth . Tallying up the numbers, there was indeed a frightening number of artifacts .
"Indeed . Given how many artifacts there are here, the appraisers would die of exhaustion before they appraised everything here! Besides, there is a huge flow of goods in and out of the Appraiser Hall daily — How could it be possible to keep track of all of them?"
Zhao Feiwu chuckled, "By authentic, I mean the goods labelled with the insignia of the Appraiser Hall . It would be best for one to not buy any goods without this label, otherwise one would be putting themselves at risk of a scam!"
"Oh!"
The crowd nodded .
As the largest market in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, there were too many vendors in the Appraiser Hall for them to take note of . Even if every single appraiser in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance were to be gathered here, it would be impossible for them to appraise everything here .
"But of course, if you find something suited for you, you can feel free to buy it . If you're worried, you can pay an exorbitant fee to have an appraiser upstairs appraise it . If it's authentic, then you're making a profit . Otherwise, you'll be making a loss!" Zhao Feiwu said .
Just like treasure speculation, buying something that hadn't been appraised was highly dependent on one's eye of discernment and luck . Without sufficient luck, all one could do was to lament over one's own misfortune .
"Appraiser sure is a lucrative occupation . . . "
Putting aside the commission fee from the market, the appraisal service they offer also made customers willingly part with their money in exchange for security . As expected of one of the most lucrative occupations in the world .
"Come and look, I have a [Water Continental Fish] here! As long as one holds this fish in one's mouth, one will be able to breathe freely underwater . It's definitely a treasure you must have!"
"Come and see this authentic [Antidote Grass] . It can cure one of the most commonly seen seventeen poisons . With just a low price, you can buy some assurance on your life!"
"I have the Celestial Stone here! It'll illuminate your path like the stars themselves if you take it out at night . Those passing by, please don't miss this ideal opportunity . . . "
. . .
Countless voices echoed in the bustling market . Treasures lay everywhere, and if one had come in alone and ignorant, it'll be impossible for one to determine the authentic from the fake!
Walking along the various booths, Zhang Xuan suddenly frowned and came to a stop .
On a booth not too far away, a gray-colored artifact, around the size of one's palm, appeared in his view .
Even though his Eye of Insight hadn't reached the highest level yet, and he was still a far way from matching up to the means of an advanced master teacher, he was still able to easily determine the origin and background of normal artifacts .
But for some reason, he was unable to assess anything about this piece of scale at all .
"That's weird!"
Zhang Xuan turned to examine it more thoroughly, but his eyebrows only furrowed deeper .
If he was unable to see through it, did it mean that it was an invaluable treasure? That it was far beyond his current analytical means?
"Friend, are you interested in my product? I can guarantee you that all of my goods here are authentic . . . "
Upon seeing that there was a customer, the vendor hurried forward and welcomed Zhang Xuan with a bright smile .
"Authentic?"
Zhang Xuan briefly looked through the other goods in the booth .
There were many goods in this booth, numbering up to at least several hundred thousand . Weapons, pills, armor . . . most of the things that one could think of were present here . While there were many authentic goods amidst them, there were plenty of fakes as well .
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login