Leaving the office, Renato stuffed all twenty gold coins into the Griffon Coin Purse.
Ever since he had acquired this magical purse, he no longer had to sort out the coins rolling loose in his Bag of Holding every day. The Griffon Coin Purse organized its contents on its own, and he never had to worry about losing money when taking something out.
As for the Healing Bracers awarded by City Hall, if Renato had gone to collect them himself, he would probably have had to pay a few bribes. Otherwise, given the bureaucrats' usual ways, they would certainly have kept him waiting for months.
The Atwood Family had spared him all that trouble and even helped exchange the rather useless piece of magical equipment for twenty gold coins. It was a thoughtful gesture.
There was also a banquet for young nobles that evening. As the family's newly appointed Swordsmanship Instructor, Renato had to attend.
Most likely, they wanted to show him off to the city's other nobles as a demonstration of the Atwood Family's strength.
Perez had stressed that Renato must arrive on time, and had specifically reminded him to get his armor "attended to."
As a former noble of the Empire, Renato naturally knew there was nothing improper about wearing plate armor to a banquet. It could even be a mark of status. The problem was that, in the eyes of nobles, armor that had not been properly groomed was no better than a beggar's rags.
Understanding what Perez meant, Renato sighed. He had never liked spending money purely for appearances, but there was no helping it.
If he wanted to establish himself somewhere, he had to follow its rules.
The Crooked Scissors naturally came to mind. The halfling did good work and was friendly, too.
Perly was