readytorunbook Chapter 139 Hermes, the Land of Deception, Part 1
Chapter 139 Hermes, the Land of Deception, Part 1
"The Story of the Seven Princesses and One Dwarf" is such a bizarre storybook... I bought it, I don't know when I'll come across such a bizarre book again.
Elena instinctively reached into her pocket for money, only to find that she couldn't find a single copper coin, or even a wallet.
Only then did she realize that her money was no longer with her.
“Hey, I want to buy this book.” Elena nudged a blank-faced man next to her with her elbow.
That is, of course, the zither.
“You just bought a book a few hours ago,” Qin stated quietly, “and after discovering it was a fake, you cried and vowed never to make impulsive purchases again.”
“I’m very calm right now,” Elena said. “This isn’t an impulsive purchase.”
Qin Quan assumed she hadn't spoken and didn't intend to stop—he was quite certain that if she really bought the book, she would soon be banging her head on the ground and weeping bitterly again.
"Who gave you the right to stop me from buying books?" Elena said angrily.
Qin glanced at Elena: "You."
Ok……
what……
amount……
"Could you... make an exception just this once..." Elena said.
"No."
And so, Elena's dream of buying the book was nipped in the bud. As it turned out, years later, when she happened to see the book in the library, the story was so compelling that she couldn't even finish reading it just by looking at the cover.
After leaving Rochester, the land of water, Elena, now sober, couldn't quite remember what foolish things she had done after guzzling down alcohol. It was only through Miss Broom's post-incident recap that she gradually recalled what had happened.
Did it really succeed so incredibly? But every time Elena thought of those narcissistic remarks relayed by the broom, her heart raced—why? Wasn't I narcissistic before too… No, I was just stating the facts.
After traveling to several countries, Elena's wallet was almost empty again.
After much painful reflection, Elena decided to learn from her failure—she decided to invest all her money in the harp and then made a very firm vow that no matter what nonsense she talked about, her daily expenses would never exceed three silver coins.
Since then, Elena has lost her financial freedom. Although it's painful, the time she spends without money has decreased significantly... Undoubtedly, whether Elena tries to buy things by threatening or begging, Jean selectively ignores her.
This hard-hearted man.
Their current kingdom is quite famous in this area.
The locals call it Hermes.
If the inhabitants of other kingdoms were to refer to this kingdom, they would prefer to call it: the Kingdom of Deception.
As its name suggests, it is notorious for fraud.
If you deal with the people here and don't get ripped off, then you're a qualified con artist. Many people passing through this kingdom, even without saying a word, sometimes get swindled out of everything.
Jean and Elena need to sell the magical materials they collect along the way (which might just be monster organs) to the local market association. Besides taking on commissions, selling the spoils of their hunts is the fastest way to make money (excluding unethical and illegal means).
"Miss Witch, please accept your gold coins." The market association's spokesperson handed a bag of gold coins to Elena.
Qin is not good with words, so all social interactions are handled by Elena, her personal voice.
But Elena knew very well that his insight was not as simple as his dull appearance suggested. He was just often too lazy to express his opinions.
Sigh—who told me to pick this quiet guy? Well, that's fine too. I doubt anyone else will want him. Let him be a mouthpiece.
The moment Elena took the bag of gold coins, her brow furrowed slightly.
“The market price is thirty-one gold coins—you’re three short,” Elena said.
"How do you know if you haven't opened it and counted them?" the spokesperson said.
"Tsk...who do you think you are?"
I might be wrong about other things, but I could never be wrong about gold coins. Besides, knowing full well that this is a land of deception, how could I not be careful?
"Don't doubt me just because of rumors. Miss Witch, how can you be sure I really shortchanged you if you don't open it and count it yourself?" The spokesperson smiled slightly. "By Hermes, our transaction is absolutely based on integrity."
"You might have some misunderstandings about this god of thieves," Elena thought to herself.
Yes, the kingdom is named after the god worshipped by the people here—Hermes.
