Above the mage

Chapter 77 New Spells (Part 4)

"Alright," Gao De said helplessly.

Without needing to ask further, he figured it out: it was still due to the monopoly of knowledge.

Even if the authorities were willing to open a loophole to sell spell recipes, it would only be a small loophole.

It's impossible for these ruling classes to actually sell all the spell recipes with a price tag.

In particular, spells with powerful destructive capabilities are on the controlled list and are not to be sold.

To truly learn those precious spells, one must join a large mage organization or serve the government.

"This is going to shut down the path for wild mages," Gao De muttered to himself.

But this is the same in every world.

Just like in the world of cultivation, the techniques that independent cultivators can buy are mostly low-level techniques that families and sects don't really value.

To learn advanced techniques, one must join a sect.

"How much does it cost?" Gao De asked.

"0-ring spell recipes, 6 gold per serving; 1-ring spell recipes, 25 gold per serving. Fixed price, no bargaining." The young lady in charge of reception spoke softly.

"I need the recipes for four spells: [Detect Poison], [Magic Trick], [Switch], and [Communication]. I'm not surprised by how expensive the spell recipes are."

He pointed at the book while counting out 24 Sean gold coins from his purse and pushing them to the receptionist.

He's only a first-class apprentice now, far from being a first-ring mage, so there's no need to rush to buy first-ring spell recipes.

Not only is it not needed for the time being, but the price of 25 gold coins per serving is also too high.

However, learning about the specific effects of some first-level spells through the book's entries was an unexpected bonus.

"Please wait a moment." The brown-haired woman put away the gold coins and left in her low-heeled leather shoes.

A moment later, she reappeared with four spell recipes.

However, the brown-haired woman did not immediately give the spell formula to Gao De. Instead, she pulled out two standard documents from the drawer of the counter.

She picked up a pen and scribbled something on it, then took out a seal and stamped both documents firmly before handing them to Gao De:

"Please fill in the details. If there is a problem with the spell recipe, you can use this receipt to contact us for assistance."

Oh, and there's a receipt too. As expected of an official channel, it's not that great, but at least the form is proper. Gao De took the two standard documents and found that they contained the specific names of the spell recipes he had purchased, the purchase date, and the payment amount.

In addition, the blank lines below are for filling in his personal information.

Finally, at the very bottom, there is a very small note:

Spell recipes purchased from this association are not permitted to be resold.

Gaode picked up the quill pen on the table, filled in his name "Google·Ditu", and left his fingerprint.

Two copies of the certificate are made, one for the buyer and one for the seller.

After putting away the fingerprint certificate that Gaode had stamped, the brown-haired woman handed over the four spell recipes to Gaode:

[Detect Toxicity] (Prophecy, 0 Rings):

You can detect whether a creature, an object, or a cubic area with sides of 5 feet is poisoned or toxic.

If you are familiar with the toxin, you can use this spell to determine its exact type.

This spell can penetrate obstacles, but it can be blocked by a 1-foot (approximately 0.3 meters) thick rock, a 1-inch thick sheet of ordinary metal, a thin sheet of lead, or a 3-foot thick piece of wood or soil.

[Magical Trick] (Alteration, 0 rings)

You create one of the following magical effects within a 10-foot casting range:

You create an immediate, harmless sensory effect, such as a spark, a gust of wind, faint music, or a strange odor.

You immediately light or extinguish a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.

You can instantly make an object no larger than 1 cubic foot clean or dirty.

You can immediately make a non-living substance no larger than 1 cubic foot cold, warm, or flavor it, and the effect lasts for 1 hour.

You create a stain, a mark, or a symbol on an object or surface, and the effect lasts for 1 hour.

You create a palm-sized non-magical gadget or a virtual image.

If you cast the spell multiple times, you can maintain up to three different non-instantaneous effects at the same time, and you can dispel one of the effects with a single action.

[Switch Technique] (Change System, 0 Rings):

You can open or close (as you choose) doors, boxes, chests, windows, bags, bottles, or other containers.

If anything obstructs the opening or closing action (such as a latch on a door or a lock on a box), the spell will fail.

In addition, this spell can only open objects weighing less than 30 pounds (about 14 kilograms).

Therefore, doors, boxes, or similar objects designed for enormous creatures would be beyond the scope of magic.

[Communication] (Change type, 0 ring):

You point to a creature 120 feet away and whisper a message.

That target (and only that target) will hear this message and can reply to you in a whisper that only you can hear.

You can cast this spell through solid objects, but you must be familiar with the target and know that it is behind the barrier.

The silence of magic can be blocked by a foot-thick stone, an inch-thick piece of ordinary metal, a thin sheet of lead, or a three-foot-thick piece of wood.

This spell does not require a straight line to transmit information; it can freely turn corners or pass through holes.

Although none of the four tricks could bring any substantial improvement to Gao De's combat power, each one was very practical.

[Detecting toxicity] goes without saying; it's an amazing skill for both daily life and wilderness survival.

High-ranking monks should have a way to become immune to toxins, but for monk apprentices, poison is still a deadly thing.

Once you master this trick, you can be assured that as long as you are careful enough, it will be almost impossible to be poisoned.

Moreover, aside from anything else, with the [toxicity detection] feature, you can at least be assured that you won't eat poisonous mushrooms in the wild.

【Magical Tricks】is also a very practical spell with many effects. More often than not, the upper limit of this spell depends on the mage's imagination.

Even putting everything else aside, the flavoring effect of [Magic Trick] alone is worth the price of admission.

If you can create water with a water-making spell and then use magic to flavor it, wouldn't I be able to drink "magical cola" anytime, anywhere? Thinking about it this way, Gao De couldn't help but marvel at how amazing magic truly is.

The same applies to the [Switch] and [Communication] spells; both are extremely flexible and practical tricks.

[Switch] can be used to avoid traps, operate mechanisms remotely, or for infiltration. [Communication] can enable encrypted communication in specific situations, the most classic use being communication between teammates during combat.

After leaving the Bremen Mage Association with a wealth of knowledge, Gaudí once again took a public carriage back to the Carmond district.

However, he did not go straight home. Instead, he went to the workshop street and ordered a cloth embroidered with carving knife patterns and magic rune patterns to hang at his front door.

Then they went to a nearby market and bought enough wheat bread, root vegetables, and meat to last for three days.

For Gaode, eating out is only an occasional thing; most of the time, they still have to cook for themselves.

In addition, Gaode spent 4 silver dollars to buy a one-pound can of Sri Lankan black tea.

This black tea has a rich flavor, with a refreshing citrus aroma and a sweet aftertaste, making it a mid-range tea.

He was willing to spend this money not only to have it with his breakfast, but also because he needed something to serve guests when they came to visit.

After completing these tasks, Gaode finally ended his busy day and returned to his house, number 437.

(End of this chapter)