After 225 days, I finally entered the Kingdom Inslay as I had wished. Before that, Gray gave me a thousand instructions and three rules. First, I couldn't talk about anything related to magic. Second, I couldn't talk about anything related to Night Fall Town. Third, priority should be given to official duties.

After 50 days of language and cultural learning, I felt that I had made great progress, but I still felt a certain gap compared to the real residents of the kingdom. However, I couldn't stay silent all the time, so Gray tried his best to minimize my speech.

The kingdom's territory was divided into concentric circles. The outermost part belonged to the farmers and workers, which were the third-level territories. Further inside were the second-level territories, where the standard of living was slightly better. The center of the kingdom was the first-level territory, the royal city, where only the nobles and royals resided.

The third-level territories consisted of farmland and low, humble houses. Occasionally, you would see soldiers in blue and white uniforms patrolling. It was impossible to determine the territorial boundaries; it felt like as long as there were farmland, it belonged to the kingdom. When entering the second-level territories, we had to pass through a checkpoint guarded by soldiers. Gray said they were the regular army of the kingdom, while those patrolling the outermost areas were border defense forces. The difference was significant, with the most apparent distinction being the color of their clothes: the regular army wore red shirts and white pants, while the border defense forces wore blue shirts and white pants.

This time, we were going to exchange five hundred gold coins, of which two hundred were meant for purchasing supplies. Gray and I each drove a carriage disguised as farmers transporting grains from the third-level territories to the second-level territories.

The soldiers didn't talk much, just asked Gray a few questions and let us through. The kingdom was truly different; the houses were all made of sturdy bricks.

Shops had signs hanging outside, and people's clothing had a European style from the 18th century.

"Gray, how much longer?" I asked.

"We're almost there, almost," he replied.

The city streets were originally not narrow, but they were crowded with people. We had to get off the carriage and lead the horse forward. Gray assured me that the kingdom had a place for us to eat and stay, so no need to worry. It wouldn't have been a waste to spend fifty days learning about classical European life.

Finally, we settled in a grocery store. The shopkeeper seemed very familiar with Gray's routine; we didn't need to say a word. Unloading the goods, tying up the horses, and feeding them were all taken care of by others. We only needed to take the room key and follow the shopkeeper to the prepared basement for our stay.

The basement...

"Gray."

"Shh..."

"What's wrong?"

I quickly lowered my voice, and Gray pressed his ear against the door, afraid of someone eavesdropping.

"Tell me."

"Is this job of ours very dangerous?"

"What do you think? If our identities as Night Fall Town residents were exposed, we would be arrested and sent to jail."

"Why?!"

"Didn't I tell you about those gold coins? The kingdom has long coveted the fortunes of the black market."

"Oh, so if they capture us, they'll try to find out the location of those gold coins?"

"Yes."

"Then why did we exchange the gold coins for money?"

"Without exchanging them, how can we buy things? Do you dare to use gold coins to buy things in the kingdom?"

Gray tossed the five bags of gold coins onto the bed and took out ten, putting them into his pocket.

"These ten gold coins are our payment to this grocery store for providing us protection."

"Wait, can't one gold coin be exchanged for twenty-six coins now?"

"Twenty-six? Things here are not as simple as you think. If this one gold coin is exchanged with the kingdom, we can get a hundred coins!"

"Then why don't we just exchange them directly with the kingdom?"

"Mr. Raul, everyone says you're clever, how can you not understand? Just think about it, if you directly bring five hundred gold coins to exchange, wouldn't it be equivalent to telling the kingdom that we're from Night Fall Town?"

As he said this, I understood. In order to exchange a large amount of gold coins for cash, we had to use some means. For example, giving a hundred gold coins to a hundred different people who would take a week to go to the kingdom to exchange them. Afterward, each person would receive a certain amount of commission. Only then could we ensure safety.

But we couldn't find a hundred people in the kingdom to do this, so Gray had to resort to his current method of negotiating with some rogue organizations who lacked everything but people. Tonight, we would exchange all five hundred gold coins for coins at a ratio of one to twenty-six in this underground basement. I felt extremely unwilling; the difference between one hundred and twenty-six was nearly fourfold. Just because we were nomads from Night Fall Town, we had to endure this unfairness.

Every time we exchange a gold coin, it's like losing seventy-four dollars.

But we have no choice.

After hastily eating dinner, we couldn't even taste the taste of the boiled vegetable porridge. Me and Greg stared at the lonely hanging lamp on the ceiling, waiting for the thugs to come and exchange money.

Knocking on the door three, four, three times, the losing deal began...

Three people came across, the leader was wearing a suit and a cane. The other two were clearly the kind that me and Greg couldn't beat. The thug leader twisted his fat belly in the chair, smoking his pipe, and made an offer.

