Chapter 159 - 158: Arranged Marriage
With that, Barrett enthusiastically sidled up to him again.
He led Zelir over to the various mannequins, each draped in a Magic Robe.
A scent strongly reminiscent of the Ancient Dragon Fragrance from his past life kept wafting into Zelir’s nose.
’This guy is actually wearing perfume!’
Thankfully, the scent wasn’t overpowering. Otherwise, Zelir was certain he would’ve passed out.
"Mr. Zelir, what kind of Magic Robe are you looking for?" Barrett asked as he walked.
"I’m not quite sure yet. This is my first time here..."
"It must be fate! To have chosen my shop on your very first visit!" Barrett rubbed his hands together.
"Mr. Barrett, these Magic Robes... is there anything special about them?" Zelir asked, subtly putting half a step’s distance between them.
"Of course! Every single one is a masterpiece!" Barrett proclaimed proudly, beginning to explain the properties of the various Magic Robes on the racks.
"For example, this one."
He stroked a black Magic Robe as deep as the night sky. "I call this one the Dark Night Walker. Its fabric is made from the fur of a Shadow Cat, mixed with Obsidian powder."
"Not only does it slightly absorb light, making you harder to spot in the dark, but the robe’s lining is also inscribed with a Silent Rune to absorb the sound of your footsteps."
’This looks like it was custom-made for an Assassin,’ Zelir thought.
"And then there’s this one, the Wind Speaker."
Barrett then pointed to a flowing, cyan Magic Robe. "The fabric is the downy feathers of a High Mountain Griffin, enchanted with the most basic Lightweight Circuits. Watch this—"
As he spoke, Barrett gave it a light shake, and the Magic Robe actually moved on its own without any wind, floating up a short distance.
"Wearing it will make your movements more nimble. It’s a great benefit whether you’re chasing or dodging."
Zelir took it and put it on to get a feel for it.
’Hmm... It really is extraordinary.’
He only took two steps but already felt his body was much lighter, as if a minor Swift Blessing had been cast on him.
"While a Magic Robe might not provide as direct a boost to pure magical power as a Magic Wand, it can offer a much more diverse range of support effects."
Barrett said, "Now, look at this Guardian Barrier. The shoulders and chest of the Magic Robe are enchanted with micro Guardian Runes that activate automatically."
"This way, even if your Defensive Magic fails, you can still rely on the robe to block a portion of the fatal damage."
"That is pretty amazing..."
"So, what do you think?" Barrett asked expectantly.
"Hmm... They’re all pretty decent, I suppose," Zelir said, nodding slightly as he took off the Magic Robe.
But then he shook his head. "But I just don’t feel like I’ve found one that’s a perfect fit."
"Of course you haven’t found a perfect fit!"
Hearing this, Barrett wasn’t disappointed at all. Instead, his face lit up, and he snapped his fingers crisply.
Zelir frowned slightly.
’Why does this guy seem so happy to disparage his own merchandise?’
"These Magic Robes."
Barrett pointed at the room full of gorgeous garments and said in a heartbroken tone, "They’re all just finished products. Do you know what a finished product is?"
"Uh... clothes that are already made?"
Seeing Barrett’s serious expression, Zelir began to doubt whether his simple answer was correct.
"Shallow!"
’He actually shot it down... I knew it.’
Barrett’s tone was impassioned.
"A finished product means an end! A limit! A conclusion that can never be changed!"
’You were just calling them masterpieces a minute ago,’ Zelir thought.
"It’s like a strange young woman. Before your wedding, you had no chance to be part of her childhood, her life."
"You don’t even know what she likes or dislikes, yet you’re suddenly about to walk down the aisle with her."
"At the wedding, you face her, unable to utter a single moving, romantic word. You don’t even feel a trace of happiness in your heart, yet you must spend the rest of your life with her!"
"Mr. Zelir, tell me, how tragic is that!"
"Wait... buddy."
Zelir felt like he couldn’t keep up with Barrett’s train of thought. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"The Magic Robe is that young woman you’re about to marry!"
Barrett pointed emphatically at Zelir, his hands balling into tight fists. His sleeves slid down, revealing brawny muscles that were quite a visual shock.
"Do you want to walk down the aisle with a virtuous wife you know inside and out, or do you want a loveless union with a stranger?"
"What does this have to do with Magic Robes?"
"Answer me!"
"Uh... a virtuous wife you know inside and out would be better, I guess?" Zelir said, trying to go along with Barrett’s analogy.
"Yes, that’s it!"
Barrett clapped Zelir hard on the shoulder, looking as if he’d found a teachable student.
"Therefore, to help you find a partner for life, our shop offers a special custom Magic Robe service!"
"From the fabric of the robe to the Rune Circuits inscribed within, even down to how many pockets you want and what color buttons to use—every detail can be personalized according to your wishes!"
"Stop looking at these vulgar, finished products on the racks! They have nothing to do with your life! A Magic Robe completely customized by you is the only true, satisfying masterpiece!"
