Free Web NovelChapter 255: Chapter 249: Wondrous Conch
Allen looked up. The middle-aged Wizard before him had a gentle voice and a thin frame.
"Please, have a seat." Allen gestured to the empty seat across from him and leaned back slightly. "Mr. Autus, my list makes it very clear that Geocentric Flame Marrow is to be prioritized for trading with cultivation materials. Your goods, it seems, do not include such items."
"I know."
Autus sat down, speaking rapidly. "I’m not a pioneer. I’m a direct academic researcher for the Ring City Alliance, stationed long-term at the fortress, specializing in high-energy elemental fusion theory. These seven pieces of Geocentric Flame Marrow are urgently needed for my current project."
With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved a strange object from his Storage Ring and placed it gently on the table.
It was a palm-sized conch, translucent and ethereal blue, its surface covered in natural silver patterns.
The moment it appeared, the surrounding air seemed to thicken, and the faint, illusory sound of tides crashing against reefs echoed in Allen’s ears.
"This item isn’t on my sale list."
Autus stared at the conch, a flicker of pain in his eyes. "’Deep Sea Echo Conch.’ A wondrous item from the Stormy Abyss. It can’t directly increase your Spiritual Power limit, but if you place it beside you during Meditation, it can induce a resonance at the soul level."
’A wondrous item? I was just wondering what one looked like, and now one has delivered itself to my doorstep.’
"What are its specific effects?"
Allen’s tone was flat, as if he were a hidden master. Though it was his first time seeing a wondrous item, his face showed no fluctuation of emotion.
"It greatly reduces the resistance of inscribing a Will Rune."
Autus held up two fingers. "For a First-level Wizard, it can increase your Meditation efficiency by about fifty percent on top of your current baseline. I was originally saving this for my own use."
Fifty percent.
Allen’s pupils constricted slightly.
[Establishing performance projection model for ’Deep Sea Echo Conch’...]
[Inputting parameters: "Omni-Resonance Meditation Method," Spiritual Power activity level, remaining Rune count for Core Matrix.]
[Projection result: With a 50% efficiency increase, combined with other items, the Core Matrix construction time will be reduced by 1.6 years. The theoretical time to advance to Second-level Wizard can be compressed to 2 years.]
Two years!
On the scale of a Wizard’s lifespan, two years was nothing.
But by purchasing this wondrous item, it would take Allen only two short years to advance to Second-level Wizard.
There was a world of difference between a Second-level and a First-level Wizard who specialized in Golems. Although Allen didn’t know why, advancing sooner was definitely the right move.
The Geocentric Flame Marrow was useless for his current cultivation, just dead weight sitting in his storage.
’No matter how you look at it, this deal is a net gain.’
But Allen didn’t nod immediately, forcefully suppressing his excitement.
"It sounds good." Allen steepled his fingers, resting his elbows on the table, his gaze shifting between the conch and Autus.
"But Mr. Autus, since you are a theoretical researcher, you should understand the importance of rigorous data. ’About fifty percent’ is a vague range. I believe its compatibility is not entirely identical for different Meditation Methods."
Autus was taken aback. He had assumed the young Wizard would be immediately captivated by the "increase in Meditation efficiency," not expecting him to be as calm as an emotionless Alchemy Puppet.
In order to obtain the Geocentric Flame Marrow, Autus could only patiently begin reciting the experimental data in detail: "Its resonance frequency is between 4.2 and 4.7 hertz, a perfect match for the shallow fluctuations of the human soul. The wavelength..."
As Autus rattled on, Allen’s gaze remained locked on his eyes and subtle body language.
’His speech is a bit fast.’
’His pupils dilate unconsciously when he mentions the Geocentric Flame Marrow.’
’This is a sign of extreme desire.’
Autus’s wondrous item was extremely valuable, there was no doubt about that.
But it was obvious he was more desperate than Allen. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"...the comprehensive decay rate will not exceed 3%." Autus finished, then looked at Allen and said, "Mr. Weisren, this is definitely a good deal."
"This wondrous item is effective even for Official Wizards, so its value must be quite high, right?"
"As a wondrous item, its market value is estimated at around two million, far exceeding the price of the Geocentric Flame Marrow. I really need it to advance my experiment right now."
Allen nodded. "However, my Geocentric Flame Marrow is of the highest quality, sourced from a high-pressure magma zone deep underground. It’s rare to see so much for sale at once."
Autus frowned. "What do you mean? Are you asking me to lower the price?"
"I’m merely pointing out the rarity of the Geocentric Flame Marrow. I’ll make up the difference." Allen smiled faintly. "The seven pieces, sold as a package, would fetch no less than eight hundred thousand Low-Level Magic Stones on the market. For the difference, I will add another one million, one hundred fifty thousand Low-Level Magic Stones."
