Trade

Lady Alsha picked up the Feather Pen on the table and jotted a few things in the notebook.

"This notebook is an Alchemy Item with a synchronization spell on it. If you'd like to order food or drinks, you can mark your choices here.

"The notebook also displays information about things other people want to trade. Just leave a message under the listing with your table number, and whoever posted it will know.

"Of course, you can also write down what you want to trade in the notebook, and other people will be able to see it."

Matthew was a little surprised. The technology in this world was about on par with the Middle Ages, yet this notebook had a tablet-based ordering system like those in twenty-first-century restaurants. Magic sure was convenient.

Lady Alsha continued, "The tables here are all protected by small Obscuring Arrays. Only people sitting at the table can truly hear the conversation. To anyone outside, it'll look like something else entirely."

Matthew had noticed this when he first arrived. At some tables, people seemed to be having lively conversations, with occasional laughter, but when he listened closely, he couldn't make out what they were saying. Those were just illusions created by the Obscuring Arrays.

After a while, a server brought over two red drinks.

"This is Red Iris Wine from Red Iris Manor. It has a unique taste, and only a little is produced each year." Lady Alsha clinked her glass against his and smiled. "I hope you find something worthwhile at the Exchange Meeting."

Lady Alsha had a drink with him and then left. She would be busy today.

Matthew picked up the notebook and flipped past the menu at the front. Each page after that had a listing posted by someone else. Some offered items or information for sale; others sought to buy or trade spells and Meditation Methods. There were even people posting bounty tasks. It reminded Matthew of the quest board in an online game.

He searched for a while, focusing on listings for spells and Advanced Meditation Methods, but after going through them all, he found no one offering an Advanced Meditation Method.

Matthew decided to learn more about this world's potions first. He still had quite a few Potions in his pocket, and he needed to pick out some inconspicuous ones to trade for spells.

He planned to trade the item he'd obtained earlier for Potion Recipes. The Eyeball Wizard Tool's function overlapped with a spell he already knew: he had a spell that could see through invisibility.

He turned to a listing he'd noticed earlier: "Selling a Tier 1 Healing Potion Recipe, a Tier 1 Blue Water Flower Sobering Potion Recipe, and the Tier 1 Spell Invisible Hand. Price negotiable. Also willing to trade for a Tier One Wizard Tool."

Recipes and spells could be sold multiple times, so an ordinary Tier One Wizard Tool could fetch at least three Tier 1 Potion Recipes or spells.

The Eyeball Wizard Tool was Tier One. Wizard Apprentices generally used Tier One Wizard Tools and Tier 1 potions.

Matthew picked up the Feather Pen and wrote below the listing, "Trading a Tier One Wizard Tool for Potion Recipes and spells. Table 16."

Before long, new writing appeared on the page: "I'll be right over."

After waiting a while, a middle-aged male wizard arrived. His hair was a mess, and he looked rather unkempt.

"Are you the one trading a Wizard Tool for Potion Recipes? What does it do?" the middle-aged wizard asked bluntly.

Matthew nodded and took out the Eyeball Wizard Tool. "This eyeball can see through invisibility."

The middle-aged wizard picked up the eyeball. "What's its range?"

"About ten to twenty meters in radius. The exact range depends on how much magic power you put into it," Matthew explained.

The middle-aged wizard nodded, looking pleased. "I'll trade you a Tier 1 Healing Potion Recipe, a Tier 1 Blue Water Flower Sobering Potion Recipe, the Tier 1 Spell Invisible Hand, and a copy of the Northern Apothecary Materials Illustrated Handbook for your Wizard Tool. Sound good?"

Matthew thought it over. The offer was about what he'd expected, based on the listings he'd seen from people seeking and offering items, so he agreed.

After completing the trade, Matthew left the hall and returned to the lounge to inspect what he'd gotten.

After making sure there were no signs of surveillance, he tried Invisible Hand first. The spell required him to form sixteen Runes and created an invisible hand that could grab objects—and even attack enemies.

With the boost from the Pitch-black Fingertip Bone Wand, he could cast Invisible Hand in just three seconds.

Invisible Hand and the Levitation Charm had some overlap. Matthew could use the Levitation Charm to control objects and even float enemies in the air, but Invisible Hand allowed for much finer control.

Additionally, he could use Invisible Hand to lift himself into the air. As long as he maintained the spell, he could stay aloft for a long time.

The Healing Potion he'd gotten in the trade could heal minor wounds, while the Blue Water Sobering Potion could clear certain conditions that clouded the mind.

From the Potion Recipes, he learned that the process for brewing potions in this world was much the same as brewing Potions at Hogwarts, and the two had a lot in common. However, most of the materials used in Recovery Potions were unfamiliar to him.

The main ingredient in the Blue Water Flower Sobering Potion was the Blue Water Flower, which he knew. It had to be refined into an essence. Matthew had chosen to trade with this wizard after seeing the name Blue Water Flower; perhaps the Blue Water Flower Sobering Potion could also help him practice the Aemon Basic Meditation Method.

Matthew put away the items he'd gotten in the trade and continued looking through the notebook in the lounge. He wanted to see if there were any suitable bounty tasks he could take.

Next, Matthew came across a search bounty with an unusual reward: "Collect information about the owner of the West Street Tavern. He is currently missing. Reward: 1–10 Northern Kingdom Gold Coins, depending on the information. Open indefinitely. Posted by Kingdom Court Wizard Link Watson."

It was a bounty posted by Link, and he'd even left his name on it.

Northern Kingdom Gold Coins weren't actually made of gold. They were a kind of Alchemy product. Since gold was an Alchemy material, the Northern Wizard Alliance issued coins made using advanced Alchemy to prevent counterfeiting without affecting the currency's circulation.

The smallest denomination was the Northern Kingdom Silver Coin. One Northern Kingdom Gold Coin could be exchanged for 1,000 Northern Kingdom Silver Coins.

Low-tier Wizard Tools, potions, and spells could be bought with Kingdom Gold Coins. A Tier 1 spell was worth roughly dozens to hundreds of Kingdom Gold Coins.

For high-tier Wizard Supplies, wizards preferred to trade using Magic Stones. A standard-sized Magic Stone filled with magic power was worth about 1,000 Kingdom Gold Coins.

Magic Stones were hard currency in the Wizarding World. They were versatile Alchemy creations that could store magic power and could also have Runic Magic inscribed on them using Magic Stone Engraving.

The exchange rate between Magic Stones and Kingdom Gold Coins also wasn't fixed; it fluctuated.

The Magic Stone Link had given Matthew, with Mage Armor engraved on it, was a standard size. Link hadn't given it to Matthew just to apologize for Anna's impulsiveness; he'd also wanted to thank him for saving Chris and his daughter. Matthew was young but already quite capable, and Link had wanted to get to know him, too.