[Grandidierite]
- First discovered in Madagascar in 1902, this blue-green mineral is exceptionally rare and more valuable than diamonds. It typically sells for $20,000 per carat (200mg), which is about 24 million won in Korean currency.
“……So, this tiny thing is really that expensive?”
I stared blankly at the blue crystal in my palm.
The blue crystal Anna gave me turned out to be a rare gemstone called ‘Grandidierite.’
The price Madame at the Jewelry Appraisal Institute suggested was ten million won.
But you never know what might happen.
I also visited other Jewelry Appraisal Institutes and Pawn Shops in Dongdaemun to request appraisals.
As soon as I presented the Grandidierite, every appraiser’s expression betrayed their astonishment.
But.
‘This is junk~ Still, I could sell it if it’s cut. So, how much do you want? 100,000 won~’
‘All the blue ones and the rest, I’ll give you 180,000. I’m only giving you this much because you remind me of my own son.’
‘Hmmm, I’ll take it for 200,000. How about it? No one else will offer you this much.’
‘……Sir, how much did you expect to get? Excuse me?’
They were all swindlers.
Some even said…
‘What, you think this is a junkyard? Trying to sell me your rubbish!’
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m not buying! Move along! Try the fancy shop over there!’
There were even appraisers who didn’t recognize what kind of gem it was.
When I searched on my smartphone, for a gem of this size, around ten million won was about right.
‘……So, Madame’s offer was fair.’
In the end, I sold all the gemstones I’d brought—except for Anna’s blue crystal, Grandidierite—to Madame at the Faith Gem Appraisal Center.
Just that one.
Anna’s blue crystal, Grandidierite, I kept for myself.
“What, why aren’t you selling that one? That’s the most valuable. I swear, around here, I’m the most honest when it comes to fleecing people.”
Listening to Madame’s words, I quietly sorted out my thoughts.
When Anna gave me the blue crystal, my Creator Level was abysmally low.
Which means, in the process of transferring the Offering, its size shrank considerably compared to the real thing.
The blue crystal in my palm is now barely the size of a grain of sand, but in the Small World, it was definitely big enough to fill Anna’s hand.
To sum up…….
1) Raise my Creator Level so I can fully receive Offerings.
2) Send Anna’s blue crystal (Grandidierite) to the Small World.
3) Receive it back as an Offering.
‘That way, it’ll be transferred as a fully intact, dozens-of-carats Grandidierite!’
It may be a hassle, but so what?
If I can get it in its original size, I’ll become the owner of the largest Grandidierite rough stone on Earth.
A gemstone worth 24 million won per carat.
So selling it now would be foolish.
If I just wait a bit, I can sell it for its full value.
This is what you’d call the Creator Coin.
I vaguely evaded giving a reason for not selling it.
“Uh… I just thought I’d wait and think about it a bit more before selling. I’ll come back next time.”
“Hmph, do whatever you want. If you find more things like this, bring them. I won’t ask where they came from. Now, if you’re done, hurry up and leave. I have to watch my drama.”
Creak—
I was practically thrown out of the shop.
Outside, I stared blankly at the sky.
“……Ten million won.”
The price of the blue crystal tucked safely in my pocket.
On top of that, just the money from selling the leftover gemstones and minerals amounted to over two million won.
The corners of my mouth lifted on their own.
As expected, being a Creator beats being a landlord!
But at the same time, a sense of unease began to sprout in my heart.
After all, I had a gemstone worth ten million won just sitting in my pocket.
Now that I thought about it, my pocket suddenly felt heavy, as if it held a lump of iron.
I glanced around, lowered my head, and moved quickly.
‘……Let’s hurry home. Just in case, I should take a deluxe taxi.’
As I darted out of the alley, a sweet scent tickled my nose.
It was a small bakery selling gourmet handmade cookies.
A moment later.
On my way home, I was holding a box of premium cookies.
「Wow, cookies!」
「There’s chocolate in the cookies!」
「Chocolate? Wow! It’s my first time tasting chocolate!」
「Mine has strawberry jam in the center!」
「Mine’s almond! Heehee!」
Right now, I’m handing out cookies to the ones most responsible for today’s earnings.
The Children of the Sanctuary each held a cookie, their faces filled with excitement.
“Wait a second, hold on~!”
I stopped them from eating, like a Teacher with a classroom of kids.
I hadn’t turned on the Camcorder yet.
‘……Camcorder ON!’
Soon, the sight of little children clutching cookies tightly began to fill the screen.
‘Now that I’ve signed a contract with the Company, I need to make solid Content for the broadcast.’
Today’s content: foreign kids’ gourmet handmade cookie mukbang (Feat. Made in Korea).
Meanwhile, the kids were even drooling.
Just the fact that they’d held back from eating until now was a miracle.
Any more delay would be torture.
“Alright, you can eat now! But chew slowly and carefully!”
「Waaaaah!」
「Thank you!」
「Thank you for the food!」
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
The sound of crunching cookies began to form a symphony.
