The ability to circulate across human nations hinted at an international currency.
If the Platinum Dragon Lord was behind it, or even directly involved, it wasn't implausible.
Adam pondered briefly before snapping back, pressing down the Invisible Hound cub's head as it bared its teeth.
"Woof." The cub whined softly.
Clink~
He returned the platinum coin to the pouch, its chime ringing crisply against the others.
"You know how hard it is to control a monster's moods." Adam said to the middle-aged man, offering an apologetic smile.
Whether the Platinum Dragon Lord's doing or not, overthinking it now was pointless.
Long-lived beings, centuries or millennia old, thought in ways short-lived humans couldn't fathom. Without more intel, guessing their motives was a fool's errand.
"I understand, I understand." The man replied, visibly relieved.
"I'd like to post a commission. Do I need to go to the front desk…" Adam began.
"No need for that, sir. I can handle it for you." The man interjected.
As an appraiser in the Adventurer's Guild, capable of second-tier magic, his talent was modest, but his status was significant.
Such trivial tasks could be delegated, not requiring his personal attention.
His diligence stemmed partly from sealing a 720-gold-coin deal, but more from needing to confirm something privately with this black-haired youth.
"The commission is to find a magic caster who knows Decipher Magic." Adam said softly. "Ideally, as soon as possible."
Before heading to the Baharuth Empire, he had preparations to make. Beyond money, his biggest issue was illiteracy.
In human society, being unable to read was a constant hassle. The obvious solution was to learn.
Whether human nations shared the same writing system was unclear, but studying an entirely foreign script was daunting for someone like Adam, who'd struggled academically in his past life.
Not to mention the time it would take.
Decipher Magic could parse any text, translating it into terms the user understood. With such a convenient spell, wasting time learning was unnecessary.
Alternatively, acquiring a Scholar class might offer similar skills.
"Decipher Magic?" The man's face turned thoughtful. "A rather rare spell."
After a brief pause, he continued, "It's mostly used for studying texts from nations extinct a century ago. I do know a few who've mastered it."
"But…" His expression grew troubled. "These people aren't short on coin. If you can wait, there's one in the capital."
"Inviting them here would take at least two months, and the fee would be 50 gold coins or more."
Adam shook his head. "Money's not an issue, but that's too long."
He couldn't linger in E-Rantel that long.
By his timeline, the future Imperial Knight "Heavy Explosion." Leinas Rockbruise, hadn't yet been recruited by the Bloody Emperor to join the Four Knights.
Likely recently exiled from her family, she was wandering, seeking a way to lift the Cursed Knight class's side effects.
Finding her in the Baharuth Empire would take effort, and Adam wouldn't squander time in E-Rantel.
Seeing Adam's firm refusal, the man leaned back, a faint smile emerging. "There's one in E-Rantel who knows the spell."
"But that intel costs ten gold coins."
Clatter!
Adam, expressionless, reached into the gold coin pouch, pulling out ten coins and setting them before the man.
"The Magician's Guild Vice President, Berolay Wannov Grigori Bertkin." The man said, his voice tinged with reverence.
"He knows Decipher Magic, but he rarely appears publicly."
"Though nominally the Vice President, even our Guild President struggles to meet him."
He shrugged, the implication clear.
Adam's lip twitched faintly.
E-Rantel's Magician's Guild President was Theo Rakheshir, but this Vice President was news to him.
If even the Adventurer's Guild President couldn't secure a meeting, Adam doubted his own chances.
Ten gold coins for seemingly useful but practically useless information.
Fine.
He'd have to explore other options, perhaps a magic item that translated text?
Adam started to rise, ready to leave.
"Wait, sir." The man said quickly. "These Invisible Hound bone chains, were they hunted in the Great Forest of Tob?"
"Could you share the forest's current state? Accurate or not, these ten coins are yours as an intel fee."
"If you provide valuable information, we'll pay extra, to your satisfaction."
As he spoke, he pushed the ten gold coins back toward Adam.
Adam glanced at the coins, then at the man's deferential expression.
Well played.
"The state of the Great Forest of Tob…" Adam said, slipping the coins back into his pouch. Under the man's expectant gaze, he stood and said flatly, "I don't know."
With that, he left the stunned man behind, the Invisible Hound cub trailing him out of the room.
"Seems the intel I provided wasn't satisfactory." The man muttered, chuckling bitterly. He adjusted his monocle, a glint in his eyes. "A Invisible Hound cub and two adult bone chains, no matter how you look at it, he's been deep in the Great Forest."
"Should I report to the President and send another adventurer team to investigate? …No, the higher-ups have already made their call. As long as it doesn't affect border villages, it's fine."
"The low-tier adventurers need some pacifying, but the real trouble is something else…"
***
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