Part 2
"Are you sure this vase is from the Majapahit Dynasty?"
"Of course. Our shop doesn't sell fakes. Every antique has passed inspection by the national appraisal authority. If you want to make sure, I can show you the certificate."
"Not yet. I'm still not sure whether I want to give this flower vase as a gift. Let me look around first."
"That's fine. It's just that this Rp 20,000,000 flower vase is already very cheap. Besides, is this your first time visiting our shop?"
"Um..."
"We offer discounts to first-time visitors. We can give you 10% off this flower vase."
"A 10% discount, huh?"
Louis pretended not to be interested. He planned to walk around and act as though he wanted to leave and compare prices elsewhere.
When the shop clerk saw Louis acting this way, he stopped pressuring him. It seemed this antique shop truly didn't know the vase's actual value.
Still, Louis, who knew absolutely nothing about antiques, had no idea why a flower vase like this could be worth Rp 1,000,000,000. Maybe it was made by a famous artisan?
In any case, Louis left the antique shop first. He walked around outside for half an hour before returning.
"As for this flower vase, I think it's pretty decent. It's just that Rp 20,000,000 is too expensive. Is something like this really worth that much?"
The shop clerk smiled and said to Louis...
"Regardless, this is a Majapahit artifact. If the vase's body weren't somewhat cracked, even with its color still in good condition, Rp 20,000,000 would be incredibly cheap. Tell me, where else can you buy a Majapahit artifact for Rp 20,000,000?"
"For all we know, a rock picked up off the street could also be a Majapahit artifact."
"But a rock can't be sold either. It's not like it has jade inside, right?"
"Good point."
Louis smiled along with the shop clerk. If he could get a 50% discount, he would be willing to buy the flower vase.
The shop clerk furrowed his brow.
"You're quite the comedian. The original price of this flower vase is more than Rp 10,000,000. And you want a 50% discount? Is our shop supposed to shut down?"
"It's fine if you don't want to sell it. I just don't think this flower vase is worth such a high price. You said it yourself—this is a Majapahit artifact. Since when could a Majapahit artifact be bought for Rp 20,000,000? You're selling it this cheaply, which proves that it isn't worth much."
"Still, we can't just make up a price. This flower vase isn't particularly valuable, but we couldn't pawn it either. How about this? I'll contact the owner first and see how much of a discount he's willing to give. What do you say?"
Louis nodded.
"All right."
The clerk went to make a call. A short while later, he returned to Louis and said the owner could offer a maximum discount of 20%. That was only because Louis was a new customer.
Louis pretended to think it over, even though he was already very satisfied with the price. Most importantly, Louis was certain that the antique shop had no clear idea of the vase's value.
"Fine. I won't make things difficult for you. Twenty percent off it is. However, you have to give me the certificate. This is my first time buying an antique. I won't let it slide if I buy a fake."
"Please rest assured. Our shop has a policy of compensating customers if anything we sell turns out to be fake. We definitely won't sell you a counterfeit."