When Brando made a gesture, Antitina and Batom both turned their heads to look at him. They did not understand why the young knight would be so fond of that scroll. Did he want to become an Elemental Mage?
But the Wizard Apprentice had said that even if one used a Revelation Scroll to become a Junior Element Master, the achievements would still be limited. Such items are actually prepared for those with talent – they help save time during the elemental accumulation stage for the gifted.
However, Brando did not explain.
Char didn't need to explain either. He certainly understood why the young man favored the scroll.
The bid from the Limp Man caused a slight pause in the sounds from the upper boxes. The nobles seemed to be evaluating where this sudden competitor came from, but in just a moment, new bids were placed upon the lower crowd.
Eighteen thousand Thor.
Still the fourth box from the left. The Limp Man whispered to Brando's ear, "Baron Donner. His family has several estates near Brags, and he himself has some industries there. He is also a councilman in the local Brags Council, a role both his father and grandfather held."
Brando nodded. These local gentry could be found everywhere in Erune. However, a small baron like Donner wouldn't fight to the death over a scroll. Most likely, he was representing a big shot.
While Brando was in slight astonishment, the bid had already risen to twenty-one thousand. A knight in the third-level box seemed to have matched wits with this baron.
In their war of words, the bid quickly climbed to twenty-six thousand Thor, but finally, the big shots in the first-level boxes took over. The bid at that moment felt like a dagger, slicing down in swift swings above the heads of the audience below, quickly reaching the astronomical figure of forty thousand Thor.
During the bid around twenty thousand Thor, Brando participated again but was immediately outbid by the noble's agent. The scroll was ultimately sold for an astronomical price of forty-two thousand Thor, leaving the young man slightly regretful.
After all, it's worth two thousand experience. If he could buy it for two or three tens of thousands of Thor, it would be a good deal. But more than forty thousand would hurt his plans severely. So Brando gritted his teeth and had to abandon the purchase.
His expression, however, remained placid, giving Antitina and the Limp Man no indication of his true feelings. They simply assumed the young man's family was wealthy, not valuing such an amount of money.
After the first small climax of the auction, it entered the expected steady transition period, during which several items were sold consecutively, with prices ranging from a few thousand to ten thousand Thor.
The transactions were unremarkable, and the attendees appeared somewhat bored. But the Limp Man found something to do; he introduced the origins of these items to Brando and the others one by one. He might not be able to say from which workshop the magic ring emitting light similar to a candle came from, but he could at least state that it was stolen property from a certain place, or another item privately circulated from a noble family.
Antitina, Little Roman, and Batom all listened with keen interest, while Brando and Char were more focused on discussing the items' places of origin.
They once mentioned Tama, feeling regret that the alchemy master was too engrossed in his work to attend. Otherwise, he might have found something he fancied among the previously sold magic items.
Then came the second climax of the auction. This time, the item was a necklace. To be precise, it was a string of coarse stones tied together with a crude rope. If an uninformed person saw it, they might miss this valuable item, but Brando nearly shouted upon seeing it —
This item was paired with the 'Stone Nest' crafted by a Level 17 alchemist. It can reduce the material consumption of the stone puppets produced within the Stone Nest by fifty percent, effectively increasing the output.
While explaining the role of this necklace to others, Roman and Char were calm, but Batom and Antitina soon had glowing eyes. One was a mercenary long accustomed to war, and the other a noble lady well-versed in strategic matters, both understanding the necklace's significance for a territory.
In Vorn, war relies on three types of resources.
The first is people. The second is raw amber stone. The third is all other strategic materials. The fourth is 'Nests.'
No explanation is needed for people. The vast expansive lands of Vorn, with the productivity brought by magic, had nurtured a population vastly exceeding the limits of this era. They form the base of the war potential between countries and territories.
Raw amber stone is separated from Suomi ore. It accompanies a series of metals like silver, gold, and copper. This transparent crystal resembling amber stores magic power. Antitina's 'Magic Conduction Device' was designed specifically to convert the power of these raw stones.
It forms the foundation for the flourishing magic systems of all intelligent beings on Earth and serves as the blood of this 'industrial system.'
Other resources, such as food, metals, wood, and stone, are strategic resources commonly stored for war, even on Earth, where Brando originated.
But the last point, 'Nests,' represents a complex concept distinct from conventional warfare – something Brando, being a player, is quite familiar with.
In fact, discussing nests inevitably leads to talking about the origin of the world Vorn.
How does Chaos exist, and how does Order arise?
Through what means does magic power affect the earth, and where do monsters originate? How are their 'Nests' utilized by humans?
(PS. This is only the first watch, but the sequences of publication got mistaken. Unfortunately, the title can't be changed. (To be continued. For more chapters and the conclusion, please log in to www.qidian.com. Support the author, support legitimate reading!)