Chapter 6: Gold from the Tang Dynasty

Wang Xiu's heartbeat skipped a beat instantly.

His gaze locked firmly onto the 【Materialize】 button behind the "Gold 100 taels".

Materializing beef jerky was just a small test, proving the function's feasibility.

But materializing gold…

That meaning is completely different.

This meant he could directly convert the wealth he obtained in the game, in the Tang Dynasty over a thousand years ago, into usable real-world gold and silver!

He subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his Adam's apple rolling up and down.

One hundred taels of gold.

One tael in the Tang Dynasty is about 42 grams nowadays; one hundred taels equals 4200 grams.

At today's market price of over five hundred per gram of gold…

Wang Xiu's mental math ability exploded instantly.

Four thousand two hundred multiplied by five hundred… equals… two million one hundred thousand!

Two million one hundred thousand!

That number struck like a thunderclap, exploding in his mind.

He was a recent graduate, a poor student stressed over a few thousand dollars in wages; now, just by pressing a button, he could instantly become a rich person with over two million in savings?

This is even more thrilling than winning the lottery!

Wang Xiu felt his breathing turn heavy.

He almost instinctively wanted to reach out and click the 【Materialize】 button.

But just as his consciousness was about to touch the button, he suddenly stopped.

No!

Can't be so impulsive!

Wang Xiu forced himself to calm down.

Materializing consumes mental energy.

Earlier, materializing a pack of beef jerky consumed 1 point of mental energy.

Then, how much mental energy would materializing one hundred taels of gold require?

If his mental energy weren't enough, or the consumption too great, causing him to feel drained or even pass out, that would be a big problem.

Moreover, materializing one hundred taels of gold at once—that's over eight jin of gold—is too big a target.

Imagine a huge golden ingot or a pile of gold bars suddenly appearing in his ten-something-square-meter rental unit; just thinking about it is exaggerated.

What if the materialization made too much noise and the neighbors heard it?

He doesn't live in some high-end complex; the soundproofing of this building is terrible.

Most importantly, even if he successfully materialized it, how would he sell it?

Carry over eight jin of gold to a gold shop to sell?

"Boss, I have a piece of inherited gold; will you buy it?"

The shop owner wouldn't mistake him for a tomb robber or bank robber; calling the police would already be a good outcome.

No, we need to plan long-term.

Wang Xiu took a deep breath, suppressing the greed in his heart.

He carefully examined the 【Materialize】 button.

When his focus settled on "Gold 100 taels," more detailed options popped up beside it.

【Materialize Quantity: 1/100 (adjustable)】

【Estimated Mental Energy Consumption: 1 point per tael】

Turns out the quantity can be adjusted!

Moreover, materializing one tael of gold only needs 1 point of mental energy.

He currently has a total of 95 points of mental energy, so materializing one tael of gold is more than enough.

This discovery let half of the stone in Wang Xiu's heart drop.

Since we can materialize in batches, the operational space is much larger.

He decided to first materialize one tael as a test.

One tael of gold is just over forty grams, small in volume, easy to carry, and easy to sell.

Even if questioned during the sale, he could use an excuse like "melted-down jewelry left by elders at home."

Having made up his mind, Wang Xiu no longer hesitated.

First, in the game, he controlled Wang Jin to properly lock away the awarded gold and silver treasures in the home chest, then comforted the startled great-grandmother frightened by this sudden windfall, confirmed nothing was wrong in the game, and only then exited the simulator.

Taking off the helmet, he glanced at his empty computer desk and took a deep breath.

"Here it comes…"

He put the helmet back on, but did not enter the simulation; instead, he stayed on the main interface.

He opened the 【Family Panel】, found the 【Gold】 column under 【Family Assets】.

He set the materialize quantity to "1".

【Consume 1 point of mental energy to materialize 'Gold x1 tael' into the real world?】

"Yes!"

Wang Xiu confirmed without hesitation.

Almost at the moment he confirmed, the antiquated game console before him emitted a faint "humming" sound.

The sound wasn't loud, just like the noise of an old computer fan spinning.

The blue indicator light on the main unit began to flash rapidly.

Wang Xiu's heart rose to his throat, and he stared nervously at the table.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

Suddenly, a soft golden light appeared out of thin air beside the game machine.

The light was not blinding; it lasted only a moment before quickly converging and dissipating.

When the light completely vanished, a lump of reddish-yellow, somewhat irregular in shape appeared out of thin air on the tabletop.

It landed on the table with a "thud," emitting a dull sound.

Wang Xiu's eyes widened instantly.

That was an ancient gold ingot, commonly called a "golden ingot," but unlike the boat-shaped type with upturned ends seen on TV, it was more like an irregular steamed bun, with some tiny pores and patterns on its surface.

This is the gold bestowed by the Tang dynasty government!

Wang Xiu trembled as he picked it up.

The feeling in his hand was just one word—heavy!

It was far heavier than it looked.

He placed it in his palm; the cool touch and its substantial weight told him unequivocally that this was no prop, no illusion, but real gold!

"I've struck it rich... I really have..."

Wang Xiu muttered to himself, his hands shaking.

He turned the gold ingot over and over, even bringing it to his mouth and, imitating the movies, bit down on it.

A clear tooth mark remained on the edge of the ingot.

Gold is soft; high-purity gold can retain a tooth impression.

Wang Xiu had no more doubts.

He looked at the gold ingot in his hand as if he were gazing at a mountain of gold.

He knew that his life would be completely changed from this moment on.

He was no longer the poor student worrying over a few thousand dollars in wages.

He carefully found a piece of cloth, wrapped the ingot securely, and slipped it into his innermost pocket.

Feeling the substantial weight in his pocket, a sense of unprecedented security and confidence welled up from within him.

Next, it was time to turn it into money.

Wang Xiu glanced out the window; it was already late.

He changed into his cleanest clothes, tidied his hair in the mirror, and tried to look more mature and steady.

He knew that what he was about to do was the most important transaction of his life.

He walked out of the rented apartment and glanced back at the dilapidated door.

He knew that when he returned, he would no longer belong here.

A new world was opening its doors to him.