Chapter 12

The completed magic rod had patterns of the same complexity as the first one he made, floating on its surface.

"Quite a good result. The patterns match perfectly."

To be precise, there were a few patterns with slight differences mixed in. However, the differences were minimal, so it should not be a problem.

It takes a first-class magic craftsman six days to make a single magic rod. Naturally, they pour magic power into it in six separate sessions, but doing so causes the patterns to change slightly.

Even when trying to pour the same amount of magic power and pressure as the previous day, there are slight differences. It is said that these differences are due to the craftsman's physical condition and level of concentration on that day.

The slight changes are not noticeable unless you look carefully, and they do not affect the use of the rod. It seems that the magic rod Ricardo made first would not break, unlike the one he made.

In that sense, the magic rod Ricardo made can be said to be of high quality. However, the strength of the magic power infused is only at the level of a beginner's spell, and the material is a common branch of the magic tree Trill, so the overall evaluation is a fourth-grade magic rod on a five-grade scale.

The next day, he went to the mixed forest again with the magic rod to test it.

He encountered a headbutting rabbit and engaged in battle. He held a buckler in his left hand and the magic rod in his right.

While pouring magic power into the magic rod, he struck the rabbit's neck, and the neck bone broke easily. It seemed that the magic power turned into a shock wave and broke the neck bone.

He also tried casting a spell using the magic rod. There was no feeling of the magic power going wild, and instead, it became easier to control, allowing him to cast a powerful spell. The rod seemed to be of high quality.

Afterward, he hunted three headbutting rabbits using the magic rod and returned home satisfied that day.

A few days later, he went to the cart workshop to see if the carry cart was completed.

"Ah, it's finished."

The master brought the completed carry cart from the back. It had the shape of a backpack with two small wheels attached, and a handle was added to make it easy to pull.

The leather straps for carrying were also made of sturdy material. Ricardo tried pulling it on the ground.

The wheels turned smoothly. When he tried loading a log and pulling it, it seemed to work fine.

"Master, thank you."

In later years, this carry cart would attract attention, and the master of the cart workshop would make a fortune. Ricardo would lament the injustice of the world, thinking that if there were a patent system, he could have made money too.

He carried the carry cart through the mixed forest to the stream. While searching for the magic tree Trill upstream, he found one that was absorbing water from the stream.

Using the magic rod, he aimed at the magic tree and cast a "Flying Spear." The stone spear flew and pierced the tree's knot. Tree liver oil spurted out, and the magic tree Trill thrashed and fell into the stream.

Ricardo took out a grappling hook and hooked the magic tree as it flowed away, pulling it closer.

He easily obtained the material of the magic tree Trill. He wondered why monster hunters did not target the magic tree Trill. However, hitting the knot with a spell accurately was more difficult than Ricardo thought.

Ricardo had practiced magic power control many times a day, which resulted in such a high level of control. Normally, one day of practice would deplete the magic power, making it impossible to practice on that day.

The day he first defeated a monster, choosing the sixth "blessing" was fortunate.

He thought that the sixth one he chose that day might be related to the source gate deep in his mind.

He cut the branches with the saw he brought and secured them to the carry cart with a rope. The carry cart moved quite easily even with the magic tree Trill loaded.

There was a rumbling vibration, but it was a world apart from carrying it by hand.

He transported it to the city and took it to the catalyst shop. Diego was inside and looked at the magic tree Trill he brought.

"Wow, you hunted another Trill?"

"Can you buy it?"

"Yeah, the charcoal of the magic tree Trill is in short supply in the capital, so the price has gone up."

For some reason, the "Fire" catalyst was in short supply in the capital, causing the price to rise.

Diego noticed the carry cart. It looked like a backpack, so he mistook it for one.

"What's that?"

"This is a carry cart, a tool for transporting heavy loads."

Ricardo demonstrated the carry cart, and Diego was impressed.

"Wow, that's a handy thing. Did you use it to transport the heavy magic tree?"

