Chapter 173 Chapter 174 Drinking Leads to Wealth
“Tut, just as expected, everyone thinks he’s the sucker.”
Jima finally moved her slender black stockings off the table, reclining in her chair while sipping milk and watching the live surveillance projected by Jenna with great interest. “But what they don’t know is that they are the real suckers. I can’t wait to see their astonished and regretful expressions later.”
“Did you spread the rumors?”
“Yes, that’s right. Sister Jenna, you don’t look so well.” Jima’s tone became cautious as she asked, “Is it… because I violated the law and manipulated the stock market?”
Jenna slightly turned her head and said, “That… is not your fault.”
“Of course it’s not my fault.” Jima’s voice suddenly became louder. “Do you think I want this? I’ve copied the Holy Doctrine fifty times; how could I not know that as a devout believer, Sister Jenna hates people who violate the law? But what can I do? Should I just stand by and watch my beloved Sister Jenna be blackmailed by Young Master Isis and go to bed with him?”
“Jima, I would never compromise with him.”
“So I’m supposed to watch you turn into a monster, like Saint John, with your limbs twisted and your glowing belly arched?” Jima grabbed Jenna’s wrist, causing the picture on the board to shake, and Jenna lost hold of the image, which went dark.
Jima closed the distance between them, looking directly into Jenna’s green eyes, and soon saw “guilt” forming in her gaze.
No signs of losing control, good. This means the past few days of rest have been effective, and if Isis can use her guilt, so can I.
“I’m sorry.” Jenna said as she pulled her hand back. “But… Jima, do you like me?”
“Of course, who doesn’t like gentle Sister Jenna?” Jima made an effort to keep her gaze from drifting away from Jenna’s face to her chest, wanting her words to seem sincere. “I really enjoy the feeling when you treat me, massaging me.”
Jenna’s face suddenly turned red, stammering, “Sorry, I promised to marry—”
“Then why can’t we be good sisters?” Jima seized the opportunity to hug Jenna, rubbing her slightly rising chest against Jenna’s soft bosom, resting her head on her shoulder with a mischievous smile, but her tone carried a plea. “Sister Jenna, we can both marry George.”
She could feel Jenna relax in her arms, reaching up to caress the back of her head.
“I’m sorry, I misunderstood you.” Jenna rested her head on Jima’s shoulder, saying, “I owe you a thank you.”
You didn’t misunderstand; I really want to be with you.
Jima said, “Then can we take a bath together tonight? I just want to lie on Sister Jenna’s lap one more time for treatment; just massage me with your hands.”
Jenna spoke softly as if coaxing a child: “Okay.”
Jima suppressed her excited tail and let go of Jenna.
Her heart, which had been racing from nervousness, gradually calmed.
She had been too bold just now. Although she was a seasoned player, it was her first time using words to break that thin barrier.
No choice, her strength wasn’t enough, so she had to take a softer approach. If she had used the rich practical experience from her past life and pushed hard, Jima doubted Jenna could simply twist off the horns on her head with one hand.
Thinking about the holy maiden’s nude bathing service with a knee pillow massage tonight, Jima couldn’t help but rub her legs together, eagerly waiting for the evening to come.
——
——
In the evening, as the sun set.
On the balcony of the stock exchange, Boff stared blankly at the stars in the sky. Beside him, a bald giant leaned against the wall, yawning, saying, “The ship should have docked by now; you better jump if you need to. I still want to get off work.”
Boff had been waiting on the balcony since morning, not leaving except to relieve himself. He said, “It’s not time to close yet.”
The bald giant impatiently replied:
“I’ve seen too many gamblers like you who refuse to accept reality. They stand on the balcony, swatting mosquitoes, waiting for a ship that will never arrive, and then half of them jump into the water. I can fish them all out; not a single one wants to die, unless…”
The bald giant walked over to Boff, bent down, and pointed at the sea wall below, which seemed to be stained with a patch of dark red paint.
“…unless they fall and hit their heads there; mostly their necks would break, and they wouldn’t float once they hit the water.” The bald giant yawned and continued, “When others net a silver coin, I’ll only tell them for free this time because you’ve shown perseverance. And if someone gives me a gold coin, I’ll deliberately take my time in rescuing you, letting you die if you wish.”
Boff glared fiercely at the bald giant, wanting to kick him into the water, but helplessly lowered his raised fist, gritting his teeth and saying:
“I’m definitely going to make a fortune today! I won the horse race this morning and can win again now!”
“You ungrateful fool, I kindly told you this, but you didn’t appreciate it.” The bald giant laughed and turned around to say, “Hey, everyone! This bumpkin thinks buying stocks is just like betting on horse races!”
There were several others sitting in the stock exchange who laughed at the sound.
To many, gambling was something only uncultured, simple-minded fools engaged in. They couldn’t understand the concept of stocks and didn’t have any money. Only the newly wealthy fools, who couldn’t even read, linked stocks to gambling.
They thought, how could they be the same? Stocks are clearly a refined, elegant, and socially contributing business activity.
People not only laughed but openly discussed:
“Another nouveau riche who doesn’t understand stocks.”
“He’s not a nouveau riche anymore.”
“Thinking that just because they had a bit of luck and some money, they could come and play the stock market?”
Boff maintained a blank expression. After spending too much time in the slums, he had grown numb to their sneers and mockery, but deep inside, he longed to strip those guys bare and throw them into the river.
