Chapter 110: Pansimi’s Advice

The stall owner looked up, his face etched with despair and helplessness. "Brother Lantern, is there something else you need?"

I stared coldly at him, my tone resolute. "Do you think you can just pick a few stones at random and be done with it? These stones must be chosen by him."

The man was taken aback by my words, shaking his head repeatedly. "No, Brother Lantern, I really don’t know much about these stones. Even if you ask me to pick, I wouldn’t be able to!"

I kept my gaze fixed on the stall owner, my eyes sharp as a blade.

Turning back to the man, I asked, "Are you a man or not? If someone cheats you, do you just let it go? You know full well this person is a swindler and a deceiver. If he just hands you ten random stones to send you on your way, what’s the point?"

The man blushed deeply at my words, helplessly scratching his head. "No, Brother Lantern, I really don’t know how to pick!"

I responded coldly, "If you don’t know, then just pick a few stones at random: count from left to right—the seventh, ninth, thirteenth, sixteenth, and twenty-first stones—and besides those, pick any other five!"

At my command, the stall owner’s face instantly changed; his entire face flushed bright red.

He looked at me and said, "Brother Lantern, surely you’re not serious—you’ve named them all!"

His expression grew even uglier, his hands trembling slightly, evidently losing his composure.

"Brother Lantern, your demands are too harsh! These stones are the fruits of my hard labor, dug out from the mountains with my own sweat and blood! Please, give me some leeway!" His voice carried a hint of pleading.

I sneered without mercy, "Your sweat and blood? You know full well the value of these stones, so stop playing the victim here. A schemer like you—do you really think you’d be out digging mines yourself?"

The stall owner shuddered at my threat, beads of sweat trickling down his face.

He knew there was no way out, so he gritted his teeth and agreed, "Alright, alright, I’ll do as you say."

The man, seeing that I had pointed out the stones, looked at me with a spark of gratitude.

He approached the stall and began selecting stones according to my instructions.

With each stone picked, the stall owner’s expression darkened further, as if each stone was slicing into his flesh.

When the man had finished choosing the last stone, I looked at the stall owner coldly and said, "Remember, one must be honest in life. Otherwise, next time it won’t be this simple."

The stall owner bit his teeth, nodding reluctantly, his eyes filled with unwillingness and anger, but he dared not say another word.

The man held the stones he had chosen and gave me a grateful glance, whispering, "Thank you, Brother Lantern."

I patted his shoulder with a slight smile. "Remember, don’t let people deceive you so easily in the future. Let’s go."

We turned and left, the stall owner’s muffled sigh of despair trailing behind us.

Lu Yier looked at the scene, helplessly patting my shoulder. "Brother, you’ve made an enemy!"

I looked at Lu Yier. "Who did I offend? This is your market—I’m the lantern bearer of your market. I’m just helping to raise the market’s prestige. Isn’t that a good thing?"

Lu Yier sighed, his expression complicated as he looked at me. "Brother Lantern, you’re right. But you also know these stall owners barely make a living from this little trade. After what you did this time, how will they survive here?"

"This guy is just one of the small fry on the street... Are you trying to turn my market into a high-end one with your methods?"

I smiled, my gaze firm. "Lu Yier, I know what you’re worried about, but the market’s reputation is more important than anything else. Times have changed. I advocate for steering the entire Bianjian market toward a high-end direction."

Lu Yier looked at me, momentarily at a loss for words, muttering repeatedly, "High-end... high-end..."

I walked ahead, with Lu Yier and Pan Ximi following me into the market office one after another.

Pan Ximi noticed the displeasure on Lu Yier’s face and asked what was wrong.

Lu Yier didn’t hold back and said, "Brother Lantern wants me to clear out those small-time players from the market, regulate it, and move toward high-end. But I still don’t understand—what exactly does 'high-end' mean? Old Pan, you just came back from abroad, do you know anything about this?"

Pan Ximi frowned, thinking for a moment before replying, "Lu Yier, Brother Lantern makes a good point. A high-end market isn’t just about high prices; more importantly, it’s about offering high-quality service to customers."

"There’s a saying: the poor breed cunning, the rich grow conscience. A poor customer, if they make trouble, can drag your entire business down. You make a penny off them, they want your life!"

"But rich people are different. If you satisfy their vanity, even if your goods cost tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands more, they won’t even bat an eye!"

Lu Yier nodded thoughtfully. "But Pan Ximi, what about those old stall owners? They have families to feed too."

Pan Ximi smiled faintly. "We can provide training to help them learn how to pick quality stones and improve their professional skills. That way, everyone can keep up with the market’s pace and not be left behind."

"Training?" Lu Yier laughed, "Come on, in the gambling stone business, many things depend on talent. Training might make you a good stone cutter, but distinguishing stones for gambling has its limits. It’s hard to train a whole bunch of people to have a ‘divine eye’ for stones!"

After speaking, Lu Yier even pointed at me. "Do you think everyone is as amazing as our Brother Lantern, our gang leader?"

Pan Ximi smiled, a sly glint in his eyes. "Lu Yier, you’re right, talent is important. But we can introduce some advanced equipment and technology to assist these stall owners. For example, modern spectrometers and X-ray machines can greatly improve the accuracy of stone identification."

Lu Yier’s expression shifted as he looked at me.

I was a little surprised too. After all, at this time, devices like those Pan Ximi mentioned weren’t even seen in any of the major markets in our city.

Their conversation caught my attention, so I looked at Pan Ximi. "Explain more about these devices—what exactly do they do?"

Pan Ximi nodded and continued, "Boss, these devices analyze the internal structure and composition of stones to assess their potential value."

"For example, a spectrometer can detect trace elements inside the stone, while X-ray machines can see through the stone to check for cracks or flaws."

"You know, those trace elements often determine the stone’s color..."

He paused briefly and added, "You can simply think of it as having X-ray vision."