The Return of the Cannon Fodder Trillion Heiress - Chapter 401

Chapter 401: Chapter 401 Opening The Stones
Despite being ignored by Hera and Zhane, Miss Goldsmith continued to follow them. She was particularly intrigued by the stone Hera had chosen, convinced that it contained jadeite. The stone’s structure, its black coating, and the grain patterns strongly suggested its valuable composition.

The Goldsmiths are a family deeply immersed in the world of jadeite and other minerals due to their jewelry business, which involves extensive dealings with raw gemstones, including jade. While waiting for the stone auction upstairs, Miss Goldsmith came downstairs to practice her skills. She wanted to test her ability to select valuable stones on her own and assess her improvement. For a Goldsmith, honing such skills is crucial for contributing effectively to the family business.

Miss Goldsmith was deeply upset with Hera. She had hoped to acquire the stone for herself but ended up feeling humiliated, as if she had been metaphorically slapped in the face. Her initial admiration for Hera was tainted by the belief that Hera was vain, especially after witnessing her use Zhane’s black card. This action only reinforced Miss Goldsmith’s negative impression, as she despised vanity and felt it was epitomized by Hera’s behavior.

So, since Hera took the stone she likes, she wanted to see how it goes.

Miss Goldsmith trailed behind Hera and Zhane, her expression a mix of disappointment and envy. Her eyes were narrowed, and a pout tugged at her lips, giving her a look of a lost puppy. The assistant accompanying Hera and Zhane felt uneasy, sweat trickling down her forehead, fearing that Miss Goldsmith might confront Hera.

However, Miss Goldsmith’s intentions were less confrontational; she merely followed them to the stone master and watched with intense envy as Hera admired the stone she had purchased.

By the time Hera and Zhane arrived at the stone master, Hera had selected three more stones of various sizes and colors. Aside from the first stone Hera had chosen, which Miss Goldsmith believed might contain something valuable, she felt indifferent about the others. She didn’t sense anything remarkable in the remaining stones, so they did not pique her interest.

Zhane also carefully selected two more stones, hoping that if Hera’s choices didn’t yield anything valuable, he could use these additional stones to help ease her disappointment if she felt that her money had been wasted.

After all, she had just invested $210,000 in the additional three stones, which the assistant was helping to carry with enthusiasm. The assistant was particularly pleased, as she would earn a 10% commission on the purchase.

Miss Goldsmith smirked as Hera and Zhane arrived at the waiting stone master.

“Shall we begin by opening your stones?” the stone master inquired.

Hera turned to Zhane with a smile. “Zhane, why don’t you go first?” She then glanced at the girl who had been trailing them. Although the girl remained silent, Hera could sense that she was eager to see her make a mistake. Not feeling concerned, Hera decided to let her watch, noting that the girl’s curiosity seemed harmless.

Zhane didn’t attempt to suggest otherwise, sensing that Hera might be hesitant to open her purchases for fear of discovering a mistake. Instead, he stepped forward and handed the basket to the stone master. “Please help me open this,” he requested.

The stone master first inspected the stones and made some markings. Since Zhane had not provided specific instructions on how to open them, the master made his own judgment and began opening each stone one by one.

“Oh!” The stone master chuckled as he made a small cut along the edge of the stone, revealing a hint of green. He decided to make a deeper incision to see if there was something more significant inside. After a bit more effort, he confirmed there was indeed something within. “Unfortunately…”

“Unfortunately, what?” Zhane asked, tilting his head as he noticed the jade inside the stone. Despite this, the stone master seemed dissatisfied with what he saw. Miss Goldsmith stepped forward to explain the reason behind the stone master’s reaction.

“That one is Nephrite jade,” she explained. “It’s the most common type of jade and isn’t worth nearly as much as jadeite. To put it in perspective, it’s like comparing glass to a real diamond—the difference is substantial.” Without needing a closer inspection, she could tell from the sound of the cut that it wasn’t jadeite. Nephrite jade is slightly softer and has a duller color compared to the vibrant luster of true jadeite.

Zhane sighed but wasn’t too disheartened. The stone the master had opened was the least expensive of the ones he’d chosen, costing him $55,000. However, it seemed unlikely he would recoup that amount. Nephrite jade of that size could only fetch between $5,000 and $10,000 at most.

Zhane urged the stone master to continue. While the second stone turned out to be a disappointment, the last one revealed a high-quality black jade. Seeing this, Zhane let out a sigh of relief. If the final stone had also been a letdown, he was worried he might embarrass himself in front of Hera.

Hera clapped happily seeing that Zhane got a good one.

“Wow! You really lucked out with this one!” Miss Goldsmith exclaimed. “This jade could be sold for four times what you paid for it! If you’re interested, I can buy it from you directly!” Her eyes stayed fixed on the black jade as she mentally envisioned the accessories she could create from it.

“I’m sorry, Miss Goldsmith, but I’ll leave the decision to my girlfriend,” Zhane said, attempting to offer consolation to Hera. Unbeknownst to him, he had just passed the hot potato to Hera. Miss Goldsmith’s intense gaze now focused on Hera, who could only manage a wry smile and try to ignore the scrutiny. She urged the assistant to present her stones to the stone master.

Since the girl was also interested in her first purchase, Hera allowed the stone master to open the large black stone. There was little suspense, as Miss Goldsmith seemed to expect a valuable gem inside. However, when the stone was finally opened, Miss Goldsmith couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.

“Holy shit!” Miss Goldsmith exclaimed in surprise, quickly covering her mouth with her hands as she realized her outburst. Her eyes, however, remained wide with astonishment.

Hera merely smiled, appearing completely unfazed, which irritated Miss Goldsmith. She assumed Hera was unaware of the significance of her random choice. “Hey! You might not realize it, but that’s an imperial jade!” Miss Goldsmith tried to maintain her composure, but her voice still rose in excitement at the mention of ‘imperial jade.

Hera only chuckled softly. “I know.”

‘You know, you know what? Do you even realize what you’ve found? There’s a huge difference between ordinary jade and imperial jade!’ Miss Goldsmith thought in disbelief. The stone master was equally flabbergasted, staring at the jade in his hand. Fortunately, he had only made a small cut at the edge, preserving the large piece of imperial jade intact.

Even Zhane was dumbfounded, instinctively reaching for Hera’s hand. Hera responded with a reassuring smile and even had to remind the stone master to proceed with the next stone. This time, the stone master handled the task with extra caution, feeling a sense of pressure. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the girl who brought the jade, acting so nonchalantly, might be a hidden expert—a scenario he had often read about in novels.