NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 10 - 5,000 Tons?
Chapter 10: 5,000 Tons?
When Fang Jian returned home with the samples, his parents immediately began questioning him. He had mentally prepared for this situation since his encounter with Aunt Chen.
Of course, he wouldn’t tell them the truth. Instead, he mentioned that he had engaged in some small business in Malaysia and earned some money. He reassured them that his earnings were legal and legitimate, and he wasn’t afraid of any investigation.
The Fang family exchanged glances, feeling uneasy but ultimately accepting his explanation. After dealing with his parents, Fang Jian entered his bedroom. Although it had been a long time since he had been home, his room remained unchanged.
His gaze swept around the room, and he took a set of stamps from his stamp collection, then glanced at the wall clock. With a slight excitement, he removed the clock from the wall.
“Enter.”
In the next moment, Fang Jian entered the mysterious room. As he entered the room, he immediately noticed a message on the wall. Mr. W had inquired uniquely if he possessed any ancient artifacts.
Fang Jian chuckled, thinking, “If you didn’t come looking for me, I would have come looking for you.”
He tapped the wall with his hand, and a door appeared, revealing the beautiful expanse of the starry sky. After a moment, Mr. W, who had received the message, appeared again before him.
“Hey, Mr. Fang how are you?” Mr. W greeted him.
“I’m good,” Fang Jian replied.
“This time, what have you brought for me?” Mr. W asked eagerly.
Fang Jian took out the stamps and the clock, placed them on the ground, and asked, “What do you like?”
Mr. W’s eyes seemed to light up. After hesitating, he said, “Mr. Fang, can I inspect the goods?”
“How would you like to inspect them?” Fang Jian asked.
Mr. W took out a flashlight-like device and placed it on the floor. The floor extended toward them.
“Mr. Fang, please illuminate your items with this light,” Mr. W requested.
“Okay.”
Fang Jian picked up the flashlight from the floor, shone it on the stamps and the clock, then handed it over to Mr. W.
After tinkering with it for a while, Mr. W said, “These are the 2019 Macau Return stamps and a vintage clock produced in 2017.”
He sighed and added, “To preserve them perfectly, Mr. Fang, you must have paid a great price.”
A faint smile appeared on Fang Jian’s lips and said, “I didn’t pay a significant price, I assure you!”
Mr. W straightened his chest and said, “Mr. Fang, what would you like to exchange for this time? More of those stones… oh, I mean, gold?”
Fang Jian chuckled and said, “I have enough gold for now. This time, I want to exchange for some metallic chromium, preferably high-purity chromium powder with 99.9% purity.”
Mr. W was puzzled and couldn’t understand why Mr. Fang wanted to exchange these seemingly useless stones and sand. However, he knew better than to miss out on a good deal.
He cleared his throat and said, “Mr. Fang, please wait a moment. Let me check…” After a while, he asked, “The chromium powder you mentioned, is it the one with the element symbol Zr and atomic number 40?”
“Yes,” Fang Jian replied.
“Alright, how about two tons?” Mr. W smiled and said, “The price is reasonable, and I won’t deceive you.”
Fang Jian’s expression darkened.
“Reasonable my foot. This guy from the future is too cunning.”
How much does a ton of gold cost, and how much does a ton of metallic chromium cost?
One “ancient artifact” can be exchanged for a ton of gold, but two “ancient artifacts” can only be exchanged for two tons of metallic chromium. Damn it, even the legendary “12127” isn’t as sly as you.
He took a deep breath and said, “Mr. W, do you think gold and metallic chromium are of equal value?”
Mr. W was puzzled and looked at Fang Jian, who had an unpleasant expression, and asked, “Aren’t they of equal value?”
Fang Jian blinked a few times and instantly understood the reason behind it.
Damn it, for people, the price of gold far exceeds that of metallic chromium. However, their gold and precious metals are not mined but created using advanced technology. The cost of producing gold and metallic chromium is not that different. Ah, the disparity caused by a millennium of progress is truly enormous.
Fang Jian stared at Mr. W and slowly said, “Mr. W, what I mean is, I think these ‘ancient artifacts’ are being undervalued. Shouldn’t I find a new buyer?”
Mr. W’s face changed slightly, and he smiled as he said, “Oh, Mr. Fang, we are friends. If you’re not satisfied, we can discuss it.”
Fang Jian coldly replied, “Fine, since we’re friends, I’ll give you a chance to make an offer.” He extended his palm with five fingers and said, “If you can accept this number, we’ll make the deal.”
Mr. W pondered for a moment and asked, “Mr. Fang, how much is that?”
Fang Jian smirked and said, “Why don’t you tell me?”
Mr. W smiled wryly and said, “If it’s 5,000 tons, I can accept it, but 50,000 tons would be too much.”
Fang Jian’s eyelids twitched, and he almost couldn’t catch his breath…