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Chapter 74
Chapter 74: Returning to the Mage Guild, Are You From the Slane Theocracy?
2024-11-18 Author: Amnesty L
The bustling Central Plaza.
As Tang Zheng walked down the street, many pedestrians noticed the little Evil Spirit Hound and cleared a path for him.
The middle-aged man's questions at the Adventurer's Guild didn't concern Tang Zheng. The moment he had taken out the two bone chains from the Evil Spirit Hounds to sell, he had anticipated that someone would guess he had entered the Touv Great Forest.
But no matter how much they guessed, the people at the Adventurer's Guild would never believe the disturbance in the Touv Great Forest was caused by a human.
After all, the people of this world had no concept of spatial storage like an item box. The mere disappearance of so many monster corpses was beyond their imagination. Without a single trace, any speculation was baseless.
*Mage Guild "Vice President" Belo'ore Vannof Grigori Bortkin.*
"Just from the name, you can tell he won't be easy to deal with," Tang Zheng muttered to himself, feeling a bit helpless. "I wonder if the Mage Guild has a magic item that can translate text."
By now, it was nearly noon.
Tang Zheng found a lively tavern, ordered some food, and decided to listen in on the local gossip, hoping to find out if anything significant had happened recently.
He had already noticed that the atmosphere in E-Rantel was much the same as a month ago, but the behavior of the city guards strongly suggested something had occurred. This likely meant the higher-ups were suppressing information.
If that was the case, buying information from the Adventurer's Guild would be pointless; street rumors were a better bet.
However, by the time he left the tavern, all he had gained was a proper lunch—a welcome change from the simple meals in the forest.
Mage Guild.
*Chime~*
The dark brown main door opened automatically.
Tang Zheng deftly entered the guild. Compared to the Adventurer's Guild, it was just as deserted as before.
The two staff members at the front desk had changed since his last visit. The young mage was still there, but the middle-aged one had been replaced by another young man in a light-blue robe.
"No wonder the monster-detecting magic item went off. I thought it was broken."
"It's an Evil Spirit Hound! And a pup, at that?"
A lively and surprised voice came from the mage in the light-blue robe.
When the two spellcasters saw Tang Zheng walk in, their attention was entirely focused on the little Evil Spirit Hound, their faces filled with amazement.
Soon, the other young mage, dressed in a black robe, recognized Tang Zheng as the person who had come to buy a magic scroll a month ago. After all, he had only seen pure black hair once before, and the impression it left had been profound.
"Are you here to buy magic scrolls again?" the black-robed mage asked.
"Not this time. I'd like to purchase a magic item," Tang Zheng said softly, approaching the counter.
The magic scrolls sold in the Magic Guild were mostly supportive in nature, which held no interest for him at the moment.
The only thing that caught his attention was life magic, which could be raised in tier. But increasing the tier of life magic came with its own problems. With his limited skill points, Tang Zheng had no plans to purchase any for now.
A magic item?
Surprise appeared in the eyes of both the black-robed and blue-robed mages.
Magic items were extremely expensive. Judging by Tang Zheng's current attire, they didn't think he was a wealthy man.
"Do you have a magic item that can translate text?" Tang Zheng asked again.
"Translate text?"
"Who would make such a useless magic item!"
"Besides, even if magic items are miraculous, they can't do everything!" the blue-robed mage suddenly raised his head and exclaimed loudly.
The young man in the black robe quickly tugged on the corner of his colleague's sleeve before turning to Tang Zheng apologetically. "My apologies, we don't have that kind of magic item here."
Tang Zheng glanced at the agitated blue-robed mage and nodded calmly. It wasn't unexpected.
He remembered that Sebas, one of the guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, possessed a glasses-type magic item that could translate text. It was a high-grade item, if he recalled correctly.
Few of the magic items created by this world's humans truly interested Tang Zheng.
"Oh, right."
Tang Zheng changed the subject as if he had just remembered something. He took out a sheet of tough-looking white paper that faintly glowed and said, "Excuse me, do you purchase magical materials like this paper here?"
Under the illumination of the cylindrical everlight on the ceiling, the pristine white paper faintly shimmered with a subtle, pale-white magical energy.
