The fact that platinum coins were circulating within human nations suggested they held international recognition.
And if the Platinum Dragon King was truly behind this currency—or if it was a product of his influence—then such a development wasn't entirely impossible.
Sakeer pondered the thought briefly before dismissing it. He reached out and placed a hand on the little Barghest's head, pressing it down gently to calm its aggressive posture.
"Awo." The little creature let out a low whine, clearly displeased.
Ding—
The platinum coin dropped back into the money pouch, colliding with the others inside. A crisp, pleasant jingle echoed through the quiet room.
"You know, monsters are difficult to control emotionally," Sakeer said, offering a small, apologetic smile to the middle-aged man.
Whether the Platinum Dragon King had a hand in this or not was irrelevant at the moment.
Beings that had lived for hundreds—even thousands—of years thought in ways far beyond human comprehension. Trying to guess their intentions without proper intelligence was pointless. It was like attempting to understand the thought process of a god.
"I-I understand," the middle-aged man exhaled in relief, nodding quickly.
"I'd like to issue a commission. Do I need to go to the front desk for that?" Sakeer suddenly asked.
The middle-aged man straightened up.
"No need, Your Excellency. I can handle it directly."
As an appraiser and Magic Caster within the Adventurer's Guild, his abilities were limited, but his status was far from low.
Routine commissions were usually passed off to subordinates; they weren't something he needed to oversee personally.
However, this situation was different. Not only had he just brokered a major deal worth 720 gold coins, but he also had personal reasons for wanting to confirm certain details with the black-haired young man sitting before him.
"The commission is to find a Magic Caster who has mastered Interpreting Magic," Sakeer explained. "Preferably as soon as possible."
His next destination was the Bahas Empire, and there were still several preparations to be made.
Money was no longer an issue, but there was one critical problem left—illiteracy.
In any human society, being unable to read or write would lead to endless complications. The simplest solution was to learn, but that wasn't as straightforward as it sounded.
Sakeer had no idea whether all human languages and writing systems were the same. The very thought of studying an entirely foreign script felt overwhelming—especially for someone who had been an academic failure in his previous life.
And even if he did attempt to learn, it would take time.
Time he didn't have.
Fortunately, there was a shortcut—
"Interpreting Magic."
A rare spell capable of deciphering unknown texts and converting them into a language the caster could understand.
If such magic existed, there was no reason to waste time learning a new writing system from scratch.
Alternatively, he could obtain a profession like "Scholar", which might grant similar abilities.
"Interpreting Magic?"
The middle-aged man furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
After a brief silence, he spoke.
"That's quite a rare spell."
"Most of its users were scholars and historians studying lost civilizations from over a century ago."
"I do know a few individuals who have mastered it, but..."
He hesitated.
A slight grimace appeared on his face.
"The problem is, these people are not in need of money."
"If Your Excellency is willing to wait, I know of one such individual in the royal capital who could be brought here."
"However, it would take at least two months to arrange their arrival, and the cost would exceed 50 gold coins."
Sakeer shook his head.
"Money isn't the issue. The wait is."
He couldn't afford to remain in E-Rantel for that long.
Based on his calculations—
By now, one of the Four Horsemen of the Bahas Empire, Leinas Rockbruise, had yet to be recruited by the Blood Emperor.
At this point in time, Leinas Rockbruise had likely just been exiled from her noble family and was wandering aimlessly, searching for a way to remove the curse from her "Cursed Knight" class.
If Sakeer wanted to find Leinas Rockbruise upon reaching the Bahas Empire, it would already take considerable effort.
He had no intention of wasting additional time in E-Rantel.
Seeing Sakeer shake his head without hesitation, the middle-aged man leaned back slightly, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"There is one person in E-Rantel who has mastered this magic."
He paused for a moment before adding with a casual air:
"But... this information will cost you ten gold coins."
Clink!
Without a word, Sakeer reached into his money pouch, retrieved ten gold coins, and placed them on the table. His expression remained unreadable.
The middle-aged man glanced at the gold before speaking, his tone carrying a trace of respect.
"Master Belori Vanov Grigory Bertkin—the Vice President of the Magician's Guild."
"He possesses the ability to cast Interpreting Magic, but he rarely makes public appearances."
"Though he holds the title of Vice President, it's mostly in name. Even our own Guild President has difficulty meeting him."
With a shrug, he made the implication crystal clear—meeting Master Belory wouldn't be easy.
Sakeer's lips twitched slightly.
The leader of the Magician's Guild in E-Rantel was named Theo Rakheshir. Yet, this was the first time he had ever heard of this so-called Vice President.
And if even the Adventurer's Guild President couldn't arrange a meeting with him, then Sakeer's chances were close to zero.
"Ten gold coins for a piece of information that's essentially useless..."
He sighed internally.
It seemed he would have to find another solution.
Perhaps there were magical artifacts capable of translating languages? That might be worth looking into.
With that thought, Sakeer rose from his seat, intending to leave.
"Wait a moment, Your Excellency!"
The middle-aged man quickly called out before Sakeer could step away.
"Those two bone chains from the Barghests—they must have come from the Great Forest of Tob, correct?"
Sakeer stopped but said nothing.
The middle-aged man continued, his tone carefully measured.
"Would you be willing to share any information about the current state of the Great Forest of Tob?
"It doesn't matter if the details are precise. Consider this ten gold coins as payment for your insight."
He slid the gold coins back across the table toward Sakeer.
"And if the information proves valuable, we'll compensate you further to ensure your satisfaction."
Sakeer glanced down at the ten gold coins, then back at the middle-aged man's eager expression.
Interesting.
He was playing this game, huh?
Sakeer calmly picked up the gold, dropped it back into his pouch, and—under the middle-aged man's expectant gaze—finally opened his mouth.
"The condition of the Great Tobu Forest?"
A brief pause.
"I don't know."
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving behind a stunned middle-aged man. The little Barghest trotted along beside him, its sharp eyes glancing back at the man before the door clicked shut.
The middle-aged man watched them leave, letting out a bitter chuckle as he adjusted his single-framed glasses.
"So… the information I provided wasn't to his liking, huh?"
But as he pondered, a glint of calculation flickered in his eyes.
"A juvenile Barghest, and two bone chains from fully grown ones... No matter how you look at it, he must have ventured into the Great Forest of Tob."
For a moment, he considered reporting the matter to the Guild President—perhaps even sending a team of adventurers to investigate.
But then he sighed, dismissing the idea.
"No… Orders have already been given from above. As long as it doesn't threaten the border villages, there's no need to interfere."
"We'll just appease the lower-ranked adventurers for now. The real problem lies elsewhere..."
(End of Chapter.)