Guided by the map, Colin walked down the hallway, turned at the second intersection, and arrived at a store in the far left area that specialized in the purchase of Magic Crystals.
The store was quite crowded, resembling a warehouse more than a storefront, and it was very quiet...
But the quietness was normal since Wizards came to the ship market to buy things they couldn't usually find.
And for Magic Crystals, there were places to sell them on the island.
"This shop purchases Magic Crystals, it does not sell them," said the shopkeeper, who was half-lying behind the counter, as Colin walked in.
Having been to Blackstone Island many times, the shopkeeper knew that no one would come aboard to sell Magic Crystals... This Wizard in the gray robe must have walked into the wrong place.
Colin remained silent, took the large bag slung over his shoulder down, and placed it on the counter, then opened it with his hands.
Whoosh—
Nearly a thousand Bright Crystals that had been accumulated over a month spilled out, scattering across the counter and reflecting light.
Although their combined value was only about 90 Magic Stones, when they were all together, they were quite a spectacle.
The shopkeeper, who had seen much in his time, wasn't overly shocked, but he did raise his eyebrows slightly. Standing up, he approached Colin.
"Are these all Bright Crystals?" he asked, picking up a white Bright Crystal.
"Yes, there are nine hundred in total."
The shopkeeper nodded slightly, pulled out a large flat tray, and poured all the Bright Crystals from the counter into it, spreading them out and bending over to inspect them.
Just one minute later, he looked up, removed the monocle from his left eye, and said to Colin,
"Hmm, yes, nine hundred exactly. The quality is quite good...they're definitely First Class."
"I can offer you a total of..." He glanced at the young Colin and suddenly had a thought, pausing for a moment before changing his question, "Did you make these Bright Crystals yourself?"
Colin sized up the shopkeeper briefly and then replied without betraying any emotion,
"I made them."
The shopkeeper smiled and explained, "I was just curious... For these Bright Crystals, I can give you a total of ninety-nine Magic Stones."
Ninety-nine Magic Stones—this was nine more than he would get if he sold them on the island.
But Colin wasn't in a hurry to be pleased, and he asked in a deep voice, "And the condition?"
The shopkeeper maintained his amiable smile and continued, "There's no actual condition, just a verbal agreement that benefits us both."
"What I need, is for you to save up all the Magic Crystals you make each year, and then sell them to me when the trading company arrives. I'll purchase them all at this price."
He didn't wait for Colin to respond before adding,
"I understand Blackstone Island; if it hasn't changed much in the last half-year, these 900 Bright Crystals could only sell for 90 Magic Stones there, which is 9 less than what I'm offering.
Moreover, I think... if you didn't choose to sell them on the island, there must be a reason..."
A chill went through Colin's heart, and he grew wary as he watched the shopkeeper's smiling demeanor. In this world, it seemed none who became Wizards were to be taken lightly.
However, he had anticipated this and wasn't too surprised. After all, the shopkeeper could only guess so much.
"Whether it's being underpriced upon purchase or being refused purchase, there's always a reason you came to sell on board," the shopkeeper added. "But I don't care for those reasons. I'm willing to spend ninety-nine Magic Stones on your Bright Crystals because in some places, I can add a zero to that!"
"So don't think I have ulterior motives. Although you're just one person, every little bit counts... and don't doubt it, while Bright Crystals are common, there happen to be some places that lack Crystal Mines and especially need light, so a tenfold price increase isn't an exaggeration!"
The shopkeeper paused at this point, somewhat proudly adding,
"The allure of long-haul trade lies right here!"
After finishing, he looked at Colin with an open expression.
He truly had no other intentions; it was just a casual remark. For a businessman like him, the fear wasn't of having too many paths to take, but too few—he would never limit his own options...
"Deal," Colin said solemnly.
The shopkeeper's face lit up with a practiced smile as he stowed the Bright Crystal away and counted out one hundred Magic Stones to give to Colin.
"An extra Magic Stone to round off the sum, consider it a good start for our first transaction," he said cheerily.
Colin took the Magic Stones, feeling a sense of lightness in his heart, and casually replied, "I wish you a hugely profitable voyage."
"Thank you," the shopkeeper replied with a smile, then added, "You don't need to be too envious..."
Colin paused but didn't say anything, simply walking quickly towards the exit.
However, the shopkeeper called out to him again.
Perhaps the loneliness from long sea voyages made one crave companionship, or maybe he felt the need to bond with a new business partner.
In any case, the shopkeeper seemed to have opened Pandora's box, and went on to chat about this and that.
At first, Colin was impatient. But within the shopkeeper's rambling, he indeed shared many experiences and observations from his sea voyages.
These were all pieces of knowledge Colin lacked, so eventually, he even took the initiative to converse with the shopkeeper, steering the conversation towards subjects that interested him.
"...If you want to become a merchant like me, it's quite simple. I know the manager of the Black Pearl Trading Company, and for thirty thousand Magic Stones, you could have a title with the company. Then, with an additional five thousand Magic Stones for voyage fees, you can have a storage space aboard the ship like mine..."
Colin patiently chatted with him for a long while before standing up to take his leave.
Stepping out of the store, he went to a corner to unfold the deck's map and pinpoint his location before setting off briskly.
It was already getting late when he arrived, and he had spent quite some time talking with the owner of the Magic Crystal Store, so it was almost 6 o'clock, and nightfall was approaching.
With the setting of the sun, the ship market would close, or rather, the entire fleet would shut down to protect against the weird and terrifying creatures and spirits lurking in the sea's darkness.
So, he needed to hurry!
Before long, Colin arrived at the very center of the deck. Before him stood a special cabin that was clearly several sizes larger than the other cabins, and on the outer wall near the door was written "Black Pearl Bookstore" in bold letters.
He had come to achieve his second objective—to acquire the knowledge needed to advance to Official Wizard!
It was never too early to be prepared... However, he wasn't sure whether his current Magic Stones could actually buy the necessary knowledge.
He entered the store and, without any need for secrecy, directly asked the clerk, "Excuse me, do you have any knowledge related to advancing to Official Wizard?"
Hearing his question, the clerk visibly paused, but without overthinking, he became more respectful in his demeanor. After all, they had encountered Wild Wizards on many islands purchasing this type of knowledge.
For Wild Wizards, lacking systematic knowledge and not knowing the way forward was normal.
Apparently, the grey-robed Wizard before him was in the same situation.
"Yes, we do," the clerk replied. "Do you need the complete set of advancement knowledge, or just an overview of becoming an Official Wizard?"
"What is the difference between the two?" Colin pondered for a moment before asking calmly.
Today he was dressed in the simplest of grey robes, the badge of his School already removed from his chest. Earlier, he had scoped out the area to ensure there were no apprentices from other islands in the store before he walked in.
"The full set of advancement knowledge includes Meditation Method, etcetera, while the overview simply offers a general summary and description of becoming an Official Wizard.
You can think of it this way: the former is a detailed and specific collection of all the knowledge an Official Wizard needs to know, while the latter is a summative description of the process most Official Wizards go through."
Colin nodded, touching the bulging purse in his pocket, then asked, "How much do the two cost in Magic Stones?"
"The full set of advancement knowledge is fifty thousand Magic Stones, while the overview is three hundred and fifty Magic Stones," the clerk answered amiably.