First, he skimmed through the price tags of the books displayed on the roadside outside the bookstore. Although he couldn’t find any books as valuable as the first two, he still found one that would be very valuable if taken to an auction. But anyway, he already owned a book like that, so he decided to ignore it.

Entering the store, the thought of walking in this cramped and messy place made him feel helpless for a moment, but it quickly passed as he was willing to endure any pain for the treasure in front of him.

Inside the bookstore was just as messy as outside. He had no choice but to look through each randomly arranged book.

Starting with the books near the door until he reached the back. One by one. He found a few other rare books, but among them, there was only one that he wanted to immediately take out and hold close to his heart. However, if other book lovers saw those books, they would surely be moved to the point of holding them all in their arms.

Today was an extremely lucky day.

Like falling into a lifelong trance, he bent down and ran back and forth, not missing any book prices, and then suddenly he felt something bump into his back.

He turned around, it was the boy with the hat that covered half of his face earlier. A boy reading a book in the early morning in an old bookstore. Was he still reading?

He turned back and said briefly: “I’m sorry”, then immediately returned to his passion. Now, no matter how much he liked the person, he didn’t have time to stare at someone he didn’t even know. He liked the person, but he liked this treasure more, it was simply incomparable.

While crazily sweeping through the pile of books, he felt the calm gaze of the young man focused on him, but he didn’t have time to care, after all, he had already apologized… Oh my god, this book is also extremely hard to find, how can such a treasure trove be lying in the trash here without any wind blowing the news. No, he couldn’t believe that there was a place where he could collect such precious books. Maybe the strange-looking old man sleeping on the other side is really a legendary book collector… . Right after that, the young man’s gaze left him, and the sound of flipping through the book continued. After a while, he held five books in his hand after turning every nook and cranny in this bookstore, holding them tightly like treasures.

And none of them he could take out of here properly.

The young man was standing in front of the last bookshelf that he hadn’t explored yet.

“Excuse me, can you move a bit?”

He politely spoke to the young man who was still standing and reading a book in the same spot. The hat covering half of his face made it impossible for him to see clearly, but with this jawline and facial features, he was probably Asian.

The young man just calmly looked at him after hearing those words as if he didn’t understand what he just said. He read the book and pondered for a while to see if he should repeat it in a language that the young man could understand.

He looked at the book the young man was holding. It was an English document. So he repeated those words in English once again, and then the young man kindly turned away.

He quickly took the young man’s place and started sweeping through the last remaining bookshelf in this treasure trove, starting from the top row. The books piled up next to him after a long time passed until he could see through the entire bookshelf. His whole body was drenched in sweat.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead after finding another valuable book on the last bookshelf. It must have been 10 years since he felt his heart satisfied and fulfilled like this. He looked around the bookstore once again with an undeniable sense of pride. He would definitely have to come here regularly in the future.

But that was also the moment that brought him back to the cruel reality. Calmly, he fell into contemplation.

Stop. He didn’t have any money. How should he account for these treasures?

He pondered with a sigh and suddenly turned his gaze towards the young man standing next to him, still reading a book there. Concentrated to the point of not realizing that all attention was directed towards him.

Bookworms who don’t buy books are the type of customers that bookstore owners hate the most… He suddenly thought, and tilted his head to see the interesting book that the young man was reading, his gaze swept over the cover of the book. The book looked quite old, bound in worn-out red leather. The title seemed to be in golden letters but was obscured by the young man’s fingers, making it difficult to see. But he didn’t pay too much attention to him anymore because his financial situation was now the top priority.

At the same time, the young man closed the book as if he had finished reading it and walked towards the cashier where the old man was sitting half asleep, as if to buy the book.

That was the moment.

The title of the book caught his eye.

“Wait!”

He quickly grabbed the young man’s wrist, who looked at him with surprise, his lips curling under his hat.

Whether he wanted to or not, he was almost about to take the book that the young man was holding and quickly flipped it open to examine it.

What a find! O.M.G x2!

MILLOW CABLI!!!!

This book was so rare that hardly anyone had actually seen it, only heard rumors of how amazing it was. It had been over 20 years, and he had searched for this book at any cost but in vain. This was the book that he couldn’t find even a slight clue about.

He widened his eyes as he looked at the old and yellowed book in terrible condition, with even a bit of mold on its back cover. But this book was still a treasure. It was a treasure that he wanted to possess to the point of trading it with his own life, even if he brought out all 6 books he had found today, they wouldn’t compare.

“Are you planning to buy this book?”

He asked the young man with a worried and hesitant voice. The young man seemed momentarily shocked, looking at him as if they were about to fight.

Finally, the young man spoke. And at that moment, he could only tense up and stare intently at his mouth.

Was he really going to buy this precious book…?!

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. If you can speak English, then speak in English.”

“….”

He immediately fell silent. Absentmindedly thinking about what the young man said and then realizing his mistake, he was so desperate that he forgot for a moment that the young man didn’t know German.

“……Sorry. Are you going to buy this book?”

He politely apologized and repeated his words once again in English. The young man nodded slightly. “Yeah.” Just one word.

“Yes, I will.”

“….! You’ve never read it before, have you? You haven’t finished reading this book, right?”

He said in a hurried voice. The young man hesitated for a moment, as if startled by his somewhat fierce appearance, then spoke softly.

“I skimmed through it and found it somewhat interesting… So I really want to buy it and read it carefully later.”

He wanted to faint.

The treasure turned into dust and disappeared right before his eyes. A book that you happened to pick up and seemed interesting, of course, you should read it, right? Wasn’t that what the young man meant?

