Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhong Dapao was not satisfied with the result. The compensation of one million for an injury was blatant extortion. After all, the civilian deaths in the local war only paid a few hundred RMB per person.
However, if it’s blackmail, why not go all the way? Compared to the price the other side tried to extort from him, a million was only a fraction of the sum.
Li Du shook his head at him and said, “Let’s not delay looking at the stones.”
Dao Kun smiled and said, “Yes, yes, what this brother says is very true. Let’s go and see the stones. Come with me, brother, Master Pao. Our mines had produced a lot of good stones recently.”
The young man asked pathetically, “Brother Kun, what about my bracelet? It’s all I have.”
Dao Kun raised his foot and wanted to kick him, but the young man backed nervously.
“Damn, get lost! Go and find it yourself, who knows where you hid it?”
Li Du looked at the young man coldly and said, “What one loses on the swings, he gets back on the roundabouts. This time you should learn a lesson. Work nicely and don’t do bad things anymore.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Dao Kun added, “Damn it, next time don’t look for me when you cause trouble. Damn, why did you all blackmail someone instead of doing something else?”
They left first. Big Markelov was at the back. He then pointed at the few men and said in Myanmar, “I hear that you like to blackmail the Chinese the most? Very brave. Do you think the Chinese people are still as meek as before?”
The blackmailers were dejected. This time they were thoroughly defeated.
Brother Wolf and Vampire supported Young Markelov. At first, Markelov walked with a heavy step and a weak look, but when he got out of the doors, he became normal. Without the pad of gauze covering the wound, no one would know that he had just been stabbed with a knife.
Li Du took half of the compensation, stuffed it to Markelov, and asked, “Is your wound serious?”
Markelov grinned and said, “I hardly think so.”
Li Du had already guessed what was going on. Young Markelov had returned the favor by fighting for him in his own way. He resorted to blackmailing too, but in its more sophisticated form.
The young man did not lie. He did not take out a knife and did not stab anyone. The mastermind behind all these was Young Markelov. The knife did hurt him, but it was only a small wound.
As for the amount of blood flowing out, this was thanks to Godzilla. He had a bunch of food in his bag, including ketchup…
The stalls were housed in a bamboo building that looked like a kiosk selling cigarettes, wine, sweets, and tea. Inside was a warehouse with shelves of stones.
Market stalls were akin to clouds while ore was like rain. The stones in the warehouse were not actually very plentiful. Li Du could hardly count even ten pieces.
However, every stone here was of good size and condition, and the largest was estimated to weigh about two or three hundred kilograms.
Da Mao’s eyes immediately lightened when he came in. He was anxious to get acquainted with the field before placing a bet. He needed to know enough about the mine to buy stones from the place.
Zhong Dapao told him, “The ore produced by this mine is very similar to that of Damakan, and it is of good quality. Compared with other fields in Damakan, it is slightly less oily, but it has many large pieces, so the price is high.”
Dao Kun smiled, patted a stone beside him and said, “Come on, Master Pao, everyone, please take a look, if you will. I will definitely give you a favorable price!”
Before they arrived, there were already people inside. Five Chinese people, middle-aged and old, gathered around a stone and examined it carefully.
After Dao Kun finished speaking to Li Du and his friends, one of the five, a fat old man, asked, “Ah Kun, what’s the price of this stone?”
Li Du walked over to have a look. The stone looked as though it weighed about 40 or 50 kilograms. From the skin shell, it could be seen that it was a piece of water jade. The color was dark red. Someone used a strong flashlight and aimed a beam at it. The light shining through a corner of the stone revealed a reddish-brown water mist.
Dao Kun quickly came over and said with a smile, “Haha, is there any stone that Master Liao is fond of? Haha, Master Liao, you have a sharp eye. This stone is the treasure of my place. You see, the texture is fine and the source is old. The outer skin is thin and there is a flow of water source outside. This is an absolute rise!”
Da Mao looked at it with his hands behind his back, while his mouth opened as if he were about to say something.
Liu Zi has been staring at him; he hurriedly pulled him aside when he saw this and said in a low voice, “Damn you, are you seeking death? You want to interrupt again?”
Da Mao grinned. “Hehehe, Iʼm used to it.”
Liu Zi pointed at him and said, “If you want to live in Hpakant, you must damn well control your mouth. Understand?”
Da Mao vigorously nodded. “Okay, okay, Master Liu, I understand.”
Liu Ziʼs facial expression softened, and he put his arm around Da Maoʼs shoulders and whispered, “Hope you won’t blame me for my harsh tone. Damm, boy, don’t you remember the previous lesson? Donʼt you know how dangerous this business is? We can’t be following you always. Talk less if you want to reduce your risk.”
Zhong Dapao came up and whispered, “Whatʼs wrong with the stone?”
Da Mao said, “Itʼs a piece of granite.”
Li Du was stunned and said, “Really?”
Da Mao nodded and said, “Boss, Iʼm quite sure.”
Li Du also nodded and then did not say another word. If not for Da Mao, he would be fooled by the stone.
Because when the space-time bug entered the stone and took a look, he discovered that besides a jade skin outside, there was a big ’emerald’. The ’emerald’ was translucent slant white, resembling the glass species that he had won in the bet.
If it was a glass species of such size, it would definitely fetch a high price.
He thought it was jade and was ready to bid against the group of strangers, but after listening to what Da Mao said, he realized that he had judged wrongly. It was not jade, it was a piece of granite!
The trade on the other side has started. Dao Kun quoted a price of 28 million RMB for the stone. After a bargain, the price was fixed at 24 million.
Li Du looked at a stone next to them. The stone had been cut in half. The part which was cut open showed a little part of jade and it seemed to be from a good water source.
He called Da Mao and asked, “How about this?”
Da Mao took out his flashlight and magnifying glass and looked carefully. After he tapped a bit on the stone, he whispered, “Another big granite!”
Zhong Dapao looked at him suspiciously and said, “Damn, how could there be so much granite in a private ground?”
The so-called granite, in fact, was the albite which the geography and construction industry were very familiar with. This stone was generally white or gray, translucent and brilliant. At a rough examination, it looked like jade with a good water source, like an ice emerald.
However, it did not have the glistening effect of an emerald. The value of gem lay in its burnish; granite looked translucent and was very beautiful at a superficial glance, but when looked upon closely, it was less impressive, and the more it was milled the uglier it became, without any value.
Li Du frowned and patted the stone. He asked Da Mao, “Are you sure it’s granite? This stone looks good to me.”
