Chapter 728: Shanguang Shouzhu' Jewelry Store, Expensive Red Copper Necklace

The two of them stopped chatting on the street, which was becoming increasingly clean and tidy, and walked quickly toward the best jewelry store in town.

In less than a minute, the jewelry store near the town's central square appeared before Jier.

It was almost dark by now; unless other shops operated at night, there were very few customers coming and going, and the 'Beautiful Clothes' clothing store from before hadn't had many people.

But this jewelry store was different; from far away, one could see horses and open-top soft sedans for ladies waiting at the entrance. And the bright candlelight inside the shop made the sparkling glints within clearly visible from a distance.

"Quite a lot of people," Jier remarked.

The Merchant Guild Shop Assistant, who was trotting along to lead the way, slowed his pace and replied, "This 'Shanguang Shouzhu' is always crowded, no matter the time."

Jier hummed twice, acknowledging the other's comment.

The shop was named 'Shanguang Shouzhu', and its sign featured a silver-white bracelet made of special materials inlaid with colored glass as a flashy means of solicitation.

However, for Duoen Town, this "flashiness" was actually very suitable for the people living here or passing through, regardless of gender.

The increasingly chaotic regional situation clearly hadn't affected the jewelry store's business like it had other industries; after all, they specialized in business with the wealthy.

Arriving at the shop, Jier jumped off his horse and handed the Tianxuecao to the shop bouncer who came to meet him. Watching the other person tie the Tianxuecao's Jiansheng to the hitching post, he then stepped up the few stone stairs into the jewelry store, which stood a head higher than the shops on either side.

Jier was amused the moment he entered; he hadn't expected a jewelry store in another world to be so interesting.

If he hadn't known he was walking into a jewelry store, he would have thought this was a shop for raising and selling pets. Because as soon as he entered, he saw small cages scattered all over the walls and stone pillars of the spacious shop. Fine metal mesh, through which only a finger could be inserted, was installed on the front of every small cage; customers could look, but snatching anything would likely be impossible.

At the same time, as soon as Jier entered the shop door, he sensed something. He turned and looked up directly, discovering a metal portcullis similar to a city gate drop-gate on the inside of the shop entrance.

Needless to say, this thing was clearly a direct means of blocking the inside and outside in the event of a robbery.

Once this metal portcullis dropped, it was clear that a metal gate weighing hundreds of kilograms or even a ton could not be lifted without mechanical assistance or four or five people.

"This shop's security is done quite well."

Hearing Knight Jier's remark, the Merchant Guild Shop Assistant explained, "My lord, this is because the people coming and going in town are complex. Places like jewelry stores were robbed so often in the past that they had this specially made. But it's much better now; I heard that when the town was first built years ago, the bandits on the western Shanglu often appeared boldly in town and robbed many people."

Jier raised his eyebrows and asked, "And then? How did you solve it?"

The Knight's use of "you" touched the Merchant Guild Shop Assistant's heart, making his face beam with joy as he said proudly, "We used several methods. First, we had the shops in town that were frequently robbed increase their own anti-theft and anti-robbery measures."

The shop assistant who walked over to greet them rolled his eyes at these words and secretly curled his lip.

"Secondly, by spreading out the trade tax, we used a large amount of the town's tax revenue to build up the Security Guard. As you must have seen, the number and strength of the Security Guard in town are actually very formidable! Haha, let me tell you a little secret: many Security Guards are actually former tough bouncers from various shops and bandits from other places who have changed professions. They are all guys who have seen blood, so outside thugs don't dare to run wild in town anymore."

Jier was skeptical: "So powerful? Then why not let them cause harm themselves? Don't tell me about loyalty or anything; you and I both know that these people don't have such things, and Duoen Town doesn't seem to care about that."

The Merchant Guild Shop Assistant chuckled: "When a Wolf Pack has cubs, they take over a mountain. We only recruit people who have started families into the Security Guard; if they haven't, we help them start one. Once a guy, no matter how fierce, starts a family, he becomes one of Duoen Town's own, and he takes root here for life. Besides, unlike other towns, our Duoen Town Security Guard's salary is not low."

Jier nodded, and their discussion came to an end. He turned to the shop assistant who had been waiting on the side without interrupting and said, "I need a thin gold or silver necklace to help me hang this accessory. Lead the way."

As he spoke, he took the Heise Daniu Wooden Carving that was hanging on his neck by a thin string out from under his clothes and displayed it.

The shop assistant acknowledged him, then lowered his head and gestured for the two to walk into the shop. The Merchant Guild Shop Assistant narrowed his eyes and took a deep look at the Knight's jewelry.

Is it jewelry?

It looks very strange; it's probably not an ordinary thing.

He followed Knight Jier with his head down, recalling his memories, trying to find an impression of something similar in his mind.

But unfortunately, there were a few similar things, but none were a black bird wood carving.

He wanted to ask Knight Jier, as it would be a good opportunity given their familiar conversation, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. Before coming, the Steward had instructed him to get close and find out information about Knight Jier, but also gave him another task to try his best to befriend the other party.

