Warehouse Treasure Hunting: Start With The Crown Of Thorns

In Rose Town, Oakes, Frederic Payne was outside the ICU of the only hospital in town.

"The leukemia of your aunt is already in an advanced stage. She needs a bone marrow transplant within a month.

It will cost at least one hundred thousand dollars. Make sure you have the money ready."

The doctor's words echoed in Frederic's ears again and again.

He turned his head and looked at the old woman lying in the hospital bed through the transparent glass of the ICU.

She was in a coma, and only the life-support machine was helping her breathe. There was a pained expression on her face.

Frederic's eyes turned red as he stared at the old woman. Then, in the end, he couldn't help sobbing. "Auntie, you are my only family in this world. I will find a way to save you."

He was an orphan because his parents passed away when he was very young.

Since then, he lived with his uncle's family. His life was okay with them, but the good times didn't last long. His uncle died in a car accident.

His aunt, Martha Payne brought him up alone, and he knew how much hardship she had gone through because of him.

Frederic always regarded his aunt as his own mother.

This afternoon, he got his salary from KFC, so he bought his aunt's favorite cake on the way back.

He wanted to surprise her. But when he entered the door, he saw her lying on the floor, unconscious.

Their town was small and not densely populated, so he didn't find it hard to call an ambulance. His aunt was immediately taken to the hospital and was in the ICU now.

"Frederic, you really got into the University of Clyde. That's great news!" his aunt exclaimed excitedly.

"Actually, I have been waiting for this day to come. Here, take this card. I have been saving money for your tuition and living expenses.

You know that I only had little formal education. So I am hoping that you can make a difference. All I want is for you to have a better life in the future. Marry a beautiful wife and have lovely children."

Frederic seemed to hear his aunt's caring words.

He took out the light black bank card from his pocket and clenched it tightly in his hand.

This card had thirty thousand dollars in it, which his aunt had saved over the years.

'You have known for a long time that you have leukemia, but you chose not to undergo treatment because you kept saving money for me,' he thought.

Frederic bit his lower lip, forcing himself not to cry. But tears welled up in his eyes, making them red.

After a while, he finally came to his senses with only one thought in his mind.

'No, I can't just waste my time here. I need to get enough money for my aunt's operation.'

Frederic stood up resolutely and went to the cashier. He paid ten thousand dollars to keep his aunt in the ICU.

Then he walked out of the hospital. Because of what he had been going through, his body looked a little rickety.

There were only twenty thousand dollars left on his bank card now. He needed at least eighty thousand dollars more for his aunt's operation.

Eighty thousand dollars was a lot of money for a young man who had just graduated from high school.

How could he possibly come up with such an amount through normal legal means?

Did it mean he had to resort to something illegal?

Should he steal money from someone? How about robbing a bank? Or maybe he could sell illegal drugs.

Even if he could afford to abandon his moral principles, his aunt wouldn't allow it for sure.

Frederic's aunt had high expectations for him. She absolutely didn't want to see him make wrong choices.

He took out his phone and opened his contact list, wanting to contact his teachers and classmates in high school.

He was hoping to get some help from them.

The first person Frederic called was Nina Myers, one of his good friends. "Hello, Nina..."

A pleasant female voice came through from the other end of the line. "Frederic! Why do you call me all of a sudden? Do you want to invite me to Owen's party?"

Frederic replied cautiously, "No, Nina. My aunt is sick. I need some money."

Nina was silent for a while. Then she said in an unpleasant tone, "I'm sorry I can't help you."

Frederic was rejected in his first call. He comforted himself that it was only normal. Then he made a second call.

"Hello, Owen. Can you possibly lend me some money?"

"Catherine, I..."

After calling all the numbers in his contact list, Frederic sighed wearily.

As he expected, he got nothing but a bunch of blessings.

Frederic forcibly cheered himself up and looked through his contact list again to see if he had missed anyone.

Suddenly, a piece of news popped up on the screen of his phone.

He was not in the mood to read the news at this time, so he was about to swipe it off directly. But his fingers froze in midair.

