Chapter 835: Kapala, piles of human bones
Xin Yiran did not recognize this item.
In fact, because it was such a rare sight, out of habit, she subconsciously wanted to take out her phone to snap a photo as a souvenir.
But she was immediately stopped by a shop assistant.
"Sorry! No photos allowed here!"
The shop assistant with a somewhat hoarse voice scolded her sternly.
"Ah, sorry, sorry."
Xin Yiran was startled and quickly pulled her hand back into her pocket, apologizing repeatedly.
Xiao He stood by, wanting to say something but holding back. Ultimately, he didn't tell Xin Yiran directly that these items were actually parts of human bodies, fearing it would scare her, so he quickly and tactfully said, "It's fine, just looking is enough. We've gained some knowledge—hey, there are amethysts over there. See if there's anything you want?"
He led Xin Yiran past those terrifying items, shifting their focus to the other side.
Subsequently, he saw the Kapala prayer beads hanging casually on a cabinet here.
Xiao He had only heard of these items before. While studying Feng Shui knowledge and reading dozens of gigabytes of relevant materials, he had seen related displays of such collectibles in electronic images, but he had never actually seen them in person. He also didn't know that this shop could obtain so many at once, hanging so many strings here in one go, piled up together as if they were just ordinary ornaments.
He instinctively felt that something was wrong and immediately reached out to rub one of the strings of prayer beads, observing it closely.
The beads were all uniform in size with fine, intricate bone patterns. They looked deep brown and oily, with a faint matte patina on the surface. They felt slightly cool to the touch, giving off a subtle chill, and the whole thing exuded an oddly restrained texture.
He hardly needed to use his criminal skills; relying solely on his intuition, Xiao He knew there was something wrong with these items.
Not to mention that the problem was quite significant—
Kapala are generally made from human brow bones or finger bones. For instance, the string in his hand mixed brow bone and finger bone materials; their textures and bone densities were completely different, yet they had been strung together to form a relatively well-crafted string of prayer beads.
However, the dozen or so strings in front of him were almost all taken from the brow bones and finger bones of different people!
A person's most essential brow bones and the finger bones suitable for crafting are limited in quantity. Furthermore, since they had assembled so many strings, one person's remains would simply not be enough; many people must have provided these materials.
This was truly terrifying when you thought about it!
Currently, in the world of collectibles, Kapala is a highly controversial type of item. It was originally just a religious relic, but later evolved into a collectible. Even some collectors who do not believe in gods or Buddhas would collect some of these pieces to play with, which eventually led to the development of a counterfeiting industry.
Counterfeiters would use other human bone parts or animal bones as substitutes, making these collectibles a mix of real and fake. Coupled with strict current control policies, using human bones to make collectibles involves legal issues, so this item inherently carries a lot of controversy.
But there was no doubt that on a ship in the High Seas, he had encountered dozens of strings of bone beads taken from different people—this fact alone was already terrifying enough, alright!
Moreover, judging by the color and the texture to the touch, these bones were relatively recent and could not be considered antiques; these beads had likely been made within the last two or three years.
Given the level of madness of these people, Xiao He seriously suspected that they were not using bones from corpses.
—Extracting bones from living people?
Xiao He's eyes were sharp as he instantly looked at the shop assistant behind him.
The shop assistant, who had been following them closely, shuddered under Xiao He's gaze and subconsciously took a step back, looking at the person in front of him with vigilance.
"Is there anything you are interested in?"
The shop fell silent for a moment. Seeing that Xiao He was just staring at him without speaking for a long time, the shop assistant hesitated for a moment before finally succumbing to Xiao He's gaze and asking.
Xiao He, however, had already quickly processed the information about the shop assistant in front of him.
Without a doubt, this shop assistant was not from China. Although his Mandarin was very good, one could still tell upon listening that it carried a slight Cambodian or Burmese accent.
Although the shop displayed many Feng Shui implements of Taoist culture and seemed to focus on Taoist metaphysics and Feng Shui, Xiao He noticed that deeper on the walls, there were more jars similar to those used for raising "little ghosts," and the counters over there were filled more with things like Buddhist amulets.
With his excellent eyesight and height advantage, Xiao He also managed to see the Kuman Thong clay statues over there, as well as various strange amulets.
These were not things that could be found in China.
Xiao He's heart sank slightly.
"I heard you have those particularly efficacious luck-turning beads here?" he asked, feigning nonchalance.
"Do you have any here now?"
The shop assistant looked Xiao He up and down, seemingly preparing to infer Xiao He's net worth from his current attire.
Clearly, not only was he not from China, but he also didn't follow celebrities much and did not recognize Xiao He at all.
The shop assistant just felt that the young man in front of him had an indescribable dangerous aura, looking more like someone from the underworld than they were.
Xiao He was just such an existence. Almost everyone who saw him would first notice his overall aura, instead ignoring his looks.
It was hard to say whether this was good or bad. However, for an actor, Xiao He was relatively satisfied with this.
Subsequently, the shop assistant saw the young man in front of him take out an electronic letter and wave it in front of him.
This was a symbol of status for a top-tier VIP; just by letting someone take a look, one could prove their identity.
Sure enough, after seeing the number plate symbolizing a top-tier VIP, the shop assistant immediately became enthusiastic.
However, regarding Xiao He's inquiry, he also showed some difficulty: "Sir, the luck-turning beads in our shop are basically all right here. Do you see anything here that you are interested in?"
The shop assistant pointed in one direction and signaled for Xiao He to come to the counter on the other side.
Xin Yiran was still choosing amethysts, and another shop assistant, having noticed Xiao He's status, also immediately walked over to Xin Yiran attentively to make recommendations.
Thus, Xiao He followed the shop assistant to the other side with peace of mind.
His gaze first swept casually over the luck-turning beads displayed in the counter, then he shook his head with a lack of interest and said, "This is not the kind I am interested in."
"Uh, then this..."
The shop assistant looked hesitant, but in reality, he was subtly asking for a tip.
Xiao He clicked his tongue lightly and, right in front of the shop assistant, snapped his fingers, asking in a deep tone, "I heard from other VIPs on the ship that you have a type of particularly efficacious luck-turning bead here, said to have excellent effects. I wonder if you have any extra slots to give me one? Or is there any chance for me to see with my own eyes what these legendary luck-turning beads are?"
The shop assistant was momentarily dazed, then immediately replied, "I am very sorry, sir. We are unable to provide the kind of luck-turning beads you want in our shop right now. These need to be reserved half a year in advance, and all slots are already fully booked."
Xiao He frowned, "Is there really no other way? You should still have some slots left internally, right?"
The shop assistant fell into deep thought.
A moment later, he replied, "There are indeed two slots left, but they have already been taken by the Fourth Young Master of the Bao Family. As for the other slots, they are all in the hands of the Eldest Young Master of the Bao Family. I am not qualified to know, so I cannot provide any other methods."
Xiao He also fell silent.
So, after all that, did he still have to start with Bao Wenqi and Dong Huai?