Chapter 354: Merchant Gathering — Selling Treasures

Jier briefly recounted what he had seen and heard along the way, ending with Knight Kela leading men to choke all the Bandits hiding deep in the Shandong to death.

He stopped speaking, his mouth feeling a bit dry, so he swallowed some saliva to moisten his throat. Seeing this, Mr. Xiao Simengsi hurriedly brought Jier a cup of warm fruit tea to moisten his mouth.

In the thin and sturdy high-end wooden water cup was a fruit tea made by mashing and steeping fermented fruit. A full pot of it was kept in an exquisite pottery jar beside the long wooden chair, and through a delicate silver strainer, the residue of the mashed fermented fruit was blocked, leaving only the amber-colored fruit tea that had been thoroughly steeped.

Jier brought it to his lips and sniffed; a pleasant aroma wafted up. He took a light sip, and the fruit tea was initially a bit astringent, but soon only a warm, mellow fruity fragrance remained.

Gulping it down in one go, Jier was very satisfied with this drink.

The other Merchants were whispering about what Jier had said, marveling at Knight Kela's excellent command ability and his cold-blooded violence—so many Bandits were directly blocked inside the Shandong and then all choked to death.

Although that was what they said, their expressions were all very cheerful and happy. After all, the result of Knight Kela doing this was that for a period of time in the future, they could safely conduct large-scale, secure trade along a long stretch of road south of Bingxun Pass.

The potential desire for trade, which had previously been suppressed because the Shanglu was rampant with Bandits, would certainly be greatly released in the near future.

It should be said that some of these situations were already occurring within Bingxun Pass.

Because the Bandits had been cleared out and the Merchants were conducting trade on a large scale, the result was that the local demand for labor was greatly increased, and many coins were promised in advance to the newcomers hired for the Caravan.

After a large number of locals had money in their hands, they also quickly and positively increased their respective consumption in the near future. The cycle brought about by this was that local consumer goods were boosted again, and the Merchants began to sell them even more eagerly.

The money went in a circle and returned to the hands of the Merchants, while the Merchants made profits, the upper and lower levels of Bingxun Pass received tax money, and the locals obtained various goods they had acquired; they had only paid with labor that they would not have used in the winter anyway.

Everyone was very happy.

While they were talking, Mr. Xiao Simengsi's last Merchant friend also arrived. After this person entered the door, he saw the scene of everyone discussing animatedly.

"Banta, you missed something wonderful!" someone teased the newcomer.

The last person was strong and tall: "Is that so? I believe my friend will tell me about it, right?"

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Mr. Xiao Simengsi still had many things to do, so he began the business at hand.

He first briefly introduced Jier to the last person who arrived, and then asked Jier to take out the two items to be sold. Jier untied the bag at his waist, placed the small Wooden box containing the ruby on the low wooden table facing the long wooden chair, and then Jier took out the Wooden Carving wrapped in fine cloth, placing it on the wooden table with the cloth still wrapped around it.

After the items were taken out, Jier stopped speaking or interrupting, letting Mr. Xiao Simengsi be responsible for everything that followed.

This was something they had agreed upon before coming.

Rising from his chair, Mr. Simons knocked on the wooden table, attracting everyone's attention: "Gentlemen, today is mainly for everyone to gather and discuss the subsequent affairs of each Merchant Guild, but before that, this little friend of mine has two valuable items to sell. As you all know, this friend of mine just returned from the front-line battle against the Bandits, and these things of his are legitimate spoils of war captured from the Bandits."

"There aren't many items; if you take a fancy to them, just speak up and buy them. Of course, these are good things; I had him handle the ordinary items at shops himself. No need to say more, time is precious, so let's take a look at this item first!"

After speaking, Mr. Simons opened the small Wooden box containing the Gems and took out the not-so-small Red Corundum from the cushion inside the box.

He held the ends of the Gemstone with two fingers, letting this bright red Red Corundum be displayed in front of everyone.

"Look, everyone, this is a natural Gemstone, a Red Corundum with extremely high hardness. Its greatest advantage in my opinion is this vivid color. Just like its checkered history, blood has soaked into every part of it. That is the color of life, gentlemen."

