Chapter 213 - 211: The Master: Smiling on the Outside, Cursing on the Inside

Chapter 213: Chapter 211: The Master: Smiling on the Outside, Cursing on the Inside

The surrounding crowd was buzzing with discussions, but one thing was certain: not a single person believed that anything good would come out of it.

Rian Sinclair ignored the onlookers and instructed the cutter to slice off another piece half a finger thick.

Just like the first cut, it revealed nothing but densely packed black spots. Even though two cuts had yielded the same dismal result, the crowd of spectators only grew larger. After all, that particular piece of rough stone had been sitting there for a long time without a single buyer. There were two reasons for this: first, everyone thought it was impossible for it to contain any green jade; second, it was far too expensive for a piece that was bound to be a dud.

Jasper Rivers stood by, watching closely. Seeing no change after two cuts, he worried that Rian Sinclair’s spirits might be dampened and spoke up to comfort her. "It’s okay, Rian. If this piece is a dud, we’ll just go buy another one. I have plenty of money, so you don’t need to save for me."

Rian Sinclair smiled and nodded, though she didn’t say a word.

The surrounding crowd fell silent.

They thought, "Damn it, we’re so jealous! Why don’t we have such a filthy rich brother?"

Wayne Walsh stood off to the side, completely speechless. It was the first time he had seen someone so eager to throw their money away. No, wait—it was the second time.

Rian Sinclair told the cutter to keep slicing, changing sides each time. Finally, on the fifth attempt, she stopped the cutter just as he was about to make another slice.

The cutter thought the young girl had finally given up, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He thought, "The young lady has finally accepted reality. Otherwise, it would be so embarrassing to keep cutting like this!" This was his first order of the day. It was bad enough that it didn’t yield any green, but to cut open such a disgusting piece of waste rock was a terrible look. He wasn’t sure if anyone else would want to hire him to cut their stones after seeing this. He smiled bitterly to himself. After all, in the stone gambling industry, getting off to a good start on the first sale was incredibly important.

However, Rian Sinclair’s next words completely dashed his relief.

"You don’t need to cut anymore. Use sandpaper and rub it down slowly."

Hearing this, the cutter’s vision went dark, and he almost passed out. But as a mere worker, what right did he have to lose his temper? "...Understood, Miss!"

He thought, "The customer is always right, and I can’t afford to offend her! Especially a customer with this much money to burn. Who knows, maybe she’ll feel bad for me later and give me a fat tip?"

The crowd around them continued to grow, even attracting the attention of Ship King Rhodes. Mr. Magnate didn’t say much; he simply pulled up a chair and sat down to watch.

The cutter tried to put up a last-ditch struggle. "Miss, how about you take it back and rub it down slowly at home? This stone is so massive that there’s no telling when I’ll finish sanding it. I don’t want to waste your precious time."

He wept silently in his heart. He thought, "Please, have mercy! Even if I sand this thing until nightfall, I still won’t be done!"

"No need, just sand it right here," Rian Sinclair replied, shaking her head.

Upon hearing the young lady’s answer, the last shred of hope in the cutter’s heart finally died.

Rian Sinclair noticed Ship King Rhodes sitting nearby. She walked over to Jasper Rivers and asked, "Your old man isn’t going to take you home and spank your butt, is he?"

Jasper Rivers rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Whatever you want to buy, I’ll pay for it. Don’t worry about anyone else. I’ve got more than enough pocket change for this."

His words were meant to dispel any lingering concerns she might have. Hearing this, Rian Sinclair said nothing more and quietly waited for the cutter to sand the stone.

The cutter wore a polite smile on his face, but he was cursing up a storm internally. Not daring to complain out loud, he had no choice but to fight a war of attrition with the stone.

He kept chanting in his heart, "Please show some green. Come on, show some green. If this doesn’t show any green, I’ll be grinding away until the end of time with my old bones, and that young lady still won’t tell me to stop."

"It’s showing green!"

"There’s green! Oh my God, it’s actually green!"

"Are my eyes playing tricks on me? That piece of scrap rock actually produced jade?"

