Twenty thousand gold coins...
Lin Gui's brows were tightly furrowed.
According to Blackbeard, at the selection meetings over the years, the starting price for a qualified guide was at least fifty thousand gold coins.
Compared to that, Theia's small treasury was indeed insufficient.
He picked up the bag of coins Cass had left behind, untied the drawstring, and poured the contents onto the wooden table.
With a series of crisp clinks, one hundred glittering golden coins rolled out.
Theia leaned in to look and immediately widened her eyes:
"One hundred gold coins?!! Is this guy here to rob us?"
She pointed at the coins, puffing her cheeks out in anger:
"The potions we bought from that dwarf were one thousand gold coins per bottle!"
"It cost ten thousand gold coins, and he took five bottles but only gave one hundred?"
She habitually used the term "that damn dwarf."
Although she knew Blackbeard hadn't meant it intentionally and certainly didn't know about her identity as a member of the Demon Race, the sudden arrow fired by the Demon Hunter earlier still left her with lingering fears.
Eve reached out and picked up one of the coins.
She examined it carefully against the flickering firelight of the fireplace.
After a moment, she spoke softly:
"These are not 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 gently brushing the edge:
"They look ordinary on the surface, but the edges are plated with a layer of iridescent powder."
As she slightly turned the coin, the firelight swept across the edge, and a brilliant, iridescent stream of light flashed and vanished.
Theia took the Stellar Coin, looking it over with curiosity.
She had heard of these coins but had never seen them with her own eyes.
It was said they only circulated among the high nobles and the powerful.
In the City-State Era, the value of gold coins had depreciated severely. A high noble purchasing a single luxurious robe would need several thousand gold coins.
And several thousand gold coins were not something a small pouch could hold.
To facilitate large-scale transactions, Stellar Coins had come into existence.
One was equivalent to one hundred standard gold coins.
Looking at the one hundred Stellar Coins before her, Theia’s eyes rounded:
"Which means... he actually paid in full?"
"And we even made a net profit of five thousand gold coins?"
Lin Gui shook his head and weighed a few Stellar Coins in his palm.
He had seen this money before, of course.
In the vault of Duke Joseph in the Carter Royal Capital, the majority were of this kind.
He had even used quite a few for his own subsequent expenses.
But even factoring in these one hundred Stellar Coins, their funds were still far from enough to hire a guide.
He looked helplessly at Eve.
This Saintess of the continent’s premier church should surely have some savings.
Eve met his gaze and gave a light, bitter smile.
She reached into her sleeve and searched for a moment, finally pulling out only five severely worn gold coins.
She placed them gently on the table, making a faint sound.
Lin Gui was somewhat surprised:
"Is the Holy Church of Light... this cash-strapped?"
"Is the income of a Saintess this low?"
Eve’s tone was peaceful, carrying a trace of imperceptible self-deprecation:
"As the public face of the Church, the Saintess must live in strict accordance with the 《Holy Scripture of Light》."
"The scripture dictates that the Saintess should not amass worldly wealth."
"All expenses are provided by the Church."
She paused, her fingertip brushing over those five gold coins:
"These... were given to me before I left."
"A maid who looked after me quietly pressed them into my hand."
The firelight from the fireplace flickered on her face, bright and then dim.
In the depths of those eyes, which were usually calm, a faint, hard-to-catch sliver of longing flickered.
"How about..."
Eve pointed at the hem of her plain long dress and suggested softly:
"Sell the jewels sewn into my chemise?"
To conceal her identity, she had long since swapped her luxurious priestess gown for a simple one.
That outfit had been left with the nun who took her place in the Royal Capital.
But she hadn't changed her close-fitting chemise.
And along the edge of the chemise, several amethysts were woven in.
It was said that on the market, each one was worth one hundred thousand gold coins.
Lin Gui waved his hand:
"No need."
"It hasn't come to the point where I have to pawn your accessories."
"Besides, in this remote place, no one would recognize their value."
His gaze slowly moved to the corner of the room.
Inside the wooden chest, the demi-artifact staff, "Windwhisperer," leaned quietly.
A faint azure glow flowed along the shaft of the staff.
Following Lin Gui’s gaze, Theia instantly understood what he intended to do.
She immediately jumped up, spreading her arms to block his view, and cried out wordlessly:
"I'm telling you! Can't you think of a normal way?!"
"That's a demi-artifact! A demi-artifact!"
"It's not some wooden stick you can just throw away to sell for money!"
"I absolutely will not allow you to sell such a priceless treasure for cheap!"
She glared at Lin Gui, her face puffed with anger.
Her emerald eyes were filled with the message, "If you dare sell it, I'll be furious with you."
Lin Gui retracted his gaze and let out a sigh.
"Then there's only one way left."
Theia asked warily:
"What's that? Borrowing money from the dwarves?"
"Or breaking into some rich person's storehouse?"
Lin Gui looked at her, speechless:
"Whose storehouse would we break into? Blackbeard's? Cass's?"
"Or the other bounty hunters'?"
"Do you even know where they hide their money?"
He paused, his tone carrying a reminder:
"Back in the Carter Royal Capital, we were able to break into so many treasuries because we had Elvia."
"Her intelligence network spread through every major manor."
"Cleaning ladies, kitchen apprentices, noble mistresses, even alchemical rats in the holes."
"With them providing information, we could easily crack the vaults."
"As for borrowing money..."
Lin Gui shook his head.
He didn't want to owe favors, especially to the dwarves.
Theia pressed further: "Then your way is?"
Lin Gui smiled and spoke a single word:
"Hitchhiking."
He looked out at the deep night outside the window; in the distance, at the gate of the Bounty City, many people seemed to be entering one after another.
The voices were noisy, carrying a bit of the bustle that was rare for the Bounty City.
It seemed the holding of the selection meeting had attracted many people here.
Adventurers? Bounty hunters? And commoners who wanted to exchange their own kin for high rewards?
Listening to the sounds outside, Lin Gui said with a light smile:
"We'll wait for the selection meeting to end in three days."
"See which team's route is closest to Avalon."
"When the time comes, we'll just hang above their heads."
"Secretly follow them as they enter the Wall of Sighs."
"Once we reach the point closest to Avalon, we'll leave the team and head there on our own."
"Even without the dying to clear the way, with the speed of the flying vessel and my ability to peer into souls, we'll be able to lose those demons."
The only question was, if they arrived at Avalon, how would Lin Gui leave?
Perhaps Roger in Avalon, or rather, that White-Haired, Red-Eyed Demon King, could provide another method—one that allowed safe travel through the Wall of Sighs without relying on the dying to clear a path.
Come to think of it, since Avalon was a so-called city-state of freedom and equality...
Then why was it built in such a dangerous forbidden zone?
How did the residents inside live in an Avalon shrouded in mist?
Too many mysteries troubled Lin Gui, but he believed it wouldn't be long before he knew the truth of it all.
Rate on N.U.
