The marketplace surrounding the city square was bustling with activity. It was filled with countless stalls set up by mortal traders, craftsmen, and even the Magi. The lively sound of chattering filled the air as people could be seen bargaining every now and then.
Most of the stalls present offered goods that would be helpful to the Magi in one way or another. Some stalls were selling fresh beast meat and other ingredients such as beast claws, teeth, and hides.
Other stalls sold magic potions and artifacts. These were the stalls that were most frequented by the Magi. Such things were invaluable during wartime, to say the least.
Another type of stall that had a lot of footfall was the one that sold material components that a Magus would need to cast spells. Most spells required material components in order to cast, after all.
Adam and his unit navigated through the cobblestone street as they curiously glanced at the stalls set up on both sides.
"It's like a grander version of Mystic Lane," Edward chuckled softly.
"What's Mystic Lane?" Farald asked curiously.
"I guess you could call it a mini-secret plane. It's basically a bazaar for the Magi, except, only students of Clover Academy can enter it," Lisa explained with a faint smile.
"Oh!" Galriel's eyes lit up in wonder. "I've heard great things about Clover Academy. They say it's the greatest place to study magic in the Southern Federation."
Adam nodded with pride. "Hehe, that it is."
"It's a pity they only admit humans. I would have loved to visit that place," Galriel spoke in a dull tone.
"The reason why they only allow humans is because our way of learning is fundamentally different from the other major races." Adam shrugged. "It's nothing to do with racism that most ignorant idiots would have you believe."
Lisa chimed in. "But you can always visit the Academy, Galriel. After the war is over, would you like to attend our graduation ceremony? Me, Eddie, and Adam will be graduating this year."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Really? You'd invite me?" The blonde elf's eyes shone brightly.
"Of course!" Lisa replied happily. "We're comrades, after all. I would love for you to be there."
"Yay~" Galriel gave Lisa a warm hug. "You're so nice, Lisa."
"What about you?" Adam asked Farald with a smirk. "You don't wanna visit the Jewel of the South?"
"Jewel of the South, my ass!" The dwarf snorted.
"Hehe, you should come out of that dwarven mountain and explore the world a little, my friend." Adam chuckled.
Farald rolled his eyes. "I'll think about it. I'm going to go fix my war hammer. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."
"Be careful. People might not see you and trip over you," Adam teased.
"Screw you, ugly human!" Farald showed the youth the middle finger and then disappeared amidst the crowd.
Adam's lips twitched as he involuntarily touched his cheek. Wait, I can't be that bad-looking.
...Right?
Lisa suddenly elbowed him. "Why must you tease him so much? Can't you be nice?"
"Ehehe, I just can't help it." Adam laughed mischievously.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})The next moment, he took out a metal token from his earring and looked at it curiously. Esmond had given this token to everyone in the unit. This token contained their individual points. They were to use this while trading.
"How does this work exactly?" He asked in puzzlement.
"Each stall owner has a similar token called the trader token, but theirs is a bit different," Galriel began explaining. "Their token can let them know the number of points your token has and then deduct accordingly after your purchase."
"Oh!" Adam found this very fascinating. He glanced at the elf and asked, "And what if I wish to sell something to the storeowner?"
"They can similarly add points to your token after you sell them items."
"Interesting." Adam nodded as he stroked his chin. "So the higher-ups must be pretty strict with these trader tokens, huh? I mean, what if someone covertly steals it from them and uses it to add points to their token?"
"Those tokens can only be accessed by the stall owners. I'm not exactly sure how, but I think their tokens can only be unlocked through their mana signature or something unique to them," Galriel ventured a guess.
Adam nodded in agreement. After all, just like a person's fingerprint, every Magus' mana signature was unique.
"And as far as theft goes, the punishment for that is death. So I doubt any Magus would risk their lives for a few extra points," Galriel added.
"Hmm, makes sense." Adam nodded. He then glanced at his teammates and stated, "Anyway, I'm going to go look for some ingredients to brew potions. I'll see you guys for dinner."
"Adam, you're a Herbalist?!" Galriel asked in shock.
"Hehe, yes, my lady." Adam bowed dramatically. He then looked at her and winked coyly. "If you are ever in need of potions, you know where to find me. I'll give you a pretty good deal."
With that said, he turned around and swaggered away.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"Oh my goodness, he's so amazing! Who would've thought? He's not only a master combatant but also a Herbalist…" The blonde elf glanced at Adam's departing back with adoration.
Meanwhile, Edward and Lisa, who saw this whole scene play out, were speechless. They had never thought Adam to be so smooth with the ladies. For a moment, they couldn't believe their eyes.
Meanwhile, Adam had already thrown this minor incident to the back of his mind. He looked around the marketplace, searching for stalls that sold magical ingredients.
This battlefield could be considered a treasure trove for a Herbalist such as himself. After all, there was something found in abundance every time the battle was over - beat cores and blood!
Adam had countless potion recipes in his mind that utilized these two as the main ingredients. He could not only brew them for his own use but also sell them in the marketplace and earn a great number of contribution points.
After looking around for more than ten minutes, the youth finally found a stall that sold potions and ingredients. His eyes lit up as he made his way toward the owner, an old Magus with a long, white beard.
"Good sir, how are you doing this evening?" He greeted the old Magus enthusiastically.
"What do you want?" The Magus asked flatly. He didn't seem to care at all. Perhaps, he knew just how important the items he was selling were, so he didn't bother about how he behaved with his customers.
After all, stalls such as his were rare in the marketplace.
Adam, however, wasn't offended by his attitude at all. The smile on his face remained as he asked, "You selling beast cores and beast blood?"
"So what if I am?" The old Magus asked with a bored expression.
Adam's smile faltered momentarily. "How much discount are you going to give me?"
The Magus glanced at him and sneered, "You must think you're a hotshot, eh?"
"Heh, how did you know?" Adam smirked.
The old Magus was about to shoo him away, having already had enough of him. But the next moment, Adam took out something from his earring that caused the old man's eyes to widen.
"This... this... this... such purity! Impossible!"
