Etila and the others had brought back quite a haul. A whole pile of assorted goods lay before them: the common purple vine tendrils, aster powder, jute, and dried bearberries found in Egonen Forest, as well as a fine water-element raw crystal. That raw crystal alone had sold for the high price of 5,700 Liselle.
Of the remaining goods, the purple vine tendrils had fetched the highest total purchase price. They were the finest material for airship rigging, and forest elves also liked using them as stuffing for elven longbows. The finest purple vines in Aethelria came from this forest, and with Etila's professional eye selecting them, they were naturally all of the best quality.
The vines sold for 200 Liselle per pound. Though the unit price was not high, there was a large quantity of them, bringing Etila's group their biggest income of nearly 10,000 Liselle.
As for the other miscellaneous raw materials, they were basically just extras. The only thing worth much was the fire gland of the elephant beetle. Its unit price was high, but there were too few of them; together, they were not even worth as much as that raw crystal.
Fang Heng also sold the aster flowers and hard feathers he had on him. Since the Kaolin Merchant Alliance enforced unified regional pricing, the prices were fairly reasonable. In particular, the Dragon-feather Emu's hard feathers were rated C+, and the seventeen of them sold for a total of 2,900 Liselle.
Next, Etila and the others bought some supplies. Commercial activity in the Rainbow Bay region was thriving, and local taxes were much lower than in Rodell. The price of that Silver Blaze Forest Eyeball made Fang Heng's fingers itch.
But he sighed. Compared with the Silver Blaze Forest Eyeball, there were more important things he needed to buy.
He first spent over 700 Liselle on an eighty-percent-new secondhand communicator. It was an Earth product, though a small number had found their way into the hands of the Merchant Alliance. Since they were sold at the Chosen Association, the price here was not very high either.
Then he remembered that he needed a new Magic Furnace, so he asked about one. The dwarf had been rather uninterested in such small business, but the moment he heard someone wanted to buy a Magic Furnace, he perked up. He proactively led Fang Heng behind the shelves and lifted a wooden board there.
A smell of kerosene wafted out.
Beneath the board was a neat row of objects wrapped in oil paper. Fang Heng recognized the printed serial numbers at once. They were all Magic Furnaces. A row of samples sat on top, and when he saw one of them, his eyes nearly popped out.
Fang Heng rubbed his eyes before realizing he had not seen wrong. The streamlined industrial design, the iconic Mithril ring around the brass casing—it was the Central Nervous System AE type Magic Furnace.
The newest product of the Ausch Imperial Workshop.
He barely needed to think before its original specifications surfaced in his mind:
Length: 41 centimeters. Diameter: 27.3 centimeters. Cylindrical. Net weight: 2.2 kilograms. Maximum output: 660M. Instant overload: 30%. Sustained overload duration: 28.1 seconds.
Two mana-storage crystal ports, one recharge port with a recharge rate of 372% of the standard model, one primary port, one auxiliary port, and one special port—for a terrifying total of six ports.
The critical threshold for high-temperature operation was 87. Core heat generation was 0.3 to 4.5 per second at full load, while cooling efficiency was 1.2 per second. Its Core Crystal framework was the Floating Island-IX, arguably the best civilian crystal framework available at this grade, capable of reducing Magic Device output consumption by nearly 17%.
Finally, it also came with a built-in Kingfisher III shield generator, with a shield value of 220.
When Fang Heng saw that Magic Furnace, he nearly drooled. But after another glance at the price, the five zeroes forced him to tear his eyes away.
Yet that hurried glance had already been noticed by the dwarf. The little man rubbed the back of his hands with a beaming smile. "The esteemed customer certainly has a good eye. This Central Nervous System AE type Magic Furnace only arrived yesterday. It is one of the Imperial Workshop's newest creations."
"But it's only civilian-grade," Fang Heng replied stiffly.
Central Nervous System was the production designation for this Magic Furnace model. The lack of a numerical suffix meant it was not a derivative model. The A stood for artificer type, while E stood for professional grade. By standard naming conventions, this was a professional-grade artificer-type Magic Furnace called Central Nervous System.
The Magic Furnace Fang Heng had originally used was the Kingdom of Kaolin's Kingfisher AA type Magic Furnace. The latter A represented an amateur model, made specifically for trainee apprentices and hobbyists. The gap between them was immeasurable.
Military models generally had an additional M after their designation, signifying military use. But that was stating the obvious—professional military equipment was generally never sold abroad by any country.
The little dwarf clearly understood that as well and merely smiled at him. He knew this young man was someone who recognized quality. There was no need for further explanation; Fang Heng would surely understand what made this Magic Furnace exceptional.
Indeed, the Central Nervous System Magic Furnace was a new series within the Imperial Workshop's Type IV Magic Furnace family. It was an unprecedented Magic Furnace designed specifically for Combat Artificers.
At this point, it was necessary to mention the origins and distinctions of Magic Furnaces—
After alchemists invented Core Crystals, the concept of Magic Devices spread widely throughout the world. From their very birth, they had been put to military use, and thus the "knights" who specialized in using alchemical Battle Gear were born.
