Eps 188
Infinite Mage
Eps 188 Nors Shelter (3)
Shirone's guess was spot on, and the merchant even deduced that they hadn't been in Purgatory for long.
"Hmm, we could negotiate, but I doubt you could afford it. Spirits are extremely rare in Purgatory. I plan to take it to the mainland, and I'm just passing through the rest stop."
He expected it to be of high value, but when the merchant refused to even bargain, Shirone was taken aback.
Could it be purchased with three White Elixirs? Overconfidence could lead to greater disappointment for Amy if the elixirs were insufficient.
Feeling the need for a basis of judgment, Shirone put aside the idea of bargaining and asked a question instead.
"I heard spirits can be contracted, is that possible with this spirit?"
"Contract? Ah, contract. Of course, it is possible. But what's the use of contracting with a Fire Spirit?"
"With a Fire Spirit, you can use fire magic, right?"
"That's true, but... usually, valuable spirits aren't wasted on contracts. When a spirit enters a village, life becomes much more convenient. So usually, villages pool elixirs to acquire one. People living on the outskirts of the community, in harsh conditions and with an abundance of elixirs, might buy them with a contract in mind, but realistically, those aren’t those folks living on the edge? I don't think you're planning to live that kind of life."
"Um, but a contract is possible, right?"
As Shirone asked again, the merchant nodded, albeit reluctantly.
In fact, it was a common reaction on the mainland. Idiots without the means to pay often demand their way, and there are times strategy teams infiltrate to devalue goods.
If outsiders from the community participate, that's where the auction ends, but such individuals rarely showed interest unless it was a special spirit. Most of the time, it was common for people to fight in a bloody battle while walking on thin ice.
Amy fiddled with her fingers. While she was adept at haggling, she was speechless now.
If it were a world where gold coins were widely used, she would have drained her savings to purchase it. But here, in Purgatory, only life-sustaining items held value.
She didn't want to embarrass Shirone by showing her possessiveness in such a situation.
Shirone already knew. For a mage, enhancing magical power was everything. If possible, he wanted to provide for her.
Shirone, sensing that the time to decide had come, asked again.
"So, how many elixirs would it take to buy the spirit?"
The merchant laughed as if it was ridiculous. However, he thought with a serious expression as he saw Shirone staring intently and waiting for an answer.
"Hmm, if you were to buy it here, at least..."
Shirone's heart raced. He hoped the elixirs he had would suffice, regardless of the price named.
As expected, the merchant was cautious as it was quite expensive. He paused and continued speaking.
"White Elixir..."
Disappointment filled Shirone and Amy's eyes. Given that the unit of elixir was white, the probability was significantly lower.
Having finished his thoughts, the merchant raised his head and announced the price.
"One should be enough, I suppose."
"Yes? One?”
Shirone doubted his own hearing, which had never failed him before.
They can purchase with just one.
Realizing the same, Amy's knees trembled with anxiety, as if someone might snatch it away at any moment.
Shirone weighed his options. Initially, he thought it would be good if they could just afford it, but a mage lets go of past thoughts without clinging to them.
However, looking back at Amy made him laugh. She bit her lower lip and said in a barely audible voice.
"I want it."
Amy, the only daughter of the Carmis Family, grew up affluent enough to not know that it was a matter of material greed. Yet, in terms of magic, she was just another mage.
The merchant took Amy's words of desire as resignation. White Elixir was something even mainland merchants could not easily get their hands on, so it was natural for them, who had just arrived in Purgatory, to despair.
Reminded of his own daughter, he consoled Amy.
"White Elixirs are hard to come by. Actually, I've already given you a big discount. Going to the mainland would bring a lot of trouble. It's dangerous. This conclusion is based on the assumption that they can be sold at Nors Shelter and return home. Since you guys were serious, I calculated it precisely. Don't be too heartbroken. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to get a Fire Spirit someday."
"I'll buy it."
"Hm?"
"I said I'll buy it."
As Shirone rummaged through his pocket, the merchant blinked like a fool. It was clear that the kid was trying to make fun of himself, but he couldn't decide whether to get angry or to laugh it off.
But seeing three elixirs rolling out of Shirone's hand, the merchant nearly fell off his chair in shock.
Just by looking at the iridescent spectrum, it was clear that it was White Elixir.
"Here you go. Can I take it now?"
The merchant, unable to say anything, nodded. Shirone handed over the White Elixir himself.
At the same moment, Amy embraced the spirit cage to her chest.
She felt a warm sensation.
The warmth of fire.
This was truly a moment for Amy's life.
"Oi, are you alright? Isn't it hot?"
After confirming that the elixir was real, the merchant came to his senses and asked.
Activated Fire Spirits differed from inanimate objects, but until a contract was made, it was still fire. If you grabbed a heated iron bar, it was normal to get burned.
"Huh? No, it just feels warm."
"That's odd. Can I take another look? It's something I'm selling, but my conscience pricks me. It could be a defective product.”
"No, it's fine. This is definitely a Fire Spirit."
Amy lovingly watched the fire spirit bouncing in thin air and communicated with Shirone through Physic Channel.
- Shirone, it's Spirit Zone.
- Spirit Zone?
