Wolfe used [Detect Hidden] to scan the pockets of the guards, and found that they had quite a few coins on them, both copper and silver.
Using Earth Magic, he created fifty silver coins in his pocket, and took two out for the guards.
The guard took one and handed the other back. "Luton Guards do not require bribes. Proceed."
Karl led the group in, and quickly realized that the strange look the guards were giving them, and all the suspicion, was not because of their sudden appearance, it was because they did not fit in at all.
The witches were wearing Robes, Wolfe was wearing his Patriarch Robes, and Molly was wearing an "I love Forest Grove" hoodie, that she had pulled up to hide her ears in a city full of humans.
None of them fit in with the mix of linen tunics with breeches, corseted peasant dresses, elegant gowns, or stiffly starched jackets with gleaming brass and silver buttons worn over inscribed silver and gold breastplates.
Their fashion was simply too foreign, and while it appeared to be of high enough quality that people assumed they were nobles, they clearly were not from around here.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"We should find a hotel and get checked in. Once we are settled, I will change our outfits to match the locals a bit better." Wolfe whispered to the others as he felt the strangers staring at them.
"I am not sure how much that will help. A lot of the nobles here are mages, I can feel it. They know how powerful our group is, so we're going to attract attention, no matter where we go, and even more if we look local, since they should at least know who the local Saints are." Molly whispered.
She had an excellent point. He had forgotten that this world was also magic using humans, though they used Demon Magic, granted to them from the Lower Planes, not the standard mage meditation skill that the other world attacking Forest Grove used.
They had enough powerful people here that they were a problem even for the Demon Kings, so Wolfe didn't want to start a big incident here if he could help it.
If they found out who he was, there probably would be one. He was certain that word had gotten back to them about his fights in the Demon Realm by now, and possibly a rumour about who had been responsible for the undead plague that infected one of their cities.
They wouldn't forgive that one easily, not with the number of dead.
"That one looks safe." Molly suggested, pointing at a building that Wolfe wouldn't have identified as an Inn.
"Are you sure that is an Inn?" He asked.
"I smell stew, ale and filthy straw beds. I think it's a commoners' Inn." She whispered back.
Cassie patted her on the head. "It's a tavern. There are rooms, but they're for patrons that pass out drunk at the end of the night. We will go up the street a bit and get a proper Inn."
They let Cassie lead the way, and a bit further up the road, she found a hotel with a few carriages parked out front, and moderately well-dressed patrons exiting the vehicles. They wouldn't be upper nobles, who would know all the more powerful people of other nations personally, but they weren't so low-born that the group's fancy clothing really stood out.
Wolfe took the lead again, and focused on the coins in the wealthier looking patrons' pouches. There were gold coins in there, in three different sizes, so he made ten of each in his pocket with the silver ones.
It was a good thing that they didn't have a magical currency, or he would have been in a much more dire situation right now. They could have made something with magic and taken it to a merchant to sell, but it might have been suspicious, and they didn't know the prices of anything to haggle properly.
Asking too little was just as suspicious as asking far too much, and the shopkeepers might well report them to the guards as a suspicious group.
But walking in with coins made them look somewhat normal, even if Wolfe had insulted the guard by not knowing the copper to silver conversion rate.
"Good afternoon, sir and ladies. What might I help you with today?" The concierge greeted them at the door.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"We were hoping to get rooms for the next few evenings while we are in town. Might you have space?" Wolfe asked, not trying to hide his foreign accent.
"Of course. For travellers without writs of nobility, it is five silvers, or one Gold Penny for a premier suite for the evening, including morning and evening meals. Your servant might have to sleep on the floor, as the suite doesn't have a servant bunk and ours are all booked, but we have floor beds that keep them from getting too stiff to perform their duties."
Wolfe nodded, and the man gestured to the front counter. "This way sir."
The concierge led them to the desk, and Wolfe slipped him a silver coin as they shook hands, which made the older human smile.
"I will arrange a magician to cprepare a fresh bath for the ladies. You must be tired from a long journey." The concierge announced as he stepped away.
Wolfe nodded politely, and turned to the front desk worker. "I would like a suite for a number of nights, please. For the entire group."
The clerk smiled back, already aware of the requirement, thanks to his conversation with the concierge.
"Of course sir. For how long?"
Wolfe pretended to think about it for a moment. "Five days should be long enough."
The Clerk nodded. "Will you need seats for the grand auction? I have one balcony reservation left in the hotel name, and there are sfine magical items going up across the block this time. The hotel is a secondary host, you see."
Cassie poked Wolfe, encouraging him to say yes, and he patted her on the head.
"It seems that I have no choice. How much for the balcony?"