But he couldn’t, and Boff suppressed his anger, feeling infinite regret. Perhaps the dream he had at noon was just his illusion; the efficacy of the wealth potion had long since expired. Merchants love to boast about their products; how could he forget? He easily believed that black-haired girl.
Thinking about losing over eight hundred gold coins, he felt an impulse to throw all his stocks into the river.
The bald giant leaned back against the wall again and said:
“You can’t throw stocks here; there’s a furnace in the hall specifically for burning stocks.”
Boff ignored him once more and gazed out toward the sea horizon.
A vague black shadow was approaching the port, illuminated by lights, with its outline resembling a ship.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, pressed his hands against the railing, curled his lame foot, and leaned forward to look closely, finally confirming it was a merchant ship.
The merchant ship was riding low in the water, and the people on the deck were constantly pouring water over the sides.
“A ship!” Boff shouted, “It’s the ‘Flying Aldoren’!”
“No way.” The bald giant instinctively objected.
He stepped forward and took a look as well. If the ship was sailing at this speed, then it made sense for it to arrive late.
It was likely the ‘Flying Aldoren’; if it was, the stocks previously valued at trash would suddenly become more valuable than gold.
As Boff felt excitement build, he sensed someone moving his clothes from behind; he turned his head alertly and saw the bald giant with an awkward smile, holding a handkerchief and saying:
“I saw a bird droppings on your clothes, let me clean that for you. You definitely need a runner; my legs are long and perfect for running.”
Boff replied, “Get lost!”
“I’m leaving, I’ll leave right away.”
Before long, a small boat with lanterns approached the slowly moving ship. After a rendezvous, it returned to the port. A child ran into the stock exchange yelling:
“Latest news! The ‘Flying Aldoren’ survived the storm! The bottom of the ship is leaking severely! A quarter of the cargo is lost.”
This news exploded in everyone’s ears.
Losing a quarter of the cargo was normal; usually, lucky ships encountered storms at sea, and at that time, they had to throw some cargo overboard to appease the sea gods. They not only had to placate the capricious sea gods but also the high-elven naval forces that happened to pass by.
Boff slammed his fist against the railing, tears streaming down from the corners of his eyes.
“Congratulations, congratulations!”
“Really discerning, huh?”
“So lucky!”
At that moment, Boff finally noticed that he was surrounded by smiling faces, filling the entire balcony.
A man in a black top hat adjusted his monocle and said, “First time buying stock dividends, I know the captain; he’s particularly cunning and will surely take advantage of you as a newbie. Why not sell it to me? I’ll offer ten gold coins each.”
Saying this, he revealed a face full of polite smiles.
Others quickly started bidding.
“Don’t listen to that guy; I’ll offer eleven gold coins!”
“I’ll offer twelve gold coins!”
Boff ignored them; he felt the man with the monocle looked familiar. After recalling, he remembered that when he first came to the stock exchange to buy stocks, he bought the most from him.
After the monocle man finished selling his stocks, he told Boff the news about the ‘Flying Aldoren’ being robbed with a tone of schadenfreude, hoping to see regret on Boff’s face.
He was a bad guy and had just mocked him as a bumpkin.
Boff asked with a smile, “How many years have you been buying stocks?”
“I’ve been studying for twelve years,” the monocle man said, leaning forward as if he couldn’t help himself, “Actually, I can help you sell your stocks; just give me a commission of twenty percent, it’s definitely worth…”
“You’ve been buying stocks for so many years and still can’t earn more than I do in one day.” Boff interrupted, “Isn’t stock trading just gambling? Right?”
“It’s… in a sense, yes.”
Boff pulled out three silver coins and said, “I have three silver coins here; whoever picks one up, I will sell him ten stocks for ten gold coins each.”
After saying this, he threw the silver coins to the feet of the onlookers.
Everyone immediately fell silent, glaring at the arrogant nouveau riche, as the silver coins rolled between their shoes, and no one bent down to pick them up.
The bald giant immediately leapt down, grabbed one of the silver coins, and shouted, “Hey, move your foot off the silver coin!”
The embarrassed person moved his foot, and suddenly, the person next to him bent down to grab the silver coin, which infected the crowd. Everyone disregarded courtesy and rushed to snatch the three silver coins.
Only the monocle man remained motionless, locking eyes with Boff; they held each other’s gaze for just a second before he bent down, moved his foot to reveal the silver coin beneath, and handed it to Boff.
Boff smiled, pulled out ten stocks, tossed them to him, and turned to leave.
He planned to go back on his word. Initially, he genuinely intended to sell the stocks directly; stocks that could entice everyone to compete for them must be very profitable.
The staff at the trading center, seeing him in good spirits, smiled at him and quickly asked, “Sir, how did you know to buy the ‘Flying Aldoren’?”
Boff remembered the contract and feeling the urge to show off, shouted at the crowd still arguing on the balcony, “I drank the wealth potion from the ‘Golden Riches’ alchemy shop!”
“Wealth potion?”
“Yes, drink it and become rich!”
The wealth potion, drink it and become rich. This phrase engraved itself in the hearts of everyone present in just one minute.
They all rushed to ask Boff where the ‘Golden Riches’ alchemy shop was, completely forgiving him for earlier toying with everyone.
Unexpectedly, Boff answered all their questions with great patience while boasting about how he had just been sleeping in the slums that morning.
That evening, everyone had only one thought in their minds: after drinking the wealth potion from ‘Golden Riches,’ even a bumpkin from the slums could become rich overnight!
