Chapter 129: Buying Items
Only Tinod and Kant were directly involved in receiving the prisoners who would be used in the experiments.
Besides them, Jane knew a little about the matter.
Other than those three, no one truly knew the extent of what I was doing.
Whenever I finished an experiment, I simply disposed of the remains.
I placed the corpse on a metal plate, sprinkled a controlled amount of medicinal powder over it, and watched as the flames consumed it.
Within a few seconds, almost nothing remained.
That was one of the things I had learned since arriving in this world.
Strength determined everything.
The Official Mages of the Academy could stroll through slave markets and buy slaves in large quantities as experimental materials, or even commit crimes. After all, this world also had countless degenerate and outlaw mages who had massacred entire cities during their insane experiments, killing tens of thousands.
But I was only a humble acolyte, and I was alone.
I still had to worry about my reputation.
— Biochip.
— How is today’s data collection on the experimental subjects progressing?
[The experimental subject’s spiritual body has already been analyzed.]
[321 abnormal brain fluctuations have been identified.]
[241 hidden regions within the brain structure have been identified.]
[Analysis remains in progress.]
The more data I gathered, the more I realized that the spiritual body in this world was far more complex than I had initially imagined.
Using prisoners as living test subjects and conducting experiments to research the spiritual body...
It really does seem like a viable approach.
But unfortunately, there was one problem.
The number of subjects I had received was still far too small.
I needed more data.
Much more.
A single test subject could teach me something.
Hundreds could reveal patterns.
Thousands could reveal laws.
And if I could analyze millions... perhaps I could finally understand something that even the Mages of this world had yet to comprehend.
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Several hours later.
Ghost Mountain Magic Market.
.
.
.
The air inside the mountains was damp and cold.
A greenish mist partially covered the stone paths, drifting between the buildings carved directly into the mountain walls.
The Ghost Mountain Magic Market was a strange place.
Even after visiting it several times, I still couldn’t completely get used to the atmosphere.
I continued through the narrow passageways until I reached a cave that I knew very well.
As soon as I entered, I heard a familiar voice.
— George, my friend! We meet again!
A long-haired man stood behind a counter.
It was Tru.
I looked at him.
Unlike the previous times, his eyes looked relatively normal.
There was no immediate sign of madness.
— Tru.
— It’s been a while.
Since the previous incident between us, we had spoken several times.
At first, I hadn’t expected much from him.
After all, Tru was...
Well.
Tru was Tru.
But I discovered something interesting.
When he wasn’t insane, he was surprisingly pleasant to deal with.
He was helpful.
He knew the market extremely well.
And, most importantly...
His stock was reliable.
On top of that, the prices he charged were considerably lower than those of the other Mages.
In the world of Mages, there was one rule I had learned very quickly.
Friendship, trust, and loyalty could all disappear.
Only benefits and profit were the things that truly remained between Mages.
— This time, I need the goods urgently.
I pulled a yellow scroll from inside my robes.
— Take a look.
I handed the scroll to Tru.
He unrolled it, and his eyes began scanning the list.
— Experiments?
— Let me take a look.
However, as soon as he read the first few items, his expression changed.
His mouth slowly closed.
— Crystal Erk...
— Elemental Blood... among other things.
— These items are all related to the aspect of souls.
— They’re not cheap ingredients.
I didn’t answer.
Instead, I placed a small pouch on the table.
Dong.
The sound immediately drew Tru’s attention.
I loosened the strings.
The pouch opened.
Several Level 2 crystals and a few petals from Brilliant Blood Roses gleamed inside.
Tru’s eyes lit up.
— Don’t worry about the magic crystals.
— This is only a deposit.
— I’ll make up the difference later with other items.
My voice carried a natural arrogance.
Not because I was trying to impress him.
But because, at that moment, I truly needed him to understand that money wasn’t the issue.
Tru immediately grabbed the pouch.
— All right!
— With your abilities, magic crystals are easy to obtain!
He slipped the pouch into his robes with astonishing speed.
I almost laughed.
Tru turned his attention back to the list.
— Crystal Erk is on the verge of extinction.
He walked over to one of the shelves.
— I heard some people found traces of it in the Dark Desert. But it’s extremely rare.
He opened a drawer.
— Fortunately, I have some.
Then he opened another drawer.
— As for the Elemental Blood, I have that as well.
He placed it on the counter.
He removed the lid.
Inside were approximately twenty small vials.
The liquid within them had a ghostly hue.
Even through the glass, I could tell it was no ordinary blood.
I leaned in slightly to examine it.
[Analysis initiated.]
[Component: Elemental Blood.]
[Magical Concentration: High.]
[Purity: Above Average.]
A faint smile appeared on my face.
It was exactly what I needed.
Tru began stacking the ingredients on the counter.
— As for the other components on your list...
— You may have to look for them in the other shops.
He picked up a small calculating device and began adding up the prices.
A few seconds later, he looked up.
— One thousand eight hundred magic crystals.
I nodded.
— That’s fine.
— I’ll take a look around the rest of the market.
— In the meantime, keep searching for these ingredients.
— If you find any of them, buy them immediately.
— All right.
He smiled.
But then something changed.
I noticed it first in his hair.
The long strands began to move.
They shrank.
Little by little.
Until they reached roughly the length of his legs.
My expression turned serious.
Tru’s face twisted.
One of his eyes began to turn insane.
— Damn...
He clutched his head.
— George...
I took a step back.
— Tru?
He gritted his teeth.
— Run!
My body reacted before I could even think.
I turned around and quickly walked out of the cave.
There was no need to ask what was happening.
I was already familiar with that phenomenon.
Tru’s intermittent illness.
It was frightening.
Very frightening.
I kept walking.
I didn’t look back.
A few seconds after leaving the cave, a shrill scream echoed through the market.
I headed straight toward the depths of the canyon.
Behind me, however, chaos was beginning.
— Hurry! Look!
— Tru has gone mad again!
— Should we inform the Guardians?
I heard several voices.
Then a laugh.
— I’m afraid it won’t do much good this time.
Another voice replied,
— Hehe... it won’t be long before Tru gets kicked out of here like a stray dog.
I kept walking.
It wasn’t my problem.
At least, not at that moment.
I spent hours wandering through the market.
I visited numerous shops.
Compared prices.
Examined ingredients.
Rejected materials of questionable quality.
Bought others that might prove useful in the future.
And little by little, my backpack became heavier and heavier.
When I finally left the Ghost Mountain Magic Market, I could feel the weight on my shoulders.
Fortunately, my backpack was reinforced. If I had a spatial-type magical artifact that could store items without forcing me to carry them on my back, it would be a tremendous relief.
I will certainly study spatial magic and enchantments in the future. I can’t keep carrying my belongings like this forever.
...
1311 Words