His eyes were fixed on the headline.

"Warehouse Treasure Hunting: Another lucky person in Elm Town got a one-hundred-thousand-dollar treasure for only one thousand dollars."

Driven by curiosity, Frederic clicked on the link.

The content of the news was very simple. Basically, the headline already told the whole story.

Someone from Elm Town took part in the auction and acquired a warehouse for only one thousand dollars. The warehouse contained a treasure worth one hundred thousand dollars.

Warehouse Treasure Hunting?

Frederic wondered if he could give it a try.

However, he soon dismissed this idea.

This kind of activity was similar to gambling. Of course, it was great to get a valuable warehouse. But some warehouses might only have a pile of trash. This would make the buyers lose all their money.

And his aunt worked very hard to save the money on his bank card now. She had sacrificed her health for it, so it had to be her lifesaver.

He didn't have the right to use it in gambling.

Frederic thought hard of ways to get enough money. But he couldn't come up with feasible ones, so he gradually felt desperate.

What could he do? Should he just watch his only family in this world die?

'No way!'

Frederic shouted in his heart. Actually, there was one last way to get enough money in a short time.

That was selling his organs.

He could sell his organs to some rich people.

He had two kidneys, and selling one of them wouldn't affect his normal life.

At this time, Frederic didn't care about its effect on his body.

What only mattered to him now was his aunt. He must save her life.

Frederic's eyes were filled with fierce determination. He pulled out a necklace from under his shirt and opened the locket. Inside was a photo of him and his parents when he was seven years old.

In the photo, his parents were both wearing white coats and black-framed glasses, smiling at the camera.

He rode on his father's neck, looking at the camera in a domineering manner.

Who would have thought that not long after the photo was taken, the young couple would die because of an explosion in the laboratory?

They left a seven-year-old boy to be raised by his uncle and aunt.

Frederic stared at the young couple in the photo and sobbed. "Dad, Mom, Auntie is my only family. I must save her life, and I can only do it by selling my kidney. You will support me in heaven, right?"

He held the locket tightly as if it could give him infinite courage.

A small metal thorn protruded from the edge of the locket. But he didn't feel it because he held it too tightly.

The thorn cut through his skin and dug into his palm. But as soon as a drop of blood oozed out, it shrank back.

The drop of blood immediately seeped into the pendant, leaving no trace.

Without any idea of what had happened, Frederic stood up and walked back to the hospital. He wanted to consult Dr. Charlie Collins about selling kidneys.

However, as soon as he stepped into the hospital entrance, he suddenly slipped and fell onto the floor in a dead faint.

At this moment, he only felt that he had fallen into the deep dark sea, and his body kept sinking until he lost all consciousness.

A long time had passed.

Frederic finally opened his eyes, but his mind was blank.

He was lying on a bed in the hospital ward, staring blankly at the white ceiling.

At this time, the door was pushed open, and a nurse came in.

Seeing that Frederic's eyes were open, she quickly approached him and asked with concern, "Are you okay? How are you feeling now?"

Frederic stared blankly at the nurse's chest and asked subconsciously, "Where am I?"

"You're in a ward of the hospital. You suddenly fainted at the entrance, and you've been in a coma for an hour."

As the nurse spoke, she noticed that Frederic was staring at her chest. She quickly stepped back and avoided his eyes with some disgust.

But unexpectedly, he turned his eyes to her stockinged legs.

The nurse felt that Frederic was so rude. Feeling offended, she put on a cold look and said, "I'm going to get Dr. Collins."

Then she turned around and quickly left without looking back.

Frederic was still stunned, staring blankly at the door with his eyes wide open. He couldn't believe what he had seen just now.

When he looked at the nameplate on the nurse's chest and the silk stockings on her legs, some words suddenly appeared in front of him.

"St. Mary Hospital nurse's nameplate, 5 cents."

"A pair of well-worn silk stockings, one cent. But they can be sold at a high price to people with a stocking fetish."

After the nurse left, Frederic looked at the other items in the ward. He also saw similar words in front of him.