The cutter was somewhat bewildered. When he first heard the shouts, he assumed someone at another stall had struck jade. But when he saw the crowd pointing directly at him, a premonition washed over him. He looked down, and a dazzling streak of emerald green caught his eye.

"Imperial Green! It’s glass-type Imperial Green!"

He thought, "Good heavens!" He could barely keep a steady grip on the sandpaper in his hand. Staring at the vibrant hue emerging from the stone, he realized this was the incredibly rare Imperial Green.

"Master, you better be careful! Take your time and sand it slowly. From the looks of it, there might be a massive chunk of it in there!"

The cutter didn’t need their reminders; he was already being extremely cautious as he worked. He was terrified of accidentally sanding away even the tiniest speck of that precious green.

Asher Rhodes had just picked up his teacup when he heard someone mention glass-type Imperial Green. His hand trembled, and the tea sloshed over the rim, spilling onto the table. What did he just hear? Glass-type Imperial Green!

The Shipping Magnate swayed unsteadily in his chair. Although he wasn’t involved in the jade trade, he still knew a thing or two about the precious stone. Imperial Green was exceptionally rare, yet this little girl had somehow managed to casually unearth it.

Jasper Rivers was taken aback by the commotion. He looked over at Rian Sinclair and noticed her calm expression, as if everything was perfectly under her control.

"Kid, do you have the ability to see the future?"

Hearing his teasing tone, Rian Sinclair replied, "What’s the matter? Want me to teach you?"

Jasper Rivers shook his head. "Forget it. I can’t even afford the tuition fees anymore."

Rian Sinclair didn’t say anything more in response.

The cutter sanded the stone meticulously. Wayne Walsh never imagined that a piece of rough stone previously condemned as worthless scrap could actually produce Imperial Green. When he finally pushed his way through the crowd of onlookers and saw that rich, flawless shade of green gleaming beneath the stream of water, his heart leaped into his throat!

Wayne Walsh sat down next to The Shipping Magnate. Seeing the quality of the jade, he couldn’t help but click his tongue in awe. "That green is so rich it looks like it’s dripping oil."

Asher Rhodes didn’t say a word; he simply instructed his subordinates to go set off firecrackers. According to the local customs, firecrackers were typically lit whenever a high-quality jade was unearthed. Although the little girl was the one who had bought the stone, she had been brought here by Jasper Rivers. So, he decided to light the firecrackers on her behalf. As for who actually owned the jade, that was a matter for the two youngsters to figure out between themselves.

The surrounding spectators were also putting pressure on the cutter, repeatedly shouting at him to be careful as he sanded. Some of the more impatient onlookers even demanded that he step aside and let them do the polishing instead.

But the cutter wasn’t about to give in to their demands. Even though he had been complaining bitterly just moments ago, that was only because he thought it was a piece of scrap rock. Now that it had yielded such a magnificent treasure, he only had one thing to say.

He thought, "I take back every word!"

As soon as the firecrackers went off, everyone in the facility knew that someone had struck it rich. The people who were still browsing the other rough stones couldn’t help but wander over, curious to see who had managed to unearth such a massive prize. However, when they saw that it was the same piece of waste rock that no one had wanted to buy earlier, they were entirely consumed by regret. Why hadn’t this heaven-sent fortune fallen into their laps?

Yet, if they hadn’t known it would produce jade, none of them would have bought it anyway. After all, the element of uncertainty was far too great, and no one had been willing to take that gamble. So, while everyone was wallowing in regret, they also praised the boldness of the person who had purchased the rough stone. She had withstood all the pressure and bought a piece of scrap, and to everyone’s surprise, she had managed to turn trash into treasure.

Some of the latecomers had brought their own master appraisers along. When they saw that this particular rough stone had yielded green, they were utterly astounded. They never expected that so many experienced masters could have completely misjudged it. However, they quickly snapped back to their senses, feeling a surge of excitement.

The master appraiser standing next to Wayne Walsh noticed that the cutter’s hands were shaking uncontrollably, so he stepped forward and pulled the man aside.

"Let me do it! You just help me pour the water!"