Chapter 537 The Departing Shadow <TOC> Chapter 539 Profound Rune Imprints
Translator: SumTLMan
The bustling long street, the fluttering banners, and the dragon-like crowds.
Various shops on both sides, from magical materials to magical plants, from tricks to spells, from weapons to armor, from specialized research to potion analysis… As you stroll through, it seems like you can peel away the mysteries of the Wizarding World, little by little, revealing them to everyone.
However, when you think you have seen all the mysteries, you find that this is just the tip of the iceberg exposed on the surface of the sea. You can never imagine how huge the iceberg will extend under the dark sea surface.
Angel walks along the street, comparing the prices of various materials. After determining the price range, he compares the quality of the materials, making sure they meet his expectations before making a purchase.
He spends a good half hour in this process. During this time, Angel discovers that many shops here have restrictions.
For example, some shops blatantly display hard conditions: only wizards can enter.
These are mostly shops selling spell books or high-level transactions that can only be accessed by wizards.
Angel naturally doesn’t qualify to enter these shops. Even though he is curious, there is a magical formation at the entrance of these shops to inspect power. Those who are not at the wizard level and forcefully enter will be injured at the very least or reduced to ashes at worst. As for the severity of the punishment, it purely depends on the shop owner’s kindness.
Similar hard conditions, in addition to the power level distinctions, there are many others.
For example, Angel sees a delicate villa shrouded in a thin mist, with a sign at the door that says “The Starry Gown River.” Below the sign, a row of shining words reads: “Refuse entry to male forms.”
If it was just “refuse entry to males,” it would be fine, but it specifically says “male forms.” Does that mean one could enter if they transformed into a female form?
As Angel thinks about this, he sees a delicate woman walking out of the shop, who turns into a burly man as soon as she leaves the shop.
Angel: “…”
What is the point of such a bizarre requirement? Angel is even more curious about what is sold inside, but he doesn’t know transformation spells. He wonders if using illusion to simulate a female form would pass the test.
Answer: No.
Angel asks the Magic Eye servant at the door and can only leave sheepishly after getting this answer.
Such bizarre requirements demand a lot from males. Either they inject a gender-changing bloodline or rely on transformation spells. However, the difficulty of transformation spells is simply daunting. Apart from official wizards who have such a long lifespan to study, the possibility for apprentices is basically completely blocked.
Similar bizarre requests, there are many more. For example: humanoid life is not allowed; those under 200 years old are not allowed to enter; only those with rune spells can enter… etc.
These are all hard conditions, and there are also some shops with more flexible conditions.
For example, a potion shop has a magic guard at the entrance. As long as you express “praise for the Vanderval school and disdain for other schools” to the magic guard, you can enter.
There is also a comprehensive shop specializing in serving alchemists, and you must answer some necessary tests to enter.
These flexible conditions are adjustable, and even if there are many items for wizards inside, as long as you meet the requirements, apprentice-level individuals can also enter.
Angel is now at the entrance of this comprehensive shop for alchemists, named “Fingernail Alchemy House.”
Although the name is a bit strange, the shop looks large, and there is a large flow of alchemists, so Angel went over.
The magic guard at the entrance is a fragrant wood puppet. Compared to the puppets made by Bogula using living people, this fragrant wood puppet is not very finely carved, and if it were a bit fatter, it would look like a treant.
The magic guard first asked Angel which branch he belonged to, whether it was geology or potion studies. After confirming that Angel was an alchemist specializing in enchantments, he brought out several rune corners for Angel to identify.
“This is the most common supplementary rune for elemental branch runes, which can be used for…” As Angel was about to explain the usage, the magic guard interrupted him: “The answer is correct, there is no need for a detailed explanation for the guest.”
After Angel answered the names of the remaining runes, the magic guard let him pass.
If Angel had an information card from Sky Mechanical City, the magic guard could directly register it, so Angel wouldn’t have to answer questions to enter the shop in the future.
Angel indeed had an information card, but one was anonymous, given by Sanders; the other was made with a hidden name, called “Milk Baron.” The former had no name feature, so it was not registered. For the latter, the magic guard would have to register the embarrassing title on the information card, so after some thought, Angel simply said he didn’t have an information card.
Upon entering the shop, as Angel was still looking at the furnishings of the spacious shop, he noticed that many measuring gazes were directed at him.
It was a group of apprentices wearing alchemy robes, sitting on wooden chairs on the side, chatting while casting glances at him.
Angel looked puzzled, wondering what they meant?
Just as Angel was puzzled, a hoarse, old woman’s voice entered his ears.
“Welcome to our establishment, young alchemist.”
Upon hearing this, Angel turned around to see a short elderly woman who had suddenly appeared at the counter.
The old woman was about the same height as Coral, reaching no higher than Angel’s waist. She was somewhat plump, dressed in a blue skirt adorned with gemstones, and her silver hair was clean and tidy.
The most notable feature of this old woman was the fan-shaped hairpin, resembling a peacock with its tail fanned out, inserted into her bun at the back of her head. This hairpin was quite large, nearly half the size of her head, and the “peacock feathers” on it were especially unique—each one was a brightly colored fingernail.
Looking at those Fingernails, Angel subconsciously glanced at the old woman’s hands.
