Chapter 172 Chapter 173 Stocks
Boff’s heart couldn’t handle the shock, and he slipped off his chair, falling to the ground.
A bird flew into the sky, lowering its head to overlook the racetrack, only to see a distorted horse racing scene. The light had been warped by some supernatural force, projecting the racetrack’s image into a dark room far away in Marin City, where a beam of light fell from the top of the dark room, curiously turning ninety degrees and landing on a wooden board.
The scene on the board was crystal clear.
Jenna was dressed in a silver robe, her hands clasped together, and a small censer hanging from her wrists exuded wisps of blue smoke, drifting past her egg-shaped face.
In the scene, only the horse number six stumbled, while the others went around it, racing toward the finish line.
Jenna said, “Someone’s tampering with it.”
Gima propped her black silk legs on the table, “Then I’ll do some tampering too, Sister Jenna. If others do the first day of the month, I’ll do the fifteenth, isn’t that too much?”
As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around Jenna, her tail playfully wrapping around her body.
“Um… I don’t object, but please try not to disturb my spellcasting.”
Gima put her fingers down from where they had touched Jenna’s chest, gazing intently at the leading horse number eight, saying, “I curse you with severe gout in your ankle joints.”
Just by staring at it from a distance, the power of the curse affected the poor horse number eight. Uric acid quickly accumulated in its front knee, and with a concentration so high that white uric acid crystals precipitated inside, within just a few seconds, horse number eight’s knee swelled up.
The gout attack felt like having a heated iron clamp forcefully gripping the joints.
Horse number eight let out a mournful cry, tipping over and falling to the ground, throwing its rider off, who rolled several meters on the ground before coming to a stop.
Jenna shook her head.
“The ground is so wet, and we’re turning. The horses behind can’t avoid it and will naturally fall like a row of dominoes.”
While Gima spoke, she infused a build-up of lying power, forcibly making this unbelievable lie come true.
As soon as she finished speaking, Gima felt as if she had poured out words forged of steel, and these words landed on the ground, immediately taking effect.
Jenna heavily closed her eyes.
At this moment, at the racetrack, a rider behind horse number eight, aiming for first place, was racing at full speed. Upon seeing horse number eight charging toward him, he panicked and yanked on the reins. His black horse lifted its front hooves high, unable to stop, slipping and falling on the ground like a log rolling into the herd of horses.
The horses in front all fell down, while the riders behind didn’t notice the commotion ahead. The horses began to kick each other, tumbling all over, leading to a complete disaster.
Most of the gamblers present were left dumbfounded. Someone desperately yelled at the fallen horse herd: “Get up, damn it!”
“Run! Run!”
“Number three! Get up! Quick, you fool!”
The riders trapped under the horses cried out in pain, calling for help. The medical team carried a stretcher but was blocked by excited gamblers, for once the riders were taken off the field, the unattended horses wouldn’t reach the finish line, meaning they would be eliminated. Their bets would go to waste.
Now, no horse was standing. If just one horse managed to stand up and walk, even slower than a ninety-eight-year-old grandmother, it would win the championship.
No, there was one horse still standing.
Horse number six!
The first horse to fall, horse number six unexpectedly benefited from the misfortune, not being caught in the chain reaction. However, the rider of horse number six remained seated, seemingly dazed from the fall.
Boff, who had just gotten back up from the ground, saw this scene and urgently leaned against the window, shouting:
“Number six, get on the horse! Get on it quickly!”
He shouted until he broke his voice, his throat hoarse.
But the rider of number six, clearly not injured much, remained unmoving.
Boff panicked and yelled, “Black curtain! Cheating! This is cheating!”
At that moment, horse number six, whether out of curiosity or some other reason, slowly walked toward the pile of fallen horses ahead.
The rider of horse number six also panicked, standing up to run and grab the reins of horse number six, not allowing it to leave.
Boff’s eyes widened, pounding his hand forcefully on the windowsill, shouting, “Black curtain!”
