Reborn with Consumption System

Han Lie seemed very surprised.

To be perfectly honest, he really wasn't trying to show off; rather, he genuinely hadn't expected Lu Yisi's quote to be so "reasonable."

In fact, he had been prepared for the other party to make an exorbitant demand, an irrational price.

For any jewelry brand, top-quality rough gems are a non-renewable rare resource. Once one is used, one fewer remains, and no one can be sure when the next will appear.

What if you can't find new stock?

Your top clients want custom jewelry, but you have to tell them: we can't find the right gemstone... Isn't that embarrassing?

Besides, selling rough gems truly doesn't align with the principle of maximizing profits, a point Han Lie understood without Lu Yisi needing to remind him.

Therefore, Han Lie had been mentally prepared for a price of up to 1.8 million Mi Yuan per carat.

22.8 carats, at 1.8 million Mi Yuan per carat, would total 41.04 million Mi Yuan. After some bargaining, securing it for the auspicious figure of 38.88 million Mi Yuan would create quite a buzz.

Han Lie would show Panzi Anni his sincerity, and Cartier could boast proudly—a win-win for everyone.

But what happened instead?

What price did Lu Yisi quote?

"...so after careful consideration by our company's senior management, we have decided to sell you the Star of Romance at a price of 1.4 million Mi Yuan per carat!"

What?

It's actually that cheap?!

Han Lie was so astounded that the words "That's it?" slipped out of his mouth.

I had my pants down, all braced to force their hand, and they just submitted so easily?!

Not only did Lu Yisi submit, but he also widened his eyes, looking dumbfounded and speechless with shock.

Too awesome, too awesome!

God Lie, please retract your divine power! I can't take it!

As for Ralph, Li Yi, Miss Fan, Assistant Liang, and the others nearby, they were too nervous to speak, almost gasping for breath.

Such an outrageous price, and you're going to seal the deal just like that?!

Indeed, Han Lie had overestimated the gem market.

In his past life, he was a complete outsider in this field. He had never seen such things firsthand, nor had he encountered much related content even when scrolling through TikTok.

So he had imagined the gem market to be too lofty and unattainable.

The reality, however, was that while top-grade gemstones were indeed expensive, their ability to hold value wasn't as incredible as one might assume.

From the first year of the 20th century until Han Lie's rebirth in 2025, the appreciation rate of top-grade diamonds, rubies, and sapphires didn't even reach one-tenth of jadeite's.

If priced in RMB, they hadn't even outpaced inflation.

The former richest man of the Mining Province once bought a top-grade emerald necklace for over 13 million Hong Kong dollars at an auction on Hong Kong Island. That was around the year 2000.

By 2025, a necklace with main stones of similar quality could be acquired for about 40 million RMB.

It had tripled in value, which seemed like a lot, but what was the cumulative inflation over those many years?

This highlights the awkward position of top-grade gemstones: their prices have an invisible ceiling, but the rate of currency devaluation does not.

As long as America continues to hold global hegemony, it can ceaselessly export inflation to every territory and every country on Earth.

In such a scenario, even gold can't outpace inflation, let alone gemstones.

Furthermore, the world's top-tier wealthy individuals generally shared a consensus: with technological advancement, gemstones considered rare and precious today might not remain so in the future.

In fact, De Beers had been capable of producing synthetic diamonds as early as the 1960s.

Comparatively, the artificial synthesis of rubies and sapphires is more difficult, but it too would be conquered sooner or later—theoretically, all elements can be synthesized artificially; the only difference is the cost.

When the cost of artificial products becomes low enough and their quality is good enough to pass for genuine, the natural gemstone market won't collapse immediately. However, it will certainly stagnate. Therefore, their prices must have a cap, and inevitably, they will.

As things currently stand, apart from national treasure-level stones exceeding 100 carats, the upper limit for gems between 20 to 30 carats is roughly around 1.2 million Mi Yuan per carat.

Lu Yisi, steeling himself, had quoted 1.4 million Mi Yuan per carat, which was already quite outrageous.

However, Han Lie's reaction was even more so.

Of course, with Han Lie's current intellect, he realized his misjudgment almost immediately after speaking. Oh, it seems I overestimated them...

Since it's so cheap, what's there to even consider?

"31.92 million Mi Yuan, right? Let's just go with that. I'll take it," Han Lie said casually, his elbows propped on the table. His left index finger tapped idly on the surface, while his right index finger toyed carelessly with the record-setting ruby. His demeanor was as nonchalant as a child playing with marbles.

Lu Yisi was completely stupefied.

At that moment, looking at Han Lie, he felt as if the young man before him was radiating a holy light.

My Lord!

Have You finally heard my prayers and sent an angel to save Your lost lamb?!

Lu Yisi's most optimistic hope was to sell the Star of Romance for 1.25 million US Dollars per carat.

Don't think that's cheap. This price is already well above the historical high. Previously, the record auction price was just under 1.2 million Mi Yuan per carat.

And if it sold for the record-breaking price of 1.25 million US Dollars per carat, a promotion and a raise would be practically guaranteed!

Even his peers from top jewelry brands would send heartfelt congratulations and regard him as a hero.