Bob was in a state of utter confusion. Mo Wang kept insisting they were on an "important mission," but all he seemed to be doing was wandering around the city.
In his hands were two skewers of grilled meat, in his pocket were two small cakes, and in his other hand was a freshly bought roasted chicken leg. He looked less like a knight on a mission and more like a tourist.
And to top it all off, he was using Bob's money for everything!
"Hey, Mo Wang, do you seriously not have a single gold coin on you? Why am I paying for everything?" Bob finally snapped.
"Gold coins? Why would I have any of those?" Mo Wang replied, looking genuinely surprised. "Hasn't my salary already been docked for the next ten years?"
"So, big bro, if you have no money, why are you doing this?!"
"Gold coins are useless anyway. I'll have more than I know what to do with in the future. What I really want are those little blue diamonds."
In the world of *Guardian Tales*, gold coins were practically worthless in the late game. But diamonds... diamonds were for reviving. Mo Wang shuddered, remembering how many times he had died to random mobs in the main story, not to mention the ridiculously overpowered bosses in the side quests.
"I don't know what those little blue diamonds are for, but can you please pay for your own stuff next time?" Bob pleaded.
"Come on, Senior, don't be so stingy. Are you going to be this cheap when you're on a date with Senior Linda?"
"Heh, I wouldn't be stingy with Linda. But you're not Linda."
"Fine, fine, you're the senior, you're the boss. But let me tell you a little secret... that dessert shop over there is the best in the entire capital. And it's Senior Linda's favorite. Don't you want to try it?"
Bob, who had just sworn to himself that he wouldn't spend another coin, froze.
"You're saying... Linda likes that place?"
And just like that, his resolve crumbled.
"Ahem! Well, in that case, I guess we have to try it."
Of course, when he saw the prices, his heart died a little.
"Senior, this dessert is really good. Why aren't you eating?" Mo Wang asked, his mouth full of strawberry cake.
"I-I'm not hungry," Bob said, his face a mask of pain. That single slice of cake had cost him ten thousand gold coins.
"So, Mo Wang, did you really just skip training to come out here and eat?"
"Of course not! I'm here to find like-minded companions to join me on my journey!" he declared, flashing a dazzling smile.
Just then, a commotion erupted nearby. A red panda was arguing with a man in a black cloak, with a beautiful red-haired woman and a scruffy-looking man standing behind it.
"You bastard, you sold us a fake! Do you not know the power of the Mad Panda Trio?!" the red panda screeched, its voice a stark contrast to its cute appearance.
"Hehehe, I told you when you bought it, all sales are final," the cloaked man sneered.
"But it was real when we checked it! And now, two hours later, it's a fake! How do you explain that?!" Danny, the red panda, growled.
"If you don't give us an explanation, we'll have to get rough!" said Scarlet, the leader of the trio.
The cloaked man just laughed. "Get rough? Do you know where you are? This is the capital of Kanterbury!" He flashed a Guardian Knight's badge. "I have connections in the Guardian Knights! Do you dare to cause trouble here?"
He then yelled to the crowd, "Everyone, look! These people are trying to rob a merchant in broad daylight! Where are the Guardian Knights?"
Danny's fur stood on end. "You... you're lying!"
"What's going on?" Bob whispered, his brow furrowed. He could tell the cloaked man was a seasoned con artist. As a Guardian Knight, he should have stepped in, but he knew that men like this usually had accomplices.
He turned to warn Mo Wang, but he was already gone.
"Wait! That guy couldn't possibly be..."
Bob's eyes widened in horror as he saw Mo Wang striding through the crowd.
"Make way! Guardian business! Everyone, make way!"
The Mad Panda Trio and the cloaked man paled when they saw his uniform.
The cloaked man quickly composed himself. *He's just a recruit, I can probably fool him,* he thought, and sidled up to Mo Wang, slipping a heavy purse of gold coins into his hand. "Hey, kid, I'm good friends with Captain Hans..."
Mo Wang weighed the purse, then opened it and saw the glittering coins. His face darkened.
"GOLD! COINS!" he roared, his voice filled with a humiliated rage. "You dare to bribe a Guardian with this trash?!"
*SLAP!*
He sent the cloaked man sprawling with a backhand.
"I hate gold coins!" he yelled, and stomped on the man's chest. "And I hate scum like you who tarnish the name of the Guardians!"
"H-help me! Brothers, help me!" the man shrieked.
Suddenly, seven or eight other cloaked figures emerged from the crowd, brandishing clubs and daggers, and surrounded Mo Wang.
"Oh no..." Bob's legs turned to jelly. "S-someone's going to die..."
He regretted ever following Mo Wang out of the camp. Not only was he broke, but now his life was in danger.
Mo Wang was a walking disaster!