Chapter 76

Lucy's heart stirred slightly at Connie's words. Lucy knew about Cook's incredible luck, the kind that could even successfully steal a dragon egg. So, after a brief hesitation, she nodded and said, "Alright then!"

"Great! We'll go to the supermarket tomorrow!" Dunks clapped his hands and said. The biggest challenge of this mission, the problem with water elementals, was now solved.

"Supermarket?" Cook's mouth gaped open in surprise.

Dunks explained, "Supermarket, the Magic City has the largest market on the entire continent. See that mountain peak over there? The inside of the mountain is almost entirely hollow, divided into twenty floors, all for buying and selling. Whatever exists on the continent, you can find it here!"

"Uh!" Cook let out a sigh of relief, looking at the nearly thousand-meter-high mountain peak opposite. It was hard to imagine that this was a hollow mountain turned into a supermarket. The buildings on the mountain were all built along its slopes, with a winding road leading up. Cook couldn't help but marvel at the greatness of humanity.

"But why did the Mage Guild build the city here?" Seeing such an unusual layout, Cook couldn't help but ask in confusion. The Magic City was built on a plain.

"Cook, you don't know this. The location of the Magic City is the only place on the entire continent where the spatial barrier is the weakest. The weakest spatial barrier is the best place to build a cross-dimensional magic teleportation array, and this is also the largest exit to the underground world," Loli interjected.

Cook's mind went blank. Underground world, and cross-dimensional? Cook then asked, "Cross-dimensional? And the underground world?"

"Cough, it seems you should look into the geography and history of the continent when you have points. Cross-dimensional means paths to other continents similar to ours. The underground world is vast, home to dwarves, gnomes, troglodytes, humans, dark elves, and some giant races, as well as a large number of magical creatures. Every year, 30% of the magical materials on the continent come from the underground world, along with a large amount of metal ores, gems, and magic crystals," Dunks coughed and explained briefly.

"Also, not all races in the underground world are friendly to humans. Lizardmen, dogheads, and forgotten races are hostile to humans. There are also some wanted individuals, necromancers, black witches, and other elemental beings who are enemies of humans. So the Mage Guild built its headquarters here to better control this exit. Don't ask, the academy will have many missions in the underground world in the future," Dunks realized he could talk for days about this.

Just as Cook and the others were about to eat, a hurried voice came from the hallway: "Dunks, Dunks? Are you there! Good news!"

"Mr. Know-It-All? What's up?" Dunks opened the door and saw a fat man, like a meatball, wiggling his big buttocks and shouting at the door, while Dunks was with Cook.

"Dunks, you... Bang! Damn defensive magic array, you moved!" The fat man turned and looked, surprised, but hit an invisible wall a dozen centimeters from the door and was gently pushed back several meters.

At this moment, Cook also appeared, looking at the fat man and then at Dunks. Dunks whispered, "This is the most well-informed person in the academy, known as Mr. Know-It-All. Don't be fooled by his chubby appearance; he's actually a thief, a rare dark thief. He's decent, just greedy."

"Cook, it's a pleasure to meet you. If you don't mind, please come in and sit down," Cook, moved by Dunks' words, invited him.

"Sure, sure, 808! This is basically the best dormitory," the fat man nodded, shaking his head and ears in admiration.

"Ah!" The fat man, upon entering, saw several beautiful women, especially Loli and Miki, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"See, they're beauties!" Dunks smiled.

"Damn, damn, I actually gave them five points. If I had known about this opportunity, I wouldn't have given them a single point," to everyone's surprise, the fat man immediately wailed.

Dunks, used to this, while Cook picked up little Lei, who sometimes played on the sofa and was startled by the fat man's shout.

"Ha ha, someone must have sold your magical images to him. Every year, when new students arrive, many people do this," Dunks explained with a smile.

"Dunks, can't you keep quiet!" The fat man immediately shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Miss Loli, Miss Miki, Miss Lucy, Miss Connie, and Miss Martha, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Hodes Jim, you can call me Little Jim," Hodes introduced himself with a smile.

"Alright, alright, Little Chicken, don't act like this when you see beauties. Cook, this is Little Chicken! Little Chicken, this is Cook, and this is Cook's daughter, Little Lei," Dunks, with a twitching mouth, introduced Cook.

"Cook, hello! But Dunks, I must say again, don't call me Little Chicken!" Hodes nodded at Cook and then warned Dunks with a stern face.

"Hehe! Little Chicken! Little Chicken!" Dunks laughed and called out twice.

"Alright! Alright, Little Dunks, do you want me to tell everyone about your bedwetting at ten? I didn't mean to, Little Dunks!" Hodes said helplessly, but with a teasing tone at the end.

"Little Chicken, if you don't explain why you're here, I don't mind beating you up," Dunks, with a black face, saw everyone trying to suppress their laughter and immediately got angry.