As expected, the styles and colors of the Fingernails on her hands, which were completely incongruous with her age, were exactly the same as those on her hairpin.
“Hello, esteemed lady.” Angel bowed slightly, as he couldn’t see through the old woman’s cultivation level. If she wasn’t intentionally hiding it, she was likely a wizard-class being.
“Are you curious as to why they’re staring at you?” The old woman extended her finger, revealing her bright red Fingernails, and pointed at the group of alchemy apprentices sitting nearby.
Upon seeing the old woman pointing at them, they immediately turned their heads away and busied themselves with their own tasks. Judging from their reactions, the old woman’s identity must be quite significant.
Angel remained calm: “I’m all ears.”
“They overheard your conversation with Neha. Oh, by the way, Neha is the sandalwood puppet at the entrance.” The old woman motioned for Angel to sit down at the counter: “Although the circle of alchemists in Sky Mechanical City is not small, everyone is familiar with each other, so they’re naturally curious about a suddenly arriving alchemist.”
Angel: “Understandable.”
A gleam flashed in the old woman’s eyes: “Especially since there aren’t many alchemists who study enchanting. In our circle, the most recent rising star is an alchemist who almost touched the mysterious realm, and I heard he’s also studying enchanting.”
Angel smiled faintly without responding.
The old woman didn’t pry further and instead introduced herself: “I’ve forgotten my own name, but people call me Fingernail Granny, the owner of this little shop. What would you like to acquire from my store?”
The way Fingernail Granny spoke felt surprisingly familiar to Angel.
“Do you know Iron Armor Granny?” When Angel first met Iron Armor Granny, she had introduced herself in the same way.
Fingernail Granny: “Iron Armor Granny from Iron Armor Fortress? I’ve heard her name, but I’ve never met her.”
Angel nodded, as it was just a guess and he had no reason to doubt it.
“I would like to purchase some materials. Do you have any available here?” Angel then listed the materials he needed, most of which were precious magical materials he hadn’t seen outside.
Upon hearing this long list of materials, Fingernail Granny’s expression was a bit strange as she said: “Young people’s ambitions are indeed quite high.”
This pile of materials included both metallurgy and alchemy, and the genres were different, so it was no wonder that Fingernail Granny responded this way.
Angel didn’t know how to respond, so he could only nod and smile.
“There are many precious materials left in here. If it were other alchemy apprentices asking, I wouldn’t sell them, as it would be a waste. But if it’s you, I can barely accept it… I heard that Midora is still teaching you alchemy? No wonder you’re buying these magical plants,” Fingernail Granny said indifferently.
From her words, Angel realized that his identity was probably not a secret in her eyes.
Moreover, she even knew that Midora was instructing him in alchemy? This was something that Sanders hadn’t even asked about, so it was clear that she had a relationship with Midora. Thinking about this, Angel’s attitude towards Fingernail Granny became even more respectful, and he secretly wondered about her identity.
Soon, Fingernail Granny brought out two disposable spatial capsules from the back: “This one is for alchemy, and the other one is for metallurgy.”
Angel nodded and sensed them with his mental power.
A few minutes later, Angel had an idea in his heart and asked about the price.
“13590 magic crystals in total, let’s say 13500 for you.”
As soon as this price came out, the alchemy apprentices who were eavesdropping all widened their eyes. Even if they had some skills and didn’t lack magic crystals, more than ten thousand magic crystals were not an amount they could afford! It should be known that many high-level alchemy items were not worth ten thousand magic crystals!
Angel calculated the price himself, and it was indeed about this much. He originally planned to buy these materials separately from other shops to avoid attracting attention. However, the quality of the materials offered by Fingernail Granny was the best he had ever seen.
Between choices, Angel still chose to buy them here, as the price was reasonable and the quality was excellent. He really had no reason to refuse.
Angel made a one-time payment, which aroused suspicions about his identity among many alchemy apprentices. Initially, it was just a 70% guess, but now most of them are certain of his identity.
Angel even heard people mention his name, with a hint of reverence.
It seems that his reputation in the alchemy circle is not so bad after all. This makes sense, as people within the alchemy circle are more informed than outsiders.
“Does the guest have any other needs? Many valuable alchemy notebooks from famous alchemists are available here. Of course, if you want to learn some specific knowledge individually, I can provide that too,” said Granny Fingernail.
Alchemy notebooks? This is a valuable possession for an alchemist, and they are available for sale?
Angel inquired and found that these alchemy notebooks were not for sale. If you want them, you need to exchange your own knowledge.
Although Angel has a complete alchemy system and even many ancient alchemy schools, he lacks detailed records of experiences like alchemy notebooks. However, he inquired about the prerequisites for exchanging them and found that many alchemy notebooks require high-end knowledge, the core content of a school, which is not worth exchanging.
After all, he can accumulate experience on his own, even if it means taking some wrong paths. As long as the overall direction doesn’t change, he will eventually get on the right track.
With this in mind, Angel decided not to buy alchemy notebooks.
However, he still needed some things, not knowledge or materials, but some tailoring items for alchemy clothing.
Chapter 537 The Departing Shadow <TOC> Chapter 539 Profound Rune Imprints