Chapter 11: Suddenly Becoming Rich
“Well, the client’s signature and fingerprint are both here. Your reward is valid. If you want to collect it now, I can go to the back and retrieve the funds the client deposited—of course, after deducting the 5% service fee and the cost of the tables and chairs you broke earlier, it comes to a total of eighteen thousand four hundred imperial coins,” the receptionist said to Abyss and Flora after carefully examining the request notice. “If you don’t need it right away, you can collect it anytime. We only start charging a storage fee after a month.”
“We need it now. Please bring it out,” Abyss said, looking at Flora beside him. “We’ll be leaving this city soon.”
“Certainly,” the receptionist nodded, then asked before putting away the request notice, “May I ask a nosy question? While Mr. Leiner’s fingerprint is indeed genuine, why is the ink green?”
Abyss thought for a moment, finger in his mouth, and replied, “Well… that’s because Mr. Leiner was a great lover of nature. He loved the green of leaves.”
He certainly couldn’t tell the receptionist that the ink was actually made from the verdigris scraped off an abandoned chandelier in the house. He hadn’t found any inkpad or similar item on Leiner—which made sense, considering Leiner hadn’t planned on letting anyone leave alive, so he naturally wouldn’t need an inkpad for someone to claim the reward.
The receptionist looked a bit skeptical, but having dealt with all sorts of strange mercenaries over the years, he didn’t say anything and quickly retrieved a bag of coins from the back.
Imperial coins were made of white copper and came in various denominations, the largest being one thousand. Eighteen thousand four hundred imperial coins weren’t actually that much and were quite easy to carry. Of course, if the owner was careless and lost even one coin, it would be enough to make him cry for a month. This city was relatively prosperous, with no shortage of thieves on the streets, so only those with some skill dared to walk around with so much money.
Flora glanced discreetly at the mercenaries drinking in the guild. These guys, in stark contrast to their previous rudeness, were all chatting and laughing cheerfully. Some were slumped over the tables, sleeping peacefully. There were no harsh curses, and no one was throwing their mugs around. Abyss hadn’t fooled her. The Tranquility spell she had casually cast had indeed given these blood-soaked mercenaries a moment of peace.
“The amount is correct. Flora, let’s go,” Abyss said, patting Flora’s shoulder. “What, do you want some ale too? I’ll take you to a better tavern.”
“Oh, no. I just found it interesting to see how the mercenaries were affected by the Tranquility spell,” Flora said as she followed Abyss outside.
Abyss glanced back at the mercenaries drinking obediently. “Hah, these people who make a living off blood money aren’t exactly clean, and most of them aren’t mentally stable. You’ve done a good deed. They might never forget these few months of good temper for the rest of their lives.”
Flora smiled happily, tugging at the hem of Abyss’s clothes. “When I was still a Saint, I loved seeing people like this, harmonious and happy.”
“I don’t particularly enjoy seeing everyone happy. I prefer people being quiet and peaceful.”
“That’s just being dead!” Flora retorted.
“Dead people are great. They’re quiet, they don’t have as many desires as the living, and they don’t play mind games,” Abyss said, rolling his eyes. “If I had to choose, I’d still prefer dead people, dead people are better.”
“Don’t say that! Both the living and the dead are good!” Flora said playfully, tugging at Abyss’s clothes again. “Are we leaving now?”
Seeing Flora acting so affectionately towards him, Abyss felt a sense of satisfaction. He reached out and patted her head again. “No, let’s find an inn and rest for the night. Then, after daybreak tomorrow, I’ll take you to buy some new clothes. Let’s leave here after you’ve changed.”
“Hmm? I already have new clothes. Don’t you like this dress?” Flora asked curiously, lifting her skirt. “I quite like white dresses.”
“Of course not. It’s hard to find a girl on this continent with a figure more perfect than yours. You look good in anything,” Abyss shook his head. “But this dress was just something I bought randomly. It’s a commoner girl’s style. It looks a bit out of place for you to wear on an adventure. I’m planning to buy you a mage robe. You know a bit of magic, right? You’ll look the part when you wear it. Mage robes also have hoods, which will be more convenient for you to hide your face.”
Flora thought about it and agreed. Mage robes were not only stylish for women, but the hoods could also be pulled up to cover most of the face—many mages liked to conceal their faces, leaving only their mouths visible.
“And, most importantly,” Abyss said, “I’m hungry. Don’t forget that I’m a human first before a necromancer.”
“Ah! I’m sorry! I can’t feel hunger now, so I forgot that you need to eat!” Flora apologized hastily.
Abyss waved his hand, indicating that Flora shouldn’t worry about it, and led her to find an inn.
With money in hand, things naturally became much easier. Abyss and Flora extravagantly checked into one of the better inns in the city. As an undead, Flora didn’t need sleep. Although Abyss wanted to get two rooms so Flora could lie down and rest, she firmly stated that she didn’t want to be alone and lying down anymore. She had spent forty years lying in a coffin and didn’t want to experience that loneliness again.
So, after dinner, Abyss lay in bed while Flora sat in a chair, reading the local guidebook provided by the inn to learn about the changes in the world, and they spent the night like that.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Abyss opened his eyes from his light sleep.
Flora immediately noticed his movement and asked softly, “Abyss, are we leaving?”
“Yes, get ready. We’re leaving,” Abyss nodded. “The clothing stores should be opening soon. Let’s go early. I don’t want to be too close to other customers.”
“Okay, I’ll go downstairs to get the deposit back from the counter!” Flora nodded and stood up from her chair.
“Thank you,” Abyss nodded. He was going to wash his face.
Flora left the room and hadn’t even reached the stairs when she heard a commotion downstairs.
“Holy Knight, sir… we can’t divulge our guests’ information…”
“Just answer me, did a man with a very beautiful blonde girl come into your inn? The girl seemed a bit dazed and afraid of the light?”
“No, sir… but as for a blonde girl, there was indeed one who checked in yesterday…”
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