"You have desires. What are you longing for?"
Kroya said it outright. "I can hear you, so naturally, I can help you too."
The Wood Luminary Curved Vine was bewildered for a moment, but immediately understood what Kroya meant and said excitedly, "You... you can modify me too?"
It moved right up to him.
The vine, as smooth as jade, gently rested against Kroya's wrist. That strange sensation, mingled with the pure wood magic it released, was genuinely soothing to both body and mind.
"Master, Master, I was never able to help the lady protect her Mage Tower, so I want to... help you watch over the castle.
As long as I have enough magical power, I can grow to cover the entire castle. Is there any way you can help me?"
As Kroya listened, an idea had already formed in his mind. Mages did indeed have ways to monitor their domains: composite arrays formed by combining spell arrays with magical implements such as Watching Demon Eyes.
They allowed a mage to monitor an entire domain without ever leaving home.
That was precisely what he had in mind now. He intended to gradually renovate the castle, installing some spell arrays and wards.
A fully developed, properly equipped mage's domain would even have a Spatial Lockdown Array, a Magical Energy Detection Array, a Spatial Transfer Array, and a whole series of other arrays.
Of course, those were still beyond Kroya's abilities at present.
But a spell like the Watching Demon Eye was perfectly suited to the Wood Luminary Curved Vine. Wherever it could reach, it could transmit images back in real time.
And since the Wood Luminary Curved Vine was itself a magical beast, it also spared Kroya the trouble of constructing arrays and laying Magical Power Conduits.
Most importantly... it possessed nearly human intelligence.
With a little training, it could handle ordinary, tedious chores. When necessary, it could also convey Kroya's wishes in his stead, acting as his mouthpiece. Its voice was well suited to that, too.
That left only one problem.
The Watching Demon Eye was not formed from magical power alone. It required something called an "eye crystal" as a casting medium and anchor.
As far as he knew, eye crystals varied in quality, and naturally, their prices varied as well. Five magic crystals could buy a dozen of the cheap ones-twelve pieces.
As for the expensive ones... even Legendary Mages would fight tooth and nail over them.
He could certainly afford the cheapest ones. The question was how to install them on the Curving Vine. He remembered that the description of the Astral Body Inscription Technique did include the phrase "materials may be required to assist cultivation."
But how was he supposed to cultivate it?
After a moment's thought, he took the Sacred Spring Trade Guild's magic crystal card from beside him and began pouring magical power into it, while also preparing five drops of waterlight essence.
Whatever the case, he would buy the eye crystals first. While he was at it, he would see how much this waterlight essence could sell for.
In theory, this should count as a Sea Folk material too, right?
"Sacred spring, Deep Blue Sacred Spring! Ever-flowing sacred spring leading to a boundless, infinite world, answer me!"
With the infusion of magical power and the chanting of the incantation, the sacred spring emblem on the card's surface swiftly formed an illusory, three-dimensional spring. Kroya tossed in a drop of waterlight essence without hesitation.
A short while later, nothing emerged from it, but a cultured female voice rang out-
"Esteemed Level One Member, you have submitted one drop of pure waterlight essence. Its estimated exchange value is ten magic crystals."
"Would you like to exchange it for magic crystals?"
"..."
It even has a voice conversation feature now? Is that because I'm already a Level One Member?
But wait... ten??
One drop is worth ten magic crystals?
Kroya remembered the fifteen drops the Woodstar Curving Vine King had just consumed and instantly felt his heart bleed. The body's original owner had worked so hard for so long and only managed to save twenty magic crystals!
He immediately calculated how many magic crystals he could obtain. He had started with ninety-nine drops, given one to the Magic-Storing Hanging Flask Grass, and fed fifteen to the Woodstar Curving Vine King.
In addition, he still had to give forty-six drops to the Merfolk.
That meant he had thirty-seven drops left.
If he exchanged all of them, he could get a full three hundred and seventy magic crystals!
