Chapter Sixty-Three: Revisiting the Recycled Treasure Chest

After the call ended, Qin Jing was somewhat disappointed. Even at the very end, Hathaway hadn't mentioned buying any more magic stones. He had been hoping for another big G-point transaction.

"What did Hathaway say?" Susan was very interested in these matters. As soon as Qin Jing hung up, her pretty face immediately leaned in.

"She said you should take good care of me. If you don't, I should give you thirty whacks," Qin Jing teased as he pinched Susan's cheek.

"You're awful!" Susan gave him a light slap. She had been watching Qin Jing's expression carefully and now spoke softly, "She didn't call about buying more. Don't be fooled by Phoenix Society's grandeur—they may own a skyscraper in downtown Lenghai and run a department store, but their assets are all fixed. Last time Hathaway scraped together ten million, that was everything she could pull out."

Qin Jing was surprised. "Really? That's a major corporation. How could ten million be all they have?"

Susan shot him a look. "Believe it or not, if you look at the top hundred companies in Lenghai and seriously calculate their liquid assets, ninety percent of them are actually in the negative."

"What do you mean?"

"Large conglomerates like these never keep cash on hand. As soon as they make a profit, they start expanding again, often using bank loans. It might look like they have hundreds of millions in cash flow, but once you offset the bank debts, they're negative. Phoenix Society is the same. Their department store is highly profitable, but as a supernatural group, they have at least thirty supernaturals, some at level two, and even one level three consultant. The resources each of these supernaturals require are astronomical if you convert them to RMB. So Phoenix Society is actually more strapped for cash than ordinary corporations."

Only then did Qin Jing nod in understanding. He hadn't graduated from college, so naturally his knowledge in this area was not as deep as Susan's. He looked at her approvingly, patted her bottom, and praised, "Turns out you're useful after all."

Susan pouted. "What do you mean 'useful'? I'm very capable, you know. I graduated from a top university!"

"Is that so? Graduates from prestigious schools really are different—feels great to ride," he quipped.

At that, Susan's face turned scarlet, and she started hitting and punching him playfully. Qin Jing laughed and pretended to resist, his hand slipping under her clothes as they flirted.

But Qin Jing knew it was still daytime, so he let Susan go—especially since a new customer had just arrived.

"Excuse me, is this Qin Jing's buyback shop?" A young female university student entered and asked.

"Yes, we buy all kinds of luxury goods. Of course, we also have some for sale," Susan replied, quickly stepping forward. She was now helping Qin Jing by taking on some shop duties.

"I have something to sell. I heard at school you give good prices. Do you have the authority to make decisions?" The student glanced at Qin Jing, who was sitting in a chair.

"What is it? If I recognize it, I can give you a price you'll be happy with," Susan replied, smiling. She had previously been Hathaway's secretary and was very skilled in making people feel at ease.

The student didn't hesitate any longer. She took a paper bag from her purse, and from it, a ring.

"What brand is this diamond ring? Do you have the certificate?" Susan examined the ring. Her eye for luxury goods was quite sharp.

"It's a Chow Sang Sang diamond couple's ring. Including the one I'm wearing, they're a pair. Name your price," the student said, producing the receipt and certificate as well.

With all the paperwork in order, Susan quickly offered a price of 18,000. Compared to the original price, it was only 5,000 less—a higher-than-average buyback rate, as Qin Jing had instructed her to be more generous with jewelry and handbags.

Without hesitation, the student agreed.

Qin Jing counted out 180 red bills from the drawer and handed them to Susan. This time, at Qin Jing's request, he had the student sign a sale agreement.

Susan was puzzled. Normally, unless the customer specified a pawn with the option to redeem, all transactions were final—no right to repurchase, and thus no paperwork required, unless the item was extremely valuable. But this little ring hardly seemed to qualify.

Still, since Qin Jing had asked, Susan didn't question it and had the customer sign. The deal was done.

After the girl left, Qin Jing took the ring from its box. The reason he had insisted on the paperwork was because something felt off. When the customer agreed to sell, a line of text appeared on his phone's dark screen:

High-value item recycled. Gained Recycling Chest (Bronze) x1.

Based on his earlier experience, Qin Jing had thought recycling chests only appeared for items worth over a million. Why did a simple ring trigger it?

He snapped a picture of the ring with his phone, and detailed information popped up:

Diamond Couple's Ring (Female)
...
Original price: 11,000. Estimate: 9,000. Very standard.

But then:

Contaminated Diamond Couple's Ring (Male)
Year of Manufacture:
Time Used:
Materials: Platinum, small diamonds, resentful energy
General Function: Can be used as core ritual material for certain professions like witches or alchemists. Can also be considered a primary supernatural item. If one envelops it with mental power over time, it will draw out resentful energy, which can then be used to attack enemies.
Original price: 11,000 RMB
Estimated value: 2,000,000 RMB
Find buyer (10G)

The answer was clear; Qin Jing immediately caught on.

First, the man's ring was special—infused with "resentful energy," making its value skyrocket to two million.

Second, he'd misunderstood the recycling chest condition. It wasn't about spending over a million in cash; it was about the item's inherent value.

"Brother Jing, what's wrong with this? Is something off?" Susan asked, seeing him photographing the ring with his phone. She glanced at the screen but noticed nothing strange.

"There is something odd. One of the rings contains a strange energy," Qin Jing replied, not hiding the truth. "When you had her sign the agreement, did you get her contact information?"

Contact information? Susan realized that, as usual when signing agreements, she had the customer leave a phone number for follow-up.

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A new week is about to begin, marking the end of this novel's debut period. It's a critical time. I’ll keep working hard next week. I hope you'll continue to support me—please bookmark if you haven't, vote if you can, and if possible, tip. Every bit helps!