Twenty thousand gold coins...
According to Blackbeard, the starting price for a qualified guide at the annual selection meetings was at least fifty thousand gold coins.
Compared to that, Theia's small treasury was indeed far from enough.
Lin Gui picked up the bag of coins left behind by Cass, untied the drawstring, and poured the contents onto the wooden table.
With a crisp clatter, a hundred glittering gold coins rolled out.
Theia leaned in for a closer look, her eyes instantly widening. “One hundred gold coins?!! Is this guy trying to rob us?”
She pointed at the coins in annoyance. “The elixirs we bought from that confounded dwarf cost a thousand gold coins a bottle!”
“We spent ten thousand gold coins on them, and he took five bottles but only gave us one hundred?”
She had subconsciously used the term “confounded dwarf.”
Although she knew Blackbeard hadn't done it on purpose and was unaware of her demon identity, the Demon Hunter's sudden arrow earlier had still left her shaken.
Eve reached out and picked up one of the coins.
She examined it closely against the flickering light of the fireplace.
After a moment, she spoke softly, “These aren't ordinary gold coins.”
“They are special coins issued by the largest bank on the Akara Continent—”
“Stellar Coins.”
She turned the coin toward Theia, her fingertip lightly brushing the edge. “They look ordinary on the surface, but the edges are coated with a layer of rainbow dust.”
As she slightly turned her fingers, the firelight caught the edge of the coin, and a brilliant flash of rainbow light flickered and vanished.
Theia took the Stellar Coin, examining it back and forth with curiosity.
She had heard of this currency before, but had never seen it with her own eyes.
It was said to circulate only among grand nobles and high-ranking figures.
During the City-State Era, gold coins had depreciated severely; a grand noble purchasing a single luxurious robe would require thousands of gold coins.
And thousands of gold coins were not something a small pouch could hold.
To facilitate large-scale transactions, Stellar Coins had emerged.
A single coin was equivalent to one hundred standard gold coins.
Staring at the hundred Stellar Coins in front of her, Theia's eyes went wide. “Which means... he actually paid in full?”
“And we even made a net profit of five thousand gold coins?”
Lin Gui shook his head, weighing a few Stellar Coins in his palm.
He had seen this money before, of course.
In the treasury of Duke Joseph in the Carter Royal Capital, more than half of the hoard consisted of these.
He had even used quite a few of them for his own subsequent expenses.
But even with these hundred Stellar Coins factored in, their funds were still far from enough to hire a guide.
He looked helplessly at Eve.
As the Holy Saintess of the continent's primary church, she ought to have some savings.
Meeting his gaze, Eve gave a gentle, wry smile.
She reached into her sleeve and fumbled around for a moment, finally pulling out only five heavily worn gold coins.
She placed them gently on the table, making a soft clinking sound.
Lin Gui was somewhat surprised. “Is the Holy Church of Light... really that cash-strapped? Is the Holy Saintess's income that low?”
Eve's tone was calm, carrying a barely perceptible trace of self-deprecation. “As the public face of the church, the Holy Saintess must live in strict accordance with the 《Holy Scripture of Light》.”
“The scripture dictates that the Holy Saintess should not accumulate worldly wealth.”
“All expenses are provided by the church.”
She paused, her fingertips brushing over the five gold coins. “These... were quietly slipped to me by the maid who looked after me before I left.”
The firelight from the fireplace danced across her face, casting shifting shadows.
Deep within those habitually serene eyes, a faint, elusive trace of longing flickered.
“How about...” Eve pointed to the hem of her plain long dress and suggested softly, “we sell the gemstones sewn onto my lining?”
To conceal her identity, she had long since changed out of her luxurious priestess robes.
That outfit had been left with the nun who took her place in the Royal Capital.
However, she had not changed out of her close-fitting underskirt.
And along the hem of the underskirt, several amethysts were woven in.
It was said that in the market, each one was worth a hundred thousand gold coins.
Lin Gui waved his hand. “No need. We haven't reached the point where we need to pawn your accessories. Besides, in a remote place like this, no one would recognize their true value.”
His gaze slowly shifted toward the corner of the room.
Inside a wooden chest, the demi-artifact staff, Windwhisperer, leaned quietly.
A faint green aura flowed along the staff.
Following Lin Gui's gaze, Theia instantly realized what he was thinking.
Immediately jumping up and spreading her arms to block his view, Theia yelled in disbelief, “I say! Can't you think of a normal way?!”
“That's a demi-artifact! A demi-artifact!”
“It's not just some random stick you can throw away to pawn for cash!”
“I will absolutely not allow you to sell such a priceless treasure for cheap!”
She glared at Lin Gui in a huff.
Her emerald eyes were filled with a glare that said: “If you dare sell it, I'll never forgive you.”
Lin Gui retracted his gaze and sighed.
“Well, then there's only one way left.”
Theia asked warily, “What's that? Borrowing money from the dwarves? Or breaking into some rich guy's warehouse?”
Lin Gui looked at her speechlessly. “Whose warehouse would we break into? Blackbeard's? Cass's? Or some other bounty hunter's?”
“Do you even know where they hide their money?”
He paused, his tone carrying a reminder, “Back in the Carter Royal Capital, the only reason we could break into so many treasuries was because of Elvia.”
“Her information network spanned across every major manor.”
“Sweeping maids, kitchen apprentices, noble mistresses, and even the alchemical rats in the holes.”
“Only with the information they provided could we easily break into those vaults.”
“And as for borrowing money...”
Lin Gui shook his head.
He didn't want to owe favors, especially to the dwarves.
Theia pressed, “Then what is your plan?”
Lin Gui smiled and uttered two words: “hitchhiking.”
He looked out at the deep night outside the window. In the distance, near the gates of the City of Bounties, it seemed that crowds of people were entering one after another.
Their noisy voices brought a rare touch of bustle to the City of Bounties.
It appeared that the selection meeting had drawn quite a crowd to this place.
Adventurers? Bounty hunters? And commoners wishing to trade their dying relatives for a hefty reward?
Listening to the noise outside, Lin Gui chuckled and said, “We'll wait until the selection meeting ends in three days.”
“We'll see which team's route goes closest to Avalon.”
“When the time comes, we'll hover right above them.”
“We'll secretly enter the Wall of Sighs alongside them.”
“Once we reach the point closest to Avalon, we'll leave the group and head there on our own.”
“Even without a dying person to clear the way, with the speed of our flying vessel and my ability to see through souls,”
“we should still be able to shake off those demons.”
The only question was: once they arrived in Avalon, how would Lin Gui leave?
Perhaps Roger, who was in Avalon, or rather, that white-haired, red-eyed Demon King, could provide another way.
A method to walk safely within the Wall of Sighs without relying on a dying person to clear the path.
That said, since Avalon was supposedly a city-state of freedom and equality...
why would it be built inside such a dangerous Forbidden Zone?
How did the residents inside live in an Avalon shrouded in thick mist?
Too many mysteries troubled Lin Gui, but he believed it wouldn't be long before he uncovered the truth behind it all.
Rate on N.U.
