Chapter 353 Pastel Gemstone

"Respected Mr. Xia Nan."

Horac leaned forward. His tone held a touch more gravity and caution than it had during his earlier conversation with the dwarf, his words chosen with care.

Unlike Thordin's straightforward nature, where every flash of joy or anger showed plainly on his face, the black-haired youth before him was calm and silent. It made Horac subconsciously moderate his tone as he spoke.

"Although the two rings on your hand appear unadorned, the craftsmanship is exceptionally fine. The lines are fluid. They are clearly the work of a master," Horac said.

"It seems you have an eye for accessories," Xia Nan replied.

He glanced down at the [Deathline] ring and the [Dream Weaving Corridor] on his right index and ring fingers.

His expression remained unchanged, making no deliberate attempt to hide them.

Maintaining his relaxed posture, he offered the merchant a smile and spoke slowly. "They were both gifts. When it comes to jewelry, I certainly can't compare to you."

Xia Nan wasn't lying.

He truly didn't know much about the jewelry of this world. As for the two rings on his hand... [Deathline] came from an unlucky Bugbear, and the [Dream Weaving Corridor] came from the Morton Family. In a way, they could be considered generous gifts.

Of course, to him personally, "picked up" would be a much more accurate description.

Since they were Magic Equipment with special effects—regardless of whether the wealthy merchant sitting before him could tell or not—it involved his personal safety. He wasn't going to discuss them in detail, opting for a simple answer instead.

Horac paused, faintly sensing the evasion in Xia Nan's words. He realized the young man probably wasn't interested in this topic.

A warm, enthusiastic smile immediately spread across the merchant's face. He lightly twisted a ruby ring on his left pinky finger with his right hand, steering the conversation back to himself.

"I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Although I've been in business for many years, I don't really have any other hobbies. I just love collecting these shiny little trinkets," Horac said.

"I always carry quite a few of them on me. They clink and jingle when I walk, so much so that even my family finds it annoying."

"You joined the caravan at the last minute right before we set out. If you'd been even two days later, our paths wouldn't have crossed. Isn't this a fate bestowed by the gods?"

"If you don't mind, please take a look at all these odds and ends on me. If any of them catch your eye... please, you must let me know."

"Sharing the joy of this collection with someone who knows how to appreciate it brings me far more happiness than just letting them sit in a decorative box."

Horac's offer felt incredibly natural.

It was as if giving away an expensive, rare piece of jewelry or two was no different than a child sharing candy. He came across as exceptionally generous and magnanimous.

Xia Nan... naturally declined with polite tact.

He hadn't even taken a fee for the escort mission; there was no way he could comfortably accept an unprovoked gift from the caravan's owner.

Perhaps expecting this, Horac's smile didn't waver, and he showed not a hint of disappointment. Instead, as if thoroughly admiring Xia Nan, he slapped his thigh and laughed.

"Good, good! I didn't expect all our partners this time to be such upright individuals. It seems I'm the vulgar one," Horac said.

He raised his wine glass, offering a toast to the two from the Blackwood Squad and Xia Nan.

"This offer will always remain open to you all... but for now, let us get back to enjoying the food and the starlight. Let's enjoy this pleasant evening."

Time quietly slipped by.

Although Xia Nan wasn't much of a conversationalist, his personality wasn't exactly antisocial either. Whenever a topic piqued his interest, he would pull his attention away from his chicken soup and honey to chat with the group.

Margaret and Thordin were seasoned veteran adventurers with an endless supply of topics to discuss. Coupled with Horac's high emotional intelligence and the excellent impression his generous behavior had left on everyone, the merchant expertly guided the conversation, making the atmosphere exceptionally harmonious.

Naturally, as the discussion around the campfire deepened, the topic eventually shifted to their destination—

Sheep Horn Town.

It was a small frontier town located in the northernmost reaches of the Upstream Coast Province in the Servia Kingdom, bordering the southern edge of Cloudclimb Province.

Nestled deep within the plains for many years, it wasn't famous, nor did it have anything worth praising in the past. Its so-called "specialty," the Sugar Tangerine... was actually quite common in other human settlements across the Upstream Coast Province.

The only thing remotely special about it was its barely noteworthy geographical location.

It was just one of countless border towns strung along the lengthy boundary between the Upstream Coast Province and Cloudclimb Province.

For many years, the primary revenue keeping the town afloat came from the spending and taxes of caravans and adventurers crossing the provincial borders.