Just as the words left his mouth, the rider of horse number six slipped in the mud, falling and hitting his head on the horse’s rear. The horse was startled and limped forward. Amid the audience’s malicious curses and shouts, it veered past the fallen horses. Some of the audience even leaped over the railing, eager to pull horse number six down, but the security raised a baton and struck one on the head, maintaining order.
Horse number six crossed the finish line, and cheers erupted from the audience.
Boff excitedly pounded the windowsill until a brown-skinned woman respectfully said behind him, “Congratulations, sir, you’ve won.” Only then did he realize his hand was hurt and swelling, with drops of blood dripping from his palm onto the windowsill.
“Get lost!” Boff shouted, his eyes red as he waved his fist at the brown-skinned woman, “You bitch!”
He couldn’t read, but he wasn’t stupid; he knew someone was manipulating things to prevent his win.
Boff didn’t know what he had gotten himself into. He exchanged all his chips for gold coins, totaling over eight hundred coins, and he had no time to count. He also declined the casino’s complimentary food, lodging, and beauty services package, as well as the security offered by the casino.
Holding nearly eight kilograms of gold, hiding his face under a hooded cloak, he hurried out through the back door of the casino.
The back door was relatively secluded, a small path winding through a small grove, the clouds in the sky had dispersed, and the sun was drying the wet grass. Boff stepped on the damp path, clutching the gold, feeling uneasy.
His heart was thumping loudly, and he felt as though he was in a beautiful dream; everything he saw and felt was unreal. The heavy gold coins in his arms reminded him that this was no dream; it was real.
A bottle of potion, just a bottle of potion, could truly make him wealthy.
“I’ve been robbed! I have no money!”
“Please, I beg you.”
A chorus of wails startled Boff. He looked up toward the source of the sound and saw a few burly men showing their tattooed arms, beating up a cloaked man of similar stature.
“Tell me! Where did you hide the money?”
“I really have no money!”
“Nonsense! I saw you win money with my own eyes!”
Boff immediately quickened his pace, running to a safer, more populated area. Once safe, he found an inn, but the owner almost threw him out, even doubting him when he produced the gold coins. It was only after Boff reluctantly showed the proof given by the racetrack that the owner became polite.
Once he reached his room, Boff finally sighed in relief, dropping onto the bed. He looked at the solid wall beside him and felt a bit strange.
He had grown accustomed to sleeping in a leaky, rain-soaked tent, so when Boff reached out to touch the solid wall, he felt a sense of security.
Once completely safe, he exhaled deeply, feeling lucky that he had escaped the thugs who had clearly come for him, mistaking him for someone else. Otherwise, he would have had to bid farewell to his gold coins.
Behind the screen, there was a bathtub filled with clean water and floating petals.
He took off his dirty clothes, folded them carefully, and placed them on a chair before soaking in the fragrant water. The water was clear enough to see his dark toes, much cleaner than the water he had drunk with the donkey that morning.
Boff recalled the water mixed with fodder and found himself unexpectedly crying.
After a comfortable bath, he felt refreshed all over.
Boff exited the tub, stepping onto the floor and looking at his neatly folded dirty clothes with disdain. He kicked the chair over.
“Dong Dong, sir, your clothes are ready.”
“Wait.” Boff wrapped himself in a blanket, “Come in.”
The waiter brought freshly prepared food and a set of clothes.
After changing into the brand-new clothes and eating the dishes served by the waiter, he licked the spices on the plate clean, leaving it shining and sparkling.
After finishing his meal, a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He climbed into bed and fell soundly asleep.
It wasn’t long after he closed his eyes that Boff dreamed of clouds illuminated by the sun, surrounded by a golden glow.
A melodious female voice came down from the sky: “Merchant ship stocks, buy Flying Alar Dao Ren, buy Flying Alar Dao Ren…”
He did not know how long it had been when he suddenly woke up, muttering, “Flying Alar Dao Ren, Flying Alar Dao Ren. Why did I have such a strange dream?”
