Gems

Zoran walked the streets of Griedsoil with his borrowed plain white shirt and cargo shorts, a complete contrast to the people he was walking with.

'Walking' was not the right term as they were actively trying to avoid getting close to Zoran. These people wore suits and dresses made from expensive silk imported from across the globe that was too hot for this kind of weather. They paired this with nauseating cologne that clogged up anyone's senses from a mile away.

They shot him dirty looks, as if implying that his mere presence was dirtying the very streets he walked on. Zoran ignored them. They ask the officials to throw him into jail for the betterment of society because he was just walking around without doing anything illegal. Even the police in this town had to abide by their own rules.

He went on his way. The sounds of carriages creaking and the echoing strikes of horses' hooves on the pavement gave Zoran the boost he needed to recover the memory he had of this place. Right now, he was at the center of the business street where entrepreneurs, both honorable and sly, conducted their businesses. Those established had the comfort of their own stores, while those trying to climb up the ladder were busy shouting and alluring customers from behind a mobile booth.

He walked past the delectable smell coming from the restaurants and the appetizing smoke from the burning meat on sticks sold by the vendors on a stall. His stomach grumbled in protest, but Zoran's focus was beyond the food. He was looking to devour piles and piles of money.

He stopped to look at a store with a signage filled with fake shining gems. The sun from up above reflected blinding light down on the street to get the attention of potential customers. The sign said,

[Eddie's Precious Gems.]

Zoran smiled and took a good look at the familiar store he knew from his previous life. The clear glass windows gave the customers a sneak peak at the precious gems that Eddie had to offer such as expensive gems and golden jewelry with tags that had unbelievably low prices. But Zoran knew that it was just a trick Eddie devised to get customers in his store. Although those prices were too low for ornaments like that, it was just the right price for fake items.

If someone wanted to buy the jewelry from the glass windows, then Eddie would sell them that, but he would not tell them it was fake. No one would be the wiser. Any person who came up to this store would see that price and think to themselves; 'wow, that is a bargain!'

He thought so too. That was why he was a frequent customer back then. Eddie's Precious Gems was not just a place that sold jewelry, but it was also a place to sell ores and unpolished gems. This was the place where Zoran sold his take from mining.

Zoran walked through the doors and immediately saw a round-headed man wearing a top hat. His eyes immediately scanned Zoran's plain attire, and within seconds, estimated Zoran's whole net worth to be absolutely nothing. His greedy eyes rolled and his attention was immediately gone.

He immediately put Zoran into the same category as those beggars from the Garbage district who dirtied the prestige of his store by loitering around the vicinity. He did not want Zoran as his customer.

"If you have nothing to buy, then say goodbye," Eddie said as he waved Zoran off.

Zoran smiled and walked closer. "I'm not here to buy anything. I'm looking to sell a precious gem."

With that, Eddie's eyebrow raised a slight bit. There were many times where a beggar tried to sell him stuff they found from digging around in the trash heap from the Garbage District. Most of the time, he would end up disappointed as they showed him normal pieces of rocks or just plain scrap metals in hopes of catching it big. There was even a case where someone tried to sell him a finger.

But once in a blue moon when the Beings decide to bless him, beggars would bring him actual pieces of authentic gems, ores, or jewelry. Usually they would find it in the trash somewhere from when a wealthy bumbling idiot dropped it from the street. Why couldn't he just miraculously find diamonds off the trash, he thought.

Those beggars never knew the real value of treasures like that, which delighted him deeply. With those kinds of items, he could set the price incredibly low, almost to the point of being free. They couldn't argue because they don't know the true price for the treasures they held. In Eddie's eyes, he was doing them a favor because if they resisted, then Eddie could do it the hard way.

No police would ever believe that a beggar found a piece of jewelry from the trash. With a little bit of a tip from Eddie, he could convince anyone that the beggar stole the gems from him and he could get the treasures for free. It was daylight robbery—legal robbery. He wished Zoran would also bring him some free money today.

His attitude immediately changed and gave Zoran the attention he would give for normal customers. "Why didn't you say so? I'd love to get some gems off your hands."

Zoran approached the glass counter and took something out of his pockets. Eddie didn't have much expectations from the way Zoran handled the 'gem'. Even beggars would handle worthless stone as if it was more fragile than glass. But Zoran was nonchalant about it.

But then Eddie's eyes were immediately blinded by a reflective light coming off Zoran's hands. His heartbeat immediately started to rise up.

When he opened his eyes, there he saw laying on top of Zoran's hands, was the crème of the crop, the shining jewel of the night, the masterpiece that all jewelers ever hoped to even lay their unworthy eyes on. He couldn't even believe what he saw; was it a fake? But that unmistakingly silver luster and beautiful lattice formation that no human could ever replicate was sitting right before his very eyes.

As a jeweler, he trusted his eyes more than anything. It was his prized tool to accurately measure the value of any gems he came across, honed only by his years of experience. But he could never be too sure with this once-in-a-lifetime treasure; he needed to feel the treasure for himself.

He reached out his hand to finally be part of the very exclusive group that had ever touched a treasure like this. But then the Zoran's hand closed and it felt like all of Eddie's dreams came crashing down.

"Eddie…either you buy it, or I can go say goodbye."