Chapter 12: Inferior Woolen Fabric

Seeing that Luo Bi seemed interested in the raw stone, the person in charge said, "You can see the quality is quite good, right? It's perfect for a young person to practice on, and the price isn't expensive either."

"How many interstellar credits?" Luo Bi asked for the price.

"5,500 interstellar credits."

"This raw stone isn't very large, and its appearance isn't great, so make it a bit cheaper!" Even though there were good things inside, the exterior was truly unappealing. Habitually bargaining, Luo Bi added, "If you make it cheaper, I'll come back next time."

The person in charge frowned. "5,400 interstellar credits. Take it if you want it."

"Deal." Luo Bi paid promptly.

The amount of interstellar credits spent wasn't much; even if she failed to cut out any Jadeite, she would at most lose 5,400. Guan Zhuting remained silent because of this.

Luo Bi had originally intended to pick a few low-quality stones to mix in, to avoid suspicion if she gambled out high-quality Jadeite, but her headache was severe at this moment, and she couldn't be bothered to scheme further. Her gaze lingered on the storage bracelet on her wrist for a few seconds before she put the raw stone inside and headed straight for the stone-cutting area.

There were dozens of stone-cutting machines in the area, with people queuing in front of each one. Luo Bi found a queue with fewer people. The stone-cutting master was an elderly man whose movements were orderly and looked highly experienced.

The person in front, seeing someone else joining the queue behind them, glanced back curiously before turning back around.

It was a tall, sturdy man. He could be heard saying to the person in front, "Dual-attribute contractors are truly different. That Tier 3 non-attribute Jadeite Hu Li just cut out can refine at least two bottles of energy liquid. I went over to bid, but unfortunately, I didn't grab it."

The person in front clicked their tongue. "I don't have that many interstellar credits. I just went over to join the excitement; I didn't dare to bid."

"Look at how little ambition you have."

The midday sun was not weak. Having overused her mental strength all morning, Luo Bi had a severe headache, and under the sun's heat, she felt waves of nausea in her chest. Seeing her poor complexion, Guan Zhuting asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Headache," Luo Bi said, frowning. She held the raw stone with one hand and pressed two fingers against the space between her eyebrows with her right hand.

"Wait a little longer. It'll be our turn soon. Once it's cut, we'll go home." Guan Zhuting had no other choice.

About half an hour later, it was the tall man's turn to cut his stone. His luck was mediocre; the two raw stones he cut yielded only Tier 1 Jadeite—one low-grade and one mid-grade. The person who had been chatting with him glanced at the two pieces of Jadeite in his hands. "You should be able to refine half a bottle of energy liquid."

The tall man was dissatisfied. "Half a bottle of energy liquid is only worth 500,000 interstellar credits. I spent 890,000, and all I got were these two things. What a loss."

"890,000? That's quite a big loss," someone spectating by the machine chimed in.

This made the tall man feel even more cheated. Turning around, he saw Luo Bi take out a low-quality raw stone and smiled as he pulled the person in front of him back. "Don't leave yet. Let's see what can be cut out of that piece of junk."

The person curled their lip, looking as if staying would be a waste of time.

Ink stones were highly addictive for gamblers; many people stayed to see the results. Besides, cutting such low-quality stones didn't take long; they could finish watching and then go to lunch.

The stone-cutting master took one look at the low-quality raw stone and shook his head. "Most likely, nothing will come out. Even though it's a low-quality stone, the cutting fee is the same. Are you sure you want to cut it?"

Luo Bi knew what she was doing and nodded. "Just cut it, Master. It doesn't matter even if nothing comes out."

The stone-cutting master took the raw stone, pondering where to make the first cut. Luo Bi leaned in with a smile and gestured, "Master, make a cut from this spot."

(End of Chapter)