“Well…., actually, that book. It’s a book that I’ve wanted to read for a long time but couldn’t find. Now I can see it right in front of me,… I really want to read it, can you, please, give it back to me?”

He wasn’t lying, he just told the young man a part of the truth. The young man thought for a while, then looked at the book once again as if regretful, then gently nodded and handed the book to him.

“Alright, you can take it. Here.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

He happily accepted it and at the same time silently lamented for the young man, as he had just missed out on a valuable treasure. Right now, at this moment, he had just let go of a treasure because of his lack of knowledge.

It’s not that he didn’t feel guilty for deceiving an innocent young man, but anyway, he had no intention of profiting from this book. Besides, wouldn’t it be better if a treasure like this was cherished by someone who understood its value?

He silently cried in his heart, thinking that he would never have such a lucky day again. It felt like even if he didn’t eat for another year, he wouldn’t feel hungry.

The young man looked at the book once again with a calm expression, and then looked at his pitiful face as if he didn’t know what unfortunate incident he had just encountered. Finally, his gaze shifted to the books he was holding in his hands.

“Rumpels, Henry March, Heinzra…. You’ve found quite a few rare books.”

He suddenly became motionless in front of the young man’s words. He silently glanced into his eyes, but it seemed like the young man had no other intentions.

But if he knew the connection between those names and these books, it seemed like he wasn’t just a passerby who happened to come to this bookstore.

The young man was passionate about books and seemed quite fascinated by these rare books, yet he could easily give up Cabli so generously for him. Although he still had some doubts, he remained friendly.

“Oh, I just happened to look at them,… do you also like antique books?”

Then, he shook his head as if to say “not that much” and turned to leave the bookstore, saying.

“Oh no, it’s because there are some people around me who really like books, so I just borrow and take a look…. But this bookstore is also a bit peculiar. Yesterday I was really impressed with it when I bought Ayers here.”

“…..—!!!!”

Immediately after hearing the words ‘bought Ayers’ he reflexively grabbed the young man’s arm. The young man looked surprised and turned back to look at him again.

“I, if it’s Ayers…—.”

“….It’s Pablo Ayers………Do you want to see it?”

His head nodded eagerly in response to the young man’s question.

Pablo Ayers, that was the book he had been desperately searching for. He was afraid that this was a dream. If it was a dream, he would willingly sink into this dream without ever waking up.

The young man, like the only angel left on earth, nodded happily and said that he had left it in his dorm room and didn’t bring it with him now. But since his dorm room was nearby, he could go with him and see it.

It was unbelievable. He knew the value of this book. He knew how precious this treasure was, yet he generously handed it over to him.

Until now, there were only a few people who shared his interests, and this kind-hearted young man was among them. If Helena wasn’t married, he would have introduced this young man to her right away. It was a pity, but he quickly ran back to the cashier before the young man left. There was no one in front, so he didn’t have to wait long, so he would buy this book and immediately follow him.

But at the same time, he realized the harsh reality. This was not a dream, and he didn’t have any money.

“……”

After standing still for a while with a bewildered expression, he approached him with a somewhat puzzled look on his face. And he responded with a sad look in his eyes.

“…Because I was pickpocketed, I have been wandering aimlessly without any money today…”

He muttered with a dejected face. Everything seemed to be back to square one. He didn’t have a penny in his pocket. Even though he had the treasure in his hands, there was no way to make it his own.

If that’s the case, he should probably call James and ask him to come here right away, regardless of any scheduled appointments.

“If you don’t mind, I can lend you the money I have now.”

He was definitely an angel. He almost hugged him after hearing those words.

If he wasn’t holding these precious books in his hands, he would have thrown them away and embraced him.

But he quickly regained his composure in a moment. These books were never cheap. No, if he calculated the total price of all these books, he could probably buy a decent house in some countryside.

However, the young man didn’t pay attention to the obvious worries on his face and took out his wallet and approached the old man who was still dozing off behind the cashier counter and gently woke him up.

He had just arrived here yesterday, so he probably just recognized his face.

A young man who didn’t speak German and an old man who didn’t speak English began to communicate through hand gestures. Although they both looked quite professional, they had probably never used this method of communication before. He intended to see if they needed any help, but the buying process ended quickly. The young man took out a 50 euro note from his wallet and handed it to the old man.

He was startled as he intervened between the young man and the old man, but the old man calmly took the money and even returned the change.

The young man greeted the old man with a smile, and the old man responded with a wrinkled smile.

“Shall we go?”

He nodded gently at him and walked out first. He looked back and forth between the young man and the old man with a puzzled expression before quickly following behind.

He didn’t know if he was really dreaming or not. These treasures were only worth about 50 euros. It couldn’t be!

“Today you’ve encountered unexpected luck, haven’t you?”

The young man turned back to look at him and smiled. When he lifted his hat slightly, the face hidden behind the hat felt somewhat familiar to him. And he immediately remembered where he had seen him before.

But before he could speak up, the young man turned towards the front and added.

“I guess the old man only opened the bookstore as a hobby. He doesn’t even know how valuable that book is. He said a relative of his passed away a few years ago and the person’s books were left behind with nowhere to go, so they were brought to his old bookstore. This town is so small, the books are already too old, so there are hardly any customers. The locals here just see it as a place to sunbathe all day.”

“Aha….”

He nodded, thinking that the loss of his relative must have been very painful to know that his precious books were being treated like that. On the other hand, he was extremely curious as to how the young man knew all this, the young man waved with a relaxed smile and replied that body language can also surprisingly work well like that.