“Keith, do you want to go and see the young man who practiced with your waste material and cut out top-grade jadeite?” Madame K asked.
“Sure, let’s go check it out.”
Meanwhile, beside another cutting machine, Antony had just cut a full gambling stone he had bought for a hundred thousand dollars and failed. Although it wasn’t a significant amount for him, the feeling of losing was never pleasant, much like a gambler losing money.
He heard someone shouting about cutting out a “glassy type” and saw a crowd gathering ahead, piquing his curiosity.
“Jim, what’s happening over there?” he asked.
Jim had heard clearly earlier and replied, “Young Master, it seems someone has cut out a glassy type.”
“Glassy type?” Antony raised an eyebrow. “What incredible luck! Let’s go take a look.”
When Antony and Jim arrived, they saw a large group of people gathered around. It was the first time anyone had cut out a glassy type, and everyone was curious and eager to catch a bit of good luck.
“Look at the cut surface; it’s indeed a glassy type.”
“It’s not just a glassy type; there are purple inclusions inside. It’s a glassy type with purple flowers!”
“Definitely a substantial increase in value!”
The closest spectators began to discuss excitedly, with many eager to buy it.
“Young man, there’s no need to cut any further. I’ll offer nine million; will you sell it to me?” a middle-aged man with a refined demeanor asked.
“Nine million to take the glassy type? That’s wishful thinking! Kid, I’ll offer ten million.”
“I bid eleven million!”
As usual, the onlookers started an impromptu bidding war.
Keith and Madame K finally squeezed their way in. When they saw the jade on the cutting machine, Keith’s heart sank, and he almost sat down on the ground. Fortunately, Madame K caught him.
It was the waste material he had cut off himself. He couldn’t believe that there was a glassy type jade inside. Why did fate treat him this way?
He felt like he was about to vomit blood.
Madame K, understanding Keith’s plight, instinctively distanced herself from him. She was afraid of getting caught in his streak of bad luck.
Keith’s heart bled, but there was no cure for regrets.
With Jim’s help, Antony easily pushed through the crowd. When he saw that it was Leo who had cut the glassy seed, his face immediately darkened. “This guy has such incredible luck.”
Leo powered up the machine again, ready to continue cutting.
“What are you doing?” Nicola quickly asked.
“I’m going to cut out all the jade,” Leo replied, puzzled.
Hearing this, the spectators around them found Leo’s expression strange.
They had seen novices, but never someone as clueless as this. He seemed utterly ignorant about gambling stones. Sure, for ordinary low-grade jadeite, you could cut as you pleased, but this was high-grade glassy type jadeite. Even cutting away a tiny bit meant wasting money.
Nicola had already witnessed Leo’s rookie behaviour and explained, “High-grade jadeite isn’t cut; it’s polished. Let me do it.”
Although Leo understood some of these techniques, he had chosen to play the naive newcomer from the start, so he might as well continue.
“Leo, stand next to me. When I polish the stone, you pour water,” Nicola instructed.
After she put on her protective goggles and gloves, she moved the half piece of jade out from under the cutting blade and brought over the polishing machine. After turning it on, she carefully began polishing.
Nicola, hailing from a family with a background in gambling stones, had a professional polishing technique, and she made sure not to damage any part of the jade.
Leo stood beside her, following her orders to pour water when she asked.
Polishing took much longer than cutting, but the spectators rarely got to see glassy type jadeite being polished, so they stood still, not intending to leave.
To them, witnessing such kind of jade emerge was a fantastic experience and a story they could brag about during their leisure time.
After half an hour, Nicola finally finished polishing the half piece of jade.
Leo poured water over it, and the jade, devoid of any impurities, gleamed under the sunlight, emitting a faint purple glow, extraordinarily beautiful.
“Polishing is so tiring; my legs ache,” Nicola removed her protective gear and stretched her body.
Coral handed her a bottle of mineral water, saying, “You worked hard. Have some water.”
“Thank you,” Nicola took the mineral water.
Madame K examined the dazzling jade on the cutting machine, and her eyes shimmered with excitement. “Glassy seed with purple inclusions, good color, and ample transparency. Although there’s a small yellow spot on the edge, it doesn’t affect the overall value.”
“This is the first time in so many years that I’ve seen someone polish a glassy seed with purple inclusions.”
“This half piece of waste material looks familiar. See? It’s the scrap that guy sold to this young man for eight thousand bucks.”
“To cut out a glassy seed from waste material-this young man has truly defied the odds.”
Some people noticed Keith squeezed into the crowd, and their eyes turned sympathetic.
Keith felt like he wanted to die. If only he had cut the other half one more time, he wouldn’t have missed out on this glassy seed. Now, he could only lament his misfortune.
Leo picked up the glassy seed jade from the machine, feeling the spiritual energy inside, and couldn’t help but smile.
“Young man, I’ll offer eighteen million for the jade in your hand. Will you sell it to me?” a man’s voice called out.
“Eighteen million isn’t enough. I’ll offer twenty-two million. Handsome, sell it to me,” a woman’s voice chimed in.
“Twenty-three million!”
“Twenty-five million!”
Once again, the spectators began to bid without seeking the owner’s consent.
Seeing Leo’s smile, Nicola worried that he might lose his mind once he heard the money, so she reminded him, “Leo, this jade is worth around thirty-two million. Don’t let greed cloud your judgment.”
Leo nodded in agreement. It seemed that Nicola had a good heart, considering how she reminded him about the jade’s true value.