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Paimon's voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to snap Zhongli out of his thoughts.
Is there something special about these stones?
Truthfully, there was nothing particularly remarkable about them—they were just ordinary pieces of jade.
To Zhongli, these stones weren't even worth collecting. Naturally, he wouldn't waste his time buying such "scrap."
However, among them, there was one that held a bit of a story—the very reason it had caught his eye.
Rocks have memories, and as it happened, Zhongli could read them. This particular stone wasn't as simple as it appeared on the surface.
To be mixed in with ordinary jade ore was almost an insult to its true nature.
Instead of answering Paimon, Zhongli pointed at the stone with a history and said, "Shopkeeper, I'll take this one. How much?"
In business, every commodity has a price. If Zhongli found the price reasonable, he wouldn't hesitate to buy it.
Of course, given his usual lack of concern for money, if he truly fancied something, he wouldn't balk at paying above market value.
And if the price was lower than what he believed the item was worth—well, in Liyue terms, that was called "picking up a bargain." He'd still buy it without a second thought.
Buying it meant profit!
The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man in his forties, had long heard of Zhongli's reputation.
Even if he hadn't met him in person, he could recognize the floating white companion well enough.
For someone like Zhongli to grace his humble shop was nothing short of an honor.
"Your Excellency Zhongli, if this stone pleases you, a hundred gold soul coins will suffice," the shopkeeper said respectfully, glancing at the "jade ore" Zhongli had pointed at and quoting the bare minimum price.
Most who bought raw jade ore were gamblers, betting that the value of the jade inside would exceed the price they paid for the rough stone.
This was known as "stone gambling."
In stone gambling, there were wins and losses—though most customers ended up on the losing side. Otherwise, his shop wouldn't stay in business.
These jade ores had all been appraised by "jade masters" and deemed worthless—hence why they were put up for sale.
If you can trick one—
Ahem!
Even masters can misjudge sometimes. Buying means profiting!
At those words, Paimon's eyes widened.
She had half-expected the shopkeeper to offer it for free after all that talk, but no—he still wanted a hundred gold soul coins!
A hundred gold coins for a single stone… Truthfully, the shopkeeper wasn't making much profit. It was practically cost price.
These weren't just any rocks—they were jade ores, far more valuable than mere iron ore.
Besides, in the Douluo Continent, ironwork wasn't highly prized. Blacksmiths held little status, considered part of the lower trades.
"A hundred gold soul coins? That's so expensive!"
This wasn't the same Paimon who had just arrived in the Douluo Continent. The purchasing power of gold soul coins didn't equate to Mora.
A single gold soul coin could sustain an ordinary family of three comfortably for months.
Hearing this, the shopkeeper sighed helplessly and spread his hands. "Little Paimon, you don't understand. This is already the lowest price I can offer."
"Normally, these jade ores sell for 110 gold soul coins apiece."
Though these ores held little value to his shop now, procuring them in the first place had cost him dearly.
Selling one meant recouping some of that investment.
After the shopkeeper's explanation, Paimon nodded thoughtfully. "A full ten gold soul coins discount… That really is a big deal."
"Hm. It is indeed quite a generous discount."
At first glance, the shopkeeper's offer was undeniably favorable.
But in Zhongli's eyes, the true value of this stone lay somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 gold soul coins.
And for someone who truly needed it? Even a million, or five million, wouldn't make them hesitate.
Without further delay, Zhongli waved his hand, and a hundred gold soul coins materialized on the shopkeeper's counter.
The shopkeeper's face lit up at the sight. He quickly counted them, confirming the exact amount, then said to Zhongli, "Your Excellency, would you like to have the stone cut open here, or will you take it as is?"
Stone gambling inevitably led to cutting—hence the question.
"I'll take it with me."
The stone wasn't particularly large—roughly spherical, about thirty centimeters in diameter.
Now that the transaction was complete, it belonged to Zhongli.
He stored it away and left the shop with Paimon in tow.
Once outside, Paimon couldn't contain her curiosity. "Zhongli, that stone must be something special, right?"
She knew his eye for these things was impeccable—especially when it came to rocks. He never misjudged.
Zhongli doesn't bargain—he takes it all…
But his judgment was never wrong.
Even if he didn't haggle, the items he bought were always worth their price.
"Mmm. This stone is indeed unusual."
"It's different from ordinary rocks. It was once a living creature—a being with life, now petrified after death."
"???"
Paimon's head filled with question marks. If anyone but Zhongli had said this, she'd have dismissed it as nonsense.
"A rock… with life?"
Zhongli stroked his chin. "Indeed. In the terms of the Douluo Continent, it was an extremely rare gem-type soul beast."
"Not only are such soul beasts rare, but hunting them is exponentially difficult—precisely because their natural camouflage is too convincing."
"Sigh…"
Paimon scratched her head. The Douluo Continent really was full of wonders. Rocks could come to life? It was almost as bizarre as Teyvat.
"Wait, Zhongli—even if it was once a soul beast, it's still just a rock now, right? Is it really worth a hundred gold soul coins?"
Paimon's eyes sparkled as she spotted the flaw in the logic.
A rock that gained life, but died and turned back into a rock…
Strip away the "soul beast" label, and it was worthless!
"From the perspective of life, it is priceless."
"And the shell it left behind holds little value to humans."
"However, due to the rules of the Douluo Continent, upon its death, it left behind a soul bone."
Paimon: "!!!"
Holy—!
She had thought Zhongli bought this… no, this corpse of a soul beast out of sentimentality—because it was once a living rock.
After all, Zhongli was the Geo Archon.
Never had she imagined he was after a soul bone!
"The soul bone remained undiscovered precisely because of its body's structure—completely sealed, masking the bone's presence."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to pick it up so easily."
"Though useless, it makes for a fine collectible."
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 85 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 20 power stones I will publish the next chapter.