CHAPTER 63: NEW MERCHANT IN THE CITY

Shortly after exiting the Trader’s Market and finding a discreet place to remove their guard’s outfit, the trio could finally assume their new identity.

Mirelle was disguised as Relle, a fifth circle mage whose duty was to protect Leonard, otherwise known as Vincent now, from Veridale.

Meanwhile, Claudia’s name will remain the same.

She was a slave after all, so nobody would bother to investigate the background of a slave.

Assuming his merchant outfit, Leonard made sure to absorb the previous merchant’s depraved-like behavior and tried his best to control his micro expression.

A wealthy merchant was no different than a military commander who needed to be decisive, ruthless, and detached.

"As of this moment, none of you is allowed to act without my permission," Leonard announced, his gaze locking onto Mirelle.

Claudia was a slave under him, so with the command alone, she was already forced to comply and obey it.

However, Mirelle was different. She had already shown signs that she was prone to impulsiveness.

"You can save me the intense gaze." Mirelle rolled her eyes and said. "I only acted impulsively last time because the person was Claudia."

"Precisely why I’m gazing at you. What if there were more of this "Claudia" that pops out of nowhere? Was I supposed to be like, okay, let’s rope them in as well."

Having her name being subjected to a degrading term, Claudia nearly exploded on the spot.

Luckily, she had come to terms with the fact that this was probably Leonard’s manner of speech. If even Mirelle was treated harshly despite being his "helper", then what right does she have as a slave and an enemy?

Sometime later, the trio reapproached Velastra.

Unlike the docks, where one would bypass the regular entry, the city’s gate for land travel was filled to the brim.

There were many carriages, transportation goods, and people walking on foot waiting for their chance to enter.

Although there wasn’t any restriction that prevented people from entering the city, the flow was still relatively slow because crowd control was necessary.

"Line up properly and enter smoothly. Anyone who dares to disrupt the line will be sent to the back of the line. Repeat offenders will be barred from entering." A uniformed guard shouted loudly, his voice spreading even to Leonard’s position.

Despite the shouting, though, Leonard spotted a few people skipping the line.

Some gave a generous tip, while some had the guards personally guide them in.

Needless to say, the long line was only for the "regular", whereas advanced entry was for the wealthy or influential people.

"There are 3 separate lines, which one do we line up?" Mirelle didn’t pay much attention to the scene up ahead. Instead, she focused on which lines were shorter. Unfortunately, each of them appeared visibly the same.

"Line up?" In response, Leonard glanced at her as if she were an idiot. Was she still immersed in the supposed low-profile role or sneaking around moments?

He was now assuming a wealthy merchant role known as Vincent. If he were to truly line up like the commoners or other poor merchants, then how was he supposed to make any splashes?

He shook his head and happened to take notice of Claudia flashing a sly sneer toward Mirelle.

"We’re not lining up and wasting our time." He calmly explained and pointed at a distance. "Just follow along with the story I’ll make up later on."

"Wait a second, what story?" Mirelle was confused. There wasn’t any prior discussion of a make-up story.

Alas, it was a pity for her because Leonard had already made big strides toward the group of guards.

"Halt your steps!" Upon spotting Leonard’s action, one of the guards raised their hand.

"No skipping the line." They continued, but their tone was relatively mild. After all, they noticed the clothes on Leonard’s were quite luxurious.

"When do I have to line up like some commoners?" Leonard suddenly raised an eyebrow and retrieved a gold coin. "I’m a merchant from Veridale, and I never waste my time."

As soon as the gold coin was revealed, the guard’s eyes lit up.

However, they still resisted the temptation and persuaded, "Apologies, but the city is currently welcoming an esteemed guest. We have to keep everything in protocol."

When the guard finished their statement, their facial expression looked like they had swallowed a mouthful of live maggots.

That was a gold coin he just rejected!

The currency in the Valdoria Continent was bronze, silver, gold, and platinum coins.

Platinum coins were the most valuable but rarely seen. Thus, many recognized gold coins as the true wealth and something that could sustain their livelihood for at least a year or more, depending on their circumstances.

Seeing the guard’s bitterness, Leonard smirked. He stuffed the gold coin back in his left pocket and took out another gold item, which was a gold medal.

Almost immediately, the guard’s face turned ashen white, and he had an impulse to bang his head.

The gold medal that Leonard took out belonged to the Merchant Guild. In other words, this identity alone could enable Leonard to bypass the line and enter in advance.

The gold coin that was offered to him was a free tip that he actually refused.

Moreover, he saw how tightly Leonard stuffed the gold coin back, which made it clear that he had lost the opportunity.

The fleeting moment of losing a gold coin nearly caused him to have a mental breakdown.

’Serve you right for being so superficial.’ Leonard thought. He purposely revealed the gold coin first before flashing the gold medal to create this lovely scene.

These guards have been acting very haughtily, so this could be considered a small lesson to them.

"I can now skip the line, right?" Leonard asked the petrified guard.

"O-Of course, you can." The guard laughed bitterly. As if he would dare to put someone with a gold medal from the Merchant Guild at the back of the line.

"Alright, I’m just messing with you." Leonard mused and retrieved the gold coin.

He tossed it to the dazed guard and said, "Be my tour guide for a few minutes. I want to let people know that there’s a new merchant in the city."