Valerian stood before the guards. The people were confused because, although they knew him. They could not let him go ahead. One of the older guards said, "Sir Valerian, we are posted here on the orders from the guild. We cannot allow you to go in. Please understand our difficulty."
Valerian gave them a calm gaze and asked, "What are they paying you?"
The guards were surprised to see that Valerian was bribing them. They could not decide how to deal with it when Valerian took a few gold coins from his pocket and said, "Take this and look for me outside if it is not enough."
The people were bound and did not expect Valerian to think so lowly of them. It was not like they had not taken money for shady stuff, but coming from such a noble personage, the idol of many people. They were ashamed. Finally, the man asked, "Sir, I will let you go. We do not need your money either. But please tell me, do you have the confidence to deal with that thing? Or come back safely, at least?"
