Chapter 70: Jin Sule

Leo looked at Ulyan with disdain, deeply dissatisfied with his change in attitude. So little money, and you're already bought off? Where has the backbone of the men of the North gone? At least you’re a lord!

Ulyan pulled Leo aside, urging him in a low voice, "Hurry up and draw a map!"

Leo was reluctant to move. "For so little money, is it really worth my effort?"

Ulyan was exasperated, "Five gold coins! Imperial Gold Suller! Do you know how valuable that is?"

Leo answered uncertainly, "It's... worth five gold coins?"

"The steel sword in your hand could buy at least two! If you traded it for grain, it'd be at least a hundred sacks of wheat!"

Though Leo had little concept of currency and prices in this world, he often watched Olivia balance the accounts and knew a little. In the earliest days, the standard gold coin of the Atlantes Empire was called the "Suller"—a high-value currency used for purchasing estates, land, or ships, typically only held by nobles and wealthy merchants. With centuries of imperial expansion and economic development, vast gold mines were discovered and exploited, and Gold Sullers began to circulate more widely, gradually appearing in the hands of common folk.

Of course, most people liked to call their silver and copper coins "Silver Suller" and "Copper Suller," as a way to feel richer. One Gold Suller equals a hundred Silver Sullers, or ten thousand Copper Sullers. In Isenport, a standard sack of wheat cost about five Silver Sullers.

As for Leo’s bastard sword—it was absolutely military-grade, rarely seen on the market, and usually kept as a noble’s private collection.

Listening to Ulyan's simple comparison, Leo suddenly understood. This wasn’t just a map—it was a treasure map!

Five gold coins could buy a hundred sacks of wheat, enough to feed the whole village for a week! Not just Ulyan—even Leo’s heart was pounding with excitement.

At that moment, Leo recalled the bag of gold and silver coins he’d acquired after the raid on the bandits and the hanging of Lawrence—at least twenty of them were gold.

That bag of coins had been stashed away by Leo, casually handed to Ulyan. After all, the original Leo had never touched money and wasn’t interested in it! But now, suddenly realizing that this sum was worth tens of thousands in his previous life, Leo nearly burst into tears. "Give me back the money from last time!"

He’d thought that little bag was worth only a few hundred, maybe a thousand.

"What money? Where is it?" Ulyan brazenly denied it, glaring at Leo for a moment before finally compromising, "Alright, alright, you draw the map, and once we earn this money, I’ll return it all to you! I’m just keeping it safe for you..."

Leo ignored him and turned his gaze toward the patron, Denis, his eyes softening with concern. Not only that—he intended to earn the guide’s fee as well!

Approaching Denis, Leo reintroduced himself, "I am Leo Mondo, captain of the Riverbend militia, the finest scout of Wolfbane Plain—the best guide is me!"

Denis showed deep distrust. "Earlier, when I asked, you said there wasn’t one. Now you say it’s you?"

"Trust between people is built on good communication," Leo said sincerely. "Our previous communication was less than ideal..."

Looking at the unreliable local lord and the even less reliable local tough, Denis suddenly felt overwhelmed and could only say, "I can pay, but not without reason. I need to discuss this with my companions and give you an answer tomorrow."

"No rush, no rush," Ulyan said, rubbing his hands like an honest farmer. "If you don’t mind, you can join us for dinner."

"Thank you, Lord, but I’ll pass."

Watching Denis walk away, Ulyan regretfully withdrew his gaze and instructed Ivan, who had been watching the whole scene, "Why are you just standing there? Go to the warehouse and fetch a couple of legs of meat for our distinguished guests!"

He then analyzed to Leo, "Guiding them could be a big payday. These aren’t adventurers—they’re clearly some family’s young lady out for a picnic. Just take them across the river for a loop, let them taste a bit of hardship, and they’ll soon be clamoring to go home."

"But spring planting is almost here. Will you make it back in time?"

Leo replied dryly, "Why would I? It’s not like I know how to farm! Take this adventuring party on a picnic, earn a gold coin a day—that could feed four hundred of us. Why bother with farming?"

Ulyan was left speechless, swallowing his words.

In these northern villages, farming was life, and spring planting was a significant event—almost a festival. The lord would appear in the fields with his family to inspire the farmers and bless them for the year’s harvest.

At such times, Ulyan instinctively hoped Leo would be by his side, like his own son, always affirming his status as heir.

Now, many in the village knew he planned to marry his daughter to Leo and groom him as the successor to Riverbend. But as the population grew, so would those with scheming hearts.

Ulyan, a rough soldier with little political acumen, relied on hard-earned wisdom from a lifetime of struggle to get by. Adequate as a village head or bandit chief, but as a noble lord, he was stretched thin.

Though he couldn’t articulate it, deep down he wanted to eliminate every unstable factor at its root.

Meanwhile, Denis returned to her fellow adventurers and briefly recounted her recent experience. When she mentioned the offer to hire a guide for one gold coin a day, her five companions gazed at her with gentle, pitying eyes.

"What’s wrong? Is one gold coin too much?" Denis was inexperienced, not stupid. In fact, she was quite clever and immediately sensed something was off.

"One gold coin is enough to make a farmer who’s never left his village claim to be a world-traveling adventurer," sighed Harkins, the armored leader of the party.

"So what do we do? But you said yourself, Captain, that a guide is vital in the wilds!"

"A reliable guide is vital," Harkins clarified. "A trustworthy guide can help the party avoid most risks and save a lot of scouting time. Many local insights can’t be bought, even with money—sometimes you can only learn them at the cost of lives."

"But this is a new frontier. We may not find anyone who fits our needs. If we can’t get a reliable guide, we’ll just have to settle down and explore slowly, getting familiar with the terrain first."

Fischer, the "Shadow," scoffed from beneath his cloak, "Time waits for no one, my friend."

"I know, time waits for no one."

"Didn’t someone mention a map? Buy the map first. If it turns out to be accurate, at least it proves someone here knows Wolfbane Plain."

"Then look for a guide. If they’re reliable, a gold coin a day is acceptable."

"If there’s nothing, we’ll rely on ourselves. Our Firefly Adventurers are reunited—how could we fear a little Wolfbane Plain?"

"That’s right!"