TGA Chapter 86

Outside the auction house, Shi Zhuoqu had just stepped out of the door when he suddenly received a call from Lin, sending a chill down his spine. His heart pounded with anxiety as he answered, unsure if he was about to face retribution, making him feel uneasy.

Fortunately, Lin did not hold him accountable for the money issue. Instead, Lin asked about something else:
“Zhuoqu, have you been dealing with a Chinese practitioner of metaphysics?”

Shi Zhuoqu was taken aback. “…He shouldn’t be a metaphysician.”

“Aberna said there is a powerful psychic or astrologer around you. In China, that might be someone proficient in Zhouyi metaphysics. You’ve been investigating recently, right? This person should be nearby,” Lin added. “They possess extraordinary abilities but appear to outsiders as a bandit. Focus on people who fit that description.”

Aberna believed that this person had a dual identity—both as a spiritual practitioner and a bandit. He could only provide some characteristics, giving a vague outline of the individual.

Shi Zhuoqu was quite surprised. Upon hearing the description, he immediately thought of Jin Xiaoyuan, but he had never noticed the local tyrant possessing any skills in Zhouyi metaphysics.

“If you confirm their abilities, you may consider cooperation when necessary.”

“Understood.”

Although Shi Zhuoqu accepted the task, he knew it would be difficult to investigate. Jin Xiaoyuan had deep-rooted connections in G City, and avoiding his trouble was already fortunate enough. Figuring out his level of metaphysical knowledge would be even more challenging.

Shi Zhuoqu inquired, “Does Jin Xiaoyuan have a background in metaphysics?”

“Never heard of that,” the people around him said in confusion. “Years ago, he was a debt collector. After making a fortune, he settled down and rarely got involved in such matters.”

G City used to have many business defaulters, and the ruthless Jin Xiaoyuan specialized in collecting debts for people. However, due to recent crackdowns, he had become much more low-key. Still, his aggressive and brutal ways had not changed.

Shi Zhuoqu raised an eyebrow. “So he was a debt collector? No wonder he acts like that.”

Jin Xiaoyuan carried himself with the arrogance of someone the whole world owed money to. Debt collection indeed involved taking money from others, so perhaps Ebner’s description referred to him.

The next day, Zhang Ming from the Rossiya Auction House rushed back to G City from another location to handle the chaos from the previous day, including the matter of Lot 1134.

Although Chu Qianli and the others had reached an agreement with Shi Zhuoqu, they had yet to finalize the process with the auction house. Fortunately, Lot 1134 had remained stored in the auction house, meaning there was little risk.

“Brother Jin, my dear big brother, I truly owe you this time!” Zhang Ming apologized profusely upon seeing Jin Xiaoyuan. “No one expected this mess to happen.”

Jin Xiaoyuan wrapped an arm around Zhang Ming in a brotherly manner and said, “Alright, Ming, we’re all brothers here. No need for formalities!”

“No need for formalities, no need for formalities…,” Zhang Ming echoed quickly. “Let me take you to see the lot. I rushed back last night just to confirm it.”

Chu Qianli and the others followed Zhang Ming into the vault where valuable auction items were stored. There, they saw Lot 1134, an unassuming raw stone, still lying quietly in its cabinet.

Chu Qianli asked, “Can we take it out for a closer look now?”

She and Tan Muxing had seen the raw stone at the pre-auction exhibition, but back then, the staff had not allowed outsiders to touch it.

Tan Muxing respectfully added, “Uncle Jin…”

Jin Xiaoyuan immediately reached out and commanded assertively, “Open it up! Of course, we can look at it! What’s the big deal!?”

Zhang Ming quickly relented. “Alright, alright. Since it’s going to Brother Jin anyway, there’s no harm in letting you examine it in advance.”

The others opened the display case, allowing Chu Qianli to finally observe the raw stone up close. She used various tools to examine its texture and shone a strong light into its crevices, revealing a faint red glow.

Tan Muxing assisted by taking some photos for further research.

Chu Qianli blinked and asked, “May I ask where this stone came from?”

Zhang Ming looked troubled. “Well… we have confidentiality agreements…”

Jin Xiaoyuan scoffed. “Ming, I know your business. It’s just an unregulated channel—what’s the big deal? Why so secretive?”

Zhang Ming, caught off guard, felt a bit embarrassed but admitted, “Sigh, Brother Jin, I won’t hide it from you. This piece changed hands several times before reaching our auction house from headquarters. Even we don’t know the seller’s identity…”

Lot 1134 had traveled overseas for years, passing through multiple countries and auction houses before arriving in G City. Zhang Ming’s auction house was only responsible for selling it and transferring the funds back to headquarters; they had no other means to investigate the seller.

“However, we do have its old shipping records. I can pull them up for you.”

Zhang Ming accessed the internal system and displayed the shipment records for the item, showing them to Chu Qianli and the others.

Chu Qianli, scanning the densely packed shipment history, couldn’t help but marvel, “This stone has traveled to more places than I have! Even my international trips don’t compare to it!”

The raw stone had traveled across the globe before finally arriving at the G City auction house.

Tan Muxing traced the dates on the document and pointed curiously at one location at the top. “May I ask where this place is?”

Zhang Ming hadn’t expected Tan Muxing to examine the details so closely. He wiped some sweat from his forehead and murmured, “It’s a small country, H Nation. Probably not many people have heard of it. But there’s a rather famous family there that has bought up most of the land…”

Tan Muxing seemed to have an idea and guessed, “Monderson?”

Zhang Ming hesitated before nodding.

Shi Zhuoqu had said the raw stone was a stolen sample from a corporate group. Given Zhang Ming’s reluctance to speak openly, it was likely that the stone had a questionable origin. Even if it wasn’t stolen, it must have some deep connection to the Monderson family.