The bright red, blood-like Red Corundum attracted the gaze of everyone in the room. As Mr. Simons's arm moved, everyone's eyes subconsciously followed the most vivid color in their field of vision.

Humans are naturally drawn to the most vivid colors; this is an instinct etched deep into life.

Mr. Simons was very satisfied with everyone's reaction, and he continued: "Secondly, its size also has weight. Whether it is used as an ornament as a whole, or cut and modified by a gem-cutter to become the main body of other ornaments, it is very suitable. Even if it were divided into several parts to be used in a set of jewelry, it would be obvious to anyone that they all came from the same Gemstone."

After speaking, Mr. Simons placed this Gemstone on the table, signaling that other friends could come closer to watch and handle it: "Come over and take a close look."

The Merchants interested in this leaned over and picked it up to examine it carefully. Sure enough, there is no harm without comparison; compared to this Gemstone Jier brought, the Gemstone ornaments the Merchants wore on their necks and fingers were far inferior.

Not only were they dwarfed in size, but upon comparison, as long as one wasn't blind, one could see that in terms of color, Jier's Gemstone was vastly different from theirs.

"As vivid as fresh blood, truly nice." A Merchant compared it with the small piece of Red Corundum on his ring setting and indeed found that it was far, far inferior.

"So what is the price? Simons?" someone asked.

Mr. Simons smiled and nodded at Jier, then continued: "The item is a good item, and I have already stated its advantages, so the base price is thirty-two Gold Coins. Whoever wants it, please discuss it among yourselves."

"So expensive?" Someone felt dissatisfied with this price.

However, someone nearby immediately retorted: "Its size is right here; I even think it could be cut into five small parts. Two earrings, one ring, one brooch, one necklace. Look, a whole set of jewelry that can catch the eye. Tsk tsk, I'm afraid that if my wife, whose beauty is fading, wore this set of jewelry, she would dare to attend even the grandest ball."

"How can separating it work? The better the item, the more one should maintain its integrity. In my opinion, no need to cut it; just make a gold ring on the outside, turn it into a necklace, and display it in the jewelry store in the Province Capital. Its price could potentially double several times within a year." An old Merchant had other ideas; compared to using this Gemstone himself, he felt that as a rare commodity, after some maneuvering, there would be no problem with the profit doubling several times.

The others were enlightened, and just as they were about to express their opinions, the last tall Merchant who had arrived directly scoffed at the others' views. He gave his own possibility: "Those who complain it's expensive, those who want to make it into jewelry themselves, those who want to operate it for a high-priced sale. Gentlemen, it's not that I'm talking about you, hehe, look at my idea."

The others heard him mock everyone else, so they all looked at him to see what wonderful idea this person had.

This tall Merchant pointed his finger directly at a direction in the inn and said: "Gentlemen, think of that lord; have you thought of it?"

"What?" Someone didn't understand.

Someone else reacted: "A Gemstone crown!"

He snapped his fingers: "That's right! Compared to making it into jewelry, wouldn't it be more valuable to make this dazzling, appropriately sized ruby into a Magic Gemstone crown?"

Mr. Xiao Simengsi stopped the others: "Gentlemen, this point might not be very easy. Although its color and size are suitable, its internal purity is not very good; it seems it cannot be made into a Magic Gemstone. At least that's what I think."

Reminded of this, the others all carefully looked at the internal transparency of this Gemstone again. The result was as Mr. Simons said: from one side of the Gemstone, it was not very easy to see the scene on the opposite side of the Gemstone; there were some distortions and blurriness inside, which showed that the transparency of the Gemstone was indeed not very good.

But that tall Merchant didn't think so: "Simons, you are not a Mage, so don't say these uncertain things here. Whether it can be made into a Magic Gemstone is for Mages to decide, not for us Merchants who can't even finish ten books in a lifetime. Besides, even if it really doesn't work, one could imitate the crown of Lord Longsuosi, find a remote place, and sell it at a hundred times the price to others who don't know the goods; that is also a method."

"Banta, you aren't planning to do that, are you?" someone asked.

