New Spells (Part One)

"Private transactions of Zero Circle Spell formulas aren't uncommon, and the authorities have always turned a blind eye to such deals, haven't they?" Gao De understood all this, but he did not abandon the idea and persisted.

Zero Circle Spells were rather special. Learning spells of this level required no potion assistance, so they were also called tricks and were not considered true spells.

This made private transactions involving spell formulas of this tier far more common.

The cost of trial and error was lower.

Pierre narrowed his eyes slightly and said nothing, seemingly considering it.

"If you agree, I can add another ten Shamrock Silver Coins for each spell formula." Gao De raised the stakes again.

He desperately needed to master new spells.

New spells with offensive power.

A crisis could arrive at any moment. He had to strengthen himself and find every possible way to prepare hidden cards, so that he would have some room to resist when the time came.

"Private dealings in Zero Circle Spell formulas are indeed commonplace, but I run an honest business. I can't be sure of your intentions. Maybe you'll say you want to trade with me, then report me the moment the deal is done.

"Both parties would be punished in that case, of course, but at most you'd pay a fine and be locked up for a while. My shop, on the other hand, would be forced to close. I wouldn't dare take that risk." Under Gao De's gaze, Pierre calmly shook his head.

Though private spell formula transactions could never truly be stamped out, they were generally conducted only between individuals.

Pierre and Gao De had met for the first time today. There was not even the slightest trust between them, and the consequences they would bear were unequal. Pierre's refusal was perfectly understandable.

But before Gao De could be completely disappointed, Pierre spoke again. "While I won't make this deal with you, there is..."

Gao De's eyes lit up. Seeing Pierre hesitate, he immediately understood. "If you can provide a reliable channel, boss, I'm willing to pay for the information."

Seeing how readily Gao De caught on, Pierre nodded in satisfaction. "I happen to have a customer who's been short on money lately. He wanted to sell me several spell formulas, but I turned him down as well.

"I can introduce the two of you. As for how you trade, you'll have to discuss that yourselves. If anything goes wrong, it has nothing to do with me."

Gao De pressed his lips together and pondered for a moment before nodding. "Naturally. Then I'll have to trouble you, shopkeeper."

He naturally knew there were risks involved, but he had no other choice.

Hogan City was only a small city. There was no Sien Official Mage Association here, so Gao De had no way to purchase spell formulas through legitimate channels and could only turn to private transactions.

"That customer usually comes by once every ten days or half a month. It's been eight or nine days since his last visit. How about this? Come back to the shop five days from now, before Evening Prayer," Pierre said.

Evening Prayer meant five in the afternoon.

Gao De had no objections.

Knowledge really was expensive.

After leaving Pierre's Odds and Ends, Gao De sighed inwardly.

Just to have Pierre make the introduction, he had already paid ten Shamrock Silver Coins before even laying eyes on a spell formula.

Still, it was at least some progress. He only needed to wait another five days.

The thought of obtaining new spell formulas in five days made Gao De unable to suppress his anticipation.

Having arrived in this world less than a day ago, he had already gotten a preliminary glimpse of the wonders of spells.

How many people could feel no yearning for a supernatural power like magic?

He followed the alley toward the main road of the commercial district.

It was getting late. He needed to hurry and meet up with Emil before returning to the herb garden.

Gao De's steps were hurried, but his mind wandered as thoughts kept muttering away inside his head.

Whether it was his inexplicable arrival in this world, the current danger, or the marvels of magic, all of it had shaken him deeply and left him no choice but to think.

The next five days passed without incident. While keeping himself constantly on edge, Gao De gradually grew accustomed to life in the herb garden.

But this familiarity did not put him at ease. As time passed, he only grew more restless.

Knowing that the next medicine trial would essentially be his "day of death," knowing it would come soon but being unable to determine exactly when—those who had never experienced such torment could never understand it.

The fact that Gao De had not yet broken down or gone mad, that he could still live properly and actively seek a path to survival, only showed how strong his will was. Perhaps it had been tempered by more than a decade of "fierce battles" with math problems in his previous life.

"New spells, and a new Origin."

Gao De knew these were his only hope of survival at present.