"A teacup, two cents."

"A repeatedly washed but sterilized white bed sheet, one dollar. It's not a good buy."

"Host's slender palm with several calluses caused by holding pens for a long time, not recommended to sell."

Frederic did this for about an hour.

Then he finally confirmed that he could see the value of everything.

At this time, the news about the Warehouse Treasure Hunting popped up in his head.

Maybe he didn't need to sell his kidney anymore.

'I just need someone to take me to the warehouse auction,' he thought.

Frederic tried to recall the people he knew. Finally, he decided to approach one of his aunt's neighbors.

His name was Jack Miller.

Jack Miller was a sixty-year-old man who had been out of the workforce for a long time.

His children were dutiful and had solid employment, which he valued.

Every month, Jack received his retirement pension, and he led a contented life. His favorite pastime was going to auctions for warehouses.

Frederic dialed Jack's phone number later that evening.

It was planned that there would be a warehouse auction the next day. The two of them had decided to go there together.

The sun shone brightly the next morning.

In Rose Town, Oakes.

The auction was in full flow at this time.

Unlike in ordinary auctions, the guests were bidding for warehouses.

These warehouses were often abandoned because their previous owners were involved in accidents, died, or were unable to satisfy their lease obligations.

These warehouses were sold as blind boxes by the warehouse management department.

If someone purchased one of the warehouses, as long as that person was able to clean up the warehouse in a day, then everything in the warehouse would become their property.

In the warehouse, there might be a good thing hidden inside.

One time, someone found a Van Gogh masterpiece in a pile of trash. Then that person became wealthy in a flash.

"Let's take a look at the first warehouse, okay? Mr. David Hinks from York Town has put in a bid of a hundred dollars. Is anyone going to bid higher?" the host asked with an upbeat attitude.

"This warehouse used to belong to Joseph Dixon, who was a single man and worked as a carpenter. In it, there might be some good furniture.

It would be a good bargain if the buyer gets some nice furniture out of it."

When the host introduced some facts about the warehouse, Frederic and Jack sat in the audience and listened intently.

Everyone was completely unaware of the value of this warehouse. However, Frederic got a broad assessment.

"It seems like an average warehouse.

The decrepit furniture that has been stacked up in the warehouse has been left there by the previous owner.

It must be worth less than a hundred dollars. Paying more than a hundred dollars will give you a bad bargain."

Frederic carefully read the message. Suddenly, there was a flash of excitement in his eyes.

If these estimates were correct, Frederic would undoubtedly earn a lot of money at the auction.

His aunt's medical bills might be covered sooner this way.

Coughing, Jack cast a quick glance toward Frederic. With a smile, he said, "Frederic, this is your first time participating in a warehouse auction, right? Let me tell you a little bit about it first."

Then, Jack taught Frederic a lot of skills in regard to warehouse auctions.

It seemed that one hundred dollars were all that was needed to purchase a warehouse.

This auction included a large number of warehouses. Customers should not spend money on a warehouse if they disliked it.

A customer had to wait for the opportune warehouse that could contain valuable items.

It occurred to Frederic that the gambling depended on both skill and chance.

"Hey, Virgin Frederic, what a coincidence to run into you here,"

said a frivolous voice behind Frederic while he was lost in his thoughts.

A young guy in a denim coat, around Frederic's age, was the source of the voice.

Frederic scowled as he heard the familiar voice, but he ignored it.

When he came close to Frederic, the man was very rough with him as he patted Frederic's shoulder.

"I heard that your aunt is ill and you are borrowing money from people. Is that true? Why don't you ask for money from me? Since I have some extra cash, I can lend you some," the man said in a mocking tone.

"Stay out of it," Frederic growled with furrowed eyebrows.

Kevin Norris was the name of this person. Their high school's basketball team had him as its captain.

Girls flocked to him in droves due to his towering good looks.

Kevin, on the other hand, had a low opinion of Frederic. In his mind, he thought Frederic was a very poor man. As a result, every time he saw Frederic, he'd scoff at him.