He paused, looking Autus in the eye. "What do you think?"
"Deal." After a moment’s thought, Autus decisively agreed.
’Is it a loss?’
’Yes, it is.’
’But if his project can’t move forward, the loss will be even greater.’
The two quickly completed the exchange.
Seven boxes containing dark red crystals landed in Autus’s hands, while the conch, radiating an ethereal blue light, was stored away by Allen into his Space Ring.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Weisren." Autus stood up, a smile finally appearing on his face. "If you have any more of this rare fire-element material in the future, please contact me first."
"I will." Allen nodded in acknowledgment.
Watching Autus’s hastily departing figure, Allen picked up the red tea in front of him and took a sip.
’I can’t believe I’ve already achieved the biggest goal of this trip.’
’My luck is pretty good.’
’But the trade fair isn’t over yet. I can’t waste this opportunity.’
He closed his eyes and used his Spiritual Power to scan the trade list again.
"Dseek, filter out all ores and low-tier materials. I don’t need equipment for now, either. Focus the search on Golem and Rune technology entries traded for Magic Stones, and also list any that match my exchange conditions."
[Filter complete. A total of seventeen entries match the criteria.]
Allen quickly scanned the lines one by one.
Most of the technologies were useless to him, things like "Anti-Beam Coating" and "Shock-Absorbing Runes." His own workshop had already iterated past those long ago.
Until his gaze stopped on the twelfth entry.
[Composite Magic Power Scanning Lens Blueprints and Supporting Rune Technology.]
[Description: Fuses special magic power wave reflection and optical correction technology. Can penetrate conventional ’optical invisibility’ and ’low-tier magic power cloaking.’ Possesses high-altitude reconnaissance capabilities. Effective detection radius: 100 kilometers (dependent on power supply).]
[Seller: Renn (War Zone 11).]
[Requirement: High-explosive Alchemy Weapons of equivalent value.]
Allen’s eyes snapped open, a sharp glint flashing in his deep blue pupils.
’Good stuff!’
’This is the exact piece of the technological puzzle I desperately need right now!’
His territory was currently protected by a "Celestial Net" reconnaissance and command system constructed from twenty "Demon Eye III" units. But the core reconnaissance Rune Array of this system was still based on the generic stuff he had learned back at the academy.
He still remembered how he had used the design principles from the Judgement sniper platform’s scope to create the first generation of Demon Eyes, which had triple observation modes: magic power scanning, optical detection, and thermal vision.
That detection technology had been carried over to the Demon Eye III without much improvement. Its limited reconnaissance range meant the Demon Eyes could only be deployed at an altitude of a few thousand meters at most.
As the enemies Allen faced grew stronger, with more and more Magical Beasts and foes skilled in magic power camouflage, his reconnaissance capability had become a major weakness.
The one who bothered him the most was Victor Iron Flame.
That guy’s Reconnaissance Golem, all the way from War Zone 19, had clearly seen the entire process of him annihilating the Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion.
Meanwhile, Allen’s own Demon Eyes had to move over the southern volcanic cluster just to provide intel support for his Golem troops.
If he could get his hands on these "Composite Magic Power Scanning Lens Blueprints and Supporting Rune Technology" and integrate them into his Demon Eye IIIs, the Celestial Net’s reconnaissance radius and precision would take a qualitative leap.
Conventional stealth and cloaking methods would no longer be able to hide on his territory. More importantly, his Demon Eye IIIs could fly higher, increasing their survivability.
"High-explosive Alchemy Weapons of equivalent value..."
Allen looked at the seller’s requirement, the corner of his mouth curling into a barely perceptible arc.
’In this plane, what is the hardest currency?’
’Besides life-saving measures, it’s the big bombs that can shatter a Magical Beast’s carapace.’
Wizards fought against thick-skinned Magical Beasts every day. The demand for high-explosive weapons capable of instantly tearing through defenses was a bottomless pit.
’What a coincidence.’
’What he had listed for sale were precisely the most artistic bombs on this land.’
’The only thing is, these bombs have never been publicly revealed. Other Wizards know very little about them, so I’ll have to go and make the sales pitch myself.’
’It’s just a bit of salesmanship. Nothing to be ashamed of.’
Allen set down his teacup.
He stood up. His long fingers methodically straightened the hem of his black Wizard Robe, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles. His movements were elegant and unhurried, like a nobleman about to attend a banquet.
His gaze passed through the crowd on the outer circle of the venue and locked onto a burly figure sitting diagonally across from him. The man was bald, the lower half of his face covered by a metal prosthesis. On the table in front of him, the name "Renn" was written.
Allen started walking, his steps steady, heading toward the Wizard.
His mind was already calculating how to best present his product.
That Rune technology...
’It will be mine.’