The two mages—one who had been openly annoyed and the other who wore a professional smile that couldn't hide a hint of arrogance—were immediately captivated by the paper in Tang Zheng's hand.
"How many sheets do you have!"
"We'll take them all!"
The young blue-robed mage suddenly leaned forward, his expression excited. He unceremoniously snatched the paper from Tang Zheng's hand and began examining it closely, speaking rapidly.
Huh?
Tang Zheng's eyes flickered. This was rather unexpected.
According to the information from his Item Appraisal, this paper, created with second-tier magic, could preserve writing for a hundred years. Perhaps it was indeed somewhat valuable, but it shouldn't have made the blue-robed mage this excited.
"It completely meets the standard."
The blue-robed mage looked away from the white paper, turned to his companion, nodded forcefully, and spoke in a low voice.
The surprise on the black-robed young man's face deepened.
"I remember you're a faith-based caster, right?" the black-robed young man asked, turning his head to look at Tang Zheng.
"That's right," Tang Zheng replied.
"Who made this paper? My apologies, but we currently need a large quantity of it. If the creator is willing, we can purchase it at a price of one silver coin for every ten sheets," the black-robed young man said seriously.
The second-tier papermaking spell could produce 700 sheets. At that price, a small expenditure of magical energy would yield 70 silver coins—equivalent to five gold and five silver coins.
Tang Zheng was somewhat astonished. If he made some every day for a month, his income could exceed 160 gold coins, easily achieving financial freedom.
"That won't be necessary. I made it," Tang Zheng said, waving his hand.
"You?"
The black-robed young man was stunned.
Even the blue-robed mage, who had been studying the paper, looked up at Tang Zheng.
"Impossible!"
Between the two, it was the black-robed young man, who had seemed more composed, who now cried out shrilly.
"A month ago, you were here buying a zeroth-tier Papermaking scroll!"
"If you had already mastered Papermaking, why would you have spent money to buy it!" The black-robed young man was exceptionally agitated, his arrogance and hostility now clearly visible.
Tang Zheng's gaze turned cold. A frigid aura, honed from a month of slaughtering goblins and monsters in the jungle, emerged from him. His hair, uncombed for a month, partly covered his eyes, which he now revealed.
"Is there a problem?" he asked coolly, his emotionless gaze fixed on the black-robed young man.
"You, you..."
The black-robed young man shuddered, an inexplicable chill running down his neck, and he couldn't help but take a step back.
Immediately after, his expression twisted in shame and anger. "Do you know where this is!?"
"Enough!"
The blue-robed mage, who had been annoyed with Tang Zheng over the magic item issue, now spoke with a stern voice.
"Albert, was what you just said true?" the blue-robed mage asked, looking seriously at the black-robed young man.
"Wha-what? True?"
The black-robed young man, caught off guard, didn't know how to react.
"I see."
The blue-robed mage turned to Tang Zheng. "Sir, please wait a moment."
With that, he scurried towards the Mage Guild's staircase.
For a time, only the black-robed young man and Tang Zheng remained in the entire hall.
The atmosphere grew strange.
The black-robed young man's face was slightly pale. He turned his head away, no longer looking at Tang Zheng.
Tang Zheng, on the other hand, grew increasingly curious. It seemed that Papermaking held a secret he was unaware of.
He didn't have to wait long.
The sound of two sets of footsteps echoed on the stairs.
The blue-robed mage was cautiously following a plainly dressed old man in a gray robe. Upon closer inspection, one could see numerous patches on the gray robe; clearly, this was not a magic item.
This old man had graying hair and an expressionless face. His face, held taut, was covered in so many wrinkles it looked like the creases on a book's pages. He gave off an impression of being difficult and extremely old-fashioned.
"Master."
Seeing the old man appear, the black-robed young man hurried forward, intending to offer support.
But the old man simply swung his arm, ignoring him. Despite his apparent age, his steps were remarkably firm.
He first glanced at the paper on the counter, then raised his head to look at Tang Zheng.
"Are you from the Slane Theocracy?" the old man asked in a cold voice, his eyes half-closed as he stared at Tang Zheng's black hair.
