Out of respect for Brandon, Cecil had always called him "Uncle Brandon," though given Brandon’s current age, calling him "Grandpa Brandon" wouldn't have been an exaggeration.

"This... this..." Brandon paused mid-sentence for a long time without continuing, finally asking, "Where did you find these?"

Just as Brandon was about to take a closer look at the object pulled from the earth by Zhong Shenxiu, Robin quickly held the item behind his back, preventing Brandon from seeing it—how infuriating, that was clearly meant to tease him!

At that moment, Zhong Shenxiu’s voice cut in: "Alright, you’ve examined the goods. My time is limited; I hope you won't waste it."

Brandon looked dazedly at Cecil, then at Zhong Shenxiu, and finally his gaze settled on Robin. What in the world is going on here? Where did these two children come from? Could those two objects belong to them?

As this thought took root, Brandon was somewhat shocked. He was an expert in appraising treasures, and years of accumulated experience meant he had never misjudged anything. Although he had only glanced at the objects a few times, Brandon could guarantee with his reputation that those two items were genuine "War Z" relics!

Heavens! Those were "War Z" relics! That fragile old heart was currently enduring a violent impact.

Cecil, unaware of all this, was thinking: Where does a little brat like you get off talking about 'precious time'?

Sensing the atmosphere had become strained, Cecil quickly interjected, "Let Uncle Brandon take a closer look; that way we can get an accurate evaluation, right?"

"I don't think that's necessary. From the look just now, I believe he already knows the answer, doesn't he?" Zhong Shenxiu said, his eyes fixed intently on Brandon.

That gaze seemed capable of piercing directly into one's soul; it was so sharp and piercing!

Brandon visibly flinched again. He hadn't expected this young boy to be so formidable, judging his thoughts purely by a single look—wasn't that terrifying? How old was he? He looked barely four or five, yet he was already this capable. If he grew up, what a terrifying prospect that would be!

Brandon, having observed countless people, immediately deduced that this child, Zhong Shenxiu, was absolutely no ordinary figure. One day, he was destined to shake this world, bringing about an unprecedented upheaval!

Indeed, Brandon's guess proved correct; in the years that followed, Zhong Shenxiu truly did shake the world—it would be a shock on the scale of a "Martian collision with Earth!!" Of course, that was a story for later. Currently, Zhong Shenxiu hadn't been in this world long, and many things were still unclear; everyone needed to give him some transition time.

"He’s right; I know the answer now!" Brandon admitted with a sigh. He felt truly old; the future belonged to this generation of children.

"Oh~ Really? Uncle Brandon, you really have the answer?" Cecil asked, somewhat excitedly.

Although Cecil wasn't as obsessed with collecting antiques as his father, he certainly wouldn't pass up a good find, something evident from the motley collection of decorations scattered throughout his room.

"Hey! Didn't you forget something?" Zhong Shenxiu suddenly interrupted Cecil, who was just about to hear the answer from Brandon.

"Forget something? What?" Cecil asked blankly.

"The deposit!"

Click.

Cecil hadn't expected this little brat to have such a good memory; he had assumed he'd forgotten all about it!

"Wait a moment, I'll go get it for you right now!" Cecil didn't want to provoke this child at this juncture, so he headed toward the inner room.

"Hey, old man, what was your appraisal result?" Zhong Shenxiu asked Brandon as Cecil entered the room.

Frustrating!

Brandon hadn't expected to be called an "old man" one day. Normally, people only addressed him as "Butler Brandon," "Uncle Brandon," or "Master Brandon." Today, he was suddenly reduced to just an old man.

Frustration notwithstanding, Brandon wouldn't argue with a child over such a trivial matter, especially since he also wanted to pry some information from the boy.

"This is a 'War Z' relic!" Brandon tried to keep his voice even. One didn't just casually see relics from the "War Z" era; otherwise, they wouldn't be so precious.

Upon hearing the words "'War Z' relic," Zhong Shenxiu didn't show much surprise, as if he had known this all along.

"So, this thing is worth a lot of money, right?" That was what concerned Zhong Shenxiu the most.

"That's right. Relics from 'War Z' are rarely seen on the market now. If you were to sell it, a conservative estimate would be at least 200,000 Diamond Coins." Contrary to Zhong Shenxiu’s agitation, Brandon remained calm about the price.

200,000 Diamond Coins?!

Zhong Shenxiu repeated the figure in his mind. After enduring hard times, he had finally turned his fortune around today.

"Huh? What are you two talking about?" Just then, Cecil walked out of the inner room carrying a bag of gold coins.

"Nothing," Zhong Shenxiu replied first.

"Here's the deposit; count it!" Cecil presented the gold coins to Zhong Shenxiu.

Zhong Shenxiu, no longer concerned with petty cash, took them without looking and casually handed them over to Robin.

"Alright, now we can discuss the specific price," Zhong Shenxiu stated, his heart settled, adopting a composed demeanor.

The price?

Brandon clearly hadn't realized that Cecil intended to buy the two items from Zhong Shenxiu. He had only been called here to conduct an appraisal!

"The price is negotiable, negotiable," Cecil said verbally, but he pulled Brandon aside and whispered, "Uncle Brandon, what do you think of those two items? How much are they worth? Do they have collection value?"

Brandon felt a bit dizzy; he realized he had made a mistake by telling the value to that little boy. But he couldn't entirely be blamed; he didn't know the full story, he was just called here to help with an appraisal, nothing more!

Yet, that little boy was too terrifying. Everything seemed to be part of his calculation: first, he sent Cecil away, and then he leveraged Brandon's shock over the object and his desire to know the reason to extract the information he wanted.

Was this the kind of intelligence a child should possess?

Brandon stared at Zhong Shenxiu with disbelief, while Zhong Shenxiu smiled back at him.

As a "genius," his IQ was unmatched!

"Uncle Brandon, what's wrong? I’m asking you a question," Cecil said, unaware of the reason for Brandon's distraction.