The earliest "knights" were elite combatants in every nation, extremely rare and difficult to train. The real reason for this was the bulkiness and inefficiency of Magic Devices at the time.
Because Magic Furnaces had not yet centralized Core Crystals, every Magic Device had to contain its own dedicated Core Crystal. Core Crystals and the various components assisting their operation were huge and complex, forcing the "knights" who fought with them to possess physiques far beyond ordinary people.
Magic Devices of that era valued size above all else. The ultimate expression of that philosophy was the predecessor of the Dragon Knight—the Giant Construct.
But massive frameworks did not bring high efficiency. There was even an absurd period when a knight's strength was measured by how many Magic Devices he could use. Those who could only use one were called "knights," those who could use two were "Great Knights," and only those who could use three, four, or even more were called "Templar Knights."
Legend had it that a muscular powerhouse named Qinchuan Derich could use seven Magic Devices at once, becoming the only "Sun Knight" in Aethelria's history.
But that had already been the fading twilight of an age.
About a thousand years ago, a genius came into this world—Roman Ed, the greatest alchemist in history. He proposed the following idea and concept:
"Gather the Core Crystals of most Magic Devices into a dedicated device, then use the resonance effect between crystals to influence lower-grade crystal fragments."
That idea was, in fact, the design principle behind Magic Furnaces that remained in use to this day.
Although the primary crystal inside a Magic Furnace was even larger and heavier than any Core Crystal of the past, its ingenious design liberated the other Magic Devices, greatly reducing the overall weight instead.
More importantly, it fully utilized the primary crystal's mana output efficiency, drastically lowering total costs and reducing the complexity of other Magic Devices. It also allowed adventurers to focus solely on controlling the primary crystal while bringing out the true power of every Magic Device.
Ultimately, all these changes reduced the physical requirements Magic Devices imposed on their "users."
Thus, the class of "knights" naturally disappeared, and an age arrived in which ordinary people could use Magic Devices.
What followed was a thousand years of rapid alchemical development.
Later generations continued building upon their predecessors' work, and Magic Furnaces underwent many more transformations—
Elric, Years 201–252 of the Age of Heroes, Imperial Alchemist of Ausch—precision refinement and miniaturization of Core Crystals.
Li Oznorm, Years 317–389, Imperial Alchemist of Ausch—inventor of the miniature mana sensor, which replaced the sensing crystal fragments in Magic Devices.
Ochs Steelbrow, Years 352–471, dwarf, from the Kaolin-Ishurian Alchemy Association—inventor of the Ochs cooling system.
Nick LeMay, Years 669–712, independent alchemist of Luotao—proposer of the Core Crystal framework.
Finally came the arrival of Earthlings, bringing with them the design concept of universal ports.
From then on, outdated specialized Magic Furnaces vanished into the river of history. Universal Magic Furnaces had, in effect, come infinitely close to the design standard of Magic Furnaces in the modern era.
It was also from this point onward that Magic Furnaces developed standardized design specializations—
Combat-oriented Magic Furnaces possessed more primary ports, higher output power, and stronger overload effects, allowing combat-oriented adventurers to use their Battle Gear and gain greater explosive power in battle.
Magic-oriented Magic Furnaces possessed greater stability, making them more suitable for precise Magic Devices that required stability, such as shield generators.
Support-oriented Magic Furnaces possessed more auxiliary ports and special ports, better recharge speeds, and greater portability, allowing support-oriented professions to survive more effectively on the battlefield.
Artificer-oriented Magic Furnaces, meanwhile, needed to sustain an alchemist's daily maintenance work and could recharge other people's Magic Furnaces or the Core Crystals of Flexible Constructs in battle. Thus, they had dedicated recharge ports and the greatest mana storage capacity.
Since Magic Furnaces were essential equipment for adventurers, and gains in one area necessarily meant losses in another, no single Magic Furnace could accommodate every situation. Strengthening one aspect inevitably meant weakening another, so specialized Magic Furnaces became an inevitable choice.
But before this, Combat Artificers, as a special kind of alchemist, had never truly possessed their own specialized Magic Furnaces.
Ordinary artificer-type Magic Furnaces were adequate, but too many recharge ports were of little use to Combat Artificers. Moreover, because they also had to account for combat, the other ports on artificer-type Magic Furnaces were far from sufficient for Combat Artificers.
Take the Kingfisher AA type Magic Furnace Fang Heng had used before. Apart from two recharge ports and one mana-storage port, it only had one primary port. As a result, he had to place the main control device for operating Flexible Constructs on his gloves, making them extremely cumbersome.
Of course, beginners in the usual sense did not need to operate Flexible Constructs.
And it was thanks to that very fact that he had been able to build his first walker, the Sword Plover. Ordinary Flexible Control Gloves did not contain Core Crystals.
In a sense, that was a blessing in disguise.
