I have been wandering in circles through the alleys of the Great East Gate Market for thirty minutes now.
The appraisal center I was referred to is supposed to be tucked away in a corner of the Great East Gate Market.
The problem is, no matter how much I search with my smartphone, its location doesn’t show up.
Instead, I have a map that Assistant Manager Yeo Jin sent me.
I went over the map again.
I have no idea.
The map has a rough location, the store name, and even detailed features of the surrounding buildings.
But since Assistant Manager Yeo Jin drew it himself using Paint, it’s so crude that it’s almost impossible to decipher.
I considered calling Assistant Manager Yeo Jin directly, but decided against it.
This has nothing to do with Mutube.
I know nothing about human relationships or social life, but I figured it would be rude to keep bothering him about personal matters outside of work.
Besides, I passed by plenty of other appraisal centers and gold-and-silver shops along the way.
If I can’t find it, I’ll just go somewhere else.
Eventually, I slowly made my way to the last remaining alley.
As soon as I entered the alley, the sickly sweet scent of herbal medicine and a burning smell pricked my nose. And maybe because it was so deserted, the roadside was lined with sticky old flyers and scattered trash.
As I moved forward, checking out the stores around me, most had banners like this hanging out front.
[For Lease Inquiries]
These dirty, tattered banners hanging all over the worn buildings made the alley look even more desolate.
That’s when it happened.
Sasasak!
A creepy sound that made my skin crawl from head to toe.
When I checked where the sound was coming from, ‘Bar teachers’ were poking their faces out from the piles of trash.
“…!”
I started to walk even faster.
‘Let’s hurry. Hurry up. Get this over with and get home quickly. Quickly…!’
I rushed to the end of the alley and turned the corner, only to find myself at a dead end.
And then, I spotted a lone, old store standing there.
“Is this… the place?”
I looked up at the store sign.
[Faith Gem Appraisal Center]
There’s something suspicious about them insisting on putting ‘Faith’ in the store’s name.
Even the “d” in “Faith” is half-hanging off and dangling.
Hmm, it actually looks less trustworthy this way…
I walked up to the window and peeked inside.
There wasn’t a single light on, so I couldn’t see a thing inside.
And since the alley was so secluded, not a single ray of sunlight was getting in.
…What, are they not open for business?
At least there’s no ‘For Lease’ banner out front.
Swallowing dryly, I gingerly pulled at the door handle.
Creak—
Thankfully, the door opened.
“…Hello?”
Inside was pitch black.
A faint, musty, and stuffy smell of dust tickled my nose.
I slowly walked further inside.
There were optical microscopes, magnifiers, and all sorts of professional tools lying around.
On the wall, glass display cases showed off small gemstone models faintly glowing in the dark.
Then—
“Who is it, coming for an appraisal? Hmm…?”
From inside, a person who looked to have a prickly personality came out, frowning.
She was a grandmother who looked well over sixty, at the very least.
“?”
An awkward silence filled the store.
The owner slowly looked me up and down, then abruptly went back inside.
She soon reappeared, this time holding a huge baseball bat.
“A thief, coming here in broad daylight? I knew it!”
“Wh-what? A t-thief? Wait, hang on!”
As the owner advanced with her bat, I stumbled backward.
Come to think of it, I was wearing my hat low, sunglasses, and a mask—covering my whole face.
To a stranger, I’d look like a robber, no doubt.
I hurriedly took off my sunglasses and mask and shouted,
“I-I was referred by Eo Jin Lee! Your grandniece said you did gemstone appraisals…”
“…Oh, so you’re Eo Jin’s friend? You walk around looking like a weirdo. Making people confused.”
The owner slowly set the baseball bat down.
She glanced at my face and then said,
“If you’re here for things like couple rings or necklaces, you’ve got the wrong place. We don’t do that here.”
“No, I brought some things I’d like appraised. Please, Madam.”
I bowed at a perfect ninety degrees and stood upright, but something felt off.
When I looked up, the owner was glaring at me with a deep frown.
