MMORPG: Birth of the World's Luckiest Player

Chapter 502: Bead in the Bag

Larry seemed to know everyone in the district. The moment he stepped into Jade Royal, he exchanged a few casual words with the staff, and just like that, they were being led past the polished front displays toward the back, straight for the owner’s private office.

But before they could get far, raised voices drifted out from inside, a man in his forties speaking, his tone thick with frustration.

"Eddie, look at this garbage. Last year, three out of the ten pieces you brought me were fake. The batch before that was worse, three out of six. I’ve been losing money every time we deal. I haven’t even recovered my costs, and now you bring me this junk and ask for five hundred thousand? You might as well rob me blind."

Larry shot Marcus a sideways grin. "Sounds like Mr. Blackwood got burned a few times. Though knowing him, he’s probably exaggerating just to force the price down."

Another voice answered, smooth and slippery, the kind of voice that always sounded like it was smiling. "Mr. Blackwood, now you’re hurting my feelings. If even you couldn’t tell they were fake, how was I supposed to know? I paid real money for those pieces too and brought them straight to you. You think I’d intentionally cheat you?"

"Y-you..." Mr. Blackwood choked on his anger, but he couldn’t refute it.

Marcus understood the situation almost immediately. Eddie was a middleman, sourcing antiques and jade from all sorts of questionable channels, then reselling them to people like Blackwood. But the business was never clean: every shipment was a gamble, real pieces mixed with fakes, and whoever failed to spot the fraud took the loss. Blackwood played the same game with his own buyers. That was how this world worked: no refunds, no complaints. If your eyes weren’t sharp enough, the loss was yours. So Blackwood’s anger wasn’t about fairness; he was just using past losses to crush Eddie’s price.

And sure enough, the next thing out of his mouth proved it. "Enough. Three hundred thousand for the whole lot. Or one hundred seventy for these three pieces."

"What?!" Eddie’s voice jumped. "That’s robbery! At that price, I’d be working for free."

The difference was too wide, and Marcus could already tell this deal was dead.

Since they’d arrived in the middle of negotiations, he and Larry stayed in the storefront, waiting, but Marcus’s Human Rock body had sharpened all his senses; even from here, the voices in the back were as clear as if he were standing beside them.

A few minutes later, just as expected, the deal fell apart. Eddie came storming out first, muttering curses under his breath, a black leather bag slung over his shoulder.

He was halfway to the door when he spotted Larry. "Larry? Your grandpa in?"

"Yeah," Larry said. "Back at the shop."

A moment later, Mr. Blackwood emerged from the back room, still wearing the sour look of a failed negotiation. Hearing Larry’s answer, Eddie raised his voice deliberately. "Good. I’ll go talk to your grandfather instead." The way he said it was pure provocation, and Blackwood’s face darkened instantly.

But as Eddie brushed past Marcus, something strange happened: a faint pulse stirred inside the black leather bag. Marcus froze, his Human Rock energy reacting on instinct, almost like it had been tugged by an invisible thread. He felt it clearly; the source was inside Eddie’s bag. His eyes narrowed. That had never happened before.

Normally, he had to touch jade directly and channel his energy into it before sensing anything, but this time, from several feet away, the resonance had reached him first. That meant whatever was inside wasn’t ordinary: a treasure, that thought flashing through his mind immediately. He almost stopped Eddie right there, but before he could act, Mr. Blackwood noticed Larry and immediately forced a smile onto his face.

"Larry, what brings you here?"

"Grandpa sent us," Larry said, gesturing toward Marcus. "This gentleman’s looking for ornaments."

Blackwood’s attention shifted to Marcus, and in that instant, Eddie was gone.

Marcus clicked his tongue inwardly; bad timing. Still, he’d memorized the energy signature, and as long as Eddie didn’t get too far, he could find him again. Eddie had just said he was heading to Larry’s grandfather’s shop, so that bought him time.

"Come in," Blackwood said warmly, as if the earlier shouting had never happened. Marcus followed him into the back.

As they walked, Marcus quietly checked his senses and felt relieved; Eddie really had gone back toward the old man’s shop.

Blackwood brought out his premium collection. Marcus examined everything quickly, and Larry’s warning proved accurate. Nearly half of what Blackwood showed him was fake, mixed carefully among the real pieces. But fake stones meant nothing to Marcus; his Human Rock energy exposed them instantly.

In the end, he selected only one item, a green jade necklace, paid, and left without wasting time.

Larry was already preparing to lead him to the next shop when Marcus stopped him. "Let’s head back to your grandfather’s place first," Marcus said casually. "I should thank him before I leave."

Larry nodded. "Sure."

