PS. This book group: 725051233.
That night, the caravan camped in the valley.
Guards and mercenaries bustled about, and compared to the previous day, the mercenaries were in higher spirits. Laine guessed this was because the battle had gone smoothly today, and most mercenaries must have profited from the goblins.
In contrast, the merchants' spirits were not as high. While going downhill, a carriage overturned under the wolves' harassment, spilling the black barrels of volatile oil it carried. Mats did some calculations and realized his loss was over a hundred Gold Dinars.
In the night sky, stars dotted the heavens, and in the distance, the jungle-covered Scavell Mountain revealed a glimpse under its veil to everyone—a haunting tale of rampant forest growth and bones by the roadside.
"Hurry, hurry!" Guards were loading and unloading goods. With the help of two people, a large wooden crate was lifted from the carriage.
"Ouch!" The day's fatigue rendered the guards somewhat helpless, and the crate fell to the ground, spilling a few pieces of ore.
This stone, a mix of sea-blue crystals and coarse rock, was clearly unrefined magic ore.
"Sea Heart Stone?" Teresa approached, leaning on her magic staff. After half a day's rest, her complexion had improved: "Mr. Oliver? Is this your cargo?"
"Hey, hey! What are you doing? Clumsy fools, quickly gather things up!" Mats rushed over, gesturing for the guards to clean up, and then awkwardly smiled: "This is... it's my cargo, Lady Trovik."
"What's going on here? Mr. Mats?! Our Jialan has issued notices at the Nord Royal Court multiple times, offering a high price for any Sea Heart Stones. Why are such things in your cargo?" Upon seeing the ores in the crate, Teresa's expression visibly changed. Sea Heart Stone is a highly valuable magic mineral, essential for crafting many magical items, and it can assist the awakening of magical talent in the offspring of wizards. In crucial moments, casters can even directly absorb its energy to replenish their magic power.
"I...I..." Mats awkwardly glanced around, realizing that everyone in the caravan was watching him, mumbling incoherently.
Seeing this, Laine stepped in to mediate: "Alright, Teresa, merchants have the freedom not to sell to you, right? The Nord Kingdom does not have a law expressly forbidding the export of these items. After all, if the export were banned, His Majesty the King might worry about military funding, wouldn't he?"
"But the Sea Heart Stone is too precious, and our Jialan also urgently needs this magic ore. We've already offered such a high price..."
"But the Imperial Royal Wizard Academy is willing to offer a higher price, aren't they?" Laine interrupted Teresa, then chuckled and turned to Mats: "Am I right, Mr. Mats?"
"Seems we've been too lenient with you merchants all along. It's time to give you a little... hmm~" The female sorcerer was about to fly into a rage when a sharp pain in her lower abdomen reminded her of her situation. Seeing this, Laine straightforwardly lifted her into his arms: "Alright! Don't be angry. You can't decide on this, just talk to Lady Aurora later!"
With that, Laine didn't give the female sorcerer a chance to say anything more, carrying her away quickly. Surprisingly, the sorceress didn't resist during the process, allowing him to carry her, saving him a lot of trouble.
Lifting the tent flap, Laine saw Amelia carrying a basin of hot water with a blank expression. Laine sidestepped, making way, and then asked: "Feeling better?" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI[F]ire.net
"Much better. And also, don't you know that before entering a lady's room in the evening, you should at least knock?" The female sorcerer lay half-reclined on the padded cushions, looking displeased.
"...Sorry, then have a good rest, goodnight!" Laine sighed, nodded, and turned to leave.
The tent fell silent again.
The female sorcerer thought Laine was sulking, but he truly never appeared again. After waiting a long time, Teresa didn't see him return, and a strong sense of disappointment welled in her heart.
Setting aside the affairs inside the tent for now, after speaking with the caravan members, Laine went alone to a nearby clearing. He took out the Divine Art Scroll he had previously purchased in Wulan Town, the Level 0 Trick Light Spell, and fell into contemplation.
Unrolling the Divine Art Scroll, Laine followed the energy patterns and symbols on the scroll, attempting to trace them with his spiritual energy, then raised his hand: "Light Spell!"
A light sphere, slightly smaller than a fist, shot from Laine's hand, illuminating the eerie and cold surroundings. Then, at about ten meters away, the light sphere suddenly vanished without a trace.
"It's different from a normal Divine Art. A regular Light Spell can fly at least twenty meters before gradually dissipating, but the one I simulated can only fly ten meters." Laine pondered and murmured: "Is it because of the deities' divine power?"
"Let's try this next." Then, Laine took out a Magic Scroll. This Magic Scroll had cost him quite a bit of money and sealed within it was a level-one basic spell—Magic Missile.
Compared to Divine Art Scrolls, Magic Scrolls are even rarer, and like other magical items, crafting such scrolls is immensely arduous, known only to High-Tier Mages. To create a scroll, the mysterious spell patterns must be meticulously transcribed onto parchment, and the spells required must be recorded.