Consumption and Exchange

"The last wizard ruin produced...? There's only one copy of Basic Rune Exposition left. Give it to a dog, and even the dog wouldn't..."

Anthony Silvercoin froze for a moment. After thinking it over, he finally remembered that there had indeed been such an unsold item.

In the realm of Wizard Apprentices, the three most common types of Zero-Ring Wizardry were:

Flesh Strengthening could permanently improve one's physique, making up for the weakness of wizards in their early stages—their frail bodies.

Crimson Flame Ring could melt gold and refine iron, boasting tremendous destructive power. It could also compress energy into flaming projectiles for long-range attacks.

Only Wizard's Hand was in an awkward position. Its power was neither high nor low, and its range was neither near nor far. Its only advantage was that the rune spell structure was simple, making it convenient for moving things and the like.

Zero-Ring Wizardry: Wizard's Hand, rune exposition?

Even dogs didn't want it?

After all, even if one understood the rune composition of the Wizard's Hand spell, what could they do with it?

Develop a Wizard's Foot? A Wizard's Head?

The upper limit of power would not change. A mutt could never be turned into a tiger.

"Yes! That's the Basic Rune Exposition I want. What's the price?"

Yin Ming only had five Element Crystals on him. One was roughly equivalent to ten standard units, worth 5,000 merit points at the Flame-Burners Association.

"You have a good eye! Anything produced by a ruin must be a treasure. Those who study rune expositions are all mighty wizards."

Anthony Silvercoin took a bound gray ancient book from the storeroom behind him. There was no writing on its cover, and traces of ash that had not been fully wiped away still clung to it.

Looking somewhat embarrassed and unable to keep boasting, he said, "I'll give it to you at its original starting price—2,000 merit points!"

"Fine! I'll take the book! And I also want a Bloodline Potion."

Yin Ming took out five Element Crystals, along with the identity plaque engraved with Arthur Eno's name.

He walked to the shelf and examined the Bloodline Potions through the glass, along with their written descriptions.

First-Ring Bloodline: Jungle Tree Lizard.

Exchange price: 900 points.

Description: A top predator of the jungle, an extraordinary creature capable of achieving visual invisibility by adjusting the color of its skin.

First-Ring Bloodline: Abyssal Quasit.

Exchange price: 700 points.

Description: The most widespread demon of the Abyss, skilled at hiding and fleeing, with powerful survival abilities.

First-Ring Bloodline: Devouring Snake.

Exchange price: 1,000 points.

Description: An adult Devouring Snake could grow to a hundred meters long and possessed powerful digestion and stamina.

Second-Ring Bloodline: Twisted Treant.

Exchange price: 2,800 points.

Description: An extraordinary creature with terrifying regenerative and survival abilities.

Second-Ring Bloodline: Lava Troll.

Exchange price: 3,000 points.

Description: A demon that wielded terrifying flame abilities and lived among the lava volcanoes of the Abyss.

"..."

The Bloodline Potions of the Flame-Burners Association were all at the First-Ring level.

The difference was that the true blood used to brew the potions came from fully mature First-Ring bloodline creatures or juvenile Second-Ring bloodline creatures.

The descriptions were also exceedingly crude, not even introducing the bloodline talents.

That was because such information belonged to extraordinary knowledge and had to be purchased separately.

"The Element Crystals provided by Scholar Eno are rich in elemental energy. The Association has purchased them at a ten percent premium and exchanged them for 5,500 merit points."

After a round of testing by Anthony Silvercoin, Yin Ming had 5,500 additional merit points in his account. Aside from buying the Basic Rune Exposition, he could also afford a Second-Ring Bloodline Potion.

"Forgive my boldness, Scholar. As a wizard, why are you purchasing a Bloodline Potion...?"

Although wizards and warlocks were not mutually exclusive extraordinary paths,

Wizards needed to accumulate spiritual power, permanently solidify spiritual power runes, and convert elemental energy into magic power.

Warlocks condensed true blood, requiring them to fuse spiritual power and elemental energy into their blood and bodies.

Cultivating both at once would make them drain each other, inevitably resulting in twice the effort for half the result.

