Chapter 296
As Morbe walked, she explained, “Many things carry evil energy. If you take them home, you’ll have bad luck.” She noticed that 90% of the antiques sold at the early stalls carried this energy. This indicated that most of their items likely came from persons who harnessed evil energy for battles amongst themselves. Besides using them to harm others, horoscope masters also needed to harness the strong evil energy that naturally emanated from these items. Otherwise, the surrounding evil energy alone wouldn't be enough to harness much power. It might be useful for minor tricks, but far from enough for real battles.
Hearing Phoebe’s words, those who had originally wanted to buy something immediately gave up. Leur asked, “Are these things useful if you buy them?” Phorbe nodded. “Yes, they are useful for us. Could someone buy them to harm others?” Letir thought for a moment and said, “Then, if someone bought one and gave it to someone they disliked or an enemy, it would be an easy way to cause harm.”
Haydari, who was walking ahead, turned around and said, “Purchases of antiques carrying evil energy are recorded here. The Horoscope Master Association monitors them. If anyone uses items carrying evil energy to harm others, the Special Force will come knocking on their door.” That’s why this night market was allowed to operate legally. He paused and continued, “And that’s also why, without a familiar horoscope master leading the way, ordinary people wouldn’t be able to find the place, let alone enter.”
Just like now, earlier some viewers had been following the group from the hotel to provide live updates from the night market. But after taking a few turns through the streets, they lost track of the group. Therefore, they had to give up and disappoint those waiting for the live updates. Leur and the lens nodded. “I see, no wonder we’ve never heard of this night market.”
Fuo, an antique enthusiast, Mar had originally planned to pick up a few pieces to please him. But she said with regret, “Does that mean we can only look but not buy?” Phoebe smiled and said, “If you want to buy something, you can choose based on your intuition. Once you’ve picked something, I can check it. If you’re lucky, you might even find something with positive energy that can protect you and your family.” Even in this night market, there was still a chance to find such items. But for ordinary people like Leur and the others, it was purely luck. Hearing Phoebe say this, Leur and the others’ eyes lit up with excitement.
Chapter 296
Raylan glanced at Phoebe, clearly surprised by how kind she was to these ordinary people. If it were him, he wouldn’t bother with such things. To him, friends and acquaintances were like passing clouds, never lasting. So he figured it was better not to make friends at all.
The group moved from stall to stall, browsing one by one. Lexie and the others found something they liked at nearly every stall. Many of the pieces they admired would be treasures for antique collectors outside. They were rare, valuable, and expensive; some were even the kind of items that money alone couldn’t buy on the open market. But all of them carried evil energy, and some had an especially strong aura. So bringing them home would be like bringing a deadly weapon.
The Horoscope Association had strict rules, whether in the outside world or within the night market. Such dangerous items were not allowed to be sold to ordinary people. Even weaker horoscope masters weren’t permitted to buy them, as taking them home would be a death sentence. Ordinary items with evil energy weren’t strictly regulated. While they could affect people, the impact was limited and wouldn’t cause serious harm.
Milton had good luck. At one stall, he found a snuff bottle that caught his eye. Phoebe checked it for him and confirmed that it carried auspicious energy. She urged him, “If you can buy it, you definitely should.” Milton trusted Phoebe completely, so he spent all his savings to buy the snuff bottle.
After walking a short distance from the stall, Phoebe finally smiled and said, “For the price you paid, this was an absolute steal. The seller misjudged it, so you just got yourself a rare find. This piece has a layer of evil energy on the surface, so the seller didn’t realize it actually contains auspicious energy inside. That’s why they sold it at a regular antique price.”
Milton had felt an instant liking for the snuff bottle the moment he saw it. As he fiddled with it, he paused upon hearing Phoebe’s words, “Wait, you mean this thing has evil energy? Will it affect me? Or does the auspicious energy inside balance it out?”
Phoebe replied, “The evil energy on it is weak. It won’t have much of an effect on you. At most, you might have a few unlucky days or catch a minor illness. I’ll give you a talisman later. Wrap the snuff bottle in it and leave it for three days. That will cleanse the evil energy. Once the evil energy is gone, you can carry it with you anytime. It’ll bring you plenty of benefits.”
She pointed at Cain and said, “For example, if he had carried something like this before, he wouldn’t have been so unlucky. It can reduce bad luck by about 30–50%. And unlike the horoscope artifact Cain is wearing, yours won’t cause any rebound effects.” Cain’s artifact was artificially cultivated with energy. But the one Milton bought was naturally nurtured in a place filled with auspicious energy, making it much safer and more beneficial. The effect was quite different. This was what horoscope masters wanted. Not only could it protect them, but it could also be of great help during battles.
