Chapter 275 - 274: Money-Burning Black Hole

Chapter 275: Chapter 274: Money-Burning Black Hole

"I’m not kidding..."

Seeing Barrett’s surprised expression, Zelir recounted the scene just as it had happened.

"The shopkeeper said it was cheap because not many people use Magic Wands made of Star Meteorite Wood."

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

Barrett waved his hands repeatedly, his tone firm with the confidence of a merchant.

"It’s true that most mainstream Mold Mages dislike Star Meteorite Wood because it’s difficult to embed a Wand Core. But no matter what, its rarity is a fact."

"To be honest with you, just the Star Meteorite Wood material for a Magic Wand of that size would cost more than One Hundred Gold Coins."

"Not to mention the processing, the engraving of Rune Circuits, the polishing, and a whole series of other miscellaneous costs."

"The entire process would cost at least two hundred Gold Coins."

"If he sold it to you for One Hundred Gold Coins, he’d be taking a huge loss. He would have been better off just leaving it in his warehouse. Someone would have eventually bought it."

Hearing Barrett’s words, Zelir’s gaze fell back on the Night Peace, and he too felt that something was off.

Barrett was a professional merchant, after all. His analysis was sound.

Besides, even when he bought the Magic Wand, he had thought One Hundred Gold Coins was cheap.

And now, with both Mage Haddley and Barrett questioning it... this "bargain" seemed a bit too good to be true.

Zelir frowned slightly.

’Forget it. I’ll go back to that Magic Wand Shop later and ask what’s going on.’

’And as for upgrading the Night Peace Magic Wand...’

Zelir pondered for a moment.

’I should probably put that on hold for now.’

The price was a bit beyond what Zelir had imagined.

Over three hundred Gold Coins was not cheap. Even paying in installments would be a strain.

For now, the Night Peace was perfectly adequate.

Besides, upgrading the Magic Wand would mean leaving the Night Peace here for material fusion and engraving.

It could take ten days to half a month, and he’d be without a Magic Wand for any missions. His combat effectiveness would be significantly reduced.

’That would be very dangerous.’

’I’ll just keep using it for now.’

"I understand. I’ll put off upgrading the Magic Wand for now."

Zelir nodded slightly. "If I change my mind later, I’ll come find you."

"Of course," Barrett replied with a confident smile.

’You’ll definitely be back.’

After leaving Barrett’s shop, Zelir went to the main hall of the trading post up ahead.

Compared to the quiet and comfortable shops, the hall was much noisier, filled with the endless sounds of hawking and shouting.

Zelir didn’t wander around. He purposefully walked into a shop selling Magic Potions on the other side of the market.

This was the same shop where Zelir had inquired about prices before but hadn’t bought anything.

The Magic Potion shop seemed to have been renovated and upgraded recently; even the decor was different.

The wooden door was inlaid with translucent stained glass, and the light inside was adjusted to be soft and dim, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

"Welcome!"

Behind the counter, a middle-aged man in a brown vest hurried over to greet him.

His professional smile turned into one of pleasant surprise when he saw Zelir’s attire.

’Whoa... What an extraordinary aura, and that’s not a cheap Magic Robe he’s wearing.’

’A distinguished customer!’

’And for some reason... he looks a little familiar?’

"I’m the owner of this shop, West. Whatever you need, I can offer you the most professional advice."

"Hello, West."

Zelir nodded at him. "I’d like to buy some recovery-type Magic Potions."

"Of course. Personal safety is the number one priority."

West guided him enthusiastically. "This way, please. The good stuff is inside."

He led Zelir to the center of the shop, where there was a row of display cases covered with Enchanted Glass.

Zelir’s quick glance revealed two types of Magic Potions he recognized.

Low Level Recovery Potion.

This was the Magic Potion for which Instructor Manlin had given him the formula. It had basic rapid-hemostasis properties and a slight flesh-regeneration effect.

Its main advantage was being cheap, so it sold reasonably well.

Then there was the Healing Potion, a Magic Potion that could take effect quickly when injured, at least stabilizing the wound.

