Expensive Magic

"Looks like today is my lucky day."

Zuo Si unceremoniously signaled the soldier to pack the two spellbooks into the travel pack along with the other books he had previously purchased.

It was evident from the lack of surprise on his face.

His ability to select two books worth over 5,000 gold coins from a multitude of spellbooks had absolutely nothing to do with luck.

The woman was clearly very interested and asked with great curiosity, "How did you determine the value of those two spellbooks?

Tell me! I can give you a holy grail worth 850 gold coins for free.

It can produce three cups of holy water with the [Lesser Healing Potion] effect each day."

Hearing that there was a bargain to be had, Zuo Si happily smiled and replied, "It's actually very simple. The first spellbook, which was tattered and even had damaged page edges, must have belonged to someone who experienced a fierce battle before being killed.

Around the damaged edges of the book, I discovered many traces of burning and strong acid corrosion.

No matter who it was, being able to damage a spellbook with protective magic to this extent means their magical power must have been considerable.

This implies that the owner of the spellbook, who was their opponent, couldn't have been too weak either."

"I see! It seems you possess keen observation skills and strong logical reasoning abilities," the woman nodded slightly in praise.

However, Zuo Si didn't become complacent from her compliment. Instead, he continued to explain on his own, "As for the second book, although it was adorned with too many low-quality gems worth less than 10 gold coins, giving it an initial impression of arrogance and vulgarity.

In reality, anyone who has seriously and deeply studied Conjuration summoning magic will notice that all these gems are arranged in a very peculiar and regular pattern.

This means the cover of the second book is actually a small magic circle used to enhance summoning spells.

Therefore, I concluded that its original owner must have been a highly skilled Conjuration specialist Wizard."

"Brilliant! To notice so many details and possess such extensive knowledge, you truly are extraordinary. This holy grail is now yours."

The woman promptly fulfilled her promise, placing a gleaming cup, inlaid with four round transparent crystals, on the counter.

Judging by the faded holy symbol on the cup, it was likely the work of some Cleric.

Normally, something involving divine blessings like this should be displayed in a temple for believers to admire and use, and would never be casually put up for sale.

The reason it appeared on the market was likely because its original owner, just like the original owners of those spellbooks, had been killed.

Their valuable possessions were looted by the killer or other bandits, and then after several transfers, ended up in a Magic Items shop in Caledon.

Zuo Si even suspected that more than a third, or even more, of the Magic Items sold in this building were "stolen goods" of unknown origin.

But what did it matter?

He was only here to purchase what he needed.

After putting away the holy grail, Zuo Si selected another book from a different shelf – a book detailing the major towns, specialties, and customs of the Faerun Continent's west coast. He also picked up an illustrated adventure book that described common monsters in the wild and their weaknesses.

Finally, he bought a magic map with zoom in and zoom out functions.

It was said that the map recorded many unknown hidden paths, underground entrances, and caves.

The first two books combined only cost 460 gold coins.

As for the latter, the price of just one map was a staggering 8,000...

Yes!

On the Faerun Continent, the price of maps was that outrageous.

Some cities or organizations, in order to defend against foreign invasions, even went to the extreme of prohibiting anyone from drawing maps within their sphere of influence.

Therefore, mapmaking often required high professional skills and memory, while also carrying the risk of execution if caught.

It was only natural for the prices to remain high.

Even the hastily drawn map of the Sea of Swords and Bay of Swords that merchant Bernard possessed cost him several hundred gold coins to purchase.

In the end, Zuo Si only received 2,893 [Dante] gold coins issued by Amn back from the woman.

As he walked out of the dazzling spell shop and back onto the bustling street, he couldn't help but sigh slightly, "Just buying two popular science books, a large magic map, and some basic books necessary for learning the magical knowledge of this world, I spent over 30,000 gold coins. Magic... is truly expensive."

"Master, where are we going now? Shall we return to the inn to rest?" the soldier asked, carrying a considerably lighter travel pack.

"Yes, let's go back. I'm also a bit tired and want to get a good night's sleep."

With that, the two walked back to their lodging along the same path they came.

Thanks to the continuous cooling effect of the [Frozen Pearl], the room, which had originally felt like a stifling steamer, quickly became comfortable and pleasant.

Zuo Si took a bath, lay on the soft, large bed, and browsed through the books he had just bought for a while before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

Meanwhile, at the Thieves' Guild headquarters, three streets away from the inn.

Epke was sitting in his usual spot, attentively listening to his subordinate thief's report.

After a full minute, he stroked his bouncy double chin and asked, "You're saying that Lord Soth and his servant went to Caledon's largest spell shop? And bought a pile of books, while also selling an interesting magic item?"

The thief with short, dark brown hair quickly nodded, "Yes! I saw them pile up countless gold coins on the counter during the transaction. It made one feel an urge to pull off a heist."

"Don't be foolish! The owner of that magic shop is not someone we can afford to offend," Epke immediately reprimanded sternly.

However, the bald, fat man soon turned his gaze to the middle-aged Wizard standing to his right. "Kurang! Tell me, what do you think of this Lord Soth?"

The middle-aged Wizard, whose thinning hair was clearly progressing towards a receding hairline, thought for a few minutes before shaking his head with a bitter smile. "I'm sorry, Chief.

It's difficult for me to make an accurate judgment until I've seen him in person.

But judging by his ability to easily convert large numbers of low-level Undead and exert a degree of control over them, his caster level should be no lower than thirteen.

He might even be a Cleric for some evil deity, possessing the ability to Turn Undead.

As for his age, it's indeed possible, as your merchant friend deduced, that he used a fifth-level necromancy spell, Soul Jar, to usurp a new body.

However, it's also possible it's the result of some transmutation magic.

In any case, this is an absolutely dangerous task.

His strength is likely far beyond mine."

"Then what do you think... can we hire him for the upcoming guild war?" Epke asked with some uncertainty.

"Hire a powerful necromancer?

What price are you prepared to pay?

Keep in mind that his spending today alone exceeded 30,000 gold coins.

He's spending money like water; ordinary prices won't satisfy his appetite."

The middle-aged Wizard, known as Kurang, clearly disapproved of his Chief's wild idea.

He didn't believe truly powerful Wizards would readily accept employment from others.

If he hadn't realized his potential was exhausted and he could no longer advance further on the path of magic, he wouldn't have "willingly fallen" to associate with a group of dirty, lowly Thieves.

"How will we know if we don't try? I think Lord Soth should be quite reasonable."

Epke clearly hadn't given up and intended to find an opportunity to test the waters.

As for the price...

As long as they could win the guild war and expand their territory, they could pay with money, Magic Items, and slaves plundered from their enemies.