There was still hope for new spells, but a new Origin left Gao De at a loss.

Zero Circle creatures were not easy to find. Zero Circle "failures" like Gray Rats, which possessed the bloodline of Leyline Creatures yet had no combat ability whatsoever, were even rarer.

Even Mage Apprentices like Ilan, whom Gao De had needed to launch a nighttime sneak attack to kill, were actually at the very bottom of Zero Circle combat power.

As he pondered, he dripped the final drop of green spider venom into the potion bottle. A flash of spiritual light passed, and a high-quality Novice Spider Venom was complete.

Gao De put away the potion, tidied the tools on the table, then took a wooden box from beneath the storage rack.

He opened the box, and gold, silver, and yellow filled his vision.

The box contained all his savings,

a total of 6 gold, 30 silver, and 8 copper.

About 7,500 yuan.

Gao De quickly calculated the conversion in his mind. After a brief consideration, he took out all his savings and put them into his pocket, making it bulge heavily. Then he returned the wooden box to its original place, slowly rose to his feet, and pushed open the door.

His afternoon work was complete.

What came next was his free time.

The moment he stepped outside, he ran into Emil. Emil clearly had not expected Gao De to be leaving rather than mixing potions in the workroom at this hour, but he quickly reacted.

"Gao De, are you going into the city?"

Gao De nodded and did not hide where he was going.

After Ilan's death, he had gained the right to freely enter and leave the herb garden. There was no need for secrecy.

Emil stood there blankly for a long time, watching Gao De's back disappear into the shadows of the herb garden corridor before being enveloped by the light beyond the doors.

The five days were up. Gao De had brought all his possessions into the city this time for one reason only: to buy spell formulas.

After leaving the herb garden, with the experience from last time, the daylight, and his eager mood, Gao De found his way with ease. In less than forty minutes, he arrived at Hogan City's commercial district.

This was not his first time in the commercial district. By the standards of his previous life, this so-called bustling district was not even as lively as the shopping street of a small county town.

But after spending so long in the oppressive herb garden, the bright and spacious commercial district still filled Gao De with a sense of longing, a sense of vitality.

His purpose was clear. Without glancing around, he followed the street numbers until he reached Pierre's Odds and Ends, hidden deep in an alley.

Gao De strode into the shop. Just as when they first met, the owner Pierre was reclining in his chair, resting. But compared to five days ago, there was now another person in the otherwise empty shop.

He was a man in his thirties with a long, thin face. Sparse stubble lent him a weathered air, and he wore clothes woven from fine linen.

Though Pierre was facing away from Gao De and did not even turn around to look at him, it was as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Just as Gao De was sizing up the man, Pierre stood and said, "You finally came. Yom has been waiting for you for nearly an hour. If you'd taken any longer, I couldn't have kept him here."

The man's name was Yom.

He was the customer Pierre had introduced to trade spell formulas with Gao De.

"Getting here took a little time." Gao De apologized to Pierre, then looked at Yom without speaking to him immediately.

During a transaction, if you could not guarantee the initiative was in your hands, it was better to let the other party speak first. That way, they could not gauge your true position.

It was one of Gao De's little tricks.

Yom clearly had no experience with this. Once he learned that Gao De was the person seeking to buy his spell formulas, he anxiously scrutinized him with a suspicious gaze.

"You're the one who wants to buy spell formulas?"

Gao De's plain clothing and youthful appearance clearly made Yom doubt the weight of his purse.

"No one would spend ten shamrocks just to make a joke." Gao De spread his hands and replied calmly.

Gao De had paid the ten Shamrock Silver Coins as an introduction fee.

Yom stared into Gao De's eyes for several seconds. After a moment of silence, he calmly pulled a sheet of yellowed paper from his clothes and handed it to Gao De.

"These are the spell formulas I'm prepared to sell. Take a look."

—What spell formulas sold was knowledge, so naturally Yom could not simply let Gao De inspect the formulas before the transaction had been completed.

The paper listed several spell formulas along with descriptions of their corresponding effects.

Based on those descriptions, a buyer would select a desired spell, then pay and receive the goods at the same time. This was the most common process for trading spell formulas.

Even when buying spell formulas through official channels, the process was the same.