“When you think of a frog, what comes to mind?”
“One frog has one mouth, two eyes, and four legs?”
“That's right, but you missed the most important thing.”
“What is it?”
“Money!”
...
“A bunch of lunatics...”
Pulling his hat down low, Li An walked quickly through the plaza, pretending to see nothing as he swiftly distanced himself from the crowd of fanatical Jewel Frog enthusiasts.
Ever since he had accidentally written down the evaluated value of the Jewel Frog as four silver coins instead of one, things had completely spiraled out of control.
A Jewel Frog that had been worth only twenty silver coins yesterday morning was now being hyped up to twenty-five silver coins.
As for how Li An knew this?
It was quite simple.
A bulletin board stood in the center of the plaza.
■ Bulletin Board — Jewel Frog Prices
Current Price: 25 silver coins.
The merchants' association had clearly prepared long in advance and was now aggressively peddling Jewel Frogs.
Inside a cage, a Jewel Frog was letting out a sorrowful croak.
“Sir, are you here to buy a Jewel Frog? You have excellent taste! If you would let me introduce this one to you...”
Just then, someone leaned in and whispered a few words into the merchant's ear.
The merchant's eyes instantly changed.
“Hold on a moment.”
He walked quickly to the bulletin board.
■ Bulletin Board — Jewel Frog Prices
Current Price: 30 silver coins.
“Sir, the price has changed slightly.”
“...”
Li An stared at the merchant's greedy eyes, a look of utter disbelief on his face.
“Isn't this illegal? As far as I know, keeping Jewel Frogs as pets requires imperial permission, doesn't it?”
The merchant sneered.
“Customers who listen to strange rumors say that occasionally.”
Saying so, he reached out and pointed at the very bottom of the bulletin board.
There, a line of incredibly inconspicuous, tiny text was written.
■ This Jewel Frog is intended for consumption, not pet use, in strict accordance with relevant imperial laws and regulations. All liability after sale is assumed by the buyer.
The print was pitifully small.
Anyone with slightly poor eyesight wouldn't even be able to read it clearly.
“If you're not buying, don't get in the way of our business. Get moving.”
“There are plenty of people over there eager to buy.”
Li An felt waves of burning gazes coming from behind him.
Before he knew it, the surrounding area was packed with people.
“Give me one!”
“I want two!”
“I'll take everything in your hands!”
“Hehe, maximum of two per person. Everyone, please line up.”
Most of the people scrambling to buy were richly dressed merchants, or middle-aged folks who clearly looked well-off.
Although Li An was completely unable to comprehend it, he felt the situation still seemed to fall within the scope of a normal speculative craze.
Perhaps the craze would naturally die down in a few days.
After all, although similar speculative frenzies had occurred in his previous life, they were usually hyped up to exaggerated proportions.
...
The next day.
“Minister, look at this! The Jewel Frog that's been super popular lately. What do you think? Isn't it incredibly cute?”
Sushia, a genuine wealthy person, was excitedly holding a Jewel Frog in her palm, showing it off to Li An.
The frog sat quietly, letting out an occasional croak.
It looked as if it had been tamed.
Or perhaps it was just desperately trying to keep its balance, not wanting to fall to the ground from Sushia's hand.
Li An stared at it for a moment.
“Sushia, how much did you spend on this?”
“Twenty silver coins.”
Li An instantly let out a sigh of relief.
That was good.
The price had indeed started to drop.
It seemed there were still plenty of people in the empire with common sense.
How could a frog that merely had slightly unique patterns be worth thirty silver coins?
Even if twenty silver coins was still ridiculously expensive, it would surely return to the original one silver coin in the end.
This was the normal conclusion.
Li An casually picked up a newspaper.
◆ Imperial Magazine — Is the Jewel Frog Nothing More Than a Dream?
Speaking of creatures that have recently taken the empire by storm, the Jewel Frog absolutely cannot be ignored.
Why was a species of frog, originally just an ordinary part of the ecosystem, plucked from the streams and turned into a wildly hyped-up speculative commodity?
The blame for all of this can only be attributed to one person.
Minister of the Imperial Evaluation Department—Li An Adolf.
Now, it is time to wake up from this dream.
