Deep Sea Stone was essential; it could avoid many surrounding troubles and was the foundation for establishing a refuge. This is also why the three major organizations were acquiring Deep Sea Stone.
But even with a 10% discount, the 7920 shillings were beyond what Lu Li could afford.
Perhaps "bankrupted" could describe the current situation.
A deposit of 2300 shillings left only 300 shillings for daily expenses, with the remaining 2000 shillings thrown in, still leaving a shortfall of 5920 shillings.
So Lu Li started to recount his experience on this sea voyage.
When he mentioned eating Silverback Fish on the sailboat, the merchant was indifferent. When he talked about reaching the vicinity of Disc Reef, the merchant was indifferent. When he described the mist that devoured sound and waves, the merchant silently said "30 shillings," not much, possibly because the information about the Mist of Strangeness was not very rare.
