Gambling Stone City

Changshou Road.

It was the same familiar subway station name, but this time their destination was completely different from the bustling Shangxiajiu of last time.

The taxi weaved through traffic and finally came to a slow stop in front of an imposing modern shopping mall.

Lin Mo had chosen to take a taxi purely out of consideration for Chu Miaomiao.

He wasn't keen on the idea of Chu Miaomiao getting jostled or worse on a weekend morning rush-hour subway, especially at a high-traffic station like Changshou Road.

As the three of them got out, a wave of hot, stifling air hit them.

Standing in stark contrast to the modern mall beside it, across the street stood a building in antique architectural style, with upturned eaves and bracket sets. Two massive stone lions guarded the entrance, and above them hung a large, ornately carved plaque.

Stone Gambling City.

The three gilded characters exuded an indescribable air of the Jianghu underworld.

"Stone gambling... Isn't that just gambling?" Xie Yuling looked at the plaque, her delicate brows furrowing slightly as she turned to Lin Mo.

Lin Mo, hands in his pockets, appeared relaxed. "Legally speaking, it's called high-risk investment, a type of special commodity transaction. After all, even the sellers don't know if the stone holds heaven or hell inside. You buy as you see it, no returns, it all depends on your judgment."

His tone was casual, as if discussing the most ordinary thing.

A steady stream of people flowed in and out of the Stone Gambling City. Some looked elated, others wore frowns of worry, but most carried a dream of striking it rich, their eyes a mix of tension and anticipation.

This place was a concentrated microcosm of a human casino. One cut could bring poverty, the next wealth, and another could leave you in rags.

"Then... then why not just X-ray them?" Chu Miaomiao's little head leaned in curiously, her hand raised. "An X-ray would show if there's jade inside, right?"

"You've hit on the key question."

Lin Mo gave her an approving look and explained with a smile, "X-rays can indeed see if there's jade inside, but the problem is, most raw stones contain some jade to a greater or lesser degree. What an X-ray can't distinguish is whether that jade is a vibrant, translucent 'glass species' or a dull, poor-quality 'dog shit ground.' Nor can it tell if the color inside is pure and clear or a chaotic mix. In short, the difference between something worth ten bucks and something worth tens of millions—an X-ray can't show that."

His explanation left both girls momentarily stunned, trying to process it.

Xie Yuling digested the information, her gaze turning more scrutinizing. "So, you brought us here to actually try our luck?"

She still felt the whole thing was rather unreliable.

"Try our luck?"

Hearing this, Lin Mo suddenly laughed.

He turned around, facing the "Stone Gambling City" plaque. The sunlight fell on his face, making him look exceptionally confident.

"No, we're not here to gamble on stones."

He paused, looking back at the puzzled faces of Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao, and enunciated each word clearly:

"We're here to stock up on supplies."

"I said, today is about buying materials to make gifts for Sister Chu and Auntie Zheng," Lin Mo added.

"After all, jade and jadeite are pretty good materials."

With that, he offered no further explanation and strode towards the heavy main door.

Xie Yuling and Chu Miaomiao exchanged a glance, both seeing trust in Lin Mo reflected in the other's eyes.

Passersby, however, who saw this handsome young man with two beautiful girls, shook their heads silently.

This guy's boasting was way too big!

He's just preparing to pay some 'tuition fees.'

Upon entering the Stone Gambling City, the interior scene was completely different from its antique exterior, exuding a modern atmosphere throughout.

The entire complex was clearly divided into functional zones, from Area A to Area N, all orderly arranged.

Lin Mo and the two girls directly bypassed Area A's high-end finished products and Area B's bead wholesale section, passed through the CD retail areas, and went straight up to another floor.

This was Area F and Area N, the raw stone processing and selection zones.

The two areas were connected but completely isolated from the hustle and bustle downstairs. The air carried a mixed smell of stone dust and water.

Despite it being the weekend, the raw stone area wasn't crowded, with only about forty or fifty customers scattered about.

Many of them were actually shop assistants from various stores, either bored scrolling through their phones or gathering to chat, waiting to see if anyone would cut a stone open for some excitement.

When Lin Mo's group came upstairs, not a single shopkeeper proactively approached to solicit business.

After all, the trio looked young, more like they were there to gawk.

Stone gambling.

Ever since it started appearing in online novels, plenty of people had come seeking fame.

For a while, the shop owners thought their business was hitting its prime.

But it turned out they were all just asking questions without buying, a waste of breath.

One shop owner was even lounging lazily in his chair, watching a drama on his computer with the speakers blaring, not even bothering to lift an eyelid.

Later, most of these owners just sat at their posts, waiting for customers to come to them.

At this moment, Lin Mo's spiritual sense was sweeping through the area, searching for suitable raw stones.

In his perception, the stones were no longer simple raw materials; their internal structure, cracks, and impurities were all revealed with utmost clarity.

Raw stones were cheaper than rough jade, with deals happening for just a few hundred or thousand.

Those very expensive raw stones in novels were basically ones with good appearance, and the larger they were, the more expensive.

Xie Yuling looked curiously at a spot not far away where several people were using strong flashlights to carefully examine a large stone. She couldn't help but ask, "Lin Mo, they're shining flashlights back and forth. Can they really see through the stone?"

Lin Mo shook his head. "Not exactly see through, but it has some effect. For example, pressing it tightly against the surface and shining directly can check for light transmission, which helps judge if the inside is jade or something like quartz. You can also move the flashlight steadily while shining it directly to judge if the jade's texture is uniform, or if there might be cracks and impurities."

Lin Mo thought for a moment and added, "Of course, this method is useful mainly for raw stones with relatively thin skin."

However, stones where this direct observation was possible were basically sold at high prices.

But often, what was displayed on the goods shelves were the more difficult-to-analyze 'blind head' materials—stones with thick, heavy skin and hard-to-judge external signs.

Many storefronts even had huge iron baskets filled with piles of loose stones, with a sign stuck in them, simple and crude.

"Uniform price for all stones, 400 each!"

Seeing these signs and stones, Xie Yuling couldn't help but click her tongue. "Four hundred for a broken stone? That's enough for us to have a really good meal."

Chu Miaomiao, however, was full of enthusiasm. She reached out and touched a stone in the basket; it felt cold and rough.

The shop owner inside just glanced at the three at the entrance before going back to his own business.

Just youngsters coming to see the world. Anyway, the stones were thick-skinned and rugged, not afraid of being dropped or anything.

If one really got dropped, they'd just pay the price.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo was holding his phone, using its built-in flashlight to shine on stone after stone.

The owner watched from a distance, a cold sneer forming.

There had been many youngsters like this before, daring to try stone gambling after picking up just a smattering of techniques online.

But seeing the two beauties beside Lin Mo, he guessed this young man just wanted to show off a bit.

These were the easy marks.

Thinking this, the owner leisurely stood up and walked towards the trio.