Chapter 72

Al firmly packed the old clothes he had received as hand-me-downs into his backpack and left the Revi Trading Company. He glanced around lightly and then slipped into the door of the neighboring store. It was the same store where he had previously bought a book of transportation spells. Fortunately, the same clerk who had served him before came out and, recognizing Al, returned a friendly bow.

"Good evening. Do you buy magical artifacts here?"

When Al asked, the clerk shook his head apologetically.

"Our store is known for its quality assurance by the Mage Guild, including spell books and magical artifacts. Therefore, we do not buy them at the counter. I recommend you take them to the Adventurer's Guild, where they have a dedicated window."

I see... Al nodded. He imagined that if he took them to the Adventurer's Guild, they would ask detailed questions about how he obtained them. He didn't want to talk about the Goblin Mage. It seemed less troublesome to take the button-shaped magical artifact to Lala.

"Too bad. Then, how much does the flying spell book cost?"

The last time he heard, it was 40 gold coins. He might be able to buy it if he sold used spell books and button-shaped magical artifacts at Lala's magic shop. However, the clerk looked apologetic again.

"The flying spell book is currently out of stock... What?"

Upon inquiry, it turned out that a special delivery had come from the capital, Rain, and the two copies in stock had been shipped about a week ago. Since there weren't many spell books, it was unclear when the next shipment would arrive, and the price would likely be much higher. It was easy to imagine that the price would rise since they had shipped the more expensive ones.

"Is it because of the war?"

Al couldn't help but ask. The clerk initially looked puzzled but then agreed, saying it might be the case. From the atmosphere, it seemed that Al knew more detailed information. Although he hadn't been told to keep it secret by the Revi Trading Company, he might not have been supposed to mention it. Just in case, he asked about flying magical artifacts, and the clerk said they had never handled them and that if they did, the price would be more than 100 gold coins.

Disappointed, Al left the store. He asked other stores, but none had the flying spell book. The only place he could think of was Lala's shop. There, he might find a used one, but it wouldn't be defective. However, the selection was poor, and the last time he checked, they didn't have the flying spell book. He had no choice but to ask...

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"Flying spell? I do have one, but the condition isn't great..."

Al walked to the south gate and asked Lala at the magic shop. However, her response was ambiguous. According to Lala, it wasn't in a condition she could recommend. In other words, there was a high chance of failure if he tried to learn it. She offered to sell it for 10 gold coins if he still wanted it. Al tried to negotiate a lower price due to the high failure rate, but she said it was already quite cheap and couldn't go any lower.

"How long do you think it will take for it to be restocked in regular stores?"

Lara tilted her head at Al's question. He also asked if they could order it from a spell book craftsman, but she laughed and said it would be impossible even if they asked.

"Maybe in about a year. You might as well wait patiently."

Al grunted at Lala's words.

"If you want to fly that badly, well... there are animal transformation spells, but I don't recommend them. A spell to transform into a flying magical beast would be ideal, but unfortunately, we don't have any right now."

Animal transformation spells could transform into mammals, birds, fish, and insects. Transforming into a bird would allow him to fly, and transforming into a fish would let him dive underwater. It seemed like a versatile spell, but there were many drawbacks, such as being unable to cast new spells while transformed and losing all clothing and equipment during the transformation. In a children's fairy tale, a villainous mage had tricked the protagonist into transforming into a small insect, which was then squashed and defeated. It was said to be a true story. Apparently, the transformed form inherited all the good and bad traits, and the risk was too high for Lala to recommend it. There were transformation spells for specific magical beasts like griffins and wyverns, but Lala had never seen such spell books.

Wait a year, try the one with a high failure rate, or take the risk... Al was deep in thought.

"By the way, we just got in a spell book for dispelling magic. You might be interested. It's 8 gold coins."

A spell to dispel magic! He definitely wanted it. With it, he could have dispelled the concealment spell on the wooden box that contained Luella when he found it, making things much easier. However, the flying spell book was expected to rise in price. He needed to save money in case he needed to buy it later.

