Chapter 99

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"It looks like we won't be able to complete this task this time!" Cook said bitterly. The three of them were now in Area A3, but what was different was that there was actually a supply point in this A3 area, and it was not small at all. It was almost like a small settlement, with a tavern, an inn, and even a store. The three of them found an inn to rest, and Cook took out the small sparrow-like creature they had caught.

"Yeah! Since the four major mercenary groups want to capture this guy, they must know the details. If we hand him over, the four major mercenary groups might not cause us trouble openly, but secretly, we won't be able to guard against them." Lori flicked the still unconscious little creature with her finger and said.

Miki, on the other hand, widened her eyes and observed for a long time before slamming her magic book shut. "There are over seven hundred fire-type monsters that like dark places, and only sixty-five of them are avian. But this little guy's characteristics don't match any of the sixty-five."

"Could it be a mutated monster?" Cook said, smacking his lips. In the past, Cook didn't know the value of mutated monsters, but after looking up books about monsters in the library, he learned that the probability of a mutated monster was one in a million. Kaka and Big Mouth were both mutated monsters, and although they were still low-level, their strength was already evident, which was why Cook asked this question.

"I'm not sure! The beak looks a bit like a fire eagle's, but the fur is like a fire sparrow's. But what about this long, slender tail? And the characteristics of the claws don't match either. A mutated monster must have a base monster, like Kaka being from the magic spider lineage and Big Mouth from the shadow crow lineage." Miki shook her head, then said doubtfully.

Cook shook his head, put the little creature back in the bag, and said, "Forget it, let's ask Lord Wushuang to identify it when we get back. Right now, we need to complete Lori's task. We didn't expect it to be so difficult."

"Exactly, the task description doesn't say clearly that all the areas are already claimed by others." Lori said angrily.

It turned out that Area A3 was a source of fire-type magic crystals. The lava eruptions here carried small amounts of fire-type magic crystals, and there were over a hundred eruption points in total. However, all these eruption points had been contracted out by the Mage Guild. Adventurers could pay to claim an eruption point, and the magic crystals they obtained would be sold to the Mage Guild at a fixed price. So, these over a hundred eruption points were essentially someone else's property. Of course, if Lori wanted to spend a lot of money to buy a magic crystal, no one would object, but that wouldn't count as completing the task, which clearly stated that the magic crystal must be found personally, not bought or traded for.

"Forget it, let's ask around!" Cook was also troubled, and if it didn't work out, they would have to try something else.

Just as Cook and the others were worrying, a young adventurer observed them for a long time. Seeing the徽章 of Wushuang Academy on their clothes, he straightened his clothes and politely asked, "Are the three of you here to complete the task of finding fire-type magic crystals?"

"Who are you? How do you know?" Cook turned to see a young boy, about eleven or twelve years old, and asked cautiously.

"My name is Laike. I'm a guide. I know of three magic crystal mines outside of these hundred eruption points, and I'm very familiar with the terrain there. We only need to pay a small amount of money to enter and dig for magic crystals. If I lead the way, I can't guarantee high-quality magic crystals, but I'm confident we can find enough to complete your task. I've been a guide here for seven or eight years, starting at the age of five, and I've successfully completed hundreds of tasks." Laike quickly introduced himself.

"What kind of price would we need to pay?" Cook asked.

"Ten points!" Laike said nervously.

"Hmph, ten points are enough to buy a magic crystal," Lori said discontentedly.

"Ten points are enough to buy a magic crystal, but I also have maps of the mine routes. If you want to dig for magic crystals in the future, it will be much easier. These three mines also have monsters, and I know them well. You can ask around; only I am willing to take you to the mines for ten points. No one else will go for less than fifteen points because the mines are far away and the tunnels are complex, making it easy to get lost if you're not familiar with them." Laike quickly explained.

"Alright, we'll consider it and give you an answer tomorrow." Cook, seeing Lori looking at him, didn't refuse but answered this way.

"Alright, take your time." Laike, hearing this, left somewhat disappointed.

The three of them inquired around the settlement and found that if they wanted to find magic crystals, they had to go to the old mines. The three mines, though called three, were actually connected. However, they were located far away and were mostly abandoned. Despite this, many adventurers still went there to try their luck, and occasionally, someone would find a magic crystal.

"Hey! What are all these people doing here?" It was already evening, and the three of them saw many people in a corner of the settlement, mostly adventurers, mages, and warriors, as well as merchants, with hundreds of people gathered.

"Boss, what are they doing?" Cook asked the shop owner while buying some magic herbs, which the shop was purchasing.

"Hehe, they're betting on magic crystals!" The boss packed the herbs for Cook, making a good profit without even leaving the shop.

"Magic crystals! How do you bet on them?" Lori asked curiously.

"Hehe, it's clear you three are high-achieving students from the academy. You don't think magic crystals are naturally this way, do you?" The boss took out a red fire-type magic crystal and asked.

"Isn't that how they are?" Cook countered.

"No, this is already polished and cut. Initially, magic crystals are encased in hard rock, which isolates their magical fluctuations. For example, with the hundred eruption points here, each eruption produces a lot of lava, but people have to stay far away during the eruption. Only after the lava cools can they search for magic crystals. Don't underestimate this search; magic crystals are hard to find when encased in lava. However, occasionally, some magic crystals are exposed on the surface, making them easier to mine. But it's different with veins. Magic crystal veins are essentially cooled lava flows, with the magic crystals encased in the cooled lava. Mining such magic crystals requires a lot of time and experience. Even with the eruption points, most of the crystals are still encased in lava. So, some mine owners take out partially exposed or encased rocks from the mines or eruptions and sell them to people. This method became popular and eventually evolved into one of the most primitive ways to trade magic crystals." The boss explained in one breath.

