After arriving at the private club, Leo met two Bruix Skeau individuals. They were dressed casually, not very tall, with dark skin, sturdy builds, prominent cheekbones, and typical Bruix Skeau features.
One of them appeared to be around fifty years old, probably the boss. However, his eyes, besides the shrewdness of a businessman, also carried a sense of sharpness.
“Leo, let me introduce you. This is Boss Finley, and this is his assistant, Malo. Boss Finley is a local gemstone dealer in Bruix Skeau. He has acquired some good stones and specifically came to the mainland to sell them at a good price,” Coral introduced.
Leo greeted the two men and shook hands with each of them.
During the handshake, Leo noticed that these two were not ordinary individuals. They had prominent calluses on the base of their right hand, indicating extensive use of firearms. This led him to suspect that both of them might have military backgrounds.
Leo became cautious. These individuals might not be gemstone dealers at all, and their purpose in coming here might not be solely to sell stones.
“Mr. Bloomer, I heard that you have a deep understanding of gemstones. You can basically tell the quality and type of jade that can be produced from a stone with just a glance, and your success rate is one hundred percent,” Finley straightforwardly said, while his sharp eyes scanned Leo’s face.
His language sounded a bit stiff, but it was still proficient.
“You overestimate me. It’s all just luck. I happen to be a bit luckier,” Leo replied with a smile.
“Mr. Bloomer, you’re being modest. The reason I came directly to Wilde Jewelry Group today is because of your discerning eyes. Any stone you look at, you can determine what it will yield, and you’re always right!” Finley chimed in with a smile.
“If that’s the case, let’s get straight to it,” Finley said, then exchanged a glance with Malo beside him.
Malo quickly took out his phone and made a call.
After about ten minutes, three Bruix Skeau individuals with similarly dark skin and sturdy builds entered the private room, each carrying a stone.
They placed the stones on the ground with a thud, wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and left the room.
The stones were not large, varying in size, with the largest weighing around 500 grams. Each had a different outer appearance, with various patterns and textures.
“Mr. Bloomer, could you please help me determine the quality of these stones? If you can accurately predict what they contain, I’m willing to gift them to you for free,” Finley stood up and made a gesture of invitation.
“Finley, what do you mean?” Coral furrowed her brows, puzzled. This wasn’t how one sold gemstones. They didn’t seem like stone sellers; instead, they seemed to be looking for trouble.
Just as Coral finished speaking, the three men who had brought the stones came in again, each holding a heavy sledgehammer in their hands.
“Coral, I mean no harm. I’m just going to open the stones,” Finley calmly explained.
“Open the stones? Don’t you need a stone-cutting machine for that?” Coral couldn’t understand.
“The cutting machine is too slow. This way is faster, and you can see more clearly,” Finley replied.
Faster and clearer?
Indeed, it would be faster and clearer, but it would completely destroy the contents of the stones!
Coral raised an eyebrow, looking at Finley strangely, suspecting whether he truly understood gemstones.
“Please, Mr. Bloomer,” Finley gestured to Leo, indicating that he could begin.
“Mr. Finley, what if I make a mistake?” Leo didn’t immediately stand up. He first asked a question.
“If you make a mistake, then I can’t cooperate with you. I’ve said it before, I came specifically for your discerning eyes,” Finley emphasized the phrase “discerning eyes” deliberately.
Leo furrowed his brow, not fully understanding the deeper meaning behind his words. However, seeing that Finley didn’t seem to have any ill intentions, he didn’t dwell on it and stood up to carefully examine the three stones.
Leo took a look at the three stones in the order of large, medium, and small. Then, he judged them one by one, saying, “Although the large one has moss and prominent green color, it only has a slight glassy texture beneath the moss.”
“The medium-sized one is good. It can yield enough jade to make two pairs of bracelets and five small accessories with icy translucent texture. The small one is also good. It has a thin skin and contains yellowish-green mung bean jade.”
After hearing Leo’s analysis, Finley and Malo exchanged glances. They clearly had great doubts about Leo’s words. Who could see stones so accurately?
“Open them!” Finley gave the order.
Immediately, the three individuals took their sledgehammers and started smashing the stones.
With the sound of impact, the three rough stones were quickly shattered into pieces.
Finley and Malo hurriedly walked forward to inspect the broken stones on the ground.
Soon, their expressions changed dramatically, and their faces were filled with astonishment.
The internal conditions of the three rough stones, from water quality to the amount suitable for carving jade ornaments, were exactly as Leo had described!
“Indeed, you are exceptional!” Finley exclaimed in amazement, then his face lit up with joy.
He quickly approached Leo, grabbed his hand, and firmly shook it, suppressing his excitement as he said, “Mr. Bloomer, it’s an honor to meet you. Let me reintroduce myself. I am a Major of the Red Rangers in Bruix Skeau.”
“Major?” Upon hearing Finley’s words, Coral couldn’t help but be startled. She never expected Finley’s true identity to be a military officer.
Leo, on the other hand, remained calm. His speculation was correct. These two individuals were indeed members of a local ethnic armed group.
The Red Rangers belonged to the largest local ethnic armed force in Bruix Skeau.
Leo smiled politely and said, “Pleasure to meet you. Can you now explain your true purpose?”
“In fact, I already made it clear earlier. I came specifically for your discerning eyes. The three stones just now were a test for you, and you didn’t disappoint me,” Finley explained. Then he signaled Malo, who quickly took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Leo.
Curious, Leo took the envelope and opened it. Inside, he found a piece of paper with detailed information about the mining output and proportion of various types of rough stones in several Bruix Skeau mining sites.
“Mr. Finley, what is this?” Leo asked, puzzled.
“These are the rough stone mining sites controlled by our Red Rangers. Although we have many people in our unit who understand rough stones, compared to Mr. Bloomer, there’s a world of difference. So, we want to establish a cooperative relationship with Wilde Jewelry Group, where Mr. Bloomer is located,” Finley explained sincerely.
“After each batch of rough stones is mined, we hope that Mr. Bloomer can help us sort out the most valuable ones through remote video assessment, so that we can maximize our benefits.” Finley’s tone was earnest.