Wizard Merchant Guild (Please Read On)

The Wizard Merchant Guild was the largest seller in the Commercial District, supplying more than half of the materials for the entire Academy. Wizard Merchant Guilds from different regions and families gathered in the Commercial District, selling every kind of magical material one could or could not imagine. As a result, most low-level wizards had to rely on the guilds to gather materials.

Anna gave Richard two choices: the Chalak Merchant Guild and the Seven Luminaries Merchant Guild.

Chalak guaranteed quality, but its prices were high. Seven Luminaries had poor quality control, but it was cheap.

Given his current circumstances, Richard naturally chose the Seven Luminaries Merchant Guild to purchase his materials.

The Seven Luminaries Merchant Guild was located on Golden Street in the Commercial District. Every inch of land on this street was worth its weight in gold, and the annual rent for each shop ran into tens of thousands of Magic Stones. Even a wealthy apprentice like Anna could not afford the rent here and could only choose somewhere cheaper.

Richard looked at the dazzling array of signs around him. Signs made of Magic Stone lamps in every color made him feel as though he had returned to Earth.

"Wizards of the Wizard World and ordinary people are practically not from the same world," Richard remarked, then looked toward a shop not far away.

"Seven Luminaries Merchant Guild. This is it."

Richard entered the shop, and his ears instantly fell silent.

"Soundproof Magic Array."

Richard made his judgment.

The shop was not particularly large. A counter, several shelves, and a Mechanical Female Clerk with exposed metal joints were all it contained.

"Welcome to the Seven Luminaries Merchant Guild, student. What do you require?"

The Mechanical Female Clerk gave Richard a slight bow, her voice sweet and pleasant.

"I need to purchase some materials, but this place of yours..."

Having never seen anything like her, Richard looked the clerk over from head to toe. Delicate skin, lively expressions, and a sweet voice—if not for the exposed mechanical joints and those lifeless Crystal Eyeballs, Richard would almost have believed she was a True Person.

"It seems this is your first time here," the clerk said with a slight smile. "All Wizard Merchant Guild goods are kept in dedicated warehouses. You only need to pay in the shop, and we will deliver the goods directly to your room or the Test Area."

"I see." Richard nodded thoughtfully, then handed over the parchment on which he had recorded his requirements.

Richard had deliberately mixed in some unnecessary materials on the parchment, so others would not be able to steal the formula.

"Very well, please wait a moment." The clerk accepted the parchment, then took out a Crystal Ball and recorded its contents into it.

"Very well." The Crystal Ball flashed. "The materials you require cost a total of five hundred and thirty Academy Coins. Would you like to proceed with the purchase?"

"Five formulas, five hundred and thirty Academy Coins. Excluding the mixed-in materials, each formula should cost around one hundred Academy Coins."

Richard nodded, then took out Academy Coins from his pocket and handed them to the clerk.

After confirming that the Academy Coins were not counterfeit, the clerk handed him a contract recording the details of the transaction.

Contracts were an indispensable part of transactions in the Wizard World.

After signing the contract, Richard recorded his delivery location as well.

Once all the information had been confirmed as correct, Richard did not leave the merchant guild. Instead, he asked the clerk for a list.

"Can you give me a list of the bloodlines you sell?"

"Yes, please wait a moment."

The clerk took a Crystal Ball from beneath the counter and handed it to Richard. After probing it with his spirit, an immense amount of information appeared in Richard's mind.

"Just how many worlds have wizards conquered... The number of these bloodlines is outrageous."

Richard counted roughly. The information contained the bloodlines of over ten thousand kinds of creatures, from insects to giant dragons. It even included Elemental Creature Bloodlines from the Four Elements planes. This was not even in the same league as the number of bloodlines during the Wizard War.

Among the countless bloodlines, Richard searched for a long time before finally finding the one he needed.

The bloodline required for the second stage of Black Warrior Bloodline Alchemy: Two-Headed Troll.

Seven Luminaries Merchant Guild price: five hundred Magic Stones.

"Five hundred Magic Stones." Richard rubbed his chin. This number of Magic Stones was no small sum for him now. In the short term, he was afraid he would be unable to complete the second stage of Bloodline Alchemy.

After leaving the merchant guild, Richard did not return to the dormitory. Instead, he went to a free open space in the Test Area.

In the middle of the field, a short-haired beauty was testing a spell.

Boom!

A cone of flame erupted from the girl's hand. In an instant, it heated the metal target she had aimed at until it glowed red. Less than two seconds later, the target melted into a lump of molten iron.

Clap, clap, clap.

"Ellie, you really do have talent in the Shaping School."

Richard clapped as he emerged from behind Ellie.

The lovely figure testing spells was indeed Ellie, and the spell she had just used was Hand of Flame. More precisely, it was an improved version of Hand of Flame recorded in the Advanced Apprentice notes Richard had obtained.

"I'm nowhere near your level. You're Master Gerald's official apprentice now."

Ellie made a face at Richard, then came to his side and suddenly wrapped her arms around his arm.

"Richard, shouldn't you usually be reading at this hour?"

Feeling the faint touch against his arm, Richard, already accustomed to it, could not be bothered to pull his arm away.

"I'm running low on Magic Stones, so I'm planning to earn some recently."

"Are we taking a mission?" Ellie's eyes lit up. "My mentor has taught me quite a lot lately. My combat strength is probably even greater than yours now."

Over the past year, Richard and Ellie had gone on several missions together. Although they had not earned many Magic Stones, they had developed a tacit understanding.

"Has your mentor decided to take you on as an official apprentice?" Richard was somewhat surprised. Over the past year, Ellie had unexpectedly caught the eye of a wizard who studied both the Shaping School and the Curse School. She was currently in the apprentice evaluation period.

"Not yet." Ellie's face fell, but she quickly perked up again. "Still, her attitude toward me has improved quite a bit lately. She isn't as fierce as before."

"And..." Ellie suddenly leaned mysteriously close to Richard's ear. Her faint breath made his ear tingle. "I heard that my mentor is the Dean's student. Not the Vice Dean—the true Dean of our Black Tower Wizard Academy, Great Wizard Black Tower's student."

"That's great." Richard quietly shifted his body away. "If you become her disciple, wouldn't that make you the Dean's disciple's disciple? You'd be able to strut around the Academy sideways."

"Tch, then why don't you hurry up and curry favor with me?" Ellie made another face at Richard. "If you don't, be careful or I'll run off with that Joseph. He's also an Alchemist Wizard's official apprentice, and he's even a wizard descendant!"

Richard smiled helplessly. Ellie's popularity in the Academy far exceeded his expectations. The wizard apprentices pursuing her could form a hundred-man formation.

And Joseph was one of the most outstanding among those pursuers.

An official apprentice, a wizard descendant, and a student of the Alchemy School.

With all those conditions put together, even Richard wondered whether the man was targeting him specifically.

"All right, my Lady Ellie. May I ask whether you are free tonight? I would like to treat you to a meal and curry some favor with you while I'm at it."

Richard held out his hand to Ellie, and she naturally hooked her arm through his.

"Of course I'm free."