The next morning.
"Larcy Gold Coin?!"
"This is a gold coin that circulates more widely around the Empire. Its gold content is much higher than our Hutrall Gold Coins."
Outside a currency exchange shop somewhere in Oysaster, the owner rubbed his hands together as he looked at Guter, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses.
"But I'm very sorry, sir."
"After all, it isn't a mainstream currency in Oysaster. If you wish to exchange it for Hutrall Silver Coins, then naturally, there will have to be a little... you understand, don't you?"
"Exchange losses, is it? That isn't a problem."
"But boss, you aren't the only one on this street doing currency exchanges. I think it would be better if your fees were a little more reasonable."
"Haha, you must be joking, sir. Of course."
The shop owner adjusted his glasses and said, "Those of us in the currency exchange business value honesty above all else. The fees are fixed, and there won't be much variation anywhere in the city."
"Heh."
Guter chuckled lightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the owner's words.
Still, Guter could not be bothered to visit another currency shop. He simply pushed the Larcy Gold Coins in his hand toward the owner.
After all, haggling would only save him a few copper coins at most.
The shop owner carefully accepted the gold coins Guter pushed over and put them away. Then, with practiced ease, he took out Hutrall Silver Coins from the cash drawer one by one. After filling a small pouch, he added several copper coins as well, then held it out to Guter with both hands.
"Sir, the exchange is complete. Would you like to count it?"
"No need."
Guter grabbed the money pouch and pushed open the door as he left the shop.
As he walked down the street, feeling the weight in his hand, Guter could not help but sigh.
It seemed that gold could be called a precious metal in any world.
After all, he had stuffed himself at a rather decent restaurant the previous night, yet the final bill had only come to two silver coins.
And for silver coins like those, a single gold coin could be exchanged for an entire pouchful.
Still, that value made sense. Even nobles in this world generally only had twenty or thirty gold coins on hand.
Suddenly, Guter stopped in the middle of the street and turned his gaze toward a corner of the district.
There, an elderly woman with vacant eyes knelt on the ground. A broken clay bowl for begging sat before her. She merely sat there silently, neither asking passersby for anything nor displaying her miserable circumstances, as though she were an ascetic quietly practicing amid the bustling city.
Guter reached into his money pouch and took out several copper coins, intending to give them to the old woman.
However, when Guter tossed those coins into the broken bowl before her, his body paused unnaturally.
At that moment, the old woman, who had been hanging her head, raised it. Her clouded eyes stared at Guter.
A few breaths later, the old woman thanked Guter in a hoarse voice. After nodding to her, Guter pretended nothing had happened and left the district.
Not long after Guter left, a lean man dressed like a mercenary approached the old woman. Standing in the shadows beneath a nearby eave, he spoke to her in a low voice.
"Commander, should I follow him and take a look?"
"..."
The old woman pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "No need."
"Continue keeping watch. That child was probably just an accident."
"What a pity, though. To sense my magical fluctuations in an instant—such talent, yet he chose not to serve the Empire."
"That child came to Oysaster because he must have heard something about Serie as well..."
The old woman muttered to herself. Meanwhile, the lean mercenary who had been standing in the shadows beneath the eave had vanished at some point.
In a quiet park beside the inn.
"The Empire's Magic Special Operations Unit? Or perhaps... the Warrior in the Shadows? Or some other spy organization secretly cultivated by another force?"
Leaning against a lush tree, Guter spread his magical senses across a wide area while repeatedly recalling his encounter with the old woman.
There was absolutely no way his magical perception and intuition had been wrong. That old woman was undoubtedly an extraordinarily seasoned mage.
Moreover, she was a mage capable of suppressing her own magical fluctuations to the absolute limit.
Although her method of suppressing magic was probably not as refined as Frieren's or Feren's, it was still exceptionally skillful.
Relying on both a mage's magical detection and a warrior's keen instincts, Guter confirmed his judgment on the spot. He had also sharply caught that faint, subtle pulse of magic around the old woman.
Yet Guter had not chosen to make a fuss, just as the old woman, who was likely part of the Empire's secret forces, had not sent anyone after him.
Clearly, the two sides had reached a subtle understanding.
Guter continued sitting cross-legged in the park for some time. Only after completely confirming that he could not detect anyone following or watching him did he rise to his feet.
Still, out of caution, Guter did not return directly to his lodgings. Instead, he casually chose a road and wandered aimlessly through the city.
Along the way, Guter reviewed everything that had happened over the past two days.
First, he had encountered unprecedented identity checks and inspections at Oysaster's city gate. Then today, he had run into a mysterious mage disguised as a beggar.
Guter absolutely did not believe there was no reason behind it.
The only plausible explanation Guter could think of was that Serie, that Magic Old Timer, had emerged.
The establishment of the Continental Magic Association was not something that could be accomplished overnight. Much preparation had to be made in advance.
Even Serie, the Archmage who had survived since the Mythic Era, could not avoid contacting and communicating with secular powers when it came to crucial matters such as land, construction, recruitment, and publicity.
And judging from the actions already taken by Oysaster's lord and the Empire, Serie's plans had likely made considerable progress.
It seemed he would not have to wait in this city for very long.
That thought improved Guter's mood somewhat. So much so that when he noticed a cute little girl pressed against the window of a candy shop, staring at the exquisite sweets inside, he generously bought her a small bag of assorted fruit-flavored candies.
Amid the little girl's incredulous gaze, Guter rubbed her little head and left her only with his retreating back.
Ding!
Daily mission: Daily Good Deed completed
Only when the system prompt rang out in his mind did Guter suddenly realize something.
So his donation to that old woman in the morning had not been considered a good deed.
That made sense. After all, the old woman was not truly a beggar. Those few copper coins could neither help her nor earn him much gratitude.
Children really were cuter.
After sighing to himself, Guter discovered that after making a huge circuit, he had somehow wandered back to the quiet park from before.
So be it.
Since things had come to this, he might as well return to the inn and rest for a while. The inn provided meals during mealtimes as well, so he could sample the inn chef's cooking.
However, as Guter hurried past the park, he inadvertently sensed an extremely faint trace of magical fluctuation.
Following its trail, Guter's heart jolted.
This magical fluctuation...
It was the Magic of Blooming Flower Fields.
Before you continue