Although all of Gracelyn’s stones produced jade, whereas only half of Aurora’s had shown green, hers were of a higher quality and, when her final stone was cut, its quality surpassed all of those that had come before. The whole event was a roller coaster ride. It began at the bottom with Lune’s failures, then it began to rise with Gracelyn’s successes, and Aurora’s stone was the finale that drove the crowd into a frenzy.
From every corner of the market there came offers to purchase the stones, and also a few job offers for Gracelyn. One person commented, “This is the first time that I have ever seen such luck. If he came to work for me, I would pay him ten thousand dollars a month!”
Another man offered him fifteen thousand, and then someone called out, “Twenty thousand for the boy!”
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