As Gauss passed by the warrior section, he noticed the prices of some Basic Sword Skills—cheaper ones were twenty to thirty Silver Coins, while the more expensive ones were about fifty to sixty Silver Coins.
Compared to spells, they weren’t too pricey.
The wanderer section also had some stealth techniques, stealth skills, and detection skills for sale.
"Is it possible for me to master skills from other professions?" Gauss pondered to himself.
Generally speaking, professionals usually focus on a series of skills related to their primary profession.
Because the skills of their primary profession are already diverse and plentiful enough for them to study, learning skills from other professions on a whim is more trouble than it’s worth.
Human energy is limited, and biting off more than you can chew applies here as well.
Moreover, it’s often a case of more effort with less result, which is a conclusion reached by most people.
"But my attributes don’t have any shortcomings, and with the existence of a panel, perhaps mastering some simple apprentice-level skills isn’t too difficult?" Gauss decided to come back later for another look.
He continued to walk further in.
The section for spells mages can learn finally appeared before him.
It was properly divided into two zones based on the level of the spells.
0th Ring Tricks, 1st Ring Spells, and 2nd Ring Spells.
Yes, in the shop of the Adventurer’s Guild in Gray Rock Town, only up to 2nd-level spells were available for purchase, with no trace of 3rd-level or higher spells for the time being.
Perhaps shops in the Adventurer’s Guilds of other large cities might offer them.
"Please do not open the scrolls. Violators are responsible for the consequences."
Glancing at the warning text on the shelf, Gauss withdrew his hand.
It’s obvious that if these skill books can be placed on the shelves like self-service items, they must be equipped with some protective mechanism.
Given the warning about the consequences, there might even be some small penalties.
Gauss had no intention of suffering.
Thankfully, although they couldn’t be opened, the shelves clearly indicated the type, price, and basic effect of the corresponding scrolls, allowing Gauss to make his choices.
Gauss quickly browsed through, getting a rough idea of the price range for spells of different rings.
0th Ring Tricks were generally around sixty Silver Coins to one Gold Coin, with the expensive ones slightly over one Gold Coin.
1st Ring Spells were over eight Gold Coins.
2nd Ring Spells were over sixty Gold Coins.
In other words, he could only look at the 2nd Ring Spells for now, and while 1st Ring Spells seemed affordable, there was no immediate need to buy them.
Just as per his plan when he came, it’s best for him to choose a few suitable 0th Ring Tricks to supplement his overall capability for now.
Unfortunately, the 0th Ring Tricks here also seemed to be incomplete.
Perhaps they were sold out and not restocked, or the missing ones were particularly rare tricks.
Gauss began to carefully read the information descriptions on the shelves for 0th Ring Tricks.
Blade Ward, Dancing Light Technique, Light Spell, Mage’s Hand, Communication Technique, Magic Tricks...
Though not comprehensive, it’s enough to leave Gauss pondering for a long time.
Gauss spent quite some time going through every 0th Ring Trick sold in the shop.
If he could, he would love to master all the tricks.
But obviously, reality wouldn’t allow him to go that far.
Even though he currently didn’t feel too much mental burden from spells, wanting to learn so many tricks still seemed unrealistic.
Moreover, his wallet wouldn’t allow it.
So he had to choose the most necessary tricks according to priorities.
"Those tricks specialized in combat, I won’t consider for now. I have the 1st Ring Spell Magic Missile, plus Basic Swordsmanship for supplement, enough for attacks for the time being; I can make additions in the future."
"What I need are some functional tricks."
"Magic Tricks, this is a must-learn. Though this spell is weak and seems to lack direct combat power, its versatility is too powerful and can provide many conveniences in daily life."
Gauss first confirmed the first trick.
The moment he saw it, he knew he had to learn it.
[Magic Tricks]
Level: 0th Ring Trick
Description: This spell is a basic casting magical trick for practice. It can produce a very weak spark, a gentle breeze; slight sounds; peculiar smells; clean a small area; slightly flavor (cannot add nutrition or change toxicity), limited to sensory experiences, create a temporary mark, or small illusion.
Just seeing its description, Gauss could imagine many scenarios.
First is lighting a campfire without worrying about forgetting matches or flint, or having to make fire by drilling wood like a primitive man.
Next, he could perform some minor cleaning on his body after a battle. Although one trick may not clean the body thoroughly, tricks consume very little Magic Power, so he can just use it multiple times to directly solve one of the major pain points during Gauss’s adventures.
Moreover, he should also be able to produce a small amount of water, although it’s no match for the 1st Ring Water Creation Technique, it’s still something to rely on for water in case of shortage by exchanging Magic Power for some.
The price of ninety Silver Coins isn’t expensive.
Next.
"Should I buy the Repair Technique?"
The Repair Technique is also a 0th Ring Trick that can repair minor damage to small ordinary items.
