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A staff, a magic ring, a spellbook, a few bottles of potions, several mana gems, a longbow, a quiver, twenty-odd arrows, two pairs of daggers, and an assortment of things like lime powder.
These had all been left behind by the intermediate mage, the hunter, the intermediate rogue, and the low-level rogue. Quite a good haul.
Jiang Jie did not know the going rates for staffs, magic rings, or spellbooks, but he could guess that a mage's belongings were definitely the most expensive and valuable!
Jiang Jie recognized the potions. There were mana potions, healing potions, and poisons used by rogues. He could keep them all to use.
The longbow was made of good material and looked fairly valuable. The matching quiver and arrows were good, too.
Of the two pairs of daggers, the ones the novice rogue had used were of uncommon quality, while the intermediate rogue's were of rare quality. The former were nothing special, but the latter were better than the ones Jiang Jie had and could replace them.
As for the lime powder and such, they were not worth much.
Before long, Mage Nolan brought the low-level mage named Connie over to Jiang Jie.
"Nicholas, I'd like to buy the staff, magic ring, and spellbook. We can discuss the price." Having been saved by Jiang Jie and witnessed his terrifying strength and strange abilities, Mage Nolan had become much friendlier.
"This is an oak staff. The sapphire set into it is of good quality, and the staff itself has also been worked on by an alchemist. This magic ring is uncommon quality, the lowest grade. The spellbook contains some spells, but I'll have to read it before I can tell you its precise value."
Smiling, he pointed at the pile of things in front of Jiang Jie. "As you know, it's hard to put a price on a mage's belongings. They're cheapest in Silvermoon City, followed by Dalaran, and much more expensive in human cities like Stormwind City and Lordaeron. I can't give you an exact price, but you won't lose out. After all, you saved us, and Paladin Basil and Knight Harold are here as witnesses."
The credibility of the kingdom's knights could be trusted. Jiang Jie firmly believed that.
Jiang Jie smiled and handed the spellbook to Mage Nolan. "Of course I trust you, Mage Nolan."
There was no reason not to.
Apart from a handful of oddballs, most mages were very proud and did not have what it took to be unscrupulous merchants.
Of course, just as Mage Nolan had said, it was hard to set fixed prices for a mage's belongings. Whether the price was high or low was up to the mage, or could be settled through negotiation.
Keeping these things was of little use to him. Even the magic ring was of little use, because he now understood something:
The Vanish Amulet Lord Miles had given him was definitely worth far more than this magic ring!
As for the Elemental Necklace Princess Calia had given him, that went without saying. Its value was surely beyond imagination!
With those two pieces of equipment, a magic ring of the lowest quality was something he could take or leave.
At this stage, what Jiang Jie needed most was still gold...
"I know most of the spells recorded in this spellbook. There's only one I haven't seen before. It should be... necromancy." Mage Nolan frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "That intermediate mage you killed was actually studying necromancy in secret! That violates the Council of Tirisfal's ban!"
Necromancy!
These were spells for communicating with the dead and had always been regarded as forbidden magic. Especially after the establishment of the Council of Tirisfal, Azeroth's organization of guardians, human and high elf archmages and legendary mages had jointly issued a decree strictly forbidding anyone from researching necromancy!
To think someone had actually been learning necromancy in secret!
"I heard Lady Jaina mention that the mastermind behind the Cult of the Damned is Kel'Thuzad. The Kirin Tor Council strictly forbade his private studies in necromancy, and he later left Dalaran." Jiang Jie suddenly said, "I think the intermediate mage I killed probably belonged to the Cult of the Damned!"
Kel'Thuzad!
Upon hearing that name,
Mage Nolan's face instantly turned deathly pale. "Kel'Thuzad? It was him?" Very few people knew of Kel'Thuzad's betrayal yet, such as the higher-ups of Lordaeron and Dalaran. An intermediate mage like Mage Nolan, with limited access to news, had yet to learn of it.
He was utterly astonished and inwardly horrified!
This was Kel'Thuzad, a member of the Kirin Tor Council of Six and one of Dalaran's leaders!
Although he was the youngest member of the Council of Six and had the least seniority, his magical attainments were far from low. His mastery of frost magic in particular was exceptional, earning even Lord Antonidas's endless praise. He was someone all mages specializing in frost looked up to!
In fact, Mage Nolan had once been fortunate enough to study in Dalaran for a time. As a frost mage, the archmage whose classes he had attended most often back then was Kel'Thuzad!
To think Kel'Thuzad had betrayed them! And secretly researched necromancy? He was the mastermind behind the Cult of the Damned? He had directly caused the emergence of the Undead Scourge's plague?
This... was too terrifying!
"If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Prince Arthas, Lady Jaina, and Master Onias have already joined forces to kill Kel'Thuzad. There's no need to worry," Jiang Jie gently reassured him. Although he knew full well that Prince Arthas would soon become the most terrifying boss, and that Kel'Thuzad would become a legendary greater lich after his resurrection, he could not say any of that, could he?
"This is too serious. Members of the Cult of the Damned actually infiltrated Tirisfal Glades and ambushed us! That novice rogue must be taken to Tirisfal Monastery for strict interrogation. We need more information!" Paladin Basil made his decision firmly. "Everyone, get some good rest. We leave first thing tomorrow morning!"
Having learned about Kel'Thuzad and the Cult of the Damned, Mage Nolan was in no mood to haggle anymore. He looked at Jiang Jie. "Nicholas, I can't work out the prices with you item by item. How does two hundred gold coins in total sound?"
Two hundred gold coins!
That was no small price!
How much was that?
An ordinary, hardworking craftsman might only earn that much over an entire lifetime of labor, and that was before all manner of expenses.
That bard, Master Trouvere, was at least equivalent to a top-tier celebrity on Earth, wasn't he? He had written one book for each of the Five Heroes of the Dark Portal. For each book, the total earnings, including publishing, plays, and so on, probably amounted to only this much in net profit, didn't they?
Don't forget!
However famous Master Trouvere was, he was ultimately just an ordinary professional who knew a tiny bit of low-level magic and a few rogue and warrior skills. That was all.
Strictly speaking, Master Trouvere's status could not compare to that of any high-level mage. He was only about on par with Mage Nolan!
Judging from that, two hundred gold coins was no small sum for Mage Nolan either. Not bad at all!