"What will you pay with? We don't accept money." the man replied without looking up at her, continuing to polish his hammer, which now gleamed.

He quickly turned it around, and Mai was hit by a sharp glare, almost blinded.

She had never heard of anyone refusing money in the world and became very curious. "Why don't you accept money?"

The man suddenly stopped turning his hammer, and his group ceased their activities too. They all looked up at her, silently studying her from head to toe. Then they exchanged glances, silently acknowledging her predicament.

Furrowing his brows, the man looked up at her and asked, "I am a Rune Master and only accept artifacts as payment, so if you can't come up with something, you're wasting your time." His voice was flat but carried a stern tone.

Although Mai had played and read a lot of fantasy, she didn't know they categorized things as artifacts here. She had already revealed herself by asking a foolish question.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, tasting something sour.

She sighed deeply, forced a tight smile, and said, "I'm sorry to disturb you, Rune Master. I woke up with amnesia, was attacked by a bush, and almost killed by a wyvern. Then I was kidnapped by a group with a logo of a golden fist. My day hasn't been easy. Have a good evening."

She bowed deeply to him, causing everyone to stare at her with wide eyes.

Mai slowly walked away, hoping the man would change his mind, but she couldn't see a reason why he should.

"I'm tired." she murmured softly, feeling a pang in her heart as she shot out all her emotions.

At the same time, she passed by a young man, and her fingers suddenly glowed in different colors, a wave shooting out from them, playing with the man's hair on his neck. His eyes widened, and he immediately looked at her.

"Master Kjeld, can't we hear what she has to offer before we send her away?" He suddenly said, causing Mai to stop.

The group immediately backed him up.

A woman looked at Master Kjeld and said, "She still hasn't mentioned if she has anything."

"That's true. Just give her a chance, Master Kjeld." said another woman, puffing out her cheeks and trying to look pitiful.

Master Kjeld grunted and looked over at Mai's back, considering their words.

He suddenly let out a long sigh and said loudly, "Okay, come back, and we can talk about it. If you have something that's not money but valuable, I can consider it, but it must be worth more than artifacts."

Mai furrowed her brows at the words.

I have nothing of value.

She regretted not taking the gold key with her now.

The only thing she had on her was her worn-out dress.

She walked over to Master Kjeld and took out the white dress while looking away shyly.

"I have this. But it's used. It's the only thing I own," she said, feeling her cheeks grow very warm.

"It's not washed and smells." she hurriedly added.

Master Kjeld furrowed his brows, leaned forward, and sniffed the dress. His eyes suddenly widened, and he furrowed his brows again, looking at the group as he waved them over.

They came over and immediately sniffed the dress.

A woman looked up at Mai and asked, "You smell of spirits from Amenale mixed with energy from Kahrlin. There's also something from Sanszhin and Labunagaan."

Mai quickly pointed to the sky and invented a lie. "I come from there and fell down and hit my head very hard."

"People don't just fall from the sky here. But we can take you with us for your dress. We're leaving tomorrow." said Master Kjeld.

Mai furrowed her brows, bit her lip, and asked in a trembling voice, "Can we leave now? It's urgent for me to get to Korral. I have someone waiting for me."

Her heart pounded quickly, and her ears throbbed.

Say yes.

Master Kjeld thought about her words for a moment and nodded. "Fine. We'll leave shortly."

They quickly got ready and settled into four large horse-drawn wagons, immediately leaving the village.

Mai had hidden all the way, hoping Lind's group wouldn't notice her, and when they made it safely out of town, she breathed a sigh of relief. She stuck her head out of the wagon and looked towards the village, slowly receding into the distance. She broke into a smile and leaned back.

"Where is Korral, and where am I?" she asked, looking at the group.

"You must have hit your head very hard. You're in the continent of Kahrlin, and Korral is the capital." replied the same young man who had spoken up for her.

Mai felt tempted to inquire about Lind's group and the spells they used but chose not to.

Instead, she asked, "What do you want with a used dress?"

"Artisan Jarl can break it down and make valuable artifacts out of it." replied the man who introduced himself as Liam.

Mai couldn't imagine anything incredible coming out of breaking down her used dress and said, "Does he make artifacts out of random clothes?"

Liam smiled and cryptically replied, "Not random. Only what is deemed valuable. What is your name, miss?"

Mai felt nostalgic hearing the word 'miss' and had only heard the police address her that way.