Chapter 228: A Gold Coin Is Not Always a Gold Coin

As a seasoned Adventurer, Aive would never fumble in a situation like this. The price she quoted was only slightly higher than the market price for similar precious metals.

A price that had been doubled, and then some.

"If you don’t buy it, someone else will," Aive said, tilting her head toward Ron and receiving an approving nod. "Abyssal Silver is especially effective against your kind. I imagine that even ordinary artisans would be more than happy to acquire such a rare material, like the Dwarf Blacksmith in our employ."

"You have to understand, the price of raw materials is completely different from that of finished products. If you wait until we’ve forged them into Abyssal Silver Weapons and armor, the price will only be higher."

"Oh, right. Our blacksmith, for some reason, is obsessed with forging ’works of art’—and the price of art, well, you know how that goes."

If Ron had said this, the Desire Demon might have doubted whether a human truly possessed any artistic sensibilities. But coming from a Warrior with Elf blood, the statement’s credibility was on a completely different level.

"Even so, the price you’re asking is too high!" The Desire Demon gave a dangerous smile, her pearly white teeth showing hints of sharpening into fangs. "Even an ingot of Refined Gold costs around five hundred Gold Coins on most planes!"

"Refined Gold is a more versatile material," Silvia said, leaning on her Walking Stick. Her elegant Vampire Descendant demeanor was restored now that the Desire Demon’s Charm had been broken. "Abyssal Silver has a special significance for your kind. It can be considered a strategic resource."

’A bunch of country bumpkins, and they know what "strategic" means?’

The Desire Demon shot a disdainful glance at the woman with half Blood Race lineage, but her face quickly rearranged itself into a sweet, charming smile. "Alright, alright, you’ve found me out. But even so, fifteen hundred Gold Coins is still too expensive. After all, we of the Gold Coin Legion don’t do petty business—six hundred Gold Coins per ingot. I think that fully demonstrates my sincerity, don’t you?"

"Twelve hundred." Aive stared directly into the Desire Demon’s eyes as the Ghost Face on her Hand Armor began to look increasingly ferocious. It was obvious the Desire Demon was trying to influence her.

’Mind-protecting equipment...’ The Desire Demon glanced darkly at the Flaming Hand Armor and snorted. "I can go up fifty Gold Coins per ingot, at most. Otherwise, I might as well go back to the black markets in the Abyss and buy from those merchants."

"Can you even get there?" For a moment, it was as if Ron could faintly hear the sound of countless dice rolling above Aive’s head. "Besides, let me remind you, neither Mithril nor Refined Gold equipment is forged purely from the rare materials. To put it simply, a single ingot of Abyssal Silver can be used to make at least two suits of Abyssal Silver Full Body Armor. Even this piece I’m wearing is worth more than fifteen hundred."

"If you can commit to a large-volume purchase, I think we can give you a fifteen percent discount. How about one thousand Gold Coins?"

Ron raised his copy of Weaving Introduction, pretending to read, and coughed twice.

"Fi...ne!" The Desire Demon finally made up her mind, though her eyes darted slyly. "Then it’s a deal. I’ll pre-order a batch of ten ingots to take back to Purgatory. As for future cooperation and the signing of a contract, I’ll need to ask my mistress for instructions."

"Can you fulfill this request for me?"

"This..." Everyone looked toward Ron. ’That "master" is still in the tavern hiding from his debtors,’ they thought. ’And even if Rurik started forging right now, ten ingots of Abyssal Silver would take time. The Desire Demon is probably just trying to lower the price even more.’

"We can," Ron agreed without hesitation. "Since we all intend to cooperate, I believe we should all show some sincerity."

He extended a hand toward the Desire Demon. "You can wait here for three days. We’ll deliver the goods then. But first, you have to pay a deposit—I’m not asking for much, just ten thousand Gold Coins."

"And you won’t have to pay anything more once the deal is done."

The Desire Demon’s delicate body stiffened slightly. She forced a smile. "That... isn’t that a bit much? A deposit is usually half the price, isn’t it?"

"But it’s fine. You can start the work, and I’ll go back to Purgatory to request the funds. It won’t take long..."

"You just said you were prepared to buy out an entire Demon Artisan’s stock," Ron sneered. "Was that just big talk? A Desire Demon is a high-ranking devil, after all. You don’t have that little bit of money on you?"

Ron wasn’t fooled by the Desire Demon’s currently stark-naked appearance. These creatures were very familiar with spatial, dimensional, and planar travel; she could probably pull a sack of Gold Coins out of thin air.

"Sigh. Alright. As you wish, I will pay the ten thousand Gold Coins in advance." The Desire Demon shrugged helplessly. She reached out toward an empty spot, opening a dark rift from which she began to continuously pull large quantities of Gold Coins.

These Gold Coins were all brand new and bore the mark of a mint, making them valid currency in any region.

"Devils sure are rich." The companions were all a bit dumbfounded as they watched the Desire Demon toss such a huge amount of Gold Coins onto the ground as if she were digging up dirt. "The last time we saw this much money was in a Green Dragon’s lair!"

"It’s real!" Delaford exclaimed excitedly after testing a few of the Gold Coins with his large buck teeth. "Ron, we’ve finally struck it rich!"

However, to his companions’ surprise, Ron didn’t immediately show a satisfied expression. Instead, he bent down, picked up a Gold Coin, and then, to the Desire Demon’s alarm and his companions’ astonishment, cast Dispel Magic on it!

The Gold Coin, which had been glittering brightly just a second before, immediately turned a dull, unremarkable grayish-black after its magical fig leaf was stripped away. These weren’t Gold Coins at all—they were just blocks of lead!

"Just as I thought." Ron showed no surprise as he looked up at the Desire Demon. "Even for something as insignificant as gold, devils are unwilling to easily part with it for demons. But you shouldn’t have tried to pull a fast one on me."

"Using Magic to turn lead into gold, then minting it into coins—this is your ’deposit’ and ’sincerity’?"

"Yes. According to the law, the gold content of a coin is strictly defined at the moment of minting. But no law governs the state of a coin after it leaves the mint. As long as it was minted in a mint, it is legal tender."

"You might get away with fooling a Minotaur, but I’m a Mage, for crying out loud, and I’m constantly reading. Her Highness Gracia pulled this same trick years ago. It’s written about in books."

The Desire Demon glared hatefully at Ron, trying to discern from his eyes whether this mortal was lying. "May I ask who the author of this book is? How dare they slander my mistress!"

"Duncan the Demon," Ron said with a shrug. "And by the way, I’m currently learning the Magic named after him."