Game of Thrones: My Weekend Trips to Earth Chapter 16 16

He didn't rush to sell his goods. Instead, he decided to find a few bodyguards or enforcers first.

Luke strolled through the crowded Shoe-maker's Square, deliberately slowing his pace.

Like a true noble or wealthy rchant interested in everyday city life, he observed everything around him with great interest.

Without the language barrier, the noisy hawking, haggling argunts, rcenaries boasting about their martial prowess, and caravan leaders barking orders at their n…

All of it ca through clearly, forming a vivid and crude symphony of Westeros' lower class.

The environnt was indeed harsh.

The ground was muddy and filthy, and the air was thick with the mixed slls of leather, fish, sweat, cheap spices, and garbage that hadn't been cleared in ti. Flies buzzed everywhere.

But compared to Flea Bottom, there was at least slightly better order here. Most people had clear livelihoods, and their faces showed calculation for survival rather than complete numbness.

His gaze swept across the groups of people looking for work.

Just as he had heard, this place was also a mixed bag.

There were fallen knights in old but well-maintained chainmail with swords at their waists and sharp eyes, asking for at least one silver stag per day.

There were burly, scar-faced rcenaries with bulging muscles carrying battle axes or greatswords, demanding one gold dragon per day.

There were also timid farrs or bankrupt citizens holding nothing but wooden sticks, dressed in rags, willing to work for just a few coppers to fill their stomachs.

Services ranged from simple escorting and muscle work to running errands, carrying goods, gathering information, and even so shady jobs.

Paynt thods were surprisingly flexible.

Luke observed carefully, ntally evaluating each one.

What he needed now were reliable eyes and ears plus temporary ard protection — for gathering information and providing deterrence during early transactions.

However, he had zero confidence in the loyalty of Westerosi rcenaries. High prices didn't guarantee loyalty, and low prices ca with even higher risks.

He preferred people who seed to have so底线, weren't pure desperados, and were interested in long-term stable pay.

While he was feeling a bit overwheld and finding it hard to choose, his eyes were drawn to a relatively quiet stall at the edge of the square.

It belonged to an Essosi rchant with deep brown skin, wearing a brightly colored but dust-covered turban and robe.

His stall was small, covered with a faded blanket displaying a ssy assortnt of items:

Several strangely shaped brass incense burners, strings of bone or wooden necklaces of unknown material, so rusty old daggers and amulets, a few dull-colored glass beads…

And a pile of jewelry casually thrown in the corner, looking extrely shabby.

Most of the jewelry had crude craftsmanship, dull tal, and "stones" that were either cloudy or poorly cut. On Blue Star, they would be unsellable even at a flea market.

However, this pile of trash among trash made Luke's mind light up with inspiration!

"Industrial art pieces!"

That's right!

Why hadn't he thought of this sooner!

The cheap, mass-produced jewelry from Yiwu on Blue Star — beautifully designed necklaces, bracelets, and earrings inlaid with cubic zirconia or synthetic gems…

In this handcraft era, they would be considered exquisite works of art!

He could easily package them as treasures from distant lands or lost civilizations and sell them to nobles who had more money than they knew what to do with and craved uniqueness.

A "Swarovski-style" necklace that cost a few dozen yuan on Blue Star could probably sell for hundreds or even thousands of gold dragons here!

Selling a colorful glass bead for a hundred gold coins wouldn't be excessive!

This was far more profitable than selling sugar, salt, or perfu, and much lower profile. It also wouldn't disrupt the basic commodity market as easily.

This idea made his heart race, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. Now wasn't the ti to dwell on it.

His gaze was firmly locked onto several small stones placed on a slightly cleaner piece of velvet in the center of the stall.

They were rough, unpolished gemstones of various sizes and colors.

To the Essosi rchant, they were probably just pretty colorful rocks used to decorate his shabby stall.

But in Luke's eyes — after cramming gemstone knowledge — those few "small stones" seed to glow!

The two in the center were honey-yellow. In the dim light, they showed a thin, bright, shifting light band…

Cat's eye chrysoberyl?!

And natural, untreated ones!

Next to them was a dark red one. Though roughly cut, its deep, rich red color… could it be a ruby?

Another deep blue one — sapphire?

A vivid green one — erald or jadeite?

