"This item was consigned to us for sale by Mr. Kimura," the antique shop owner explained, well-prepared as he saw Liang En and his group enter the store inquiring about the shell.
"He's a Western antique dealer from Osaka who, when he entrusted this item to me, specifically asked me to tell anyone who inquires about his residence."
"This—" For Liang En, this unexpected development was baffling, and he was stunned for several seconds before recovering and asking, "May I ask, why would the gentleman do such a thing?"
"We're not entirely sure ourselves," the shop owner replied, shaking his head. "I'm just following his instructions. The reason behind his actions might only be known to you after you meet with him."
From a certain perspective, this item could also be seen as a bait, designed to filter out the people Mr. Kimura needed, but this method indeed piqued Liang En's curiosity.
He was very curious about what Mr. Kimura was thinking to use the consigned antiques to find the manpower he needed.
Fortunately, his residence was located in the urban area of Osaka, where transportation was convenient. Thus, the next morning, everyone packed their bags and took the Shinkansen to Osaka.
Osaka is a city with a long history. Artifacts found near Morinomiya prove that people have lived in Osaka since the middle Jomon period.
During the Kofun period, the region became suitable for farming due to the desalination of Lake Kawachi. Its coastal location also made Osaka a trading port.
The city of today originated from the massive temple town around Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple, and it adapted to the Age of Exploration, becoming an international trading city until the isolationist policies of the Tokugawa shogunate.
However, in 1868, Osaka was reopened to foreign trade, and the Old Kawaguchi Settlement was established for foreigners to reside. Foreigners brought the latest Western culture, pushing Osaka into the modern era.
Due to these reasons, the city has a high degree of internationalization, naturally attracting international antique traders like Mr. Kimura to settle and conduct their business here.
Mr. Kimura's antique shop was on a street that looked somewhat deserted, with the entire street filled with old two-story traditional Japanese-style buildings, and not many vehicles around.
Both the wooden storefronts and the stone-paved ground exuded a sense of quietness. If not for the roadside signs and telephone poles, the street could almost seem unchanged from a century or two ago.
However, the few luxury cars parked on the street suggested that it was not as simple as it appeared on the surface, resembling some of the luxury goods streets in London.
"It seems to be closed," Fan Meng noted as they arrived at a shop with a white lightbox sign bearing the name "Kimura" and a tightly closed wooden door.
"No one seems to be inside the room, and there's noticeable dust on both the windows and door. It looks like it hasn't been opened for over a month."
After asking around, Liang En and his group found out little, as the Japanese traditionally do not like to trouble or be troubled by others.
Thus, the neighbors around Mr. Kimura's antique shop were not very clear about why the shop had not been open for business, only knowing that it had been closed for a month and a half.
Fortunately, Mr. Kimura had operated his old shop here for decades, so even though they didn't know why Mr. Kimura's antique shop had been closed for over a month, they still directed them to Mr. Kimura's residence.
Then, the group left the street and took a bus to another street two stops away, a traditional Japanese single-family home area.
Mr. Kimura's house was among the better buildings on the street, with a yard over 500 square meters, undoubtedly one of the best residential conditions on the street.
Unlike the previous shop, this house was clearly modern in style, very stylish at first glance, but the untrimmed potted plants and overgrown lawn indicated that it had also been unoccupied for a long time.
"What exactly is going on?" Liang En looked at the scene before him with a thoughtful expression. He had considered various scenarios before coming, but had never expected to be turned away like this.
After all, he thought that since Mr. Kimura had left such a message through the antique shop, there should be someone here to meet them, not like now, with no one around.
"Are you looking for Mr. Kimura?" As the three of them stood at the house's front door peering inside, an elderly man passing by approached and asked.
"Yes, we've come all the way from Tokyo specifically to find Mr. Kimura," Liang En replied, bowing slightly before directly asking his question.
"We first went to Mr. Kimura's shop, but found that it seemed to have
been closed for a long time, and now it looks like no one is here either."
"Ah, that's because Mr. Kimura passed away two months ago," the elderly man nodded and revealed a surprising fact after hearing Liang En's explanation.
"He passed away?"
"Yes, Mr. Kimura's health had been deteriorating for over a year, and he passed away two months ago," the man nodded again, then looked seriously at Liang En and his group and continued.
"I was a friend and neighbor of Mr. Kimura's before he died. He told us neighbors that if some people we didn't recognize came looking for him, we should direct them to a law firm in Osaka, where he left information for those who came looking."
After saying this, the elderly man took out a notebook from his pocket, read off the name and location of the law firm, and then put the notebook back in his pocket, saying, "When you go to that law firm, please tell them that Ichio Miyamoto sent you with this message, so they can give me the reward."
"Reward?"
"That's right, a reward." The man, presumably named Ichio Miyamoto, nodded. "Mr. Kimura left a will stating that we neighbors, after directing people like you, would receive a reward."
"All you have to do is tell the lawyer who guided you to them, and they will record it directly. After a year, they will distribute the money based on the number of people we directed."
"Uh—okay, we'll mention your name to the lawyer." Liang En found the current situation increasingly like a treasure hunt game, but this also made him more interested in the matter.
From the current situation, it was clear that Mr. Kimura had done these things for a specific purpose. What would happen next was unknown to anyone, but it had created a unique allure.
Thus, after bidding farewell to the man named Ichio Miyamoto, Liang En and his group once again boarded a bus heading towards the center of Osaka, hoping to get further information from the law firm.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
