Super Magician: The Magic Network Collapsed Again at the Start

Chapter 184 Magic Research Society

Before he could finish speaking, a hand with light gray skin, smooth as silk, reached out and touched Anser's cheek.

Anser turned around abruptly, taking a step back at the same time. His gaze swept over the area, and he noticed a female drow elf standing beside him.

She had silver hair, black eyes, sharp features, and a tall figure. Her custom-made black leather jacket only covered her vital parts, leaving 90% of her skin exposed. She wore shiny metal chains around her neck, waist, wrists, and ankles.

"Why hide? It's absolutely safe here." The drow elf spoke in dragon language, his voice was very magnetic, his tone gentle, yet there was a hint of arrogance in it, suggesting that he had long held a high position.

“This cat… is not for sale!” Anser said calmly, but was secretly on guard.

Most drow elves worship the Spider Queen Lolth and her lineage of gods, and their alignment is primarily chaotic and evil. There are also drow who worship the benevolent goddess Elestry, but their numbers are extremely small.

“If you don’t want to sell, then forget it.” The drow giggled. “My name is Delilah. Is this your first time here? Let me show you around so you don’t get ripped off.”

She didn't ask Anser's name or background; she simply waved him over, signaling him to come with her.

Anser narrowed his eyes, unable to discern her intentions. After a moment's thought, he stepped behind her, keeping a distance of more than two steps.

The market is vast, and even if I reject her, I can't stop others from following and observing. It's better to understand her intentions first.

When Delilah saw Anser catch up, a smile appeared on her lips: "The Traveler's Rest only guarantees the safety of travelers, not whether they get scammed, especially in this trading market, where all kinds of people are there. Some people, you know, specialize in scamming newcomers like you."

"How did you know I just arrived?" Anser asked, puzzled. He thought he had acted very calmly and hadn't done anything particularly unusual.

“Hehe…” Delilah stopped and took a step closer to Anser, extending a slender finger to point at a halfling in front of her. “Test your eyesight. Look at him carefully.”

Anser observed intently, but at first he didn't notice anything special. He just felt that the halfling was overly relaxed, as if he were at home.

Then, he quickly noticed that the halfling's breathing and walking posture were not natural, as if... he was not used to it.

"Breathing, gravity, and expression?" he probed.

“Very clever,” Delilah praised. “There are two states when you first arrive: either overly relaxed or overly vigilant. The calmness is just a facade.”

Moreover, this is the astral plane, devoid of air, and the ground beneath our feet is a gravity plane set up by the hotel, quite different from the material plane. The body cannot adapt to this change in a short time; it's something that can't be faked.

Anser suddenly realized that it wasn't that he hadn't thought of it, but rather that he had never been in contact with the Astral Plane. He had been on edge just now, his mind preoccupied with the situation at the Traveler's Rest.

"Also, I'm often here, and you're so handsome, I'll never forget you once I've seen you," Delilah teased.

Anser was somewhat helpless; his extraordinary charm not only attracted attention but also drew many admirers.

At the same time, he noticed a loophole in Delilah's words and asked in confusion, "You said you often stay here?"

“There are many types of teleportation media. The most common one is the Traveler’s Badge, which only allows you to stay for one day,” Delilah explained. “The best media can allow you to stay for three days, but their functions are all about the same.”

Anser understood; the Traveler's Rest place probably imposed these restrictions to avoid trouble. If someone used it as a refuge, it could easily attract unknown and powerful enemies.

"Can badges be bought and sold?" He wanted to buy another one for Elise.

“Sure, but the total number will remain the same, and you can only buy from other people.” Delilah waved her hand. “Forget about it, almost no one is selling. However, we can trade.”

"Exchange?" Anser instantly realized a possibility, and his expression changed slightly.

“That’s right. The teleportation medium doesn’t need to be synchronized. You can use it as long as you know the password. After teleporting here, the medium will be anchored to the coordinates of the origin. Exchanging the medium is equivalent to exchanging the positions of the two people in the material plane,” Delilah laughed.

Anser thought to himself, "As expected, if he exchanges a medium with a traveler from the Gray Dome, he can enter the Gray Dome and easily achieve interdimensional travel."