And even one or two small, colorless, transparent stones with sharp fire flashes… diamond roughs?

Although everyone knows diamonds are a "scam," real natural diamonds are still extrely valuable…

Luke felt his breathing stop. His blood rushed to his head, then turned ice-cold in an instant.

He tried hard to control his facial muscles, keeping his expression neutral, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed the storm raging inside him.

This world… probably didn't have industrial fake gem technology.

If these stones were mined, they were almost certainly natural gemstones!

Judging by the rchant's attitude and how casually he displayed them, he clearly had no idea of their true value. He probably thought they were just "pretty colored glass" or "lucky stones."

Gems — especially natural, uncut ones — were far more stable and valuable on Blue Star than gold, and easier to cash out through certain channels!

Small volu, high value — exactly the "hard currency" he needed most right now!

He took a deep breath, forced his heartbeat to calm, and put on a picky, slightly disdainful expression.

He walked over to the Essosi rchant's stall, his eyes casually scanning the junk jewelry before finally landing on the central stones.

"rchant, these… from Essos? They don't look very impressive."

He spoke in clear Common Tongue, pointing at the pile of jewelry and the stones.

The Essosi rchant's eyes lit up when he saw Luke stop. He imdiately began a torrent of sales talk:

"My lord, you jest!"

"Look at these exquisite pieces, all from Volantis, Pentos, and even faraway Qarth!"

"Take this golden armband inlaid with rubies and moonstone — it symbolizes the harmony of fla and frost. Only two hundred gold dragons! And this silver necklace with Myrish lace pendants, perfect for accentuating a noble lady's elegance, only one hundred and fifty gold dragons!…"

The rchant had quite the silver tongue, hyping up the crude jewelry like they were treasures.

He especially pushed a relatively "luxurious" golden necklace in the center, inlaid with several dull, poorly cut "gems."

"My lord, look at this one! A true masterpiece! Made by a master from Volantis! Look at the craftsmanship, the setting, the luster of these gems!"

The rchant carefully lifted the necklace, spit flying as he spoke.

"To be honest, I heard Her Grace Queen Cersei has a similar piece! Made by the sa master! Such a treasure… only five thousand gold dragons! Absolutely worth every coin!"

Five thousand gold dragons?

Luke almost laughed out loud.

With this level of craftsmanship and gem quality, it would be considered tacky even for square-dancing aunties on Blue Star.

But he only showed a faint, subtle amusent.

He didn't respond or look at the "Queen's matching piece." Instead, he slowly took out a bamboo jar engraved with elegant script reading "Velvet Snow" from his fine leather pouch and gently placed it on the velvet cloth in front of the rchant.

"I'll trade this for that necklace."

Luke's tone was calm, carrying a hint of aristocratic indifference.

The rchant, whose na was Carlos, was stunned. He looked warily at the exquisitely made bamboo jar with beautiful lettering, then at Luke.

"My lord, this is…?"

"Open it and see," Luke gestured.

Carlos suspiciously pulled out the cork. A pure, faint sweet fragrance drifted out.

He carefully scooped a tiny bit of the snow-white crystals with his fingernail and put it in his mouth.

The next mont, his eyes widened dramatically!

Pure, ultimate sweetness exploded on his tongue — no impurities, so delicate it seed to lt instantly, bringing a heavenly taste he had never experienced before!

As a rchant who traveled between wealthy Essos and Westeros, he had tasted honey, beet syrup, and even rare sweets from the Sumr Isles, but never anything this pure and refined!

He quickly sealed the jar, clutching it tightly as if afraid it would fly away. His gaze toward Luke had completely changed — filled with shock, greed, and extre curiosity.

"This… what is this? Where did it co from?!"

Carlos's voice had gone hoarse.

Luke had his story ready. He spoke casually:

"From east of the Narrow Sea, across the Sunset Sea, a lost island guarded by mist and elves."

"The craftsn there harvest the pistils of thousand-year snow lotuses, blend them with the light of dawn and the blessings of honey fairies, and go through ninety-nine secret processes to condense such a small amount… 'Velvet Snow'."

"In King's Landing, so well-connected nobles are willing to pay more than ten gold dragons just for a tiny pinch to garnish their wine or desserts."

He spun the tale effortlessly, mixing Eastern and Western fantasy elents with complete seriousness.

