Bell Tower Magic Association

Afternoon.

[A Large Wave of Undead Club] forum.

[Giant Mountain Super Power Tyrant]: "@A Pot of Old Wine, Brother Wine, could you send me a guide to getting Magic Tools repaired?"

Xu Fang had three Magic Tools in total. Aside from the Sand Shield, the other two were damaged.

Yangcheng was a small place, and you could count the people who owned Magic Tools on one hand. Naturally, the local Magic Association didn't offer Magic Tool repair services.

So, after settling in, Xu Fang planned to get his Magic Tools repaired in Gudu.

[A Big Red Flower on the Head]: "Rich kid, huh? Little Giant Mountain, aren't you only in your second year of high school? And you can already afford Magic Tools?"

[Expert of Picking Feet]: "I'm crying. I'm already a college freshman, and all I've got is one shield-type Magic Tool."

[Cucumber Big Girl]: "Damn it! Jealousy is making my cells undergo plasmolysis!"

Xu Fang ignored the group's banter and waited patiently for a few minutes.

[A Pot of Old Wine]: "[File] [File]. The first file explains how to make an appointment. The second has the quotes and areas of expertise of several research technicians. You can take a look."

Brother Wine was reliable as ever.

Xu Fang opened the files and skimmed them.

To get a Magic Tool repaired in Gudu, you first had to book a research technician on the [Bell Tower Magic Association Official Forum] and pay a deposit. After that, all you had to do was wait patiently.

It was a bit like making a hospital appointment in his previous life. The process wasn't too troublesome, and the repair cost was generally about one-fifth of the Magic Tool's original price.

But Xu Fang hit a snag at the very first step...

[Giant Mountain Super Power Tyrant]: "I can't get an appointment."

[Desperate Duck Neck]: "That's normal. There are too many rich people in Gudu, and battles are so intense that tons of people need their Magic Tools repaired. Each research technician has dozens of people waiting. Some of the veterans in the Hunter's Alliance rotate between two or three Magic Tools."

[Desperate Duck Neck]: "I'm telling you, with that many people ahead of you, there's no guarantee you'll get your turn before the semester starts. I remember Brother Wine has a backdoor, right? @A Pot of Old Wine"

[A Pot of Old Wine]: "I can't help with that. The school doesn't allow it."

Gudu Academy did have a special channel, but it was only for personal use. Otherwise, some people might give up being proper mages and become Magic Tool scalpers instead.

Xu Fang lay on the bed and set his phone aside, feeling a little helpless. It seemed unrealistic to get his Magic Tools repaired before military training.

His fully charged Crimson Fire Light Array was powerful, but it took too long to build up.

It was fine for a sneaky ambush, but in a head-on fight, he'd be kicked flying before he could finish spinning his rings, just like Ultraman Galaxy.

The Demon Slaying Tool Lu Wanqing had left behind was more than enough to kill a lesser Warrior-level undead. If something unexpected happened, it could also save his life.

And the Footwear Magic Tool went without saying—it was a lifesaver when it came to running away. Apart from Wind Element mages, any student with a little spending money would buy one to keep on hand.

If it couldn't be repaired, Xu Fang would have to consider buying a new one.

"Phew~~~~~~~~~ That feels great!"

Just then, a long exhale came from next door. Sun Rui Zhi, sitting cross-legged on his bed, slowly opened his eyes.

After dinner, Rui Zhi had started meditating. In his words, the meal had been so rich in magic energy that he needed to meditate to digest it.

In truth, he was just grinding away.

The kid had already reached the threshold of the second-level Nebula and was hoping to advance soon, if only to save a little face.

Xu Fang casually asked, "Sun Rui Zhi, does your family have anyone in the Magic Association?"

"You broke through to the Intermediate Level!? No, that's impossible... Could it be you want to buy a Magic Tool?" The shadow Xu Fang had left on Sun Rui Zhi was so deep that he immediately jumped to the most outrageous conclusion.

"No. I want to get a Magic Tool repaired. Never mind if you don't have any connections." Xu Fang hadn't been counting on him anyway.

To his surprise, Sun Rui Zhi thumped his chest. "Of course I do! How could I not? Leave a simple Magic Tool repair to me!"

