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Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness-Chapter 560 - 557 Reactions from All Sides
The transportation of the emerald original stone to the village made everything much simpler.
Bi Fang found several strong men nearby, paid them a labor fee, and had them carry the rock onto a small truck to be delivered to the town center.
Japan wasn’t large, but it was impossible for Bi Fang to run the market himself to find buyers, so upon arriving in town, he entrusted an agency to handle it.
They were to contact buyers and negotiate for the highest possible price, taking a commission afterward.
Bi Fang and Mugalen found a small eatery by the road to address their dinner needs when, to their surprise, the agency staff proved rather efficient. Before seven p.m., even before they had finished eating, news was brought to them.
Bi Fang gestured for the waiter to bring an extra set of chopsticks and invited the man to sit down, "That was fast?"
Yehara Hiroshi nodded and placed a document in front of them with proper posture, "Yes, and we have Mr. Bi to thank for the swift location of a buyer."
Yehara Hiroshi was the agent Bi Fang had selected, noted for his excellent performance and high efficiency.
"Me?" Bi Fang flipped through the document and struggled to make sense of it for a while. Aside from the basic data, it was filled with professional terminology that he didn’t quite grasp.
Reading a few lines, he discovered that his earlier introduction was somewhat incorrect, Hetian jade is the one divided into mountain material and seed material, while it turns out that emerald is categorized into mountain material, water stone, and half-mountain-half-water material.
He was an amateur indeed.
"That’s right." Yehara Hiroshi nodded, "Your live-streaming was watched by many across Japan, and, frankly, my son has always been enamored with your hunting stories and incessantly begs to meet you, Mr. Fang. The discovery of the emerald has even made the news, and once word got out that Mr. Fang was looking to sell, many jewelry dealers started waving their checkbooks and contacted us proactively."
[Hahaha, Boss Fang, don’t forget that we helped to get this sold!]
[You can’t be ungrateful]
[If it were me, I’d definitely have to give one piece to each person here; otherwise, I’d feel awful about it.]
Mugalen sipped water from his cup and glanced at the document, which detailed nothing but the weight, size, skin shell, type, color, and such—most of it incomprehensible to him. He tossed it onto the table, leaned back in his chair, propped it up, and said, "What’s the highest bid?"
The water content and color of emerald can greatly affect the price; such differentiation cannot be determined by a single standard assessment.
Jewelry diamonds, on the other hand, are much simpler—size makes the value clear.
Foreigners love precision; without a square standard for emeralds, how could one easily discern their worth?
Just look at diamonds—so straightforward, the bigger they are, the more valuable, signaling one’s wealth for all to see at a glance.
Additionally, for more profound reasons, emeralds are not very popular abroad. Mugalen was unclear about their value and held little expectation.
After all, the raw stone was uncarved and unpolished, indeed not very appealing to the eye, and lacked aesthetic beauty.
If they didn’t make at least a hundred thousand Ugly Yuan, Bi Fang would have to make up the shortfall; after putting in so much effort, he couldn’t afford to have toiled for nothing, especially with his legs still sore and his shoulders sporting red marks that had been rubbed raw.
When the topic of price came up, Yehara Hiroshi sat up stiffly.
"The current highest bid comes from a Hokkaido gemstone merchant, who has offered 134 million."
"Pfft!"
A mist of water sprayed all over Yehara Hiroshi’s face.
Mugalen nearly lost his balance and fell off his chair; he quickly sat upright and frantically began to wipe down Yehara Hiroshi with a napkin he grabbed from the side.
His face sprayed with water, Yehara Hiroshi, instead of getting angry, seemed rather pleased; after all, he too would receive a substantial commission, equivalent to a year or two of his salary.
He couldn’t suppress a grin, "But it’s only been two hours, so I think there’s still room to negotiate the price further. The final transaction price should be able to reach between 160 to 180 million."
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"An almost two-ton block of emerald original stone naturally commands an impressive price. Although the quality of the piece Mr. Bi extracted is average, it’s considered superior compared to regular Japanese materials."
"Furthermore, its emergence is also extraordinary, witnessed by millions of nationals and tens of millions of viewers. Many now see it as ’Earth’s emerald’ with considerable collector’s value."
Yehara Hiroshi briefly explained the reasons.
In Japan, jade is revered as the national stone, and the "Yata no Kagami," a sacred treasure from Shinto legend, is made from jade. However, this doesn’t mean that all jade is the coveted national stone, but only jade that originates from within Japan itself.
Unfortunately, as Bi Fang had mentioned earlier, the only region capable of producing gem-quality jade is Huaxia; over ninety percent of Japan’s jade is inferior in quality, making it very difficult to find any decent pieces.
The majority are small in size and of poor quality; strictly speaking, these should only be called nephrite.