The afternoon sun slanted through the window and fell onto the bed. Boff looked out the window and said, “It must be the potion’s effect.”
He stood up and calculated today’s expenses.
Clothes, deposit, accommodation fees, totaling nearly three gold coins.
Over eight hundred gold coins, more than eight hundred, and it would be less than a year. He looked at the pile of gold coins on the table and immediately felt that the pile was pitifully small.
Moreover, he needed to find his wife, who had left without a word, and see his daughter.
He glanced at the blackened, dirty old clothes lying in the trash can.
Boff simply could not accept returning to his old life. Wearing old clothes and lying back in the old life of a tent flooded with sewage.
He remembered that the effect of the wealth potion was only one day. Previously, he thought that one day wasn’t enough to get rich, and the potion was a scam. Now he had changed his mind, leaving only five gold coins for himself, gathering all the rest tightly in his arms, and called the inn to arrange a carriage, heading straight to the stock exchange at the port.
The stock exchange was a white building with the goddess of justice, holding a scale, standing above it, a protector of merchants.
The term stock originated in Marin City.
Merchant ships crossed the sea to trade with high elves and southern city-states. The journey was fraught with great risk, with northern longships to rob them, the vast sea having dark elf pirates capturing slaves, storms, etc. But the profits were enormous, and there were always people willing to gamble.
So someone invented stocks. The money made from selling stocks was used to invest in going out to sea, and if they returned to port safely, a portion of the profits was shared with the shareholders.
When profits were distributed, only the stocks mattered, not the people. Thus, stocks became a commodity that could be freely traded.
The stock price was therefore linked to future profits. If everyone was sure that the merchant ship could safely return, the corresponding stock price would soar. Conversely, if news of an unfortunate incident to the merchant ship came in, everyone would rush to sell their corresponding stocks, causing the stock price to drop significantly.
The stock exchange was bustling, various rumors circulating within.
Boff walked to the trading desk, where people were managing and selling stocks. He placed a bag of gold coins on the table; it was his first time buying stocks, and he felt nervous, softly saying:
“I want to buy stocks in the Flying Alar Dao Ren ship.”
The staff in front looked up, staring at him like they had seen some spectacle.
Summoning his courage, Boff said loudly:
“Eight hundred gold coins! Buy all the stocks in the Flying Alar Dao Ren ship! Until they are all bought!”
The entire stock exchange fell silent, all eyes were on him, and on the coins spilling out from the bag on the table.
Just as Boff was at a loss, a crowd surged toward him, waving white stock certificates:
“I’ve got a share! Five silver coins a share!”
“I’m offering four silver coins! Four silver coins!”
“Sir, please wait! You need to open an account before trading!”
In the end, Boff managed to buy out nearly all the stocks of the Flying Alar Dao Ren ship with over eight hundred gold coins.
Everyone was thrilled, like finally disposing of waste paper, looking at Boff with an eye of someone watching a fool. Many gazes were mixed with sympathy.
“What’s wrong?” Boff asked quietly, accepting the neatly folded stocks from the female staff.
“Sir,” a man wearing a black top hat pushed his right monocle and said, “The Steel Faith ship returned this morning; they rescued a crew member from the Flying Alar Dao Ren ship…”
Someone next to him, tired of his long-windedness, interrupted: “The Flying Alar Dao Ren Ship was robbed by the Northerners and encountered a storm; the crew abandoned the ship to escape.”
After that, most people revealed expressions of amusement and looked at Boff.
Boff remained composed, carefully stowing the stocks and turning to ask, “What time do you close?”
“Nine o’clock.”
“Is there a place to overlook the port?”
“There is; there’s a riverside balcony on the second floor. But sir, you must sign a no-suicide contract; there will be someone on guard on the balcony, and saving you will cost a gold coin.”
