Turning Trash into Treasure

The jeweler's eyes circled around the tiny Glass Bead, and the more he looked at it, the more pleasing it became.

Nothing like it existed on the market at present. Rarity made things valuable, and rarity itself was a kind of value.

Gems were ultimately nothing more than uncommon stones, but it was precisely because of their rarity that they were given value and meaning.

The only thing worth worrying about was that this thing was man-made.

If he painstakingly drove up the price of this little thing, only for people capable of mass-producing such Glass Beads to suddenly emerge, its rarity would vanish and its price would instantly collapse. He would lose everything, down to his underwear.

As though he had seen through the jeweler's thoughts, Yang Yu straightened up and politely asked for paper and a pen. He wrote down his current lodging place and pushed the paper forward.

"I'll be staying in this town for a while, and I've already found an inn. If you regret buying this Glass Bead, you can come find me anytime within a month. I guarantee I'll buy it back at the high price you paid for it."

He was actually taking the initiative to reduce my risk. Could something this good really exist?

The jeweler was somewhat doubtful, so Yang Yu continued, dispelling his concerns.

"Conversely, if I regret it, I'll buy it back for the original amount plus 500G. You'll have plenty of time to find a buyer, and even if you fail to find one, you're guaranteed not to suffer a loss. For you, this is a sure-profit deal."

There was an irresistible magic in Yang Yu's words. After considering it again and again, the jeweler rubbed his plump face.

"Name your price! If I think it's suitable, I'll buy it."

"How about ten million?" Yang Yu said with a smile.

The jeweler's eyes nearly fell to the floor along with the Glass Bead in his hand.

"Ten million?! Are you kidding me?!"

Yang Yu raised his teacup, admiring the jeweler's marvelous expression. "Ten million is a perfectly normal price. Hiring a sage capable of making something like this would cost far more than ten million."

The jeweler hesitated. It was not that he could not afford ten million, but spending ten million on a stone with no clear market route... He only knew his A's and C's and had no damn sense of proportion.

"Don't be nervous. I was only joking." Yang Yu smiled. "Besides, putting such a huge sum of money in my hands would be putting the cart before the horse."

The jeweler's expression eased considerably. "Then how much do you actually want?"

Yang Yu did not answer immediately. Teasingly, he said, "With your capabilities, I think you might really be able to sell this for ten million.

To be honest, I wanted to sell it myself for an even higher price. But as you can see, I'm inconvenienced at the moment and have no way to sell it to high society. So I can only rely on you, sir."

The jeweler did not deny it. As a jewelry merchant, he had deep ties with nobles. Most people who could afford to play with jewelry were influential figures; it was not as though any wild boar passing by could get to know them.

Still, ten million was far too high a price. Forget ordinary high society—even great tycoons would feel the sting. To sell it at that price, it would need layers upon layers of packaging.

Wait. He had just said that he wanted to sell it himself for an even higher price, but had lost his channels because he was currently inconvenienced. The more money, the better, yet he had said it would be putting the cart before the horse. Could it be...

An idea welled up in the jeweler's heart. He carefully examined Yang Yu. From the very beginning, the young man's manner of speaking and knowledge had been nothing like that of a commoner, and did not even match his age.

With such a mind and such composure, his identity was obvious. There was an eighty or ninety percent chance that he was some noble's son in the countryside to experience life.

"I'll name another price. This time, I'll make it as cheap as possible—consider it making a friend. How about one hundred thousand?" Yang Yu smiled. "Either way, you won't lose out. You can take this unremarkable stone and look for a buyer. If you can't find one, come to the address and find me. I'll refund you at the original price."

One hundred thousand was an astronomical sum for an ordinary household, but to nobles, it was merely a slightly more expensive carriage. The jewelry worn by many beauty-loving members of high society was worth more than one or two villas, so why would they care about a slightly more expensive carriage?

Besides, one hundred thousand could be used to invest in a future. There was no better bargain than that.