He is a god who represents many things, one of which is theft.
It has absolutely nothing to do with integrity.
“Alright, to convince you.” Elena opened the bag, waved her wand, and some gold coins floated out of the bag, stacking themselves neatly at an incredible speed.
Ten gold coins are stacked together.
There were a total of three stacks and one gold coin left...
wrong……
how come?
Irene's beautiful purple eyes widened slightly, as if she could hardly believe it.
"Is it thirty-one gold coins, Miss Witch?" The spokesperson seemed to have anticipated this outcome. "If possible, I hope Miss Witch will compensate us for the slander we have suffered."
uh-huh?
I've never heard of such compensation before.
"Oh, I almost forgot, you're not a local. Here is the Codex Hermes; if you may, I hope Miss Witch will read it carefully."
I clearly read it once.
But as Elena was reading the code, one of the laws suddenly stood out in red.
"Hermes values integrity above all else. Anyone who slanders the innocence of the locals shall be punished with a fine of ten to twenty gold coins."
This is the only one highlighted in red, as if... it's a deliberate reminder to myself.
A strange country.
"It seems you don't believe in this code of law. Well, if you have any questions, you can ask someone else to borrow it. Of course, your questioning will also violate this law," the spokesperson said with a smile.
hateful……
"Irena, tell me, how do you tell how many gold coins are in the bag?" Just then, Qin yawned.
“Of course it’s… weight… you mean—” Elena immediately understood.
"If this gentleman suspects our gold coins are counterfeit, he is welcome to have them verified," the spokesperson said politely. "Of course... there's a verification fee, and such."
"No need for that. These seven are copper coins." Qin casually picked out seven gold coins, which were completely undetectable from their appearance as disguised copper coins.
It was because the copper coins were mixed in that Elena misjudged the weight.
The spokesperson paused slightly when he saw the gold coins Qin had picked out.
"Hailna, you sophistry witch, stop acting. You can't be that desperate for money, can you?" Jean stared at the spokesperson before her. Her deep gaze seemed to want to devour him.
"Hayrna? You're Hayrna?" Elena belatedly realized.
"Hehe, what evidence do you have?" the spokesperson said calmly.
Qin indeed had no evidence; her previous bluff was merely a ploy to confuse the person in front of her about their identity.
However, the other party is the only witch in the kingdom of Hermes, and she is also a witch known for her deceptive magic, and has a somewhat bad reputation in the surrounding kingdoms.
She certainly wouldn't be easily fooled and expose her true colors.
“Unfortunately, there’s no evidence, but there are plenty of ways to prove whether this money is actually gold coins—according to the Hermetic Code, once fraud is discovered, the fraudster must pay double the amount defrauded. Would you like to try it with me?” This wasn’t just bluffing on Qin’s part.
“Interesting—come on then, you’re even more interesting than this witch. What’s your name?” the spokesperson laughed.
"gold."
"Oh? It's not a pseudonym, is it?"
"You can take a guess."
The spokesperson then smiled mysteriously. Subsequently, an expert arrived, bringing with him instruments specifically designed to authenticate gold coins.
Such instruments can certainly be used to tamper with things.
After all, this is a country of deception, but Qin felt that the other party would not cheat again.
The instrument then showed that the gold coins were indeed fake, and the other party had in fact committed fraud.
"Excellent, though I don't know how you figured it out. But to try and deceive me would be petty. Hermes welcomes you, Mr. Jin. I wish you and your companion a pleasant stay in Hermes." The spokesperson slowly removed his disguise, transforming from a man into a flamboyant woman wearing a tricorn hat.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. As you said, I am Hermes' only witch, the sophist witch Hailna," Hailna readily admitted. "This is the compensation for the two of you. Please accept it."
After taking the money bag, Elena weighed it again.
The amount is correct.
The seven gold coins that were originally replaced, plus the seven compensation coins, and the twenty-four gold coins that were originally due, totaled thirty-eight coins.