If one had to make a comparison, Sheep Horn Town was far inferior to Rivervale Town—which was backed by the Misty Forest—in terms of overall scale, commercial development, and reputation. It couldn't even compare to Rivervale Town's satellite settlement, Kalanfor, which had gradually built itself up by leeching off Rivervale and capitalizing on the overflow of adventurers.

It was the most common, obscure type of human settlement in the kingdom.

This situation persisted until a few months ago.

A peculiar type of gemstone—one that had never appeared on the Aifala Continent before, boasting a dreamy pink hue and a uniquely warm texture—began circulating in the town.

At first, it was just the drunken rambling of some down-on-his-luck merchant, which nobody paid attention to.

It wasn't until an Adventurer Squad passing through Sheep Horn Town actually brought back a small gemstone and sold it for a high price at Nym's seasonal auction that things changed.

After that, the news gradually began fermenting in various small circles.

Horac ran a massive business, a fact his status as a member of the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild fully demonstrated.

For merchants like them who profited from speculation, being well-informed was one of the most fundamental skills required.

To some extent, he was arguably the first person in all of Nym City to catch wind of this news, and the very first to organize a long-distance caravan, translating his thoughts and speculations into actual action.

"Gemstones?" Xia Nan asked.

He frowned slightly. According to the information he'd gathered before setting out, this caravan seemed to be transporting nothing more than ordinary goods, which had absolutely nothing to do with any Pastel Gemstones.

Hearing this, Horac, seated across the campfire, revealed a hint of apology on his face and explained himself.

"I have no intention of hiding anything from you all. The carriages really are loaded with goods hauled from Rivervale Town. You are free to inspect them," Horac said.

"But I must admit that freight trade isn't the main purpose of my trip. It's merely a backup measure to prevent any losses."

The sole reason Horac had organized a caravan in Rivervale Town and rushed toward Sheep Horn Town was to uncover the truth behind the gemstones.

If a gemstone mine really existed in the surrounding area, even if he lacked the power to occupy it entirely, his information gap and first-mover advantage would be enough for him to make a killing. It could even add another zero to the end of his bank account balance.

But what if the news was fake?

As a merchant who had expended such a massive amount of manpower and resources, he naturally couldn't afford to make a wasted trip.

Therefore, he had prepared the goods currently sitting in the carriages.

If the worst came to pass, he could unload the cargo in Sheep Horn Town and avoid losing too much. With a bit of luck, he might even turn a small profit.

It was all about having a contingency plan.

Listening to his explanation, Xia Nan's brow relaxed.

Just as Horac had said, he hadn't deceived them. The goods were indeed in the carriages, and they genuinely needed adventurers to help escort them.

The Blackwood Squad's mission itself was real and tangible.

He had simply hidden his true objective.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Xia Nan.

He was just hitching a ride along the way. He had no intention of staying in the town long-term, nor did he plan to abruptly turn back to Rivervale Town or even Nym.

Once they arrived in Sheep Horn Town and the escort mission ended, he would leave the group and set out on his own, continuing his journey toward the Southern Archipelagos.

Gemstones or no gemstones, it didn't concern him.

As for making a profit from it...

Xia Nan might be short on money, but the experience he'd accumulated in his past life and the countless case studies he'd seen had already taught him this lesson many times over.

Unless one had incredible luck, recklessly jumping into an industry before fully understanding it would only result in losing everything.

Even if a gemstone mine really existed near Sheep Horn Town as Horac claimed, could someone like him, who knew absolutely nothing about it, truly make money from it?

Taking a chisel, casually knocking away in a mineshaft a couple of times, and bringing home a high-value, pure gemstone was an unrealistic pipe dream.

Everyone knew the value of a gemstone mine. But there was the issue of how to lock down information, or at least restrict the spread of news regarding the ore as much as possible. Then came ensuring one's own safety in the face of potentially massive wealth, handling relations with local residents, determining land ownership, negotiating and dealing with the local lord, managing taxes, hiring labor, securing mining technology, processing the ore, arranging transportation, and—most importantly—establishing sales channels and subsequent operations.

Even if many of these issues could be resolved by collaborating with relevant individuals, including the wealthy merchant Horac right in front of him, the time and energy required would be visibly immense.

If Xia Nan were the most ordinary adventurer in this world—one without a Golden Finger, whose potential was capped—he might actually join in and take a gamble to secure his future happiness and carve out a path for himself.

But right now, he was a young man with a bright future. He had been in the business for less than two years and had already completed his class advancement, possessing his Golden Finger: an Attribute Panel.

Moreover, he was currently on the path to finding the encryption key for the Secret Realm technological item, the [Dream Weaving Corridor].