Given the quality of this rough stone, if they tried to sell it somewhere else, they probably wouldn’t get even close to the price it fetched now, possibly as little as half.
But in Japan, this place foretold their fortune.
Sitting opposite, Bi Fang seemed to hear the sound of a slot machine cashing out, turned his head, and suddenly noticed that Mugalen’s eyes had turned into the symbol of Ugly Gold.
Crab, Crab boss?
After blinking again, Bi Fang realized he had been seeing things, but there was no doubt that the trembling cup in Mugalen’s hand betrayed his true thoughts, as he murmured nonstop, "One hundred and eighty million, one hundred and eighty million."
Bi Fang stepped forward to take the cup from his hand, worried that the guy’s hand was unsteady and might break the cup, and he reminded, "It’s in yen, it won’t be that much if you convert it to Ugly Gold."
Realizing that he had lost his composure, Mugalen gave an embarrassed smile, "I’m just too tired today, my muscles haven’t recovered yet, I’m a bit shaky, haha, a bit shaky."
The audience burst into laughter, then looked on with envy. Such wealth, damn that’s awesome!
[Old Mu’s really something; if it were me, my cup would’ve already shattered.]
[One hundred and eighty million, holy smokes!]
[Does anyone know the current exchange rate between Huaxia currency and yen?]
[Don’t ask, I’ve calculated it: 9.3 million Huaxia currency, 1.38 million Ugly Gold.]
[Quick, I need oxygen, I need to breathe!]
[If you see it, you’ve got a share! If you see it, you’ve got a share!!!]
At that moment, Mugalen also took out his phone and worked out how much Ugly Gold it totaled to, deducting the commission and splitting it with Old Fang fifty-fifty.
At least five hundred thousand...
Mugalen suddenly grabbed Bi Fang’s hand, raised his arm, and flexed the large muscles on his biceps, "Brother, my dear brother, next time you have this kind of grunt work, remember to call me, I’m strong and vigorous! Strong and vigorous indeed!"
"Asking for fifty percent, what a loss. I’d rather find someone else."
"Don’t be like that, my brother, thirty, no, ten is fine too, just call me and I’ll be there, I can do the work of three men on my own!"
Mugalen was now over the moon.
Just a bit of effort on his end, and he’d netted five hundred thousand Ugly Gold just like that?
Please let these kinds of opportunities come more often; he had plenty of strength to spare.
Look at this, what does it mean to be a professional explorer? This is professionalism.
If it had been him, how could he possibly have known that was a rock of invaluable worth, instead of just some green tuff?
Bear hunting? Screw hunting!
Thinking about his shopping cart, Mugalen realized he could empty it again, he could finally afford the fishing gear he’d been longing for. The remaining mortgage on the large villa he’d put down using his show’s prize money could also be paid off in one go, utterly delightful.
Back to the days without financial pressure.
The other diners around them all cheered loudly, their envy unmistakable.
Bi Fang stood up, placing one foot on the slanting rod of the stool, and called out, "Today’s expenses at this restaurant are on me!"
```
A single stone stirred up ripples, inciting a loud cheer from the diners in the shop, and even the owner’s face blossomed with a smile.
It was unexpected fortune, and true happiness was only real when shared by all.
Unlike the joyous Bi Fang and his companions, other hunters, hearing the figure of 180 million yen through the audience, were also secretly amazed. They had come to Japan and could not avoid exchanging currency, so they naturally understood how much that was, especially for the native Yōki Hunters, whose feelings were even deeper.
180 million...
Which hunter’s prey could earn so much money in a lifetime? Afraid not even the change, and the ancestral grave would be emitting green smoke, right?
One hundred thousand per point, ten points for one bear, how many points is 180 million divided by one hundred thousand?
Eighteen hundred points?
An adult Black Bear with a body length of 1.5 meters, intact and with small wounds, was worth ten points.
Would I have to kill one hundred and eighty bears myself?
Sato and others had returned to town to regroup because of the earthquake, and for the first time since the hunting season started, they gathered together, finding the calculations somewhat dizzying.
Okuyama, with a hand on his forehead, said, "I have to hunt one hundred and eighty bears to catch up with that guy."
Tanaka agreed, "This is an unexpected windfall."
"You guys still have a chance, now ranking first. Takahashi and I have only caught one bear, and it’s already the fourth day," Fujiwara sighed.
"This guy, he’s too prominent."
The five of them watched Bi Fang on the television, their eyes filled with envy.
The hunting season was supposed to be their stage, so thought Gang Tianwu. But ever since it started, from Bi Fang’s building momentum, to his bear hunting, to discovering jade after the earthquake,
Bi Fang brought tremendous traffic to the entire program, but it seemed like no one else was really enjoying the benefits that came along.
