Ava Kent was no stranger to the way people looked at her as if she were an easy mark. When she first entered this field in her past life, she often received such looks.
It wasn't until she made a name for herself in the Gemstone Realm that others dared not underestimate her because of her age.
"I'm just looking around, you can go elsewhere, no need to follow me."
Ava glanced around, casually picked up a few raw stones, and was relieved to find she could still sense the interior of the stones.
Her ability was still there!
The staff didn't want to let this big fish get away. Even though she said so, they continued to recommend eagerly.
Bright City had a nickname of Jade Town, with a legacy of over a thousand years. As long as life was somewhat decent, people liked to own jade pieces at home as family heirlooms.
Influenced by the culture, many young people also took pleasure in the stone gambling, so students like Ava appearing here wasn't surprising.
And because of their youth and lack of experience, they often got ripped off like easy marks.
"Little sister, this is a good piece of material, a premium white-skin Mu Na, even has pine flower marks on the surface. The chance of seeing color inside is great."
Ava followed his gaze and looked over. It was a small piece of white sand-skin material. She weighed it in her hand, roughly about two pounds.
The skin was coarse with gravel, and under the lamp, it showed nothing impressive.
However, with Mu Na material, if there's color on the surface, there's a good chance it extends inward.
Although Ava had the ability to sense jade, she didn't overlook professional knowledge. After all, she had to play the part, or if someone discovered her extraordinary ability, she'd probably get dissected.
To mislead others, she sometimes deliberately made mistakes.
Seeing her being serious, the staff whispered beside her, "Little sister, you look unfamiliar, is this your first time here? Our shop offers discounts for new customers. If you want this, how about 20,000 for this premium material."
"Twenty thousand?"
Ava shook her head, "I can't afford that."
The staff gave her a stealthy glance, calculative eyes revealing his cunning, "Then how about you suggest a price? As long as it's not too excessive, we can discuss it."
"Two hundred, I guess."
"Two hundred and eighty?" The young man stared in shock, "Are you kidding? You can't haggle like that. Look closely, this material has green inside, any hint of the green peeking through, you'd definitely make a big profit."
"Oh..."
Ava nodded, pretending to understand, looking like an easily deceived young girl, "Um, I didn't mean that..."
The young man breathed a sigh of relief, thinking there was still room for negotiation.
But then Ava corrected, "What I meant was two hundred, not two hundred eighty."
The young man: "..."
"If you're not willing, then forget it."
The material indeed had some green, but the quality was too poor, not even bean-grade, just a heap of tofu dregs. Even two hundred was too much for her.
Premium material?
Trying to fool a kid?
Ava put the raw stone back and continued to look at others.
She looked around, her pockets containing only so much money, unable to afford anything too premium.
Just then, new customers came in, probably regulars. The young man called out to them and promptly left Ava to greet them.
Ava was glad to be left alone, feeling uneasy under constant watch.
She picked up a piece with a fracture from the table, handling it carefully as it was heavy.
While sensing the jade quality within, her hands were not idle, using a lamp to examine the raw stone's performance.
This piece should be from the Soqi field, with yellow sand-skin, tight on the surface, and a yellow mist beneath under the lamp, indicating quality material.
"Boss, how much is this piece?"
The moment the words left her mouth, a familiar voice came from behind, "Ava, what are you doing here?"
Ava turned her head to see Julius Goodman standing not far behind her, with a man in his fifties or sixties picking stones beside him, which must be Julius's master, Len Palmer.
Ava paused a moment, then smiled, "Had nothing to do, so I came over to have some fun."
Julius had spotted her earlier but couldn't believe Ava appeared here, so he didn't approach right away.
Only hearing her voice did he confirm.
Just then, the boss said, "This material is thirty-six thousand."
"Thirty-six thousand?" Ava said, "That's too high, doesn't seem worth that."
The boss thought: You little kid, what can you possibly see?
Ava: "Look, this piece only has this one spot showing something, nothing at the bottom, and it's a fracture material, with so many cracks.
Setting such a high price, aren't you afraid it'll get stuck in your hands? How about two thousand."
When buying, never show that you want it too much, especially in the jade industry, where the waters run deep. Otherwise, you might get ripped off down to your underwear.
Julius was surprised, quickly pulling her aside, "Ava, you actually came to gamble on stones, Mrs. Von won't let you off easily."
"So you can't let my mom know." Ava grinned, "Julius, you won't tattle on me, right?"
Julius hesitated, looking into her cheerful eyes, unable to say anything harsh, yet he couldn't let her be reckless.
So he said, "No, I can't let you, go back and study well, this isn't a place you should be."
He was about to pull Ava away when the boss quickly called them, "Little girl, you don't want this piece? Let's compromise, ten thousand, how about that?"
"No..."
Ava wanted to haggle more, but Julius pulled her behind him and said, "Boss, she's not buying."
The boss quickly said, "How about this, I'll reduce it a bit more for you, eight thousand!"
"Too expensive, can't afford it." Ava remained behind Julius, unable to reach but jumping, "Boss, I'll add a thousand, just three thousand, if you sell I'll buy."
Julius tried to cover her mouth, but couldn't.
The jade trade had a rule—if you give an offer and the shop accepts, you must buy.
He could only hope the boss wouldn't agree and quickly take Ava away.
But the boss immediately agreed with a smile, "Alright then, three thousand it is. Considering it's your first time here, I'll give you a discounted rate."
Julius facepalmed, watching Ava run happily to the counter, suddenly feeling guilty.
He felt it was because of the books he lent her that made her interested in stone gambling out of nowhere.
If that's the case, what would he say to Mrs. Von?
"Little Goodman, is this your friend?" Len Palmer asked as he finished selecting materials, passing by Julius.
Julius nodded, "A neighbor's daughter."
Len Palmer laughed, "You young people today, really gutsy, daring to strive, this little girl doesn't look old, yet she has some guts."
Julius felt his ears burning with embarrassment, increasingly uneasy.
He thought he made the wrong decision at the time, and it might really be like his mom said, hurting Ava.
At this time, Ava followed the staff to the back to find a stone-cutting master to process the raw stones.
Julius thought for a moment, said something to Len Palmer, and followed them.