My Beloved Has Risen from Death's Embrace novel Chapter 9

“Oh? This young lady wants to join the betting game?”

Tyson’s eyes lit up when he saw a stunning young lady raising her paddle, and he immediately sent someone to invite her over.

The guests inside the venue were shocked to see Xanthea raise her paddle.

“The Nightshade heiress? What’s she doing getting involved in a betting game?”

“So young, what does she know about gem betting? Maybe she just wants to make an appearance in front of everyone!”

“And making an appearance isn’t cheap. Tyson’s gem starts at 500 grand. Not everyone can afford that.”

“Exactly. If she gets even a little gem out of it, consider it good luck. Bad luck means just a piece of worthless rock and a waste of hundreds of thousands.”

“I’ve heard about the Nightshade family’s precious gem, who’s treated as a treasure by her family. To see her here, even her reckless actions are indulged, escorted by her two brothers no less.”

The protective brothers at that moment were massaging their foreheads, inwardly exclaiming that they were dragged into this, but as long as she was having fun, money was a minor detail.

When Xanthea passed by Lockwood rock identification and spotted Orion, it was clear he hadn’t expected her to join the betting game. A flicker of light passed through his deep-set eyes.

She smiled at him gently, her grin seemingly provocative or teasing, which dazzled his eyes.

Xanthea’s participation was just a brief interlude, and soon the focus returned to the two professional gem appraisal teams, with only Orion’s intense gaze still lingering on her.

Due to the mystery and unpredictability of gem betting, after many years, the inner circle still hadn’t found a reliable way to appraise them, relying instead on the color, shape, and tiny fissures of the stones, with luck playing a major part.

The assistant thought Xanthea might know a little about gem identification or was just guessing based on luck when choosing the stones. However, upon her entry, she requested the assistant to open a gem's glass cover.

“Ms. Nightshade, sorry, but according to the rules, you can’t touch the gem directly.”

Xanthea uttered, “I won’t touch it, just want to smell it; is that against the rules?”

To smell?

The assistant, having been in the gem business for years, had never heard such an odd request. It was just a stone, what could she possibly smell? But smelling wasn’t against the rules, so he opened the glass cover.

Xanthea closed her eyes, leaned forward, and gently sniffed.

Calcium carbonate, sodium silicate, and silicon dioxide mixture, just an ordinary stone.

Since she was young, she had discovered her unique sense of smell, able to detect scents that normal people could not, but hadn’t discovered a way to make use of it.

It wasn’t until she took a chemistry class in middle school that she realized she was detecting the chemical components of items.

She proudly shared her ability, only to be considered a freak or accused of making it up. She never expected it to come in handy at today’s gem betting event.