Of the two tasks, the latter was clearly more important to the Merchant Guild and the town.

After all, he was a Knight with hundreds of men under his command. If he were angered, not to mention anything else, if he led his men to block the few Shanglu leading in and out of town from afar, the town would inevitably suffer huge losses.

Even if only a few large Merchant Guilds were leading trade teams on the Shanglu these days, it was the same.

As a member of the 'Wealth Fruit' Merchant Guild, one of the guilds managing the town, he understood very well what the key point was for Duoen Town to truly maintain itself: it was the merchants of the small and medium-sized Merchant Guilds who made up the majority of the town's population and trade volume.

Their confidence was the most important thing.

That was why they were so cautious in dealing with the hundreds of Refugee now, and the hundreds of northern troops from a few days ago. They specially opened up an empty space and even provided some material support.

The other party was not a local force; what these large Merchant Guilds feared most was angering the other party, only for them to act recklessly without giving face, leaving no room for mediation or reconciliation.

The shop assistant was a young man of nearly thirty. Although this age was a bit old for a sales assistant, he was dressed neatly and well, and even had scented powder on his body, making him look more like a decent person than Jier.

Jier noticed that when the shop faced female customers, they sent out rare female reception assistants to handle them, and for male customers like him, they sent out male reception assistants.

This avoided some of the trouble the shop least wanted to see; clearly, in such a small place, they had suffered many losses in the past.

There were other customers in the shop, but they were likely picking out different things than Jier, as the other customers were in other parts of the shop.

The shop assistant guided Jier and his companion to an area specifically for selling necklaces and accessories. This was located on the right side of the entrance of the spacious shop. The main feature was a guest area; several animal-skin-backed chairs for guests to sit, rest, and talk were placed there. Between the chairs facing each other were small round tables with empty trays, fragrant Flower Tea, and colorful small snacks that he didn't know were homemade or custom-ordered.

The shop assistant first let Jier take a seat. Jier took off his cloak, let the Merchant Guild Shop Assistant following behind him hold it temporarily, and then sat on the single-backed chair covered with animal skin.

The single-backed chair was designed quite low. Jier reached out and touched the animal skin on it, only to discover it was a luxurious fur made by sewing together many strips of brownish-red fox fur.

After Jier sat down, the shop assistant didn't start the business immediately, but gestured for Jier to help himself to the exquisite colorful small snacks on the round table that no one had touched. The shop assistant went to the side to get a clean silver teacup, used a narrow-mouthed, large-bellied teapot to pour a cup of fragrant Flower Tea for Jier, and then, instead of sitting opposite him, stood by Jier's side and softly asked for Jier's specific requirements.

Because he was in a hurry, Jier didn't drink the tea or eat the snacks. He took the item from his neck, pulled with his finger, and snapped the knotted thin string: "Please find me a necklace of similar thickness to this. Gold or silver is fine, but it must be sturdy and good-looking."

The shop assistant reached out and pinched the thin string, felt its thickness, and then nodded, saying: "Please wait a moment, guest. I will bring you necklace cords to choose from immediately."

Afterward, the shop assistant walked to the side behind the main counter near the wall, where a small shop Steward in charge of necklace matters was, and whispered a few words to him.

Then the small Steward took out a key, picked one from the bunch, opened the metal box next to the counter, and grabbed more than a dozen necklace cords of various materials without pendants.

Placing these gold, silver, and other expensive material necklace cords on a wooden tray, the small Steward counted them before letting the shop assistant take the small tray away.

At the same time, the small Steward's eyes remained fixed on his subordinate, his gaze never leaving him.

The shop assistant seemed used to being watched by his leader while holding things, so he walked over without the slightest discomfort and placed the tray full of necklace cords on the small round table in front of Jier.

Under the light of the surrounding Oil Lamp candles, more than a dozen sparkling necklaces appeared before Jier's eyes.

"Introduce them. What are the prices, and what are the materials?"

Jier couldn't pick one out; he felt every one of them looked quite good, so he asked the shop assistant to help him choose and introduce them.

The shop assistant cleared his throat, smoothed his voice, and began to introduce them from the first one.

"Guest, the one on the far left is the most common gold necklace, and it is also the most common necklace material used in Duoen Town. According to your requirements, I chose this necklace size; it weighs about fifty grams and is priced at five gold and five silver coins." (Weights have been replaced for everyone's convenience.)

Seeing Jier had no reaction, he then introduced the one next to it: "This one is made of silver, especially suitable for reserved and cultured gentlemen and ladies. This necklace of this thickness weighs about twenty-five grams, and the price is much cheaper, only five Silver Coins."

Jier shrugged, signaling for the other party to continue the introduction.

"This necklace looks like it's made of copper, but it actually isn't. After all, we are a jewelry store here; ordinary copper jewelry and art pieces are difficult to sell as merchandise. So, as you might have guessed, it is made from a rare, special metal material."

"Magic Material?"

Jier raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Yes, yes, yes, you are knowledgeable, so there is no need for me to explain. Yes, it is made of ordinary copper mixed with a rare purple copper Magic Material. You see, because of the added Magic Material called purple copper, its surface has a special luster and reflection. Under the light, it possesses a magnificence that does not lose to gold. Moreover, it naturally carries a noble purple color, which is very much loved by big shots."