Sensing the excitement on everyone’s faces and their hope of finding a similar hidden gem, Phoebe added, “Of course, items like this are usually very rare and hard to come by. If it weren’t for the layer of evil energy on the outside, other horoscope masters would have bought it long ago. The seller might not have even put it up for sale.” She went on, “This kind of item is truly rare, which makes it incredibly valuable. In the horoscope master community, things like this can’t be bought with money alone. You’re lucky today.” She chuckled. “This is something you can only come across by chance, not something you can seek out. You’re really lucky.”
Milton’s face lit up with a big smile. “I really do have good luck today!” He sighed with emotion, “Ever since I started hanging out with you, my luck has improved a lot.” Back when he was in Jenkins Entertainment, and even before entering the entertainment industry, nothing in his life or career ever seemed to go smoothly.
Chapter 290
In fact, he had faced an endless stream of frustrating and unlucky situations. “Ever since I switched to working at your studio, everything just started falling into place,” he said, his face full of gratitude. “Not only that, but things have been getting better and better. And now, I even managed to stumble upon a rare treasure,” he added.
Phoebe chuckled softly. “Once things start going smoothly, they tend to keep getting better. That’s why you feel this way. It’s just the momentum of…”
Milton shook his head with a grin. “It’s not just a feeling. I truly believe you’re my lucky star, Phoebe.”
Raylan spoke up, his tone calm but piercing. “From your facial features, it’s clear that Phoebe is indeed your lucky star. If you hadn’t gotten involved with Phoebe, your career wouldn’t just have stagnated, it would have been stuck for years. You would have attracted people you’d never want to offend, and your life would have taken a much harder, more challenging turn. It might have even become quite miserable.”
Raylan had noticed it before, how Milton’s fate had shifted ever since he had connected with Phoebe. The change wasn’t something deliberate. It was simply the result of one choice that led to a significant shift. This kind of fate alteration was in accordance with the natural law. There would be no backlash or punishment. Kaylan’s observation made it clear. Milton’s meeting Phoebe was perhaps the best stroke of luck he would ever experience in his life.
Everyone believed Raylan’s words. After all, his abilities spoke for themselves. Everyone was taken aback, clearly shocked by the realization that if Milton hadn’t switched to Phoebe’s studio, his life and career could have turned out so much worse. Now, his career was visibly improving. With Phoebe’s support, there was no doubt it would continue to get better in the future.
Milton was momentarily stunned by the realization. Milton’s smile deepened, his eyes reflecting genuine gratitude. “So meeting Phoebe is the greatest luck of my life.”
Maddox, with an air of quiet pride as if speaking about himself, added, “Of course.” Then, with a meaningful glance, he continued, “You’re a stark contrast to some people. You’re getting luckier by the day, while others are just getting more and more unlucky.” He paused, letting the words sink in. “It’s all about vision and choice.”
Maddox chuckled and patted Milton on the back. That shows you’ve got great vision.
Milton nodded in full agreement. “Of course. I believe I have a good eye. Unlike some people who are… well, less than sharp, mistaking fish eyes for pearls while letting the actual pearls slip away. Anyway, we are the lucky ones who’ve found the pearls.”
Cain, Jamar, and Reece exchanged looks, silently knowing that the words were pretty much aimed at them, without subtlety. Of course, their words made them all feel quite frustrated and uncomfortable. When they thought about it, it was actually true. Milton had gone from being unlucky to lucky, while they were getting more and more unlucky. Especially Cain, who was clearly irritated by what the two had said.
Others joked, “I almost want to switch to Phoebe’s studio.” Phoebe chuckled lightly and said, “Come, you’re all welcome.”
Jamar had a thought and leaned in with a smile, saying, “Phoebe, how about I join your studio too?” It wasn’t because of the whole “lucky star” talk. He actually wanted to improve his relationship with her. He wanted to make up for the mistakes he had made in the past.
Phoebe’s smile faded slightly as she gave Jamar a faint glance and said, “You’re probably overthinking it.” Jamar was taken aback, the words sinking in deeply. Reece, who had originally planned the same, fell silent after seeing the situation.
Chapter 296
The group continued walking forward. Cain, enjoying the moment, walked over to Jamar’s side. He quietly muttered, “Jamar, looks like you can’t keep being a bootlicker.” Jamar snorted. “At least I’m not as bad as you, Cain. At least Phoebe didn’t intentionally try to mess with me.” Cain sighed. This conversation was going nowhere.