Lori's eyes lit up as soon as she heard this. When the boss finished, she pulled Cook over to watch. They found a large crowd, and the ground was covered with variously shaped rocks. The hundreds of people were quietly examining the rocks, some touching them, some smelling them, and others using their mental powers to sense them.

"Excuse me, sir, how do you tell if there's a magic crystal inside the rock?" Cook watched an old man continuously touching the rocks and using a light stone to examine them.

"Hehe, you don't know, do you? Magic crystals are elemental crystals, but to form such crystals, two conditions are generally needed: a high concentration of elements and immense pressure to compress the elements together. During the compression process, the crystals form in various shapes, not regular ones. Look at the fine red lines on this rock; these are technically fire element crystals, but they are too dark to be useful. However, this one has a clear crystalline pattern, which is more obvious. We judge whether there's a magic crystal inside based on the direction of these lines and the size of the patterns. However, these lines and patterns don't always indicate a magic crystal, so luck is also important." The old man explained with a smile.

"Sir, what about this magic crystal?" Cook took out a low-level magic crystal and asked.

"Hehe, the level of a magic crystal depends on the pressure and the concentration of elements. Low concentration and low pressure result in a low-level crystal, while high concentration and high pressure result in a high-level crystal. The quality depends on the amount of impurities inside. The magic crystals sold in the market are already polished and cut. I've seen magic crystals as large as a washbasin, which could be cut into hundreds of crystals like this one." The old man looked at the low-quality, low-level magic crystal in Cook's hand and explained.

"Hundreds of crystals!" Cook and the others widened their eyes. Such a crystal would be worth several points, but points could only be used within the Mage Guild, not outside. In reality, such a crystal would only be worth one point in gold, but since points couldn't be used elsewhere, the crystal would be worth thousands of points.

"Hehe, this is still low-quality. I've chosen a rock, so I'll go buy it and polish it to see." The old man, holding an oval-shaped rock, said to Cook and the others.

"Sir, can we watch?" Lori asked hopefully.

"Sure, over there!" The old man led them to the edge of the area, where a crowd had gathered. Cook was surprised to see that the shop owner was a dwarf, but then he remembered that dwarves were famous for mining and forging.

The old man handed the rock to a dwarf and said, "Ruelxi, can you polish this for me?"

"Old Duoke, don't tell me you've made a mistake again?" Ruelxi, a bearded dwarf, fixed the rock on a stand, picked up a hammer and chisel, and started chiseling away the rock.

"Hehe, it's all about luck." Old Duoke chuckled, but Cook noticed he was very nervous.

As time passed, after half an hour, the rock was reduced to the size of a fist. Ruelxi looked up and asked, "Old Duoke, should we continue?"

"Of course, why not? It's still this big." Old Duoke, seeing the looks from the crowd, sounded a bit discouraged.

"Should we polish it slowly or cut it open?" Ruelxi asked again.

"Sigh, cut it open, I guess." Old Duoke waved his hand, clearly giving up.

At this moment, Cook spoke up, "Sir, why not polish it? If there's a magic crystal inside, cutting it might ruin it." Cook had learned from the crowd that if a magic crystal was cut incorrectly, it would be useless and could only be ground into magic crystal powder, greatly reducing its value. Cook, using his Magic Eye, saw a faint red glow from the rock, indicating the presence of fire element fluctuations, but he had no experience to determine the quality and level of the crystal.

"Hmph! A fist-sized rock, even if it has a magic crystal, it would be useless. I think we should just cut it." Someone grumbled.

"Exactly, we're waiting to polish. Kid, if you don't know, don't speak." Someone else raised their rock and scolded.

Before Cook could respond, Old Duoke shouted, "I don't care what you think. I've paid, Ruelxi, please polish it for me!" Old Duoke was already upset and decided to delay things, seeing what the other person would do.

"Alright then!" Ruelxi had no choice; the rock had been paid for, and the polishing fee had been paid, so he had to do as the customer asked.

"Hmph! Unreasonable! Poor guy!" The person who wanted to polish the rock left, muttering.

"Wow! So bright! At least a mid-level crystal, and it could be a good or excellent mid-level crystal." As Ruelxi's hammer struck, a bright red light appeared, and the crowd immediately gathered around.

"Wow! Incredible." Ruelxi, who had seen many things, continued hammering, peeling the rock like an egg. In just a few minutes, an egg-sized, irregular magic crystal appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Old Duoke, very nice, it's an excellent mid-level crystal. We'll buy it at a high price." Ruelxi inspected it and said.

"Excellent mid-level crystal, I'll take it. Name your price!" At this moment, a mage in a luxurious robe stepped forward, looking very pleased. The mage was a fire element user, and although the crystal wasn't large, it could be cut into three standard-sized crystals. However, the mage didn't plan to do that because cutting would consume some of the elements inside. Instead, the mage planned to remove the edges and use the large piece to replenish mana, which would be more efficient.

"Hmph, excellent mid-level crystals are rare. I'll take it too. Name your price!" Another person in a mage robe stepped forward, with a golden rune on his chest, indicating he was an alchemist.

"Hehe, since both of you want it, write down a suitable price and give it to me. I'll sell it to the highest bidder." Old Duoke, excited, came up with this idea, which surprised Cook. Cook thought Old Duoke would have them bid openly, which could offend both of them, as it would turn into a face-off. The winner would have to pay more than the crystal's value, and the loser would feel humiliated, making life difficult for Old Duoke, who was just a magic apprentice and couldn't afford to offend the mages and alchemists here.