Arcane Lock

"Something came up. I haven't been out in quite a while," Gao De said with a helpless smile, offering a brief explanation before asking, "Are you still buying Novice Spider Venom?"

"Of course." Pierre nodded with a smile and also gave Gao De a piece of news.

"For some unknown reason, the number of wild beasts outside the city has noticeably increased lately, and they've become far more violent. Even Leyline Creatures have been appearing much more frequently, so there are more people heading out to hunt as well."

"The demand for Novice Spider Venom has risen sharply these days. It's practically in short supply."

Novice Spider Venom was originally used by hunters to coat arrows and weapons for dealing with ferocious beasts. Its intense paralytic effect was a powerful weapon against low-level Leyline Creatures and wild beasts.

With more hunting activity, sales of Novice Spider Venom naturally rose as well.

This was good news for Gao De.

His heart stirred, and he handed Pierre the batch of Novice Spider Venom he had brought.

Pierre accepted the potions. A faint glimmer flashed through his eyes before he nodded in satisfaction. "Your goods are still of such fine quality."

He put away the Novice Spider Venom, took several coins from a drawer beneath the counter, and handed them to Gao De.

"Did you give me too much?" Gao De calculated it in his head and found that Pierre had given him 1 Sien Gold Coin plus 15 Shamrock Silver Coins—35 silver in total.

That was 2 silver more than the 33 silver purchase price they had agreed on before.

It was not a particularly large sum, but Gao De had no intention of taking advantage of such a small bargain.

"Didn't I tell you that Novice Spider Venom has been trending toward short supply lately? Its price has gone up by ten percent, so naturally my purchase price had to rise as well. I can't be taking advantage of you, can I?" Pierre explained.

Once he knew it was not an overpayment, Gao De accepted the money without further ceremony.

"Oh, right. Does your offer to take on repairs for magical items still stand?" After the transaction was complete, Pierre stopped Gao De and asked another question.

Gao De's eyes lit up. "Could there be business?"

Repairing magical items could not only earn him some extra money, but also allow him to learn about spells indirectly. It was killing two birds with one stone.

"Yes. After I put out the word, someone really did come by a few days ago to ask about it." Pierre nodded and did not rush to sit down. "But since you hadn't come by lately, I didn't know what was going on with you, so I didn't agree to it on the spot."

"But he did leave me an address." The old man leaned closer to Gao De. "The price he offered was exceptionally high."

"How high?" Gao De asked instinctively.

Pierre raised his right hand and spread all five fingers.

"Five Sien Gold Coins?" Gao De was slightly startled.

Pierre nodded heavily. "Did that give you a scare? I was shocked too when I heard it."

"A First Circle Spell item?" Gao De asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Pierre spread his hands. "Otherwise, how could he possibly offer such a high repair fee?"

A Zero Circle Mystic Item was only worth 12 to 15 gold coins to begin with. If repairs alone cost 5 gold coins, one might as well buy a new one.

The only item worth paying such a high repair fee for would be a First Circle Mystic Item.

"Can you repair it?" Pierre asked.

Repairing a First Circle Mystic Item was on an entirely different level from repairing a Zero Circle Mystic Item. Pierre was not sure whether Gao De's abilities were sufficient, and that was one of the reasons he had not agreed at the time.

"I can," Gao De nodded. "But it will take time, and—"

He paused, then said solemnly, "It'll cost extra!"

A repair fee of roughly ten percent of an item's value was generally considered reasonable, while the average price of a First Circle Mystic Item was 65 gold coins.

Besides, it was almost impossible to find a second person in Hogan City capable of repairing a First Circle Mystic Item.

Rare things were precious. Under such circumstances, a reasonable price increase was only natural.

Pierre understood the market as well, so he naturally did not think Gao De was opening his mouth like a lion. He even nodded in considerable agreement. "A repair fee of 5 gold is high, but for repairing a First Circle Mystic Item, it really is still on the low side."

"It's good that you can repair it. I can help you negotiate the price a little more. How about you come by the shop again the day after tomorrow?" the old man offered with a smile.

"Then I'll have to trouble you," Gao De naturally had no objections. "I'll come by the shop again the day after tomorrow."

"Boss, do you know whether there are any Zero Circle or First Circle Spells that can protect a box and prevent outsiders from opening it?" After hesitating for a moment, Gao De still decided to ask.

He had to find a way to open the Arcane Wooden Box left behind by Mage Seda.

Asking so directly would expose some information, but he believed he could bear that degree of risk.

Besides, if he deliberately tried to conceal things, not only might he fail to fool others, but he would more likely make them suspicious.

And after their interactions these past days, Gao De and Pierre had established at least a thin thread of trust.

More importantly, through their few encounters, Gao De had vaguely sensed that this old man was not as simple as he appeared. He was definitely not merely the owner of a small general store. His knowledge was extensive, making him the person Gao De knew who was most likely to answer his questions.

Not to mention that the wooden sign outside the general store also listed Pierre's broad range of "services": part-time item acquisition and treasure appraisal.

There did not seem to be much wrong with treating the Arcane Wooden Box left behind by Mage Seda as a treasure.

"Protect a box and prevent outsiders from opening it?"

Pierre did not disappoint Gao De. After furrowing his slightly graying brows and pondering for a moment, he gave his answer. "Based on your description, the only thing I can think of is Arcane Lock."

"Arcane Lock?" Gao De raised a brow.

"Yes, the First Circle Spell Arcane Lock." Pierre explained in detail, "Arcane Lock can be cast on a door, chest, or other closed container, magically locking that container and greatly enhancing its security.

Unless one has the corresponding unlocking incantation or powerful magical means, it will be almost impossible to open.

"This means that ordinary physical methods, including lockpicking and forceful pounding, will be ineffective against a container affected by Arcane Lock."

"Because of this effect, Arcane Lock can also protect the container," Pierre explained.

"Of course, there may be other spells capable of achieving the effect you described. After all, I only know a little about the most common and general-purpose spells." The old man shook his head lightly and sighed. "There are simply too many spells."

"If one does not know the unlocking incantation set when Arcane Lock was cast, is there any way to open it?" Gao De could almost confirm that the wooden box left by Mage Seda had been placed under an Arcane Lock. He could not help frowning in helplessness.

Even the Tracking Mark cantrip had already left him at a loss. Arcane Lock, as a First Circle Spell, would surely leave him even more helpless.

"If you want to open an Arcane Lock without knowing the unlocking incantation set when it was cast, one method I can think of is Dispel Magic, which can directly remove Arcane Lock's magical effect."

"The other is Knock, which can temporarily suppress Arcane Lock's magical effect for a short time." Pierre spread his hands. "But Dispel Magic is a Third Circle Spell, so don't even think about it."