"I'm buying it for a friend! I want the Lava Troll Bloodline Potion."

"And... could you perhaps do me a favor? Give me the potion for inscribing Mystic Runes, as well as the Mystic Rune Totem?"

During the journey, Yin Ming had learned roughly from Johnny Green about the process of becoming a bloodline warlock.

A warlock!

First, they needed to use a special blood-fusion potion to tattoo the Mystic Rune corresponding to the bloodline onto their chest.

Then, they would absorb the extraordinary bloodline through medicinal baths and fuse it into the totem Mystic Rune.

Their usual cultivation involved visualizing the totem Mystic Rune, condensing their spiritual power and vital blood into true blood, illuminating the totem Mystic Rune, and mastering the power of the bloodline.

This method of refining the spirit and vital essence to reshape the body somewhat resembled the Golden Core Method's Core-Nurturing Embryo-Forming path of immortality, yet it was only superficially similar and lacked the true essence.

The core of the Golden Core Great Dao lay in this: golden nature was imperishable, chaos gathered like a pill, becoming a world unto itself. The extraordinary meridians circulated like golden gates and jade locks.

Spiritual energy entered like food entering a Pixiu's stomach—only in, never out. It would not flow backward even if the spiritual energy of heaven and earth dried up. That was why there was a saying: "Once a Golden Core is swallowed into the belly, my fate is mine, not heaven's."

"Scholar Eno wishes to take the totem Mystic Rune and the blood-fusion potion away... This does not comply with the Association's regulations, and the Warlock Alliance also..."

Not refusing outright meant permission could be bought.

Yin Ming's fingers twitched slightly. An Element Crystal, only the size of a pigeon egg and freshly condensed by the Scavenger Gourd that day, slid precisely into the other man's sleeve.

The troubled expression on Anthony Silvercoin's face instantly vanished. He chuckled. "Easy enough! For Scholar Eno's sake, I'll make the decision and approve it!"

"..."

Money really did vanish like water!

After buying the Basic Rune Exposition and the Lava Troll Bloodline Potion, he only had 500 merit points left.

The scholar identity provided a fixed 3,000 merit points each month, while the Scavenger Gourd, working without rest all month, could provide 33,000 merit points.

That made 36,000 merit points in total, certainly enough for daily expenses!

But wizard research was a bottomless pit. He needed to buy wizardry, wizardry expositions, extraordinary knowledge, magical plants, and even relic products. The funding gap was anything but small.

Making money was nothing more than increasing income and reducing expenses!

There was no way he could cut expenses, so he could only find a way to increase his income!

"Scholar Eno, your things have been packed!"

Yin Ming accepted a gray ancient book, a scroll of totem Mystic Runes, and two glass test tubes of potion protected inside a gift box with recessed slots.

He took several Golden Sore Medicines from the gourd and asked, "I have a new type of potion that can effectively treat all sorts of internal and external injuries. Could I consign it to the Association for sale?"

"Of course, but for a new potion, Scholar Eno must provide a small number of samples. We will need three days to test its medicinal properties before deciding whether it can be put on the market," Anthony Silvercoin replied with a smile.

"No problem..."

Yin Ming left behind five Golden Sore Medicines and headed straight for his residence in the eastern outskirts of the underground city.

Following the key number 7-404, he found the two-story detached house numbered 04, in the fourth row of District Seven.

As a scholar, he enjoyed the privileges of a First-Ring wizard. The residence not only had every facility he could need, but also a small plot of fertile land for growing magical plants and a secret chamber for cultivation and meditation.

"After transmigrating for so long, I finally have a place to settle down. I hope it can remain peaceful for a long time."

Including the underground city of the Flame-Burners Association, Yin Ming had moved through three places in total.

In the first two—the Mountain Territory of Viscount Orson—he had barely arrived after transmigrating before disaster descended upon him.

Count Golden Lion's Tulip Manor had been somewhat better. It had not been destroyed, but Count Golden Lion's castle and his entire family, young and old alike, had all been wiped out by Alchemical Bombs.

"..."

Please support, keep reading—404. I have an ominous feeling!!!