Let the Jewel Frogs return to nature.
— Chief Editor of the Imperial Magazine, J.S
“How professional.”
Li An expressed his heartfelt admiration.
No wonder the price of the Jewel Frogs had suddenly dropped.
It was all thanks to J.S., the chief editor of the Imperial Magazine, who mercilessly pointed out the absurdity behind the Jewel Frog speculation.
Although he didn't know who the person actually was, Li An felt that this must be someone with a conscience, reason, and the courage to speak the truth.
“Now, return that Jewel Frog to nature, Sushia.”
“Huh? But... I spent half of my allowance for this month on it!”
“If an official responsible for enforcing imperial laws takes the lead in breaking them, do you think that's appropriate?”
“Keeping a Jewel Frog without a permit is inherently illegal.”
Under Li An's persuasion, Sushia tearfully carried the Jewel Frog to the window.
“You must survive well in the wild, Sapphire.”
The sunlight spilled down.
The scales on the Jewel Frog's back shimmered brilliantly.
Li An froze for a moment.
“...Sapphire?”
Generally speaking, the back of a Jewel Frog would display a glittering green, looking somewhat like emerald upon closer inspection.
But the one Sushia had kept was an azure blue, resembling a sapphire.
With a light leap, the Jewel Frog jumped onto a branch opposite the window.
“Well, it's probably just a mutation.”
“It shouldn't have any impact.”
Li An packed up the remaining documents, preparing to head off work.
Today, he would take a stroll around the plaza, grab a random sandwich, and count that as dinner.
However, when he arrived at the plaza, he froze instantly.
■ Bulletin Board — Jewel Frog Prices
Current Price: 50 silver coins.
“...”
Just what on earth had happened?
Li An's eyes widened.
“Wait... it was still twenty silver coins this morning, so how did it suddenly become fifty silver coins?”
“Isn't this a scam?”
The merchant recognized him at a glance.
“Ah, you again.”
“Didn't you say you weren't buying last time? Why are you back?”
The merchant clicked his tongue once more.
“Take a closer look.”
He pointed to the Jewel Frog in the cage.
“This is the most common Jewel Frog, thirty silver coins.”
“Because the color is neutral and doesn't spark aesthetic differences, a lot of people like it.”
“Everyone calls it the Emerald Frog now.”
The merchant then pointed to another one nearby.
“This one is a recently discovered variant of the Jewel Frog.”
“It's also called the Sapphire Frog.”
“Forty silver coins.”
Finally, he pointed to the one furthest inside.
“As for this one, it is even more special.”
“Look at its beautiful obsidian luster.”
“Fifty silver coins.”
Li An had a look of absolute incredulity.
“At the end of the day, aren't they all just frogs?”
“You couldn't be more wrong.”
The merchant shook his head.
“Tsk, tsk, this is why beginners can't play this game.”
“If you're not buying, get moving, don't block the path.”
This time, Li An felt that prickling gaze again.
He looked back.
He froze instantly.
The last time he came, the people buying the frogs were at least wealthy, older merchants.
But this time, there were all sorts of people in the plaza.
Noblewomen holding parasols.
Young men and women.
Ordinary people dressed in simple clothes.
Even elderly people leaning on walking sticks had come.
“Get out of the way!”
“Yes, Milord.”
Li An silently took a step to the side.
His prediction was completely wrong.
The Jewel Frog craze, which he had thought was over, had actually entered a second stage thanks to the discovery of "new species."
And it was even more insane than before.
...
“Huge news!!!”
“A Diamond Frog has been discovered!!!”
“I'll buy it right now! Sixty silver coins!”
“Sixty-five!”
“Seventy silver coins!!!”
Li An slowly closed his eyes.
...
◆ Imperial Magazine — Jewel Frog Mania
Recently, unbelievable events have taken place one after another in the empire.
The price of the Jewel Frog has broken through seventy silver coins.
Simply because of different patterns, it has been hyped to the point of being more expensive than a horse.
The imperial economy is falling into chaos because of this.
And the culprit behind all of this—
Minister of the Imperial Evaluation Department, Li An Adolf.
He must take responsibility for his actions.