They returned to Jade Spring, and when they stepped into the back parlor, Marcus saw the old man seated at the table, carefully inspecting the items Eddie had taken from his bag.

Marcus stepped closer, and the moment he got within ten feet, he felt it again: that pulse. His eyes locked onto the source: a glossy green bead, no bigger than a marble, resting quietly on the table, the same object. Marcus’s heartbeat quickened. ’I need that.’

The old man glanced up. "Found anything worthwhile?"

Marcus nodded. "A few things. Think you could appraise them for me later?"

"Of course."

Marcus kept his voice casual. "Mind if I watch first? I’d like to learn."

The old man smiled. "Sit." Then he called out, "Larry, brew the Silver Mountain tea. The private stash."

Marcus was slightly surprised; that was treatment reserved for favored guests.

The old man began examining the first item, a tiger carving, explaining every detail as he worked before naming a price. Marcus barely listened; his eyes stayed fixed on the green bead.

Finally, the old man picked it up. "Hmm." He turned it over under the light, checked it with his tools, and frowned. Marcus’s chest tightened.

"Huh... strange." The old man muttered to himself, studying it longer than the others.

Marcus’s excitement dropped; that reaction meant the bead wasn’t simple. If the old man recognized its worth, buying it would be difficult.

Then the old man looked up at Eddie. "Where did you get this?"

Marcus’s heart sank, but the next words almost made him laugh. "It looks almost identical to jade. Same purity, same gloss." The old man clicked his tongue. "Green Quartz."

Marcus stared. ’Green Quartz?’ He knew the name; it sounded valuable, but it was cheap stone. Several large deposits had been found in the western mountains over the last decade, flooding the market and crushing its value. People often used it to imitate jade, which was why it had earned the nickname Fake Jade. The resemblance was close enough to fool amateurs, but professionals usually knew better.

Marcus frowned. Had he sensed wrong? No, that pulse had been real.

Eddie grinned. "So what’s your price?"

The old man weighed it in his hand. "Ordinary Green Quartz this size? Three or four thousand. But this one’s unusually pure, and perfectly round too. That’s rare. I’ll say six thousand."

Eddie nodded. Still curious, the old man asked, "Where’d you find it? Green Quartz is brittle. Shaping it this perfectly isn’t easy."

Eddie scratched his head. "Got lost in the southern hills last month. Ended up in some mountain village. A kid had it, thought it was a toy. I thought it was jade at first too. Nearly convinced myself I’d stumbled onto a jade mine."

The old man laughed. "Sounds like luck."

"Maybe," Eddie said. "Still sorting through the rest of what I found. I’ll bring it all to you when I’m done. But those mountains? Never again. Thought I was going to die getting out."

The appraisals continued, and when it was all done, the old man offered four hundred twenty thousand for the seven pieces. After some bargaining, they settled at four hundred fifty.

Marcus silently calculated: seven items for four hundred fifty thousand. The profit margins in this business were absurd. If he entered the trade himself, with Human Rock backing him, he’d make a fortune, but right now, all his focus was on that green bead.

The old man passed it over absentmindedly, and Marcus took it into his hand. It was smooth, cool, and beautiful, but outwardly, it looked ordinary. Only that strange pull told him otherwise; his Human Rock body could feel it even now, faintly humming beneath the surface.

He made up his mind and quietly sent a thin thread of Human Rock energy into it. The instant it entered, the bead pulsed, a faint green glow flashing inside. Marcus immediately cut his energy off, his eyes narrowing. There was definitely something hidden in it.

He glanced up; the old man and Eddie were still focused on their transaction, and neither had noticed.

Marcus calmly placed the bead back on the table. He would buy it.

After Eddie left, with Larry escorting him out, the old man turned back to Marcus. "Alright. Let me see what you picked up."

Marcus laid out his purchases, and the old man examined each one carefully. After a while, he nodded. "Not bad, young man. You bought well. Those prices were about as low as they get."

Marcus smiled, accepting the praise, then he picked up the green bead, turning it over like it was nothing important. "Sir, this really is Green Quartz? It looks almost like jade."

The old man answered firmly. "It is. No doubt. Similar color, yes, but the weight, texture, and transparency are different. Easy to tell once you’ve handled enough."

Marcus nodded, acting convinced. Then he said casually, "I’ve got an old jade tiger at home missing one eye. This bead looks about the right size. Mind selling it to me?"

The old man chuckled. "Sure. That’s why I bought it. Six thousand. Same price I paid."

Marcus almost thought he’d misheard. ’That easy?’ He paid immediately, slipping the bead into his pocket. His fingers tightened around it. Whatever this thing really was, he was going to find out.