"This news is worth 10 points. I guarantee I'll only sell it to you," Hodes immediately smiled when he explained his purpose.

"Alright, 10 points!" To everyone's surprise, Dunks didn't haggle but directly transferred 10 points from his student card, controlled by his mental power, which others couldn't use.

"Alright, come, I'll tell you quietly," Hodes patted Dunks' shoulder and said with a smile.

"Speak up, they're my friends!" Dunks waved off Hodes' hand.

"Professor Lyle from the Alchemy Department has decided to recruit an assistant," Hodes directly said the news.

"Professor Lyle, the mad master, did his assistant quit again?" Dunks asked in surprise.

"Yes, last night. This one lasted five days!" Hodes smiled and held up five fingers.

Dunks immediately jumped up, "Little Chicken, do you have to tell me this? Lyle, the madman, recruits assistants every month. Is this worth 20 points?"

"I haven't finished. This time, Professor Lyle has offered new conditions. Assist him in successfully creating potions, and you'll get a certain percentage, at least 0.1%, and if you perform well, it can go up to 30%," Hodes explained with a smile.

"Damn! I need to sign up quickly. Even 1% would make me rich," Dunks immediately jumped up, ready to rush out.

"There's no one now, why go? And the task hasn't been posted yet. Going early might not help, you know Professor Lyle's eccentric personality," Hodes pulled Dunks back.

"Right, Dunks, we're going to the supermarket tomorrow!" Cook, who was unfamiliar with the area, reminded him.

"Right, we'll go in the afternoon," Dunks nodded.

"Supermarket, what good stuff can you find there? If you're going, go to the free market," Hodes said irritably.

"You know nothing. We're just buying some small items," Dunks immediately countered.

"Humph, the same items are half the price in the free market," Hodes said.

"That's stolen goods!" Dunks immediately revealed the curiosity in Cook's mind.

"So what? Stolen goods can still be used," Hodes countered.

At this moment, Loli interjected, "You mean the black market?"

"Right! The black market, where things are cheap and you can find anything," Hodes nodded, seeing their interest.

"Is there anyone who can appraise items or magical creatures?" Loli's eyes lit up, as Miki's little Gray and Big Mouth's species were still unknown. Even Loli's mentor, Wushuang, couldn't confirm their species, and of course, a non-elemental magical creature like Kaka wouldn't be easily shown.

"If you want to appraise these, you can find Little Chicken. He has the sharpest eyes," Dunks nodded at Loli's question.

"Yes! Yes! I know a great appraiser who can identify anything, and our place is the safest on the continent," Hodes patted his chest and guaranteed.

"Let's go see!" Loli instinctively asked Cook, as he was used to making decisions in the underground river.

"Alright, let's go and see if there are any good magical eggs," Cook nodded.

Cook, Loli, Miki, Bell, Besu, Hodes, and Dunks took Hodes' private carriage and arrived at the free market in less than twenty minutes. Connie didn't come out, and neither did Lucy, seeing Connie didn't come.

Although Cook had expected the free market to be large, he didn't expect it to be a huge open square, about three football fields in size, with rows of simple stalls, mostly ground-level.

"Ha ha, this is the ground level, not much good stuff, but the variety is complete and the prices are very cheap. Most of the people here are adventurers, selling things they don't recognize at random prices. You can find treasures or fakes here. The underground level is mostly shops, with items categorized by type, but the prices are higher and there are no fakes. The third level is the auction house, where everything is genuine and appraised, but the prices are not cheap," Hodes explained while leading the way. Most people, seeing the academy badges on Cook and the others' chests, shrank back, and a few who wanted to follow also retreated upon seeing the badges.

"See, this is the benefit of the badge. In the entire Magic City, the academy badge is more powerful than any other. Even a weak woman with this badge won't be bullied, as this is the Magic City, and Wushuang Academy is a core department of the Mage Guild. So, anyone with a bit of sense won't dare to offend the Mage Guild," Hodes smiled.

"Let's go! I'll take you to get appraised first, but remember, the appraisal fee is based on the item's grade," Hodes said while leading the way.

"Shaman?" Loli looked at a stall with a sign for fortune-telling, and the person was dressed as a shaman.

"Who's a shaman? I'm dressed like an ancient mage. Look at this robe and hat, they're from ancient times. Don't speak nonsense, little girl, and why are you here again?" The stall owner was a thin, dark-skinned old man, clearly a commoner, with strange clothing. He scolded Loli and then glared at Hodes.

"Hehe, big business, they're here for appraisals," Hodes smiled thickly.

"Since you're brought by Little Chicken, I'll give you a 20% discount. What do you want to appraise?" The old man's eyes lit up.