......

The Five Continents Magic Association was the world's most authoritative magical organization, with branches scattered around the globe and mages from every field among its ranks.

The most prominent Magic Association in the country was the Donghai Magic Association, a branch of the Asian Magic Association.

Next in line was the Bell Tower Magic Association right in front of them.

"Our Bell Tower Magic Association is absolutely number one in the country when it comes to Magic Tools and Undead Vessels. We're not much worse than the Egyptians, either!"

Sun Rui Zhi prattled on.

Xu Fang looked up at the immense, magnificent building. It stood in the inner city, at the very center of Ancient Capital, like a pillar holding the sea in place.

They walked through the main entrance. The walls on either side were covered in magical murals recording the history of the Bell Tower Magic Association. Judging by the magical fluctuations they gave off, the decorations were probably all Magic Tools.

The display cases along the corridors held exquisite Magic Tools from a thousand years ago.

Sun Rui Zhi pointed to one of them. "Look at this: the Twelve-Ring Tin Monk's Staff with Four Prongs. They say it was used by the Tang Dynasty Buddhist master Xuanzang!

"And this gilt silver bamboo-jointed bronze incense burner was a Magic Tool bestowed by Emperor Wu of Han upon his older sister, Princess Pingyang, for self-defense. It's a rare Poison Element Magic Tool, and even with modern techniques, it'd be hard to reproduce!"

Xu Fang's mouth twitched as he listened.

Damn, that's weird.

They walked up to the reception desk, where the receptionist greeted them with a sweet smile. "What can I do for you two?"

"We'd like to get a Magic Tool repaired."

"To get a Magic Tool repaired, you'll need to apply on the official website first. Then I can issue you a queue number."

"I'm Sun Rui Zhi of the Sun family. I already contacted Master Yi. Just give him my name," Sun Rui Zhi said.

The receptionist had seen plenty of people trying to pull strings. She called to confirm first, then said respectfully, "Please come this way."

"Master Yi Ping is an honored guest of our Sun family. He can make Intermediate Level Magic Tools on his own, so repairing yours will be no problem at all!"

Xu Fang had seen Master Yi Ping's profile in Brother Wine's files. He specialized in high-quality work, and his prices were naturally the highest. Even Intermediate Mages had to wait in line.

He hadn't expected Sun Rui Zhi to have connections like this.

Master Yi Ping's room was on the third floor, the innermost one. A sign on the door read: No Entry for Unauthorized Personnel.

The receptionist gently knocked on the door and said respectfully, "Master Yi, your guests are here."

Creak!

The door opened.

A scruffy old man stood in the doorway, his bloodshot eyes threaded with red. He looked even worse than the plain-looking Sun Rui Zhi. Short in stature, he barely came up to Xu Fang's diaphragm.

Between his appearance and the messy workshop, Xu Fang couldn't help but feel as if he'd suddenly been transported from the world of Full-time Mage to a goblin castle in a Western fantasy world.

"Who's from the Sun family?" Yi Ping asked.

Sun Rui Zhi hurried forward. "That's me. My father is Sun Erhe, from the second branch of the Sun family..."

"Fine, fine. I can't remember all that. Did you bring the Magic Tools and the money?" Yi Ping said impatiently. If it weren't for the annual stipend he received as an honored guest of the Sun family, he wouldn't have bothered agreeing.

Xu Fang summoned his greatsword and boots.

"Someone actually bought a piece of junk like Copper Light Boots? This Cloud Slaying Sword is a little interesting, though." Yi Ping took the Magic Tools and shooed the two of them away like flies. "Pay up, then go wait somewhere else!"

"Master Yi, he's my friend. Could you give him a discount?" Sun Rui Zhi asked.

It was a common tactic among great families: they could show off their influence while winning people over with favors. And Master Yi wouldn't lose out; the Sun family would naturally compensate him later.

Three birds with one stone. What could be better?

But what Sun Rui Zhi hadn't expected was that Master Yi might have thought a junior from the Sun family's second branch was no one of importance—or maybe he simply didn't want to be used as a tool.

Without even looking up, he said, "A discount? Not a chance."

Clang!

The door slammed shut, leaving Sun Rui Zhi standing there, stunned and awkward.