Trading Hall

"But this situation also gave rise to some negative effects... Because the commission cut charged by the guild's commission office was too high, only tasks that absolutely required mages would be posted there."

"And such tasks were generally of quite a high level. Magic apprentices were completely useless for them, and even lower-ranked mages had few opportunities."

"To ease the predicament of low-level mages being unable to earn money, the Mages' Guild introduced a subsidy policy, stipulating that mages could collect a certain amount of money each month based on their rank."

"The Mages' Guild really had quite a turbulent history..." Zeliel could not help but sigh.

No wonder people in the Adventurers' Association found it strange when mages came to take on missions.

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the trading hall.

It turned out that even in a prestigious place like the Mages' Guild, once money was involved, the atmosphere became heated.

Long display cases filled the trading hall, their tops lined with all kinds of goods.

Colorful mana crystals, dried strange plants, energy-emitting magic cores, magical potions with unique effects, and various ancient tomes.

People in mage robes hurried between the counters. They possessed the shrewd, calculating air of street merchants, while noisy haggling and the constant clinking of coins filled the hall.

Copper coins?

They were practically nowhere to be seen here.

Silver coins were the minimum.

With a single glance, Zeliel spotted plenty of transactions worth dozens of gold coins.

You really could not become a mage without money.

"From the most basic blank parchment scrolls to high-grade magic scrolls, as well as crystals that can quickly replenish mana and all kinds of rare materials."

Bev sounded a little proud. "As long as you have money, you can buy anything related to mages here."

Bev was not exaggerating. Just one glance over the counters left Zeliel dazzled, so fascinated that he could barely walk.

They were all treasures...

"Alright, don't waste time here."

Bev tugged on Zeliel's sleeve. "Business first. You'll have plenty of time to browse later... There are many shops that sell wands, and it's easy to get overwhelmed on your first visit. But I know a good one. Follow me."

Following Bev's lead, Zeliel reluctantly made his way through the crowd.

The two arrived at the far end of the hall, where several small doors of vastly different styles stood. Bev pushed open one glowing redwood door.

The moment they stepped inside, an invisible force field shut out the noise from outside.

The atmosphere became tranquil and peaceful, with only the crisp chime of a wind bell hanging by the door.

The shop was smaller than expected. There were no shelves inside, only two rows of upright wand racks, with dozens of wands of various shapes quietly displayed on them.

Further inside, an elderly woman with graying hair sat behind the counter.

She had a kindly face and was not as eager as a salesperson to promote her wares. She merely gestured for them to browse freely.

"Pick for yourselves. The prices are marked below."

Choosing a wand did not require much talk in the first place.

No matter how brilliantly the shopkeeper praised it, it was better to try it yourself. Only what suited you was truly best.

A wand was mainly made up of three parts: the base material, the fittings, and the core.

The base material affected how smoothly mana flowed through it.

The core determined what type of magic it could amplify.

For example, a wand with a fire lizard magic core as its core could greatly enhance fire magic.

A wand with the special mineral Heart of Earth as its core could enhance earth magic.

Most fittings were mana-conducting metals, such as mithril or refined gold. They allowed the core and base material to fit together more effectively.

Zeliel paced before the wand racks, becoming more and more alarmed the longer he looked.

Not a single wand on display cost less than three digits!

He even saw a wand made from aged oak, with a natural crystal core, priced at an astonishing six hundred gold coins!

"Gasp..."

Zeliel instinctively stepped back, afraid he might accidentally break something. Even if he were sold by the pound, he could not afford the compensation.

"What's your budget?" Bev asked quietly.

"Three gold coins... Three gold and fifty silver at most," Zeliel said through gritted teeth.

After receiving his mage subsidy, Zeliel only had four gold coins and three silver coins on him. He still needed to save some money for daily expenses.

Dude, how was your budget this exact?

Bev gave Zeliel a startled look.

You came wand-shopping with just that much in your pocket?

"Then don't look at finished wands. Go pick out a base material instead."

Bev decisively offered her advice. "The base material definitely won't be as useful as a finished wand, but it's cheaper and can still provide some amplification for magic... At least it's better than going barehanded."

So the two wandered over to a secluded corner of the shop.

A large number of base materials were piled there. They had been selected and only roughly processed, without fittings or cores added yet.

Though they were still expensive, Zeliel could at least afford to choose among them.

After looking through them for a long time, he finally settled on an ashwood base material—for three gold coins.

The ashwood base material had nothing special about it. It only offered the most basic mana amplification and a slight increase in casting speed, making it the most basic of beginner mage equipment.

But as Bev had said—something was better than nothing.

After paying for the base material, Zeliel's heart ached.

Too expensive...

His gaze inadvertently swept over the dark red wand at Bev's waist.

That texture, that color...

It had to cost at least a few hundred gold coins, right?

No wonder mages were so easily targeted when they went out on missions... Zeliel muttered inwardly.

After buying the base material, the two left the trading hall.

However, on their way back, Zeliel's attention was drawn by a thunderous boom.

He looked in its direction and saw a massive circular stone building, resembling an ancient Roman colosseum.

"What is that place?" Zeliel stopped walking.

"Oh... that's the training arena."

Bev was already used to the commotion.

"It's where guild members spar with magic. Occasionally, members preparing to advance to lower-ranked mage also undergo their assessments there."

Magic sparring...

The moment Zeliel heard those words, he immediately became excited.

It was not because he wanted to fight personally, but because he could mooch off more magic.

"I want to go take a look!" Zeliel immediately said.

"Do you have to be this excited...?"

Seeing Zeliel's eager expression, Bev could not help but laugh.

"Come on. Judging from the noise, it'll probably be quite lively today."

The two climbed a spiraling staircase to the viewing platform. Looking down from above, they could take in the entire training arena at a glance.

It was a massive arena over fifty meters in diameter, with the ground and surrounding walls all constructed from hard granite.