The tall Merchant named Banta waved his hand: "My Merchant Guild has been busy lately; where would I have the extra energy to do these things."

Someone retorted: "It's that your financial resources aren't enough, right." However, Banta shrugged and didn't say anything else.

Someone said directly to Simons: "Simons, I want this thing; thirty-two Gold Coins, right? I'll follow you to my Merchant Guild to get it later."

Someone nearby immediately retorted: "Why should it be given to you? I offer thirty-three Gold Coins. My wife has recently been worrying about her attire for attending Noble balls; having this Gemstone could solve a big problem for her."

"You fellow, if this Gemstone is operated on, whether it's taken to a big city to be sold, or listening to Banta, taking the risk to go to a remote place where people don't know the goods and selling it to some fools, it's possible to make ten or a hundred times the profit. Why are you only thinking about your wife's trivial matters? As a Merchant, one should strive for more wealth."

"I am not someone who likes to play tricks; making money should be done uprightly."

"The worry of your wife or whatever you speak of, wouldn't that be your excuse? You just want to stand on the moral high ground to take this Gemstone? Let me tell you, we are all Merchants, we are all friends who often gather together; the crow mocks the charcoal for being black, don't say things that even you don't believe."

"What did you say?!"

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, an old Merchant knocked hard on the table with his finger, and the two arguing people quieted down: "Quiet! What kind of behavior is this? You are all respectable people in the pass; don't act like farmers and farm wives arguing and quarreling. According to me, words like looking for exquisite jewelry for a wife should be kept for private conversation; this is not a reason that can be brought to the table. Besides, processing this Gemstone for a high-priced sale or using it as a scam are both things with high risks and time costs. Who among you now has this spare time and extra financial resources?"

"Especially in this very favorable situation today. Therefore, I will take this ruby, thirty-three Gold Coins. Don't fight with me; I am old, and compared to money that can never be earned enough of, these rare treasures are what I want at my age."

Although it was unknown if they were convinced by the old Merchant's reasons, the others all indicated that they would no longer fight for it, and the item, in the formal transaction, was considered to have fallen into the hands of the old Merchant.

Of course, since the Gold Coins had not yet been given to Jier, the item was still with Mr. Simons. After they finished their gathering, Jier would still have to follow Mr. Simons and the old man to his Merchant Guild to complete the settlement.

After this transaction came to an end, the Merchants present perked up and focused their attention on the other treasure.

Things are always better when they come later; they were also very curious right now about what the other item was like.

Mr. Simons put the Gems into the small Wooden box and then handed it to Jier. Jier tucked it into the pouch at his waist.

Immediately after, Mr. Simons looked at the expressions of the others, moved the Wooden Carving wrapped in fine cloth to the center of the wooden table, and then stroked the contours of the Wooden Carving with his hand, saying slowly, "Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that there are no funds in the Merchant Guild for me to manage, I would have bought this treasure and kept it for myself."

"Simons, what kind of mystery are you making?" Someone wanted to directly lift the fine cloth off the Wooden Carving to see exactly what was underneath.

But Simons laughed and quickly slapped his hand away: "Wait a moment, what's the rush? The item isn't going to run away. You've ruined the mood I was just building up."

This remark from Simons made everyone laugh: "Building up a mood, indeed. Hurry up and tell us, what is this treasure?"

Mr. Xiao Simengsi turned his head to glance at Jier, and Jier nodded and shrugged, signaling for Mr. Simons to improvise as he pleased.

Simons looked at his Merchant friends and then said, "Before you see the item, let me state first that the value of this piece is not low. My friend Jier, he can accept a price of at least one hundred and twenty-five Gold Coins. This is the minimum price."

"How much?"

"Are you crazy? Over a hundred Gold Coins? I could open another shop on the main street with that!"

"Heh, I'd like to see what kind of good item you could possibly produce to dare to demand so much money."

Watching his Merchant friends, Simons smiled mysteriously, set the Wooden Carving in place, and then removed the wrapping of fine cloth, revealing the true form of the alien doe Wooden Carving in his hand.