That was a substantial sum. It could buy a third-tier General Spell Compendium, or a slightly more advanced Beginner's Guide to Alchemy...
It could also buy a large batch of magical beasts and magic plants.
If he bought materials instead, he could even construct a basic intelligent array for the Mage Tower-provided, of course, that the seller supplied the array diagrams.
The sudden prospect of such a windfall made him hesitate for a while, but he soon calmed down.
He absolutely could not sell all the waterlight essence.
He planned to keep ten drops and sell the rest, since he still did not know whether the Merfolk would immediately give him more waterlight crystals.
Besides, this essence could help magical beasts and magic plants grow.
Selling twenty-seven drops would still net him two hundred and seventy magic crystals. That was enough.
As for what to buy... he had already decided. He would first buy magic plants or magical beasts that could develop the economy and generate snowballing returns.
With his special advantage, a few modifications to those magic plants and magical beasts would turn them into entirely new variants.
What made the most money?
Potions, of course!
Some magical beasts and magic plants produced materials that could be used to make potions. Thanks to the original owner's frequent conversations on the subject back in the Royal Capital, he knew of several.
And the ones best suited to an environment like Reef Island...
He immediately placed the remaining twenty-seven drops of waterlight essence inside, then picked up pen and paper and began writing a list before finally tossing it into the spring's opening.
Kroya had not yet learned a spell to change his voice, so communicating through writing was still best. His handwriting habits were still those from his previous life.
After a brief silence, a column of water erupted from the spring's opening.
This time, along with an elegant wooden box, a book, and two scrolls, there were two enormous pink dolphins.
The dolphins slept inside bubbles of water, their pink skin reflecting a clear, bright sheen. They looked no different from ordinary dolphins, apart from their color.
But these creatures really were second-tier magical beasts, and very special ones at that: Sea Spirit Dolphins capable of gathering Sea Spirit Pearls from the sea.
The price of these Sea Spirit Dolphins varied with their magical power, ranging from a minimum of twenty-five magic crystals to several hundred.
For now, Kroya could only afford the twenty-five-magic-crystal variety. He would buy better ones once he had more money.
Sea Spirit Pearls could be used to cultivate a pure water-element Elemental Magic Plant, Sea Spirit Lingzhi, which could then be used to make potions. It was a complete production chain.
Without the mysterious Sacred Spring Trade Guild, specifically buying one male and one female Sea Spirit Dolphin would have been no easy task.
Most magical beast merchants were unwilling to sell females capable of producing offspring.
It made sense. If customers bought them and started breeding their own, what would the merchants do?
"Ah, this really is convenient. Delivery right to my door without even leaving home. Otherwise, buying materials in this desolate place would be the death of me."
Kroya nodded in satisfaction, confirming that everything he had bought was correct: a box of eye crystals with a complimentary surveillance array, a Beginner's Guide to Water-Element Potion Alchemy, and the Sea Spirit Dolphins along with their Master-Servant Contracts.
That was the advantage of the Sacred Spring Trade Guild. As long as you were willing to pay, they would even arrange the contracts for you.
Once he finished checking everything, the sacred spring spoke again. "Esteemed customer, because you provided valuable Sea Folk materials, the membership points earned from this transaction have been doubled.
Your current point total is 540.
We wish you a pleasant shopping experience and a swift advancement to a higher membership level."
Once it finished speaking, the sacred spring gradually subsided, returning to its original form as a crystal card lying on the ground.
Kroya stepped forward, picked up the card, and put it away. He intended to settle the Sea Spirit Dolphins in first, then begin applying a new inscription to the Woodstar Curving Vine King.
Thank you to 735611 and Leisurely Three Lives for your monthly tickets, and to everyone for your recommendation votes. Tomorrow, this story will be getting its trial recommendation spot, so please keep reading the latest chapters. It really means a lot to me.
My deepest thanks to you all!
Before you continue