Spell Scrolls

"What about Knock?" Gao De caught the unfinished thread in Pierre's words and pressed the question.

"Knock is only a 1st Circle spell."

"Only a 1st Circle spell." Gao De pursed his lips, wanting to complain that Pierre had no idea what it was like for those beneath him.

In a place like Hogan City, a 1st Circle Mage was already the ceiling. There were only a handful in the entire city.

So no matter what, a 1st Circle spell could not be described as "only." Still, he understood that Pierre was comparing it to Dispel Magic.

With that understanding, Gao De's restless heart finally calmed.

He understood that he was unlikely to open the wooden box Mage Seda had left behind anytime soon.

"What, you don't know the unlocking incantation, yet you want to undo an Arcane Lock?" Pierre suddenly asked meaningfully.

At those words, Gao De's guard immediately shot up.

But seeing that Pierre's expression remained perfectly normal, he hesitated. Realizing that he had already said this much and that further concealment would be pointless, he finally nodded. "Yes. It just doesn't seem that simple."

"It certainly isn't easy. There are only a few 1st Circle Mages in Hogan City, and finding one who has mastered Knock is basically impossible."

Pierre confirmed it. "Though Knock is a common, broadly applicable spell, its actual effect is far too niche. It would never be a mage's first choice when learning spells."

"Only those with particular needs, or veteran 1st Circle Mages, might have mastered it."

Pierre's words undoubtedly made Gao De's heart sink a little further.

But upon thinking it over carefully, that was only to be expected.

Learning spells required a great deal of money, effort, and time.

Therefore, when learning spells, mages tried their best to avoid impractical "niche" spells, instead pursuing spells with either great power or broad applicability.

Perhaps noticing Gao De's disappointment, Pierre chuckled and added, "However, in certain situations, these niche spells often have irreplaceable uses. They cannot be completely overlooked."

"So for spells that are rarely needed but may become necessary at critical moments, mages generally do not spend a great deal of effort learning and mastering them. Instead, they choose to purchase Spell Scrolls as reserves for dealing with unexpected situations."

"Spell Scrolls?"

It was a familiar yet unfamiliar term. Familiar because in the games and novels from Gao De's previous life, "Spell Scrolls" were classic items seen everywhere.

Unfamiliar because Spell Scrolls were something he had yet to encounter in this world.

"Spell Scrolls carry spells written in advance, allowing mages who do not possess that spell to cast the spell recorded on them once."

"Using a Spell Scroll does not consume one's own mana. One only needs to meet the Mental Strength requirement on the scroll."

"Furthermore, nearly every type of low-tier spell has a corresponding Spell Scroll. They can greatly enhance a mage's flexibility in casting and ability to handle unexpected situations."

"They can be called extremely important Magic Items for every mage," Pierre explained to Gao De.

"There aren't any shops in Hogan City that sell Spell Scrolls," Gao De said with certainty. He had visited the commercial district several times recently and had not seen a single shop selling Spell Scrolls.

"Of course not. Only scrollmakers who have mastered the corresponding spell can create Spell Scrolls for it."

Pierre sighed. "Though scrollmakers are not as esteemed as runemasters, they are scarcely any less rare. Usually, only large mage organizations possess the inherited knowledge for such a profession."

"Thus, only those legitimate mage organizations can sell Spell Scrolls."

"And they usually release them in limited quantities. Once they go on sale, popular Spell Scrolls are basically snatched up within an hour. Even the more niche spells rarely remain by the end of the day."

"To buy even one or two Spell Scrolls requires a certain amount of luck. Even large cities are like that, so how could a small place like Hogan City ever see Spell Scrolls?"

Yet Gao De was not disappointed by this, because he knew Pierre would not have gone to such lengths merely to educate him about Spell Scrolls.

So he patiently waited for Pierre to continue.

"However..." Pierre paused, deliberately leaving him in suspense.

Gao De cooperatively asked, "However what?"

"I have a friend in Bremen City who is a mage of the Emerald Alliance," Pierre patiently explained. "The Emerald Alliance is one of Bremen City's three major Mage's Associations."

"So through him, I can still obtain a few Spell Scrolls through internal channels."

"As it happens, I have some business in Bremen City before long."

"If you need one, I might be able to get you a Spell Scroll of Knock."

Pierre said it all in one breath, then quietly watched Gao De, waiting for his decision.

"How much does a Spell Scroll of Knock cost?" Gao De went straight to the heart of the matter.

"Although Spell Scrolls are in high demand, they are still one-use consumables, so their prices are not particularly high."

"Six to seven Sien Gold Coins. That is the average price of a 1st Circle Spell Scroll."

The average price of a 1st Circle Mystic Item was sixty-five gold coins.

A 1st Circle Spell Scroll cost only one-tenth as much as a 1st Circle Mystic Item.

The price gap seemed quite obvious, but the former could be used repeatedly, while the latter was merely a one-use consumable.

Taking that into account, it was easy to see that this was a fair and reasonable price.

Such was the law of commodity prices.

Six to seven Sien Gold Coins was still no small expense.

With the herb garden's current output, it would take around half a month to save up that much money.

But Gao De believed that whatever Mage Seda had so solemnly protected with an Arcane Lock must be worth far more than that.

This was a business deal with guaranteed profit.

"What else do I need to give?" Gao De asked with full awareness.

Pierre would be using his own connections to bring a Spell Scroll all the way back from Bremen City for him. They were neither relatives nor friends, so it was naturally impossible for Gao De not to offer additional compensation.

Pies did not fall from the sky.

To Gao De's surprise, Pierre shook his head. Looking directly at Gao De's somewhat youthful yet unusually calm face, he said, "You only need to pay the cost of purchasing the Spell Scroll itself."

Gao De lowered his gaze. After a moment of silence, the faint furrow that had somehow formed between his brows eased. He raised his eyes and looked Pierre directly in the eye. "Then I'll trouble you with it."

"As for the money to buy the Spell Scroll—"

"No rush. Pay me when I actually bring the Spell Scroll of Knock back," Pierre said, waving a hand as if it were nothing.

My new book has received its first round of recommendations. Good brothers, please keep reading during the new-book period. It's very important to me!

My last Sword Cultivator novel got knocked out after the first round of PK. This is already my second book—at the very least, let this bro make it into the second round!