Immortal Paladin

008 Gold & Dignity

008 Gold & Dignity

We finished off our bowls of noodles, leaving nothing but a slick sheen of broth at the bottom. The meal had been satisfying—rich, savory, and exactly what I needed after a long morning of singing and wandering around the city.

Still, I wasn’t quite ready to leave yet.

I waved the server over. “Do you have any dessert?”

It was a long shot. A world like this might not have developed the sweet delicacies I was used to. But to my surprise, the server’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, Young Master! We have something quite special—shaved ice!”

I blinked. “Shaved ice?”

“Yes!” The server gestured excitedly. “It is a rare treat. Our family possesses an heirloom that allows us to create ice even in the heat of summer!”

That got my attention. “An heirloom, huh?”

“Yes, an old family treasure,” the server said proudly. “It has been in our possession for generations. Though it is but a low-grade artifact, it still serves us well.”

Artifact, huh?

I wasn’t exactly sure how artifacts worked in this world, but I knew they were essentially magical equipment. That was about the extent of my knowledge.

I wasn’t about to start interrogating the server about their family secret, though, so I just nodded. “Alright. Bring us two.”

A few minutes later, two bowls of fluffy white shaved ice arrived, lightly drizzled with sweet syrup.

I took a bite.

Cold. Sweet. Refreshing.

Not bad at all.

Gu Jie, sitting across from me, hesitated at first. But after watching me dig in without hesitation, she carefully picked up her spoon and took a small bite. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she said nothing, focusing instead on methodically working her way through the dessert.

As we ate, I decided to bring up something that had piqued my interest earlier.

“So,” I started, breaking the comfortable silence. “About that underground dealing you mentioned earlier. What’s that about?”

Gu Jie perked up at the question, setting down her spoon. “Oh, right! The rumor I picked up is about the underworld gang bosses of Yellow Dragon City. Apparently, they’ve called a truce.”

I raised a brow. “A truce?”

She nodded. “Yes. It seems they’ve agreed to jointly operate a massive gambling ring for tomorrow’s dueling event.”

Now that was interesting.

“Let me guess,” I said dryly, “the City Governor is turning a blind eye to all of this?”

Gu Jie smirked. “Not just turning a blind eye. He’s actively promoting it.”

I exhaled through my nose. Of course, he was.

A gambling ring of this scale, with the gangs working together instead of fighting over turf? That kind of organization needed official backing. If the City Governor was involved, that meant this wasn’t just some illegal side hustle.

It was a fully sanctioned event.

And with all the major sects and grand clans gathered in the city, there was no doubt that the betting pool would be massive.

Gu Jie leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering. “The dueling event is already the talk of the city. People are excited, and with gambling involved? It’s going to be absolute chaos.”

I hummed thoughtfully, tapping my spoon against the edge of my bowl.

I wasn’t much of a gambler myself, but I had to admit—I was curious about the event.

Would I be attending? Absolutely.

Would I be participating? Hell no.

Right now, the spotlight was my greatest enemy.

I had no interest in stepping into the ring and drawing unnecessary attention to myself. My goal was simple: observe, learn, and avoid standing out.

That said...

I was looking forward to seeing some duels.

With a flick of my wrist, I opened the pouches Gu Jie had handed me, revealing gleaming gold coins stacked neatly inside.

I let out a hum of approval. Not bad.

These were originally LLO gold coins, which had been converted into this world’s currency. To think three mere LLO gold pieces were converted to this many gold coins was quite a sight.

Across the table, Gu Jie eyed me curiously. “Senior... why do you even need gold? You could have exchanged them for Spirit Stones instead.”

“...Senior, are you a Scholar?”

I let out a laugh. “Do I look like one?”

“...No.”

“Exactly,” I said, flashing a smirk. “I just happen to enjoy... knowledge.”

Gu Jie hesitated, but eventually nodded. “Understood.”

I reached into my Item Box and pulled out a dozen gleaming LLO gold coins, placing them on the table.

“These are extra funds,” I said, sliding them toward her. “Exchange them for Spirit Stones, herbs, or hiring muscles. I don’t care. Think of it as an additional test for you.”

Gu Jie, however, looked troubled.

I arched a brow. “Problem?”

She hesitated before speaking. “Senior... I’m only a First Realm cultivator.”

“And?”

She clenched her fists. “If I start moving around too much, I might attract the wrong attention. If someone suspects I have money, I could be robbed... or worse.”

Ah. Right.

A First Realm cultivator wasn’t much stronger than an above-average mortal. In the world of xianxia, she was fodder-tier.

I exhaled through my nose, then reached into my Item Box once again.

If I was going to send her out to do errands for me, I might as well make sure she didn’t die.

With a flick of my wrist, I pulled out three magic scrolls, each rolled up neatly and tied with a thin ribbon.

Gu Jie’s eyes widened. “What are those?”

I placed them on the table one by one. “Magic scrolls.”

She didn’t react, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

I sighed. “They contain imbued spells. All you have to do to activate them is rip them apart.”

She reached out hesitantly, as if they might explode. “What... kind of spells?”

I gestured to each one.

“This one is Blink—an instantaneous short-distance teleportation spell.”

Her lips parted in awe.

I moved to the second scroll. “This is Greater Teleportation. Unlike Blink, it requires two to three seconds of channeling, but it sends you a greater distance.”

Finally, I tapped the last scroll. “And this is Invisibility. Self-explanatory.”

Gu Jie stared at the scrolls like they were priceless treasures.

“Senior... these are... too valuable for someone like me.”

“They’re expensive,” I admitted, “but you’re my follower, aren’t you?”

She straightened immediately. “Yes, Senior!”

“Then it’s my job to make sure you don’t die.”

Her lips trembled slightly. Was she getting emotional?

I ignored it and continued.

“If I could, I’d just give you a magic ring with the same effects,” I mused. “It would be far less expensive than using up my limited supply of scrolls.”

Gu Jie furrowed her brows. “Then... why don’t you?”

I sighed. “Because I don’t know how it would interact with qi.”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, these scrolls activate by simply ripping them—no complex activation required. But enchanted rings? Those require a user to channel a special kind of energy into them.” I gave her a pointed look. “And I don’t know if qi and my kind of magic will mix well.”

Considering how ignorant she was to LLO’s brand of magic, that at least proved this world was separate from the world of Lost Legends Online. And here I was hoping at the back of my mind that this place was just some unexplored map.

Gu Jie looked like she wanted to ask more, but after a moment, she swallowed her curiosity and nodded.

“I see,” she said quietly. “Then... I’ll treasure these.”

“Good,” I said, smirking. “See that you do.”