“Nothing much? Just an animal skin.” Andrew Thompson waved his hand dismissively and smiled. Although the leopard skin was ruined, the young lady had compensated him with one hundred and fifty taels of silver, so he considered it as if he had sold it.

At this moment, a sharp-nosed, blue-eyed Hu merchant’s assistant came out, smiling, and said, “Mr. Baker, would you like to buy some gemstones?”

He spoke Mandarin very fluently, and his voice was pleasant and melodious.

“No, it’s this military officer who wants to buy gemstones. I brought him here.”

Mr. Baker apologized a few more times before leaving. The Hu assistant enthusiastically bowed to Andrew Thompson, “Welcome to our humble shop, honored guest!”

Andrew Thompson glanced around the rather small storefront, nodded, and followed him inside.

The Sogdians, also known as the nine noble Hu clans of the Hezhong region, were famous for their business acumen. Many renowned Hu people in the Tang Dynasty came from this area, such as the famous An Lushan, who was from Kangguo.

The Hezhong region was also famous for its gemstones. Every year, large quantities of gems were brought to the Tang Dynasty by Hu merchants. This “Old Sogdian Shop” was opened by a Sogdian from the Stone Kingdom.

“Honored guest, what kind of gemstone are you looking to buy? We have diamonds from Tianzhu and rubies from Serbo.”

“I want to have a gemstone appraised.”

“Oh! So the guest wants a gemstone appraised.”

The Hu assistant gestured, “Please follow me inside, honored guest.”

Andrew Thompson followed him into the inner room, which was very bright. Two elderly Sogdians were having a conversation.

“What’s the matter?”

Sogdians paid great attention to detail. Even when speaking among themselves, they used Mandarin as a sign of respect for their guests.

“Master, this guest would like a gemstone appraised.”

“Very well, please have a seat, honored guest.”

A white-haired Hu man politely invited Andrew Thompson to sit, then asked the assistant to pour a cup of tea. Smiling, he said, “Let me introduce myself first. My name is Philip Reed, I am from the Stone Kingdom. May I ask your honorable surname?”

“No need for formality, my surname is Li.”

“Li is the imperial surname!”

Philip Reed chuckled and then asked, “May I ask what kind of gemstone you wish to have appraised?”

Andrew Thompson took out the Flame Gem from his chest and placed it on the table. “This is the gemstone.”

Philip Reed picked up the gem with a smile. At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary ruby, just a bit larger than usual, cut from a large piece of ore. It was free of impurities and was a fine gemstone, worth at most fifty strings of cash.

Philip Reed raised the gem and examined it carefully. The smile on his face gradually faded. He quickly glanced at Andrew Thompson. His expression remained calm, but his hand gripped the gem tightly, trembling slightly.

“May I ask where you got this gemstone?” Philip Reed asked casually.

“An ordinary Hu man sold it to me.”

“Oh! May I ask what kind of ordinary Hu man?”

Andrew Thompson smiled faintly. “Does it really matter who sold it to me?”

“I was just asking out of curiosity!” Philip Reed apologized with a smile. “This is actually just an ordinary ruby, though of good quality. Normally it’s worth eighty strings, but I can offer you twenty more, one hundred strings. How about it?”

If it had been an ordinary soldier selling the gem, he might have agreed right away. But Philip Reed happened to encounter someone with over a thousand years more knowledge than him—a man from the future. Although Philip Reed hid it well, he couldn’t fool Andrew Thompson’s sharp eyes. From the way his hand trembled, Andrew Thompson realized he wasn’t telling the truth.

How could a gemstone with flames inside be an ordinary ruby? This gem was definitely worth more than a hundred strings. But now the gem was being gripped tightly by a claw-like hand, clearly unwilling to let go. Having just lost an expensive black leopard skin, he couldn’t afford to lose another treasure. So he smiled and said, “Master, this gemstone is actually already damaged. Let me show you.”

This Philip Reed had clearly never read the Records of the Grand Historian. He hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly handed the gem back to Andrew Thompson. Andrew Thompson took the gem and put it straight into his chest, stood up, and smiled, “Forget it, I’ll just go to another shop!”

Philip Reed was dumbfounded. By the time he came to his senses, Andrew Thompson had already strode away.

Andrew Thompson walked out of the gem shop, turned back, and spat heavily, “Pah! Swindler, trying to cheat me out of my gem. I’m not selling it!”

He mounted his horse and was about to leave when he saw Philip Reed rushing out after him. “Officer, General Thompson, please wait!”

He ran up and blocked Andrew Thompson’s horse, panting, “Officer, I just remembered—your gemstone isn’t a ruby, it’s a Sunstone from the Stone Kingdom.”

“Sunstone!” Andrew Thompson snorted. “Then why didn’t you recognize it just now?”

Philip Reed gave a wry smile. “Actually, I’ve never seen a real Sunstone myself. I’ve only heard that there’s a flame inside the gem, which is very similar to yours.”

Andrew Thompson leaned down and asked curiously, “How much is this kind of Sunstone worth?” This was what he cared about most.

Philip Reed thought for a moment and said, “Sunstones are quite valuable, but they’re not as precious as diamonds from Tianzhu. However, I happen to be in need of a Sunstone right now. If you’re willing to sell it to me, I can buy it at the price of a diamond of the same size.”