If he could really find something in the Southern Archipelagos, his progression speed would soar even higher.

With all that in mind, wasting his most precious time and energy on a merely potential mineral vein just for a few gold coins was simply not worth it.

He knew how to distinguish his priorities.

Unlike the technological society of his past life, this was an alternate world possessing supernatural powers, where gods and apex Legendary experts existed at the top of the pyramid.

Strength was the foundation of everything.

Once you truly reached those heights, wealth, power... everything you had once desired but couldn't obtain would throw itself at your feet with just a single glance.

Sitting across the campfire, Horac carefully observed the expressions of the three adventurers before him.

Margaret, the squad captain, furrowed her brow tightly, seemingly dissatisfied about being dragged into such an incident.

The dwarf Thordin clearly didn't think that deeply into it; he was simply excited about the potential gemstone vein.

As for the black-haired youth named Xia Nan, Horac could sense a momentary fluctuation in his emotions after he learned of the merchant's true objective. It seemed... he found it troublesome?

But it was only for a moment. Very quickly, after Horac finished explaining the situation, the youth returned to his previously tranquil state.

Horac didn't see the look of greedy covetousness on his face that he had expected.

He couldn't even figure out if the young man was just hiding his emotions too perfectly, or if he genuinely didn't care about this potential wealth.

This left the wealthy merchant feeling a little unsure.

But since he had already brought it up, he couldn't just stop there.

Horac continued, looking at the group in front of him with a sincere attitude.

"Actually, the main reason I brought this up with everyone today is to make a presumptuous request," Horac said.

"As for the reward for the escort mission, I will pay it in full as soon as we arrive in Sheep Horn Town."

"But after that, I'd like to hire you all to stay in town a bit longer and help me investigate information regarding the gemstone mine."

"Don't worry, I definitely won't shortchange you on the pay. I can even give you a deposit right now in advance!"

Xia Nan, of course, rejected this outright.

The reasons had already been established, so there was no need to dwell on them.

His only doubt was this: since the man's business had reached such a scale, had he really not cultivated a few trusted Class Holders of his own?

If Xia Nan were in his shoes, he absolutely wouldn't just hire a few random adventurers in town and hand over such an important task. Otherwise, it would seem far too casual and ill-considered.

But since it involved the other party's private affairs, he didn't press the issue.

As for the two from the Blackwood Squad, they didn't nod in agreement right away either.

Instead, after a brief discussion, they stated that they needed some time to consider it and would make their decision once they reached Sheep Horn Town.

The somewhat lukewarm reaction from Xia Nan and the others seemed to exceed Horac's expectations.

After a moment of hesitation, a conflicted expression crossed his face as he carefully pulled a small box from his coat.

"Actually, that Pastel Gemstone I just mentioned—the one that sold for a high price at the Nym auction house... is in my hands," Horac said.

He cradled the box in his palm and extended his arm, keeping it in a position where everyone could see it clearly but maintaining a safe distance to ensure he could pull it back at any time. He gently opened it.

Hum—

Set against the backdrop of the night sky and the campfire, a brilliant pink light flashed before everyone's eyes.

It was a pink gemstone about the size of a fingernail, as pristine and clear as solidified water.

It wasn't perfectly round. Instead, it bore an irregular, undulating shape resembling a miniature mountain range. After being refracted and cut by countless tiny crystal facets inside, its light was exhaled in an even softer, deeper manner, as if a cloud of radiant mist was swirling within the gemstone.

In that instant, Xia Nan felt as if he were experiencing some sort of illusion. It was as though this precious, deep pink gemstone possessed some indescribable, formless magic that drew his attention, pulling his focus deep into its core.

And just as his mental focus grew increasingly concentrated...

"Snap."

Horac abruptly snapped the box shut and shoved the gemstone back into his coat.

This wealthy merchant, who had previously acted incredibly generous and magnanimous, had absolutely no intention of handing the gemstone over for the others to examine closely like he had before.

He only showed it for a brief moment before quickly taking it back.

"See? This is it," Horac said.

He muttered the words softly, almost in a whisper. His tone was mixed with a bizarre emotion—a blend of a merchant's pride and a fierce, almost territorial possessiveness, like an animal guarding its food.

It formed a massive, stark contrast with his earlier generosity, when he'd seemed eager to give them every accessory he was wearing.

Even his eyes, which should have been shrewd and rational, seemed to retain a lingering trace of that pink light from the small box.

Watching Horac's sudden change in demeanor, and recalling the fluctuation of his own mental energy within his Perception the moment he laid eyes on the gemstone...

Xia Nan suddenly knitted his brow.