32 Kindness

"Of course."

"Even those newcomers have a chance."

"I remember that previously, there was an apprentice pawnbroker who had just started working. He appraised a rare treasure and his physique changed greatly, allowing him to quickly become an official pawnbroker."

"I heard that he is now an official pawnbroker at the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. His status drastically changed from then on."

A strange look appeared in Ah Yong's eyes as he spoke.

He had actually been waiting for this opportunity too.

After appraising countless treasures, there would always be a miracle.

He hoped that the next miracle would happen to him.

…

Tonight, many of the apprentice pawnbrokers had frantic hearts.

The news of the Treasure Gathering had a huge impact on them.

Some were excited, some were afraid, and some even wanted to escape.

The high death rate was truly terrifying. Furthermore, not everyone would believe that luck would be on their side.

However, the slave contract had sealed their escape route.

"The Treasure Gathering is indeed an opportunity."

"Not to mention, at that time, I would be able to appraise treasures in a frenzy and obtain rewards without restraint."

"I can also use this opportunity to allow the Divine Vision technique to 'break through' to the Lesser Mastery-Level. Then, I can truly become an official pawnbroker and escape the restrictions of my current identity and environment."

Chen Shaojun was also deep in thought.

He had never thought that he would not become an official pawnbroker. In fact, even if he did not receive the Psychic Pill as a reward for the past two days, he could feel that his Divine Vision technique was improving rapidly.

It wouldn't be long before he achieved the Lesser Mastery-Level.

Achieving the Lesser Mastery-Level in the Divine Vision technique was the standard for an official pawnbroker.

Initially, he was still thinking about how he should properly display the fact that he had achieved the Lesser Mastery-Level in the Divine Vision technique. This was so that he could quickly get rid of his slave status and regain his freedom.

And now, this Treasure Gathering had given him hope.

He didn't need to be like the lucky few who could identify treasures that contained spiritual aura or auspicious aura. He just needed to use this Treasure Gathering to 'transform' himself into a lucky person.

He made a decision.

Chen Shaojun did not think further. He immediately started cultivation and visualized the Supreme Sense Scripture.

…

There were 20 more apprentices in the pawnshop. Thus, Chen Shaojun originally thought that the number of treasures for them to appraise would be greatly reduced.

Unexpectedly, not only did the number of treasures they needed to appraise not decrease, but it greatly increased instead.

Many of them were old treasures.

It was unknown how long these treasures had been sealed in the treasure vault of the pawnshop. As a result, the baleful aura that should have been cleansed had started to show signs of accumulating again.

Of course, compared to the raw materials, the amount of baleful aura contained within these treasures was extremely small as well. Almost none of them contained more than three wisps of baleful aura.

It was obvious that the pawnshop had specially taken these treasures out to nurture these new apprentice pawnbrokers.

After all, even if they hired cannon fodder, the pawnshop needed capable and experienced cannon fodder.

What if they stood out during the Treasure Gathering?

The only thing that made Chen Shaojun uncomfortable was that there were insufficient appraisal rooms.

There were a total of ten appraisal rooms for the apprentices. Now, almost all of them were shared by two or three people.

At the same time, in order to nurture a batch of serviceable apprentice pawnbrokers for the shop as soon as possible, older apprentices like Chen Shaojun were also asked to provide guidance to the new apprentices.

Therefore, each of them had three or four new apprentices under them.

Chen Shaojun had three apprentices under him as well.

They were Guo Haiwang, Sun Ming, and Li Dan respectively. They were all around 15 years old, and each of them was very skinny. It was obvious that they had been malnourished for a long time.

"You guys aren't from the capital, are you?"

Chen Shaojun could tell that their accent was different.

"We are all from Chu Country."

Among them, the taller Guo Haiwang was braver and replied.

"Chu County? It's quite far from here. Why are you here?"

Chen Shaojun was stunned.

It was not convenient for the people of this world to travel. Even between counties, they had to form groups and hire experts to protect them. This was especially the case when traveling from Chu County to the capital, which was two cities apart.

As they traveled through the wilderness and water, not only did they have to guard against bandits, poisonous insects, and wild beasts, but they also had to guard against demons and monsters.

They had to be absolutely careful throughout the journey and act as if they were treading on thin ice.

"The lake of Chu County was filled with demons, causing the water in the lake to flow backward. As a result, the area within 15 kilometers of the lake was affected, so we followed our elders, and only then did we manage to survive."

"When we arrived in the capital, we simply could not survive anymore."

"Fortunately, the Lin family was kind and gave us porridge at Oil Mill Street. Then, a manager said that the Lin family needed manpower and bought us."

"After staying here for a few days, someone taught us the Divine Vision technique. After everyone learned it, we were pulled here."

Guo Haiwang explained.

When Chen Shaojun heard this, he could only remain silent.

They were all children from poor families. Unless they had no choice, who would be willing to leave their hometown?

Even he, who claimed to be a local of the capital, actually had a real home that was 30 kilometers away from the capital. If he could survive alone, he would not have been sent to the Lin family.

However, compared to him, these people's lives were more difficult.

The Treasure Gathering was imminent, and it was actually very difficult for them to come back alive.

They were really just being used as cannon fodder to fight for a chance to become a first-rate talent.

Moreover, the Lin family didn't buy them out of kindness. They just wanted them to work for the Lin family.

Even if all 20 apprentices, including Chen Shaojun and six others, died in the Treasure Gathering, the Lin family would probably not find it a pity.

However, if one of the many apprentices were able to become an official pawnbroker, it would be worth it for the Lin family.

"Actually, we also know the dangers of this profession."

"In fact, my great-grandfather had once been an apprentice pawnbroker in a pawn shop. Later on, he saw an apprentice die in front of him with his own eyes. That was why he didn't dare to continue working, so I knew some inside information."

"However, I had no choice."

"Since I'm here, I have to do it even if I don't want to. I can only take it one step at a time."

Guo Haiwang sighed. The children of poor families had become their families' breadwinners too early. They had experienced hardships and were all very mature.

Chen Shaojun nodded and didn't say anything else.

They didn't need any consolation. They were all forced by life to the point where they couldn't do anything.

Then, he began to guide them in appraising treasures.

Chen Shaojun lit a candle and burned incense.

He cast the Divine Vision technique.

He explained everything that they had to pay attention to.

Actually, there was nothing to conceal. After all, it was still the most basic Divine Vision technique in the end.

The Divine Vision technique was the basis for their survival during the appraisal process.

Before this, the three of them each received a material to appraise. The materials didn't contain a large amount of baleful aura. Thus, it didn't take them much effort to appraise it.

Then, Chen Shaojun sent them to rest.

With their spiritual strength, one appraisal was enough to exhaust them mentally and make it difficult for them to continue.

Then, Chen Shaojun started his own appraisal.

He did not even need to light candles or burn incense.

He immediately used the Divine Vision technique.

With a surge of spiritual energy, the appraisal of a treasure was quickly completed.