Chapter 164 -- Sparks Fly

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Guild Master Adriano-san announced as he returned with the gem appraiser Ruslan-san following behind. "Well," he said after sitting down, "We'd like to buy most of the items you have offered us. The items are..."

The jewels that Adriano-san wanted to purchase were the smaller stones, the ruby, emerald, aquamarine, garnet, the two amethysts and the peridot as well as the two small diamonds and the two medium-sized ones. In addition he wanted the gold ingot, the diamond ring and lastly the Imperial Topaz. I got the impression that diamonds were popular gems in this world but the large yellow diamond that Ruslan-san had enthused over was not included in his list, probably because they simply couldn't afford to pay me a realistic price for it. The tanzanite necklace was also rejected, perhaps because it was unusual and hence would be difficult to sell on.

"I would like to buy these," he said, separating the items he had listed on one side of the cloth on the table. "Is that acceptable?" When I agreed, Adriano-san read out the price he was offering for each as Ugor-san and I listened closely.

"The small ruby is worth 180 gold coins, the small emerald 170 gold coins, the small aquamarine 140 gold coins, the small garnet 120 gold coins, the two small amethysts are each 80 gold coins so that makes 160 gold coins and the peridot is 110 gold coins." He separated each gem as he priced it, pushing it to one side of the cloth with a finger.

"The diamonds now, the two smaller diamonds are each worth 500 gold coins so that makes 1000 gold coins and the two larger diamonds are each worth 750 gold coins so that makes 1500 gold coins. As for the other items, the gold ingot is worth 300 gold coins, the Imperial Topaz is worth 1600 gold coins and I'd like to offer 680 gold coins for the diamond ring. That makes a total of 7460 gold coins." He looked up at me with a smile. "Is that agreeable to you, Mukouda-san?"

Jewellery is amazing, it’s expensive in this world too. 7460 gold coins for those? I looked at the gems on the cloth, coloured glass in pleasing shapes and they were worth, let me see, the price of eight Black Magic Cooking Stoves, or was that nine? I could understand large amounts of money better that way, somehow. I opened my mouth to agree but...

"Ehh, can I just interrupt here to say 'please wait a moment'?" Ugor-san broke in before I could say anything. “The purchase price you offered Mukouda-san seems a bit on the low side to me, Guild Master, especially for the Imperial Topaz and the diamonds." He sat back as Adriano-san's eyes locked on him.

"As the Deputy Guild Master of Doran's Adventurers Guild, a lot of information about the prices and rarity of assorted items Adventurers might wish to sell passes across my desk, including gems and jewellery. I try to make careful note of such things." He leaned forward and laid his finger on the Imperial Topaz on the cloth, mimicking the manner Adriano-san had touched it earlier as he sorted through the items he wished to purchase.

"For example, I've heard of the Imperial Topaz before today. It is one of the fabled 'Phantom Jewels', is it not?" Ruslan-san twitched at Ugor-san's words but Adriano-san's expression did not change. Ugor-san smiled. "Yes, with a name like that, one would expect jewellers to prize such stones above others for their rarity and desirability." Ugor-san moved the Imperial Topaz with his finger, as if to shift it over to where the unwanted large yellow diamond and the tanzanite necklace lay. Adriano-san tensed momentarily but quickly regained his calm demeanour and returned Ugor-san's smile with one of his own, if a rather tight-lipped one.

"And of course everyone knows that larger gemstones are more expensive