Chapter 5: The Stir Caused by Gold
The manager led Du Xin into a small room containing a private reception area. As they sat down on the sofa, a figure resembling a secretary brewed tea for both Du Xin and the manager, then took up a position standing behind the manager.
"Hello, my name is Zhao Yang, and I am the manager of this gold shop. May I ask your surname, sir?"
Zhao Yang rose first, extended his right hand, and shook hands with Du Xin.
"Hello. My surname is Du. I've come to see you to conduct a transaction—is this a convenient time?"
As he spoke, Du Xin glanced at the secretary standing behind Zhao Yang.
"Manager, you go ahead and speak with Mr. Du; I'll step out for now."
With that, the secretary tactfully excused himself and left the room.
"Mr. Du, you may speak freely now."
"Do you buy gold? I have a batch of gold that I need to sell urgently. What price can you offer?"
Zhao Yang raised an eyebrow; deciding to try and drive the price down, he addressed Du Xin:
"Mr. Du, are you familiar with the current state of gold prices? Right now, the market price for gold is on the low side, so naturally, our acquisition price won't match the full market rate. Furthermore, there are many factors that influence the final price—the purity of the gold and the sheer quantity involved are all decisive elements. And besides... I assume this gold of yours is 'black gold'—ill-gotten goods, isn't it?"
Zhao Yang rattled off this lengthy speech in an attempt to disorient Du Xin's train of thought, yet he saw not a flicker of panic in Du Xin's eyes. Du Xin remained completely composed. First, since the gold had been synthesized by his System, its purity was undoubtedly high; as for the quantity, that went without saying. Regarding the accusation of it being "black gold"—while the gold hadn't been acquired through standard commercial channels, it certainly wasn't the product of criminal activity. Moreover, with his System Space at his disposal, he had absolutely nothing to fear from any investigation; naturally, Zhao Yang's probing remarks held no sway over him.
"I'll give you one piece of gold upfront for testing purposes. As for the quantity, rest assured there's plenty—we're talking about a shipment worth at least four million. And as for its 'provenance'... well, the fact that I've dared to walk right in here to sell it—what does that tell you, Manager Zhao?"
Du Xin was so unnervingly calm that Zhao Yang began to suspect he was dealing with a criminal syndicate looking to launder money through his shop.
"Mr. Du, I do buy gold—but I do *not* deal in 'black gold'—illicit goods."
Zhao Yang stared intently at Du Xin, his expression stern and serious.
Du Xin paused for a moment, taken aback, but then immediately grasped the meaning behind Zhao Yang's words. He burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha, Manager Zhao, I'm not laundering money. There is absolutely nothing illicit about the source of my gold; I simply lack the proper documentation for it. Since the quantity is so substantial, you were the only person I could turn to."
"Is what you say true, Mr. Du?"
Zhao Yang fixed his gaze upon Du Xin's eyes. Years of experience had given him immense confidence in his ability to read people—and besides, on the surface, Du Xin appeared to be nothing more than a recent college graduate.
"Very well, I trust you, Mr. Du. If you wouldn't mind handing me a sample first? I'll have someone take it to verify its gold content."
Before Du Xin could even respond, Zhao Yang spoke again; he had detected not the slightest flicker of unease in Du Xin's eyes.
"Please, Manager Zhao."
Du Xin temporarily redeemed a small piece of gold from his "Small World" and handed it to Zhao Yang. Though he called it a "small piece," it weighed around one hundred grams; it was roughly square in shape—wider at the base and tapering toward the top—and possessed a color of such absolute purity that Zhao Yang couldn't help but suspect it had been pilfered directly from a national gold reserve.
Zhao Yang accepted the gold ingot, walked over to the desk in the conference room, and pressed a button on the telephone. Moments later, a secretary entered the room and took the gold away.
"Mr. Du... are you someone from 'up top'?"
Zhao Yang's demeanor had shifted to one of respectful deference. After racking his brains, he simply could not conceive of anyone—other than those belonging to the highest echelons of power—who could possibly possess gold of such caliber. What puzzled him even more was the fact that Du Xin was attempting to sell it so brazenly, despite lacking any official certification. Yet, if he truly were someone from "up top," why would he be short on cash—so short, in fact, that he would need to resort to selling gold? It was a puzzle Zhao Yang simply couldn't solve.
