It Needs More Money

He was silenced by the name for a full five seconds, as if confirming he wasn't hallucinating.

He had only gone to the tavern for a couple of drinks last night and slept in a little this morning.

How could he lose his job upon returning to work?

What's more, this kid was wearing dirty, old rags.

He was clearly just some beggar pulled off the street.

Seeing him frozen, Annis raised her chin higher: "Move aside."

Odin's gaze swept past Annis, fixing on He Xi inside the carriage.

He didn't dare to get angry at his employer, but that didn't mean he couldn't get angry at the "beggar" who stole his livelihood.

"Your name is Galen, right?"

"Get down!"

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

He Xi had certainly considered that this shining gold shield probably wasn't as easy to earn as it appeared.

After all, people who could casually produce a gold shield were usually not fools.

Now, he had a general understanding of the situation before him.

So, this young lady named Annis wanted to use him as a "knife" to drive away that fellow Odin.

But so what?

That was a real gold shield.

If only there were spells like Appraisal, at least I could see how deep this guy really is...

This thought flashed through his mind as his gaze fell upon Odin.

Fortunately, this man before him seemed strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

He didn't even feel as imposing as Captain Kadan of the Plint Guard.

The risk was controllable, and the reward was huge.

With that, he no longer hesitated.

Magic Power circulated within his body, his will following suit.

[Earth Spike Technique]

Instantly, the ground cracked open!

Three sharp earth spikes, nearly two meters long, slanted upwards at an exquisite angle, trapping Odin and his horse within a natural rock cage the moment they appeared, forming a natural rock cage.

"Hiss--!"

Startled, the tall warhorse reared its front hooves, letting out a long whinny.

Odin, caught off guard on the horse's back, was thrown backward by the immense force. With a cry, he narrowly missed the sharp edges of the earth spikes and tumbled ungracefully onto his back.

He Xi was also a little surprised.

His original intention was just to intimidate, he hadn't expected the other party to be so easily defeated.

After all, that move of charging with the horse had indeed looked quite impressive.

"Ma... Magic!?"

Odin looked at the earth spikes shimmering with an earthy yellow glow beside him in terror, his face turning pale. He scrambled backward, crawling away.

"I... I admit defeat! I surrender, Esteemed Mage Galen!"

Beside him, Annis's beautiful almond-shaped eyes widened, and she subconsciously covered her small mouth, her face full of disbelief.

She had only intended to anger Odin, but she hadn't expected this young man she'd "picked up" from the roadside to be a real Mage!

More importantly, she knew some magic, but the spell forming a cage with earth spikes before her was clearly not a basic spell.

He Xi hadn't intended to harm Odin in the first place; otherwise, the earth spikes would have pierced him instead of surrounding him.

He leaned against the carriage and said lazily:

"I'm not getting down. You can get lost yourself."

Odin acted as if he had been granted a great pardon, bowing and scraping, mumbling awkward flattery: "Yes, yes, yes! I'm leaving, I'll leave immediately! Your... your magnanimous radiance is simply..."

"You're not allowed to leave!"

Annis suddenly interrupted. She leaned out halfway, pointed at Odin's nose, and said unceremoniously: "I knew you were a liar! A liar daring to be so arrogant? You dared to demand I listen to you on the road?"

Odin's face instantly fell, and he awkwardly retorted: "I just wanted to appear professional... I heard that skilled Adventurers are all like that."

Annis: "..."

She was so choked by the absurd logic that she almost couldn't speak, then angrily rebuked: "You tricked my butler with that horse-riding stunt, and he believed your nonsense, saying 'Indeed, a seasoned professional'!"

Odin quickly continued to beg for mercy: "My young lady! I'm just a riding instructor! In a backwater place like Holder, where could there be any truly skilled Adventurers? It was... it was that you paid too much, I... I only..."

As he spoke, he fumbled to untie a heavy money bag from his waist and threw it onto the ground.

"This... this is the deposit from before! I'll return it all to you! Not a cent less!"

After speaking, he didn't even glance at Annis and turned to chase after his startled warhorse, scrambling after it.

"Holder?"

He Xi keenly caught that place name.

He remembered very clearly that Annis had acted as if she had "never heard of this place" just now.

He turned to look at Annis beside him.

He saw that the young lady had also realized her lie had been exposed. Her pretty little face slowly turned bright red, and she froze there, her eyes darting around, afraid to meet his gaze.

He Xi instantly guessed what was going on.

This young lady probably disdained Holder as a "country bumpkin" and didn't deign to admit she knew of it, and perhaps she herself was from there?

No wonder she said she didn't know before, yet was so certain there weren't any decent Adventurers there.

Thinking this, He Xi found it amusing, as if he had caught something. He looked at Annis:

"Miss Anise, regarding the place name Mr. Odin mentioned earlier... I've found my memory isn't always that good."

Annis looked up and glared at him, saying indignantly, "I just happened to pass by there! It's normal for me not to know!"

He Xi thought it was an excuse.

"I think, if you entrust Odin's deposit to me for safekeeping, perhaps... I can completely forget what I just heard."

Hearing this, Annis's face almost steamed!

She bit her lip, stamped her foot in anger, thought for a moment, and then reluctantly squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "Deal."

He Xi nodded in satisfaction and gently patted Bruce's back.

His old friend understood immediately, jumped off the carriage, and dashed over. He picked up the heavy coin pouch in his mouth and quickly ran back.

"Giddy up!"

The coachman Fred flicked the reins again, and the magnificent "Nightmare" pulled the carriage, resuming their journey.

Annis puffed out her cheeks, turned to look out the window, and didn't say another word for the rest of the trip.

Perhaps it was shame and anger at her little lie being exposed, or perhaps she was furious that He Xi had "blackmailed" her.

After more than an hour, He Xi figured the atmosphere wouldn't ease up. He picked up the coin pouch himself, weighed it, and then untied the drawstring.

He poured the coins onto the soft carpet, the Silver Scales' glow shimmering inside the carriage.

"...Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty."

"Fifty Silver Scales," He Xi mused. "It seems the price Annis offered that good-for-nothing Odin to hire him was one Gold Shield, and she paid half as a deposit."

"I wonder what kind of business Miss Annis's family is in? How can she be so generous?"

"A normal escort commission, even to a dangerous area like the edge of the Gray Mist Forest, wouldn't pay this much, would it?"

"Moreover, that Odin was clearly just a slightly stronger-than-average person..."

He put away the Silver Scales, weighed the coin pouch in his hand, and couldn't help but sigh.

"It seems scammers make the most money everywhere."