Sunlight streamed through the window, painting a bright rectangle on the floorboards. Kaito awoke with a start, the simple act of opening his eyes to a wooden ceiling still a minor surprise. For a blissful moment, his mind was empty, a clean slate. Then, the memories of the previous day drifted back—the city, the guild, the coins... the women. A fresh wave of embarrassment warmed his face, though the sharpness of the feeling had already faded, softened by sleep.
He sat up, stretching his human limbs. It was then he realized the practical problem. He had paid for the room, but how much did he have left? He reached into his pocket and pulled out the remaining coins. One gold piece, gleaming brightly, and one single silver.
A frown creased his brow. [Sage, I gave the innkeeper two silver coins. How... how much was that?]
[You provided approximately 0.2% of your total liquid assets for one night's lodging and sustenance.]
The number meant very little to him. [Is that a lot?]
[Context: A skilled laborer in this city may earn one to two silver coins for a full day's work. You exchanged the equivalent of a day's wages.]
Kaito's eyes widened. He looked at the single silver coin in his palm, then at the gold one. He had given away a full day's pay for a single night? The concept of value was still so abstract. He had the cores, he could get more coins, but the idea that he had spent so much on something as simple as a bed and a meal felt... extravagant. And foolish.
He got ready to leave, a little flustered by his own financial ignorance. As he stood, his foot knocked against something under the bed. He bent down and found a small, cloth pouch. He picked it up, and it jingled heavily. He loosened the drawstring and poured the contents onto the bed.
A small pile of silver coins glittered in the sunlight. Ninety-eight of them.
He stared, utterly bewildered. [Sage? Where did these come from?]
[Analysis: This is your change. The total received from the guild was two gold and one silver. One gold coin is equivalent to one hundred silver coins. You provided one gold coin to the innkeeper for a two-silver cost. He returned ninety-eight silver coins as change. You apparently overlooked the pouch.]
Kaito blinked. He had been carrying a small fortune in a pouch he didn't even know he had. He had been worried about his one silver coin, while ninety-eight more were literally at his feet. The sheer, ridiculous scale of his oversight hit him, and he let out a short, incredulous laugh. He was an idiot. A lucky, financially clueless idiot.
Gathering the coins back into the pouch, now feeling significantly wealthier and more foolish, he headed downstairs and returned the heavy key. The innkeeper gave him a nod. "Find everything alright, sir?"
"Yes," Kaito said, the pouch of silver feeling conspicuously heavy in his pocket. "Thank you."
Stepping back out into the bustling morning streets of Whitepeak, he felt a new sense of determination, mixed with a healthy dose of humility. He had a small fortune, a place to sleep, and a world that was still vast and confusing. But today, his goal was simple: learn. Learn the value of a coin, learn the layout of the city, and maybe, just maybe, work up the courage to go back to the guild and see those clerks again without turning the same color as Lyra's hair.