I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 65 - 64: Pocket Watch

Yang Dawei couldn’t deny it; he had said some exaggerated things to promote his products in the past, but when it came to the quality and service of the products, he dared to guarantee with his personal reputation that there was absolutely no deceit.

The shop had only obtained certification from the Merchant Guild last year and was still in the probationary period. If a customer filed a complaint, whether the shop was in the right or not, it would leave a bad impression with the Merchant Guild, affecting the probationary results.

Thinking of this, Yang Dawei quickly reassured: "Sir, you have overstated it. At our shop, we never cheat customers, young or old. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service, you can request after-sales negotiation to resolve it. As long as it’s not an unreasonable demand, we will definitely accommodate you!"

"I don’t... want to negotiate! You didn’t actually fix my pocket... pocket watch!"

Upon hearing about the pocket watch, Yang Dawei remembered:

"Sir, I recall this antique pocket watch of yours. It had already stopped when you brought it in, and you requested us to repair it. You see, after the repair by the talisman master in our store, this pocket watch now keeps accurate time, not deviating from the standard Qianyuan time by even a second. I’m not sure what you’re still dissatisfied with?"

"No, no—that’s not right—!" The young man’s face turned crimson, his chest heaving intensely. He wanted to retort, but the more anxious he was, the harder it became for him to speak due to his stammer. All he could manage was to glare at Yang Dawei furiously.

It was at this moment that Li Xing came downstairs. Seeing the situation, she asked, "What’s going on?"

Seeing Li Xing arrive, Yang Dawei straightened his back a bit more.

"Master Li, this customer brought in an antique pocket watch a month ago, asking us to repair it. The pocket watch is fixed now, but the customer doesn’t acknowledge it."

"No, no... it’s not fixed!" The boy’s eyes were red, looking extremely aggrieved.

This boy, despite his stammer, had a very good demeanor, not like someone from an ordinary background, unlikely to be extorting them. Could there really be more to the story?

Li Xing smiled warmly at the boy and said, "May I take a look at this pocket watch?"

The boy nodded and handed the pocket watch to Li Xing.

On the Qianyuan Continent, technology was advanced enough that computers could completely take care of timekeeping. Common people had no use for pocket watches; only the nobles in high society with a penchant for retro styles liked to carry one for show.

Most pocket watches were made of luxurious materials, inlaid with jewels and gemstones. However, the one before them was quite understated. Its brass casing was full of dents, and the glass on the dial had many fine scratches, marks of use from frequent opening and closing, indicating that its previous owner really used it often to tell time.

Opening the outer shell to reveal the Rune Plate inside, Li Xing was taken aback. She never expected such a small pocket watch to have such complex talismans inside. To say it only had a timekeeping function would really be against conscience.

"Who repaired this?"

Yang Dawei: "A contracted talisman master of the shop, very promising even at a young age, having reached the seventh level."

Li Xing: "How much did he earn from this job?"

Yang Dawei glanced at the boy and whispered, "Forty thousand."

After the shop grew bigger and stronger, the compensation for contracted talisman masters increased too. For repair jobs like this, the repair fee was split 80-20 between the shop and the talisman master. The days when someone like Li Xing could be hired to repair a Rune Plate for just a few thousand star coins were long gone.

Li Xing: "Terminate the contract with him, never rehire. Check all products made by him in the store and follow up on already sold items through after-sales processes, at my expense. Also, visit the Talisman Master Association and have them reassess his qualifications."

Yang Dawei: "Oh... what???"

Are his ears working right? What was this?

Leaving Yang Dawei stunned in place, Li Xing gestured for the young man to follow her, and they walked to the second-floor sitting room.

Solemnly placing the pocket watch on the coffee table, Li Xing apologized sincerely, "I’m the person in charge of the shop. This pocket watch was indeed not repaired correctly; the fault lies entirely with us. I apologize to you, I’m sorry."

Yang Dawei, due to his lower qualification, couldn’t see it, but Li Xing wasn’t blaming him. However, for a talisman master of the seventh-grade mystical level not to see the mystery, there could only be two possibilities.

First, he lacked professionalism, deliberately playing with words, skirting the edge of care, and only repaired the timekeeping function of the pocket watch. In some sense, it can be considered technically fixed, thus easily earning the payment.

The second possibility was that he was unqualified, and his credentials were questionable. He didn’t truly possess the level of a seventh-grade mystical talisman master and failed to see the uniqueness of this pocket watch.

Either possibility was something Li Xing could not tolerate. Not only did she instruct Yang Dawei to fire the person, but she also notified the Talisman Master Association to thoroughly investigate this individual.

Li Xing’s organized and fair arrangements showed the young man the shop’s attitude towards this matter, and his anger dissipated as soon as Li Xing mentioned dismissing the talisman master.

"No, no... it’s okay, I... won’t file a complaint."

Li Xing smiled: "Thank you. We will refund the fifty thousand star coins repair fee to you, and if you decide to take it to another shop for repair, we will cover half of the cost to compensate for your month’s waiting time loss."

"If you still trust our shop, I can try to repair it for you without any charges."

The young man widened his eyes, stammering, "You, you, you... you are... a talisman... talisman..."

Li Xing smiled: "I am."

The boy didn’t speak, but the doubt in his eyes was unmistakable.

This girl seemed proficient, but her age was there. Even if she had studied talisman crafting from a young age, how skilled could she be now?

If a seventh-level talisman master couldn’t find the mystery, could she really do it? This pocket watch was so old that it couldn’t withstand multiple dismantlings and reparations. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"The pocket watch’s Rune Plate features time, sound, and image’s triple rune within rune. If I’m not mistaken, this watch has an image time announcement on the hour."

The boy shot up from his seat, then quickly sat back down after realizing his own loss of composure, stammering, "You, you... you’re right!"

Li Xing didn’t say more. She had already revealed her capability; it was up to the boy to decide whether or not to let her handle the repair.

The boy looked conflicted, and after a moment, seemingly having made a desperate decision, pushed the pocket watch towards her, saying, "You fix it!"

"Thank you for your trust." Li Xing also hoped he would hand over the pocket watch to her. Such a complex triple rune within rune wasn’t commonly seen—the opportunity was rare. How could she not take this chance to study (ponder) it a bit?

"With... a condition, I, I want... to observe!"

"Certainly."

Getting right to work, Li Xing fetched engraving tools and started the repair on the spot.

These tools belonged to Yang Dawei, left unused for who knows how long, making them blunt and unpleasant to use. Fortunately, Li Xing was just using them for appearances; she wasn’t a novice ignorant of even basic rules—displaying freehand rune engraving wasn’t suitable in front of strangers.

During the watch’s repair, Li Xing noticed that the stammering young man was also a talisman master, possessing quite uncommon insight, even providing pointers when she was uncertain.

"You’re also a talisman master; why not repair it yourself?" Li Xing couldn’t understand.

"This... is a relic from my great-grandfather. I, I was afraid of damaging it with trembling hands. I’d, I’d rather not."

The boy had a humble expression, capable of engraving complex talismans ordinarily. Yet, when considering this was the only memento left by his great-grandfather, the worry clouded his judgment. He’d rather pay someone else to repair it than dare handling it himself.