The entire Wooden Carving was twenty-three or twenty-four centimeters tall and four fingers wide, slender and elegant in its entirety. The white exotic wood was elegant and noble, and paired with the master-level animal carving, it made everyone who saw it—whether man, woman, old, or young, Merchant or attendant—not necessarily love it at first sight, but at least not dislike this animal carving for any other reason.

The surrounding Merchants looked at the Wooden Carving by Simons's hand, their expressions all different.

"It's just an ordinary animal carving. Although it looks nice, how could it be worth that many Gold Coins?" Someone said dismissively.

"These lines. Ah, the look in the little deer's eyes, it's carved so delicately and vividly. And even though it's a white carving, it actually uses hidden patterns to highlight the complex fur of the deer; the technique is truly exquisite. Sigh, if this were in the Kingdom capital, it would indeed be worth this price. What a pity." Someone else, just by looking, felt this item was excellent; its artistic value was completely incomparable to the vulgar items like the Gems from just before.

"Sniff, sniff. Hmm, hard to say, hard to say. Simons?" The old Merchant took a deep breath, then frowned and looked at Mr. Xiao Simengsi, asking with confusion.

Simons smiled mysteriously and pushed the Wooden Carving a distance forward on the table, bringing it closer to the Merchants.

The tall Merchant Banta, watching the secret expressions between the old Merchant and Simons, raised an eyebrow, squatted down, and brought his nose close to this lively and beautiful doe Wooden Carving.

Sniff, sniff.

As if he had been struck on the head with a club, Banta narrowed his eyes, his mouth slightly agape.

Soon, he came back to his senses, then looked at the pure white Wooden Carving, which was no more than a hand-span high, with an astonished expression, and he continued to ask: "What is the official name of this thing? Simons?"

Mr. Xiao Simengsi coughed lightly: "It's a trophy, so its origin is complicated. And it doesn't have a carver's signature on it either. But I call it—the Alien Dwarf Forest Sprite Doe Soul Wood Carving."

Jier rolled his eyes subtly, feeling disdain for Mr. Simons's ability to put on airs.

"Dwarf Forest Sprite?" Merchant Banta didn't know much about this non-Human alien race, so he looked at the oldest Merchant among them.

"Dwarf Forest Sprites are an alien race different from Humans, living in small numbers in the depths of mountain ranges where Humans are forbidden to enter. Although there are few of them, they are born with magical abilities, so they have their own Kingdom. They do not fall under the jurisdiction of Humans."

After a pause, the old Merchant continued: "They are different from Elves; although they have their own Kingdom, their population is sparse, so they rarely appear, but their unique art pieces are quite popular. Just like this one."

After speaking, the old Merchant signaled to Simons: "Bring it over and let me smell it?"

Mr. Simons handed the Wooden Carving over: "It's made of Soul Wood, take a careful sniff."

The old Merchant took the Wooden Carving, first examining the delicate carving carefully, his hands moving very cautiously.

"This thing is very tough, you can hold it without worry," Jier said.

The old Merchant glanced at Jier and nodded: "I know, I know. Precious Soul Wood is what Nobles cover their faces with after they die; it is said that it allows the soul of the deceased to stay peacefully beside the corpse before entering the Divine Kingdom, waiting calmly for the guidance of the Divine messenger."

He brought his nose close to the Wooden Carving, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes, remaining motionless for quite a while.

The Merchant beside him couldn't help but cough lightly, which made the old Merchant put down the Wooden Carving with dissatisfaction.

Although the old man didn't say much, the other Merchants knew the extraordinary nature of this item and immediately crowded over to take deep breaths and close their eyes.

The room fell silent.

After a while, every Merchant who had inhaled the fragrance of the Wooden Carving felt refreshed, each of them wearing a smile, clearly in a very good mood.

Mr. Xiao Simengsi beckoned to the other Merchant attendants and followers in the room: "You all come and smell it too; it's just a smell anyway, it's nothing. Come and experience the unique charm of this precious treasure."

The Merchant attendants and followers looked at each other, and seeing that their respective Presidents and Vice Presidents did not voice any objection, only wearing smiles, they couldn't help but boldly crowd to the other side of the wooden table, each taking a sniff of this precious treasure that they would never be able to afford in their lifetimes.