"..." Teresa really wanted to slam the door in Laine's face. This man! Doesn't he consider the occasion or the time?
Is the life of a mere Wandering Knight more important than the dinner she painstakingly prepared?
But having traveled for so long, the female sorcerer knew how to prioritize, and she also knew Laine hated unreasonable people, so she still called inside, "Dietlinde sister? Laine has something to discuss with you."
Seeing the three men only standing dumbly at the door, Teresa's gaze moved from Laine's face to his injured shoulder. Thinking of his injury, the discontent in the female sorcerer's heart gradually faded. She signaled the three to come in and sit for a while: "For Laine's sake, you can come in first and sit."
Dietlinde came out quickly, and Aik politely expressed his request for a bottle of healing potion.
"I have a healing potion here. For Laine bringing you, it's eighty-five gold coins per bottle." Dietlinde nodded, "Would you like to pay with Gold Dinars, Gold Mark, or Gold Crown?"
Gold Dinars are coins minted by the Nord Kingdom, Gold Mark by the Empire, and Gold Crown by Brittania. The exchange rates of the three are basically the same, all at 1:1, with slight fluctuations only during wartime.
Even though he was mentally prepared, hearing the price of eighty-five gold coins still shocked Aik. The Wandering Knight first took out a bag, and after Dietlinde weighed it slightly, she shook her head: "Not enough, too little, at most forty gold coins inside."
"Can the remaining amount be paid in installments?" Aik hesitated and asked.
"You can, you need a guarantor or a collateral." Dietlinde nodded. Credit wasn't rare, sometimes even the Great Nobles would take credit at Jialan, showing the financial strength of the Female Mage Council.
"Can you accept this as collateral?" Aik took out a few coins from his bag. Find the newest release on novelꜰire.net
This coin was neither a Deities' coin nor a regular Empire coin. It had a maple leaf on one side and the profile of an Elf on the other, noticeably larger in size than human coins.
"High Elf Soflin?!" Dietlinde exclaimed, "Where did you get this?"
"That's not important; what's important is whether this can be used as collateral?" Aik clearly did not want to elaborate on this matter.
"Of course! You don't need to use it as collateral; you can use it directly to trade with me." Dietlinde no longer worried about Aik's ability to pay. One High Elf Soflin coin could be exchanged for twenty-five Imperial Gold Mark at the Empire's exchange.
Laine thought this money must have a dubious origin, but it had nothing to do with him. Dietlinde and Aik successfully completed their transaction, and he hurriedly left with the healing potion.
"This matter is finally resolved. Afu, find a place to sit, and let's have dinner together in a moment. I want to have a good chat with you about recent things." Laine found a place to sit down inside, intending to keep Alfred for dinner. But the paladin immediately sensed unsaid hostility from the female sorcerer's gaze, so he quickly excused himself: "No need, I've got to go back to the hall and eat with the brothers."
With that, Alfred hurriedly slipped away.
"... Looks like something is roasting his butt." Laine watched as his childhood buddy ran off quickly, and with a casual remark, he then took in the view of Teresa's suite.
The room was really luxurious, with thick carpets, large screens, various wooden furniture, soft sofas, and beautiful patterns. The crystal chandeliers held many large candles to illuminate the interior. Tapestries and oil paintings adorned the walls. Seeing Alfted out, Teresa spread the blanket wrapped around her legs and loosened her tightly fastened collar, arms crossed: "Laine?"
"What?" Laine was still looking around; his own room was not so luxurious, but the White Wolf Knight didn't care about it.
Teresa crossed her legs, using her toe to hook her high heel, and the black pumps swayed on her silken-shrouded feet: "Laine, please remember in the future, if I invite you over without specific mention, it's just for you. Please don't bring unrelated individuals over, okay? It's not that I dislike your friends, but you know, us casters find it hard to communicate with these paladins."
"Alright, alright, I got it. Are you feeling unwell?" Laine naturally sat beside Teresa.
"Mmm, Dietlinde prepared some potions for me, and after resting properly for a day, I'm fine now." The female sorcerer felt warmth in her heart when she saw the man showing concern for her, and her tone softened considerably: "But you, you seem heavily injured. Do you want Dietlinde to take a look at you?"
After putting away the coins, Dietlinde also sat across from them, listening to their conversation.
"No worries, it's almost healed. After a night's sleep, I'll be fine." Laine shook his head.
"Just two days? You're almost healed? Are you a monster?" Teresa's mouth hung open, quite surprised, "I haven't heard of another White Wolf Knight with such capability."
"Can other White Wolf Knights single-handedly take on the Four-armed Bull Demon?" Laine reclined into the soft sofa, letting his body sink into it, "It's a surprise to meet Alfred here. The last time I saw him was three years ago, and now he's a paladin capable of handling things on his own. I still remember when, as a shy, snotty kid, he confessed to an adult maid at the neighboring Lord Stone's house."