"Frederic, did you have to borrow money just to attend this auction? Are you willing to use your aunt's medical bills for gambling? How dare you do that? Your classmates give you money in the expectation that you would use it to pay for the treatment of your aunt. They don't want you gambling here, all right?"

Kevin feigned to be astonished while turning a blind eye to Frederic's unpleasant attitude.

His disdainful words deeply hurt Frederic.

"Stop talking!"

Frederic gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as his eyes grew crimson.

Even if Kevin made fun of him, Frederic would not be upset. Kevin, on the other hand, brought up his aunt, and he would never allow Kevin to sully his aunt's name.

"Your patience is quite thin."

Kevin scoffed and remarked in a mocking voice, "You're a pathetic loser. I'm relieved to see you're in such a bad condition today. A hundred and twenty dollars is my offer for the warehouse!"

Everyone in the room stared at Frederic with sadness after hearing what Kevin had just stated.

In reality, those who had always engaged in such activities had encountered a diverse range of individuals.

Many gamblers fantasized about getting wealthy in a matter of hours. However, there were other folks, like Frederic, who were hoping to win some money to help with medical expenditures.

This kind of individual, unfortunately, would likely incur significant losses. In the end, they would be just janitors, who would be in charge of cleaning the warehouses.

With an expectant look, the host stared at Frederic.

This kind of conflict was nothing new to him.

To make things more interesting, he said, "Young man, you're an honest person. Are you not going to defend your pride? This is your chance to stop his arrogance by making an offer."

Frederic, on the other hand, was uninterested and refused to provide a price.

With regret, the host licked his lips. Then, he looked at the other people.

"Kevin has bid one hundred and twenty dollars. Anybody wants to raise the price?"

Unfortunately, no one had offered a higher bid.

After all, even if there were just a few pieces of furniture in the warehouse, there would still be some profit if it was bought for one hundred dollars.

However, paying more than one hundred was too much. The risk would be too high.

The auctioneer finally hit his gavel to a block of wood to close the bidding.

The warehouse was purchased by Kevin.

"Remember, this is a game for the wealthy. Someone like you who has no money can only watch others profit."

In spite of Frederic's disgust, Kevin shrugged triumphantly and glared at him. Then, Kevin added, "One of my uncle's acquaintances owns and operates a thrift shop. He's a great source of discounts. His shop could utilize some of the furniture in the warehouse, and I could recoup at least a few hundred dollars that way,"

Kevin said with a proud smile.

Then, he burst into laughter. "Despite presenting you with a chance, you can't grasp the opportunity."

Frederic didn't say anything after hearing this. However, there was a hint of pity in his eyes.

Kevin had no idea that he had just paid a hundred and twenty dollars on a pile of garbage. What a dupe.

Bringing a few pieces of junky furniture that could only be used as firewood would certainly stupefy the friend of Kevin's uncle.

Such a thought was racing through Frederic's head.

Ignoring Kevin, Frederic made his way to the next warehouse.

It was only the beginning of the auction.

Frederic had to wait for the most profitable warehouse.

If he bought that, he would certainly earn a lot.

Soon enough, he arrived at the second warehouse.

A sea of people were waiting outside.

Since the previous owner lost the key of the warehouse, the host had no choice but to use a chainsaw to see the lock off. After a few seconds of loud sawing, the door finally opened.

Everyone was able to peek inside the warehouse.

Gasps of awe exited everyone's mouths.

In spite of their limited view, they could easily see a large number of full furniture and electrical gadgets in the warehouse.

Obviously, it was a family warehouse.

A family warehouse was the most sought-after among the crowd of treasure hunters.

These items might be sold at thrift shops after minor repairs were made. After all, most of the family warehouses were crammed with furniture and second-hand electric appliances.

If they could sell the contents of the warehouse, they would earn some profit.

Since it was unlikely to lose money, buying a family warehouse had almost no risks.

Frederic also curiously surveyed the warehouse.

"A family of three was the previous owner of the warehouse.

