The shopkeeper immediately lost interest. Second-hand pistols are hard to sell at a good price, because brand new pistols are inexpensive and their prices are quite transparent.

As for canes, who would care much about a few shillings’ worth of business?

He called over an assistant and said, “This is our best employee. Please let him recommend a few suitable weapons for you.”

This move was exactly what Charlotte had hoped for. The shopkeeper was cunning and difficult to deal with, but his assistant would be much easier to handle.

Charlotte ignored the assistant, who kept chattering and recommending junk, and wandered around the shop. He was a bit disappointed—this time, it seemed there were no good bargains to be found.

Just as Charlotte was about to leave and try another weapon shop, his eyes lit up. He spotted a dusty rapier casually placed in a corner, grouped with more than a dozen other rapiers.

He strode over, grabbed the rapier, and drew it out gently. With just one glance, he chuckled and said, “A fake antique, huh?”

The assistant hurriedly said, “This is a genuine antique, sir—you really know your stuff!”

Charlotte couldn’t help but smile and said, “If it really were a relic from the Sherlock Dynasty, the price would be calculated in Aegis. Are you really planning to offer it to me for just a few Aegis?”

The assistant hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s definitely genuine. I couldn’t possibly let you take it for less than five Fols.”

Charlotte tossed the rapier back where it was and said, “I’ll offer at most fifty shillings.”

Seeing that Charlotte wasn’t interested in this so-called “antique sword” and looked ready to leave, the assistant couldn’t help but say, “Even if it’s a fake antique, it can’t be that cheap. Three Fols and fifty shillings—that’s the best offer we can make. Any less is impossible.”

Charlotte waved his hand and was about to walk out, when the assistant gritted his teeth and called out, “One Fol, one Fol! Sir, that’s really a discount—there’s no way it could be cheaper.”

Charlotte left an address and strode away.

As a formal government employee with a fixed residence, he could place an order and pay upon delivery; there was no need to pay on the spot.

Charlotte, as a graduate of Sheffield University, had received a rigorous general education.

The Sherlock Dynasty, also known as the Magic Dynasty, was renowned for its magical rapiers. Later, it was destroyed by King Axer, and the craft of making Sherlock magical rapiers was lost.

The antique rapiers from the Sherlock Dynasty that have survived to this day are all masterpieces, and their prices are calculated in gold Aegis.

Chapter 10: Home Invasion and Murder Case

A well-preserved antique rapier from the Sherlock Dynasty would never be priced below one hundred and eighty gold Aegis, and the price of a few exceptional pieces could even exceed three hundred Aegis.

Because of this, there are many imitation Sherlock Dynasty antique rapiers on the market. The magical rapier that Charlotte bought is one hundred percent a replica.

He was willing to buy this imitation antique rapier for only one reason: the scabbard fitted to this rapier was a genuine relic from the Sherlock Dynasty.

Scabbards from the Sherlock Dynasty are even rarer than well-preserved magical rapiers. Because they are so rare, yet not considered true treasures, no one bothers to speculate on them.

Very few people know that some parts of the Sherlock Dynasty scabbards and magical rapiers were made from the same type of steel. Only the original matching scabbard can conceal the magical fluctuations of a magical rapier, preventing enemies from detecting it in advance. However, the scabbard itself is not enchanted and is not a magical item.

Collectors in the Fars Empire are eager for their collections to be widely known, so they often replace the original scabbards with brand new ones to enhance their appearance. The original scabbards, if too old or badly damaged, are often discarded and end up in second-hand weapon shops.

On Earth, if you visit any antique market, you’ll find it full of con artists skilled in “antique tricks.” Trying to find a real antique at a bargain price is almost a fairy tale.

But in the Fars Empire, in this kind of medieval era, there aren’t even real antique dealers—only second-hand shops. Genuine antiques often slip through unnoticed.

Charlotte planned to find a reliable blacksmith to melt down the scabbard and forge it into a new rapier. If he could add a bit of starfall iron, the quality would surpass that of a military rapier, though the whole process would be quite troublesome.

After wandering around the weapon market a bit longer, Charlotte bought a second-hand Magnum revolver for eighty-nine shillings, along with twenty rounds of ammunition. The shopkeeper even threw in a shoulder holster—the kind that can be concealed under a coat.

A brand new Magnum revolver would fetch at most two or three Fols on the black market, and a second-hand one in ninety percent condition would go for half that.

The one Charlotte bought was super cheap, so naturally it was more worn—only about eighty percent new—but none of the parts were damaged. He even test-fired a round, and the accuracy was just fine.

Charlotte didn’t think he’d use it often, so he didn’t care about its condition—as long as it worked, it was good enough.

After settling on two weapons, Charlotte also got a convenient leather sheath for his vampire hand axe, making it easy to carry around, and then left the weapon market, walking back to the Savings Society Apartments.