"Yes, it's convenient for transporting heavy loads, so I had it made at the cart workshop."

"I've never seen one in the capital. Did you come up with it, Ricardo?"

"Well, yes."

"Magicians are smart."

Ricardo received two silver coins from Diego and headed to the mansion. On the way, he gave the meat of the headbutting rabbit he hunted to Olta, who prepared the meals.

"Oh, it's rabbit meat. I'll serve it for dinner tonight, so look forward to it."

The lady was very pleased. He thought he would provide meat regularly from now on.

Upon arriving at the mansion, he put the carry cart in the shed in the garden and returned to the attic room.

He took off his equipment, cleaned it, and meditated for about ten minutes to heal his fatigue.

After that, he processed the branches of the magic tree he brought back into a rod.

Although the magic rod was completed, it was not satisfactory. The patterns that emerged on the magic rods he saw at the weapon shop were complex and large. It seemed that the complexity of the patterns changed depending on the strength of the magic power poured into them.

The more powerful the magic power, the more complex the patterns became, like snow crystals, resulting in a high-quality magic rod.

He was also concerned about the rough appearance of the processing. He decided to buy tools like sandpaper.

While processing, it was time for dinner, and when he went downstairs, Olta was preparing the meal. The rabbit meat was served as a stew with mushrooms.

It had been a while since he ate monster meat, and it tasted very good. Massimo also seemed to like it and had seconds twice.

After dinner, he returned to the attic room and finished processing the rod.

The finish was still rough and did not look good. He considered asking a professional craftsman, but he was not sure if the magic coating would be satisfactory, so he decided not to spend a lot of money on it.

That day, he brought his consciousness close to the source gate deep in his mind, six steps away, and converted the power flowing in into magic power, pouring it into the rod. He felt resistance from the magic power, which he had not felt at seven steps, and it seemed to go wild.

He applied pressure to his consciousness to control the wild magic power. Unlike releasing magic power from the surface of his body, pouring it into the rod was difficult.

Despite the struggle, he continued to change the surface of the rod with magic power. The patterns that emerged were clearly more complex than the previous rod. He finished the magic coating and examined the completed magic rod.

The magic control was not successful, and the patterns did not align neatly, looking like a patchwork.

"A failure. Trying to go six steps was too ambitious."

Ricardo's shoulders drooped.

It seemed he needed to start by getting used to the task of magic coating.

From the next day, he continued the routine of hunting the magic tree Trill during the day and making magic rods at night. When doing the magic coating, he tried to perfectly align the patterns from the source gate, seven steps away.

This routine continued for about a month. There were days when he could not hunt the magic tree Trill during the day or when he failed in processing the rod, so he only managed to make six satisfactory magic rods.

One day, he took a break from hunting and went to the city, thinking he might be able to sell the accumulated magic rods.

He went to the weapon shop and entered. The owner and a merchant-like man were talking inside.

"Is there any rare weapon?"

"Well, if you're talking about rare, there's a short spear made from the spear antler of a spear deer."

The owner brought out a short spear he had just acquired from the back. The spearhead was not made of metal but a black, shiny horn in the same shape as the spear blade. It seemed to be the horn of the magic beast, the spear deer.

The male customer examined the short spear enthusiastically and asked for the price.

"Eight gold coins, how about that?"

"That's expensive. I remember the market price for spear antlers is about three gold coins. Even if you ask a skilled craftsman to process it, one gold coin at most. So, six gold coins would be a good price, wouldn't it?"

"Well... you mentioned the market price for spear antlers, but look at this horn. It's quite something."

The owner and the customer started negotiating the price, and it eventually settled at seven gold coins and two silver coins.

Seeing the customer leave, Ricardo approached the owner and spoke.

"Excuse me, I'd like you to see this."

He showed the six magic rods he brought.

"...Hey, are these magic rods?"

The owner was very surprised. There should not have been any magic craftsman in this border area who could make magic rods.

