Wizards: Starting with Fairy Crests

016: The Big Buying Before the Disaster

"Sorry, senior, I'm just too tired today."

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Qi ultimately didn't dare to go up.

The main problem was that he wasn't very familiar with this senior, Michelle, and couldn't figure out if she was just looking for a temporary fling to relieve her loneliness, or if she had some kind of conspiracy behind the scenes.

Anything can happen in the Wizarding World. It would be bad if someone poisoned you, so it's best to be cautious.

......

After three days of working in the nursery, the 13th of this month arrived as scheduled.

The night before, Lynch used up one of his days off this month. As soon as dawn broke, he left the Gray Tower and stepped into the Wizarding Market once again.

The market was still bustling with activity.

But Lin Qi keenly sensed something different; the obscure, profound aura of "old hands" and seasoned veterans in the air had faded considerably.

Many familiar stall owners have vanished without a trace. Most notably, the crooked wooden house with chicken claws that always appeared on time has disappeared without a trace, along with its owner, the evil-eyed witch Dulis.

The apprentices coming and going were mostly young and inexperienced. Their skills generally hovered between low and medium level. Occasionally, one or two high-level apprentices would appear, but they were always in a hurry, quickly leaving after purchasing specific items without lingering.

Although it is a secret that the Nightmare Beast appears only once every sixty years, some apprentices who are strong enough or have lived long enough will still find out about it through various means.

Although these apprentices are not formal apprentices of the Grey Tower, they have proven to have high value. Therefore, the Grey Tower will also provide some covert channels for them to leave temporarily after paying the full price.

Lin Qi tightened his cloak and merged into the crowd.

He was now much better off, with the magic stones that Louis had "invested" in twice, the savings that Harold and the other two had "contributed," and the money he had saved up before the Silent Manor mission. After counting all the magic stones, the total number reached 366.

This was undoubtedly a huge sum of money for an apprentice, enough for him to buy many good things at the market.

With a clear goal in mind, he steadily stopped at each stall, examining and inquiring.

First stop: the potion ingredients stall.

He needs to complete his mentor Hossman's basic assessment as soon as possible and prepare the necessary materials for his future plans.

At a stall filled with the strong smell of earth and herbs, he spent 45 magic stones to purchase a sufficient amount of "blood-clotting moss," "moonlight mushroom powder," "nightcry bird gizzard," and several common detoxifying and stamina-restoring ingredients.

The stall owner was a taciturn old man. When he handed Lynch the materials, his cloudy eyes lingered for a moment longer on the cloak of Lynch's formal apprentice at the Gray Tower, and he gave Lynch a slight discount on the price.

The second stop is the spell scroll area.

His defensive spell model, "Scales of the Giant Lizard," was nearing completion, but lacked mobility. He found his target in a small tent made of animal hides and filled with various scrolls.

"Lightness Spell, Low-Level Apprentice-Level, General-Purpose Speed-Up Spell, created by Wizard Loren, a modified version of basic witchcraft for body mutation, only six copies left." The stall owner, a thin man missing a front tooth, introduced the spell with spittle flying, "Don't let the low level fool you, the effect is outstanding, it can quickly increase your speed!"

Lynch inspected the scroll, confirming that the spiritual imprint was intact and the rune circuits were clear. After some heated bargaining, they finally agreed on a price of 188 magic stones.

This was almost a third of his existing funds, but a reliable speed-up spell was invaluable in the perilous Graymist Jungle and on his future path as a wizard, so Lynch reluctantly bought it.

The third stop: Recipes and Miscellaneous.

At a corner stall filled with various tattered parchments, old books, and strange objects, Lynch's gaze was drawn to a piece of parchment, its color a dark yellow and its edges charred black. Written on it in an ancient common language was the recipe for "Knight's Body Tempering Potion."

The stall owner was a short man wrapped in thick felt, with only his two bright eyes showing. His voice was hoarse: "Enhances physical strength, provides a short-term burst of power, and has a certain permanent positive effect on practitioners of Knight Breathing Techniques. The side effect is extreme hunger for two hours after use, possibly accompanied by a slight muscle tearing sensation. The formula is guaranteed authentic, and the ingredients are not hard to find on the outskirts of the Gray Mist Jungle."

Lin Qi's eyes lit up.

His current magical reserves and mana are still insufficient to sustain long-term combat. It would be better if he could avoid using his precious mana in simple emergencies, which is why Lynch has always persisted in the Path of the Knight.

However, this training was not easy. After more than half a year, his experience points had only increased to a little over three hundred, and he was still a long way from becoming a formal knight.

The potion in front of him came at just the right time. Lin Qi knew about the Knight Body Strengthening Potion. It was a magical potion for strengthening the body. In the game, it was a powerful tool for increasing a knight's experience. One dose could increase the experience bar by more than half.

There's not much to say. After some haggling, we finally got it for 82 magic stones.

Lynch carefully put the purchased materials, scrolls, and recipes into his spatial pocket, feeling somewhat at ease.

These investments will quickly translate into his strength: knowledge of potions, new life-saving spells, and ways to enhance his physical power.

In the countdown before the Nightmare Beast awakens, every increase in power means a greater chance of survival in the future.

After a series of purchases, 305 of the 366 magic stones were spent, leaving only 51. The magic stone supply had drastically decreased.

Lynch looked at the 51 magic stones left. This "huge sum" came and went quickly, making him once again deeply aware of the speed at which resources were consumed in the wizarding world.

"It seems I'll have to be more careful with my spending from now on."

As he was calculating his upcoming expenses, his gaze inadvertently swept over an inconspicuous corner at the edge of the market, and he paused slightly.

There lay an old sheepskin rug, its edges worn and stained, a stark contrast to the surrounding stalls displaying gleaming goods. Instead of neatly arranged medicine bottles, ingredient kits, or scrolls, the rug was cluttered with miscellaneous, broken, and mud-covered items.

Half a cracked, indistinctly decorated earthenware bowl; several pieces of rusted metal, almost unrecognizable, with curled edges; a broken stone stick engraved with unrecognizable symbols; and even a few dull, irregularly shaped crystal fragments, devoid of any magical luster.

The stall owner squatted behind the blanket. He was a man whose face was mostly covered by a tattered headscarf, revealing only a pair of wary eyes. He was hunched over, and his fingernails were filled with black mud, looking like he had just crawled out of some underground pit.

Lin Qi's heart skipped a beat, and he walked over. He squatted down, picked up an item, examined it briefly, then looked up at the stall owner and asked in a flat tone, "Where did this come from?"

The stall owner's exposed eyes quickly swept over Lin Qi, lingering particularly on the gray tower cloak. His voice was hoarse and low, like sandpaper rubbing together: "North, excavated from the outskirts of the 'Sunken Town' ruins. Under the foundation of the old house."

The wizarding world is often plagued by disasters and wars, which can easily lead to the destruction of a region, resulting in a wide variety of ruins.

After a pause, the stall owner announced the price: "Three magic stones each. Pick whatever you like, no returns or exchanges. Whether it's a treasure or trash is up to your own judgment."

It was indeed a "waste recycling" style stall.

These stall owners typically collect or excavate seemingly ancient but mostly worthless remains around ruins, ancient battlefields, or abandoned wizarding residences, exploiting apprentices' desire to find bargains or their curiosity in exchange for a small amount of magic stones.

Of course, nothing is absolute, and there are indeed some lucky apprentices who find good things among the junk. Whether they can get them or not depends purely on luck.

Lynch certainly didn't think he had that kind of luck.

But it's okay.

because--

He's cheating!

Lin Qi picked up the old ceramic bowl and silently thought to himself: Investigate.