Overlord: Welcome the Birth of the King-Chapter 72 - 73: A Commission? "Decipher Magic" and the Vice President

The ability for currency to circulate freely among human nations—this was already beginning to resemble an international currency.

If the Platinum Dragon Lord was truly behind this, or if this was his handiwork, it wouldn't be impossible.

Lyle only pondered for a moment before shifting his focus back to reality. He reached out and pushed down the head of the little Barghest, which had been baring its fangs.

Whimper.

The little Barghest let out a low whine.

Clink—

The platinum coin was dropped back into the pouch, landing among the others with a crisp, pleasant jingle.

"You know, it's not always easy to control the emotions of magical beasts," Lyle said, looking at the middle-aged man before him with an apologetic smile.

Regardless of whether or not the Platinum Dragon Lord was involved, overthinking things now was pointless.

Long-lived species that had existed for centuries or even millennia didn't think the same way as short-lived races. Trying to guess their thoughts without sufficient information was nothing but a fool's errand.

"I understand, I understand," the middle-aged man said, breathing a sigh of relief and quickly responding.

"I'd like to issue a commission. Do I need to go to the front desk for that?" Lyle suddenly asked.

The middle-aged man replied, "For something like that, I can handle it directly for you."

As an appraiser in the Adventurers' Guild who could use second-tier magic, his talent was limited, but his position was not insignificant.

Handling minor commissions like this was something he could delegate, and it hardly required his personal attention.

The only reason he was personally involved now—aside from just completing a massive 720-gold-coin transaction—was that he had something he wanted to confirm with this black-haired young man before him.

"The commission is to find a magic caster who can use Decipher Magic," Lyle said in a calm voice. "Preferably as soon as possible."

Before heading to the Baharuth Empire, he had a number of preparations to make. Besides securing funds, the biggest issue he needed to resolve was his own illiteracy.

Navigating human society without being able to read was bound to cause endless trouble. The simplest solution was to learn.

But that posed its own problems.

Even if the written language of human nations was the same, mastering an entirely new writing system—one he had never encountered before—was a nightmare for someone like Lyle, who had been a poor student in his previous life.

And that was to say nothing of the time required.

Decipher Magic could interpret all kinds of written text, translating it into something the user could understand. With such a convenient spell available, there was no reason to waste time learning the language from scratch.

Another option was acquiring a Scholar-type class, which granted similar skills.

"Decipher Magic?"

"That's a rather rare spell," the middle-aged man said, deep in thought.

After a brief pause, he continued.

"This magic was primarily used for research into ancient, extinct nations from over a century ago. I do know of a few people who can cast it."

"But..."

The man hesitated, looking somewhat troubled.

"They aren't lacking in money. If you're willing to wait, there's someone in the royal capital who can do it."

"However, bringing them here would take at least two months, and their fee would start at fifty gold coins."

Hearing this, Lyle shook his head. "Money isn't the issue. The time is."

He couldn't afford to stay in E-Rantel for that long.

Based on his current timeline...

The future Imperial Four Knights' "Heavy Explosion"—Leinas Rockbruise—had yet to be recruited by the Bloody Emperor. She had only recently been cast out of her noble family and was likely wandering around, seeking a way to remove the Cursed Knight profession's side effects.

Once Lyle arrived in the Baharuth Empire, finding Leinas would take time. He certainly couldn't afford to waste weeks loitering around E-Rantel.

Seeing Lyle reject the offer without hesitation, the middle-aged man leaned back slightly and smiled.

"There is someone in E-Rantel who possesses this magic," he said.

"But this information will cost you ten gold coins."

Clatter!

Without hesitation, Lyle reached into his coin pouch, pulled out ten gold coins, and placed them on the table.

"The Vice President of the Mage Guild—Master Bellory Vanov Gregory Bertkin."

As he spoke, a trace of respect appeared on the man's face.

"He possesses Decipher Magic, but he rarely appears in public."

"Though he holds the title of Vice President, it's mostly in name only. Even our Guild Master has difficulty meeting him."

At this, the middle-aged man shrugged.

The implication was obvious.

Lyle's lips twitched slightly.

The Guild Master of E-Rantel's Mage Guild, Theo Rakheshir, was at least a known figure. But this Vice President? This was the first time he had ever heard of him.

If even the Guild Master struggled to meet him, what were the chances of Lyle pulling it off?

He had just paid ten gold coins for information that sounded useful on the surface but was ultimately worthless.

If that was the case...

He would have to consider alternative solutions. Were there any magic items that could translate text?

Just as he was about to stand and leave—

"Please wait, sir." The middle-aged man quickly spoke up.

"The two Barghest Bone Chains—those were obtained from the Great Forest of Tob, weren't they?"

"Would you be willing to share any information about the current situation in the forest? Whether accurate or not, we'll pay ten gold coins as a basic intelligence fee."

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"If the information is particularly valuable, we can provide additional compensation. I assure you, you won't be disappointed."

As he spoke, the man pushed the ten gold coins back toward Lyle.

Lyle glanced down at the coins, then back up at the middle-aged man, who wore a respectful expression.

Oh. So that's how he wanted to play it.

"The situation in the Great Forest of Tob?"

Lyle picked up the coins and placed them back into his pouch. Under the expectant gaze of the middle-aged man, he stood up and said indifferently:

"I don't know."

And with that, he turned and left the room, the little Barghest trotting behind him.

Watching Lyle leave, the middle-aged man sighed.

"It seems the information I provided wasn't particularly satisfying."

Adjusting his monocle, his eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

"That was definitely a Barghest, and he had two fully matured Barghest Bone Chains. No matter how you look at it, he must have entered the Great Forest of Tob."

"Should I report this to the Guild Master and send an adventurer team to investigate further? ...No, it's probably best to leave it alone. The higher-ups have already made their decision—as long as it doesn't affect the border villages, it's not our concern."

"The real problem right now is something else entirely..."