Ed pushed the door open and stepped inside. A small bell chimed as it swung.
At the back of the museum, an old man wearing glasses raised his eyes slightly and glanced over. Seeing Ed, a young man in expensive clothes, he emerged with a hint of surprise.
Ed pretended a genuine interest in insects, masking the disgust he felt deep down, and glanced around at the numerous insect specimens and exquisite hand-painted illustrations lining both sides of the room.
Butterflies, numerous and beautiful, shared space with creepy, disgusting worms. In some glass jars, he could even see live insects moving. The cabinets beneath, with wooden edges and glass tops, simulated natural habitats for some species, with a few live insects visible inside.
"Sir, you seem quite interested in these insects. Would you like me to explain them to you?" Asked the old man, his mostly bald head shining. His voice carried a tinge of excitement, as if he hadn't seen a new customer in days.
Ed turned to him, smiled, and nodded. "Of course, if it's convenient for you."
"That's my job. I'm more than happy to serve you," The old man said hurriedly with a smile, coming out from behind the counter to begin his introduction. He pointed to a large insect specimen, the size of a human head, mounted on the left wall. It had a round body, dense antennae, and a protective shell.
"This is a sea worm that lives on the ocean floor. Despite its size, it's actually a parasite that attaches to large fish."
Ed's expression conveyed genuine interest and surprise, a skill he was always good at, providing the old man with satisfying feedback.
With a pleased smile, the old man continued introducing the exhibits one by one until they reached the innermost part of the museum, where an exquisite glass box was displayed.
Inside was a specimen of an insect with long, horn-like appendages and a hard shell covering its back. Its three pairs of legs were unusually large. The overall color was a matte black, with a hint of gold at the tips of the horns. It looked majestic and powerful.
"This is an insect native to Meister Island, known as the Golden-Horned Hammer," The old man said, pride coloring his voice. "It's a very beautiful and brave insect, symbolizing courage and fearlessness, much like a real warrior."
Finally, Ed thought. The old man had led him to his target, all the previous exposition had been building the value of this insect.
"But it's a pity that this beautiful, majestic insect has become extinct on the island," The old man added, his words tinged with loneliness.
Hearing this, Ed, who had been waiting for this moment, quickly asked with feigned curiosity, "Extinct? Why?"
The old man grew somewhat indignant, though his voice held helplessness. "When you entered the city, did you see the avenue full of flowers? Many were transplanted from other islands. Some are quite beautiful, but their pollen is deadly to the Golden-Horned Hammer."
"This has caused an imbalance in the island's ecology, but those in power don't care about such minor things. They only care about outer beauty."
He sighed deeply, shaking his head.
Ed nodded understandingly, then asked with a casual expression, "When did this insect become extinct?"
"Probably about twenty years ago?"
Ed felt a sinking in his heart. According to the treasure information from his system, the Golden-Horned Hammer might be needed to unlock Treasure House No. 5. It wasn't clear whether this was symbolic or if a live specimen was genuinely required, or if a preserved one would even suffice.
Given the circumstances, Ed knew he had to be prepared. After a moment's thought, he asked with a frown, "So, besides this island, are there any other places where the Golden-Horned Hammer can be found?"
The old man's eyes brightened, seeing Ed's apparent genuine interest. He grabbed Ed's wrist and dragged him toward the counter.
"Come here. I once collected an atlas that mentions another island where this insect exists," He said excitedly.
Reaching the counter, the old man released Ed, who rubbed his sore wrist, went to the other side, and began rummaging beneath it. After putting on gloves, he carefully withdrew a well-preserved insect illustration from a wooden box as if it were the world's greatest treasure, flipping through it meticulously.
Ed noted the lifelike illustrations on each page, almost photographic in detail, revealing the book's immense value. Sadly, they were devoid of color, leaving a poor impression for shortsighted people like him with little appreciation for art.
The old man stopped at a page near the middle and pointed with a bright smile, showing it to Ed. "That's it."
Ed leaned in to look at the pictures and text but hesitated to touch them. The old man was clearly paranoid about the book, and Ed worried that touching it with his "dirty" hands might drive the man to throw him out. He'd met people like that in his previous life, and his experiences with them hadn't been pleasant. Seeing Ed's restraint, the old man nodded approvingly, his regard growing.
"The Golden-Horned Hammer is often collected by insect enthusiasts because of its beauty," The old man explained. "However, most enthusiasts prefer to protect them. It's recorded that this insect can still be found on Antfors-Sacred Armor Island, a sanctuary for insect lovers."
He sighed wistfully. "If only I were younger, I would have gone there long ago to collect a few for myself. Sigh, traveling by sea isn't suitable for an old man like me anymore."
Having obtained the information he needed, Ed quickly committed it to memory so he wouldn't forget it before writing it in his diary. After chatting a bit more about trivialities, Ed said his goodbyes and left. Only after walking out of that creepy shop filled with all kinds of disgusting insects did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Outside, it was not yet dusk, so Ed continued to stroll like a tourist. As he wandered, he noticed a crowd gathered around a spectacle. Curious, Ed approached to see what was happening. He squeezed between a few beautiful ladies, who easily gave him way as he 'accidentally' brushed against them, and came to the front under their murderous gazes.
In the center of the crowd was a clown with a big fake red nose, performing acrobatics and simple magic tricks in a slightly exaggerated manner.
Ed observed the basic trick of hiding balls in loose shirt sleeves, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. This kind of trick had long been outdated in his previous life, but here it still felt fresh, and the audience gasped when the balls suddenly disappeared.
After one of the performances, the clown bowed, and the audience tossed coins into a box in front of him.
Ed's eyes lit up at the growing pile of coins. Some people even threw in silver snakes. From his perspective, the clown's magic wasn't even mediocre; he could see through every trick without straining his mind.
Looking at the money, Ed couldn't help but think about his own situation. For various reasons, he always felt too poor and had developed a phobia of not having enough. Although he could rob, ahem, "borrow" from rich passersby, being the good guy he was, it wasn't easy to find bad people walking around.
This led to a shortage of prey, and he didn't have time to stand on the road observing everyone to identify villains. So, seeing a noob clown earn so much by doing almost nothing, he thought: I am a real magician, obviously, I could perform much better than him. Wouldn't I be showered in coins?
To be honest, since learning magic, the idea of performing for a large audience and getting rich in one fell swoop, at least by his home island's standards, had always lingered in the corner of his mind.
While imagining what kind of magic show would blow the audience's minds, he again squeezed between the ladies and walked out of the crowd, heading back toward the villa.