How minor is this? If my clothes get a small tear, can it fix it?
Gauss was hesitant because he wasn’t sure about the extent it could repair.
And does it include repairs for damage to ordinary items like iron armor and iron weapons?
Gauss felt that those severely rusted iron weapons he usually collected probably couldn’t be repaired with a simple Repair Technique trick; otherwise, the price of weapons would have already plummeted.
Many blacksmith shops will also cease their repair services and the business of reclaiming broken weapons and equipment.
Gauss didn’t think that he was the only smart person in the world who thought of using this trick to make money.
"Well, I might as well buy it. 80 silver coins. I’ll consider it a way to temporarily fix some daily items while I’m out."
After hesitating for a moment, he decided to go ahead with it.
"Next are the Communication Technique and the Flaming Arrow."
The core function of the Communication Technique is one-way communication, allowing you to specify a target creature and relay a short message to it.
The target receiving the message will hear it as if the caster is whispering in their ear, and only the target can hear it; other creatures cannot perceive it.
If in the future he needed to team up with others, or in situations similar to the last mission where Kevin and others needed rescuing, he could use the Communication Technique to inform them in advance, facilitating their cooperation.
As for the last one, Flaming Arrow, as the name suggests, it’s an offensive trick.
Initially, Gauss intended not to buy an offensive trick, but unfortunately, the information on the shelf strongly recommended it. After thinking it over, he decided to buy it. Although offensive tricks consume more magic power than ordinary functional tricks, they definitely consume less than 1st-level spells.
Purchasing an offensive trick to enrich his offensive options wasn’t a bad idea.
Let’s go with these four.
Gauss finally stopped himself.
It’s not that he thought other tricks were unnecessary, but he felt that these four tricks would keep him busy learning for some time.
Once fully mastered, he could come back to make further selections when he had extra money and time.
He called a clerk to help retrieve the four tricks he needed, then went to the Wanderer’s section to choose an apprentice-level skill, [Insight Skill].
The effect of this skill is that upon activation, it enhances your ability to recognize your surroundings, helping you to discover and track special traces in the wild.
He headed to the counter.
Upon seeing the skills Gauss had purchased,
the clerk in uniform kindly reminded him.
"Adventurer, sir, the [Insight Skill] is a skill for the Wanderer profession. Are you sure you want to purchase it?"
From the four tricks Gauss bought, the clerk could deduce his caster profession, but the additional purchase of a Wanderer’s skill puzzled her.
The Mage section and Wanderer section were right next to each other.
Afraid he had picked from the wrong shelf, she spoke up to remind him.
"That’s right, please go ahead and pack them all for me." Gauss nodded and didn’t explain further.
"Alright. The total is 4 gold coins and 65 copper coins."
Gauss took out 4 gold and 1 silver from his purse, and while waiting for change, he felt a slight reluctance.
It was the biggest expense he had made so far.
In terms of tasks, not considering the value of loot, this amount equated to 3-4 beginner 1-star commissions.
"Here’s your change of 35 copper coins. All the skill books have been packed for you. Please visit us again."
Gauss walked out of the store and looked towards the Magic Items Shop not far away.
If the Skill Store didn’t give him much feeling when he stepped in, then standing in front of the Magic Items Shop and seeing the array of items made him worried about his wallet.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I would like to ask where the magic items with storage space are displayed."
As he walked into the store, a clerk greeted him.
The styles of different stores seemed to vary. The Skill Store required patience in selection and had clear descriptions on the shelves, so there was no need for someone to chatter incessantly at one’s side.
But in the Magic Items Shop, a guide was necessary.
"Please follow me."
The guide walked ahead.
Gauss browsed the surrounding magic items.
Some magic items were placed on shelves, while others were locked in transparent cabinets.
Passing through a corridor, they finally arrived in a showroom.
"All the storage-function magic items are here. See if there’s anything you want?"
Gauss glanced at the display rack indicated by the guide.
The first thing that caught his eye was a row of standard model storage pouches, all looking quite similar, as if they were mass-produced replicas.
However, the prices on them shocked Gauss.
[Small Storage Pouches]
Selling Price: 25 gold coins
Volume: About 2 cubic meters (non-fixed shape)
Maximum Carry Load: 500 lbs (about 227 kg)
Description: 1. The storage pouch cannot exceed the specified volume and weight limit. Overloading will damage the pouch, so use with caution.
2. No matter how many items are stored, the pouch’s weight remains at 10 lbs (about 4.5 kg).
3. Cannot hold other storage items.
4. Cannot hold living beings.
Its functionality made Gauss’s heart race; it was precisely what he needed for convenient travel, but its price made him feel a chill inside.
So expensive.
"Would you like to purchase a Small Storage Pouch?" the guide asked.
Gauss looked troubled when he heard this.