Aside from the furniture, some appliances and toys for children can also be found inside.

As long as the customers purchase it for less than one thousand dollars, they will earn money."

Since he couldn't buy the warehouse, Frederic dejectedly shook his head and was about to walk away.

He realized this when he noticed the glowing eyes of the other treasure hunters.

Because he only had one hundred and fifty dollars, he couldn't bid on it.

Soon enough, the host declared that the starting bid price was three hundred dollars.

These buyers rubbed their hands together and offered counter-offers to the others. Soon, the second warehouse went up to five hundred dollars.

"I'm willing to pay one thousand dollars,"

Jack declared while he was standing next to Frederic. His words surprised the others. After all, he doubled the price of the last bid.

People who had been bidding one after the other stopped mid-sentence and turned to gaze at Jack, their faces contorted with disappointment.

"What a shame. Jack has placed a bid. There's no way we can buy this warehouse anymore."

"Jack owns a thrift store. He likes buying this kind of family warehouse."

"Never mind. Our best bet is to wait until the next warehouse. This person has a lot of knowledge. If I go against him, I won't have a chance to earn money in the future."

Although there was a brief moment of silence, a fierce discussion soon began.

Frederic was taken aback by Jack's financial prowess and audacity. "Jack, don't you think it's too risky?"

A proud smile flashed across Jack's lips. "Frederic, I'm certain that this warehouse will be profitable with my expertise. I'm going to teach you another skill. When you have a deep affection for a warehouse, you must act swiftly and offer a high price to shock the market."

After saying that, Jack didn't pay attention to the sideways stares. He quietly surveyed the group to see if anybody else was interested in bidding.

With a smile, the host stared at Jack. "Oh, it's Mr. Miller, I see. The treasure hunter Mr. Miller has more than ten years of expertise under his belt. Mr. Miller seems to be highly confident in his assessment of this warehouse. Is there anybody else who is going to bid a higher price?"

Despite the host's invitation, no one dared to bid anymore.

As a star in this sector, Jack could get away with anything, and everyone was eager to save him face.

Furthermore, one thousand dollars was not a tiny sum of money in this case. This was the amount that was given as the largest estimate for the size of this warehouse by everyone.

Bidding a higher price would not only offend Jack but could also risk them losing money.

Because no one else said anything, the host stated that Jack had been awarded possession of the second warehouse.

When Frederic saw this, he shook his head. The warehouse that Jack paid a thousand dollars for was doomed to let him down.

Frederic was unable to convince Jack since he knew Jack would not incur a financial loss.

Frederic followed the crowd to the third warehouse once the transaction of the second warehouse was done.

Warehouse Treasure Hunting was always full of uncertainty because it was some kind of lottery.

Some people might become rich overnight while some might lose everything.

And it was common for people like Jack to make a small profit out of this game.

If it was a normal situation, Frederic might also bid for these small but profitable warehouses all by himself.

'Even if I get small money from each warehouse, it will eventually add up. But the problem is, I need a considerable amount of money at the soonest possible time. My aunt is in a coma in the ward now and has little time left. I have to get a warehouse that can make me super rich overnight. Only in this way can I save her,' Frederic thought. Then he cleared his mind and quietly waited for the warehouse he needed.

He had a clear idea in mind. But even with the help of his mysterious ability to see the value of everything, it was still very difficult to become rich overnight.

Naturally, all treasure hunters would place a high bid for those seemingly valuable warehouses.

Frederic had only one hundred and fifty dollars. His chance was limited.

The same thing happened to the following few warehouses.

Some very lucrative warehouses had high starting bids.

And the hammer prices were also too high.

They were far beyond Frederic's current financial capability.

Several warehouses remained unsold because they contained nothing but rubbish heaps.

Of course, no one was willing to spend money to clean up other people's trash.

However, Frederic found two special ones among these unsold warehouses. If he bought them, he could earn several hundred dollars in total.

But he hesitated for a while. Eventually, he decided not to bid.

Finally, it was the last warehouse to be auctioned.

"If I don't get anything in this one, it means that I wasted my entire day."

