Value For Money

<Vy, you found a good one!>

As soon as Dotty exclaimed, the assistant did too.

"Boss! This geode! Come look!"

The seller was shocked and went to take a closer look, Vy followed suit. Within the rock was a mini cave of purple coloured crystals. They were a dark shade of purple, glittering under the sunlight.

"I don't think I have ever seen such a dark shade of purple," the seller exclaimed.

The commotion was enough to draw the attention of a few people in the surrounding area, Mr Roods included. When he inspected the crystals within the geode, his jaw dropped. Even the expert could not believe what he was seeing. The dark shade of purple, uniform colour throughout, this was an ultra-rare find! Jewellers only dared to dream about finding something like this, let alone see it in real life.

"Who's the owner of this geode," Mr Roods asked as he looked into the crowd.

Little did he know that the owner was the young girl standing right next to him! Vy tapped him on the shoulder and claimed ownership. Mr Roods could not believe it, he even turned to the seller for assurance and the seller verified Vy as the owner.

"Well, this is a very rare find you have here," Mr Roods explained as he shone a small torch onto the geode.

The glimmer of the geode was even better than anyone had expected. Mr Roods went on to explain that these were Dusk Moon Amethysts. Most of such Amethysts found were no bigger than the size of a quail egg. But the one Vy has found was the size of two chicken eggs.

He went on to explain that most of the Dusk Moon Amethysts that were found would be grown by stone elves, who specializes in growing such crystals and gemstones. Vy was fascinated by the knowledge Mr Roods asked, but the merchant in her was dying to know; how much was it worth?

"How much would this be worth, Mr Roods," Vy asked. Her heart was beating fast, she was dying to know!

Mr Roods thought for a while and replied, " I'll even buy it off you right now if you are keen on selling. 10 gold coins. Elves Alliance gold, no credit, I will pay you upfront."

Just as he reached into his pocket to retrieve the gold, the news of the amethyst had spread throughout the market, more people can forward to look. Within seconds, a bidding war had begun.

"I'll pay 12 gold coins for it, Missy!"

"That's too little, I offer 15 gold coins!"

"I'll pay 18 gold coins!"

Mr Roods did not want to lose out either, "I'll raise my offer, 15 gold coins, and I'll teach you everything you need to know about these rocks."

"What? Who needs that? She did be stupid to take that offer!"

The crowd attempted to dissuade Vy from accepting Mr Rood's offer. Vy could understand both sides of the argument. She knew that relying solely on her unique skills would make her dependent on them. Knowledge was far more valuable in the long run. But as the bidding prices kept skyrocketing. She needed to make a decision that would benefit her more!

"I'll take your offer, Mr Roods, but with an added request," Vy said with a grin," I would like you to introduce me to a jewellery crafter."

Mr Roods was intrigued. He had set his offer up as a sort of test. He wanted to see if the girl was just young and lucky; out to make a quick buck. Or if she was someone worth nurturing and look out for.

Most of the young people, especially humans, he had met over the years would have gone straight for the highest winning bid without a second thought. But the girl had a quick wit and thought about the long term gains.

He was happy to take the gamble with the firm. Who knows, she might become a valuable ally in the future. Both of them shook hands on the deal, much to the disappointment of the crowd.

"What a waste!"

"You could have gotten three times if that price easy! Are you blind?"