The Regular Exchange Festival (2)
While changing into a different robe, Leon took the opportunity to pull several herbs of each variety and stored them in his spatial pouch. He had no immediate plans to sell them. This was his first time participating in a trade between mages. With no knowledge of current market rates, he decided to observe them first. If he found something that caught his eye, he would attempt a trade. A satisfying exchange would also spare him the hassle of converting everything into mana stones.
Emerging from the orb, Leon pulled his hood low and adjusted his displayed rank to Class 1. He could not fully conceal his face, but hiding the fact that he was a regular disciple was enough.
Selling magic items was not so different from the ordinary shopping district. Merchant association buildings occupied their usual spots, while tents and stalls dotted the area everywhere. The tents belonged to other trading companies that had seized the chance to open stalls during the festival, and the stalls were set up mainly by individual mages looking to barter.
Leon wandered the market streets, comparing the prices vendors shouted with those written on the stalls to gradually learn the going rates. Most goods lingered in the F to D range. A few C-grade artifacts were visible, but anything higher was difficult to find. It seemed the upper ranks had their own separate trading channels.
An F-grade elixir could be purchased for fifty mana stones. The stones Leon received monthly from the Magic Tower after his first year of combined work and training amounted to just one. In other words, a regular disciple would need to labor for fifty months to afford a single elixir.
Back when he possessed triple affinity, Leon had consumed more than fifty F-grade elixirs simply to advance from Class 1 to Class 2. Most had been F- due to the low initial reward probability, yet even by simple arithmetic the total came to 2,500 mana stones. It was not an expense the average apprentice mage could bear. What was more, the effect of F-grade elixirs plummeted sharply after the latter half of Class 3—even after his efficiency rose upon gaining all-element affinity.
I currently have thirty-two F-grade elixirs.
Ten were leftover rewards he had saved, and twenty-two were ones he had steadily manufactured himself instead of consuming after reaching the latter half of Class 3. Since he no longer needed them, selling every last one posed no problem. The real issue was how to sell them.
After gaining a rough grasp of the market, Leon stopped before a particular tent. A wooden sign hung above it, announcing that herbs were for sale. Intrigued, he lifted the flap at once and stepped inside.
An old man wearing glasses spotted him and tilted his head. Having grown sensitive to mana flows after acquiring all-element affinity, Leon immediately noticed the old man raising his power to gauge his rank. Anticipating some reaction, Leon pretended ignorance and examined the wooden boxes arranged before the man.
Most of the herbs inside were familiar even to Leon. They were ingredients used in F-grade and E-grade elixirs. His eyes widened when he saw one in particular.
Small Sunlight Flower!
It was a necessary component for E-grade elixir refinement—the single herb he had failed to find in the herb forest.
Having hit upon a good idea while browsing the stalls, Leon pointed at the box containing the Small Sunlight Flower. The old man reacted at once.
“Hoo… You seem to possess knowledge of elixir crafting. You chose it without the slightest hesitation.”
“I found the item my master desired. There is no reason to hesitate.”
Leon subtly revealed that he was training under a master and asked, “What is the price?”
“Seven hundred mana stones.”
Despite the casual tone, the old man stared at Leon as though doubting he could afford it. Seven hundred stones was roughly the price of two E-grade elixirs. He was charging the value of two finished elixirs for one of the five herbs that went into them.
It felt inflated, yet Leon chose not to comment. “Would you consider trading for other herbs instead?”
“Other herbs? I’m afraid this one is pristine from stem to root. If planted in the proper environment and cared for, it will reproduce on its own.”
Leon produced another herb required for E-grade elixirs that had not been on display. Since he had dug it up fully mature just before entering the market, the roots were still fresh and alive.
“Hmm…”
The old man studied the herb in Leon’s hand with gleaming eyes. “Not bad for something that wasn’t properly stored. Give me two of equal quality and I’ll trade you one Small Sunlight Flower.”
“Two of them?”
“If it’s only one, there’s no point in trading. The Small Sunlight Flower is the rarer herb, after all.”
Now that he thought about it, the reasoning was sound. It placed Leon at a disadvantage since he was the one seeking the flower, but the logic held. Of course, “disadvantage” was only in general terms. To Leon, who was cultivating massive quantities of herbs inside the orb, such a loss meant nothing. Securing a new variety mattered far more.
Still, he did not accept immediately and showed a trace of hesitation. The old man asked as if he had read the situation. “Do you only have the one herb? Unfortunately, my offer will not change.”
Leon let out a sigh and produced one more herb. “You offered these so I could trade for what I wanted, yet what choice do I have? My master’s errand takes priority.”
The old man smiled warmly. “What a dutiful disciple.”
The remark had not been made merely to haggle. Its true purpose was to prevent the old man from entertaining any strange notions in case he suspected Leon possessed even more herbs.
After exchanging two herbs for one Small Sunlight Flower, Leon left the tent.
This should be enough for today…
He had lingered in the shopping district quite a while in this appearance. Purchasing various goods while looking the same might draw unwanted attention from other mages.
There is no need to dispose of my items in a hurry.
The exchange festival was scheduled to run for a full week. The second day featured individual disciple duels, the third held matches between academy apprentice mages, and the fourth was reserved for academy esoteric mages. A true festival would follow.
He could return once more to confirm the prices of elixirs and scrolls, then begin selling little by little afterward.