Frederic couldn't help sighing in his heart. He could only count on this last warehouse.

The host sawed open the door lock, allowing the dust-laden warehouse to be exposed to the sun again.

The treasure hunters in the front couldn't wait to take out their flashlights and step into the warehouse.

The crowd also rushed in to check what was inside.

But not long after they entered the warehouse, they all walked out, shaking their heads.

Frederic craned his neck and looked into the warehouse.

This warehouse had much lesser content compared to the previous ones.

Except for a small table, there were no other large objects inside.

There were cards with cartoon patterns scattered everywhere.

The warehouse could be seen to the end at a glance. There was nothing valuable in there at all.

One of the treasure hunters who saw what was inside said disappointedly, "This is another pile of rubbish. No one will buy it. Whoever chooses to buy this warehouse will get nothing. Worse is, he will have to pay some people to clean and maintain it."

No one from these treasure hunters was a fool to do such a thing.

However, Frederic felt like his heart skipped a beat. His eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at the warehouse.

"A must-buy warehouse.

The cards that look like rubbish on the floor are actually two complete sets of the first version of Alpha Magic Cards, including two black lotus cards that are graded PSA10." These were the words that appeared in front of Frederic.

Then another sentence appeared. "Anyone who misses this warehouse will regret it for the rest of their life."

Frederic lowered his head and took out his phone. He searched for the information about Magic Cards.

Alpha was the first series of Magic Cards released on August 5, 1993.

WOTC had only printed two million and six hundred thousand Alpha cards. They just wanted to test the water, but it never occurred to them that it would achieve unprecedented success. The two million and six hundred thousand cards were sold out in just a few months.

Just like the first version of other games, Alpha Magic Cards were very powerful. They were totally out of balance.

Because of this, the most powerful card in the history of Magic Cards, which was the black lotus, became a legend.

There were only one thousand and one hundred Alpha black lotus cards in the world, and most of them were age-worn.

Therefore, black lotus cards with high scores almost occupied the top positions in the records of transactions of Magic Cards.

In the history of Magic Cards transactions, a black lotus card that was graded BGS10 had the highest price, which was one hundred and twenty thousand dollars.

The black lotus cards that were graded PSA10 were slightly cheaper. But their prices were also estimated to be over thirty thousand dollars.

And now, two such cards were in this warehouse.

Just like what the words that appeared in front of him said, this warehouse was a must-buy. He must get it.

Frederic told himself to calm down while observing the other treasure hunters.

Although they all looked uninterested, there was no guarantee that none of them knew the value of these cards.

However, after several rounds of auction, most treasure hunters left, and only the aged ones remained.

It seemed that they didn't know much about Magic Cards.

If Kevin were here, he would definitely recognize the value of these age-worn cards scattered on the floor.

Frederic was secretly glad that Kevin took the first warehouse. At the moment, Kevin was busy cleaning it up and didn't follow them here.

The host was a little embarrassed. It was really a bad thing for him that he failed to sell several warehouses today.

He didn't expect that the last warehouse would also be a waste.

It seemed that today's auction would really end up a failure.

Sure enough, more and more treasure hunters walked out of the warehouse without hesitation after checking inside. They were obviously disappointed.

The host coughed awkwardly and said, "Since everyone has seen the last warehouse, the bidding will officially start now.

As this is the end of today's auction, there is no starting bid for this warehouse. We'll start from zero, and the highest bidder gets it."

Before the host could continue, one of the treasure hunters shouted, "Come on! Isn't it obvious that this warehouse is nothing but trash? Who is fool enough to bid for it?"

"That's right. These cards won't even sell a dollar. And we have to pay some people to clean this place after we get it."

"I don't want to take the cards back home for my children to play."

The host just ignored these negative comments and waited for a while. But seeing that there was still no bid, he had no choice but to pick up the hammer, intending to announce the result.

Frederic saw it, and he thought his time had come. So he immediately shouted, "Here!

I'll bid one dollar!"

Everyone turned their heads and looked at Frederic.