- Un. This is incredible. It's real fire, but it's also connected to the mind. I'm constantly receiving sensations from it.
Mages do not get burned by the fire they create. Although it's real fire, the creator is the mage, after all.
According to Amy, it seemed that spirits also possessed a Spirit Zone. It has become a kind of spiritual sublimation.
“But how did you guys obtain the White Elixir?”
“It came from Whirlwind Serpent.”
"White Elixir? You mean you destroyed the laws of the valley?"
"It just happened that way."
It is not unusual for a mage powerful enough to defeat Whirlwind Serpent to have White Elixir.
Such types existed in Purgatory, though not commonly encountered. Merchants called them boundary beings or people from the outskirts of the community.
“But how do you make a contract with it?"
“Oh, I'm not sure, but I've seen boundary beings do it. Holding the spirit in hand and mumbling something makes it disappear."
Since spirits lack intellect, activation through keywords seemed unlikely. That left only magic. (정은 이성이 없기 때문에 키워드로 발동하는 건 아닐 듯했다. 그렇다면 남은 건 언령 마법이었다.)
To express and ruminate. Resonating with the fire was crucial.
Amy opened the cage with the key provided by the merchant, then cradled the spirit in her hands and recited an impromptu word magic.
“Spirit of Fire, dwell within me.”
As the Fire Spirit merged with Amy, she felt a warm energy inside her.
Making a contract with a spirit was similar to realizing a new omniscience. It is now possible to produce new fire separately from Ignite, the omniscience of ignition.
Summoning the spirit, Amy watched as the fireball floated around her. As she watched happily, she recalled the name of an ancient, mythical fire, Jack O'Lantern.
Jack O'Lantern.
This phenomenon, also called the will-o'-the-wisp, remained unverified despite numerous hypotheses and eventually faded into a page of mythology.
But not anymore. Jack O'Lantern existed as ancient magic in the land called Heaven.
The Fire Spirit was strategically useful.
First of all, it activated independently of Ignite, could move in desired trajectories, divide into multiple entities like an illusion.
Strategies that could be used, such as guidance functions, deception, and multi-fire capabilities, kept coming to mind.
Amy realized Shirone's gaze and extinguished the spirit.
She should have said thank you, but she couldn't get the words out. Because she felt like it would just become awkward.
It was different from receiving an expensive gift. Perhaps what she received was Shirone's sentiment.
Shirone smiled. Then he turned and walked away, as if he knew she wouldn't say anything.
It was only then that Amy began to regret her silence. Why hadn't she spoken? Did it mean he understood her feelings, or was there never any special meaning to the gift from the start?
Shirone has an unpretentious personality, but there are times like this where others couldn't know what he's thinking.
He meticulously inspected the items for sale.
Watching Amy contract with the fire spirit, he realized that the notion of bringing items back to the original world was complacent.
Heaven was a place teeming with life-and-death dangers, and any enhancement should seek immediate combat readiness. If such items existed, regardless of their value, purchasing them would be a way to increase survival rates.
Nors Shelter was mainly selling daily necessities because it was a place where heretics belonging to the community mainly stayed.
Of course, it wasn't that there were no merchants with special items. They simply chose not to display their highly valuable goods openly.
When it became known that Shirone possessed White Elixirs, a man discreetly placed an item on his stall.
Tess ran over and pointed to the item the merchant had laid.
"Oh my! Is that what I think it is?"
A beetle-shaped mechanical device.
It was a drone created using Meca Clan technology.
Clove rushed over and explained. He realized that Shirone was a big spender, so he became more proactive.
Beyond the already known scouting and language decoding abilities, it also featured radio communication and map display functionalities.
"How about it? Wouldn't you trade a White Elixir for it? As you know, drones aren't something you can simply buy with elixirs. It's exclusive equipment for divine subjects."
Shirone was also positive about this item. The drone's reconnaissance ability was something I experienced through Canya. If Tess could use it, it would make an excellent support tool.
At that time, Arin suggested they might be able to negotiate a lower price. The merchant's psyche revealed he had inflated the price.
However, he was rather surprised that the price was cheap.
If the fire spirit was a commodity, the drone was a limited item. If it was leaked from the divine subjects' possessions, could it not demand a higher price?
- Arin, could there be a defect with it? Otherwise...
- I feel that way too, but I'm not sure. Anyway, it's definitely priced higher than it should be. You'll have to figure out the rest.
Tess couldn't take her eyes off the drone. Given her fascination with ancient relics, she'd undoubtedly accept it as a gift, regardless of any defects.
On her behalf, Shirone inquired.
“How did you get it? I understand that it is an item provided individually only to the Meca Clan.”
"Indeed, it is. But there are heretics even among the Meca Clan. They must have stolen it before fleeing to Purgatory. Selling just one would be enough to live comfortably. As proof, look here. There's a band connected between the edges of the drone, right? This is proof that it has never been used. In other words, it was taken straight from the factory. The original owner was probably someone who worked at a Meca technology facility.”
"Where is that person now?"
"I don't know. They could have fled or died. Probably died. That's almost always the case when items from Heaven come to market. People steal from Heaven to earn elixirs and end up dying in Purgatory, leaving only their belongings behind."
|Note
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