As they wandered through the village, their eyes scanned the area until they finally spotted the Veilgate. The shimmering, circular gateway stood tall at the village's center, glowing faintly with Arcana energy.
Two guards, clad in Requiem Republic armor, stood in front of it with stern expressions. As Hugo and Stella approached, one of the guards raised a hand.
"Halt. If you wish to use the Veilgate, there is a fee."
Stella frowned. "A fee? Since when do Veilgates charge people?"
The second guard crossed his arms. "Since always. Only Republic officials and authorized personnel get free access. For everyone else, there's a cost."
Hugo pulled out a small pouch and dropped a handful of gold coins into his palm. "This should cover it," he said confidently.
The guards exchanged glances before shaking their heads. "We don't accept physical currency," one of them stated. "Veilgates are strictly operated under digital transactions. We only take ArcanaCoin."
Hugo blinked in disbelief. "Wait… what? Since when did people stop using gold?"
Stella sighed and pulled out her phone, quickly opening her wallet app. "How much is the fee?"
"1,000 ArcanaCoin per person," the guard replied.
Stella groaned. "A thousand ArcanaCoin just to use a Veilgate? That's robbery!"
Hugo crossed his arms. "Yeah, back in my day, we didn't have to pay ridiculous fees just to travel. What happened to the good old days?"
One of the guards shrugged. "Inflation."
Before either of them could continue complaining, Cosmos chimed in. "Instead of standing here whining, why don't you two look around the village? Maybe you'll find another way."
Stella sighed, rubbing her temple. "For once, the talking sword has a point."
Hugo put his coins back in his pouch. "Fine. Let's see if we can figure something out."
With that, they turned away from the guards and headed into the village, hoping to find an alternative solution.
As they walked through the bustling streets of Ironfang Village, Stella sighed and glanced at Hugo. "Wait a second… do you even have a single ArcanaCoin?"
Hugo casually stretched his arms behind his head. "Nope."
Stella nearly tripped. "What?! Then why were you trying to pay with gold earlier?!"
Hugo shrugged. "I didn't know they phased out gold. I mean, last time I checked, gold was valuable."
Stella groaned. "Unbelievable… Please tell me you at least have a phone."
Hugo smirked. "Nope."
Stella facepalmed. "I swear, you are so lucky I came along. Otherwise, you'd be so screwed in this era."
Cosmos chuckled. "To be fair, he's been 'screwed' for a thousand years and still somehow survived."
Stella shot the sword an annoyed glance. "Not helping, Cosmos."
Hugo sighed. "Alright, alright. Enough about my lack of modern technology. Let's just figure out how we're going to get those ArcanaCoins."
Stella crossed her arms. "Yeah, because unless we find another way, we're not leaving this village anytime soon."