The rchant was visibly moved, but his business savvy quickly kicked in and suppressed his initial shock.

He began bargaining: "Velvet Snow is indeed rare, but it's still a consumable. It can't compare to my heirloom gem necklace in terms of collectible and preservation value."

…

Luke's eloquence was no match for a veteran Braavosi rchant who made his living with his tongue.

After several rounds, the rchant stubbornly insisted that although the jar of Velvet Snow was precious, it wasn't worth as much as his necklace. He demanded at least three jars for the exchange.

Luke pretended to hesitate, then "reluctantly" agreed and "painfully" took out two more jars of white sugar.

In reality, he was overjoyed inside.

Three jars of sugar that cost less than ten yuan total, traded for a golden necklace inlaid with natural gemstones — an absolute steal!

What's more, the necklace itself wasn't what he truly wanted.

The deal was completed. Carlos hugged the three jars like they were his lifeline, beaming with joy.

Luke casually tossed the "Queen's matching" necklace into his bag.

"And these…"

Luke pointed at the few gemstones he had his eyes on and took out another bamboo jar labeled "Mithril Sal."

"I'll trade this for those colorful stones."

The rchant, now very interested in anything Luke produced, quickly opened the salt jar and tasted it.

Another shock from the extre quality.

Salt was a necessity. Such pure, snow-white salt was even easier for people to recognize the value of than sugar.

"My lord, you are too generous!"

The rchant licked his lips, eyes shining.

"These pretty stones were traded from a wandering gypsy near the Dorne border. They look nice, but they're just decorations. This miraculous salt… is definitely worth it!"

Afraid Luke would change his mind, he hurriedly wrapped the gemstones in a dirty cloth and pushed them toward Luke.

Done!

Cat's eye, ruby, sapphire, erald, diamond roughs… all secured!

Carlos rubbed his hands, smiling obsequiously: "My lord, I still have many other fine pieces of jewelry… If you can spare another jar of that 'Velvet Snow,' I'll let you pick any five! Any five you want!"

Luke laughed inwardly. This was exactly what he wanted. He "hesitated" before "reluctantly" taking out one more jar of sugar.

This ti, he didn't bother with the gold and silver items. His eyes went straight to the corner of the stall — the ugliest pile of jewelry inlaid or strung with various "stones."

He quickly selected five pieces: a silver ring with a cloudy green stone, a leather-cord necklace with several dull "chalcedony" or "agate" beads, a copper bracelet with what looked like a "moonstone," and two pendants — one with a dark red "garnet" and another with a black gem.

The common trait was that they were ugly and poorly made, but contained many different, relatively large natural mineral stones.

Carlos was puzzled why Luke specifically chose these "junk" pieces, but since he could trade them for yet another jar of miraculous Velvet Snow, he was more than happy to complete the deal.

After the transaction, Carlos beca even more eager. He lowered his voice: "Honored lord, my na is Carlos. I travel regularly between Braavos and King's Landing."

"Your 'Velvet Snow' and 'Mithril Sal' are truly divine treasures! If you have more stock, I'm willing to pay with gold coins, or…"

He glanced at the better-quality gemstones left on his stall: "Or trade with these real pretty stones! The price will definitely satisfy you! However much you have, I'll take it all!"

Luke understood perfectly. Carlos was a shrewd and ambitious rchant who had seen the massive profit potential in sugar and salt and wanted to beco a middleman.

This was exactly what Luke wanted. A stable, well-connected local "wholesaler" was safer and more efficient than selling retail himself.

He nodded with a profound expression: "Carlos… I'll rember that na. I still have so stock. But the thod and location of trade must be more… discreet. I'll co find you again in a few days."

He left a aningful look and a tempting hook.

Luke didn't linger. He carefully stored the newly acquired gemstones and jewelry, then turned and left Carlos's stall, continuing through the noisy Shoe-maker's Square.

On the surface, he had traded "precious" sugar and salt for a pile of "junk," but Luke knew the real treasures were now safely tucked away in his personal space.

Those natural gemstones and minerals would be worth far more on Blue Star than the four jars of sugar and one jar of salt he had given today.

More importantly, he had found a potential, capable local "business partner."

A smooth opening.

Next, it was ti for the real business — finding bodyguards.