Our Dharma Masters are like this.

Chapter 16 Trading Post

"But this situation can also lead to some negative factors... because the commission charged by the guild commission office is too high, so only quests for mages with a genuine need for them will be posted here."

"And these kinds of missions are usually quite high-level, so magic apprentices are completely useless, and even lower-level mages don't have much of a chance to use their skills."

"In order to alleviate the predicament of low-level mages not being able to earn money, the Mage Guild introduced a subsidy policy, stipulating that each mage can receive a certain amount of money each month based on their mage level."

"The development of the Mage's Guild has been quite tortuous..." Zellier couldn't help but sigh.

No wonder some members of the Adventurers' Guild were curious about a mage accepting a quest.

During their conversation, the two had already arrived at the trading area.

As it turns out, even in a prestigious place like the Mage's Guild, the atmosphere becomes lively whenever money is involved.

The trading hall is filled with long display cases showcasing all kinds of goods.

Colorful magic crystals, dried exotic plants, magic cores radiating energy, potions with unique effects, and various ancient books.

People in robes bustled about beside the containers, exuding the shrewdness of street merchants. The sounds of haggling and the clinking of coins filled the air.

copper?

You can hardly see them here.

The lowest denomination is silver coin.

Zellier glanced over and saw many transactions involving dozens of gold coins.

You can't become a monk if you don't have money.

"From the most basic blank parchment scrolls to advanced magic scrolls, as well as crystals that can quickly replenish magic power, and all sorts of rare materials."

Bev's tone was a little proud, "As long as you have money, you can buy anything related to mages here."

Beverly was right. Just glancing at the shelves, Zellier was overwhelmed by the sheer number of items and couldn't move.

They're all treasures...

"Alright, let's not waste any more time here."

Beverly tugged at Zeril's sleeve. "Let's get down to business first. You can take your time browsing later... There are many shops that sell wands. It's easy to get overwhelmed if it's your first time here, but I know a good one. Come with me."

Following Beve's directions, Zellier reluctantly walked through the crowd.

The two arrived at the end of the hall, where there were several small doors of different styles. Bev pushed open one of the glowing mahogany doors.

As soon as you step into the shop, the noise outside is shut out by an invisible force field.

The atmosphere became peaceful and serene, with only the wind chimes hanging at the door making a clear, crisp sound.

The shop was smaller than I had imagined. There were no shelves inside, only two rows of standing wand racks with dozens of wands of various shapes displayed quietly on them.

Looking further inside, an elderly woman with gray hair was sitting behind the counter.

Her face was kind, and she wasn't as enthusiastic as a salesperson; she simply gestured for customers to make themselves at home.

"Just choose for yourself, the prices are all listed below."

Choosing a wand requires no further explanation.

No matter how eloquently the store manager speaks, nothing beats trying it yourself. Only what suits you best is truly the best.

A wand consists of three main parts: the base, the accessories, and the core.

The substrate affects how smoothly magic flows through it.

The staff core determines the types of magic that can be amplified.

For example, a wand with a fire lizard magic core as its core can greatly enhance fire magic.

A wand with the core of the special mineral "Heart of the Earth" can enhance earth magic.

Most of the accessories are made of magic-conducting metals, such as mithril or adamantite, which can better fit the staff core and the base material.

Zelil paced back and forth in front of the standing cane stand, growing more and more alarmed as he looked at it.

These wands on display... none of them cost less than three digits!

He even saw a wand with an old oak base and a natural crystal core, priced at an astonishing six hundred gold coins! "Hiss..."

Zellier instinctively took a step back, afraid of accidentally damaging it; he couldn't afford to pay for it even if he sold it by weight.

"What's your budget?" Beverly asked in a low voice.

“Three gold coins… three gold coins and fifty silver coins at most.” Zelier gritted his teeth.

After receiving the mage subsidy, Zelier now only has four gold and three silver coins left, and he still needs to keep some money for daily expenses.

Dude, how come your budget has odd numbers?

Beverly glanced at Zellier in surprise.

You dare to come to a wand store with so little money in your pocket?

"Then let's forget about the finished wands and go pick out a base material instead."

Bev promptly offered her advice, "Although the base material is definitely not as good as a ready-made wand, it is cheaper and has a certain amplification effect on magic... Anyway, it's better than empty-handed."

So the two of them strolled over to a secluded corner of the store.

There are piles of base materials here, all of which are products that have been selected and only roughly processed, and have not yet been inlaid with accessories and cores.

Although the price is also very high, Zellier is at least qualified to be picky.

After much deliberation, he finally settled on a piece of ash wood as the base material—priced at three gold coins.

The ash wood base is nothing special, offering only the most basic magic amplification effect and a slight increase in casting speed, making it a beginner-level mage equipment.

But as Beverly said—it's better than nothing.

After paying for the base material, Zellier felt a pang of regret.

too expensive……

His gaze inadvertently swept over the deep red wand at Bev's waist.

The texture, the color...

It must cost at least a few hundred gold coins, right?
No wonder mages are easily targeted when they go on missions... Zellier muttered to himself.

After purchasing the substrate, the two left the trading area.

However, on the way back, Zellier was drawn to a thunderous roar.

He looked in that direction and saw a huge, circular stone building that resembled the Colosseum in ancient Rome.

“What is that place?” Zellier stopped in his tracks.

"Oh...that's the training ground."

Beverly was used to this commotion.

"It's a place within the guild where magical sparring takes place, and occasionally members preparing to advance to the next level of mage will be assessed there."

Magical sparring...

Upon hearing this word, Zellir immediately became excited.

It wasn't that he wanted to go into battle himself, but rather that he could once again get free magic.

“I want to go there and see!” Zellier immediately said.

"Is it really necessary to get so worked up..."

Seeing Zellir's eager expression, Bev couldn't help but chuckle.

"Come with me, judging by the commotion, it looks like it's going to be quite lively today."

The two climbed a circular staircase to the viewing platform, where they could see the entire training ground from above.

It was a huge arena with a diameter of over fifty meters, and the ground and surrounding walls were made of hard granite.

(End of this chapter)