Conjecture: Four Magic Scrolls, An Unexpected Ambush

Tang Zheng seemed to have spent too long flipping through it.

The Magic Caster named Vala had already come back to his senses. Impatience showed on his face as he looked at Tang Zheng. "Have you chosen yet or not?"

Hearing the question, Tang Zheng finally moved his gaze away from the booklet and lifted his head. "I've chosen. There's one more thing I'd like to ask about."

"Go ahead."

Vala's expression eased slightly. He reached out, took the booklet, and spoke blandly.

"I saw that there are two kinds of Magic Scrolls for Paper Making. I was wondering what the difference is," Tang Zheng asked curiously.

When he opened the booklet, Tang Zheng discovered that Paper Making, a magic unique to the New World, not only had zero-tier Magic Scrolls, but first-tier ones as well.

Because zero-tier magic was unique to the New World, this situation of the same magic having different tiers was also the first Tang Zheng had seen of it, and he could not help being curious.

People of the New World could actually develop Life Magic to the first tier?

One had to know!

In the game YGGDRASIL, magic tiers were fixed.

Whether you were level 100 or level 20, there was no difference in using first-tier magic. Of course, its power would change according to the "magic attack" attribute, but its essence would remain unchanged.

Among them were comparatively special spells, such as the Third-Tier Magic "Fireball"!

This magic could increase its power and attack range according to how much mana the Magic Caster consumed!

But Third-Tier Magic was Third-Tier Magic. That point could not be changed.

For Ainz Ooal Gown and the other class Guardians in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, the "Low-Tier Magic Nullification" skills they possessed could completely immunize them against Fireball.

So, In YGGDRASIL, if one wanted to hunt level-100 Players, the lowest requirement was eighth-tier magic.

"There isn't much difference."

"If I had to say, the paper created by a first-tier Paper Making Magic Scroll is whiter, finer, and a little better. It can be used for writing perfectly well."

Vala spoke lazily, seeming unwilling to talk much more about this. At the same time, his gaze turned toward him as if to say, You should buy something now.

Hearing this, a thought suddenly appeared in Tang Zheng's mind, one that even shocked himself a little.

He suppressed the thought in his heart.

After thinking briefly, Tang Zheng said, "Give me one zero-tier Paper Making Magic Scroll and one Warming Magic Scroll."

"And give me one first-tier Odorless and one Magic Arrow Magic Scroll as well."

Hearing the Magic Scrolls Tang Zheng wanted to buy, Vala finally nodded, got up, and walked toward the back.

Behind the front counter was a wall hung with several murals. Vala's steps went straight toward the wall, as if he were going to crash into it.

Under Tang Zheng's gaze, Vala passed directly through the wall and vanished.

"Is it a magical barrier? I can't tell at all," Tang Zheng said, somewhat stunned.

Before long, Vala walked back over with four Magic Scrolls in hand.

"Two zero-tier Magic Scrolls, priced at two gold coins."

"The first-tier Odorless Magic Scroll is priced at one gold coin and ten silver coins. The Magic Arrow Magic Scroll is priced at three gold coins and ten silver coins."

"Seven gold coins and seven silver coins in total."

Vala placed the Magic Scrolls in front of Tang Zheng.

Hiss!

Hearing that price, the corner of Tang Zheng's eye twitched hard. After a brief hesitation, he took eight gold coins from his pocket and placed them on the table.

They were clearly both first-tier Magic Scrolls, yet the price of an offensive spell like Magic Arrow was nearly three times that of Odorless.

Vala glanced at Tang Zheng with some surprise, but said nothing more. He reached out and put away the gold coins while taking out six silver coins in change.

At present, Tang Zheng had 14 gold, 7 silver, and 4 copper left on him. Although it was not much, it should be enough for purchasing supplies next.

After Tang Zheng put away the Magic Scrolls and the coins, he turned and left.

He walked out the doors of the Mages Guild.

With a thought, Tang Zheng put all the Magic Scrolls on him into his Item Box. At the same time, he quickened his pace and returned to the inn where he was staying.

He needed to go back and test his earlier guess.

By now, the sun had already set.

The sky had completely darkened as well. Although there were lit streetlamps in the plaza and along the streets, they were rather far apart, only enough to let people make out the road.

Perhaps because this was a frontier city, at this hour there were already hardly any figures on the streets.

Clack!

Clack!

Suddenly, a figure stepped out of an alley not far ahead, toying with a dagger in his hand and deliberately making his footsteps a little heavy.

Tang Zheng frowned and slowed his pace.

Because it was not only someone appearing in front of him; a figure had also appeared behind him.

"Little brother, how about buying us a drink?"

The figure ahead walked out of the shadows. He was a man holding a dagger, wearing a mask over his face and dressed in black.

The figure behind him also stopped, standing in the middle of the road and blocking Tang Zheng's retreat.

Tang Zheng glanced out of the corner of his eye.

Like him, the other party wore a black robe over his clothes, even his head covered by the hood attached to the robe. Combined with the nighttime darkness, his appearance could not be made out at all.

"Looks like I'm being robbed." Tang Zheng spoke while thinking through a countermeasure.

"No, no."

"We just want you to buy us a drink, that's all. And lend us a bit of money while you're at it." The dagger-wielding Thief spread his arms and shrugged.

The figure behind him did not speak, which instead made Tang Zheng feel he was even more dangerous.

"How did you know I had money?"

Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes. Using the cover of the black robe on his body, he drew his shortsword and continued, "Was it the Mages Guild? No!"

"The people of the Mages Guild have no need to do something like this. Besides, I only just left not long ago. With the pride of those in the Mages Guild, even if they were short on money, they wouldn't go so far as to covet the little I have on me."

"And I only just arrived in E-Rantel today, so..."

At this point, Tang Zheng had already guessed something, and he let out a cold laugh. "You had your eyes on me from the moment I entered the city, didn't you?"

If his guess was right, When Dosari, the captain of the Rock team, handed him the money pouch, these two had probably happened to see it.

Or perhaps these two had been watching outsiders coming and going from E-Rantel to begin with, searching for those who were alone to make their move.

"Oh, what a clever kid."

"In that case, we won't waste words either. Hand over all the Magic Scrolls you bought and your money, and we can spare your life."

"Otherwise!"

The dagger-wielding Thief chuckled, his voice turning cold. "I don't mind cutting off both legs of a black-haired bastard like you and selling you as a slave."

"I'm sure a black-haired Faith-based System magic caster slave who can cast Lesser Healing would be very popular with plenty of people."

When Tang Zheng heard this, his eyes abruptly changed.

Had his information been leaked?

The only ones who knew he could use Healing Magic, apart from the Rock team, were Bareare and his grandchild.

However, neither side seemed to have any reason to sell him out.

First, Bareare and his grandchild could be ruled out. As for the Rock team, putting aside the fact that he had saved their captain's life, they had also always hoped he would join them.

They should not have gone so far as to leak his information either.

Had someone let it slip by accident?

That was even more unlikely. No matter what, the Rock team was a Silver Rank adventurer team. They still had professional standards. How could information be pried out of them so easily?

After thinking it over and over, it seemed the only possibility was the Rock team... Wait.

To be precise, The ones who knew he could use Healing Magic were not only those two sides. At the Royal City Adventurer's Guild, when he had cast Healing Magic, quite a few people had seen it!

The dagger-wielding Thief's words just now had not been only about wanting his money. He wanted to turn him into a slave as well.

That way of doing things—

"Eight Fingers!"

Tang Zheng suddenly spat out two words.

The Thief who had been playing with the dagger in his hand froze.