The children munched happily on cookies the size of their own hands, smiles brightening their faces.
Their cheeks smeared with chocolate, strawberry jam, or custard cream, the Children of the Sanctuary devoured the treats.
At least I’d secured some great footage for the Mutube mukbang.
‘All that’s left now is to have the kids give their taste reviews.’
I watched the children with a satisfied grin and asked,
“Kids, the cookies are tasty, right? Can you tell me what they taste like?”
「It’s delicious!」
「Really delicious!」
「I love it so much!」
「It’s the best! Thank you, God!」
Their reviews were as simple and honest as their vocabulary allowed.
‘Well, it’s a bit plain, but I should be happy with this much.’
If they started using complicated words, that’d just be stranger.
Besides, seeing the children’s happy smiles was enough to warm my heart.
I grabbed another handful of cookies and said,
“Who wants more? There’s still plenty left, so help yourselves!”
At that moment, a boy who looked like a troublemaker shot his hand up.
「God, God! Anna is still working in the field. Can we bring her here too?」
The other children nodded in agreement.
It’s normal for kids to want to eat one more when there’s delicious food in front of them.
But the Children of the Sanctuary were more worried that their friend Anna would miss out.
‘……These kids are truly kind.’
Even the troublemaker who usually sent me cicada shells seemed like a little angel today.
As soon as I said to go bring Anna, the boy dashed off with a thrilled expression.
‘Of course, Anna can’t miss out! She’s basically this month’s top salesperson.’
A little while later, Anna came running, beaming brightly from her fieldwork.
Her face and hands were covered in dirt.
Then, Anna bowed deeply in my direction, where my voice was coming from.
「Hello, God!」
Beside Anna stood Jeanne d’Arc and Lily.
Jan and Lily followed, offering their prayers with reverence.
At that moment, Anna hesitantly raised a question.
「Um, God… you said you’d give a present, but could you give a gift to Jan and Lily too, since they came with me…?」
Anna was thoughtful, making sure her friends got gifts, not just herself.
“Of course! If kind-hearted Anna asks, how could I refuse?”
「Yaaay! Thank you so much!」
It was a request from Queen Anna, who’d gifted me Grandidierite. I’d grant almost any wish of hers.
I handed out cookies to everyone who’d gathered.
「God, thank you for providing us with our daily bread.」
「Thank you, merciful God.」
Jeanne d’Arc and Lily accepted the cookies with solemn gratitude.
Meanwhile, Lily had recovered so much that she now helped with the Sanctuary’s fields herself.
It was hard to believe she was the same girl who had been bedridden not long ago.
“Lily, how’s your health these days?”
「Thanks to your care, God, every day feels like a blessing. Oh, and—」
Lily raised her cookie with both hands after taking a small bite.
「This cookie you gave us is so delicious. It’s the softest, most melt-in-your-mouth cookie I’ve ever had. The harmony of chocolate chips and the simple flavor is amazing. And the finely ground peanut powder is really surprising, too.」
“Ooooh…….”
Finally, a proper cookie review.
For a Mutube mukbang, the tasting comments are crucial.
Meanwhile, Jeanne d’Arc was strangely silent.
“Is the cookie not to your taste?”
Even at my question, Jan didn’t move.
She just quietly looked down at the bitten cookie.
‘……Maybe she doesn’t like sweets?’
I studied Jeanne d’Arc’s expression.
But Jan’s eyes were sparkling fiercely, like someone deeply moved.
Only then did Jan snap out of it and quickly return to her usual composed self.
「……It’s truly a delicious cookie. Thank you, God.」
Jeanne d’Arc brought the cookie to her lips as if nothing had happened.
But the moment she took another bite, her eyes started shining again.
‘……So she doesn’t dislike sweets—she loves them!’
Looking around, I noticed the children had already finished all their cookies.
I reached into the cookie box and said,
“Alright, good kids get one more cookie each. But you all remember what I said earlier, right?”
The children nodded vigorously and shouted,
「If we find pretty stones or ores, we’ll offer them to God!」
「God~ Tomorrow I’ll give you a rainbow-colored pebble!」
「I know a place with lots of red stones!」
「Me too, me too!」
“And one more thing! Whoever brings the most pretty stones and ores over the next month will get a Cookie House as a prize!”
Even young Believers should be properly rewarded for their labor.
‘Nothing boosts motivation like a fitting reward.’
Sure enough, the Children of the Sanctuary blushed with excitement.
They all boasted they’d win the cookie house made of sweets.
Just then, a notification window popped up in front of me.
—Ding!
[System]
- The Believers’ Faith is growing stronger!
[The Faith of your Believers has increased from ‘Low’ to ‘Normal’!]
‘Wait, my Believers’ Faith… was Low?’
Honestly, that was a bit of a shock.
[System]
- Faith Level has increased!
- The Believers serve God with even greater sincerity.
- The Believers will offer even more valuable Offerings.