Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Chapter 36

Ingrid clenched her fists under the table as she listened to him. For a moment, she wanted to argue with him, ask him how he could possibly decide that thousands of innocent people had to die just because he could not find another solution. He was a leader, he had to lead and not decide to take the easy way out!

She wanted to tell him that there had to be another way, that destroying an entire village was not a solution at all, but she swallowed those words before they could leave her mouth. She had already learned enough about this world to know that shouting at someone who had already made up his mind would not change anything. Instead, she slowly raised her head, forced a smile onto her face, and looked at him as though they had not just been discussing the destruction of an entire village.

"Well, that’s certainly a lot to take in," Ingrid said, keeping her voice surprisingly calm. "But since you’ve already made your decision, can we go ahead with the payment now? I don’t really want to stay outside for too long, especially after everything you’ve just told us. I’d rather get my money, take my herbs home, and leave before someone decides that I’m another problem that needs to be wiped out."

The man stared at her for several seconds, seemingly surprised by how quickly she had changed the subject. He probably expected her to keep arguing with him, but Ingrid had no intention of wasting her time. After everything she had just heard, she wanted to get her money and leave this place as soon as possible. Finally, the man gave a small nod and walked toward his desk.

"Come over here," he said. "I’ll give you the payment first, and then we can discuss the other matter."

Ingrid walked over with Lysander beside her, keeping a close eye on the man as he approached a large safe built into the wall behind his desk. He unlocked it with a key, entered another combination, and opened the heavy metal door. He reached inside and pulled out three thick leather pouches before placing them on the desk one after another.

"There are thirty thousand gold coins here," he explained. "Ten thousand in each pouch, which makes the full amount we agreed on. You can count them if you want. I won’t take offense."

Ingrid looked at the three pouches and almost smiled. She had expected to receive money, but seeing thirty thousand gold coins sitting in front of her still felt ridiculous. Back in her head, she had already accepted that she had gotten lucky, but she had never imagined that a few herbs could actually make her this rich.

She pushed the pouches toward Lysander. "You count them."

Lysander looked at her before looking down at the pouches. Ingrid shrugged and gave him a small smile.

"You’re the one who knows what real gold is supposed to look like, so I trust you more than I trust myself. I can count to thirty thousand, but if someone gives me a bag of shiny rocks and tells me they’re gold coins, I might actually believe them."

Lysander gave her an amused look before opening the first pouch. He carefully examined the coins, checking their weight and markings before counting them. Ingrid turned her attention to the herbs and pushed them across the desk toward the man. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Here," she said. "They’re all yours."

The man’s eyes immediately went to the herbs, and his expression became much more interested. He carefully gathered them and inspected them one by one before placing them safely into a container on his desk.

"If you can bring me this same amount every day for the next seven days, I’ll increase the payment," he said. "I’ll also give you a deposit beforehand so you can see that I’m serious about the arrangement. If you continue bringing me quality herbs, I have no problem paying times five than I did today."

Ingrid opened her mouth to answer, but then something clicked in her mind. "Wait," she said, raising one hand. "I noticed one thing that I want to bring your attention to, it seems you’re spending a lot of money or rather, trying to spend a lot of money."

The man stopped talking.

Ingrid narrowed her eyes at him. "Actually, you’re spending way too much money considering what’s happening outside this village. You’re buying supplies, you’re paying merchants, you’re buying rare herbs, and now you’re offering me even more money for something you want every single day. Doesn’t that seem strange to you?"

The man stared at her, "Isn’t it normal considering the times we’re in?"

"Well, yes. It actually is, which is why it’s also weird at the same time." Ingrid leaned against the desk and crossed her arms. "I noticed the supplies when we came in. At first, I didn’t think much about it because this is a merchant guild, so obviously people are going to be moving goods around. But the more I think about it, the more it doesn’t add up. People outside are struggling to survive, the wall is failing, merchants are getting attacked on their way here, and you’re still willing to throw thirty thousand gold coins at a single batch of herbs. I mean I’m glad, but you’re willing to spend too much."

"I thought about it while you were talking. Thirty thousand gold coins over thirty herbs is an exorbitant price. At most, it sells for ten thousand or twenty thousand even considering the rareness of the herb." She pointed toward the pouches. "You’re not spending that money because you’re careless. You’re spending it because you’re trying to turn your money into things that will still be useful when money stops being useful."

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Ingrid smiled. "Am I wrong?"

He did not answer immediately, which was enough of an answer for her.

"In a situation like this, people like you with a lot of money would hoard their money," Ingrid continued. "They’d keep every coin they had because that’s what people normally do when they’re scared; keep money and try to use them to exchange for things when they get out of the place you’re trying to escape. But you’re doing the opposite. You’re getting rid of your money and filling your storage rooms with food, medicine, weapons, herbs, water, and other things people actually need to survive. Even though you know that some of them might get lost or one way or the other, destroyed while being moved, you’re still willing."

She tilted her head. "You’ve already realized that there might come a point when nobody cares about gold anymore because there won’t be enough food, medicine, or safety left to buy with it. So you’re turning your money into survival supplies while you still have the chance."

The man’s expression finally softened into a faint smile. "You’re quite smart," he said.