"It might be gone by tomorrow. Still..."

"Hey, are you trying to trick a little kid again?"

A familiar voice interrupted Lala. A strong scent of perfume filled the air, and a woman pressed her body against Al's back.

"Tricking? That's a harsh word. What brings you here, vixen?"

Lara's voice was sharp. The woman who had approached Al from behind was Carmilla. She had once tried to pickpocket Al using her charm. Al quickly patted his wallet to make sure it was still there. Seeing this, Carmilla smiled seductively.

"I have no business with you, old lady. I wanted to talk to this Al. Hey, how about we go get some delicious food? I'll treat you. Okay?"

This didn't sound like a good idea. However, Carmilla had already wrapped her arms around Al from behind, pressing her ample chest against his back. Al was flustered.

"No, I, um, I'm fine."

"I'm not going to eat you or anything. I just want to hear about your expedition. Come on, tell me."

Expedition? Where had she heard about it?

"Cut it out. He's clearly not interested. Besides, you're interfering with my business and trying to take my customer."

Lara waved her fingers, and Carmilla quickly hid behind Al.

"Fine, fine. But Al, you're strange. Most men would start grinning just from my smile..."

"Maybe your charm has faded, vixen."

Carmilla hissed at Lara's words.

"Fine, I'll come back another day. See you, Al."

Carmilla smiled at Al and left. Al tilted his head. What was she up to?

"Al, you must have done something impressive. That vixen came to verify it."

Lara whispered. According to her, Carmilla was one of the best information brokers in the city. Many people bought information from her. She had probably heard a rumor about Al's achievements and came to verify it. When they met before, her attempt to pickpocket him might have been a way to gauge his abilities.

"Why would she come to me?"

"Even I've heard that the head of the Revi Trading Company thinks highly of you. Carmilla probably has even more information."

Al chuckled. He doubted she had any special information. The only secrets he had were about his assistant and the concealment spell.

"Alright, can you appraise magical artifacts at your shop?"

"I can, but I need to appraise them first. It will cost 10 silver coins per item. The buyback price will be discussed after the appraisal. Some items might be junk, and I might not be able to appraise everything. A skilled mage could study and appraise magical artifacts themselves. You might be better off doing that."

Al had been interested in magical artifacts during his middle school days and had bought cheap, non-functional ones to disassemble and study. Thanks to that, he could show Fitz how to disassemble a magical artifact.

"Can you teach me about magical artifacts?"

"If you're interested. You seem to be a skilled mage. However, there are conditions. You need to pay 1 gold coin as a fee, and you need to bring me any business opportunities. If someone wants to sell magical artifacts or buy them, I want you to bring them to me first."

That was fine with Al. He had no intention of appraising items as a business, so the condition wasn't a big deal.

"Sure, if you handle them at a fair price, I'll definitely bring them to you."

"Of course. We always offer fair prices."

Lara nodded. This way, if the price wasn't fair, he could sell elsewhere.

"So, what about the spell books? Do you just want the dispelling magic spell book?"

Al shook his head vigorously.

"Of course, I'll buy them all. But do I have enough money? How much is the animal transformation spell book?"

"Really? All of them?"

He had earned a considerable amount of money in the past six months. If he waited a year, he could save enough for the flying spell book, even if the price rose. However, the option to get cheaper, stable-quality spell books was too tempting to pass up.

"The animal transformation spell book is 3 gold coins. But do you really need to be so eager?"

Al smiled and added 5 gold coins from his own wallet to the 17 gold coins he had received from the Revi Trading Company president.

"The flying spell book is in poor condition. I warned you."

"But you can't make it any cheaper, right?"

"Fine, fine. If you insist. 8 gold coins. Keep it a secret from the others."

So, the total was 20 gold coins. Al smiled and handed 2 gold coins to Lara.

"First, read this. When you're done, come back in the evening. I usually close around this time, so I'll teach you afterward."

"Thank you."

Al took the three spell books and a bundle of parchment from Lara and replied cheerfully.

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