For generations, the Duan family had been jewelers. Duan Ying's father gambled on rough stones until the family was ruined. Under the combined pressure of school and life, Duan Ying had to keep his love of gemstones buried in his heart.
He studied and worked by the book, only picking up his hobby again after he started working. He treated it as a pastime, just for himself.
The gears of fate began to turn when Duan Ying was overwhelmed by a new boss who had been parachuted in. At his cousin's invitation, he went to Moonlight Manor for a vacation and accidentally triggered a transmigration portal.
The good news: As soon as he arrived, kind-hearted beastfolk rescued and took him in. The City of Chaos was full of gemstones, making it a wonderful place.
The bad news: The City of Chaos was home to many different beastfolk tribes, their food was crude, and the law of the jungle was the accepted rule. Outside the city, magical beasts were also ready to pounce.
As Duan Ying struggled to survive, eagerly exploring the new world and trying to adapt, luck smiled on him again.
The gemstones of the beastfolk world contained different kinds of energy. He accidentally absorbed some and triggered another transmigration, blinking back to the familiar Earth. He had spent eight days in the beastfolk world, but only eight hours had passed here.
After experimenting for a while, Duan Ying confirmed that gemstones let him keep transmigrating between the two worlds. This ability became his trump card, and the gemstones he brought back from the beastfolk world could also make his longtime jewelry dream come true.
After all those adventures, Duan Ying faced his boss's unreasonable behavior again and flipped the table, having a huge argument with him. He ended up with a severance package worth N+1 months of salary.
Duan Ying packed his things and moved to a small courtyard he rented in Moonlight Village.
He opened jewelry studios in both worlds. Beastfolk and humans alike loved the dazzling jewelry he carved, and for different reasons, his shops quickly became popular in both places.
His career took off as if someone had hit fast-forward, and his love life was no slower.
Ye Xing, the beastfolk younger brother he met on his first day after transmigrating, had actually fallen for him.
Reader's guide:
1. Career-focused, romance in a supporting role. The love interest is a younger black panther beastman.
2. The original inspiration came from gambling-on-rough-stones novels I loved many, many years ago. I also love beautiful gemstones, though I'm broke. This story has a wish-fulfillment feel, but my writing tends to focus on everyday details. If you enjoy that, come take a look, and feel free to discuss it in a friendly way.
Theme: Fine qualities shine like top-grade gemstones
Collecting Game Drops in the Real World
Transmigrating Through a Giant Plant Forest
Growing Flowers with Science, Getting Rich with Metaphysics [Extras]
Recreating Gourmet Food in the Interstellar Era
Grow Flowers with Science, Get Rich with Metaphysics
The Way of Chang'an
Married Young
Old-Fashioned Soup Shop [Interstellar]