Chapter 30: Like Eating a Meal
"These people are playing you like a fool!" the girl’s voice echoed inside Matthew’s head. It made him wonder if it was possible to shut a ghost up for a while. "Clearly, these rocks are not new, and they are all empty! What the heck are they talking about? Why are they lying!? They must be trying to trick you into spending your money."
Matthew narrowed his eyes. Does this mean that the ghost can sense gems?
As if picking up on his thoughts, the ghost girl cleared her throat. "Gems are part of this world, just like us. They have essence. A spiritual body like mine can sense them. Just like how I can sense you!"
Matthew kept walking, eyes forward. He didn’t know what he meant by a spiritual body, but he can’t really asked the ghost now.
"But I can’t tell how big they are," she added. "I can only sense if a rock has a gem inside or not. And these?" She waved a translucent hand toward the crates stacked in the back room. "All empty. Not one of them has anything."
Matthew’s frown deepened. Either the sellers were bluffing, or there was something worse going on here.
The room they entered was larger than he expected. Dim lights hung overhead, and several spotlights were fixed on a long display table at the center. A large wooden cart sat near the back wall, half-covered with a dark sheet.
A group of masked men stood in front of it, chatting in low voices. Every single person in the room wore a mask, including the attendants handling the tools and papers.
Rough stones were piled into open trays nearby. They were unpolished, uneven, and coated in dirt and ash. Some were blackened, others dull brown with patches of white mineral veins. A few had small chips exposing colored cores, but nothing too obvious. Everything looked natural. Untouched.
Argent stepped beside him. "They haven’t touched the big one yet. That’s where the real value is."
Matthew didn’t respond. Real value? Clearly, Argent was one of them scammers, he thought inwardly.