In his past life, the first ti he’d been truly bested by Zachary Steele was inside Ethereal.
So this ti...
A glint flashed in Ethan’s eyes as the thought ford. He let a slow, calculated smile spread across his face.
"An eye for an eye, then," he murmured, almost to himself.
"What was that, Ethan?" Lyla asked, not quite catching it.
"Nothing, nothing," he said with a deliberate, mischievous chuckle.
Lyla stared at him, baffled by his sudden shift in mood, but Ethan just played up the mystery.
"Amber," he turned, his voice softening as he called her na.
Amber seed lost in her own thoughts, head bowed. The sound of her na made her jump.
"Huh? Yes?"
"Correct if I’m wrong, but your family deals in jewelry, right? A lot of retail stores?"
"Uh... yes. Actually, the jewelry store chain is under my personal na, not the main Zane family holdings," she clarified after a mont’s surprise.
"Oh?" Ethan’s eyes lit up. "Perfect. In that case, I need a favor."
"Okay," Amber agreed without hesitation, then blushed as she realized how quickly she’d answered. Her eyes darted nervously toward Lyla and Rainie.
Lyla’s lips twitched. Rainie’s eyes crinkled as she covered her mouth to hide a soft laugh.
Ethan, completely oblivious to the silent exchange between the won, simply waved his hand.
THUMP.
A small, gleaming golden mountain materialized on the empty lawn behind them.
"Amber, I need you to find a way to liquidate this gold for ."
The others were used to his spatial storage tricks by now, but Leo, who was standing nearby, flinched and turned pale, a specific, unfortunate promise about what he’d do if Ethan produced gold suddenly flashing in his mory. He subtly shuffled backward, hoping to avoid any reminders about performing impossible and unpleasant feats.
"This... this is pure gold? So much of it! How... how much is here?" Amber, despite being a designated heir to the Zane family and a seasoned manager of their mundane-world affairs, was utterly stunned. She didn’t doubt Ethan’s word, but the sheer volu made her question its purity.
"Four-nines fine. 99.99%. Guaranteed. As for the amount... let’s call it a thousand tric tons," Ethan said casually. He hadn’t even emptied his stash. Yet the number was enough to make Amber’s jaw drop.
Rainie, who was still watching, gasped, her hand flying back to her mouth, her eyes wide.
"A... a thousand tons?" Amber was speechless.
"Yep. Can you move it?" Ethan pressed.
"A batch this size... my individual stores could never handle it," Amber said, trying to regain her professional composure. "Is it not possible?" Ethan’s face fell slightly.
"Well, we could drip-feed it into the market slowly. But you’re bringing it out now, which makes think you need the capital fast for sothing, right?" She was sharp, picking up on his unspoken urgency from his earlier tone.
Seeing him nod, she continued with a small, knowing smile. "In that case, the only real option is the black market. The downside is a significant price cut. The current market price for four-nines gold is around $140 per gram. On the black market, you’re looking at least a ten percent loss. But... the speed of the sale would be virtually instant."
She laid out the pros and cons with practiced ease.
"The black market... and you have the contacts for that?" Ethan’s interest was reignited.
"I do," Amber confird, then added with a wince, "But the financial hit is substantial."
"Don’t worry about it. Ten percent is nothing. If the price isn’t right, we’ll make it up in volu," Ethan said with a dismissive wave and a grin.
He waved his hand again.
THUMP.
A second, identical golden mountain appeared right beside the first.
"Ah!" The impact and the sight made both Amber and Rainie jump, their shock renewed.
"This... I’ll start making calls right now," Amber said, utterly defeated by his sheer scale.
She walked a short distance away and pulled out her phone. Ascension Isle, thankfully, had cell service, and the Suru Array didn’t seem to interfere with the signal.
As Amber began dialing number after number, Lyla walked over and looped her arm through Ethan’s.
"Ethan, why don’t you get out those weird glass chunks you have and let Rainie take a look? You might not know this, but even though she’s in the dical field, appraising gems is her family’s trade. She’ll be able to tell in a second if your ’glass’ is actually diamonds or not."
Ethan was taken aback. He hadn’t planned on selling the diamonds yet. But since Lyla brought it up, he figured there was no harm. He knew exactly what they were—the Shatterstar’s analysis didn’t make mistakes. He was holding a cache of the highest quality, ultra-pure diamonds with a 99.9% carbon content.
He didn’t understand why Lyla was suggesting this now, but Rainie did. She shot Lyla a look of profound gratitude. Lyla responded with a warm smile and a sly, quick wink. The mont Amber had sprung into action, Rainie had begun to look dejected, feeling useless and unable to contribute anything of value to Ethan. Lyla had noticed that flicker of insecurity instantly and had created an opening for her.
Ethan waved his hand once more. A one-cubic-ter block of perfectly cut, crystalline material appeared in his grasp, which he then set gently on the ground.
He opened his mouth, then hesitated, unsure what to call her. ’Rainie’ felt too intimate, and he worried about Lyla’s reaction. ’Old classmate’ was too distant and might hurt her feelings.
"Rainie," Lyla said, smoothly stepping in before his awkwardness could beco obvious. "Co take a look at this. Tell us if it’s a diamond or just a piece of fancy glass."
"This... this big? It’s a single diamond?" Rainie asked, her voice full of disbelief as she looked to Ethan for confirmation.
"Well, that depends on if you have a good eye or not," he replied with an evasive, teasing smile.
Rainie pouted in mock offense, a faint, charming petulance in her expression.
Ethan watched as Lyla crouched down beside the block, joining Rainie, who was already pulling various tools from a small kit. She began examining the crystal, tapping it, studying its facets, wiping its surface clean.
He rembered that Rainie’s father had been so kind of artisan back in their high school days, but he’d had no idea her family ca from a long line of master jewelers. She was the only child of her generation, and the family craft, traditionally passed only to sons, had ended up in her skilled hands.
’How does Lyla know all this?’ he wondered, watching the three won—Amber on the phone, Lyla and Rainie huddled over the diamond—each now engrossed in a task he’d given them.
He glanced around, noticing the others had dispersed. He’d been worried about hidden dangers, but they had split into teams, each led by Uncle Jed, Hank, Julian, or Dragon Child, ensuring every group had solid protection. They hadn’t bothered to say goodbye, but Ethan knew exactly where they’d gone. They were already exploring their new ho.
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