Although he had expected this all along, hearing it with his own ears still left Master Duo feeling rather dejected. It meant that without cutting in line, they might not get a turn for a whole month. And the price was far higher than before. At the moment, Master Duo couldn't even afford the fee to avoid the queue.
If they cut in line, the fee would double, making it even more hopeless.
Master Duo had never imagined that he, a proud member of the Treasure Tree Clan, would one day have to worry about money. He had never faced such a predicament before.
Jiang Yue and the others had clearly noticed Master Duo's embarrassment. It was time for Jiang Yue to put on a show again. He pulled out the little more than a thousand silver coins he had on him and said, "Master Duo, we Mushroom People have nothing of value. This is all the money we have. I know it won't be enough, but everyone can pitch in and see what we can figure out. Please don't turn it down."
Since the Mushroom People had emptied their own pockets, the people from the Valley of Forgetfulness felt awkward about holding back.
Unfortunately, everyone had traveled a long way and couldn't have brought much money with them. Even after the people from the Valley of Forgetfulness emptied their pockets, they weren't much richer than Jiang Yue's group.
Those with more could offer a few gold coins, worth a few thousand silver coins. Those with less could only contribute a few hundred. All together, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the enormous cost of the teleportation gate. It wouldn't solve the problem.
Master Duo waved his hand. "Put it away. I'll think of something."
All together,