“Madam? What a rude kid! These days, people in their sixties are still young! …Call me Madam!”
“…Excuse me?”
“Ch, just show me what you brought!”
As Assistant Manager Yeo Jin warned, she’s definitely not your average character.
Carefully, I took out my piggy bank and set it on the table.
“Here you go… Madam.”
“…Hmm!”
When I called her ‘Madam,’ she nodded in satisfaction.
Then, she dumped out the contents of the piggy bank onto the table.
In an instant, the table was covered with colorful pebbles and ores that had filled up the piggy bank.
Madam switched on a small lamp and began inspecting each one.
Did I pick these up at a creek or the beach? Let’s see… Hmm?!
She frowned, then took a large magnifying glass and tweezers out of a drawer.
Then, using the tweezers, Madam slowly inspected one of the stones under the lamp.
I could see a brilliant color shining from the stone under the light.
After a long look, Madam picked up a small red pebble and said,
“…Cheap.”
“Ch-cheap?”
So they really were just pretty pieces of junk.
I half-expected it, but it was still disappointing.
I’ll just have to list the pretty pebbles on JunkPeaceNation and sell them for whatever I can get.
As I let out a small sigh, Madam added in a nonchalant tone.
“Yeah. For these, I can’t give you more than five bills each.”
Did I mishear her?
“Um… Five bills? So, 5,000 won…?”
“Heck no, 50,000 won! If these were worth only 5,000 won each, I wouldn’t have bothered appraising them in the first place!”
Madam glared at me with an annoyed look, then began checking the rest of the stones.
I stared blankly at the pile of stones on the table.
A single pebble sent by the Children of the Sanctuary was worth 50,000 won.
And there was a whole piggy bank full of them.
How much is that in total, then? Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million…!
It felt like finding bundles of 50,000-won bills in an old winter coat.
I couldn’t help the corners of my mouth curling up in a smile.
Cicada shells, hardened deer droppings, bent metal scraps, some weird flat femur bone, and so on.
Most of the offerings the Children of the Sanctuary sent me were just useless junk with no real purpose.
Sometimes I wondered if they were just using me as a trash can.
But starting today, you’re my beloved children—more devout than anyone.
I have always believed in you.
On the way home, I’ll have to pick up some snacks at the market for the kids.
And not just some cheap stuff, but Premium Handmade Cookies!
I was grinning ear to ear, counting up the money, when suddenly Madam muttered in a serious voice.
“Hmm…? Wait, this is… Could it be…?”
Suddenly, she wrapped something up carefully in a clean cloth and took it to her microscope.
It was a small crystal shimmering with a bluish light.
Madam peered into the microscope for a long time, then gently dusted the surface with a soft brush.
“Not a single scratch. The condition is excellent.”
Finally, Madam carefully placed the blue crystal under the lamp.
A clear and beautiful turquoise light shimmered from it.
After a moment, Madam looked me up and down with a grave expression.
“You’ve brought something incredible. Where on earth did you find this?”
I hope she doesn’t think I stole it.
I put on my most friendly smile and replied.
“I found it at home. Ha ha…”
It wasn’t a lie.
After all, I did find it in the little world inside my house.
Madam scrutinized my face and tossed out her words.
“Did you discover some hidden jewel box in your warehouse or yard? Well, your face is so honest, there’s no way you’re a thief.”
Not long ago, you were ready to swing a bat at me…
I thought about saying it, but decided not to.
Instead, I asked,
“What’s the name of that crystal?”
“Granditearite… not that you’d know what that means.”
I’ve certainly never heard the name before.
Hmm, I wonder if it’s expensive?
Madam placed the gem carefully on a clean cloth.
Then, she started tapping away at the calculator.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
“Excluding processing fees… excluding intermediary fees… minus my labor cost… and then…”
Finally, Madam pushed the calculator toward me.
[10,000,000]
“…Ten million won!”
It was the appraised value of the blue crystal Anna, Jan’s little sister, had given me.