"Twenty-five."

"Brother, wasn't it always twenty-six..."

"Business hasn't been good lately, the kingdom has tight control."

"Brother, there are a total of four hundred and ninety gold coins this time, can't we..."

"No, the amount I said is the amount."

I looked at Greg, the blond guy was clearly inferior to the opposite side in terms of momentum.

"Besides, you won't find anyone else to help you handle these shiny little things, right?"

The thug leader sprayed smoke out of his nose, took out a few coins and admired them in the light, revealing a mocking smile to us.

It seemed like we could only hand over these gold coins to them and then, as if being given charity, get a pitiful thirteen thousand dollars.

"We won't exchange any more!"

Looking at the fat guy across from us, I felt an unknown anger rise up in my head. Why! Why do we have to exchange gold coins with you at a quarter of their value? It's interesting, I've lived for so long, and this is the first time I've been treated unfairly like this!

"I won't exchange, didn't you hear me?!"

Afraid that the fat guy didn't understand, I deliberately used a vulgar expression.

"Raul!"

Greg was anxious, pulling at my sleeve.

"What are we exchanging? You have a hundred dollars on your own, why do you have to give them seventy-five dollars? Did your money come out of the ground?"

For me, gold coins represent Medusa, the monsters of the Southern Plains, and the face of Night Fall Town! Usually being chased by the people of the kingdom, plundered by the military, now even the coins have to be exchanged at a quarter of their value, how can I bear it?

"Do you... really not want to exchange?"

"No, we won't!"

"Have you thought it through..."

Seeing the two thugs coming over, I slammed my gun on the table.

"You want to fight? I'll take it!"

I have even fought vampires, why should I be afraid of you two humans?

The fat guy's face suddenly turned ugly, after stifling for a long time, he didn't say anything, kicked the chair, and slammed the door. I knew very well that these three people and us were like grasshoppers tied to the same rope. We are caught, they are guilty too. We can do without our lives, they can't bear to do so. If we don't do business with them, they can't say anything.

"Raul! Do you know what you've done?"

"What have I done?"

"You offended them, how are we going to exchange the money now? Tomorrow we have to apologize to them, they will lower the price even more. Argh... I shouldn't have brought you here, let you do this..."

"How can we not exchange the money without those bastards?"

"Then how do you want to exchange it? Ah?"

"How to exchange it? Hmph, I'll exchange by myself tomorrow!"

Greg had a worried expression on his face, and I was so angry that I started smoking heavily, making him cough.

The face is saved, but the gold coins are really helpless. I promised Greg that we would prioritize official business, so I can only exchange these gold coins at the kingdom's exchange tomorrow. Thinking about this, I had a very bold idea.

"Greg, you have to get injured."

"What are you doing..."

"Take off your pants, we need to bleed a little."

"Bleed? What are you doing, Brother Raul?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Raul... I'm begging you, don't do anything strange anymore, I'm now..."

"Shut up!"

Although Greg is smooth in his dealings, he panics when it comes to something. He's not acting like a real man.

"Aren't you a man? You're scared by such a small matter?"

"Because it's everyone's money..."

"Just because it's everyone's money, we can't hand it over to those bunch of idiots!"

Looking at Greg shrinking in fear, I couldn't help but want to slap him twice.

"In short, tomorrow I will show you a big scene."

"Mr. Raul, what if we get caught by the kingdom..."

"I have five bullets in my gun, enough for the both of us to die twice and more~"

After getting some blood from our legs, Greg and I started preparing carefully for tomorrow's show.

Without Medusa by my side, I can avoid resorting to violence as the first solution to problems. Being alone, the only thing I can rely on is my brain. Thinking can solve many problems.

Early the next day, I carried a tattered bag filled with gold coins and followed Greg to the three-story kingdom's trading post.

There are many services provided here, including coin and paper money exchange, luxury item valuation, and more. The service of exchanging gold coins for coins is not called "exchange" but "payment". For every gold coin exchanged, one can receive a reward of one hundred coins.

In other words, the kingdom is actually reclaiming gold coins.

"I want to pay with gold coins."

"Oh, how much are you paying?"

The waiter on the other side of the long table looked at me with the eyes of a beggar, probably because my clothes were not very tidy.

"Four hundred and ninety coins."

"What did you say?!"

"Four hundred and ninety coins, not one less!"

I slammed the tattered bag on the table, and the coins flowed out like a stream of desires, accompanied by the pleasant sound of wealth. The farmers who hid the money in their inner pockets, the waiters with bow ties, and even the soldiers standing straight with guns at the door all obediently shifted their attention to the goddess named gold.

Every time I talk about that scene later with my wife, I have to embellish it with great effort, making her laugh to be satisfied.

There are few believers in God, but everyone prefers to believe in money.