Free Web NovelChapter 681: Chapter 642: Arctic Blue Diamond
When the surrounding Inuit heard that Zhao Rong and his party were about to leave, they immediately brought out their most precious gifts, presenting them to Zhao Rong to express their gratitude.
"Big Brother Zhao Rong, thank you for helping our people defeat that powerful opponent," one of them said. "Now, we will present our most precious gifts to all of you who have helped us as a token of our gratitude..."
When the assistant and the three women heard that the Inuit were going to give them their most precious gifts, they immediately began to speculate on what those gifts might be.
The assistant thought for a moment. He believed the most precious thing in the Arctic had to be polar bear pelts. He laughed and said, "I think they’ll definitely give us polar bear pelts. That stuff is priceless!"
Lili shook her head. "Assistant, you’re thinking too small," she chided. "How much could a polar bear pelt possibly be worth? I think they’ll give us Arctic blue sapphires. Now that would be a true treasure."
Upon hearing about Arctic blue sapphires, Yu Lan did a quick search online and discovered their price was comparable to Swarovski crystals. Shaking her head, she told the others, "Arctic blue sapphires might look pretty, but they aren’t actually that valuable. The most precious thing in the Arctic is the Arctic blue diamond. Since we helped them kill such a huge monster, I’m sure they’ll give us the most precious treasure of the Arctic—Arctic blue diamonds."
When Xuelian heard the talk of polar bear pelts, sapphires, and diamonds, she just shook her head. She turned to the Inuit and said, "I know that your ancestors came from Siberia, crossing the Bering Strait to settle near the Arctic Circle 10,000 years ago. I was wondering if you have anything left behind from them? I would love to have a relic from your ancestors."
The others immediately gave her a thumbs-up. "Xuelian, now that’s a clever request!" the assistant praised. "Even if the Arctic blue sapphires and diamonds are valuable, they’re nothing compared to a 10,000-year-old ancestral artifact!"
However, just as they were all imagining what priceless treasure they would receive, the Inuit Chieftain stepped forward. He held out a large slab of narwhal meat for Zhao Rong’s group of five. "Thank you for traveling so far to help our people eliminate such terrifying enemies," he said. "Now, we wish to offer you, our honored guests, our most esteemed gift: the meat of the narwhal."
With that, the Chieftain gave a large piece of narwhal meat to each of the five members of Zhao Rong’s party.
When the assistant and the three women saw that the Inuit’s most precious gift was nothing more than narwhal meat, they were so stunned they practically fell to the ground.
Lili, holding her piece of meat, frowned in utter confusion. "Chieftain, couldn’t you have given us something better? What’s a piece of narwhal meat worth?"
"Miss Lili, you don’t understand," the Chieftain explained patiently. "Here in the Arctic, for our people, narwhal meat is the most precious thing there is. We are reluctant to eat it ourselves and only offer it to the guests we deem most honorable."
Yu Lan inquired, "Don’t you have any gems, diamonds, or cultural relics?"
The Ch chieftain shook his head and replied helplessly, "Yu Lan, you may not understand, but for our people, things like rubies, sapphires, diamonds, and gold are entirely useless. You can’t eat them, and you can’t drink them."
Hearing the Chieftain’s words, the three women were extremely disappointed.
When Zhao Rong saw their disappointed faces, he decided to explain. "Lili, Yu Lan, Xuelian, you have to understand. Life for the Inuit in the Arctic Circle is incredibly harsh. You could say they are constantly living on the brink of death.
"They struggle every single day just to find something to eat. For them, anything edible is far more important than anything else. Gemstones, diamonds, gold, precious metals—the things our society values—are meaningless to them.
"They still live in a relatively primitive society. There are no class distinctions, no concept of money, and they don’t even barter. To them, food is the most valuable treasure of all.
"Narwhal meat, specifically, is rich in Vitamin C. For people living in the Arctic with no access to vegetables, it’s an essential nutrient. That makes it their most precious food.
"The fact they gave this to us means they truly see us as their most treasured friends."
Hearing Zhao Rong’s explanation, the three women finally understood.
Lili nodded thoughtfully. "I see. So their most precious gifts aren’t valuables, but food."
Yu Lan’s eyes widened in realization. "It seems they really do consider us their friends."
Xuelian turned back to the Inuit. "Thank you," she said earnestly. "We understand now. We’re grateful for your sincerity and generosity."
With that, Zhao Rong and his four companions bid the Inuit farewell and set off to complete their mission.
However, as they walked, Zhao Rong casually reached into his pocket and was surprised to feel a handful of small stones. He pulled them out, revealing a collection of blue, green, yellow, purple, and red pebbles.
The moment Zhao Rong pulled the stones from his pocket, Lili, Yu Lan, Xuelian, and the assistant were struck speechless, staring in disbelief.
"Big Brother Zhao Rong!" one of them gasped. "And you said the Inuit didn’t give you any valuable metals or gems! That handful of ’pebbles’ is made of the most priceless gemstones in the entire Arctic!"
Hearing this, Zhao Rong stared at the handful of gems in astonishment. He had no idea where they had come from or who had slipped them into his pocket. He certainly had no idea just how astronomically valuable they were.