Especially the scene of the bear hunting, which stunned the native Yōki Hunters. They too held naginatas, but those were for delivering the final blow.
When the Black Bear was on its last breath, that was the time to go in with a naginata for the last harvest.
Who would rush in holding a long spear? It’s like a man with a death wish—looking to hasten his demise?
This guy was really impressive.
Beyond the envy, the hunters couldn’t help but reflect; out of thirty-five hunters, aside from the protagonist, nearly every one of them watched Bi Fang hunting the bear again and again.
Putting themselves in his shoes, they wouldn’t have dared do such a thing; it was completely risking life and death.
They didn’t have the Wolves King’s Sense of Smell or the Beastly Instinct, and seeing Bi Fang, they felt as if they were watching a sci-fi movie.
It’s not scientific.
Lack of science doesn’t mean it can’t be done; perhaps at the brink of life and death, the few sitting here could gamble with their lives as well, but hunting in the usual way was never this thrilling.
To dare to do this, you would need at least an 80% certainty, right?
If it were them, they probably had...
Thirty percent?
With this thought, those present exchanged glances, filled with empathy. They couldn’t help feeling a bit sheepish and avoided each other’s eyes.
Do not underestimate this extra fifty percent; this represents one being a fight for one’s life, and the other being totally in control. The realms were worlds apart, more than double.
Sato, clutching his hair, felt a twinge of irritation.
...
```
Within the Police Department, a police officer walked out of the office, his head hung in dejection.
Through the still-open crack of the door, one could see Police Chief Matsumoto Kiyotaka grabbing at his thinning hair, his chest heaving with breaths, as his recent tirade had left him somewhat winded.
Picking up his teacup, he took a sip, then turned on the television next to him to watch the evening’s bear hunting season broadcast.
The bear hunting season would broadcast a two-hour edited program every night at eight o’clock, providing some consolation to the many office workers.
Seeing his country’s hunters ranked first, Matsumoto Kiyotaka’s knotted frustration eased considerably, and even the irritation from his employees’ ineptitude dissipated a great deal.
Upon learning that Bi Fang had found an emerald worth over a hundred million Yen because of an earthquake, the chief fantasized about how wonderful it would be if he were so lucky.
Then he wouldn’t have to work anymore, nor deal with pressure from his superiors, and could fully achieve financial freedom, doing whatever he pleased.
He could divorce his shrewish wife, visit any pleasure district he wished, go sea fishing in Hokkaido, and indulge in high-end spending in Ginza.
Unfortunately, he was still stuck in the small town of Taiji, plagued by a bunch of dolphin enthusiasts.
The Police Department and the local government were one and the same; if they allowed the other party to expose everything, especially control over financial powers, the Police Department could not sit idly by and watch those rascals run amok.
Tonight, the dolphin hunting season was about to begin.
Matsumoto Kiyotaka casually picked up the camera from the desk, which had been dismantled and lay in pieces, revealing its red and green wires inside, along with four others just like it.
After spending days, they had only located these four cameras, causing the chief to doubt if his subordinates were nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings.
"How on earth did they install these?"
They were under surveillance during the day, and their nights were spent in hotels. How did that group manage to set up the cameras over several evenings?
Was someone helping them?
Matsumoto Kiyotaka believed he had them under constant surveillance, yet things were still subtly slipping out of his control, especially since Richard and his group had suddenly lost their tail during the day.
Were these few people really that formidable?
This wasn’t Matsumoto Kiyotaka’s first encounter with this team. Strictly speaking, he had met Richard many times, with their standoff beginning half a year ago.
The previous month had been the most tense, with a blood incident occurring. Matsumoto Kiyotaka had helped cover it up, only to find that instead of backing down, their opposition had intensified.
Even with a reduced number, they still had the audacity to come here.
But with fewer people, it was the same few individuals. How did the same team become even more daunting?
He was itching for an opportunity to catch them all.
Unfortunately, that was not possible.
Richard and the others had just put diplomatic pressure on him through their embassy yesterday.
After some thought, Matsumoto Kiyotaka pressed the telephone button, calling back the previously dispatched officers, "Tonight there’s a festival, and they’re sure to appear. We need to find out who’s helping them. Don’t go back yet. Work overtime tonight, and we must catch them red-handed!"
The officers, who had just returned to their seats, had their faces fall immediately upon hearing this.
That evening, Mugalen stood alone by Dolphin Bay, his pupils reflecting the high flames held by villagers.
In a deep part of the forest, Bi Fang took out the rabbit given to him by Bosen earlier.
Having thought about it all day, Bi Fang still felt something was amiss, that sense of hostility did not seem like an illusion.
Hopefully, there really was no problem.
Gazing at the somewhat shriveled half rabbit, Bi Fang’s eyes were somber.