"Yes. Can you buy them?"

"Boy, who made these?"

Ricardo hesitated. If he said he made them, he thought he might be underpriced. Normally, no adult would buy something made by a child at a high price.

"My master made them."

"Hmm, your master is a magic craftsman?"

The owner started examining the magic rods carefully.

"Oh, there's no engraving. And the processing is rough."

"I did the processing."

"I see... Is your master injured?"

"Yes, well..."

The owner examined the rods thoroughly and then said,

"I'll buy them for one gold coin each. How about it?"

Ricardo shouted "Yay" in his heart. One gold coin for a magic rod made in one night.

Ricardo sold the six magic rods to the weapon shop. After receiving the gold coins and leaving the shop, the man who had been negotiating with the owner was standing there.

He was probably around fifty years old, with black hair mixed with white and a thick beard. He was not particularly tall but probably weighed around eighty kilograms. He was dressed in expensive silk, suggesting he was a merchant.

Ricardo guessed he was a merchant from his appearance.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

The merchant approached and spoke.

"What is it?"

"I'd like to have a chat."

The merchant invited Ricardo to a shop that served delicious Amil tea. Amil tea is a drink similar to black tea, and wealthy people add honey to it.

After sitting down, the merchant ordered Amil tea and baked goods.

"My name is Bernardo Micelotti. I used to run a weapon and catalyst shop in the capital."

Bernardo spoke politely to the child, which seemed to be a habit.

Ricardo did not know, but the Micelotti family was one of the four major merchant families in the capital, controlling the Milan financial empire, and Bernardo was the deputy leader of the Milan financial empire.

He had retired from active duty and was traveling, but he was still a big shot in the economic world of the Romanas Kingdom.

"I'm Ricardo, studying to become a magician."

"Oh, a magician. I heard you are studying under a magic craftsman."

"...It's temporary. I plan to become a magician in the future."

Ricardo slightly regretted lying to the weapon shop.

"By the way, you sold those magic rods for one gold coin each, didn't you? Didn't your master tell you how much to sell them for?"

"They were made as part of my training and were not intended for sale from the beginning."

"But the magic coating was done by your master's magic craftsman, right?"

Bernardo explained the difficulty of magic coating. Although it did not seem as difficult as he had heard, it was not something a nine-year-old child could do.

He explained that the magic craftsman he was studying under did the magic coating to teach him and to keep his skills from rusting.

"I see... but one gold coin is too cheap. You were taken by the weapon shop owner."

According to Bernardo, a fourth-grade magic rod would sell for about ten gold coins in the capital. He learned that the market price for a magic craftsman to sell to a merchant was more than three gold coins.

"But the rod I made was rough and did not look good."

"That's true. However, the magic coating was excellent. I haven't seen such neatly aligned snow patterns in a long time."

The patterns that emerge on a magic rod are called "snow patterns."

Ricardo blushed at the praise for his work.

"But the magic power I poured into the rod was small, and the snow patterns were simple."

"Yes, but I would have bought it for three gold coins. It seems you lost out."

Bernardo explained about magic rods. The grade of a magic rod is determined by the size and complexity of the snow patterns, how neatly they align, and the material used.

The minimum material is the magic tree Trill, and for second-grade and above, wood from stronger magic tree monsters like the Elbir is used. If more magic power is poured in, the material of the magic tree Trill cannot withstand it and will crack.

While drinking Amil tea and eating baked goods, he talked with Bernardo for about an hour.

"Oh, I've kept you for a long time. Lastly, can you tell me your master's name?"

Ricardo was honestly troubled. In a pinch, he said,

"Matou. My master's name is Matou."

One lie leads to another.

"Is that so. Will Matou be making magic rods here for a while?"

"Yes, until his injury heals."

"If so, I might stop by again on my way back from the northern Kusu territory. I want to buy a magic rod made by Matou. Is that okay?"

Ricardo nodded and gave him Alessandro's mansion as a contact.