Chapter 004: The Magic Exchange

Sighing several times, Du Fan greeted the two mages again before entering the interior of the Mage Guild.
Upon entering through the main door, he found a long corridor lined with countless teleportation magic arrays, likely used within the guild. Du Fan didn’t know where these arrays led, so he dared not use them casually.
Apart from the teleportation magic arrays, the corridor was also exquisitely decorated, with even the slightest corner seeming to carry a mysterious aura.
The magic apprentices passing by couldn’t help but show surprise upon seeing Du Fan’s robes, as it was quite rare for a cleric to enter the Mage Guild.
Yet despite this, the apprentices continued their tasks without stopping, remaining extremely busy. No one stopped to ask him a single question as he walked by.
After finally emerging from the crowded corridor, he entered a place resembling a hall.
This place seemed even livelier than the corridor outside. Glancing around, Du Fan saw various strange magic shops selling magical items and materials that mages would likely appreciate, as well as some special antique shops…
In short, this place didn’t resemble a Mage Guild at all but rather seemed like a secular trading venue.
The only difference was that the people coming and going in the shops mostly wore colorful magic robes, and some who appeared to be cleaning swept the floors by waving magic wands—instead of using their hands.
Moreover, the transactions here didn’t seem to use the currency common in the continent but rather various colored stones as money.
Du Fan observed them closely and realized that these trading stones were nothing other than magic stones, varying in size and presumably representing different values.
Seeing this, Du Fan grew increasingly interested in the trading area of the Mage Guild’s headquarters.

Since this place is known as the headquarters of the Mage Guild, it must be the largest trading venue in the entire continent. Although there aren’t many mages on the continent, everyone knows that magical materials and items are extremely valuable… A single magic stone casually carried by these mages can be worth tens of thousands of gold coins if sold outside!

No wonder people say that mages are the wealthiest profession in Roland Continent—without a doubt…

As he thought this, Du Fan had already entered the hall filled with shops. The mages passing by mostly showed surprise upon seeing his robe, while some who clearly were high-ranking mages treated him even more hostilely. They stared at him with undisguised murderous intent. Perhaps they assumed there must be a reason why Du Fan could enter the Mage Guild headquarters unharmed, but they didn’t strike first.

Actually, this was also Du Fan’s luck. There was a rule within the Mage Guild headquarters prohibiting the use of magic—except in one’s own laboratory, using magic elsewhere, even by the guild leader, would result in punishment.

If not for this rule, some naive mages might have simply killed Du Fan without hesitation.

Walking through the hall, Du Fan felt a chill, but inwardly he sneered. He had rarely encountered mages before and hadn’t realized much, but today, facing such a large number of them, he truly understood just how extreme the hostility between the Mage Guild and the Holy Church had become.

Yet the more this was the case, the more curious Du Fan became about Kristi’s invitation to the Mage Guild. What value did he possess to warrant the guild taking such a great risk to invite him?

Though curious and eager to ask Kristi right away, Du Fan was far more composed than his peers. He understood that the calmer he stayed in such a situation, the more benefits he could gain later… Of course, assuming the other party intended to offer him benefits.

So, for now, the only thing he needed to do was wait patiently for Kristi to come find him. Surely the two mages at the entrance had already reported his arrival.

As for him, he might as well wander around here for now.

Thinking of this, Du Fan glanced around. Most of these magic shops had strange shapes. For example, the shop right beside him seemed to be built from various stones, looking extremely odd, with only a small opening at the door just wide enough for a person to enter, from which a faint light seeped out.

Du Fan couldn’t help but feel curious about this place. Could it be a place that sold stones?

With that thought, he walked up to the door, bent slightly, and stepped inside.

As soon as he entered the shop, Du Fan was slightly surprised. It wasn’t as small as it appeared from the outside; instead, it was quite spacious. The floor seemed to be covered with grass, and all sorts of strange items were placed around. Even the ceiling looked like a real sky. Although Du Fan knew it must be some kind of magic effect, he was still amazed.

Behind something that resembled a counter, a magic apprentice so fat he almost resembled a lump of flesh was dozing off. Sensing someone enter, he quickly rubbed his eyes and stood up abruptly, his robe straining to hold his massive frame. He said respectfully, “Honorable mage…”

But before he could finish, the fat apprentice seemed to notice Du Fan’s robe and quickly put on a flattering smile, whispering, “Oh, it’s the honorable priest. What can I do for you?”

Du Fan was slightly surprised. Along the way, the magi and apprentices had looked at him with hostility, but this apprentice showed no hostility in his eyes. His smile seemed genuine, just like those street vendors who always showed sincere smiles no matter who they met. This made Du Fan feel a bit fond of him.

Du Fan smiled gently and said kindly, “Well… this is my first time here, so I’m just taking a look for anything interesting. Please introduce it to me.”

“I see,” the fat apprentice said with a smile. “I suppose the honorable priest, like the other priests from your holy church, has come here to buy magic items… Although your other priests would change their appearance if they came, yet you still wear your robe. It seems the honorable priest must be a very important person!”

Other priests also come to buy things?

Du Fan frowned slightly, but then understood. Even holy light mages in the Holy Church needed some magical materials and items. Although most of these could be provided by the Holy Church, certain special items could only be found within this mage guild. It was therefore quite normal for people from the Holy Church to come here to make purchases.

In that case, although he wasn’t the first priest to enter the mage guild’s headquarters, he was definitely the first to do so openly.

With that thought, Du Fan asked calmly, “So what do the others buy when they come in?”

The chubby magic apprentice touched his pig-like head and said, “Let me think… They buy quite a lot… and most of it is quite rare… Come with me…”

With that, the chubby apprentice moved and “jumped” out from behind the counter—well, that movement could barely be called a jump—and then he went over to a wooden shelf, fumbled around for a while, and handed Du Fan something that looked like sand, saying, “For example, this…”

Du Fan frowned and asked, “What is this?”

The chubby apprentice smiled proudly and said, “This isn’t exactly high-quality, but it’s definitely rare. This is what’s called holy light powder. It’s said that when used together with holy light magic, it provides a magical enhancement effect. Of course, it only works with holy light magic, which is why only the mages of your Holy Church have bought it all along…”

Du Fan felt a stir in his heart but waved his hand and said, “What about anything else?”

“Anything else? What else do they buy? Goblins’ palms? Dwarves’ skulls? Elves’ hair?… Oh, and orc skeletons…” The chubby apprentice’s eyes began to glow. “That’s right! The most commonly bought item is demon blood… I suppose your Excellency also wants one of these, right?”