Top Notch War God

Chapter 71

Talon nodded and casually stepped outside. After all, Ariya's name-change ceremony was tomorrow, so he wasn't in a rush to head back.

Nia, quick and agile, sat in the driver's seat. "Mr. Storm, where would you like to go? I heard there's a guy in Philadelphia called the Masked King who deals in antiques, which is why I agreed to go there with Dale. But it turns out that the Masked King died for some unknown reason. With Grandpa's birthday coming up, how about accompanying me to Pennsylvania's largest jade market to help me pick out a gift for him?"

Talon nodded in agreement.

***

JadeWorld Market was the largest jade trading center in Pennsylvania. Anyone with money could find any type of jade here.

As soon as Talon entered JadeWorld Market, he saw a few people anxiously chipping away at some stones, sweat dripping from their foreheads. When the stone cutter finally stopped, a piece of emerald green rock was revealed, and the group erupted in cheers. "We hit the jackpot! We really struck it rich this time!"

Nia glanced at the stone and remarked with interest, "That's ice jade. Just look at its size; it should sell for over ten million. But for Grandpa, I think... it's still a bit cheap."

Talon didn't comment. Ten million might seem impressive to an average person, but for Pennsylvania's wealthiest man, it would come off as rather stingy. They continued browsing the jade market, with Nia occasionally stopping to shine her flashlight on various stones, only to sigh and set them aside. Wasn't there a single piece here that she found satisfactory?

"Miss, have you found anything you like after all this time?" A vendor approached, wearing glasses and looking quite shrewd.

"Boss, do you have any better stones? These... seem too ordinary," Nia sighed, clearly disappointed.

The vendor smiled and praised her, "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable! These stones are just for amateurs. If you want to see the good stuff, I guarantee you'll be satisfied, but they'll cost you quite a bit more."

"If you have the good stuff, why didn't you show it earlier?" Nia's interest perked up as she rushed over when she spotted a stone, shining her flashlight on it excitedly.

The vendor smiled and explained, "I only sell to those who know their stuff. I have limited treasures, and I can't just put them out for everyone to see. This stone came from an old mine at the southern border of East Asia, and I paid thirty million for it. It's been kept for a few years; I guarantee there's high-quality jade inside!"

"Mr. Storm, what do you think about this thirty-million-dollar stone?" Nia had been eyeing it for a while, intending to buy it, but since Talon was with her, she felt she should consult him first.

"Honestly, if you buy this stone for thirty million, you might not even break even," Talon said, gently touching the stone and shaking his head slightly.

"Hey, you're quite the character! You can tell it won't yield thirty million just by touching it? Are you willing to take a bet? If it doesn't yield jade worth thirty million, I'll eat it!" The vendor became slightly annoyed when he noticed Nia's enthusiasm waning.

Talon glanced at an unremarkable stone nearby, his expression showing surprise. He carefully placed his hand on the stone, stroking it inch by inch, almost as if he were caressing a lover.

"Boss, how much is this stone?" Nia asked the vendor, noticing Talon's actions.

"That one? It's just scrap. If you want it, I'll let it go for a hundred thousand." The vendor, still a bit irritated, raised the price from fifty thousand to a hundred.

"Nia, buy this one," Talon said, raising his hand, still looking surprised.

"Oh, okay, okay." Nia didn't know what he saw in it, but she hurriedly took out her phone.

"I thought you were a big deal!" the vendor scoffed.

"Mr. Storm, can you really tell that this stone is special?" Nia went over to inspect it, shining her flashlight on it several times but couldn't find anything unusual. Finally, she looked at Talon, puzzled.

"We can crack it open right here," Talon smiled.

"I'll do the cracking. Let's see how skilled you really are!" the vendor sneered.

The vendor took the stone to the cutting table, and soon a crowd gathered, eager to watch. Cutting stones was all about luck and adrenaline; it was almost addictive.

"Mr. Curtis is personally cutting the stone; that's a rare sight! But I didn't see anything special about that piece!"

"Probably just some clueless amateur killing time; Mr. Curtis finally sold off a piece of scrap today."

"Haha, we'll see; maybe that amateur will be so mad he'll turn pale!"

Hearing the crowd's chatter made Nia feel a bit uneasy. Mr. Curtis had already said it was just scrap, and she really couldn't see anything different… 'If we don't find a gem after cracking it, how will Talon feel?'

Nia whispered, "Mr. Storm, how about you take another look? That thirty-million stone looks good. Otherwise, we can just skip this one and go for that. Don't worry, I can manage thirty million!"

"Why not crack it open?" Talon stood beside the stone, watching Mr. Curtis position it.

"Well..." Nia was momentarily speechless. Forget it; if Talon wanted to risk it, she would go along with it.

"Hey, I'm ready to crack the stone. Are we doing this or not?" Mr. Curtis teased Talon, clearly skeptical that the stone would yield anything valuable.

"Let's do it," Talon ordered calmly.

"Alright, just watch!" Mr. Curtis activated the machine, and the loud cutting sound filled the air as the stone cracked open.

"Haha, as expected, just a piece of scrap! It's still just stone, haha!"

"Mr. Curtis, you can't be so deceitful. You knew it was scrap and still sold it for a hundred thousand dollars?"

"How can you say that? Mr. Curtis has marked his prices clearly. If this brat is willing to buy it, it's completely fair!"

Mr. Curtis cast a disdainful glance and turned to Talon. "Brat, your luck isn't great. After this cut, don't expect to see jade; there won't even be any jade left. The second cut is coming; what's your plan?"

"Just cut the stone open," Talon said, stroking it and indicating a spot.

Mr. Curtis raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You want to go straight for the third cut? Just a heads-up: once we make all three cuts, the stone probably won't be worth anything, and it'll just be yours. If you have money to burn, I'll do it; consider it an experience for your hundred thousand!"

Talon smiled calmly and said nothing.

Mr. Curtis sneered, positioned the blade according to Talon's indication, and prepared for the cut.

The stone-cutting machine moved slowly. As the blade began to slice through the stone, everyone craned their necks, eager for the results, ready to laugh at Talon.

Chips of stone flew everywhere, and in no time, the cutting was finished. Mr. Curtis opened the machine's lid and said, "Brat, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. This stone... What the hell!" Mr. Curtis was about to continue speaking when he suddenly exclaimed, cutting himself off.