"Let's start with this!" Miki moved aside, revealing a furry head.

"Uh, 50,000 gold coins!" The old man grabbed little Gray, examined its eyes, claws, mouth, and ears, and then said.

"Sir, are you trying to cheat us? 50,000 gold coins, even 50,000 copper coins is a lot," Hodes jumped up first.

"50,000 gold coins, 20% off, that's 40,000 gold coins, here you go!" Cook took out his only diamond coin and threw it over, as Miki was his designated wife.

"Earth Elemental Bear, with the bloodline of the Earth Bear. Whether it can grow into an Earth Bear depends on its talent," the old man said word by word.

"Saint Beast Earth Bear?" Loli asked in surprise.

"Yes, look at its ears, much thicker than a regular Elemental Bear. The ratio of its mouth to its head is different, and its claws have a metallic sheen. Most importantly, look at its teeth, also with a metallic sheen," the old man explained.

"Such good luck!" Hodes drooled, and Dunks also looked at Miki with more respect.

"What about this one?" Cook whistled, and Big Mouth landed on his shoulder. Cook picked up Big Mouth and handed it over.

"No, open its mouth for me to see. Good! Now look under the neck feathers. Good! Now the tail feathers. Good! Now the claws!" The old man's eyes narrowed as Cook examined Big Mouth thoroughly.

"Ah! Young man, I'll return your money, but I have a small request!" The old man returned Cook's diamond coin and sighed.

"Tell me first!" Cook quickly grabbed the diamond coin tightly.

"Young man, follow me!" The old man waved Cook over and led him into a nearby tent.

Cook followed, and after a while, he came out, looking excited, and the old man looked very excited too.

"Cook, it's settled. These things are a down payment from me. Use them to feed this little one. I'll come find you next year," the old man smiled and handed Cook a small metal-woven bag. Hodes' eyes narrowed, and Dunks' eyes widened.

"I won't be rude. I'll do it, sir. I'll take good care of it," Cook held the bag tightly, as it looked identical to the space bag given by Wushuang.

"Yes, I'll bring more things for you later. Remember our agreement," the old man said excitedly.

"No problem, Uncle Ernie, I'll remember. We need to buy a magical egg, and I'll come often," Cook held the space bag tightly and said cautiously, looking at Little Lei.

"Magical egg, what type? I have a few in my collection," Ernie smiled.

"Water type!" Cook, surprised, replied.

"Uh, I do have a water type. Let me find it!" Ernie left and returned shortly.

"Here it is, with a magic seal. This seems to be a Unicorn Turtle egg," Ernie handed Cook a small box.

"Sir, sir, you're my dear sir, I want a Unicorn Turtle too," Hodes immediately clung to Ernie's hand and begged.

"None left, just this one Unicorn Turtle," Ernie ignored Hodes' plea and smiled.

Cook didn't know the value of the Unicorn Turtle but asked, "Uncle Ernie, how much?"

"Who are we to each other? Talking about money hurts feelings. Take it, it's a waste here," Ernie waved his hand.

"Thank you, Uncle Ernie," Cook quickly thanked him, even though he didn't know the value of the Unicorn Turtle, but he was genuinely grateful, as it was free.

"Yes! You all go about your business. I need to visit some old friends and won't be around for a while. If I need you, I'll have this guy notify you," Ernie nodded at Hodes.

After saying goodbye to Ernie, Dunks and Hodes looked at Cook with strange expressions, making Cook feel embarrassed. Only Miki, holding little Gray, who was lying on her lap, contentedly let Miki tickle his belly.

"Cook, what did Uncle Ernie tell you? To give you such good things?" Hodes couldn't wait to ask as soon as they got home, and Dunks looked curious.

"What good things? We have a contract, it's an equal exchange," Cook asked irritably.

"Aren't you talking about the bag and its contents? Just the magic-sealed box for the Unicorn Turtle, with its own space, is worth millions of gold coins, and it's priceless. What good things?" Hodes said irritably.

"Wow! Are we rich now? What is this Unicorn Turtle?" Cook held the box tightly and asked.

"Unicorn Turtle is a water sub-dragon magical creature, a sub-dragon from the sea dragon family. Do you know what a sub-dragon is?" Hodes whispered loudly.

"Sub-dragon, what's so special... Is it very powerful?" Cook said dismissively but then asked.

"Sub-dragons are the second most powerful magical creatures after dragons. You, you, you don't know? Are you really a mage?" Hodes asked angrily.

"I'm not a mage! I'm a hunter!" Cook rolled his eyes and replied, actually quite dismissive of sub-dragons, as Little Lei had the bloodline of a divine dragon, a rare lightning type, but he wouldn't tell them.

"Hunter!" Hodes and Dunks almost fainted, and Dunks, who had participated in a battle, rolled his eyes helplessly.