In fact, Yao Guangcheng was not only skilled in alchemy but also extraordinarily despicable. The idea of the Stone Tasting Conference was first proposed to Yuan Tianbo by him, which was why Yuan Tianbo trusted him immensely, relying on him as his right-hand man.
Yao Guangcheng bent down next to Yuan Tianbo, whispering into his ear.
While listening to Ling Baobao introduce the rules of the Stone Tasting Conference, boasting in between, Mu Hanyan and her companions wandered around the hall to enjoy the excitement.
"Ha ha ha ha, fortune has struck, it’s Glazed Gold, Glazed Gold!" In the crowd, a young Swordsman held a piece of Meteorite Gold Ore no bigger than the palm of his hand, gazing at the slight iridescence peeking from the edges and laughed wildly towards the sky.
"Pfft, such a tiny piece, and it’s only Glazed Gold. How much could you possibly save after the refining fee? To get so excited over it, that’s a lack of ambition," Ling Baobao said with disdain.
Mu Hanyan and her friends had heard him mention the rules of the Stone Tasting Conference before. Based on the size and appearance of the Meteorite Gold Ore, each piece was priced from several thousands to tens of thousands. To have it refined for authentication, if it turned out to be a useless stone, the charge was ten thousand, while a genuine Meteorite Gold Stone was charged from fifty thousand to a million.
And to demonstrate fairness, the wall was even plastered with the prices of various types of Meteorite Gold and the costs of refining and authentication.
Mu Hanyan glanced at the price list on the wall: this piece of Glazed Gold Ore needed only five thousand, but the refining fee was one hundred thousand, with an inherent value of one hundred fifty thousand. That meant the young Swordsman could profit a total of forty-five thousand taels.
In truth, making so much money all at once would be considered striking it rich overnight for the common folk. However, as Mu Hanyan had seen before, even betting a hundred times would likely yield only one or two pieces of Meteorite Gold; relying on this to amass a fortune was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
But that’s how gamblers were—knowing full well that the chances of winning were slim, they always harbored illusions, always believing their luck would be a bit better than others. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0veI.Fiɾe.net
"You talk about ambitions, yet you’ve lost everything, even your pants," Wu Qiuyun teased after hearing Ling Baobao’s words.
"That... that was just bad luck, okay? With my Eye Power, distinguishing Meteorite Gold Stone should have been no issue at all. But it can’t be helped, it’s just not the same as back home, truly different," Ling Baobao argued, his face flushing as he spoke in a low voice.
"What’s different?" Mu Hanyan, having heard him say something similar several times already, asked curiously.
"Meteorite Gold Stone, it’s not quite the same as the Fine Gold and Mithril from our place, and other things are different too, it’s just different," Ling Baobao mumbled vaguely.
"Right, didn’t you come here to gamble? Why haven’t you placed your bets yet?" It seemed as though Ling Baobao didn’t want to be questioned further by Mu Hanyan and quickly changed the subject.
"Well, we should also try our luck," Mu Hanyan concluded after observing for a while and understanding the rules. It was time to make a move.
The group casually approached the nearest stone counter, piled with Meteorite Gold Ores of various sizes, each marked with a price tag. They simply needed to choose one and pay.
Seeing Mu Hanyan and her friends approaching, a lean man in his fifties hurried over to greet them.
"Are you guests here to taste the stones as well? Have you taken a fancy to any in particular?" The lean man was none other than Yao Guangcheng.
According to his and Yuan Tianbo’s plan, of course, the first step was to give Mu Hanyan a taste of victory to pique her interest. After letting her win and lose intermittently, the game was rigged to ensure that the house always had the upper hand. That way, she could savor the gambler’s pleasure, falling deeper and deeper into the trap, until ultimately, she would become desperate to win, risking all her assets.