CHAPTER 1379: CHAPTER 1379: EMPEROR’S BANQUET COIN

In short, the Arcane Technique "Praise the Sun" was successfully learned. The scars on the surface of the body were also removed by Shard using a magic potion.

Iluna had to return to the apartment to pack her luggage and inform Miss Galina about her long trip, so she said goodbye to Shard downstairs. Although she was leaving on a Sunday, she knew Shard was also busy, so she didn’t want him to make a special trip to see her off, but Shard disagreed:

"After all, it’s a long journey, and although colleagues from the church will be with you, if I don’t see you off, Luviya will also blame me. You’re leaving on Sunday afternoon, right? Then are you available for lunch on Sunday?"

He extended an invitation:

"Just like today, let’s have lunch together again. I’ll book a restaurant in advance. Oh, don’t be polite with me this time; we’ll have a good meal."

After paying back Priest Augustus for the material fees, he was left with just over two thousand pounds in cash, but treating Iluna to a meal was still affordable:

"Then it’s settled, see you at noon on Sunday."

"Alright then."

Iluna, blushing, stood on the steps outside the door, holding her small bag with both hands, pressing down her skirt, and nodding her head adorned with a red floral lady’s hat towards the bustling Saint Delan Square:

"See you on Sunday, Shard."

"See you Sunday."

After seeing off Iluna, Shard called for Mia a few times. Seeing it lazily sprawled on the second-floor living room window basking in the sun, unwilling to move, he headed to Old John’s alone.

With the Elf’s Purified Water and the Dust of Twilight, the special paint formula provided by Lecia could be made. Old John carefully looked at the formula and stated he could help make it, but it would require some time:

"Half a week, there are some rather tricky steps in there."

"I can add money."

"Then two days, you can pick it up on Sunday evening."

The old man explained in detail the reasons why adding money could speed up the process, as if afraid Shard would misunderstand.

Of course, besides preparing the paint, Shard’s main concern was the special coins. In fact, ever since he first entered Randall Valley in mid-January, apart from the Eye Coins acquired locally from the Randall Valley used for the divination "Feast of the Earth Mother Goddess," he hadn’t seen any other special coins.

"Yes, indeed I found a special coin from out of town, but it’s only one piece."

Old John said, bending down to take a box from under the counter. After opening the box, a very thin copper coin lay on the red velvet lining. The side of the copper coin facing up had a pattern of a basket full of vegetables, fruits, and bread.

Shard frowned slightly, touching it with his hand:

"Poet-Level?"

"Detective, do you think relics of a specific type are that easy to find?"

The old man said, then began to describe its specific uses:

"The Poet-Level Relic ’Emperor’s Banquet Coin,’ its origin is quite clear. Around 3900 of the Fifth Era, an unknown Witch Empress loved hosting banquets and indulging in pleasure. She minted these copper coins to reward those who excelled in banquet games. Collecting a hundred could get the Witch Empress to grant a wish—this was the use before the Fifth Era, when these coins were still ordinary items."

"That’s quite rare, that emperor used copper coins instead of gold coins."

Shard muttered, while Old John thought Shard was quite ignorant of the value:

"This is what you don’t understand, this is not ordinary copper, it’s ’Kohinoor Dwarf Copper,’ a lost formula. The price of this copper alloy is much higher than gold, it’s an important material for making Golem Cores."

Old John picked up the copper coin and handed it to Shard:

"After becoming a relic, its effect became quite odd. Toss the copper coin, as long as it falls onto an empty tabletop, it can summon a lavish feast. Yes, its positive trait is only that. The negative trait, there’s a small chance that strange things might appear at the feast. The containment condition is simple, do not let it be in contact with alcohol for a long time."

After all, it’s just a Poet-Level Relic, such relics might even be used by uninformed ordinary people for a long time, hence the positive and negative traits are not very strong.

Though the copper coin was very thin, its radius was quite large, larger than any coin of the current popular currency. One side had a pattern of a basket full of various foods, the other side surrounded by wheat ears had the numeral "1."

At the bottom of the numeral, in very fine print, it said:

"The right to interpret the banquet belongs to Emperor Kelly Washington."

"There’s a saying that if one can collect 100 of these relics, something incredible will happen. But unfortunately, although that Witch Empress loved hosting banquets, leading to many of these coins circulating in the market, trying to collect 100 in our era is as reasonable as hoping to find an Angel-Level Relic."