Zhang Ming hesitated, then added, “It’s said to be an unidentified mineral from that region, but we can’t determine its exact value.”

The auction house had expert appraisers, yet even they found it difficult to assess.

Chu Qianli asked, “Is it only found there?”

“As far as we know, yes.”

“No wonder they’re so confident,” Chu Qianli mused. “They’ve completely monopolized the information, assuming no one else knows how to use it or could acquire it elsewhere.”

Since this unknown mineral came from H Nation and the Monderson family had purchased all the land there, they might have full control over it.

Jin Xiaoyuan, who preferred straightforward matters, was completely lost in the discussion. Scratching his head, he asked, “So, is this thing actually worth anything? That guy was willing to pay ten billion for it!”

Chu Qianli said calmly, “Whether something is valuable or not is determined by people. It might not be worth much now, but one day, it could become valuable again—as long as someone redefines the rules.”

Jin Xiaoyuan scratched his head. “What does that mean? I don’t get it.”

“Like diamonds?” Tan Muxing ventured. “Some people think diamonds are a scam.”

Chu Qianli nodded. “But diamonds are still valuable today. So whether they actually have intrinsic value doesn’t matter. As long as they are part of human rules, they become something else entirely.”

“Simply put, money, expensive jewelry, high-priced houses—they’re all products of human rules. Do you see any other animals caring about these things?” Chu Qianli shrugged. “Right now, they’re willing to spend a billion, not just for this stone, but for the right to be the first to set the rules.”

Shi Zhuoqu claimed he was buying back the raw stone to keep the project confidential, which meant they believed the project’s future returns far exceeded this cost. They were willing to pay a high price just to monopolize the information.

However, Jin Xiaoyuan tried to raise the price, yet Shi Zhuoqu wasn’t threatened. This implied that they had determined that Raw Stone No. 1134 alone wouldn’t affect the overall situation. The billion yuan was essentially a payment for business secrecy.

“No matter if it’s valuable or not, we’re rich now.” Chu Qianli made the decision. “Why overthink it? Just take the money!”

Shi Zhuoqu looked displeased at the time, which meant selling to him was definitely the right choice.

Jin Xiaoyuan cheered, “The young lady is right! Make money while you can!”

Chu Qianli grinned. “If all else fails, we’ll just go to H country and dig up more!”

Tan Muxing hesitated. “…It’s dangerous to trespass on foreign land.”

Chu Qianli and the others completed the transaction with Zhang Ming and the auction house, then had Jin Xiaoyuan handle reselling it to Shi Zhuoqu. By merely passing the raw stone through their hands, they secured an enormous profit.

Chu Qianli was usually a big spender, but this time she was feeling generous and insisted on sharing the earnings with Tan Muxing and Jin Xiaoyuan.

“Oh, there’s no need for that…” Jin Xiaoyuan was flattered, rubbing his hands together as he glanced at Tan Muxing, testing the waters. “You guys rarely visit G City, as long as you have fun, that’s all that matters!”

Chu Qianli saw through Jin Xiaoyuan’s cautious attitude and laughed. “Uncle Jin, you were a big help when we needed the stone. We have to acknowledge that. But business is business—you put in so much effort, we can’t let you work for free.”

Tan Muxing persuaded kindly, “Uncle Jin, just accept it.”

Jin Xiaoyuan waved his hands, trying to refuse. “Oh, but I said from the start I’d buy it as a gift for you guys…”

Chu Qianli cut in, “Relationships are built on favors, Uncle Jin. If you refuse to accept, then we’ll hesitate to ask for your help in the future!”

If Chu Qianli didn’t give Jin Xiaoyuan a share, the debt of gratitude would fall on Tan Muxing instead, which wouldn’t be appropriate.

Besides, she had a feeling she would return to G City in the future. Building connections with familiar locals was important, and financial ties were far stronger than mere social bonds.

Jin Xiaoyuan was already invested in the resale of the raw stone, but if he could profit from it, he would be even more motivated.

“The young lady put it that way—how can I refuse now?” Jin Xiaoyuan had initially feared that taking the money would mean their relationship was settled, but after hearing Chu Qianli’s implication, he relaxed. “Alright, I’ll take it. But next time you come to G City, I’ll take care of everything!”

Chu Qianli grinned. “Sounds good, sounds good.”

“So should I transfer the rest of the money to you separately?” Jin Xiaoyuan, who had handled the deal with Shi Zhuoqu, would be sending out the funds and asked, “Do you guys have an account?”

Tan Muxing answered, “Uncle Jin, just send it to this account.”

Back when Chu Qianli did fortune-telling for wealthy businessmen like He Jianping, Tan Muxing had helped her set up a legal account, which had been managed properly ever since. However, Tan Muxing was more careful with money, while Chu Qianli spent it freely.

Since this was a huge sum, Jin Xiaoyuan double-checked the account details and hesitated. “All of it into just one account? No need to split it up?”

Tan Muxing nodded honestly. “Yes.”

Jin Xiaoyuan noticed the account name seemed to belong to Chu Qianli. He looked at Tan Muxing in surprise and sighed, “Muxing, you’re still young.”

Tan Muxing was confused. “?”

Jin Xiaoyuan glanced at Chu Qianli, who was preoccupied with inspecting the raw stone. Seeing that she wasn’t paying attention, he quietly pulled Tan Muxing aside and said earnestly, “You’re handing over everything now, without setting aside a little private fund? What are you going to do when the holidays come and you need to buy gifts?”

“For the first couple of years, you might be the one rushing to pay for things, but what about in a few decades?”

“…”

I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.