He must publicly apologize in front of the citizens of the empire.
And resign from his post as the Minister of the Evaluation Department.
— Chief Editor of the Imperial Magazine, J.S
“Insane...”
Li An couldn't help but sigh.
“Who on earth is this divine figure?”
Such a sharp critique.
Such tight logic.
Every single word hit the mark.
J.S.
Truly an indispensable critic for the empire.
Especially that line—
“Li An Adolf should be held responsible for this and resign from his post as Minister.”
It resonated perfectly with Li An's heart's desire.
“If only there were a few more critics like this in the empire...”
“Perhaps the empire in his past life's knowledge wouldn't have headed toward ruin...”
Li An wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
But in the next moment, he suddenly paused.
Wait.
“Take responsibility for this matter?”
Li An slowly picked up his quill.
The Imperial Magazine had a submissions column where any individual with a certain social status or reputation could publish their opinions.
And Li An happened to meet the requirements perfectly.
“J.S., you really are impressive.”
“However, when I was a child, my parents also called me a genius prodigy.”
“Then let me show you what true writing looks like.”
Without any hesitation, he set pen to paper.
...
◆ Jewel Frog — What Lies Behind the Unseen
— Minister of the Imperial Evaluation Department, Li An Adolf
...
Li An's article was quickly published in the Imperial Magazine.
On the surface, this was an article defending the Jewel Frogs.
However, if one read it closely, they would discover it was filled with a massive amount of meaningless hot air and flowery rhetoric.
But Li An knew an important fact very well.
People wouldn't read the article seriously at all.
What truly mattered was never what was written in the article.
It was who wrote it.
Sure enough.
Things began to progress in the direction Li An had anticipated.
Wearing his hat, Li An came to the plaza and quietly observed the surrounding situation.
■ Bulletin Board — Jewel Frog Prices
Current Price: 80 silver coins.
“So far, everything is as expected.”
The price of the Jewel Frog had indeed skyrocketed once again.
However, there was no bubble in the world that would never burst.
As long as this continued...
The bubble would explode sooner or later.
...
■ Bulletin Board — Jewel Frog Prices
Current Price: 99 silver coins.
...
The next day.
Li An came to the plaza once again.
The sight before him left him speechless.
People had actually begun putting leashes on Jewel Frogs, walking them on the streets.
The frogs bounced around desperately in pain, but they could not break free from the strings.
Watching this scene, Li An sighed silently in his heart.
“My apologies.”
“You are merely a frog.”
“However, this madness will end very soon.”
...
A week later.
At the entrance of the shops in the plaza, a notice was posted.
■ Jewel Frog Sales Suspended
Yes, we failed completely.
“It burst!!!”
Standing in the middle of the plaza, Li An finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The bubble had finally burst!
He excitedly bought the latest issue of the Imperial Magazine from a roadside stall.
Then, he couldn't wait to flip it open.
◆ Imperial Magazine — The Fall of the Jewel Frog
The headline was simple and direct.
Beautiful, one might even say.
Filled with anticipation, Li An began reading.
Sure enough.
The chief editor had written yet another article criticizing him.
Within it, Li An particularly liked the part about "must take responsibility."
The more he read, the more satisfied he became.
Just then—
“Excuse me, are you the Minister of the Imperial Evaluation Department, Li An Adolf?”
“...”
Li An raised his head.
Several imperial guards carrying longswords stood before him.
“Yes.”
Li An's tone was calm.
“It seems... this day has finally come.”
“Am I about to be dismissed?”
However.
The atmosphere seemed somewhat off.
The imperial guards directly bound Li An's hands behind his back.
Immediately after—
“Kneel.”
Li An was forcibly pushed to the ground.
“Li An Adolf.”
“You are officially under arrest by the empire on suspicion of market manipulation.”
“...”
Li An was stunned.
Wait.
Market manipulation?
His brain whirred at high speed.
If they followed imperial law...
The minimum penalty for market manipulation...
Seemed to be...
Death.
...
The next day.
Li An opened his eyes.
Cold stone walls.
Rusty iron bars.
A dim cell.
He finally realized one thing.
Yesterday, he had apparently celebrated too early.
Rate on N.U.