(end of chapter)
2024-11-18 Author: Amnesty L
The bustling Central Plaza.
As Tang Zheng walked down the street, many pedestrians noticed the little Evil Spirit Hound and cleared a path for him.
The middle-aged man's questions at the Adventurer's Guild didn't concern Tang Zheng. The moment he had taken out the two bone chains from the Evil Spirit Hounds to sell, he had anticipated that someone would guess he had entered the Touv Great Forest.
But no matter how much they guessed, the people at the Adventurer's Guild would never believe the disturbance in the Touv Great Forest was caused by a human.
After all, the people of this world had no concept of spatial storage like an item box. The mere disappearance of so many monster corpses was beyond their imagination. Without a single trace, any speculation was baseless.
*Mage Guild "Vice President" Belo'ore Vannof Grigori Bortkin.*
"Just from the name, you can tell he won't be easy to deal with," Tang Zheng muttered to himself, feeling a bit helpless. "I wonder if the Mage Guild has a magic item that can translate text."
By now, it was nearly noon.
Tang Zheng found a lively tavern, ordered some food, and decided to listen in on the local gossip, hoping to find out if anything significant had happened recently.
He had already noticed that the atmosphere in E-Rantel was much the same as a month ago, but the behavior of the city guards strongly suggested something had occurred. This likely meant the higher-ups were suppressing information.
If that was the case, buying information from the Adventurer's Guild would be pointless; street rumors were a better bet.
However, by the time he left the tavern, all he had gained was a proper lunch—a welcome change from the simple meals in the forest.
Mage Guild.
*Chime~*
The dark brown main door opened automatically.
Tang Zheng deftly entered the guild. Compared to the Adventurer's Guild, it was just as deserted as before.
The two staff members at the front desk had changed since his last visit. The young mage was still there, but the middle-aged one had been replaced by another young man in a light-blue robe.
"No wonder the monster-detecting magic item went off. I thought it was broken."
"It's an Evil Spirit Hound! And a pup, at that?"
A lively and surprised voice came from the mage in the light-blue robe.
When the two spellcasters saw Tang Zheng walk in, their attention was entirely focused on the little Evil Spirit Hound, their faces filled with amazement.
Soon, the other young mage, dressed in a black robe, recognized Tang Zheng as the person who had come to buy a magic scroll a month ago. After all, he had only seen pure black hair once before, and the impression it left had been profound.
"Are you here to buy magic scrolls again?" the black-robed mage asked.
"Not this time. I'd like to purchase a magic item," Tang Zheng said softly, approaching the counter.
The magic scrolls sold in the Magic Guild were mostly supportive in nature, which held no interest for him at the moment.
The only thing that caught his attention was life magic, which could be raised in tier. But increasing the tier of life magic came with its own problems. With his limited skill points, Tang Zheng had no plans to purchase any for now.
A magic item?
Surprise appeared in the eyes of both the black-robed and blue-robed mages.
Magic items were extremely expensive. Judging by Tang Zheng's current attire, they didn't think he was a wealthy man.
"Do you have a magic item that can translate text?" Tang Zheng asked again.
"Translate text?"
"Who would make such a useless magic item!"
"Besides, even if magic items are miraculous, they can't do everything!" the blue-robed mage suddenly raised his head and exclaimed loudly.
The young man in the black robe quickly tugged on the corner of his colleague's sleeve before turning to Tang Zheng apologetically. "My apologies, we don't have that kind of magic item here."
Tang Zheng glanced at the agitated blue-robed mage and nodded calmly. It wasn't unexpected.
He remembered that Sebas, one of the guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, possessed a glasses-type magic item that could translate text. It was a high-grade item, if he recalled correctly.
Few of the magic items created by this world's humans truly interested Tang Zheng.
"Oh, right."
Tang Zheng changed the subject as if he had just remembered something. He took out a sheet of tough-looking white paper that faintly glowed and said, "Excuse me, do you purchase magical materials like this paper here?"
Under the illumination of the cylindrical everlight on the ceiling, the pristine white paper faintly shimmered with a subtle, pale-white magical energy.