Sss...
’You know... that actually makes some sense.’
Zelir found himself actually being persuaded by Barrett.
How could these off-the-rack products compare to a Magic Robe customized to his own specifications?
Zelir glanced at the Night Peace Magic Wand in his hand and suddenly felt like he was in an arranged marriage.
"Come, this way please."
Barrett led Zelir toward the right side of the shop. After pulling back a heavy velvet curtain, they entered an even more exquisite room.
It was completely different from the main hall outside; there wasn’t a single finished Magic Robe in sight.
The walls were hung with bolts of fabric, unrolled like painted scrolls.
Below each roll of fabric was an exquisite little brass nameplate, clearly stating its name and unique properties.
"Whoa..."
This time, Zelir was truly taken aback by the professional setup.
He browsed for a bit and saw many different fabrics.
There was "Starlight Silk," which shimmered with specks of silver light like a liquid night sky.
Properties: Slightly increases affinity for Arcane Magic. Automatically absorbs starlight at night to replenish Magic Power.
There was "Lizard Scale Leather," which looked like burning flames.
Properties: Grants the wearer a bonus to Flame Magic, possesses extremely high Flame Resistance, and has a self-regulating temperature effect.
And "Wind Elf Gauze," which was as transparent as a cicada’s wing and as light as air.
Properties: Extremely lightweight. Grants the wearer an additional bonus when casting Wind Magic or jumping.
Besides those, there was also "Deep Sea Shark Skin," "Tanned Hide of a Mountain Giant," "Belly Hide of a Black Swamp Dragon Crocodile," and many more...
It was a truly dazzling spectacle!
"To make a Magic Robe that is truly your own, first, we must start with the style."
Barrett produced an exquisite leather-bound notebook and a quill pen from somewhere, preparing to take notes with an air of great importance.
"If I may be so bold as to ask, are you a research-type Mage? Do you participate in combat? Do you use melee weapons or anything of the sort?"
"I fight often. I’m an Adventurer, and I use a longsword," Zelir said.
"I see! No wonder you have such a captivating, sharp aura about you."
Barrett wrote quickly. "In that case, a traditional, pullover-style robe is completely unsuitable for you."
"I suggest an open-front style. It’s a much better choice. Not only does it allow for freedom of movement and make it easy to put on and take off, but it can also help conceal the longsword at your hip."
Zelir pictured it and nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, an open-front style would be better."
"Excellent. Now, for the next step... in combat, what area do you feel you most need to supplement and strengthen?" Barrett’s question was very professional.
"For example?" Zelir asked.
Barrett immediately offered a few suggestions.
"For instance, do you want to increase the flow rate of your Magic Power to more efficiently form your Techniques and shorten your Casting time?"
"Or perhaps, you often feel your Magic Power reserves are insufficient and want to conserve some Magic Power with each cast."
"Or maybe, you feel your Magic Power Strength is lacking and you want to overwhelm your enemies with more ferocious firepower?"
Faced with the three enhancement options Barrett proposed, Zelir fell into a brief moment of thought.
’Increase my Casting Speed?’
’After my promotion to Junior Mage and getting the Night Peace, my Casting Speed is already fast enough.’
’Increase my Magic Power Strength?’
’The power of my Aurora Energy Beam’s concentrated mode is also sufficient for most situations.’
"Hmm..."
Zelir thought for a moment. "I want to conserve more Magic Power."
’Since I’m heading down the path of a Full Element Mage, I’ll definitely need to frequently cast Magic from different schools in future battles.’
’Plus, Empowerment Magic spells are all huge mana drains.’
’I also have to cast Triple Gain on myself from time to time, or support my teammates.’
’Using a Healing Skill when injured and things like that all require a sufficient reserve of Magic Power.’
’Being able to save more Magic Power is definitely a good thing.’
During a Monster Hunt, Zelir had also heard Instructor Manlin explain some of the limitations of Source Energy Crystal Stones.
Although a Source Energy Crystal Stone can replenish depleted Magic Power, the amount it can restore is, at most, equal to your maximum Magic Power reserve when at full capacity.
In short, if your own maximum Mana is one hundred, and you use it all up, you can use a Source Energy Crystal Stone to restore your Magic Power back to one hundred.
If you then use it all up again, you won’t be able to use another Source Energy Crystal Stone to replenish it for a short period of time.
This is because the energy contained within a Source Energy Crystal Stone is, after all, an external form of Magic Power.
If a Mage were to endlessly rely on external Magic Power to replenish their own, it would cause irreversible negative effects on the stability of their sea of consciousness.
So, a Source Energy Crystal Stone is more like a second Blue Bar; it can’t be used indefinitely.
Once he understood this, the priority of simply increasing his Casting Speed or Magic Power Strength was no longer as important as finding a way to reduce his Mana Consumption.
"I see. So you want to reduce Magic Power consumption..."