BXBX NOVEL Chapter 109: Wealth That Astonished the Gemstone Merchant
Thus, when faced with Heber's apology, Jack responded with a gracious smile.
"You are being overly cautious. As long as you can provide me with substantial gains, it matters not whether you or your apprentice is the one I deal with." Jack remarked.
His words eased the anxiety that had been weighing on Jeremy and Heber.
"This is hardly the appropriate venue for business discussions. Conveniently, I have a permanent suite on the second floor of the hotel. Why don't we head there to conduct our business?"
Jack invited them directly, extending an offer that was hard to refuse.
Jeremy and Heber naturally agreed without hesitation.
"No problem at all. I'll make sure the rest of our caravan members settle into their respective hotel rooms first." Heber said, mindful not to overlook the others in their party.
Jack nodded in acknowledgment and promptly started his way up the stairs.
Jeremy and Heber took the time to inform the other members of their caravan about the recent developments in meticulous detail.
Master Bard couldn't help but express his amazement.
"It seems you are quite the fortunate individual!" Master Bard remarked, his gaze scrutinizing Jeremy intently.
"To think you randomly chose a hotel that happens to house a highly successful gemstone merchant. It almost makes me wonder if you knew in advance that this merchant would be here."
As Master Bard spoke, he continued to study Jeremy with a discerning eye.
Despite possessing the system prompt from The Eye of Omniscience, Jeremy knew this was purely a stroke of luck.
"Master Bard, you're overthinking it. If my luck were truly that good, why did I encounter the Shadow Dragon on the road? And why did I have to face the rebellion in Dawn City while I was there?"
Jeremy responded, his tone tinged with a mix of irony and frustration.
Jeremy's reply was, of course, impeccable. Furthermore, his tone remained remarkably calm as he spoke. Master Bard, convinced by Jeremy's reasoning, decided not to press the matter further.
"Bonnie, I'll leave Nina in your care." Jeremy instructed, ensuring that Bonnie would look after Nina.
Considering that Bonnie was an awakened player with innate talents, her ability to protect herself was undoubtedly superior to Nina's.
In times of danger, Bonnie would be able to offer much-needed assistance to Nina.
Bonnie nodded in agreement, though Jeremy could discern a reluctant expression on her face.
Meanwhile, Heber had finally finished arranging accommodations for the rest of their caravan members.
"Everyone, attend to your own affairs. Jeremy and I will meet with the gemstone merchant." Heber announced.
Wasting no time, Heber and Jeremy hurried to the second floor of the hotel. In the corridor, they encountered one of Jack's servants.
"The master is awaiting you in the room."
The servant said, opening the door and gesturing for Heber and Jeremy to enter.
Without hesitation, Heber and Jeremy stepped inside.
As soon as Jeremy crossed the threshold, he was greeted by walls adorned with an eclectic collection of paintings. It seemed that Jack, the gemstone merchant, had a fervent passion for collecting art.
"Ah, you two have finally arrived. I was beginning to think you might take even longer to settle the rest of your caravan."
Jack's voice emanated from the study.
Heber and Jeremy exchanged glances and hastened into the room.
Jack, now clad in casual attire, sat behind a desk cluttered with ledgers. Apart from these documents, the only source of light was a dim oil lamp.
"I never expected your workspace to be so unpretentious. With your wealth, you could easily afford a luxurious office."
Heber remarked, offering a casual compliment.
However, Jack didn't follow Heber's lead.
Instead, he turned his gaze to Jeremy and smiled, "Since you're both here to discuss business, let's get straight to it. Demonstrate your sincerity by showing me any precious gemstones you have."
Jeremy promptly retrieved an orange gemstone from his pocket, a gem of exceptional quality.
The moment Jack laid eyes on it, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
He quickly donned a pair of gloves and carefully took the gemstone.
"This is indeed a gem of remarkable quality. If you're willing to sell it to me, I can offer you at least 200 energy crystals."
Jack declared, setting the price for the orange gemstone.
Jeremy, however, did not immediately agree. He felt that Jack's offer wasn't satisfactory.
