Chapter 296 You're Probably Overthinking It
Elizabeth strolled along, explaining, "Most of the stuff here has some bad juju. If you buy 'em, best case, you get some bad luck; worst case, you get sick or even kick the bucket. So, not really a good idea."
She noticed that like nine out of ten antiques at each stall had some bad vibes. This probably meant most of this junk came from tombs. But not all of 'em. Some were just left in places where bad vibes gather to soak it all up.
Negative items were a goldmine for diviners, who harnessed their potent bad vibes for manipulation and empowerment. These objects provided the necessary energy for serious magic, unlike the weak ambient negativity that only supported minor tricks.Hearing Elizabeth's words, everyone who was thinking about buying something instantly noped out.
Nancy asked, "So, are these things useful to you?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah, they're useful to us."
Nancy thought for a sec and then asked, "Wouldn't someone buy them to mess with others?"
Like, if someone bought them and gave them to someone they hated, it'd be easy to mess them up.
Zachary, who was walking ahead, turned around and said, "Buying antiques with bad vibes here is tracked, and the Diviners' Association keeps an eye on it. If anyone uses these things to harm others, special departments will come after them."
That was why this market could run legally.
He paused and added, "That's also why without a familiar master diviner leading the way, regular folks can't find or get into this place."
Just like now, those viewers who had agreed to follow the group to the market and livestream for everyone started out from the hotel. But after wandering through a few streets, they lost the group. So, they had to give up and tell the audience waiting for the livestream to scram.
Nancy and the others nodded. "Got it, no wonder no one's heard of this market."
Nancy's father was also into antiques. She originally wanted to grab a few things to make him happy. So she said, kinda bummed, "So, we can only window shop?"
Elizabeth grinned and said, "If you wanna buy something, just go with your gut. After you pick, I'll check if it's got any bad vibes. If you're lucky, you might score an antique with Karma, which means it can protect you and your fam."
Even though Karma items were rare in this whole market, there was still a shot at finding one. For master diviners, it was all about having an eye for it. For regular folks like Nancy and the gang, it was all about luck and fate.Hearing Elizabeth's words, Nancy and the others lit up and said, "Elizabeth, you're the best!"
Then everyone eagerly started browsing each stall.
Zachary glanced at Elizabeth, clearly surprised she was being so nice to these regular folks. If it were him, he wouldn't bother. Friends or acquaintances were like passing strangers to him, never sticking around. So he preferred not to make friends.
The group checked out each stall one by one. Nancy and the others found stuff they liked at each stall. The items they liked would be the favorites of antique collectors outside, valuable and pricey. Some even couldn't be bought outside, no matter how much cash you had. But they all had bad vibes, some with really strong bad vibes. Buying them would mean bringing harmful stuff home.
The Diviners' Association had rules, whether outside or in the market. Such antiques couldn't be sold to regular folks. Even low-level diviners couldn't buy them, or they'd be toast if they took them home.
Ordinary items with bad vibes weren't regulated by the Diviners' Association. They affected people, but the impact was limited and not too harmful.
Elbert got lucky at a market stall where he spotted a snuff bottle. Elizabeth checked it out and told him it was an item with Karma and insisted he buy it if he could. Trusting Elizabeth completely, Elbert spent all his savings on the snuff bottle.
After walking a bit from the stall, Elizabeth smiled and said, "You got a steal at that price. You're pretty lucky. This thing has an outer layer of bad vibes, and the seller didn't notice the Karma inside, so they sold it at a regular antique price."
Elbert had a good feeling about the snuff bottle as soon as he saw it. He was fiddling with it and paused when he heard Elizabeth's words. Then he asked, "You mean this thing has bad vibes? Will it mess with me? Or will the Karma cancel it out?"
Elizabeth replied, "The bad vibes on this thing are pretty weak and won't mess with you much. At worst, you'll have a few days of bad luck or catch a minor cold. I'll give you a Spellscroll later. Wrap the snuff bottle in it for three days, and the bad vibes will be gone. Once that's done, this thing will bring you all sorts of good stuff."
