The Charismatic Charlie Wade

Gideon felt like a person who had spent a lifetime yearning to win the lottery, but luck had always eluded him. Yet, here he was,
winning the jackpot not once, but twice in a single morning. In simple terms, it felt like purchasing several lottery tickets for many
years, without winning even a small amount of five dollars and then abruptly hitting the jackpot not just once, but twice.
At this moment, Gideon’s 156 years of life experience couldn’t shake his belief that this might all be a trap. Why wouldn’t he
doubt? After all, magical artifacts weren’t exactly a dime.
Throughout his years of service to the Lord, he had only been granted one magic weapon for self-defense. It wasn’t even his to
keep, he had to return it upon his return to the Lord. So, if the Lord was unwilling to give him even one thing, who would deceive
him with two? Deep down, he felt unworthy of such fortune.
With no room for doubt, Gideon’s heart brimmed with ecstasy. He calmly approached Zachary’s booth and asked, “Boss, are you
Zachary?”
Zachary nodded, his demeanor casual as he replied, “That’s me. What can I do for you?”
Gideon smiled and said, “Hello, I bumped into your younger brother at the airport earlier. I happened to notice a finger ring in his
possession, so I asked him about it and decided to come talk to you.”
Zachary regarded the older man with a hint of caution and asked, “Oh, so you’re the one willing to pay three million for that finger
ring? Do you have a great interest in antiques?”
Gideon instinctively responded, “Yes, I have a deep passion for them.”
Furrowing his brows, Zachary pressed on, “If you’re truly passionate, then you should be more knowledgeable. The ring isn’t
worth three million. If my brother asked you for that amount and you agreed, I would think you were an undercover agent trying
to set me up.”
“Uh...” Gideon was momentarily taken aback. He had spent years secluded in his practice, unaware of the current market prices
for antiques. Additionally, he hadn’t set foot in China for two decades, making him unfamiliar with the prices there. To him, the
asking price of three million for a Quintong Dynasty jade ring, of ordinary quality no less, seemed outrageously high.
Fortunately, he wasn’t strapped for cash and his desire for that magic weapon pushed him to rush into the purchase without
much thought. Now, confronted with Zachary’s rhetorical question, he refrained from asking further. Unexpectedly, it wasn’t
Zachary who doubted him, but the other way around.

After a brief reflection, Gideon said somewhat sheepishly, “Boss, you’ve misunderstood me. I’m an overseas Chinese returning
to visit relatives. This isn’t a joke. I genuinely like that jade ring, regardless of its price.”
Zachary scoffed, a smile playing on his lips. “I think you’re quite advanced in years. How could you resort to lying? Who would
believe such a story? Just a finger ring, take it to the antique market and you’ll get thirty thousand at most. If you truly like it, can
you spare me fifty thousand? The three million price tag is only for undercover agents like you who lack knowledge of antiques
and jump at the opportunity.”
Gideon was stunned by Zachary’s response. He never imagined that Jagoan’s latest scheme involved the three million proposal
for Zachary, leaving him speechless and unable to argue. He weakly defended himself, “Boss, I’m telling you that I’m not an
undercover agent...”