Don't get it wrong, thinking that the Lion Country is rich in gemstone resources means they're rolling in money. Actually, that's not the case; most ordinary people are quite poor.
On one hand, the mining technology at this time is underdeveloped, making it difficult to extract; on the other hand, these gemstone mineral resources are, of course, monopolized by the king and the great nobility, leaving no opportunity for ordinary people.
Therefore, Lin Wanwan being able to exchange for a small box of gemstones is already quite good. This is all the gemstones the Count G couple earned over years of maritime trade, through blood and rain.
If it weren't for Lin Wanwan praising the value of cotton cloth to the skies, and according to their knowledge, cotton cloth is indeed expensive, they wouldn't have been willing to make this exchange.