Having made up his mind, the jeweler did not hesitate this time and readily agreed.

"Deal!"

After leaving the jewelry shop, Yang Yu was thoroughly pleased with himself.

The jeweler would never have accepted the price of one hundred thousand from the very beginning. But Yang Yu had first named an unbelievable price, raising the man's psychological expectations, which was why he had smoothly accepted one hundred thousand.

The principle behind it was probably similar to those shops that wrote an unacceptable price on the tag, crossed it out, and replaced it with 998.

Just in case, he could not spend this money for now. But in another month—no, in just a few days—it would be his for the taking.

Trash was relative. As long as one put in a little effort, one could always fool—no, persuade—others into understanding its value. Then they would willingly bite the hook.

If everything went smoothly, once the jeweler had inflated the price of that Glass Bead to the heavens, Yang Yu could strike while the iron was hot and sell the other two Glass Beads for a fortune.

After that, he would no longer need to worry about consumables and equipment. He could focus entirely on killing monsters, leveling up, and acquiring skills.

After putting away the coins, Yang Yu did not wander the streets for long before heading to the Adventurers' Guild to register.

The Adventurers' Guild was basically no different from an ordinary large tavern. Even in broad daylight, adventurers drinking inside were everywhere, and the clamor could be heard from outside.

Brokers and knights came and went, adding new quests to the boards every day, while finely dressed guild administrators maintained order.

"Sir, please place your hand on this crystal ball. It will display your energy level. Based on the assessment, we will determine whether you qualify as an adventurer and issue you credentials."

After explaining his situation, Yang Yu underwent a simple ability assessment under the guidance of a cute receptionist.

"Strength D, Defense D, Intelligence D, Special Defense E, Agility D. Overall evaluation: D. Congratulations, sir. You have the potential to become a D-rank adventurer. As long as you pay a deposit of 100G and sign the agreement, you can become a member of our Adventurers' Guild."

The testing crystal ball could only display five attributes in total, using the broad categories S, A, B, C, D, E, and F. An overall evaluation of D was the minimum requirement to become an adventurer.

Yang Yu's current exact attributes were:

[LV10 Experience 23/500

Race: Human (Commoner) HP: 210/210 MP: 80/80 Stamina: 98/100

Main Class: None

Sub Class: Herbalist Apprentice (LV1)

Personal Attributes: Strength 45, Defense 38, Intelligence 21, Special Defense 19, Agility 28, Charm 8, Endurance 30, Luck 1 (Cannot allocate points)

Free Attribute Points: 50

Resistances: None

Evaluation: Just a little stronger than an ordinary person.]

Although he had gained five levels by beating up Slimes, his actual stats were still painful to look at.

As a commoner, his attributes could not increase drastically. Each level-up probably only gave him one or two attribute points, so the only way to steadily grow stronger was to rely on the exceedingly precious free attribute points.

He had not yet decided on a direction, so he had been saving the free attribute points gained from recent level-ups.

For a first-time one-life clear, every attribute point had to be carefully calculated and used where it mattered most.

As for dumping all his free attribute points into one area and becoming the strongest in the world in that respect, he would have to try that after starting a second playthrough.

After following the receptionist to pay the fee, Yang Yu completed his registration and became an adventurer. The long-absent system voice rang out beside his ear:

[You have become an official adventurer. Only through your own diligent hands can you achieve a life of abundance.

During long journeys, danger is constant. If you have a companion to whom you can entrust your back, you will have one more chance of survival in times of crisis.

They can also ease the loneliness in your heart, become a pillar of emotional support, and warm your bed every night.

How do you plan to recruit your first companion?

1. Only those defeated by me may become my teammates. Challenge an adventurer ranked above you.

2. It's time to show off your talents. Use a Slime as a basketball and perform some singing, dancing, and rap in the Adventurers' Guild.

3. A true hero does not need [ ] friends. Become a proud lone wolf.

Time limit for selection: One minute.]