"Price?"

The Shop Assistant smiled slightly: "Because it contains rare Magic Material, this delicate necklace chain weighing 150 grams costs 15 Gold Coins."

Jier gasped; it wasn't because of the price, but because of the other party's black-heartedness.

Because when he was authorized to purchase Magic Materials in Kendall City, common Magic Materials were usually in small piles, with several hundred grams costing only a few Gold Coins, or even calculated in Silver Coins.

This so-called purple copper, just because it can reflect purple light, is being sold by you people for this much?

That is too black-hearted.

And Magic Material, Magic Material—you haven't even introduced what is special about this purple copper.

Jier thought about it and guessed that this person probably didn't know either. After all, it was a jewelry store. Aside from the magic jewelry placed directly opposite the entrance and heavily protected, the other items were likely just ordinary jewelry mixed with Magic Materials, with nothing more profound.

He estimated that buying this necklace solely to acquire Magic Material would definitely be a huge loss, so he shrugged and let the other party continue to introduce the next one.

Seeing that Jier, the customer, was not interested in the purple copper necklace, the Shop Assistant felt quite regretful and continued to introduce necklace chains of other materials.

Other than those made of traditional metal materials, there were also some necklaces made of other materials. These included, but were not limited to, bone chains, fragrant wood chains, exquisite necklaces made of crystal, and necklaces made of a mixture of various materials.

There was even a necklace made of lead, which made Jier quite surprised. This thing is toxic and affects the development of the human brain and body nerves; don't they know that?

But once Jier thought about it, he stopped asking. Whether a lead necklace is toxic or not—could they not know? If they can bring it out to sell, it is clear there is a demand for it.

As for who buys it and which enemy's child it is used on, that is not something the shop can control.

In the end, Jier chose an exquisite necklace with silver and gold intertwined. The price was much cheaper than a pure gold necklace, but due to the craftsmanship, it wasn't actually that much cheaper.

This necklace cost him 2 Gold Coins. This feeling of spending money like water made Jier feel quite tearful for his purse.

When earning money, one must kill enemies and struggle, working hard; when spending money, one waves a hand nonchalantly, and the coins fly away with wings.

He threaded the necklace, which he had opened into a straight line, through the gap in the Wooden Carving, then fastened the opened metal clasp. He didn't need the Shop Assistant to use special tools; he gently squeezed with his fingers, and the gold was pressed into a ring by his bare hands, firmly securing the entire necklace.

The Shop Assistant raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Merchant Guild Shop Assistant who was standing calmly behind Jier. The other party shrugged, the meaning self-evident.

Leaving this jewelry store, as soon as Jier stepped outside, he discovered that in this short time, the sky outside had already turned dark.

He adjusted the Wooden Carving pendant on his neck, which had become slightly heavier, turned around, and said to the Merchant Guild Shop Assistant: "Now, take me to the place where the banquet is being held!"

"As you wish, Knight."

The Merchant Guild Shop Assistant handed over the gorgeous cloak Jier had just bought. Jier put it on and mounted his horse.

The Merchant Guild Shop Assistant then walked in front to lead the way, not moving toward the town's central square. Jier felt it was strange, so he asked: "What, is the place where the banquet is held not in the most prosperous town center? Is it outside?"

"Yes, my lord. Because banquets need to be held frequently, and the dancing and performances at the banquets are very noisy, the Priests of the Church of the God of Wealth felt it was inappropriate. So, a few years ago, they placed the only restaurant in town capable of hosting large banquets in a location between the commoner district and the slum district. The original location was turned into an Exchange for debtors."

"I see." Jier nodded. Suddenly, he remembered something and said: "Is it a square, tall building made of stone bricks? It looks like a small castle? And faint music comes from the top?"

The Merchant Guild Shop Assistant nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, yes, that's the place. You know it?"

Jier smiled: "I noticed such a building before. I was curious about what kind of place it was; so it's a place for eating and having fun."

Slightly dissatisfied with Jier the Knight's simple view, the Merchant Guild Shop Assistant explained: "Eating and having fun is not as bad as you think. After all, only in a harmonious and relaxed environment can merchants ignore their past schemes and struggles with each other and reach some unexpected profitable collaborations! This is a necessary part! It is very important. The Steward who led me into the Merchant Guild often says that if a place with prosperous trade does not have those places for enjoyment, it only means that the place is about to be finished."

"Besides, in our Saint Hors Kingdom, isn't His Majesty the King a legendary Bard? That lord can even sing for the gods, win victories for all races, and win glory for us Humans. This is also a very good thing."

Jier rubbed his nose and chuckled: "You're right. It was me who had preconceived notions and constraints. Everything is not just good and bad, high and low, light and dark, righteous and evil. Ha, hurry up and lead the way, I hope I am not late."

The Merchant Guild Shop Assistant had to start jogging to lead the way, feeling that his words just now must have subtly annoyed the Knight. He regretted being a busybody and arguing just now.