Chapter 973: Chapter 973

The Zheng Wen Pawnshop is not close to Jiahe New Residence District, it's over forty kilometers away.

Liu Zheng thought about it and still decided to call the driver.

"Colonel, how's the account checking going?"

"Almost sorted out. Do you want to rent a car?"

The driver seemed unwilling to say more.

"For now, I can only rent you an ordinary car."

"Just rent me a sports car."

"Okay, where are you? I'll drive over to you."

"I'm at the entrance of Jiahe New Residence District."

The driver hung up the phone and a few minutes later arrived in front of Liu Zheng with a golden sports car.

"Colonel, you call this an ordinary car?"

He looked at the sports car with golden rims, his mouth twitching.

"Hmph, I'm the fleet manager. If I say it's ordinary, then it's ordinary."

The driver said proudly.

It was apparent he still had resentment about the account checking incident.

"Alright, you have the final say."

Liu Zheng got into the driver's seat and accelerated, turning into golden light.

In reality, driving such a car would turn heads, and anyone trying to scam him would have to think twice if their lives were tough enough.

But on the deserted Metropolis streets, he could only enjoy it alone.

A few minutes later, Liu Zheng arrived at the entrance of Zheng Wen Pawnshop.

After thinking about it, he drove forward a bit, parked in an alley, and then walked back to the pawnshop.

Speaking of pawnshops, Zheng Wen Pawnshop's facade looked more like a late Qing dynasty antique shop from TV.

A two-story wooden building with tightly grained wood, yellow with green tones, occasionally brownish red, reflecting strands of golden light in the sunset.

Upon closer smelling, a faint aroma was detectable.

"Using Golden Phoebe wood to build a house is a bit excessive."

Liu Zheng recognized the wood.

Golden Phoebe has been royal-exclusive timber since the Qin dynasty and was banned for civilian use by law during the Ming dynasty.

Although Metropolis has no emperor, using such expensive wood for a pawnshop is still quite eye-catching.

He looked at the plaque with the words "Zheng Wen Pawnshop."

Square-shaped, upright, and orderly; even someone who doesn't understand calligraphy could tell it's well-written.

However, there's no signature, only a three-fingered handprint.

The brass plaque bore a clear handprint as if it had grown there, showing fingerprint and joint lines.

Liu Zheng withdrew his gaze and walked into the pawnshop with a confident stride.

Upon entering, a clerk wearing a small melon hat and long cloth robe greeted him.

The clerk scrutinized Liu Zheng, noticed his restaurant uniform, and his expression slightly changed.

"Fortune to you, sir."

The clerk respectfully greeted with a bow.

Liu Zheng responded while observing the inside of the pawnshop.

This pawnshop was intriguing; it looked like an antique shop on the outside, but inside resembled a library.

Bookshelves lined up neatly, filling the hall completely with some containing books, others holding tools, paintings, and some holding unknown items.

"Excuse me, sir, are you here to redeem or pawn goods?"

The clerk coughed to attract his attention.

"How does one go about redeeming goods? And how does one pawn goods?"

"Redeeming goods naturally requires a pawn ticket. Clear the payment, take the items. Before leaving, if any issues are spotted, raise them on the spot; we're not responsible for issues found after leaving."

"Pawning involves active or dead pledges. Active pledge has a set pawn period. If the original owner doesn't redeem or renew it, the item becomes a dead pledge."

"After becoming a dead pledge, the item belongs to the pawnshop."

"What if I don't have a pawn ticket but want to redeem something?"

"It depends on what you want to redeem."

"I want to redeem a painting by the Beast master Henry Claw."

"A painting by Henry Claw."

The clerk was startled upon hearing this.

"May I ask, sir, are you redeeming this painting for personal appreciation or as a gift?"

"I don't know, I'm buying it for someone else."

"Professor Newt from the City First University, do you know him?"

"Oh, I know. His dog is very fierce."

Upon hearing the Mini People's name, the clerk relaxed and even commented.

"Indeed, look at my face, walking it around has turned me into this."

Liu Zheng complained.

"Daring to walk Professor Newt's dog makes you quite admirable."

The clerk gave him a thumbs up.

"Tendaros is just a bit too enthusiastic; the quality of the dog is still good."

He defended the dog a bit.

"Can I redeem the item now?"

"Since Professor Newt sent you, there is no problem. However, our pawnshop's dead pledge does not include any painting by Henry Claw. If you want to redeem, you must redeem an active pledge, which requires a pawn ticket."

The clerk said in embarrassment.

Liu Zheng instantly understood, checked his long robe with no pockets, and directly reached into his sleeve.

"I suppose you have services for purchasing pawn tickets, right?"

He asked with a smile.

"Which period of Henry Claw's paintings do you want to purchase?"

After feeling the money's thickness, the clerk's face brightened with sincerity.

"What periods are available?"