"If you can only provide me with 200 energy crystals, I will also need a certain amount of soul crystals. If you can only offer energy crystals, then I expect no less than 400 energy crystals." Jeremy responded, negotiating firmly.
Jeremy's counteroffer left Jack slightly taken aback.
Handing the orange gemstone back to Jeremy, Jack smiled and said, "Soul crystals are inherently difficult to procure. Even with my extensive connections, it's nearly impossible to acquire a significant quantity of them.
As for your proposition of 400 energy crystals for the orange gemstone, that's simply out of the question. The gemstone doesn't command such a steep price."
As Jack spoke, his gaze was fixed on Heber.
He was acutely aware that Heber also understood the value of the orange gemstone.
Heber quickly intervened, addressing Jeremy, "Demanding 400 energy crystals is indeed exorbitant, while 200 energy crystals is undeniably too low.
How about we meet in the middle and agree on a price of 300 energy crystals for this precious gemstone?"
Although Heber's proposal was somewhat unsatisfactory to both Jeremy and Jack, they both recognized it as the most reasonable compromise.
Moreover, for Jack, purchasing the gemstone with energy crystals allowed him to profit from the exchange rate between energy crystals and gold coins.
Without hesitation, Jack nodded in agreement to Heber's suggestion.
After a moment of contemplation, Jeremy also conceded, realizing it was the most viable option.
The most pressing matter now was to gather enough energy crystals to restore the state of the class-change goddess, Janna.
Jeremy himself was unable to leave this instance, only with Janna's assistance could he and Bonnie escape.
"No problem at all! Consider it a deal!"
Jeremy agreed, and Jack was visibly pleased.
"Acquiring energy crystals will take about two or three days, so if you have any other precious gemstones, you should present them all at once. That way, I can determine precisely how many energy crystals I need to procure."
Jack suggested, confident that Jeremy's collection of valuable gemstones was probably limited. Hence, he felt assured that he could purchase all of Jeremy's precious stones in one go. However, what Jeremy said next left Jack utterly astonished.
"I possess a substantial number of gemstones. Your study is far too small to accommodate them all." Jeremy remarked. Initially, Jack thought Jeremy was joking, but a glance at Heber's serious expression confirmed otherwise.
"I'll just bring out a small portion of them." Jeremy muttered to himself. He then proceeded to pour out a significant number of precious gemstones onto the floor.
Jack found himself momentarily speechless as he gazed at the extensive collection of valuable gemstones scattered on the ground.
The sheer worth of these gems alone was enough to make Jeremy one of the wealthiest individuals in Nocturne City.
And yet, these were merely a fraction of what Jeremy possessed.
The wealth that Jeremy possessed left Jack, a seasoned gemstone merchant, utterly astounded. Jack, however, quickly recovered from his initial shock.
He realized that the vast quantity of gemstones Jeremy owned was beyond his financial capacity to purchase single-handedly.
"The number of gemstones you have is simply overwhelming. I don't have sufficient funds to buy them all at once."
Jack admitted, his tone forthright and sincere.
Jeremy and Heber both understood Jack's predicament.
They had never intended to rely solely on Jack, from the outset, they planned to approach several gemstone merchants for the transactions.
"How many gemstones can you purchase?" Jeremy inquired. "If you can't buy them all, we will naturally seek out other merchants."
After a brief pause, Jeremy added.
"However, since you are the first merchant we have approached, we are willing to give you the priority to select the gemstones you wish to buy."
Jeremy's words profoundly moved Jack.
Gratified, Jack responded, "Thank you very much for your trust. I've decided to raise the purchase price of the orange gemstones from 300 energy crystals to 350 energy crystals."
Jack had his reasons for this decision.
In his view, establishing a good relationship with Jeremy was of paramount importance. He couldn't afford to jeopardize this valuable client over a minor price negotiation.
"As I mentioned earlier, I will need approximately two days to acquire the energy crystals. Therefore, please return in two days for the transaction."
Jack said, picking up a ledger from his desk to jot down some notes.
Both Jeremy and Heber found Jack's arrangement reasonable and readily agreed.
"In two days, we will be back to complete the transaction!"