Chapter 386
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Chapter 386: A Merchant’s Instinct
“This humble commoner owes his current standing entirely to Your Majesty’s grace, and I dare not presume to ask for rewards!”
Seeing Shen Jun prostrate himself completely, Luo Ji, sitting there, was momentarily stunned before reacting with a burst of laughter.
“Sometimes, overthinking isn’t a good thing. As long as you don’t engage in illegal or improper activities and conduct your business honestly, you’ll be fine. Now rise.”
After speaking, Shen Jun cautiously raised his head, meeting Luo Ji’s playful expression.
For a moment, realizing he was overthinking things and making a fool of himself, Shen Jun felt a wave of embarrassment followed by a clear sense of lingering fear.
Just based on his earlier words, Luo Ji could have easily charged him with a crime of great disrespect!
With this thought, Shen Jun immediately spoke again.
“Your Majesty is magnanimous and broad-minded. This humble commoner, Shen Jun, thanks Your Majesty for the guidance. I shall engrave Your Majesty’s words in my heart, reflecting daily and never betraying Your Majesty’s trust.”
After a flurry of flattery, Shen Jun cautiously rose.
Luo Ji found this rather amusing and had no other thoughts.
He simply handed a diamond to a nearby guard, instructing the guard to pass it to Shen Jun below.
“Take a look at this.”
Receiving the diamond from the guard with both hands, Shen Jun carefully examined it and was quickly astonished by its brilliance.
“Your Majesty, what is this object?”
“A diamond.”
“A diamond?”
As he spoke, Shen Jun, a successful merchant with a consistently sharp instinct, quickly scented a business opportunity from this diamond.
“Does Your Majesty intend to sell these diamonds?”
“Indeed.”
Luo Ji nodded straightforwardly.
“Shen Jun, how much do you think that diamond in your hand could sell for?”
Facing Luo Ji’s question, Shen Jun didn’t even bother to re-examine the diamond in his hand.
He immediately replied without hesitation.
“That depends on how much Your Majesty wishes to sell them for.”
A slight smile played on Luo Ji’s lips as he heard this answer.
This Shen Jun was indeed a shrewd merchant, immediately seeing through the true nature of diamonds, knowing that their selling price fundamentally depended not on the inherent value of the item itself, but on its marketing.
“These diamonds were mined in the beastmen tribes’ territory.”
A flash of understanding crossed Shen Jun’s eyes.
“Does Your Majesty intend to open up trade channels between the beastmen tribes and us humans, thereby opening up markets between us and deepening exchanges between both sides?”
“Precisely.”
Luo Ji nodded again.
“This humble commoner dares to ask Your Majesty a question.”
“What is it?”
“Your Majesty, what is the output of these diamonds?”
It must be said, Shen Jun’s mercantile instinct was truly sharp, as he immediately hit upon the crucial point again.
Luo Ji didn’t hide anything and replied quite frankly.
“The output is scarce.”
Upon receiving this answer, Shen Jun instantly understood.
“Please forgive this commoner’s frankness, but to open up trade channels and markets on both sides, a large number of merchants will certainly need to flock there. Relying solely on these scarce diamonds, achieving this might be quite difficult.”
“Of course, there are other things. Diamonds are just a signboard to make a name for them.”
As he spoke, Luo Ji motioned for a nearby guard to hand Shen Jun a list he had prepared.
Upon closer inspection, there were quite a few things that could be utilized in the beastmen tribes’ territory.
Besides diamonds, gold could also be used for jewelry, and there were also some herbs and similar items.
After reading through the list, Shen Jun’s confidence visibly grew.
“Please rest assured, Your Majesty, this commoner knows what to do.”
As Shen Jun spoke, he attempted to return the diamond in his hand, but Luo Ji waved it off.
“That diamond is yours. Go back and prepare.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. This commoner takes his leave.”
After meeting Shen Jun, Luo Ji collected his thoughts.
Confirming that he had assigned all the necessary tasks, he decisively exited the game and returned to the real world.
Over a period, quite a few questions had accumulated: the uses and processing methods of new ores, the pricing and classification of diamonds.
Additionally, more books with different content needed to be acquired.
This offline trip was indeed quite demanding.
Meanwhile, on the other side, after meeting Luo Ji, Shen Jun called Lu Yang for drinks and dinner that very night.
During this time, it was inevitable that he would talk about the day’s events.
As he began to speak, Shen Jun suddenly grew anxious again, grabbing his friend and asking.
“Lu Yang, Lu Yang, quickly analyze this for me. Did His Majesty truly have a hidden meaning in his words?”
Hearing this, Lu Yang rolled his eyes in exasperation.
“Didn’t His Majesty say it? As long as you don’t engage in illegal or improper activities and conduct your business honestly, there will be no problems.”
At this point, Lü Yang’s voice suddenly paused, and his expression became distinctly serious.
“Wait, you didn’t actually do anything, did you?”
“How could I?!”
Shen Jun’s voice abruptly rose by several decibels.
After clearly feeling the stares of the surrounding diners, he shrank his neck and quickly lowered his voice again.
“How could I? What could I possibly do? We’ve known each other since we were kids. You know what kind of person I am, don’t you?”
Hearing this, Lu Yang also slightly relaxed.
“Then that’s it, isn’t it? If you didn’t do anything, what are you panicking about? His Majesty always metes out rewards and punishments clearly. Besides, His Majesty gave you that list of goods. This way, you’ll be a step ahead of other merchants, and you’ll definitely make a huge profit again. Isn’t that a good thing?”
“That’s true too.”
Shen Jun nodded thoughtfully.
“Speaking of which, His Majesty also gave me that diamond.”
As he spoke, Shen Jun carefully took out the diamond from his embrace and handed it to his friend.
“How much do you think this diamond could sell for?”
“It feels quite valuable. I think someone will like it.”
Lu Yang said, but his actions made Shen Jun feel rather unconfident.
Lu Yang simply glanced at it a few times, then straightforwardly returned the diamond to Shen Jun and continued to admire the jade plaque in his own hand, showing no sign of reluctance to part with it.
“If I were to exchange this diamond for the one in your hand…”
“No exchange.”
Lu Yang flatly refused before Shen Jun could even finish his sentence.
“Really that decisive?”
Shen Jun’s face was completely bewildered at this moment.
Upon reflection, his friend had indeed not allowed him to touch that jade plaque since he bought it.
“Decisive, no room for negotiation.”
By the end, Lu Yang’s mind turned, and he smoothly offered a suggestion.
“Why don’t you just buy a piece of jade yourself? You’ve earned so much lately, and it’s not like you can’t afford it.”
