After a long while, Renard left the System Shop feeling as if he'd lost something. He glanced at the sword he'd forgotten in the corner, his feelings a tangled mess.
It was an ordinary fine iron longsword, and it hadn't cost much—just twenty silver coins. Yet a similar weapon in the System cost twenty denars.
"Wait!" Renard suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked the System, "Can money from the real world be exchanged for denars?"
"Of course. However, the smallest exchange unit is a silver coin, and exchanges are one-way only. One silver coin can be exchanged for one denar, but denars cannot be exchanged for silver coins."
Renard quickly did the math in his head. "One silver coin can be exchanged for one denar, and an Enchanted Longsword costs two hundred denars. That means an Enchanted Longsword costs two gold coins. Damn, that's no cheaper than buying one from a magic shop."
The System's reply carried a faintly smug tone. "The prices of items in the System Shop automatically match the prices of items in the main world. This is to prevent the host from reselling goods for profit."
Caught out, Renard's old face reddened slightly. But he had thick skin, and he soon recovered. He pulled out the money pouch at his waist and counted its contents: two gold coins, sixty-three silver coins, and forty coppers in total.
Scum Renard had always spent money carelessly. Expecting him to save was pure fantasy. Of course, he was spending money even faster now.
Renard mulled it over for a while, but in the end he still didn't exchange his money for denars. After all, he had nine lackeys to feed, and completing quests also required financial support.
"Money! Money!" Having lived two lives, he found he still couldn't escape the troubles of making ends meet.
Just as he was fretting, Tommy suddenly came running in from outside, looking excited. As soon as he entered, he shouted, "Young master, young master, good news!"
Renard showed no reaction. He leisurely took a sip of tea and asked, "Did Old Walker agree to hand over the medal?"
"That's right!" Tommy nodded vigorously, filled with admiration for his young master. He hadn't expected Old Walker to give in so easily.
Ignoring Tommy's admiration, Renard asked coolly, "Anything else?"
"There is!" Tommy hurriedly nodded and said as if claiming credit, "I found a lackey— I mean, a talent—for you, young master."
"Oh?" Renard stood up in surprise and looked at Tommy, thinking to himself, So this kid found me a lackey.
Tommy's reminder brought back a vague memory: the System had given him a random draw at the time.
But Renard had little hope of drawing anything good. Knowing how the System operated, it probably wouldn't give him anything valuable.
He put the matter aside for now, turned toward the door, and ordered, "Let him in."
Tommy naturally understood what Renard meant. Since he was a lackey, there was no reason for his master not to meet him. "Tracy, come in."
At that, the honest, plain-looking Tracy walked in from outside. He seemed a little uneasy, looking just like one of the lowly commoners in the territory.
Renard immediately looked disappointed. He'd thought Tommy had found a real talent, but it turned out to be a coward. Judging by how nervous Tracy looked, it would probably take a long time to train him into anything useful.
He quickly lost interest in his new lackey and turned to Tommy. "Find him a room to stay in. As for Old Walker..."
Renard thought for a moment, then said, "Tell him I won't tell Mr. Wilson about the medal. I'll just say I happened to find it by chance. He can put his mind at ease."
Tommy scratched his head, unsure how to explain the matter. After pondering for a moment, he answered honestly, "It's not as simple as you think. Actually..."
He told Renard everything: how Old Walker had received the medal, how he'd met Gilbert, and what Gilbert had instructed him to do.
Renard hadn't known that even such a simple matter concealed so many twists and turns. "Looks like Gilbert has bad intentions."
Thinking of that illegitimate son made his ribs start aching again. "This problem has to be dealt with as soon as possible, or he'll become a danger down the road."
Renard had come to this conclusion not only because of their personal grudge, but also because of the quest assigned by the System.
Ten points of potential, five hundred denars, and one random draw—that was enough of a reward to make him take a risk.
"System, what attributes do I need to reach to defeat Gilbert?" Renard murmured inwardly. He knew the other party could detect his thoughts.
"Sorry, this System has no obligation to provide that information." The System's voice was as cold as ever, devoid of emotion.
Renard drew a deep breath, his expression helpless. "Can't you show a little kindness?"
After a long silence, the System spoke again. "I recommend that the host purchase a Basic Insight Scroll."
A Basic Insight Scroll? Renard froze for a moment, then said irritably, "If something like this exists, why didn't you tell me sooner? I got beaten up by Gilbert because of you!"
The System's reply was as cold and uncaring as ever. "Sorry, this System has no obligation to provide that information."
Renard shook his head, unwilling to argue with it. He focused all his attention on the description of the Basic Insight Scroll.
Basic Insight Scroll: A single-use consumable that reveals an opponent's strength. It can detect up to an ordinary High-level Warrior. Price: two denars.
Renard's eyelid twitched violently. After a long silence, he asked quietly, "System, can you get any more shameless?"
For once, the System didn't mock him. Instead, it explained, "The Basic Insight Scroll is a Magic Item, so its high price is perfectly normal. If the host doesn't want to buy it, there are other options."
"I recommend that the host purchase an Intermediate Insight Scroll. I recommend that the host purchase an Advanced Insight Scroll. I recommend that the host purchase a Legendary Insight Scroll. I recommend that the host purchase an Epic Insight Scroll."
"I recommend that the host purchase a Basic Insight Ring. I recommend that the host..."
Just from their names, it was obvious that these items had to be much more expensive than the Basic Insight Scroll.
Renard only glanced over them briefly before nearly having a heart attack. "Intermediate Insight Scroll: A single-use consumable that reveals an opponent's strength. It can detect up to a Battle Qi Warrior. Price: twenty denars."
The Intermediate Insight Scroll was still within his means, so he skipped ahead to the last one. "Epic Insight Scroll: A single-use consumable that reveals an opponent's strength. It can detect up to an Epic Warrior. Price: twenty thousand denars."
"T-twenty thousand denars?" Renard counted on his fingers. In the end, he said with a devastated expression, "Gods above!"
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