World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 48: Gold Coin

Chapter 48: Gold Coin

’Is that actual gold?’ He took it from her. It felt surprisingly weighty in his hand.

"It’s a royal coin from Lifewoods," she explained.

He turned it over and over. ’Looks real enough. But will anyone here take it?’ This wasn’t exactly a fantasy kingdom. This was, or used to be, a normal city.

Standing around wouldn’t get them anywhere, and he knew a place where people dealt with all sorts of things.

"Come on," he said, pocketing the coin. "I think I know a place we can ask."

She looked at him, her expression questioning but she didn’t argue. She just followed as he started walking, turning away from the main square. He led them down a side street that was a little less clean. The buildings here were still intact, but the people seemed different.

"This area feels... less orderly," she commented, staying a little closer to him now.

"Yeah, well, we’re not looking for orderly," he replied. He spotted the building he was looking for up ahead. It didn’t have a big sign, just a single light over a dark door. ’This is it.’

He walked right up to the door and pushed it open. A wall of noise hit them, people talking loudly and the clatter of something like dice on tables. He stepped inside, and Serian followed, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. The room was full of people huddled around tables, playing cards and other games he didn’t recognize.

’Okay, who do I talk to?’ he thought, scanning the room. He saw a man leaning against a bar in the back, watching everything. The guy looked like he was in charge. Nox started moving that way, weaving through the crowded tables.

"Stay close," he said to Serian without looking back. She was already right behind him.

He reached the bar and leaned against it, waiting for the man to look at him. The man finally turned his head, his eyes giving him a quick, bored once-over.

"Whaddaya want, kid?" the man asked, his voice rough.

Nox didn’t say anything at first. He just pulled the gold coin out of his pocket and placed it on the bar, sliding it over. "Want to know if this is worth anything here."

The man looked down at the coin. He picked it up, his expression not changing. He turned it over, then bit it. ’He actually bit it? Pfft?’

"Where’d you get this?" the man asked, his eyes sharp now.

"Found it," he lied, shrugging. "So, is it worth anything or is it just a fancy paperweight?"

The man looked from the coin to Nox, then his gaze flickered to Serian, who was standing silently behind him.

"It’s real gold, that’s for sure," the man said slowly. "Not from around here, though. Collectors might like it." He slid the coin back. "I’ll give you a hundred for it."

’A hundred? That’s it?’ He knew gold was worth way more than that. This guy was trying to rip him off.

He chuckled, a low, dry sound. "A hundred?" he repeated, shaking his head. "Come on, man. Don’t play me. It’s gotta be worth more than that."

The man’s eyes narrowed. "That’s my offer. Take it or leave it, kid. I ain’t got all night."

Just then, another man at the bar, who had been listening in, leaned over. "Hey, let me see that." He was bigger than the bartender, with a scar on his cheek.

Nox didn’t move. "Got my own business here," he said, keeping his voice level.

The scarred man grinned, showing a few missing teeth. "I’m making it my business." He reached for the coin.

Before his hand could touch it, Nox’s hand shot out and clamped down on his wrist. It happened so fast the guy didn’t even have time to react. His grip was tight.

"I said," he started, his voice a low growl, "it’s my business." He could feel that corrupted mana inside him stir, just a little. "Now back off before you lose a hand."

The man’s grin vanished. He tried to pull his wrist free, but Nox’s grip was like stone. The bartender just watched, his arms crossed now, interest showing in his eyes.

"Alright, alright, ease up, kid," the scarred man grunted, the bravado gone from his voice.

Nox held on for another second, then let go. The man stumbled back, rubbing his wrist and glaring. He muttered something under his breath and walked away.

Nox turned back to the bartender, who was looking at him a little differently now. "So, about that coin," he said, picking it up. "Let’s try this again. What’s a real offer?"

The bartender sighed. "You’re a feisty one, ain’t ya?" He leaned forward. "Look, it’s worth a lot to the right person. I can give you five hundred, cash. That’s my final offer, for real this time. Or you can take your chances finding a ’collector’ out there on your own."

He considered it. Five hundred would get them a decent room, food, and supplies. It was probably still less than the coin was actually worth, but it was fast, and he didn’t want to wander around flashing a gold coin.

"Deal," he said. He pushed the coin back across the bar.

The bartender nodded and counted out some bills from a drawer. He slid the stack of money over, and Nox quickly counted it before stuffing it into his pocket.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the bartender said, his voice flat. He gave Serian another look, then went back to watching the room.

Nox turned to leave. "Let’s go," he said to Serian.

She followed him out, not saying a word until they were back on the street. The noise of the gambling house faded behind them as the door closed.

"You... handled that situation with surprising... force," she finally said, looking at him. Her eyes were studying him. "Have you dealt with men like that before? In a place like this?"

He looked at her, then just shook his head. "Nope," he said,. "All that inside... I just improvised."

’Guess all those years of watching my own back taught me a thing or two,’ he thought. He looked away from her, down the empty street. It didn’t matter how he knew, just that he did.

"Doesn’t matter now," he said, changing the subject. "We got the money. Now let’s go find a place to sleep that doesn’t smell like cheap beer and desperation."