Chapter 369: Act 127 – Changes of the Loop of Trade Winds (Part 1)
The appearance of the Crusian had caused some alertness in Brendel, but the Eagles Empire felt somewhat distant at this moment, especially since he was well aware that Veronica, the commander of the Azure Sky, was unlikely to come after him for revenge.
The dispute at the ‘Centaur Hoof’ market had not dampened the interest of the two ladies in the magnificent tree city, and under the suggestion of the noble lady, the four of them strolled along the street leading to the Loop of Trade Winds near the Green Tower.
The majestic scenery between the towering ancient trees could indeed make one forget all worries at times—
Since acquiring the Stone Key, Brendel had started to pay attention to those inconspicuous little shops. It must be said that the Black Forest was indeed rich in resources; after just browsing around, he managed to acquire quite a number of good items.
Not to mention the majority of precious magical materials, including high-quality goods rarely seen in the form of yellow brass labels, such as Binding Wind, Ancient Branches, and Wyvern Blood.
Unlike equipment, most materials are white before they undergo extraction and reforging. After one extraction, they typically attain the Alchemical level (black iron), while naturally enchanted materials, like Magic Crystals, are extremely rare.
Brendel thought he had obtained an entire head of Wyvern Blood, and over twenty pieces of Blessed Scales would already be considered lucky; he completely did not expect the unexpected benefits available in the Green Tower.
Binding Wind could serve as a core material for enhancing crystals, but unlike the attribute enhancement of the Phantom Knight’s Crystal, Binding Wind allowed one to master a skill related to wind spells.
As for Ancient Branches, they were excellent materials for crafting legendary-level staves. While Brendel couldn’t use them himself, he could sell them to others or trade them with Ampere Seale for something more valuable, especially since he had a valuable backup priest under his wing—such roles were also a significant advantage in nurturing talent.
One must know that in any game, healers are always sought after. If Brendel were not yet certain about the reliability of his priest, he would have considered crafting a set of top-tier—not to say exquisite—equipment for her long ago.
As for the Wyvern Blood, it was also a high-grade material for Dragon Power potions. Brendel had already crafted a large batch of these potions, just waiting to distribute them to his capable subordinates.
However, initially, he felt a bit strange about the unexpected harvest from this trip to the Green Tower. In the game, he had never bought anything good from these shops; while the materials were abundant, no bargains could be found. Those centaur shopkeepers were no mere rural folk; each one was cunning as a fox.
But as Brendel thought about it, he suddenly felt relieved. He remembered that this was not a game; in the game, he was merely a novice who was always a step behind. By the time he arrived in the Black Forest south of Toniger, the area had long been trampled by players.
Now, however, it was still a piece of untamed virgin land—perhaps some adventurers visited occasionally, but overall it presented a primitive and ignorant state.
Once he realized this, Brendel couldn’t help but feel a burst of joy, eager to explore all the markets in the city within a single day.
And as it turned out, his instincts were correct.
Soon, Brendel found some truly good items.
A Tania Wandering Mage brazenly offered a strange card to passersby, and when Brendel saw that nobody was paying attention to it, he almost thought he had misread it.
But it was indeed a Destiny Card.
A basic land card named ‘Dra’s Wilderness,’ this was a rather mature land card that could yield 2 points of earth element and 1 point of light element when rotated.
After a brief negotiation, Brendel agreed to exchange it for a Minor Moon Crystal, which made the Wandering Mage absolutely thrilled. He seemed terrified that Brendel would change his mind, repeatedly telling him that the card contained some secret, though he couldn’t detect any magical response from it.
However, the Wandering Mage solemnly declared that a lack of magic in an item did not mean it had no value; on the contrary, he released a flame from his fingertips, placing the card in the fire—naturally, the Destiny Card remained unscathed.
“You see, sir,” the Wandering Mage bragged, treating Brendel as if he was a gullible mark, “ordinary things turn to ashes in the fire, but this item remains entirely unharmed, indicating that it must have some unusual properties.”
“You see, even though neither of us can discern its significance, considering it for the price of a Moon Crystal is just a small gamble,” said the Wandering Mage mysteriously. “What if it pays off?”
Brendel nodded, took the card, and let a flame flicker over it—he previously hadn’t known that Destiny Cards had this characteristic.
The Wandering Mage was astonished by Brendel’s action; though the spark was just an Elementalist’s trick, achieving a spell-less casting was not something a third-rate practitioner like him could accomplish.
This indicated that Brendel was an Elementalist, and not just any apprentice but a genuine Elementalist of the black iron tier. Based on his casting speed, it was no less than second-ring.
