(Due to an incorrect chapter title that cannot be corrected, this is Chapter Twenty-Five.)
The VIP area manager, noticing the tense atmosphere, rushed over.
"Young Master Gregory, if you need a female assistant trainer, we can arrange it for you in a moment!"
"Why wait until later? They're standing right now, and I've already made my choice!" the little brat said coldly.
"Other guests are making their selections!" the VIP area manager explained.
"It's okay, I'll just choose Mary. Anyway, I haven't heard anyone else choose her. The rules of the Battle Hall are that I can choose as long as no one else has chosen her. Is there a problem?" That annoying little brat acted like an adult and started lecturing people. "Don't you dare say that Mary has already been chosen. There are so many people here. Has anyone heard anyone call Mary's name or seen anyone select her? I was the first to call her name, so she's mine!"
The VIP area manager was speechless.
From the moment this brat walked over, Zhang Tie had been staring at him. He was puzzled. Why would such an inconsiderate kid try to upset him over such a trivial matter when the Gregory family had already reconciled with him?
Zhang Tie was somewhat confused.
"Your surname Gregory?" Zhang Tie asked the child.
"Of course!" The little brat proudly raised his head, continuing to look at Zhang Tie defiantly.
" The Gregory Family of Black Flame City?"
The little brat snorted.
"Then do you know who I am?" Zhang Tie asked, pointing to his own nose.
"I know!" the little brat laughed maliciously. "Two months ago, he was the lowest-ranking human punching bag in the Battle Hall. He couldn't even last ten seconds before I kicked him unconscious, hahaha..."
The brat deliberately spoke loudly, making Zhang Tie lose face. While the brat was laughing, the two bodyguards beside him looked at Zhang Tie nervously. These two bodyguards were both level six Black Spider. They knew Zhang Tie; even when he was seriously injured, Zhang Tie could instantly kill a Black Spider. When they saw Zhang Tie Tie's eyes narrow slightly as he stared at Gregory, the two bodyguards nervously stepped forward, wanting to protect Gregory behind them.
Zhang Tie didn't move, but smiled. "Your surname Gregory. Because of this surname, you have many privileges in the Battle Hall, and it's also because of this surname that you're able to stand here today and say so much to me. There are many people your age in Black Flame City, but I doubt anyone has the courage to say these things to the face of an Imperial Army official. May I ask you a question?" "What question?"
"I know that children from wealthy families mature very early. So, are you speaking to me on behalf of the Gregory Family?" Zhang Tie asked with a smile, and the air around them seemed to freeze.
The kid was about to blurt out, "Of course!", but just as he was about to speak, a strange feeling made him tremble. He swallowed the words back. "Of... no, even if you're an Imperial officer, does that mean you can silence people? I'm a citizen of the Norman Empire now. Are you wearing this uniform just to intimidate the people of the Empire? What law in the Norman Empire forbids someone like me from speaking to you? Was anything I just said false? Was it slander? I chose Mary as my female assistant before you even spoke. Do you think I don't have that right? Or does the Iron Thorn Combat Hall need to grovel before an Imperial lieutenant?"
Seeing Zhang Tie rendered speechless by his words, the little brat became even more smug.
At this moment, even Manager Hans was alerted and rushed over. Seeing that Manager Hans had already appeared at the entrance of the VIP area, Zhang Tie smiled.
"Of course you have that right, and what you said is correct. I am now an advisor to the Battle Hall, and I really have no reason to argue with a customer. I am very happy that you are here to spend money!" After Zhang Tie finished speaking, he glanced at Mary, " Mary, young Gregory has chosen you to be his assistant trainer, so you should serve him well. Go!"
Gregory and Mary swaggered away triumphantly, and the atmosphere in the VIP service area eased again.
Manager Hans, who rushed over, gave Zhang Tie a deep look before leaving.
Seeing Zhang Tie's humiliation, Beneta seemed even more unhappy than Zhang Tie.
"Why did you give in to him? Gregory went too far just now. You ordered Mary first, and he not only took Mary away but also made you feel bad with his words, making you lose face. Why didn't you teach him a lesson?" Beneta asked Zhang Tie angrily.
"Would you wrestle with a wild boar in a mud pit?" Zhang Tie asked Beneta.
Beneta shook his head.