The two mages—one who had been openly annoyed and the other who wore a professional smile that couldn't hide a hint of arrogance—were immediately captivated by the paper in Tang Zheng's hand.
"How many sheets do you have!"
"We'll take them all!"
The young blue-robed mage suddenly leaned forward, his expression excited. He unceremoniously snatched the paper from Tang Zheng's hand and began examining it closely, speaking rapidly.
Huh?
Tang Zheng's eyes flickered. This was rather unexpected.
According to the information from his Item Appraisal, this paper, created with second-tier magic, could preserve writing for a hundred years. Perhaps it was indeed somewhat valuable, but it shouldn't have made the blue-robed mage this excited.
"It completely meets the standard."
The blue-robed mage looked away from the white paper, turned to his companion, nodded forcefully, and spoke in a low voice.
The surprise on the black-robed young man's face deepened.
"I remember you're a faith-based caster, right?" the black-robed young man asked, turning his head to look at Tang Zheng.
"That's right," Tang Zheng replied.
"Who made this paper? My apologies, but we currently need a large quantity of it. If the creator is willing, we can purchase it at a price of one silver coin for every ten sheets," the black-robed young man said seriously.
The second-tier papermaking spell could produce 700 sheets. At that price, a small expenditure of magical energy would yield 70 silver coins—equivalent to five gold and five silver coins.
Tang Zheng was somewhat astonished. If he made some every day for a month, his income could exceed 160 gold coins, easily achieving financial freedom.
"That won't be necessary. I made it," Tang Zheng said, waving his hand.
"You?"
The black-robed young man was stunned.
Even the blue-robed mage, who had been studying the paper, looked up at Tang Zheng.
"Impossible!"
Between the two, it was the black-robed young man, who had seemed more composed, who now cried out shrilly.
"A month ago, you were here buying a zeroth-tier Papermaking scroll!"
"If you had already mastered Papermaking, why would you have spent money to buy it!" The black-robed young man was exceptionally agitated, his arrogance and hostility now clearly visible.
Tang Zheng's gaze turned cold. A frigid aura, honed from a month of slaughtering goblins and monsters in the jungle, emerged from him. His hair, uncombed for a month, partly covered his eyes, which he now revealed.
"Is there a problem?" he asked coolly, his emotionless gaze fixed on the black-robed young man.
"You, you..."
The black-robed young man shuddered, an inexplicable chill running down his neck, and he couldn't help but take a step back.
Immediately after, his expression twisted in shame and anger. "Do you know where this is!?"
"Enough!"
The blue-robed mage, who had been annoyed with Tang Zheng over the magic item issue, now spoke with a stern voice.
"Albert, was what you just said true?" the blue-robed mage asked, looking seriously at the black-robed young man.
"Wha-what? True?"
The black-robed young man, caught off guard, didn't know how to react.
"I see."
The blue-robed mage turned to Tang Zheng. "Sir, please wait a moment."
With that, he scurried towards the Mage Guild's staircase.
For a time, only the black-robed young man and Tang Zheng remained in the entire hall.
The atmosphere grew strange.
The black-robed young man's face was slightly pale. He turned his head away, no longer looking at Tang Zheng.
Tang Zheng, on the other hand, grew increasingly curious. It seemed that Papermaking held a secret he was unaware of.
He didn't have to wait long.
The sound of two sets of footsteps echoed on the stairs.
The blue-robed mage was cautiously following a plainly dressed old man in a gray robe. Upon closer inspection, one could see numerous patches on the gray robe; clearly, this was not a magic item.
This old man had graying hair and an expressionless face. His face, held taut, was covered in so many wrinkles it looked like the creases on a book's pages. He gave off an impression of being difficult and extremely old-fashioned.
"Master."
Seeing the old man appear, the black-robed young man hurried forward, intending to offer support.
But the old man simply swung his arm, ignoring him. Despite his apparent age, his steps were remarkably firm.
He first glanced at the paper on the counter, then raised his head to look at Tang Zheng.
"Are you from the Slane Theocracy?" the old man asked in a cold voice, his eyes half-closed as he stared at Tang Zheng's black hair.
(end of chapter)