Of course, all of that came to an end with the appearance of the Central Nervous System Magic Furnace. It was a Magic Furnace designed specifically for Combat Artificers—after balancing the number of recharge ports, it offered a more even distribution of ports while still accommodating an alchemist's primary work.
It was just that the price nearly blinded Fang Heng.
The dwarf merchant did not know of the young man's inner struggle and continued smiling. "...Look at this exquisite craftsmanship, this flawless exterior. It is simply a work of art. Like a Combat Artificer, it pursues ultimate perfection. Sir, you are also an alchemist, are you not? I believe every alchemist dreams of becoming a Combat Artificer. This Magic Furnace may well allow you to fulfill that dream."
He looked up at the luxurious, jewel-like device and said temptingly, "This is the first Central Nervous System AE type Magic Furnace our camp has sold. I believe you would surely like to become its owner."
Fang Heng gulped.
"Ed is already a Combat Artificer," a voice came from behind the shelf, carrying a hint of indignation on his behalf.
Fang Heng looked over in surprise, but the speaker remained hidden behind the shelves. Then Tianlan's voice came from outside. "What are you all whispering about?"
"W-wait—"
"Wait for what?"
Then Fang Heng saw the French girl dragging someone inside.
That person was indeed the tall trainee boy—Luo Yu.
An awkward expression, rare on his normally serious face, appeared as he looked at Fang Heng apologetically. "Sorry... I spoke out of turn."
Fang Heng glanced at him in puzzlement but shook his head to show that he did not mind. He had actually noticed long ago that this peer, around his own age, had been watching him.
"Big Brother Ed, what are you doing?" Tianlan asked curiously.
Fang Heng was about to answer.
But the dwarf dramatically interrupted again. "Ah, my apologies! I never imagined you were a Combat Artificer. I have been disrespectful. Then, with your professional eye, sir, I trust you surely understand its value."
Only then did Fang Heng remember that matter. He could not help scratching his head. He understood its value, but precisely because he understood it, he knew he could not afford it.
Even selling himself would not be enough.
But before Fang Heng had figured out how to decline, Tianlan asked in surprise from beside him, "Huh? Why is there an empty space here?"
The dwarf immediately choked up. This Central Nervous System AE type Magic Furnace was clearly not the first one sold, and he had merely made it up on the spot earlier.
Tianlan gave him a meaningful look. "Wow, aren't you committing consumer fraud?"
Consumer fraud was also a borrowed term, but this native swindler clearly understood its meaning—and its weight.
The Kaolin Merchant Alliance's motto was "Fair Trade." Its emblem was derived from the Hailan'er Scales of the Commercial Temple, symbolizing fairness and payment for goods.
Most merchants worshipped Roman, patron of commerce. As the goddess of opportunity, Roman appreciated her followers' ability to seize opportunities, but as a goddess aligned with order, she also upheld proper commercial order.
Fraud was absolutely forbidden.
"H-how could I be?" the dwarf said, drenched in sweat.
He had merely seen that Fang Heng was a complete novice who looked easy to fool. He had never expected there to be ears behind the wall, nor that the other party's sharp companion had overheard him.
He was not one of those free traders. Even without punishment from the goddess, the Kaolin Merchant Alliance above him would not let him off. It was not a loss he could bear.
"So you mean I heard wrong?" Tianlan asked sinisterly.
"N-no, of course not," the dwarf wiped away sweat. But a merchant was a merchant, and he immediately reacted. "It was my mistake, entirely my mistake."
"Is that so?" The French girl reached out and patted the luxurious device. "Then shall we do this by the rules?"
The little man wore an expression of utter anguish. "Ten percent off. Ten percent off is enough to show my sincerity, isn't it, you three?"
"Ten percent off?" Tianlan stared at him with wide eyes, her face full of disbelief.
The dwarf merchant glanced at the Magic Furnace in her hand and calculated the markup in his heart. New products generally carried very high premiums. Only after confirming that he could still make a profit did he grit his teeth and make up his mind. "Twenty percent off. No lower!"
"Twenty percent off, really?"
"O-of course it's true." The little man answered through gritted teeth. Judging from his expression, his heart was practically bleeding.
Fang Heng, who had witnessed the entire exchange, was utterly dumbfounded. He could not help looking at Luo Yu beside him, but Luo Yu clearly found it nothing unusual and wore an expression that said he had expected this all along.
At that moment, the others also heard the argument inside and entered from outside.
When Etila saw the scene, she looked as though it were only natural. She even came over and patted Fang Heng on the shoulder, signaling for him to stay calm.
To be honest, Fang Heng was really starting to panic. Even at twenty percent off, he could not afford a Magic Furnace that cost several hundred thousand. It was simply too luxurious, too extravagant.
Oh, no.
It was just too embarrassing.
I forgot something. My memory really is declining. I promised to recommend a chapter for a new author friend. Damn, I'm getting old.
Heroes of Might and Magic: Throne of Hegemony. Everyone, please give the new author some attention, all right?
Before you continue