Knowledge Is Wealth

As the [Frozen Pearl] was placed into the small pocket on the outside of his satchel, Zuo Si immediately felt the oppressive heat recede, replaced by an indescribable coolness.

It felt like stepping into an air-conditioned room on a sweltering summer day.

Every pore on his body seemed to be cheering.

The woman noticed the change in Zuo Si's expression and immediately reminded him with a smile, "Be careful, the [Frozen Pearl]'s effect is continuous. It's best not to keep it on you for too long, or you'll definitely catch a cold from the chill.

Also, if you put it in a bucket of water.

After about an hour, the water's surface will freeze.

In two to three hours, the entire bucket of water will be frozen solid."

"Understood, thank you. I'll be careful," Zuo Si nodded gently.

As the Creator, the moment he obtained the [Frozen Pearl], he had already seen through its magical principles and operational methods.

This thing, to put it bluntly, was a coldwater pearl enchanted with frost magic.

Its spell level was so low that it wasn't even a first-level spell; at best, it was a 0-level cantrip.

However, the creator was very unconventional, not making it a one-time use offensive magic item, but instead opting for a steady, continuous release of its effect into the surroundings.

This way, the rate of energy consumption achieved a perfect balance with the rate of energy absorption from the Weave.

If Zuo Si were to estimate its cost price, this thing would be worth at most 150 to 200 gold coins, absolutely no more.

If he could get enough spell scrolls and coldwater pearls worth 10 gold coins, with his level of magic item crafting, he could make over a dozen of them in no time.

But unfortunately, Zuo Si currently lacked the ability to cast spells and copy scrolls, so he had to reluctantly pay a high price to get one for now.

After all, he absolutely could not afford to get sick.

"Is there anything else you'd like? For example, this Charm Pendant, or that Magic Resistance Necklace?" the woman began to promote other items on her stall on her own accord.

She had clearly seen how many gold coins were in the soldier's backpack and was eager to empty it completely.

But unfortunately, Zuo Si was completely uninterested in these low-level magic items. Instead, he turned his gaze to the books on the shelf, and after a brief observation, began to list their titles.

"Get me a copy of 'Elven Language and Script: From Novice to Master,' a copy of 'Compendium of Draconic,' a copy of 'From Apprentice to Archmage: Cantrips You Must Know,' a copy of 'Advanced Techniques for Arcane Casters,' a copy of 'On Spell Component Procurement,' a copy of 'Introduction to the Weave,' a copy of 'Required Courses for High-Level Mages,' a copy of 'Spell Initiative Guide,' and a copy of 'Metamagic Techniques: Spell Prolongation.'"

"'Elven Language and Script: From Novice to Master' costs 100 gold coins, 'Compendium of Draconic' costs 500 gold coins, 'From Apprentice to Archmage: Cantrips You Must Know' costs 250 gold coins, 'Advanced Techniques for Arcane Casters' costs 2000 gold coins, 'On Spell Component Procurement' costs 1000 gold coins, 'Introduction to the Weave' costs 1300 gold coins, 'Required Courses for High-Level Mages' costs 5000 gold coins, 'Spell Initiative Guide' costs 750 gold coins, and 'Metamagic Techniques: Spell Prolongation' costs 3000 gold coins."

As the woman took out each book from the bookshelf, she announced its price.

Similarly, Zuo Si's heart skipped a beat with each price he heard.

When the price of the last book was announced, he suddenly realized that just buying these books would cost him 13,900 gold coins!

What do they mean by "knowledge is wealth"?

This is it!

Moreover, in Faerun, which was permeated with magical power, knowledge was not only wealth but also an incredibly powerful force.

Just as Zuo Si was shocked by the unbelievable prices of magic books on the Faerun Continent, the soldier immediately lowered his voice and reminded him, "Master, I'm afraid even if we pool all the money we have, we'll still be a little short."

"It's alright. Take out all the money we have first. I'll figure out a way if it's not enough," Zuo Si sighed with some helplessness.

Having previously lived in the Floating City Tower, all his books were borrowed from the Archlich, Astar, so he never had to spend a single coin.

Now that he suddenly had to pay for knowledge himself, he realized how valuable those readily available books and notes were out in the world.

Without a word, the soldier poured out all the remaining gold coins from his satchel, a total of 6,326 coins.

Following that, he also took out the deposit slip given by the Thieves' Guild leader, Epke, which contained 8,214 silver-gold coins and a total of 36,395 various silver coins.

Looking at these receipts and the gold coins piled on the table, the woman quickly did some calculations in her mind, and her two peculiar eyes instantly gleamed with unconcealed amusement. "8,214 [Centaurs] minted in Amn can be converted to 4,107 gold coins.

As for the silver coins, the value of Sambia's [Ravens] is slightly lower in Caledon.

However, considering you're making such a large purchase, I won't quibble over the details. I'll convert them to 1,820 gold coins.

That brings the total to 12,253 gold coins.

This means you are still short by 1,647 gold coins."

"Can't you give me a discount?"

Zuo Si deliberately blinked his eyes, attempting to charm his way out of the remaining balance.

But unfortunately, the woman was not swayed by this at all and directly shook her head in refusal. "Sorry, I can't. The rules for buying and selling magic items are that there's no bargaining. Or, you could try removing one or two books from this selection."

"Sigh, forget it. Please see how much this is worth."

Zuo Si took off the cylindrical translucent energy storage crystal fixed to his belt and gently placed it on the counter.

"What is this?!"

The woman was clearly seeing such a strange item for the first time and immediately picked it up, intending to use magic to identify its purpose and value.

However, before she could cast the spell, Zuo Si preemptively started to spin a tale. "This is a powerful energy storage device.

It uses unprecedented new technology and advanced enchantment.

It can absorb and store all forms of lightning energy, and then release it like a wand.

But unlike ordinary Lightning Wands that can only release one bolt at a time."

"It can discharge all its energy at once, dealing incredible damage in a short period."

"Can I try it?" the woman asked, staring at the cylindrical energy storage crystal without looking up.

"Of course, please do."

Zuo Si gestured for her to proceed and then pulled the soldier back a few steps, leaving a relatively safe distance.

Receiving an affirmative answer, the woman didn't waste any words and immediately began to mobilize the magical energy within her bloodline.

Once the incantation and gestures were complete, a blinding bolt of electricity shot from her fingertips, instantly immersing itself within the cylindrical crystal.

Watching the silver lightning flash inside the cylindrical crystal, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "It really absorbed and stored it! What's the principle behind this thing? What materials, magic, and technology does it use? How many Lightning Bolts can it store at maximum?"

"The maximum capacity should be thirty Lightning Bolts. As for the principle, materials, magic, and technology used, I'm afraid I cannot tell you. After all... no knowledge is priceless. Especially private knowledge that only I know."

As he said this, Zuo Si couldn't help but curl his lips slightly, revealing a cunning smile like a little fox.

From the woman's reaction, he could tell she was completely captivated by the cylindrical crystal storage device. If he didn't seize this opportunity to fleece her now, he wouldn't be living up to the nearly 14,000 gold coins he'd spent at this stall today. Even if he couldn't make a huge profit, he at least needed to recoup some of his expenses.

He finally understood. In this hellhole called Faerun, if you wanted to learn magical knowledge, you had to prepare astronomical sums of wealth. Otherwise, you couldn't even afford a few books. Not to mention those high-level spells, legendary magic items, or even artifacts that couldn't be measured by money.