"Are you in need of funds lately, Mr. Du?"
"Manager Zhao, please don't go making wild conjectures. I am not some figure from 'up top.' Although my gold lacks documentation, it is neither illicit contraband nor stolen goods—and it certainly didn't come from any national treasury. I simply wish to purchase a home, which is why I sought you out."
"Oh... I was merely asking out of curiosity."
Zhao Yang grew even more perplexed. He believed Du Xin's words—precisely *because* the man appeared so utterly unperturbed—yet this only deepened the mystery. What kind of person could possibly possess such gold—and in such vast quantities, no less—yet still lack the funds to buy a house?
Du Xin, however, paid no mind whatsoever to the chaotic swirl of thoughts occupying Manager Zhao, who sat across from him. Instead, he simply continued to sip his tea with quiet composure, patiently awaiting the results of the gold analysis. A short while later, the secretary returned. With a face usually devoid of expression, he now wore a faint look of both excitement and bewilderment as he handed a report to Zhao Yang. Zhao Yang noticed the secretary's unusual demeanor but asked no questions; he knew he would find the answer within the report itself.
"What?! Are you sure?"
"Absolutely! Manager, we tested it three times—the entire block is pure!"
Zhao Yang's pupils constricted. Now he understood the source of the secretary's excitement and confusion.
"Mr. Du, the purity of your gold... is one hundred percent!"
Zhao Yang lowered his voice, striving to maintain his composure as he spoke to Du Xin.
"Huh? Is that a big deal? With how advanced technology is these days, couldn't you just extract it using chemical processes?"
Du Xin asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
"It's not the same. No matter how rigorous the extraction process, impurities are inevitable. Current technology typically allows for the mass production of 'four-nines' gold—99.99% purity. At the absolute limit, we can achieve 'five-nines' gold—99.999%—but even that amounts to only a tiny quantity, just a few grams. I have *never* seen gold that is one hundred percent pure!"
Now it was Du Xin's turn to feel awkward. He had simply mentioned "extracting" gold, never imagining it would result in gold utterly devoid of even a trace of impurity. Now, he felt rather sheepish about trying to explain it.
"Uh... You guys don't want it? Well then... should I just go add some impurities to it myself?"
"We want it! We absolutely want it! One-hundred-percent-pure gold—why, even exposure to the *air*... Secretary! Quick, take that gold and seal it up immediately! Don't let it come into contact with any sulfur in the atmosphere! Mr. Du, how much gold do you have? I'll take it all! We'll pay three hundred per gram—does that work for you?"
"Sure, that works. It's all right here."
Du Xin cheerfully dragged the box forward and opened it. Inside, thirty gleaming gold ingots were arranged in neat rows; each ingot weighed exactly one kilogram.
Zhao Yang's eyes went wide. He had assumed that when Du Xin spoke of a "large quantity," he meant merely a few kilograms—he never expected to see an entire box filled to the brim.
"Man, that nearly killed me! Thirty kilograms—I'm absolutely exhausted. It's all right here. You can keep that one ingot inside as a gift. So, thirty kilograms... let's see... *Holy crap!* That comes to nine million! I brought way too much cash!"
Hearing this, Zhao Yang feared that Du Xin had suddenly decided against selling, so he hurriedly interjected: "Mr. Du, if you aren't satisfied, I can raise the price even higher."
"No, let's just stick to this price. I simply made a mistake earlier—I brought a little extra along—but it's really no big deal."
Zhao Yang's eyes widened even further.
"Sir... you mean you have *more* gold like this?"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Zhao Yang hurriedly handed a business card to Du Xin.
"Mr. Du, if you ever wish to sell gold again in the future, please be sure to come to me. I will offer you the exact same price—and, I guarantee that I will maintain absolute confidentiality regarding the source of the gold."
Du Xin gave it some thought. If he were to need cash again down the road, he really would require a reliable long-term partner. Furthermore, since his gold would likely be viewed by others as illicit goods, confidentiality was indeed of paramount importance.
"Manager Zhao, I look forward to a pleasant partnership."
As he spoke, Du Xin accepted the business card and shook hands with Zhao Yang.