"Then why do you want me to argue with a fool who only knows how to talk? Wrestling with a wild boar will only make you dirty, no matter who you win or lose, and arguing with a fool like that will only make you look just as stupid as him, no matter who you win or lose."
Beneta thought about it seriously, and seemed to understand a little.
"To deal with wild boars in mud pits, you might need spears and crossbows, but to deal with this kind of fool who only knows how to talk big and thinks he's clever, you don't even need to do anything, because his stupidity is enough to get him killed!"
"What do you mean?" Beneta was a little confused.
"Where does this person rank in the Gregory family's line of succession?"
"After the fortieth, this person comes from a branch of the Gregory Family!"
"A little brat from a branch of the Gregory Family," Zhang Tie shook his head.
"Just you wait and see, today is the last time this poor little brat will come to the Iron Thorn Combat Hall!"
Zhang Tie was beginning to understand the kid's thoughts—when someone who had always considered themselves pampered and privileged discovered that someone they had previously looked down upon, someone they could easily knock unconscious with a kick and who wasn't even worthy of being their human punching bag, had suddenly changed their identity and caused their Lineage to suffer heavy losses due to an unexpected incident, how would they feel about that person?
These feelings and emotions can be very complex. If one cannot face reality and continues to see Zhang Tie as "the lowly human punching bag that one once trampled on at will, but now causes the Lineage to lose a large sum of money and only earns 80 copper coins per hour," then one might do something as foolish as Gregory did today.
After this commotion, Zhang Tie lost the will to stay in the Battle Hall any longer. Besides, he figured that Mary had been terrified by what happened today. There was no need to dwell on the little conflict and petty squabbles from before. So Zhang Tie said goodbye to Beneta, went to Manager Hans to collect his year's salary—a hefty sum of over 1,000 gold coins weighing about 20 kilograms—and then left the Iron Thorn Combat Hall.
Mingguang Street remains luxurious. Even now, although business on this street is not as good as before, the shops on both sides of the street still sell the best things that can be bought in Black Flame City.
After leaving the Battle Hall, Zhang Tie wandered the street for more than ten minutes before finally arriving at the jewelry store he was looking for.
The jewelry store was filled with dazzling, glittering pieces, and several shop assistants stood behind the counter. In a glass-enclosed room next to the counter, Zhang Tie also saw seven or eight jewelry craftsmen hammering away at their workbenches.
Besides selling jewelry, this place also offers custom-made and crafted jewelry. According to the girls from the Rose Society, this is the best jewelry shop in Black Flame City.
Zhang Tie's military uniform earned him a warm welcome as soon as he entered the store.
Zhang Tie carefully browsed the shop, almost overwhelmed by the Zhang Tie variety. Finally, a set of gold jewelry caught his eye—a set featuring rose motifs, exquisitely designed and beautiful. It included a ring, a bracelet, a pair of earrings, and a necklace. In Black Flame City, this would be a very respectable dowry for a daughter's marriage...
"Let me take a look at this set of jewelry!"
"Okay!" The enthusiastic salesperson immediately took out the jewelry set that was laid out on the green velvet tray.
Zhang Tie looked at it and was very satisfied.
"How much does this set of jewelry cost?" Zhang Tie asked.
"Please wait a moment! This jewelry set can be sold individually or as a set. Let me calculate for you: the ring weighs 13.6 grams, the bracelet weighs 78.8 grams, the necklace weighs 31.5 grams, and the pair of earrings weighs 21 grams, for a total weight of 144.9 grams. Including the processing fee, we will charge you 8 gold coins and 38 silver coins..."
The eight gold coins weighed 200 grams, and the 38 silver coins, converted to gold, contained 9.5 grams of gold. Zhang Tie instantly calculated the premium on this set of gold jewelry in his mind—44.5%. As expected of the jewelry store that claimed to be the best in Black Flame City, the price seemed a little high. The premium in other jewelry stores was generally no more than 30%, but the premium here was close to 50%. However, Zhang Tie looked at the exquisite craftsmanship of the jewelry and felt it was still reasonable. Most importantly, someone liked it.
"Can you engrave anything on this jewelry set?"
"Of course! The rings and bracelets in this jewelry set can be engraved. We'll engrave what you want to say to your loved one for free!" The jewelry store clerk, with her keen eye, seemed to guess Zhang Tie Zhang Tie's intended recipient just by looking at his age and appearance. "Are you planning to give this jewelry set to your sweetheart?"
