Journey To The Immortal God

Ch - 5 : A Hundredfold Reward

Ch - 5 : A Hundredfold Reward

"But Grandpa, you two aren't the same as you used to be. Grandma falls ill quite often these days, so neither of you should be going out alone anymore. Come on now, hurry up and get into the car; we're heading home." Hearing Aditi's words, the couple got into the car. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Siddharth was standing in front of a Jade Market.

Siddharth walked straight inside. The market was bustling with activity; every shop was filled with stones, and people were busy touching and examining them. Using his spiritual vision, Siddharth scanned all the stones around him. Suddenly, he spotted a particular stone in one of the shops—one that contained jade.

Siddharth approached the shop. It was quite crowded, but he managed to reach the shopkeeper and asked, "Excuse me, brother, how much does this stone cost?"

The shopkeeper looked in the direction Siddharth was pointing. "This stone costs two hundred thousand." Hearing this, Siddharth felt a pang of disappointment; he didn't have two hundred thousand—he had only a thousand rupees to his name.

"Do you happen to have any cheaper stones?" The shopkeeper looked at Siddharth, then, with a hint of annoyance, pointed toward a tray filled with various stones sitting lower down. "These ones are all two hundred each," he said.

Having said that, he turned his attention elsewhere. Siddharth looked at the stones in the tray and noticed that one of them—just one—contained jade. He picked up that specific stone. "I'd like to buy this one," he said, and handed the shopkeeper two hundred rupees.

He then handed the stone back to the shopkeeper to have it cut open. The shopkeeper took the stone and began to cut into it. As he sliced ​​it open, a vibrant green piece of jade was revealed inside.

The people standing nearby began to murmur amongst themselves as they gazed at the jade. "That is incredibly pure jade! It must be worth millions!"

Just then, the shopkeeper spoke up: "Listen, kid, I'll give you one hundred thousand for this." Immediately, another man in the crowd chimed in, "I'll give you one hundred and twenty-five thousand!" Everyone began outbidding one another.

Finally, the shopkeeper raised his voice: "Silence, everyone! Kid, my final offer for this is two hundred thousand." "...I will give it to you."

At that moment, Siddharth spoke up, "No, I will not sell this for two hundred thousand."

The shopkeeper then threw two hundred at Siddharth and said, "You keep your money. I never sold this stone to you in the first place."

No sooner had the shopkeeper uttered these words than a young man arrived on the scene. "It seems you are unaware of the rules of the Jade Market. Once a stone is sold, it belongs to the buyer. From that point on, it is a matter of the buyer's luck—if jade is found inside, they make a profit; if not, they suffer a loss. If a shopkeeper dares to violate this rule, they will be permanently expelled from the Jade Market."

Upon seeing the young man, the shopkeeper began to tremble with fear. Shaking uncontrollably, he approached the young man and pleaded, "Young Master, please forgive me! I have made a mistake." Saying this, he handed the jade stone over to Siddharth. "I will give you any item of your choice from my shop, absolutely free of charge."

The young man replied, "Since this is your first offense, I shall forgive you."

Then, turning his gaze toward Siddharth, the young man asked, "I would like to purchase this jade stone for ten million. What do you say?"

Siddharth replied, "Very well. I will sell it to you."

Having said this, Siddharth handed the jade stone to the young man. Immediately, the young man transferred ten million into Siddharth's bank account.

[ You have earned 10 million. A 100x multiplier has been applied; you receive 1 billion. The reward has been deposited into your account. ]

[ As a 'First Income Reward,' you have received one hundred Medium-Grade Spiritual Crystals. ]

Siddharth was astonished by everything he was witnessing. The young man then said, "Go ahead and check; I have sent the money."

Siddharth replied, "Yes, the money has arrived. My business here is concluded, so I shall take my leave."

The young man stopped him, saying, "Are you really leaving just like that? The shopkeeper offered to let you take any single stone from his shop for free."

"Ah, you are right to remind me!" Saying this, Siddharth picked up the very first stone he had laid eyes on earlier. "Alright then, I'll take this one."

[ 100... [Multiplier Applied: You receive a top-quality Red Jade of the highest grade. The reward has been deposited into your System Inventory; you may retrieve it at any time.]

[First Income Reward: You receive 100% ownership shares of Vasundhara Pharmaceuticals Ltd.]

Siddharth stared at the System screen for a moment; then, clutching the stone, he turned to leave. Just then, the young man spoke up, "Hey friend, aren't you going to have that stone cut open? We’d really like to see what’s inside it, too."

"Alright. You’ve been a great help to me, so you’re welcome to take a look." Saying this, Siddharth handed the stone over to the shopkeeper to be cut.

The shopkeeper took the stone and began to cut into it. A short while later, he finished the job. As the stone split open, everyone present was left stunned by the jade revealed within.

"It’s a Red Jade! The odds of finding one of these are literally one in a thousand!" people began whispering amongst themselves. The shopkeeper, too, was left aghast by the sight; he was now consumed by deep regret, wondering why on earth he had ever offered to give Siddharth a stone for free.

What happens next...?

So, readers—what do *you* think will unfold next in this novel? ...To find out, keep reading the upcoming chapters of *Journey To The Immortal God*.