10: Monetization hindered

Even though buying it for 200,000 wouldn't be a loss since it would become real in his hands anyway, Wang Chen still habitually cut the price in half.

Hearing Wang Chen's offer of 100,000, the boss was secretly delighted. This thing was just a fake he had bought for around a hundred or so yuan; it was fine for fooling those who didn't know the trade, but anyone who knew their stuff could tell it was a fake at a glance.

Though he was overjoyed inside, the Middle-aged Boss still put on an act of being pained.

"Aieee! You really dare to name such a price! This is a genuine old item. Selling it to you for 100,000 means I'm losing my own capital!"

Wang Chen knew the boss was acting and had no intention of exposing him.

Instead, he continued bargaining.

"Eighty thousand, if you won't sell it, forget it." Wang Chen put down the vase and made a move as if to leave.

Seeing Wang Chen's posture, the Middle-aged Boss realized the "fat sheep" in his hands was about to run away.

"Fine, fine, eighty thousand it is. Deal."

His mouth answered, and his hands were just as quick.

He hurriedly took out a high-end looking wooden box and packed up the yellow glazed incised cloud dragon pattern vase, fearing Wang Chen might suddenly change his mind.

"That's all, how much for everything together?"

"That's 81,600 in total. Will you be scanning a code or swiping a card?"

"I'll scan the code."

"Alright. Please scan the code over here." The Middle-aged Boss guided Wang Chen toward one side of the counter.

Payment successful!

The Middle-aged Boss smilingly handed the two packed bags to Wang Chen.

"Take care, and if you need anything else, you can come straight back to this shop!"

"My surname is Liu, and my contact information is on the bag." The Middle-aged Boss pointed to the bag in Wang Chen's hand.

As soon as Wang Chen left, Boss Liu almost burst out laughing! His wide-open mouth could have fit a brick.

"He really is a fool, so easy to bluff! A real Wealth-Sending Boy!"

Little did he know, he was the real "Wealth-Sending Boy" himself!

On Wang Chen's side, he was leaning happily against his electric scooter, listening to the system's prompts.

[Ding! Detected "Falsehood Becomes Truth" condition triggered. Does the host wish to realize it?]

"Realize it."

[Okay, realizing for the host now...]

[Realization complete!]

This was the first time using the system to realize physical objects, so Wang Chen was a bit curious to see if there were any changes in the items after the system's realization.

He took the yellow glazed incised cloud dragon pattern vase out of the bag and observed it carefully in his hand.

He studied it for a long time but couldn't see anything special.

He just felt that this yellow glazed incised cloud dragon pattern vase was more pleasing to the eye and more "beautiful."

"Forget it, whatever, as long as it's real."

After repacking the yellow glazed incised cloud dragon pattern vase, Wang Chen rested his chin on his hand, thinking of another urgent matter.

The item had become real, but how was he supposed to liquidate it?

Moreover, he had no idea what the specific value of these items was or who he should sell them to.

He couldn't just find a random roadside stall and ask if they would buy them, could he?

That would be the act of a total fool.

"What a headache. I thought this would be a quick way to get rich, but it's not even as effective as yesterday's scammer."

"Maybe I should ask the system?"

No sooner said than done, Wang Chen quickly called out to the system.

"Youyou, can you identify how much these things are worth?"

[host, this system is only responsible for turning "falsehoods" into "reality" and ensuring items become genuine.]

[Item scanning is not yet supported. The host must find out the specific market value on his own.]

"I see."

Just as Wang Chen was feeling disappointed, Youyou's voice rang out in his mind again.

[Ding-dong! Friendly reminder!]

[When the host's total personal assets first reach 10 million RMB, the system will upgrade to version 2.0.]

[In version 2.0, the Primary Character Insight function can be upgraded to Intermediate, and a new Item Scanning function will be added, allowing for the scanning of detailed information including material, age, and current market value.]

[Of course, after the system upgrade, there will be other new functions to unlock!]

"A 10 million upgrade? New functions?"

Wang Chen checked the remaining 1.4 million or so in his mobile banking app. Although 10 million was still a bit far off, it wasn't unreachable.

As long as he operated correctly, with the system's abilities, it should only be a matter of time.

"It seems I need to find a way to liquidate this batch of goods as soon as possible and then quickly earn 10 million."

After hanging the two bags securely, Wang Chen rode his electric scooter to a large supermarket and bought several high-quality storage boxes and foam materials.

Back at his rental house, he carefully took out the 16 copper coins and the yellow glazed incised cloud dragon pattern vase.

He wrapped them separately in soft paper and placed them into the foam-lined storage boxes for safekeeping.

After tidying up, Wang Chen finally began to think about how to sell them.

He opened TikTok and did a search.

Most of the results were "lessons" on how to identify antiques, while a small portion mentioned how to liquidate them.

Following the methods described in one of the videos he found, Wang Chen posted sales information on a well-known antique trading forum, Tieba, and a high-end second-hand platform, attaching several photos taken from multiple angles.

To increase his credibility, he specifically noted that he could support appraisal by any authoritative institution.

After the messages were sent, Wang Chen waited patiently.

During that time, there were a few occasional inquiries, but as soon as they heard his price of hundreds to tens of thousands for a single copper coin and 350,000 for the yellow glazed incised cloud dragon pattern vase,

They either cursed him for being "crazy for money" or simply stopped responding.

The waters in the antique business were too deep; without connections or a reputation, it was too difficult to liquidate quickly.

The internet was a mixed bag, and truly powerful buyers likely wouldn't easily trust items of unknown origin like his.

After a day of effort, not only did he gain nothing, but he had also sunk over 80,000 into it.

"As expected, novels are all lies!"

Wang Chen slumped onto the old sofa in his rental house, feeling a bit discouraged.

"Other protagonists pick up bargains like they're picking up cabbages, but in my case, I've ended up bringing home a bunch of ancestors to serve?"

[host, this system is only responsible for 'providing the goods', not for sales.]

Youyou actually joked with Wang Chen, her voice carrying a hint of playfulness and innocence.

"I know, I know, I'm not blaming you." Wang Chen sighed and rubbed his temples. "I just feel that this money-making speed still isn't fast enough. With a 10 million upgrade threshold, how long would it take relying on this small-time operation?"

"The systems next door start with quadrillions at every turn; why can't you learn from them?"

[Hmph! Stinky host, Youyou is so mad at you, actually comparing Youyou to those low-level systems! (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)]

At this moment, in the system space unknown to Wang Chen, a little person about the size of a normal human's palm, wearing a cyan princess dress, was standing with her hands on her hips, staring at the light screen in front of her with a huff.

That adorable look, if seen by people in the outside world, would probably make them wish they could have a child of their own right now.

Seeing the sky outside darkening, Wang Chen shook his head and decided to put his worries aside for the moment.

There's always a way when the time comes; surely I won't be defeated by such a small problem?

He picked up his new phone and checked the time; it was already past 8 PM.

He opened TikTok, and the first recommended video was a real gem.