Zhang Tie smiled and nodded, seemingly a little shy.
"If you're planning to give this to your sweetheart, it will definitely be a treasured keepsake for her for a lifetime. Having her name or a message you want to say engraved on it would be incredibly romantic!" The sale seemed secure, and the salesperson, in high spirits, became even more enthusiastic towards Zhang Tie. "Are you going to buy it?"
"Certainly!"
"Then we can also give you a beautiful gift box and a bouquet of fresh roses," the shop assistant smiled. "Your sweetheart will definitely love it!"
"I think so too!" Zhang Tie smiled. "Give me eighty-two sets of this jewelry!"
"What?" The shop assistant could hardly believe his ears; he stared wide-eyed at Zhang Tie. "What did you say?"
"I said, I want eighty-two sets of this jewelry!" Zhang Tie repeated.
The shop assistant looked at Zhang Tie with suspicion and wariness. Eighty-two sets at once? He felt that Zhang Tie was trying to scam money by wearing those clothes.
Finally, the jewelry store owner, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, came out in person, and Zhang Tie was led to a lounge behind the jewelry store counter...
"You mean you want eighty-two sets of this jewelry?" the jewelry shop owner asked cautiously, already prepared to pay to avoid trouble. Although the Normans had a good reputation, there were always a few bad apples. Businessmen were most afraid of soldiers wielding knives and acting unreasonably.
"Yes!"
"Would you like to pay in cash or...?"
"Cash only!" Zhang Tie picked up the bag containing over a thousand gold coins and slammed it onto the coffee table in the room. Then he unzipped the bag, revealing a gleaming expanse of gold inside.
"We don't have that much of this jewelry in stock, so it might take a while to prepare it!" The jewelry store owner breathed a sigh of relief and secretly wiped away a bead of sweat.
"How many days will it take?"
Three days!
"Okay, no problem, I can pay first, and I'll come to pick up the goods in three days!" Zhang Tie said readily. In Black Flame City, he was no longer afraid that anyone would dare to take advantage of him.
Ten minutes later, Zhang Tie left the jewelry store, with only a little over 200 gold coins left in his bag. This one visit to the jewelry store had cost Zhang Tie the most money he had ever spent in his life.
The jewelry store owner didn't sweat while counting the money, but when he saw the list Zhang Tie had written for him to have engraved on the set of jewelry rings, he immediately broke out in a sweat.
"To my beloved Angel baby -- Zhang Tie "
"To my beloved Susan – Zhang Tie "
"To my beloved Fiona - Zhang Tie "
"To my beloved Shawa -- Zhang Tie "
"To my beloved Victoria Baby -- Zhang Tie "
"To my beloved Jennifer baby -- Zhang Tie "
"To my beloved Hildina baby -- Zhang Tie "
"To my beloved Helena baby -- Zhang Tie "
There were eighty-two names of various treasures engraved on that set of jewelry alone. In addition, Zhang Tie also selected three unique rings from the jewelry store, each inlaid with several large, exquisite gemstones, and had them engraved with names as well.
Zhang Tie gave Pandora a ring set with a black tourmaline gemstone. He felt the black gemstone suited Pandora well. On the back of the ring, Zhang Tie had a sentence engraved. "I know you love me in your own way, and I love you too— Zhang Tie."
Beverly received a ring set with a ruby. Seeing the ruby on the ring reminded Zhang Tie of Beverly's fiery short hair and beautiful face. On the back of the ring, Zhang Tie also had a sentence engraved. "I know you are not only as beautiful as a ruby, but also as pure as a ruby— Zhang Tie."
The third ring was for Alice, a sapphire ring. To Zhang Tie, the tears Alice shed in bed that day were like rolling sapphires. Zhang Tie struggled for a long time before finally writing the inscription on the back of the ring. "May your future happiness be as vast as the Da Hai — Zhang Tie!"
A man who can spend over 800 gold coins in a jewelry store at once is not a god; there have been such men before. But a man who can give jewelry to 85 darlings and sweethearts at once is definitely a god. So when Zhang Tie left, the jewelry store owner, the staff, and even the workers busy in the processing workshop all came out to see Zhang Tie off at the store door with eyes that looked at him like he was a god.
After leaving the jewelry store, Zhang Tie went to a women's clothing store... (To be continued, please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)