Super Magician: The Magic Network Collapsed Again at the Start

Chapter 183 Traveler’s Rest
"Heh, you talk too much nonsense." The strange bird stared at him for a moment, then changed its tone, "Since you seem alright to me, I'll say a few more words."

Once inside, do not reveal your origins or real name to anyone, and do not allow anyone to touch your teleportation medium. That's all. Pay up: ten pounds of gold or equivalent value.

Gold is a hard currency in the multiverse and has higher liquidity than most gemstones.

"Uh, okay, thank you." Anser didn't ask any more questions, squatted down, counted out five hundred and fifty gold coins from his money bag, and placed them on the ground.

Fifty gold coins would weigh about a pound, but considering the purity and wear of different coinage systems, he gave fifty more gold coins.

The strange bird opened its mouth and inhaled all the gold coins, then nodded in satisfaction: "Go in."

With a click, the door opened.

Anser took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and stepped out. The noise immediately filled his ears.

There were no waiters outside. What came into view was a large hall of over 500 square meters, furnished somewhat like a bar with sparsely spaced booths, but each booth had a different design style: simple, gloomy, rugged, mysterious, bloody...

Moreover, they come in different sizes, clearly to adapt to the body shape and habits of different organisms.

He emerged from the edge of the hall, next to dozens of doors, presumably teleportation entrances and exits, while the counter was on the opposite side, requiring him to cross the entire hall.

Anser strolled into the hall and found that only a few booths were occupied by “people”, but there were still over a hundred of them, and their racial attire was very strange.

Moreover, most of the decorations and plants used in the hall were strange and unfamiliar to him.

He didn't know how to describe this place. It wasn't the kind of luxury that humans perceived, but rather a form of civilization different from that of Faerûn, yet with a certain similarity.

As he passed a semi-enclosed individual seat, a female elf's eyes lit up, and she waved to him: "Hey, little boy, come and have a drink with me, it's on me."

She spoke the language of dragons, and her pronunciation was perfect.

Anser turned his head and met a pair of eyes that shone with a star-like light.

'Astral Elves.' He quickly recalled a race with this characteristic.

Long, long ago, a group of elves migrated from the Fairy Wilderness to the Starry Plane in order to be closer to their god. Life in the silver void infused their souls with sparks of divine light, which is why their eyes always shimmer with starlight.

Anser smiled at her, quickened his pace, and came to the long, curved counter.

Being unfamiliar with the place and its people, he felt it was best to be cautious.

"Is this your first time here? Would you like to eat, stay at a hotel, or just have a drink?" (Dragon's words)

The speaker was a half-goat man standing behind the bar, dressed in a red tuxedo, swirling a cocktail glass in his hand, and observing Anser with great interest.

Anser's appearance clearly indicates his connection to dragons, and since others speak in dragon language, he doesn't have to switch languages.

"This is my first time here. May I ask what the rules are, what services are offered, and how much they cost?" he asked directly.

The half-goat seemed to be used to it all. He bent down and pulled out a stack of tattered booklets from under the counter, slapping them on the counter: "Take a look yourself."

Anser sat on a high stool by the counter, carefully picking up the booklet. The cover depicted a giant beast, and the inside was filled with writing, but it was none of the kind he recognized.

"You can't read, can you?" the half-goat man suddenly leaned closer and said in a sly tone, "Our shop offers translation services, one pound of gold per minute."

At that moment, Maeve quietly nuzzled Anser's ear.

“I know him, thank you.” Anser declined decisively.

The half-goat was somewhat disappointed and walked away with his wine glass.

"Meow, that's Giant language, it's not used very often, they did it on purpose," Maeve said angrily.

"It's normal. Take a look and tell me." Anser chuckled, not paying any attention. The Traveler's Rest area is unusable for spellcasting; aside from storage items, most magical items are also ineffective. Ensuring safety is secondary; the main goal is to make money, and the prices are exorbitant.

He dares to sell a pound of gold for a simple translation service. If he were truly a minor sorcerer, a single trip here would cost him not only his fortune but also his life.

'The Traveller's Rest is built inside the corpse of a colossal astral beast, drifting through the astral plane, never settling in one place, and has been open for over three thousand two hundred years...' Maeve translated the contents of the booklet to him, sentence by sentence.

'Hiss, an astral behemoth?' Anser was taken aback.

The Astral Titans are colossal monsters, Challenge Level 21. Since the beginning of the multiverse, they have soared through the mists of the astral plane, attempting to devour any creature they encounter.

Killing this thing is extremely difficult.

"Fighting is strictly prohibited inside the Traveler's Rest area. Violators will be fined... Damage to items inside the shop is also prohibited. Violators will be required to pay for the damages..." Maeve continued translating.

Anser secretly curled his lip, thinking that the hotel didn't even put up a notice, just waiting for people to make mistakes.

However, upon closer examination, these rules are not particularly special, and if one is careful in speech and action, the likelihood of violating them is not high.

The services mainly include accommodation, dining, medical care, shopping, transaction brokerage, and task commissioning, and each of these services is very expensive.

Accommodation is paid on a daily basis, costing twenty pounds of gold or goods of equivalent value per day, which amounts to one thousand gold coins per day.

In Faerûn, you can stay in the best suite for just a few gold coins a day, with servants at your service all day.

However, the thousand gold coins were not wasted; a good night's sleep will restore my body to its best condition.

The hotel also offers treatment for those with disabilities, poisoning, or curses, with additional charges depending on the severity of the injury or illness.

The food and drinks at the Traveler's Rest are also extraordinary; they are either exceptionally delicious, extremely rare, or have special effects, such as continuous buffs, supernatural buffs, or protective spells.

The price, well, it's equally outrageous. A bowl of Seven Heavens Cocoa Soup costs twelve pounds of gold, and drinking it grants seven days of cold resistance.

However, all food must be eaten and consumed at the hotel and cannot be taken out.

The second floor of the hotel is a shop. A small portion of the goods are sold by Traveler's Rest, but most are consigned by other people. All items have been appraised by Traveler's Rest, with a 15% handling fee.

Walk along the passage behind the counter to reach the trading center.

You can set up a stall here and sell whatever you want, such as slaves, corpses, materials, magical items, etc. However, since many people cannot stay for long, a ghost shopkeeper is needed to help sell the goods. The handling fee is the same as that for consignment.

You can also trade intelligence here, or post various missions; there are no restrictions on accepting missions. After all, everyone who can enter is a professional, and even elite professionals are considered to be at the bottom.

After a brief inquiry, Anser felt much more confident.

'Isn't this just a secretive astral adventurers' guild?'

He put down the booklet and walked along the corridor behind the counter. After turning a corner and passing through a large door, a huge trading market came into view.

The trading market was very well organized, with no messy stalls. It consisted entirely of large containers and counters, each with a number and a magic lock. Behind each counter stood ghosts or sellers, all in perfect order.

Some of the containers have enclosed storage areas behind them, which are probably used to store bulk goods.

'So many people at the Traveler's Rest?' Anser was somewhat surprised.

But then he thought again, Toril, where the continent of Faerûn is located, is already very large, let alone the Kingdom of Heaven, and who knows how many other desolate universes like the Kingdom of Heaven exist.

"Hey, little warlock, are you selling your cat?" A flippant voice rang in Anser's ear.

(End of this chapter)