14: Chapter 14 unlocks the "Treasure Appraisal Eye," giving Wang Defu a cheat code!

The morning sun had just climbed the distant power pole, and the thin mist over the scrapyard was being torn apart bit by bit. Thanks to the space jade pendant saving him a lot of effort yesterday, the main framework of the workshop was already standing firm, and several platforms had been laid down. From a distance, it finally looked a bit like an industrial workshop.

Leaning against a steel beam, Chen Fan twirled the smooth space jade pendant in his fingers, planning the next steps. The framework was up; now he needed to fill it—install equipment, lay pipes, connect electricity. All of these required the right tools and suitable materials to source the raw resources.

He glanced at Wang Defu, who was squatting nearby sorting electrical wires. Uncle Wang was reliable and experienced, and he had been a great help recently. However, he was getting on in years, and the combination of delicate and heavy work might be too much for him. Besides, relying on just him to sift through the entire scrapyard for good finds wasn't very efficient.

"Need to get Uncle Wang some tools too," Chen Fan thought to himself. He had been mulling over giving Wang Defu an ability to appraise treasures. This would not only speed up finding "treasures" but also be a way to repay Uncle Wang.

He strolled over to a pile of yet-to-be-disassembled hardware he'd collected, scanned it, and his gaze settled on an old Industrial Magnifying Glass, rusted almost to ruin. Its lens was scratched all over, the metal frame was bent, and tossed in the scrap iron pile, it looked no different from a piece of junk.

"future smart brain, check out this magnifying glass."

His phone screen lit up, and xiao wei's message popped up: "Boss, scan complete. Old-style low-magnification Industrial Magnifying Glass. Lens is useless, frame is deformed. Basically worthless, only worth scrap metal price."

"This is the one." Chen Fan picked up the magnifying glass, his palm brushing against a layer of rough rust. Then he concentrated, thinking, "For this thing's Amplification, I want an ability that helps see things and distinguish their quality!"

[Ding! Target item detected: 'Scrapped Industrial Magnifying Glass.' Initiate random Amplification?]

"Yes!"

[10,000x Visual Insight Amplification initiated... Amplification complete! Obtained: 'lingxi inspection mirror'!]

In the blink of an eye, a soft, white light enveloped the magnifying glass. The rust receded like a tide, and the bent frame straightened itself. The broken lens suddenly became crystal clear, with light seeming to swirl inside, looking like a pool of clear water.

Chen Fan's control over the system was getting stronger. As long as he infused a strong intention and need, the system could basically perform an Amplification that met the requirements.

The white light dissipated, leaving Chen Fan holding a strange-looking monocle. A thin, golden frame extended from the right side, perfect for hooking over the ear.

"Uncle Wang, come try this on," Chen Fan called out to Wang Defu.

Wang Defu rubbed his hands together as he came over, eyes full of curiosity. "Xiao Fan, what's this new gadget?" By now, he was long past being surprised by the things Chen Fan pulled out; he just waited to see the marvel.

Chen Fan handed over the lingxi inspection mirror. "Put it on. Focus and stare at something."

Wang Defu hooked the monocle over his right ear, the lens resting right against his eye. At first, he looked around but didn't see anything special.

"Don't get distracted, Uncle Wang. Try focusing on that brick in the corner," Chen Fan reminded him from the side.

Wang Defu quickly snapped to attention, his gaze locking onto the old red brick half-buried in the corner.

The next second, the scene before his right eye suddenly changed! Around that ordinary brick, a faint, almost invisible layer of gray-white mist floated up, and a line of text scrolled across the lens like subtitles: [Ordinary fired clay brick. Used for 20-30 years. Not sturdy. Useless.]

"Huh?! There's text? And light!" Wang Defu was startled. He quickly took off the monocle, rubbed his eye, and put it back on. The strange sight reappeared! "Xiao Fan! Has this monocle become sentient? It can tell me what something is and if it's valuable?!"

"That's pretty much it," Chen Fan laughed. "It can help you see the details and value of things. From now on, finding goods will rely on your 'Fiery Golden Eyes.'"

Wang Defu was so excited his hands trembled a little. He immediately started testing it out, scanning everywhere with the monocle like he was on a stimulant.

Scanning a rusty iron rod: [Low-carbon steel. 90% corroded. Scrap value: 5 mao.]

Looking at a broken plastic bucket: [Polyethylene. Aged. Useless.]

When his gaze swept over a pile of mixed metal parts, a greasy copper valve suddenly lit up a bit! Text jumped onto the lens: [Early brass valve. Internal parts undamaged. Copper quality pure. Can still be sold as an antique. Antique value: 2000 yuan.]

"Holy crap! Xiao Fan, this hunk of copper is special!" Wang Defu shouted, pointing at the valve as if he'd discovered treasure. "This can sell for 2000 yuan? If I picked it up and sold it as scrap copper, I might only get a dozen yuan."

Chen Fan walked over, picked up the valve, and hefted it. It was quite heavy. Though filthy, it felt good in his hand. "Not bad, Uncle Wang, you're getting the hang of it already. What we're looking for are exactly these kinds of good things hidden in the junk. This copper lump can only be sold at an antique and curio market."

He patted Wang Defu's shoulder. "From now on, the job of finding raw materials and doing the first round of screening is yours. Use this monocle to sift through this pile of junk and dig out all the good stuff! We need startup capital. Let's go to the antique market tomorrow for a look and sell this copper lump while we're at it."

"I'm all for this!" The wrinkles on Wang Defu's face were brimming with energy; he felt eager to start treasure-hunting with the monocle. He no longer felt like an old guy just collecting scrap; he was a "Treasure Hunter" working on big things with Chen Fan!