However...

Zelir’s gaze ultimately landed on a third type of Magic Potion.

This was one he didn’t recognize.

Unlike the green liquid of a Healing Potion, the liquid in this bottle was golden and viscous.

If it weren’t on display in a Magic Potion shop, Zelir would have even mistaken it for a bottle of honey.

Upon closer inspection, the energy contained within seemed even more abundant than that of a Healing Potion.

"What is this?" Zelir asked.

"This is the most effective recovery-type Magic Potion we currently sell!"

West introduced it solemnly, "The Surging Potion!"

"It’s a real life-saving treasure!"

"The Surging Potion not only uses the rare Sunlight Orchid as its base, but its Refining process also involves multiple complex procedures that require exquisite skill!"

"And how good is its effect?" Zelir’s interest was piqued.

"Let’s put it this way. If you’re severely injured, a Low Level Recovery Potion is basically water. Drinking it is useless."

West explained patiently.

"A Healing Potion can help stabilize an injury and promote flesh regeneration, but its effects are ultimately limited."

"But the Surging Potion! The immense Life Energy it contains will charge into your body like a rampaging bull!"

"As long as it’s not a fatal injury like half your head being smashed or your heart being pierced, it can help you recover quickly!"

"Massive blood loss? A torn leg muscle affecting your movement? A broken arm preventing you from holding a sword?"

"None of those are a problem! Gulp down a bottle of Surging Potion, and I guarantee you’ll be back to fighting form!"

"It’s that miraculous?" Zelir said in amazement.

"Of course! The restorative power of a Surging Potion has already surpassed the Healing Skill cast by a typical Empowerment Mage."

West stared into Zelir’s eyes, full of confidence.

"This is the Power of a Magic Potion, Lord Mage. Sometimes, it is enough to surpass Magic itself!"

’Surpass Magic...’ Zelir looked at the golden liquid, his heart stirring.

West had a point.

If he ever encountered an extreme situation where he was injured and couldn’t cast a Healing Skill...

Then a powerful external item like this, which didn’t require Magic Power, would be his last chance to turn the tables.

Zelir made his decision.

"I’ll take it."

The Surging Potion was priced at Thirty Gold Coins.

In addition, Zelir also bought two bottles of Healing Potion.

The quality of these two Healing Potions was above average, so the price was a bit higher.

Seven Gold Coins per bottle.

After selecting the recovery-type Magic Potions, Zelir asked again.

"Do you have any Overclocking Potions that can temporarily boost one’s strength? Or would you have to special order them...?"

"Sir, you’re in luck!"

West rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Just a short while ago, our shop was upgraded!"

"I specially imported a batch of Overclocking Potions from elsewhere. If you’d like to buy one, you can even skip the waiting time for an order and see them right away!"

West lifted a red velvet cloth, revealing Magic Potions that were even redder than the cloth itself.

Viscous and deep in color.

They looked to be of even better quality than the Overclocking Potion Zelir had drunk before.

And, of course, more dangerous.

"As you should know, the quality of an Overclocking Potion directly determines the extent of the strength boost."

"And the key to that is the quality of the ingredients," West explained.

"Is it the quality of the Bloodroot Wei?" Zelir said.

West was taken aback for a moment, then nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, Lord Mage, you are very knowledgeable."

"The Bloodroot Wei used in these Overclocking Potions is of very high quality, so the strength boost they provide will be quite significant."

’So the price will be higher, too, right...’ Zelir thought to himself.

"Lord Mage, may I be so bold as to ask, are you currently a Junior Mage?" West asked.

"Yes," Zelir said.

"Then there’s no problem. Overclocking Potions are only effective for Junior Mages."

West nodded firmly.

"If you were a Middle Level Mage, the effect of an Overclocking Potion would be negligible."

’So each Mage Level has different buff limitations...’ Zelir thought silently.

He carefully examined the Overclocking Potions in the display case several times before his gaze finally settled on the most expensive bottle.

