Chapter 36: Special Magic Power
"So, Gauss, what brings you to see me?"
"Could it be that you want to buy a magic wand?"
Andri noticed that as soon as he entered the room, he was staring at her magic wand with a look full of longing.
"Senior, can I ask about the price?" Gauss asked cautiously.
The reason he addressed her as senior was naturally because he thought that the Half-Elf Andri, who possessed such a collection of artifacts, was not an ordinary person and was likely a professional.
"The second one from the left, that short one, is the cheapest, 20 gold coins."
"Hiss... so expensive."
So expensive.
Andri casually mentioned a price that made Gauss gasp.
gold coins, meaning he would have to complete at least 280 missions like the one he just finished to afford it, and that doesn’t even account for his daily living expenses.
Being a mage is indeed prestigious.
Even their weapons are frighteningly expensive.
"Expensive? It’s just the cost price. Even if you fork out 20 gold coins, I won’t sell it. These are for my own use and not for sale to the public."
Andri said cheerfully, revealing the truth.
"Do you have anything else you want to buy? Or is there something you’d like to sell to me? I can appraise it for you."
Gauss hesitated for a moment.
He took out the Life Magic Stone from under his clothes.
"Senior, could you help me see how much this Life Magic Stone is worth?"
"Come a little closer, I can’t see clearly." Andri sat up from her wicker chair and waved at Gauss.
Gauss held the stone and moved closer.
Andri leaned in, extending a fair finger to lightly tap it.
Gauss felt an unusual fluctuation in the air.
Before he could fully perceive it, the fluctuation came and went quickly, vanishing without a trace.
"A standard-quality Life Magic Stone, slightly depleted in energy. My purchase price would be 2 gold coins and 40 silver coins," Andri swiftly stated the buyback price.
gold coins and 40 silver coins, about the same as what Daphne mentioned.
"Senior, if I want to customize a magic wand with this Life Magic Stone embedded, how much more would I need to prepare?"
"Do you have a base material staff prepared in advance?"
"No."
"Then with testing and customization costs, including embedding the Life Magic Stone, you’d need at least one more gold coin."
"I say at least, the exact amount depends on the price of the type of base material staff suitable for you."
gold coin...
Compared to the staggering 20 gold coins, it seems more acceptable.
It’s about the price of a house.
His current savings are around 19 silver coins.
Assuming each mission can yield 7 silver coins, minus about... 2 silver coins in living expenses per mission cycle, he could save around 5 silver coins per cycle.
That’s approximately 16 missions.
But this doesn’t account for unexpected gains; in reality, the earnings from adventures can be quite high at times.
Hiss, but still, it feels like a long time.
Making money is tough.
Andri, leaning on her chair, watched Gauss calculate on his fingers, ultimately showing a bitter expression on his face, and she laughed even more joyfully.
Perhaps Gauss’s embarrassed look reminded her of many years ago when she first embarked on adventures and was in a similarly impoverished state.
The vast majority of new adventurers are like this.
Adventuring sounds fun, but once it becomes a job, it’s bound to become a headache over time.
Weapon and armor procurement and upgrades, repair costs, daily meals, healing potions, necessary survival tools...
There’s an endless number of places to spend money, making many adventurers wish they could split a silver coin into two halves to use.
Sometimes, after laboriously completing a mission, one might find that the reward isn’t even enough to repair gear.
That bitter experience, even now, she wouldn’t want to go through again.
Fortunately, she’s saved enough to retire.
After calculating, Gauss looked back at Andri.
"Senior, I want to sell this Life Magic Stone and purchase a base material staff suitable for my magic power."
After thinking it over, he realized that keeping the Life Magic Stone would just collect dust, so it was better to exchange it for money and buy a wand base material.
First, he could get acquainted with the magic wand’s base material, and later, when he saved enough money to upgrade and make it into a magic wand, it would save time.
Second, getting familiar with the wand base would also increase his casting efficiency, although not as much as a full magic wand, but still better than casting bare-handed by more than a fraction.
Getting the wand base material early would allow him to boost his current combat capabilities in the shortest time and hasten his Magic Missile practice.
"Of course, you can." Andri nodded in agreement.
"Follow me."
She hopped off the wicker chair, her bare feet turning as she walked towards a room.
Gauss quickly followed.
He pushed open a wooden door.
Andri led Gauss into a room that resembled a storeroom.
The shelves around were filled with a variety of material items.
She searched among them.
She grabbed several pieces of wood of varying lengths, carrying them in her arms.
"These are the most common base material staffs."
"See which one suits you best?"
Andri led Gauss out of the storeroom and back into the hall.
Then she placed the wooden staffs on the table one by one.
"How should I test them?"
"It’s simple. Just pick one up randomly and try to channel your magic power through it. If there’s any blockage, it’s not suitable for you."
"If it flows smoothly, then it means that staff is a match for you. The smoother it is, the better."
Gauss nodded, finding the test indeed uncomplicated.
He crouched down, reached out his hand, and picked up the closest dark brown wooden staff from the low table.
The staff was crooked, about half a meter long.
After a brief heft, he closed his eyes and concentrated.
After a moment of meditation, he began to move his magic power from his body, slowly permeating it into the wooden staff.
The moment the magic power left his body and touched the staff.
A repulsive force immediately emanated from the staff.
He tried to exert more "force," and this time, he broke through the staff’s resistance, allowing the magic to penetrate within.
However, it didn’t flow smoothly, as if there were countless little people inside the staff wrestling with his magic.
Gauss withdrew his magic and placed the staff back on the table.
"How is it?"
"Not quite suitable." Gauss shook his head.
"Then try the next one."
Andri wasn’t surprised; finding the right base material on the first try was indeed quite rare.
However, these were the most common materials she had chosen.
Based on her experience, most mages could find a compatible base within them.
Gauss nodded and picked up the next one.
After a while, he put it down again, shaking his head.
"Try the next one."
This process continued for five or six tries.
When he placed down the last staff, he had a look of disappointment on his face.
"None of them are suitable?" Andri pinched her chin, falling into contemplation.
"This is indeed a rare situation, it seems your magic power is quite unique, Gauss."
"What should we do now?"
"Let me think..." Andri closed her eyes in meditation.
After a long while, she opened her eyes.
"I’ve got it, I do have a few very special treasures!"
"Are they expensive?" Gauss was worried that even selling the Life Magic Stone wouldn’t be enough, so he asked cautiously.
"Not expensive, cheaper than these. These unconventional staffs are usually unnecessary, so I’ve kept them stored away." Andri took a step. "Wait here for a moment, I’ll be right back."