Market

In the dim little cabin, Ronan crouched in a corner by the wall. After feeling around in the cracks for a while, he pulled out a palm-sized black cloth pouch.

He walked to the table and emptied the pouch's contents onto it.

They were tiny crystal fragments the size of mung beans, varying in color.

"One, two, three..."

Ronan carefully counted the crystal fragments on the table. There were seventy-six in total.

Seventy-six Magic Stone Grains.

This was all the money he had on him now.

He still had plenty of Gold Coins and gems from the mundane world, but they could not be spent in Wizard Land.

His pocket watch showed that it was 9:50 in the morning. There was still plenty of time.

Today, Ronan planned to head to the town residential district in Wizard Land to buy materials for his upcoming training and some daily necessities.

Ronan changed into a light, practical hunting outfit, then put on his Wizard Robe over it as a disguise.

He carefully tucked the dagger he usually used for cutting meat into his belt.

The dagger had been left behind by the previous owner of this body. It was very sharp. Although Ronan knew no close-combat techniques, it might come in handy.

A waterskin, dried rations, and finally the cloth pouch containing seventy-six Magic Stone Grains—he secured them all close to his body.

Before leaving, he also packed a large bundle of the leftover beast meat he had hunted over the past few days, dried and salted.

Once he was ready, Ronan locked the cabin door, slid down the long vine to the ground, then chose a direction he had never taken before and quickly vanished into the forest.

The entirety of Hoddam Wizard Land lay within an enormous basin, surrounded by dense, sprawling primeval forests.

Standing atop a high slope and looking toward Hoddam Wizard Academy, Ronan could see only a sea of white mist. Around it sprawled a bustling town, which looked from afar like a ring of gray-black surrounding the fog.

Ronan opened his waterskin and took a sip, a fine sheen of sweat forming on his forehead.

To avoid contact with people, the previous owner had chosen a treehouse far from town. It still took quite some time to walk there.

After nearly two hours of walking, Ronan finally approached the town.

The rugged forest path beneath his feet gradually became broad and level. More and more people came into view, most of them Wizard Apprentices like him, with loose robes as their standard attire.

"Sir, do you need an attendant? For just ten Low-Level Magic Stones, you can have my loyalty for ten years!"

"Sir! I will be your most reliable guard!..."

As he passed a small square before the town, a group of people surged toward Ronan. Most were muscular and carried greatswords on their backs.

They were adventurers who practiced the path of knights.

Ronan had considered getting in touch with them to see whether he could obtain a proper knight's breathing technique to practice, perhaps easing the erosion of his body by energy particles.

But then he thought of how little money he had, and how many things he still needed to buy on this trip. These people dared make a living in Wizard Land as ordinary mortals, so they were probably all shrewd operators. Who knew how many Magic Stones they would demand the moment they opened their mouths?

So he politely declined them all.

Beyond the square stood a ramshackle earthen wall built of gray stone. Inside lay the town's residential district.

It was said that these walls had been left behind many years ago, when the Hoddam settlement had only just taken shape and there were far fewer wizards than there were now.

At that time, many magical beasts lived in the forest, and beast tides often broke out.

Only after the magical beasts in the forests around the settlement had been driven away and the beast tides had vanished did Hoddam gradually develop to its present scale.

Ronan entered the town. Three roads lay before him.

The middle road led directly to Hoddam Wizard Academy. The left road led to the Dwarf Market, while the right led to a general market spontaneously formed by Wandering Wizards.

The road on the left was clearly much better maintained. Most wizards entering the town alongside Ronan turned and headed right.

Ronan wanted to see what the legendary dwarves looked like, but from a distance, it seemed there were guards at the entrance to the Dwarf Market. Ordinary wizards were not allowed in at all.

While Ronan stood there watching, a group of people happened to emerge from the middle road, chatting and laughing as they headed straight for the Dwarf Market.

Every one of them wore brand-new, beautiful wizard robes. Bright rings with obvious energy particle fluctuations glinted on their casually exposed hands. They carried themselves with confidence, looking every bit like Heaven's Chosen.

Ronan cast this group of "Academy Faction" members an envious glance, then turned and headed for the Wizard Market.

The Wizard Market was quite different from what Ronan had imagined. It was just an ordinary street with few people, though its sanitation was appalling. He could even see animal carcasses and feces in the roadside gutters.

All kinds of low buildings lined both sides of the street, most without signs. To know what a shop sold, one had to rely mainly on experience and observation.

Ronan wandered along, stopping now and then. With only seventy-six Magic Stone Grains in "small change," he did not dare enter any shop that looked even slightly upscale. He could only stand outside and peer in.

"Damn it, five Magic Stone Grains for a few pounds of flour? Why don't they just rob me?!"

Ronan cursed as he emerged from a bakery. Tired of coarse grains and cereals, he had wanted to change things up, only to discover that what he had been eating was already the cheapest food in the entire settlement.

"Forget it. I'll just make meat my staple from now on. There are vegetables all over the forest anyway..."

Somewhat dejected, Ronan fastened the cloth bag of flour to his waist.

With prices soaring in Wizard Land, he truly felt like he could barely afford to live.

The main problem was that wizards did not engage in production. Most of the grain sold in Wizard Land was transported from Secular Kingdoms.

Grain itself was not worth much, but the cost of transporting it was high.

He spent another Magic Stone Grain on nothing more than essential cooking seasonings, and Ronan's heart ached so badly his liver trembled.

So far, he had no means whatsoever of earning Magic Stones.

The few dozen Magic Stone Grains on him were truly one less for every one he spent.

He had originally thought that since prices were so high in Wizard Land, the dried beast meat he had brought might be worth something.

Who would have thought that no one cared about it at all?

Wizard Land did not lack ordinary meat. What it lacked was magical beast meat that was either exceptionally delicious or had unusual effects.

Ronan had not even seen what a magical beast looked like yet. He would have to venture deep into the forest for a chance to encounter one.

Continuing down the street of shops, Ronan began to see wizard stalls set up directly on the ground.

Then there were more and more stalls, and more and more people.

By the time he reached the end, his view was filled almost entirely with stalls of every kind. There was hardly a shop in sight.

"Fresh Fire Lizard Blood! Perfect for forging and enchanting! Just five Low-Level Magic Stones a bottle now!"

"Pseudo-zero-rank intermediate offensive magic tool! Dual runes, ninety percent new! Huge clearance sale!"

"Ghost Face Flower Seeds, Blue Song Grass Flower Cores—whatever Magic Potion Material you want, we've got it here!"

The street teemed with people, cries of sales pitches and haggling ringing endlessly in the air. Some of the passing wizards were dressed in finery, while others wore tattered robes, even patched ones. Some looked worse off than Ronan.

Amid all this bustle, Ronan gradually relaxed, no longer as nervous and restrained as he had been on the street of shops.

Although he recognized almost none of the items displayed on the stalls before him, and understood little of the cries rising and falling around him, that did not stop him from gradually blending in.