Its color was the deepest, which likely meant the quality of the Bloodroot Wei was extremely high.

It was so red it was almost black.

"I’ll take this one."

"Excellent!"

West carefully took it out.

The listed price was thirty-five Gold Coins.

More than fifty percent more expensive than a regular Overclocking Potion.

With just these few Magic Potions, Zelir had already spent seventy-nine Gold Coins.

Tsk, tsk...

Zelir shook his head gently.

’This money really doesn’t last long, does it?’

"Also, I was wondering, do you sell Source Energy Crystal Stones here?"

He had potions for recovery covered, but he couldn’t neglect his Magic Power reserves.

"Yes, yes, of course we do!"

Hearing that Zelir wanted to buy more, West could barely conceal the delight on his face.

"Please, follow me!"

West led Zelir to another area.

Inside the display case, several rows of translucent, sparkling stones were neatly arranged.

Zelir leaned in closer to observe.

Since the Source Energy Crystal Stones he had used before were all gifts from Lante, Zelir hadn’t studied them much.

Now that he had a comparison, the difference was obvious at a glance.

Higher-quality Source Energy Crystal Stones stored more Magic Power, the Magic Power was purer, and the absorption efficiency was higher.

Conversely, with lower-quality Source Energy Crystal Stones, one might not even be enough to fully replenish a Mage’s reserves; you would need several.

And the efficiency was lower, too.

Most importantly...

The Magic Power stored in low-quality Source Energy Crystal Stones was also quite impure.

This led to a problem.

A normal Source Energy Crystal Stone would only trigger a backlash after restoring one hundred percent of one’s Magic Power reserves in one go.

But a low-quality Source Energy Crystal Stone might trigger a backlash after restoring only seventy or eighty percent.

Zelir squinted and looked.

The best-quality Source Energy Crystal Stones here... were twenty Gold Coins apiece!

’Sheesh... this stuff isn’t cheap either.’

Zelir made a mental comparison.

The Source Energy Crystal Stones Lante had given him were probably of Elementary Quality.

The listed price for those was also Ten Gold Coins apiece.

Based on Zelir’s current experience...

One Source Energy Crystal Stone of Elementary Quality could just barely refill his Blue Bar.

The Magic Power was reasonably pure, and the absorption efficiency and all that was acceptable.

For now, there was no need to go for those high-quality Source Energy Crystal Stones.

But once his Mage Level increased, the Elementary Quality ones would surely not be enough.

’I’ll have to spend money on more expensive ones then...’

Zelir gritted his teeth and reached for the middle row of standard-quality Crystal Stones.

"I want Source Energy Crystal Stones of this quality. Give me... five of them."

"You got it! That’ll be fifty Gold Coins in total!"

After this shopping trip, Zelir had spent a total of one hundred and twenty-nine Gold Coins in the shop...

As he was paying, Zelir felt a little dazed.

’So... it’s this expensive, huh?’

Two bottles of Healing Potion, one Surging Potion, one high-quality Overclocking Potion, and five Source Energy Crystal Stones.

One hundred and twenty-nine Gold Coins, just like that.

He had risked his life in Falling Leaves Town and only received One Hundred Gold Coins in compensation...

This single trip to the trading post had taken a large bite out of Zelir’s net worth.

His fortune had shrunk from three hundred and eighty-two Gold Coins to two hundred and fifty-three.

And that was with him being careful about his purchases.

Tsk, tsk...

"Lord Mage, please come again!"

The shopkeeper, West, waved with a broad smile as Zelir left.

...

The Silver Blaze Tree Cluster swayed gently.

A dreary autumn wind swept through the courtyard, sending countless silver leaves fluttering down. They spun and danced in the sunlight, like an early silver snowfall.

Manlin stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, quietly gazing at the encroaching autumn.

The feeling was strange... as if the entire world were slowly fading in color.

"How quickly it comes... winter is almost here again..."

She murmured under her breath.

KNOCK, KNOCK...

The sound of knocking suddenly echoed, followed by a familiar voice.

"Instructor Manlin, are you there?"