I was dragging Stella toward the door when suddenly a shapely beauty appeared before us. The woman looked about twenty-five, dressed in a sexy cheongsam, exuding elegance.
The old man from earlier followed behind her and introduced her as the young mistress, Massimo.
So this was Massimo. Not bad-looking—rich people's genes were good, after all, producing women as beautiful as flowers. But Massimo was different from other beauties; she had a classical charm, radiating an elegant temperament.
"Gentlemen, you've only just arrived—why are you leaving so soon?" Massimo asked.
Stella bowed slightly. "I am Stella of the Celestial Master's House. I've come to ask for your help in awakening a sword."
At that moment, I elbowed Stella sharply, making her wince in pain. "Are you insane?" she hissed.
"Ahem, well… I just realized I forgot to bring the sword. Let's discuss this another time. Excuse us." With that, I tried pulling Stella away again.
Did she think I was stupid? A five-thousand-dollar dharma artifact, but a hundred-thousand-dollar awakening fee—and that was just the starting price! My brain would have to be diseased to agree to this!
"The Copper Coin Sword on your back—that's the one to be awakened, isn't it?" Massimo smiled sweetly. I couldn't tell if her smile was mocking me or something else, but for the first time, a beautiful woman's smile made me deeply uncomfortable. Or maybe it was just my own conscience acting up.
"That's the one! And you said you didn't bring it." Stella stuck out her tongue and quickly unhooked the Copper Coin Sword from my back.
"Hey—stop! Cut it out—!"
I struggled, but it was useless. I couldn't grab the damn girl in time, and Stella ended up handing the sword to Massimo.
At first, Massimo showed no particular reaction as she took the sword. But gradually, her expression shifted. She traced her fingers over the copper coins and the faint rune markings, her eyes lighting up with surprise.
"Could this be… the Holy Bronze Sword of the Three Pure Ones' Taoist Priests? Forged from a thousand bronze coins into the Ten Thousand Suns dharma artifact?" Massimo caressed the blade almost lovingly.
Her words weren't far from what Human Skin had told me, so it seemed he hadn't lied.
"You've never seen it before? Didn't Esteban bring it to you for awakening?" I asked curiously. Esteban had claimed he'd consulted many high priests and awakening masters who couldn't awaken the sword. Had he really not tried Massimo?
Massimo explained that dharma artifacts were graded—generally categorized as top-grade, middle-grade, and lower-grade. The corresponding awakening fees matched their grades; otherwise, dharma artifact merchants could lose a fortune. The Holy Bronze Sword was so rare that aside from her, almost no one could recognize it. Most would assume it was just a lower-grade Copper Coin Sword. Esteban probably thought the same, so naturally, he wouldn't have sought her out.
Fair enough. Esteban had sold it to me so cheaply precisely because they hadn't considered it a premium item. Naturally, they wouldn't hire Vervecity's #1 opener for it—that would've been a huge waste of money.
"So… just how high-grade is this Holy Bronze Sword, exactly?" I asked.
"Low-grade!" Massimo declared, making me nearly choke.
What the hell? All that grand talk, and it turns out to be low-grade?
"But after awakening, it becomes a top-grade dharma artifact," Massimo added, clarifying before I could voice my frustration. Could you not leave your sentences half-finished next time? How infuriating!
"Then… about the awakening cost… how would that be calculated?" I asked hesitantly, bracing myself.
"One million." Massimo didn't even look up, still admiring the Copper Coin Sword with fascination.
Me: "......"
"Goodbye!" I snatched back the Copper Coin Sword and immediately tried dragging Stella toward the exit.
Five grand for the artifact, but a million to awaken it? If I had that kind of money, would I even be buying five-thousand-dollar dharma artifacts?!
"Hey, wait!" Massimo called out urgently.
"Sis, I really don't have that kind of cash. I got this sword from Esteban for just five thousand—I'm being honest here."
No more pretending. Cards on the table—I was broke! Every penny I earned was for saving my grandpa. I couldn't afford to splurge.
"That's not what I meant. Could you let me examine the sword again?"
I hadn't expected Massimo to be this enamored with the Holy Bronze Sword. Was she scheming something? Then again, with her status and wealth, she wouldn't need to resort to underhanded tricks.
Reluctantly, I handed the Copper Coin Sword back. Massimo continued tracing her fingers along its surface, murmuring praises. "The craftsmanship is exceptional. The balance of yin and yang is palpable just from touch—so harmonious. Once this dharma artifact unleashes its true power, lowly ghosts and demons will kneel at the sight of it." She paused. "However… the Holy Bronze Sword is said to be notoriously difficult to awaken. Even I might not succeed."
"Huh… weird." Massimo suddenly gasped, eyes shut as she focused on the blade.
"What's wrong?" I asked urgently.
Massimo hissed through her teeth. "It feels… half-awakened. Not fully, but not dormant either." She opened her eyes sharply. "Did you have someone else attempt this before me?"
I shook my head. "No, you're the first. I only bought this sword recently."
Massimo frowned. "That's strange. When the Taoist Priests of the Three Pure Ones died, the sword should have been completely resealed. Since it hasn't been properly awakened, how could it be in this half-awakened state?"
I gave a bitter laugh. "I don't know. Maybe Esteban did something to it?"
Massimo shook her head. "Unlikely. If it were half-awakened, the sword's yin and yang energy would be immediately detectable. With power like that, Esteban would never have sold it so cheaply."
Then Massimo asked, "Did you ever smear blood on the sword?"
I nodded. "Yes, human blood and dog blood, just as Esteban instructed. He said it would make the sword somewhat effective even without being properly awakened."
"Blood... it must have been your blood," Massimo said, suddenly laughing. "Haha, you're actually spiritually attuned to this sword!"
"My blood?" Could the half-awakened state really be because of my blood? "Then how do we awaken the other half?" I asked urgently.
Massimo shrugged. "I don't know. This is a Qimen dharma artifact. Even if you paid me to awaken it, I might not succeed. Perhaps the remaining half will awaken naturally when the time is right."
What kind of mystical nonsense is this? Talking about fate and destiny - that's just another way of saying she doesn't know!
Whatever. With the sword half-awakened, it should still be powerful enough - after all, it's a top-grade artifact. No point wasting money on the rest. I grabbed Stella's arm to leave, but Massimo, who seemed unexpectedly interested in me, actually asked for my contact information.
I never refuse such requests from beautiful women, so I gave it to her without hesitation.
Back at the tattoo parlor, I gathered Stein and Little Fox, then set off for Dead Man's Gulch with Stella. Antonio stayed behind to mind the shop.
Stein would serve as our guide with his knowledge of yin and yang matters. As for Little Fox - being a demon herself, she might prove useful when tracking down the three-tailed fox. That's why I brought them both. Antonio had to stay because business was picking up, and since I didn't know how long we'd be gone, someone needed to keep an eye on the shop.