I Was a Loner, but My Class Got Summoned to Another World… - Chapter 65 - Hard Bargain

“So, you are telling me you want to hold a meeting, Hero Logan…” Treasurer Golman asked the young boy who had suddenly shown up, his two knights following behind.

He did not seem to have wasted his money on fancy clothing or jewelry, which made the treasurer see the boy in a better light compared to his peers, who had instantly spent the kingdom’s gold on riches as soon as their first wage was given.

Three particular boys came to mind who wasted so much on useless mounts that could have easily been provided by the castle’s stables.

And they were not the only ones wasting money.

Many of the girls wore fine magical clothing, whose only function was to always remain clean, as if they didn’t have maids to wash their clothes.

His worst assessment was reserved for those who didn’t even buy practical items, opting instead for jewelry with no special use or magical endowment.

It was a pity, but most of the heroes were just kids with power. He had yet to be impressed.

He stared at the boy and then welcomed him into his small but comfortable office, furnished with only the essentials the treasurer needed—nothing more, nothing less.

“You will have to forgive me, Hero, I only have a seat for one. You see, my job does not require much company,” Golman said while sitting behind his desk and looking at papers, as if telling Logan he had other matters to attend to.

“I will be quick then. Thanks for making time for me. Now, with the help of the Guardian of the Forest, I was given a particular gift that I think you will need. I was wondering if I could sell it to the kingdom…” Logan began to explain his lie.

“What could you possibly have, boy, that we would need, especially when we are low on funds?” Golman replied.

If not for the boy’s status as a hero, he would have already sent him away.

“About that, Sir… I think it would be easier to show you than to say any more,” Logan said, summoning the crystal onto the treasurer’s desk.

The weight of the item was enough to make the cheap wooden table’s legs give out.

“What in the world…” Golman let his jaw drop as he felt the pure magical item’s radiance reach him.

His slight headache even seemed to disappear near the large, meter-and-a-half-long crystal.

“Well, that’s the item I wanted to sell to the kingdom. You know its value, right, Sir?” Logan almost laughed at the man’s reaction.

It even felt good after the way the guy had been treating him.

“Indeed—” He was about to say something when he felt someone enter his room unannounced.

“Golman! What… what is this!” Aldric Spellweaver, the castle’s Archmage, exclaimed as he entered.

He was an elder but a very wise mage in charge of the kingdom’s Magic Guild.

The old wizard should have been busy training the magic-based heroes at this time, so Golman did not know why he had interrupted him so abruptly.

“Where did you get your hands on this, Golman? Do you know the value of this crystal? It’s four times larger and so much purer than the one we use to provide the capital’s energy…” Aldric, who had forgotten about the others in the room, began to caress the crystal as if it were his own child.

“What did you just say, Aldric? Do you know how much our own crystal cost us? You know better than anyone how much we have to pay the empire to get those,” Golman told the wizard.

“Now, Hero, do tell me everything in detail, please. I promise to listen to your story,” Golman asked Logan in a different tone than the one he had used earlier.

“I would also like to hear this,” Archmage Aldric said, retrieving three seats from his storage and offering them to Logan’s knights.

Going over the same details as before, Logan outlined the main points of his lie and waited for both elders in the room to speak.

“Well, that is amazing. How much are you willing to sell it for?” the elderly mage asked, his piercing gaze fixed on Logan.

He seemed willing to sell his soul to acquire the large crystal.

“I wanted to speak to Sir Golman about that…” Logan made it clear that he intended to sell it to the kingdom, demonstrating his value to them in the future.

“Well… if it’s as Aldric said, when compared to what we pay the Empire… I would say… twenty thousand gold coins…” The treasurer rubbed his chin, trying to maintain the best poker face he had ever made in his life.

Everyone in the room, including the mage who didn’t have that kind of money, knew the treasurer was blatantly deceiving Logan.

“You know, I just returned from the Merchants Guild… but I am willing to give it to the kingdom for twenty thousand coins, even though I know the real price.” Logan did not appreciate the manipulation, especially since he knew the true value.

“If I knew you had this… I wouldn’t have given you that huge sack of coins…” the treasurer mumbled, tapping his fingers on the desk.

“We can afford… ten thousand in cash. You will be allowed to expand your land, which is currently thirty-four kilometers. We can increase your land to three times the size and send some workers to help with infrastructure for half a year,” Golman said, thinking that was enough for the young hero to accept.

“Surely you jest, trying to give only that much to the young hero, Golman. Think about it—did he ever say this was the only one he had?” Aldric tried getting on Logan’s good side.

He knew he did not have enough for this particular crystal, but maybe the boy had a way to provide one even a tenth of the size to study and use.

“Fine, tsk. We will also give you one artifact from the royal treasury of your choosing. This will be on a later day, and we will only present those that might be suited for you,” the stingy man said, wanting to toss the elder out.

With the deal completed, Logan exited the room, accompanied by his two knights.

The elderly mage, who seemed eager to speak to him, followed closely.

“Here, sir, I thank you for your help.” Logan anticipated what the old man wanted and handed him a piece of the crystal, just as big as a palm.

“Wait, how much…” the old man began to say.

“It’s on the house,” Logan said, making his intentions clear.

He knew he could use the old man for help later, just as he did with Golman.

“Thank you, Hero. I will remember this,” the archmage said with joy before teleporting out of sight.