Though the Wandering Mage himself was somewhat lacking, he had sharp eyes: “So, master, you are an Elementalist,” he managed to say with respect and discreetly glanced at Brendel’s expression. “Are you interested in this sort of thing?”
“What do you mean?” Brendel tucked the card away, casually undoing its seal and asking.
“I have quite a few of those.”
“Quite a few?” Brendel questioned. “How many do you expect me to buy? It’s just a passing interest.”
Xi, seeing her lord’s serious demeanor, couldn’t help but slightly purse her lips, while Antinna tugged at her hand from behind, alerting the red-haired girl to be careful not to reveal any clues.
“Of course,” the Wandering Mage said. He had been researching these cards for a while; he had found them in an attic of a second-hand ancient mansion but, not being a professional scholar, lost patience when no results emerged: “It’s fine; if the master is interested, I can sell the rest to you cheaper.”
“How much cheaper?” Brendel pretended to hesitate and asked.
“There are a total of five cards left, for four Moon Crystals. How about that?”
“Four?”
“Okay, okay, three!” The Wandering Mage thought three would still make him a profit. He was afraid that being too stubborn with a high price would make Brendel lose interest. After all, he had tried selling this item at many places, but nobody wanted it; it was rare to find a fool like this.
Brendel immediately nodded; sometimes, one should know when to stop while ahead, with the events in the Centaur Hoof market serving as a stark reminder. He said, “You first bring them over for me to take a look.”
The Wandering Mage eagerly nodded: “Master, can you wait for a moment? I have the items at my place; it’s not far from here, and I’ll be back quickly.”
Brendel glanced at him and replied, “I’ll wait for you here, give you half an hour.”
If Brendel were just a noble, even if he were a wealthy patron, the Wandering Mage likely wouldn’t act so submissively, but Brendel’s identity as a genuine Elementalist made a difference. The Wandering Mage quickly left, and Antinna watched the figure disappear around the corner before she couldn’t help but sigh, “I finally understand why Miss Romaine would be with Lord.”
“That item indeed is useless to him,” Brendel shook his head, not sharing her view. He had made a substantial profit from the earlier Stone Key, but these Destiny Cards, aside from being useful for traveling mages, had no value for anyone else. Tumen had told him that traveling mages were as rare as hen’s teeth in this world.
According to that master’s example, there might not be a second traveling mage in the entire Erluin. Whether or not there was one in Cruz was another question. This meant that if he did not want the Wandering Mage’s cards, they might not sell at all; perhaps a scholar would be interested, but they wouldn’t fetch the high price he wanted.
Thus, from this transaction, Brendel did not feel he had made any profit.
Moreover, in his view, there were not many Destiny Cards in this world; it was just the rare ones that were hard to come by.
Thinking of this, he suddenly smiled: “Compared to this, the upcoming business is what really matters.”
“Upcoming?” Antinna asked, puzzled.
“I’m planning to buy that guy.”
“Ah?” The noble lady was taken aback, thinking about the young lord engaging in human trafficking.
“That guy is an Elementalist; his basics are solid,” Brendel replied. “In the future, I intend to separate the spell-casting profession from the Royal Guards to form a young mage team, but among this group, we only have Meria and Maven, which is still lacking.”
“Formal wizards look down on my little temple, and even if they did join, they wouldn’t be able to manage it for a while,” the young lord did not hide his thoughts in front of his aides. “And it’s much easier to deal with third-rate casters.”
“Is that really okay?” Antinna expressed concern that her lord’s method of picking up ‘trash’ might leave some hidden dangers; however, she was unaware that Brendel had ways to train an ordinary person into a formal wizard, let alone those with inherent talent.
“And the key point is, he might not even want to refuse?” she asked again.
Brendel shook his head. Antinna still didn’t understand the world of spellcasters. There was no caster who wouldn’t be willing to shed the title of apprentice.
In the world of Vaunte, all kinds of wizard apprentices were everywhere, while formal wizards were scarce. Once they entered the true wizarding realm, it meant they stood above others.
Hence, he pointed to himself: “I’m still a formal Elementalist; given this opportunity, he won’t pass it up. He’d be overjoyed.”
Antinna was momentarily taken aback.
Xi smiled beside them: “So, doing business with Lord must be done with caution. If one is not careful, they might just end up as part of the deal.” She glanced at Brendel as she said this.
“Exactly,” the noble lady nodded.
Brendel naturally knew that the two were joking about him, but he didn’t mind enjoying this rare leisurely moment. He shrugged without concern.
(PS: Tickets, classmates~ YOHO~) (To be continued. For more chapters and to support the author, please log in. Support legitimate reading!)
