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Chapter 9 Stone Gambling

William nodded in all seriousness. “Yes.” Aidan was surprised that Tia came from a rich family. “Hey, aren’t you forgetting someone here, William? Introduce me to your girl.” William was about to tell Aidan that Tia wasn’t his girlfriend, but Tia said, “Hi, I’m Tia Lloyd. I’m William’s girlfriend.” “Aidan Wright. I hail from Justford. William and I used to be bunkmates.” Tia cocked her eyebrow. “Not many Wrights in Justford. Save for that family.” “You know?” Once again, Aidan was surprised. Tia said, “We get a lot of nouveaux riches in Justford. The Wrights are one of them. Made a lot of money in their first years doing real estate business, but their winning streak came to an end at the hands of one Prosperity Villa.” A moment of silence later, Aidan said, “You aren’t like most girls, Miss Lloyd. I presume you’re from one of the four prestigious families of Justford?” Tia wasn’t surprised Aidan knew that, and she smiled. “I see you could recognize my accent. Yes, I am part of the Lloyd Family.” Aidan took a deep breath. “It’s an honor knowing you, Miss Lloyd.” William had no idea why Aidan got so serious and excited. “You never told me you’re rich, Aidan.” A hint of sorrow filled Aidan’s eyes. “My family is heavily in debt. We owe others hundreds of millions of dollars, and we haven’t been able to get out of it. Honestly, this isn’t something to be bragged about.” “What happened, exactly?” William asked. Tia smiled. “We’ll talk about that later. Mr. Wright, please stop at Goldturn Hotel. I need to take William somewhere.” Goldturn Hotel was right ahead, and Aidan drove them to the entrance. “We’ll talk soon, Mr. Wright. Thank you for the ride,” said Tia. “No prob. I’ll be going now, then.” He drove off after the two of them got out of the car, though he looked shocked. Tia is William’s girlfriend? How? “So where are we going?” William stood before the entrance. “I hired a few experts in the stone gambling world, but I need you to vet them.” William smiled. Trying to test me, huh? “Sure. I’ll help.” A man in a black suit approached them and bowed at them the moment they came in. “They’re waiting in the second-floor lobby, mistress.” “Take me there,” she said imperiously. William noticed that Tia was acting completely different than before. Ah, this proves that she’s indeed from a rich family. Shines like a diamond, this girl. They came to a resplendent hall on the second floor. A group of four was engaged in a quiet discussion. In the middle of the hall was a stretch of red cloth draped over mysterious items. When Tia showed up, the men stood up. “Hello, Miss Lloyd.” Tia nodded. “Sorry for the short notice, but I need your help. I am setting off for Southside to purchase some stones from the Jade King. Can any of you lend a hand?” The men’s smiles froze the moment the Jade King was mentioned, and they exchanged wary looks. A frown furrowed Tia’s forehead. “Is something the matter?” One of the men said, “The Jade KingTristan Xenon is known for his guiles. Many have fallen for his lies and schemes. I personally do not recommend this endeavor, Miss Lloyd.” Tia looked at everyone else. “What do you say?” They shared the first man’s sentiment. A moment of silence later, Tia said, “You have a point, but my father’s future is at stake. I cannot stand by and watch as my family takes his future away.” The men exchanged a look. “Very well. If that is what you wish, then we shall go forth with you.” Tia swung her arm, and the middle-aged man unveiled what was lying beneath the red cloth. They were stones in different shapes and sizes. “Sixty raw rocks. Each of you will pick three from this pile, and we’ll do the reveal right away. The one who acquires the jadeite with the highest value will be my companion for this trip. If we make a profit this time round, I’ll pay you a million and a half.” The men exchanged a look and quickly made their pick. Oh. A million and a half? William’s eyes shone. I really need money, so “May I try?” Tia smiled. “Of course.” William approached the pile of rocks. He never gambled like this before, but he knew what kind of rock had a bigger chance of containing jadeites within. The rocks with the best potential generally looked pretty. That was all he needed to know. He activated the third eye and saw through all the rocks. Regrettably, most of them were pathetic. Some were even tampered with. They might look great on the outside, but there was not an ounce of jadeite within. While the experts were going through the rocks, William already made up his mind. He picked three rocks and set them aside, then he nodded at Tia. “Done.” The experts shook their heads, thinking that William was an amateur, given how fast he picked his rocks. No expert worth their salt could make their pick so fast. Tia smiled and waved her hand. Two staff members came to do the reveal. The first rock was the size of a teapot and weighed around nine pounds. One of the experts took a look. The surface of that rock was reddish and smooth. They called that kind of rock ‘sausage skin’. Most rocks of this caliber had no good jadeites. He shook his head. “You might be out of luck. There’s no way you’re getting a good one.” William smiled. His third eye saw through all these rocks, and this one, in particular, had a green jadeite in it. It took up about one-third of the rock’s insides and weighed about a thousand grams. The jadeite was green, had even color distribution, and had a bit of pattern on it. It also had shades of yellow, and William thought that looked nice. He had no idea what the price was, but it must be worth a lot. William took a pen and drew some lines on the rock. “Open it up.” The staff member started cutting the rock as per William’s request. A moment later, he shivered and surprise flashed in his eyes. Tia cocked her eyebrow. There’s something inside? Thirty seconds later, the staff member stopped cutting the rock, and he looked at William with a smile. “Jackpot, sir.” That sent a ripple across the crowd. The experts huddled around the rock, looking surprised. They looked at it and were met with a greenish-yellow hue. Quality crystal jade. The realization of what William had gotten himself made them freeze. Even amateurs would think that this jadeite looked nice, and nice jadeites usually cost a lot of money. Calmly, William turned around. “So how much is this worth?” Tia’s eyes shone. An expert like her knew the exact answer. “Seventy-five dollars per gram. Type A, of course. The whole piece weighs about two pounds. I’d say it totals up to around seventy-five hundred grand at least.” William was surprised. Seventy-five hundred grand? Whoa. Tia smiled. “Let’s move on, William. I can’t wait to see the next one.” The second rock was about twenty-two pounds, and William hit another jackpot. The transparency and color distribution were both fine. This jadeite was worth about a hundred and twenty grand. The third rock weighed about thirteen pounds, and the jadeite inside was worth about forty-five grand. The grand total came to two hundred and forty grand. The smile on Tia’s lips grew wider. “Each rock here cost about eighty-six hundred on average. The rocks you picked are worth about half the total sum. I think you got the best three.”