She pointed at Enrique and said, "Just like he had some bad luck before, wearing something with Karma can cut down the bad luck by like thirty to fifty percent. Plus, unlike his divination amulet, this one won't backfire."
Enrique's divination amulet was man-made. But the one Elbert bought was naturally soaked in Karma by chance. The effects were way different. That was what master diviners were after. Not only could it protect people, but it was also super useful in magical battles.
Seeing the excitement and hope on everyone's faces about scoring a cheap antique, Elizabeth added, "Of course, these things are usually hard to find. If it weren't for the outer layer of bad vibes, it would've been snapped up by other master diviners ages ago. The stall owner might not have even put it up for sale. These items are really rare and super valuable. In the master diviner circle, you can't buy these things with money."
She smiled again and said, "It's something you stumble upon by luck, not by searching. Elbert, you're pretty lucky today."
Elbert beamed. "Oh yeah.. Ever since I started hanging out with you, Elizabeth, my luck's been on the up."
In the past, whether at Clark Entertainment or even before he got into the entertainment biz, he faced tons of setbacks in both his personal life and career, with a bunch of downer experiences. But after he joined Elizabeth Studio, he felt like everything started falling into place and kept getting better. This time, he even managed to snag such a good item at a low price.
Elizabeth chuckled, "Once things start going smoothly, they usually keep getting better, so you might feel it's an illusion."
Elbert said, "It's not an illusion. I think it's the luck you brought me."
At this point, Zachary chimed in, "From a destiny point of view, it does seem like Elizabeth brought you luck. If you hadn't followed Elizabeth, your career would've been stuck and going nowhere for years. Later, you would've pissed off someone you couldn't afford to, making your life really tough, even miserable, for the rest of your days."
He had noticed earlier that Elbert's fate had shifted because of Elizabeth. This change wasn't planned but happened because of a choice, so it was allowed by the rules without any backlash or punishment. Meeting Elizabeth was probably the luckiest thing that ever happened to Elbert.
Everyone believed Zachary's words. His abilities were well-known. They were all surprised, clearly not expecting that Elbert would have been so miserable if he hadn't switched to Elizabeth's studio. Now his career was clearly on the upswing. With Elizabeth's support, he was bound to keep getting better and better.
Elbert himself was shocked. Then he smiled even more and said, "So meeting Elizabeth is the greatest luck of my life." He truly believed that.
Raymond, with a proud look as if he were talking about himself, said, "That's for sure." He added meaningfully, "You're a stark contrast to some people. You're on the upswing while others are on the downslide. It's all about vision and choices." Then he patted Elbert on the back, saying, "It shows you have good vision."
Elbert chuckled and nodded. "That's right; I believe I've got a good eye too, unlike some people. They took a fake for real and lost the genuine one. And we are the lucky ones who found the real."
Enrique, Kevin, and Eugene were silent. Their words hit a nerve, making them feel pretty bad. But thinking about it, it was true. Elbert went from unlucky to lucky, while their luck seemed to be dwindling. This was especially tough for Enrique, who was already feeling fed up with the situation.
Others joked, "I want to join Elizabeth's studio too."
Elizabeth chuckled, "Come on, you're welcome."
Kevin had a thought and approached with a smile. "Elizabeth, how about I join your studio too?" He wasn't hoping for a change in fortune but instead wished to mend their relationship and atone for his past mistakes.
Elizabeth's smile faded a bit, and she glanced at him lightly. "Dream on."
Kevin fell silent. Eugene, who had also wanted to ask, kept quiet after seeing this.
The group continued walking. Enrique, gloating, walked up to Kevin and whispered, "Hey Kevin, how's it feel to be on everyone's bad side?"
Kevin scoffed, "Better than you, at least Elizabeth didn't intentionally harm me."
Enrique fell silent.
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