Exchange Meet

The next morning, when Jialan woke up, he found the fortress unusually quiet. The roars of magical beasts and the soldiers' battle cries were gone. Only the occasional birdsong could be heard, making it almost possible to forget the fierce battle of the previous night.

After breakfast, Jialan discovered that another group of roughly three hundred soldiers had arrived at the fortress. There were now at least two thousand soldiers stationed there openly. He also noticed that this group included two spellcasters, both official mages.

He ran into Anna in the hall. The two naturally began discussing cultivation.

"Since graduating and coming to serve at the border, I haven't had the chance to exchange ideas with a spellcaster of the same rank," Jialan said with feeling. "Being able to speak with you this time has benefited me greatly."

Anna smiled. "Your mastery of ice magic is profound, especially that Ring of Ice Seal. You controlled it extremely well."

The two delved into a detailed discussion of their respective cultivation insights. Jialan found Anna's understanding of light magic particularly unique, especially in healing. Anna, meanwhile, was full of praise for Jialan's ice magic.

The more they talked, the more congenial the conversation became. Before they knew it, noon had arrived. At that moment, Albert returned from outside.

"It looks like you two had a wonderful chat," the old mage said with a smile. "As it happens, there's an exchange meet among mages tonight. If you don't have other plans, you can attend."

Anna was somewhat surprised. "Isn't the fortress under great pressure right now? How can there still be the leisure to hold an exchange meet?"

Albert explained, "After last night's battle, the magical beasts will probably quiet down for a while. Based on past experience, they need time to regroup. There shouldn't be any fighting in the near future, so we can relax a little."

Jialan and Anna exchanged a glance, each seeing anticipation in the other's eyes.

Albert nodded in satisfaction. "The exchange meet begins at seven tonight. I'll take you there then. Remember to bring some items or knowledge you can trade."

Jialan returned to his room and began preparing for the evening's exchange meet. He took out several Magic Scrolls and potions he had made from his Spatial Bag, then organized his recent cultivation insights.

As night fell, Jialan and Anna followed Albert to a stone house on the eastern side of the fortress. Under the moonlight, the stone house appeared especially mysterious. A faint glow shone through its windows, and they could vaguely see that quite a few people had already gathered inside.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, Jialan was surprised to find seven or eight spellcasters already inside. Some stood while others sat, conversing in low voices. Jialan counted roughly. Including the three of them, the fortress actually had more than ten official mages. That was no small force.

The three found seats in a corner. Jialan looked around and saw that most of the mages wore serious expressions, as if they were waiting for something.

After some more time passed and no further spellcasters arrived, the door at the back of the stone house suddenly opened. Three people stepped onto the platform. When Jialan saw them, he could not help but freeze. He knew all three of them.

Standing on the far left was Argyle Cape, the High Light Knight who held the title of viscount. He still wore that gleaming suit of armor, but his face now bore an uncommon gravity.

In the center was Raymond, deputy commander of the Seventh Legion and a Great Sword Master. Jialan had met him once in the Misty Forest. His tall frame and sharp gaze sent chills down one's spine.

On the right was Calvin, the High Mage accompanying the army. He wore a dark gray mage robe, with a gleaming badge pinned to his chest that displayed his status as a High Mage.

Everyone hurriedly rose and saluted the three important figures on the platform. Setting aside their identities and status, even the lowest-ranked among them was high-level, far beyond comparison to the low-level spellcasters present.

Argyle's gaze swept across the crowd and paused briefly on Jialan. He gave him a nod. That subtle gesture startled everyone present, and they all secretly sized Jialan up, guessing at his relationship with the High Light Knight.

The old mage Calvin smiled and gestured for everyone to sit. "There is no need for formalities. Tonight, we have gathered as mages. We need only exchange ideas as equals." As he spoke, he began sharing his cultivation experience and answering questions raised by several mages. This was a tradition at the start of every exchange meet, as well as a benefit for the mages stationed with the army.

Though it was called an exchange, most of the time Calvin was the one explaining. The knowledge of a high-level spellcaster was simply beyond comparison to that of low-level mages like Jialan and the others.

An hour later, the discussion ended. As Calvin announced the start of the exchange meet, the tense atmosphere eased slightly. Following the order, everyone began stating the items they wished to trade and what they needed.

A middle-aged mage stood up first. He wore a dark blue mage robe and carefully took out a crystal-clear glass bottle. The liquid inside was a deep blue, as if an entire ocean had been poured into it.

"This is a bottle of Tear of the Ocean," the middle-aged mage said, his voice carrying a trace of pride. "It is the essence of a deep-sea giant whale. I wish to trade it for some mid- to high-grade magic materials, especially materials related to water magic."

A wave of exclamations immediately rose within the stone house. Tear of the Ocean was an exceptionally precious magic material. Not only could it greatly enhance the power of water magic, it could also help water mages break through bottlenecks.

Jialan was also drawn to the bottle of Tear of the Ocean. Although he was an Ice Mage, ice and water shared the same origin. This bottle of Tear of the Ocean was equally tempting to him. Unfortunately, given his modest means, he could only admire it from afar.

Very soon, several mages expressed their interest.

"I'm willing to trade three portions of Stardust Sand and one portion of Moonlight Essence," said a male mage in a silver robe, making the first bid.

The middle-aged mage shook his head. "Sorry, but I need water-element materials more."

Another female mage in a green robe stood up. "I have a piece of Heart of Jade. It's an excellent material for crafting water magic items..."

An older mage took out an ancient book. "This is Water's Lament. It records some lost water-element incantations..."

For the very first item offered for trade, the mages competed fiercely.

The middle-aged mage listened carefully to every offer, nodding or shaking his head from time to time. In the end, he chose the female mage's Heart of Jade and added some other materials to complete the trade.

After the exchange was completed, the middle-aged mage sat down with satisfaction. The other mages began whispering among themselves, discussing the transaction they had just witnessed.

Jialan noticed that the three people on the platform had silently observed everything. Regardless of how valuable or worthless the items were, they had shown no intention of interfering with anyone's trades.

The exchange meet continued, with all kinds of rare items appearing one after another.