Old John said, pulling out a note from under the box:

"It’s not my stock, I’m selling it for someone else. Here’s the price, no negotiations allowed."

Shard glanced at the price:

"27 pounds 4 shillings 7 pence? The price is so precise?"

"The owner owes someone a debt and just short of this amount to pay it off."

The old man explained.

"But as a Poet-Level Relic, especially a one-time-use and not very useful Poet-Level Relic, isn’t this price a bit too high?"

According to Shard’s thinking, a price of anywhere under 10 pounds for this coin would be acceptable.

Old John shrugged:

"The Relic itself isn’t very valuable, but the banquet it summons is."

"What?"

"Based on previous usage records and the containment records of the Peace Church, as long as you prepare a big enough table, the total value of the summoned banquet easily surpasses 50 pounds. From this perspective, the asking price is actually cheap."

"Can you calculate it like that?"

Shard was amused, but since he encountered a Special Coin, he decided to buy it even with a markup. After all, for Shard and Luviya, the coin’s value is far beyond measurable by its traits alone.

He had promised to attend the banquet hosted by Margaret tonight, so with nothing to do in the afternoon, Shard bid farewell to Old John and made his way to Coldwater Port, a place he hadn’t visited for a long time.

He hadn’t been to Coldwater Port much this year, so when he met Mr. Edmund at the Old Lighthouse, the latter complained about not having seen Shard in a long time.

"I feel like Coldwater Port is warmer than Tobesk."

Shard said as he helped the old man carry a bucket full of live fish into the lighthouse, and Mr. Edmund, following behind with a fishing rod, nodded:

"The sea near Coldwater Port never freezes over year-round, partly due to ocean currents and partly due to the weather in Coldwater Port. Apart from the Randall Valley Region in the southwestern part of the Old Continent and the Gulf Area in the central eastern part of the Old Continent, Coldwater Port is likely the first city to welcome spring each year."

"It’s not warm in Randall Valley at all this year."

Shard complained as he placed the fish by the wall, regretting not bringing Mia along:

"And I heard that this year is the coldest in five hundred years for the Old Continent."

Mr. Edmund glanced at Shard, knowing that Shard often inquired about local customs here and possessed the ability to visit distant places:

"Recently in Randall Valley? You’re always drawn to danger."

He invited Shard to sit down first and went to pour some tea. The inside of the lighthouse was not at all cold despite the winter; it was unusually warm:

"There’s going to be a big event in Randall Valley soon."

"Yes, the Church and the Three Major Academies are sending people there, and I need to be careful not to be seen by acquaintances."

Shard replied and then inquired:

"Is the Guiding Light Hermitage not sending anyone this time? Didn’t Old John go to Heart Lake Island during the Pantanal incident?"

"You know everything, don’t you?"

Mr. Edmund sat across from Shard, opened his glasses case, and put on his glasses:

"We already have people in Randall Valley; it’s not like the remote depths of the Great Swamp."

That made sense, so Shard posed his question:

"I came here to inquire whether the Guiding Light Hermitage has any research or records on the Randall Valley Region?"

"What kind of records are you interested in?"

"Local families. I heard from locals that the family represented by Earl Granger in the area can connect with almost a third of the surnames there. Such a vast, ancient family must be more than an ordinary family, right?"

"Ah, about that."

Mr. Edmund nodded:

"From what I saw in the Hermitage’s records, it’s not entirely clear, but the origin of that surname in the Fifth Era was indeed an extremely powerful Exotic Bloodline. Don’t be fooled by the fact that direct descendants are now completely ordinary; the Exotic Bloodline’s power might manifest in collateral descendants. The Thirteen-Ring Sorcerer from the Sun Church, Earth Shaker - Pierre Granger, is said to be from the same lineage as the Grangers of Randall Valley."

"Is there any record of Randall Valley’s Guardians in the Hermitage?"

"I’ve heard from the Hermitage that those Guardians seem to be connected to The Chosen One."

The old man said cautiously:

"Besides, local folklore also contains tales of the Guardians. The Hermitage doesn’t know much about them, or perhaps knows no more than the True God Church. But everyone has a reason for what they do, unless they’re mad. The Guardians don’t seem mad, so they must have a reason to voluntarily protect Randall Valley."

It seems Mr. Edmund couldn’t provide more information for now. So Shard turned the conversation to the topic of Special Coins, and since he hadn’t visited in over half a month, Mr. Edmund surprisingly had a new Special Coin.

There was only one coin, but Shard had come across one like it before.