You can use it to ask someone for help to solve a problem or to fight against a powerful enemy. If you think about it carefully, there are many ways to play, but it is not necessarily safe.

"Could it be a trap?"

"Hehe, that goes without saying."

As they spoke, the two walked to a counter, which was filled with rows of spellbooks, numbering over a hundred.

Anser initially paid no attention, but soon realized something was wrong. The magic network was originally a unique product of Toril in the realm of the heavens. Abel did not have it, nor did other desolate realms. For example, Eberon relied on the Dragon Ring, and the magic of the Gray Sky was based on elemental power and primal magic.

If the magic network is disrupted, it will only affect Toril; other elements of the Wilderness should remain unaffected.

"How can there be so many spellbooks?" He pretended not to know.

"Hehe, guess why?" Delilah crossed her arms and looked at him with a half-smile.

Anser wasn't embarrassed and calmly said, "What I mean is, it seems there are quite a few people from the Kingdom of Tianyu."

"Wow, you've seen a lot. Not many people know about the Kingdom of the Universe," Delilah exclaimed in surprise.

Most professionals have limited knowledge; they only know which country and continent they are in, but they don't even know their own plane of existence, let alone academic terms like "nation and celestial realm."

Many professionals have been lucky enough to obtain the Traveler's Badge, but they remain confused and unable to understand the dimensional relationships involved.

“My mentor taught me.” Anser casually pulled out a powerful backer. He did have a mentor, but he was dead.

Delilah had no doubts. It would be strange if Anser, with such an astonishing talent that was clearly visible to the naked eye, didn't have a mentor.

“I’m from Toril,” Delilah said, leaning closer and pointing to his nose. “You are too.”

"You can tell that from that?" Anser asked, puzzled.

"Because initially, the Traveler's Rest was only open to the Kingdom of Heaven. Later, as the teleportation medium spread, creatures from other wastelands began to appear, but they have always made up a very small percentage." Delilah stopped teasing him.

"I see." Anser recalled the strange bird's words and suddenly understood their deeper meaning.

Even if other creatures in the desolate universe knew his location, it wouldn't matter, as inter-universe travel was far too difficult. The core reason for keeping his identity hidden was that he had too many "fellow villagers," and if exposed, they might actually come looking for him.

At this point, the dice had been spinning for a while and finally detected Delilah's information:
Delilah, a drow elf, is a level 17 mage (swordsman).

'What a rare profession,' he sighed to himself.

Swordslingers are masters of an arcane tradition that combines swordsmanship with dance, originally created by the elves. In combat, swordslingers employ a complex and elegant array of martial arts techniques to deflect attacks and channel magic into deadly strikes and unpredictable defenses.

This is a typical hybrid profession; it may seem like it can't do anything, but in reality, it's quite demanding.

“Come on, I’ll show you around. Keep quiet,” Delilah interrupted his thoughts.

“Hmm,” Anser responded, not refusing, but still remaining vigilant.

Delilah told her so much information on their first meeting; no one would believe she didn't have some ulterior motive.

The two strolled around, mainly looking, but not buying anything.

The market wasn't crowded, maybe a hundred or so people, but there were over two hundred shops and stalls selling all sorts of things.

There are a great many magical items, some of which are directly labeled as legendary or divine artifacts, each with a more impressive title than the last.

However, after testing with dice, most of them turned out to be fake, and the uncertain ones were not necessarily true either, but were just difficult to identify.

Delilah continued walking, leading him up the central spiral staircase to the second floor.

It's very quiet here. Three walls are covered with black crystal screens, projecting lines of magical light and shadow. Each line represents a task, with a unique style, like a fantasy version of cyberpunk.

One side of the hall is lined with windows, and opposite it are many doors; I don't know what they're for.

“It’s just a projection crystal, nothing mysterious about it.” Delilah chuckled, pointing to the left. “This is the mission hall; you can buy or sell information over there…”

Anser glanced around, his gaze suddenly settling on a task board marked "Magic Research Society," with the top bounty deliberately bolded and highlighted.

"Seeking a complete and stable spell model under magical casting conditions, minimum 1,000 pounds of gold, to qualify for membership..."

(End of this chapter)