As Leon turned to retrace his steps, he noticed a modest stall set up beside the tent. A man sat with arms crossed, eyes closed, dozing off. Before him lay a single item: a plain wooden sword of pale brown wood.
Its utter lack of presence for an artifact paradoxically sparked Leon’s interest. He approached the man. Sensing him, the fellow with wildly disheveled black hair opened his eyes.
“Are you selling this?”
“That’s right?”
His tone was surly, yet the fact that he did not immediately drop into informal speech upon seeing Leon’s face showed a measure of courtesy.
“Is it an artifact?”
“I don’t know that myself.”
“Pardon?”
“I picked it up by chance while working as a mercenary in the Western Demonic Beast Forest. No matter how hard I struck it, the thing refused to break, so I know it’s no ordinary object.”
“It doesn’t break no matter how hard you hit it?”
The man gave a firm nod. “Correct. Nothing I did could snap it. In terms of toughness, I can guarantee it.”
“…Is that all?”
“Isn’t that why I still haven’t packed up and am dozing off like this?”
Whether the man intended to sell or not, his indifferent attitude cooled Leon’s interest slightly.
“How much?”
“You’re actually buying?”
“Yes, provided the price is reasonable. I have an interest in collecting antiques.”
“Strange hobbies from a young age.”
The sarcastic tone grated on Leon’s nerves. When he simply stared without replying, the man glanced at him, then held out the wooden sword. The gesture invited appraisal.
Leon attempted to use appraisal magic to examine its properties.
I can’t detect any abilities at all?
If the man’s words were true, its only noteworthy trait was extreme hardness. It was strange for wood to be this durable, yet…
Wait.
Up close, something odd stood out. A very faint but distinctly alien flow of mana circled the sword.
There really is something here.
Watching Leon sink into thought, the man blurted, “Two hundred and fifty mana stones.”
“I don’t have mana stones. Would you accept a trade for something else?”
“Something else?”
“My master gave me some elixirs.”
“Hmm… Five F-grade elixirs.”
Leon shook his head. He had sensed something about the sword, but he alone had realized it.
“Asking five F-grade elixirs for what is essentially a sturdy club suggests you have no real intention of selling.”
“Can’t you tell at a glance that it has a hidden power?”
“Didn’t you put it out here precisely because you couldn’t identify that hidden power?”
“…You’re quite perceptive for your age.”
The man extended two fingers toward Leon. “Two.”
“Hmm…”
“Take the gamble. You’re buying it with expectations anyway, aren’t you? I won’t go any lower, so consider carefully before answering.”
The man clearly had no intention of abandoning his final hope. That must be why he had remained stuck with only this sword until now.
After a moment’s deliberation, Leon nodded.
Having completed that last transaction, Leon changed clothes once more and returned to his lodging. The regular disciples who shared the room were apparently still out wandering, leaving Leon alone.
Deciding the timing was perfect, he took out the wooden sword and examined it from every angle. When he attempted to lift it with basic telekinesis, he realized the spell had no effect and was taken aback.
I had planned to test it alongside the Sword that Scatters Moonlight later.
Frustration surged up, but Leon forcibly swallowed it back down. The Sword that Scatters Moonlight remained incomplete anyway.
With no other choice, he held the sword in his hand and tried various experiments. He prodded and touched it as he had when first exploring the Chrono Orb, yet nothing happened.
So it really is connected to the flow of mana?
Leaving the wooden sword beside him, Leon sat cross-legged. As he began regulating his breath in the familiar pattern, he immediately sensed something wrong. The mana entering through his breathing felt strange.
He halted the breathing technique and cast a detection spell at once. After grasping the surrounding mana currents, Leon quickly located the cause. The wooden sword was intercepting the mana that had been gathering around him. The stolen mana was being drawn inside it.
A belated realization struck the back of Leon’s head.
So that’s why the man handed it over so easily. He hadn’t failed to notice.
Left alone, the flow might go undetected, but anyone who continued training would inevitably sense it. There was no way a mage would miss the fact that the sword absorbed mana during practice.
A blade that devoured mana when kept nearby. Its suspicious nature had become even clearer, yet keeping it close now felt like holding a double-edged sword. Storing it in subspace would obviously produce no change, but leaving it near him would constantly disrupt his training.
As Leon let out a hollow laugh, one thought flashed through his mind.
He left the room at once and headed for a secluded spot. Then he gripped the orb.
Entering the orb with the wooden sword, Leon drove it straight into the ground.
“Zzz…”
Ignoring Kito’s peaceful snoring, Leon sat cross-legged and prepared to begin his breathing exercise. Before he could even touch the mana flow, the surrounding mana began rushing toward the sword.
“Whoa…”
The amount the wooden sword absorbed swelled beyond control in an instant. It looked as though the blade had opened its mouth and was greedily devouring the mana. The sword swelled with power at a terrifying pace and continued to drink for a long time. The disturbance was enough to wake Kito from her sleep.
Let’s see how long it can keep this up.
The mana inside the orb could never run dry anyway. Even after absorbing this much, there was still no sign of depletion.
Roughly half a day passed. Eventually the sword began to tremble violently, as if it could no longer endure. Then, all at once, the vibration ceased. A sharp crack echoed from the wooden sword—the sound of its surface splitting open.