Capítulo 23: Chapter 23
The owner of Mingxing Jewelry was named Xingxi.
She was a young woman with short hair and bangs, wearing a long robe with blue floral patterns.
Despite running Liyue's largest jewelry store, for some reason, she wasn't wearing any accessories herself.
Her demeanor was elegant, like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley.
Xingxi invited Xia zhi into a quiet inner room. After they sat down, she examined him with an interesting gaze and asked softly, "May I know your surname, guest?"
"No need for formalities, Madam. Just call me Xia zhi."
"Where is this item you mentioned that's no inferior to our store's Glaze Lily?"
"It's with me."
"May I see it?"
"Of course."
Xia zhi untied an ordinary-looking cloth bag from his waist and placed it on the table, opening it.
Inside the bag was a small wooden box wrapped in fabric. When he opened the lid, a stunning glaze color was revealed from within.
"This is...!?"
When Xingxi saw the glazed ornament in the bag, a look of disbelief flashed in her eyes.
"A Glaze Lily?"
"Yes."
"Sir, may I examine it closely?"
"Please do."
Xingxi couldn't help but stand up, carefully taking out the Glaze Lily ornament from the bag. She held it in her hands and examined it carefully for a long while, muttering to herself: "This, this, how is this possible..."
"What does Madam think?"
"Both the color and form... except for lacking the flower's fragrance, everything else is identical to a real Glaze Lily. This is truly a heaven-sent masterpiece."
"How does it compare to the Glaze Lily in your store?"
"Please don't jest, sir." A bitter smile appeared on Xingxi's face. "Though the Glaze Lily in my store is a master's painstaking work, it only captures the form but not the essence. How can it compare to this piece?"
"I'm glad you're satisfied."
Xingxi carefully placed the ornament back on the table and glanced at the simple bag that had contained it: "Sir, you're quite bold. Carrying such a precious and fragile treasure so casually, aren't you worried about accidents?"
"Rest assured, it hasn't suffered any damage. If you're concerned, you can check it again."
"No need. I've already thoroughly examined it just now, and it's indeed perfectly intact. However... Sir, are you really planning to sell this treasure to Mingxing Jewelry?"
"Yes."
"What price did you have in mind?"
"What price does Madam think is appropriate?"
"I think it's priceless."
"Please don't joke, Madam. Let's discuss the price."
Xingxi thought for a moment and said, "8 million Mora. What do you think of this price, sir?"
"That's a bit low."
"This price is already quite high, sir. Though there are many wealthy people in Liyue, few are willing to spend 8 million Mora on a single ornament. The items still in my store haven't sold because their prices are too high."
"I heard that the wealthy Lady Ningguang is particularly fond of Glaze Lilies. If it catches her fancy, she would surely be willing to buy it."
Xingxi's eyes flickered as she said, "The talk about Lady Ningguang's preferences is merely street gossip."
"Madam could also make it your store's new centerpiece. It would bring endless prestige, surely better than your previous centerpiece."
"Though what you say has some merit, we can't calculate it that way. At most, 9 million Mora."
"Madam, there are many other jewelry stores on this street. You wouldn't want them to possess an ornament that could overshadow Mingxing Jewelry's centerpiece, would you?"
"...10 million Mora. This is the highest price we can offer. Due to the Chasm's lockdown, our current liquidity is quite tight..."
"Deal."
"Then let's sign the contract."
"Alright."
Mingxing Jewelry always kept standard purchase contracts on hand. Xingxi took one out, made some modifications, and handed it to Xia zhi.
Xia zhi didn't look at it and directly put the contract away.
Xingxi was stunned and asked, "Sir, aren't you going to review the contract terms?"
"Since I'm not very familiar with Liyue's laws, I need to find a professional to help me handle this."
"This... very well... may I ask who this professional is?"
"Miss Yanfei."
"Though Miss Yanfei is very professional, her legal consultation fees are also very expensive."
"I know."
Xingxi watched nervously as Xia zhi put the glazed ornament back in its box, afraid he might accidentally bump or knock something. Finally, she couldn't help but say, "Sir, why don't you wait here in our store, and I'll have someone invite Miss Yanfei over. What do you think?"
"Hmm... alright."
Xia zhi put down the box and sat back in his chair.
Xingxi called a store clerk and asked her to quickly go to Yanfei's Legal Consultancy Office to invite her. Then she personally went to brew a pot of fine tea, inviting Xia zhi to drink tea while waiting.
Xia zhi held the cup and took a small sip, saying, "Good tea, much better than Heyu Tea House's."
Xingxi smiled gracefully and said, "If sir likes it, I can package some for you later."
Xia zhi smiled and shook his head: "Thank you for the kind offer, but there's no need."
After chatting over tea for a while, Xingxi suddenly asked, "Sir, do you have any other ornaments like this?"
Xia zhi looked at the Glaze Lily ornament on the table, which he had temporarily custom-ordered from the [Shop] for 1 point, and shook his head gently: "No more. Madam should understand that the appearance of such a perfect work is itself a miracle."
"Indeed... may I ask which master created it?"
Xia zhi turned his head and looked at her with a silent expression that said "How could I possibly tell you something like that?"
"I apologize for being presumptuous,"
Xingxi smiled embarrassedly.
After a while longer, a girl with coral-colored waist-length hair wearing a red legal coronet entered the inner room with the store clerk.
Xia zhi continued drinking tea while observing her from a "god's perspective."
The girl had a pair of white-to-yellow deer antlers extending outward from both sides of her head. She was dressed quite revealingly, with her waist and legs exposed. Her red and white scarf connected to a red top, and she wore a black short skirt with a red circular cloth tied around it, fastened with a yellow bow on the left. She carried a thick book with her. Her arms were covered in white sleeves with red armor pieces, and there were some white scales on her hand's back and waist. As Liu-ge had said, she had adeptal blood.
However, none of that was important. What was important was the silver progress bar hanging over her:
Progress: [0%]
Liyue is indeed a land of outstanding people!
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