The end is always a new beginning

"Are you giving me only 200 dollars for a $500 watch?" yelled an old man at a teenager who appeared to be around seventeen years old.

The teenager, named Derek, took a bite of his sandwich and then glanced at his watch. This was his job in the afternoons before heading to a cybercafe to play video games with his friends for the rest of the evening.

His job was to look after his grandfather's old pawnshop, which, by the looks of it, should have closed down due to the age of the products that had been sitting there.

"Are you even listening, kid?" the old man asked again as he angrily banged the counter.

"What do you want me to say? That watch is obviously a poorly made imitation, and it looks like it'll end up collecting dust in this place if I buy it. I'm already making an effort by giving you some money," Derek brushed his hair off his forehead and pointed to the watch on the table. "You told me you needed the money to pay the electricity bill, so since it's really hot, I'll give you this price, and it's not negotiable."

"Go to hell, you little brat," shouted the old man before snatching his watch and storming out, kicking the shop door on his way.

"One more in my afternoon. I keep saying this place is like hell, but no one believes me... It's not like those damn TV series, screwing up a fly in my lemonade..." Derek had one very important rule in this job: never bring emotions into this place, as it's like injecting poison into his bloodstream.

If you argue with a customer, they insult you; if you make a proposal or a comment to a customer, they insult you again, and the worst is when those negotiators show up, who've watched lawyer movies nine times and engage in negotiations so lengthy that they leave your ears bleeding.

"They should just get rid of these types of stores..." Derek said as he reclined in a swivel chair.

Pawnshops are known to be commercial establishments that offer a financial service to people in need of quick cash and are willing to leave personal items as collateral.

But despite the rules being set this way, many people argue about whether their item is stolen or entirely original, and if they don't leave within five minutes, it's better to call the police.

As for the customer not being able to repay the loan within the grace period, the pawnshop may offer the option to renew the loan. This involves paying the accrued interest to extend the loan term. If the customer doesn't choose to renew or doesn't pay the loan, the shop can sell the item to recover the borrowed money.

Ching!

"Yes, welcome to Golden Balls Pawnshop!" Derek said with a lackluster look, and when he looked up, he saw an elderly man walking towards him with something wrapped in his hands.

"Another old coot..."

"Hello, young man, isn't there an adult who can assist me?" asked the elderly man with a smile on his face.

"No, sir, I'm the owner of the store, so if you want to sell something, you have to go through me, and then my grandfather will verify it if the price exceeds a thousand dollars," Derek said as if he were reciting a script.

"What a shame... Well, can you appraise this orb?" asked the old man, handing him the object wrapped in newspaper.

"For God's sake, I'll have to charge my grandfather more for being here... At this rate, I'll end up with white hair before he does," Derek thought as he unwrapped the object, which was actually a crystal ball.

The crystal ball rested on an ebony base, a mysterious and fascinating object that seemed to capture the entire universe within it. The crystal was perfectly transparent and polished, and inside it, small galaxies were laser-etched with astonishing precision.

Each galaxy was a miniature cosmic work of art. Delicately sculpted with the help of laser beams, these galaxies featured intricate details that were a wonder to behold. Tiny stars twinkled inside, as if they were distant suns casting flashes of golden and blue light. Planets, moons, and nebulae appeared to float in a miniature cosmos.

Most impressive of all was that these galaxies seemed alive. An electric glow, an ethereal tone that radiated energy, enveloped each of them. It seemed as if the entire universe pulsated within the crystal ball, as if the galaxies were in constant motion, spinning and dancing in a cosmic ballet.

As the ambient light changed, the colors of the galaxies inside the crystal ball also changed, shifting from electric shades of blue and violet to dazzling reds and golds. It was as if the spectacle of the universe was unfolding inside that small crystal world.

Derek was fascinated by this crystal ball and murmured, "Isn't this very valuable to you?"

The elderly man smiled as he looked at the young man holding the orb delicately and said, "Haha! Everything in life is valuable, young man, remember that well. It's just that money is necessary, so if you offer me a good amount, you can keep it."

"Are you saying you don't want to pawn it but sell it?" Derek asked with a more ambitious look, secretly wiping the drool that had formed from having dozed off a while ago and said in a calm tone, "Well, you see, this piece is incredible, but it's still a crystal ball, so the most I could offer you would be $600."

"Is that the most you could offer me?" The old man furrowed his brows and looked at Derek like an outdoor thief.

Derek felt uncomfortable under that gaze and then said, "Alright, I'll give you $667. That's my last month's salary, so it's all I can offer. It's not like this item sells; I just liked it and decided to buy it directly."

"Isn't that illegal?" The old man stared at Derek as if he were a criminal.

"Illegal? Sir, it's only illegal if you get caught. By that time, I'll find a good lawyer and claim I have some disease like Osteoporosis or something..." Derek flashed a professional smile.

"But that's a disease unique to women, not men..."

Derek, embarrassed, said, "Well, do you sell it or not?"

"Sure, kids these days are more audacious than my own grandchildren..." Jacob muttered in a deep voice.

"I'll get your money, wait a minute," Derek said as he searched for the money in his backpack and asked, "By the way, what's your name, sir?"

"Jacob, that's my name..." Jacob said, smiling and revealing his entire face.

"A good name," Derek said as he returned with the money. He then pointed to the ring on Jacob's left hand and asked, "How come you have that exclusive chess competition ring?"

Jacob lowered his head and looked at his ring, then thought for a moment and asked, "You recognize it?"

"Oh, of course, I do. That ring is only owned by a few people who participated in an old chess tournament that stopped running last year. I lost mine a few years ago, what a pity." Derek smiled and handed the money to Jacob after counting it.

"Now I understand; I'm just repeating the process and returning some things to their original owner. I never thought you would be a great owner for that orb. Don't worry, if that ring ends up in good hands, it will naturally be mine." Jacob said, realizing that the ring he had given to that kid was the same one he had obtained more than fifty years ago just before heading to the Capitol.

"Is this old man on drugs?" Derek asked with a curious look.

"Just enjoy it; things will be smoother for you..." With those words, Jacob placed the ring on the desk and left without saying anything else.

Derek was confused, and just as he was about to get up to return the ring to the old man, a bright light from the orb shone, and the next moment, he lost consciousness.

"[New orb owner detected, initiating recognition!]"