Wait Until I Finish Telling the Story

[Hidden mission condition [Favor of the Great Family] triggered. Upon meeting the completion conditions, an additional reward can be obtained: Skill Scroll +1.]

When Yang Yu gathered information related to Bai Jin, his system panel displayed a message.

Come to think of it, Tella had just said that the Giant Umbrella Merchant Guild had been formed by many families. Could it be that the Giant Umbrella Merchant Guild had been instructed by the great families behind them to investigate, found it troublesome, and outsourced the task to adventurers?

But why had the additional reward only appeared now?

I get it. Since it was a task handed down by their superiors, the Giant Umbrella Merchant Guild had to take it seriously, which was why they needed reliable adventurers.

By now, every adventurer here knew of his strength, but his origins were unknown, and he had risen to fame too quickly. The Giant Umbrella Merchant Guild still had doubts about whether he truly had the ability.

Just now, he had inadvertently seen through the fact that they were only a small merchant guild. So after he left, Tella had secretly contacted the client, deciding that he had the strength to complete the task—and do even better than expected.

With so many families backing them, they were still just a small merchant guild. What a joke. No wonder they had to go chasing after the big merchant guilds.

They had given him one week to infiltrate.

If he had guessed correctly, the hidden condition was probably to turn in the mission ahead of schedule after obtaining all the items.

"Not bad. Quite challenging. I like it."

After gathering some more information about Bai Jin, Yang Yu made his way to the jewelry store.

Since it was a challenging mission, he naturally had to consider the risk of failure. Tella had said that an escape route had already been prepared for them, but to prevent anyone from burning bridges after crossing the river, Yang Yu still planned to leave himself a way out.

He had once sold a Glass Bead to the jewelry store owner, with an agreement that it could be returned within a month.

If he simply left openly, it would definitely affect his reputation. So he came to the jewelry store owner, intending to finish telling the second half of the Glass Bead's story and use up that hundred thousand with a clear conscience.

All sorts of exquisite, beautiful gemstones came into view, but Yang Yu's gaze did not linger on them for long. He strode forward with his head held high as if he had seen it all before, greeting the clerk at the counter.

At that moment.

In a room within the jewelry store, Ge Gen, dressed in luxurious clothes, absently played with the Glass Bead. He had already asked an appraiser more professional than himself to examine it. At humanity's current level, this thing was nearly impossible to replicate, which meant that this tiny Glass Bead was a one-of-a-kind treasure in the world.

With it, getting rich was no longer a dream.

Just as Ge Gen imagined how many times the value of the tiny Glass Bead would multiply after passing through his hands, the clerk knocked on his door and told him that Yang Yu had arrived.

Ge Gen's fleshy face twitched slightly. He was greatly surprised by Yang Yu's sudden visit.

Why was he here? It had only been a few days. Had he changed his mind? I had only just started to like this thing more and more. What if—

Ge Gen frowned. He first had the clerk entertain Yang Yu, then gently placed the Glass Bead into a jewelry box and put it away before waddling toward the VIP room.

In the VIP room, Yang Yu carefully sampled his tea. Even an ordinary person could tell that this tea was far better than the last batch.

Ge Gen slowly entered the VIP room. The moment he saw Yang Yu, he put on a somewhat ingratiating smile.

"An honored guest, an honored guest. Lord Yang Yu, forgive me for failing to welcome you properly. May I ask what important matter brings you to my humble establishment today?"

"Calling a place like this a humble establishment? You're quite modest."

"Not at all, not at all."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yang Yu got straight to the point. "I won't waste words. I came today because I want to take back the Glass Bead I sold here."

Ge Gen asked with a smile, "Why so suddenly?"

"Nothing much. Life here is even more boring than I imagined, and I can't stay for a month. I plan to visit other places. To keep you from suffering unnecessary losses, I intend to buy back the Glass Bead according to our agreement."

Yang Yu took a sip of tea, completely composed.

Although he had already spent much of the hundred thousand gold coins on him, he was not worried at all. If it failed, he could always borrow some money to cover it first, then find another way to sell the Glass Bead.

Still, he believed the jewelry store owner no longer wanted to give the Glass Bead back to him.

Sure enough, an extremely troubled expression appeared on Ge Gen's face. He had poured far too much time and effort into this tiny Glass Bead. Every day, he thought about how to sell it at a sky-high price. He could neither eat nor sleep, and he had long since grown attached to it.

Now Yang Yu wanted to buy back the Glass Bead he could not bear to part with for just a little over a hundred thousand. All he wanted to do was shout at Yang Yu, "Get the hell out! Get as far away as you can! You sold it to me, so this Glass Bead is mine!"

Fortunately, Ge Gen remembered that Yang Yu might be some noble figure and retained a sliver of reason. Outwardly, he said with utmost respect:

"Um, Lord Yang Yu, to be honest, I have already found a buyer. We agreed on two hundred thousand for this Glass Bead.

"You once said that after you sold this thing to me, if I worked hard to find a buyer and sold it during this period, it would be a guaranteed profit.

"I did exactly as you said, and everything turned out just as you expected. Although the Glass Bead is still in my hands, if you suddenly take it back, I won't be able to explain things to that person."

Since Yang Yu only wanted to leave because he found this life boring, rather than because he had found a better buyer, Ge Gen still had a chance.

Having dominated the gemstone trade for many years, Ge Gen was best at extracting the information he wanted from others' words and making the best business judgments.

For example, whenever he chatted with some noblewoman, he could always tell which aspect of her appearance concerned her most. He would then expand on the topic, lead it toward gemstones, and use that opportunity to sell them.

"I didn't expect you to find a buyer so quickly. It seems I underestimated you." Yang Yu set down his teacup and smiled. "Asking you to return the Glass Bead now would indeed be somewhat improper. But are you sure you want to sell it? As you can see, it is merely an artificial object. As society continues to develop, someone driven by profit will eventually replicate something similar."

"You needn't worry about that. We gemstone merchants only care about the present. It's not as if I've never experienced the discovery of new gemstone mines causing gemstone prices to plummet. As long as we make a fortune before anyone thinks of it, that's enough."

Ge Gen revealed the distinctive smile of a merchant—cunning and sly.

"How about this, Lord Yang Yu? This time, I'll earn a little less and give you another fifty thousand. Consider it the formal purchase of this Glass Bead. You won't need to guarantee its value anymore. Go wherever you wish. Treat this fifty thousand as travel money from me. I hope you enjoy yourself."

"As expected of a jewelry store owner. You truly have an eye for things. You understand that risk and profit coexist, yet you still calmly accept the risk." Yang Yu looked at Ge Gen with admiration. "Since you put it that way, it would be hard for me to continue insisting that you return my Glass Bead. After all, I was the one who sold it to you first. There's no need for fifty thousand. Just give me thirty-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine. That extra ten thousand or so can count as me sharing a little more of the risk for you, and as the price of making a friend."

Hearing Yang Yu say that, Ge Gen let out a long breath, then cracked a slight smile.

"Deal."