Chapter 014: “An Eighth-Level Expert”

Du Fan couldn’t help but stare in awe. For mages, aside from mental strength and mana, the most crucial factor limiting the power of their magic was the spell itself. The same spell could yield different results when cast by different people, and those who could cast it in less time could unleash greater power.
This wasn’t hard to understand—faster casting speed indicated a deeper understanding and mastery of the spell, allowing for greater magical power. Moreover, shorter casting times gave mages a significant advantage in combat, as enemies wouldn’t wait patiently for the spell to finish. Even a one-second delay could lead to defeat. Thus, a wand that could shorten spell casting time was incredibly valuable.
The fat man seemed to sense Du Fan’s astonishment. After a long while, he smiled slightly and said, “Sir, as for the price of this wand, I won’t mention it. But I only sell it to those who know how to appreciate it… After all, only such people can understand its true value. Those who don’t would likely find even my suggested price too high.”
Du Fan glanced at the fat man several times, marveling at his shrewdness. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, “I want this wand!”
The fat man laughed heartily. “That’s great! What price are you thinking?”
Du Fan waved his hand. “No rush. Also, show me the best weapons you have in the store.”
The fat man was momentarily stunned. He couldn’t help but stare at Du Fan deeply, his eyes flashing with surprise before he said in a low voice, “It seems you’re not an ordinary person. Then even ordinary weapons won’t suffice for you. Fortunately, this is a century-old shop; otherwise, we might not be able to find what you want.”
With that, he tapped the box a few more times.
A moment later, a servant brought in another long box. The fat man tapped the box a few times before continuing, “This is the best sword we have. I’m not sure if it will suit your taste, but aside from this, we really can’t offer anything better.”
Then, he slowly opened the lid of the box and presented a not-so-long sword to Du Fan.

It was a short sword entirely silver-white in color. The blade wasn’t long, but it was exquisitely crafted, with decorative gems embedded at the hilt. Aside from its beauty and sharpness, there really wasn’t much distinctive about this sword.
Du Fan knew his understanding was limited at the moment and might not be able to recognize its merits, but he also knew the fat man in front of him wouldn’t try to deceive him with something simple. So, Du Fan tapped Chenchen’s head in his arms and asked in his mind, “Chenchen, what’s special about this sword?”
Chenchen didn’t seem very surprised by the sword and replied indifferently, “It’s an ordinary sword. But during its creation, secret silver and black iron were incorporated into the blade, which not only ensures its sharpness but also allows magical effects to be added when it’s used in attacks. However, no magic circles have been drawn on it yet, so it has no magical effects at the moment.”
Du Fan nodded. He knew that most weapons were merely sharp, and those with magical attack capabilities were extremely rare. After all, most warriors relied on their own combat energy to exert their strength when using weapons.
But for Du Fan, this sword was actually quite good. If Chenchen could add a few advanced magic spells to it, it might become a life-saving treasure at some point.
Realizing this, Du Fan smiled and said, “It’s this one. So, boss, I want both of these items.”
Upon hearing Du Fan’s words, the fat man’s cheeks puffed up like chrysanthemums. Probably because he hadn’t encountered such a significant customer in a long time, he said with a smile, “It’s great that you want both items. But as for the price… it might… be a little high…” Sensing Du Fan’s grunt, he hurriedly added, “Of course, since you’re buying two items at once, I’ll give you a discount. Well, for this sword, our store has a fixed price—120,000 gold coins. I’ll just round off the cents for you. As for the price of the wand, that depends on what you’re willing to pay.”
Du Fan shook his head and said, “Take your time… we’re not done negotiating yet.”
The fat man was stunned for a moment but soon smiled again. “I wonder what else you might want?”

Du Fan shook his head, reached into his magic ring to take out the bag of magic stones, and tossed it onto the table. “Speaking of money, I really don’t have that much on me. But if I use these to make a deal, I suppose you won’t find it troublesome, right?”
The fat man showed signs of confusion, but he quickly opened the bag, took a look, and couldn’t help but gasp. “Sir… are you planning to use these magic stones to exchange for these two items?”
Seeing the greed clearly visible on the fat man’s face, Du Fan sneered before saying, “Of course not. But I assume your store not only sells weapons but also buys back magic stones, right? You must know their value better than I do. I’m too lazy to sell them elsewhere. As long as you offer a fair price, I don’t mind taking a slight loss.”
After taking a deep breath, the fat man said, “How about this, sir? Please wait here for a moment while I go and get back to you.”
Du Fan nodded. “Go ahead.”
The fat man grabbed a few magic stones from the bag and rushed out. It wasn’t long before he returned and sat down again. “Sir, we’ll take your magic stones. But for these two items, we can only offer an additional two million gold coins. Is this price satisfactory to you?”
Du Fan actually didn’t know the market price of magic stones, but he knew the fat man wouldn’t overcharge him. Plus, he was too lazy to look for another place to sell them. So, he simply snorted in agreement, put the two items on the table into his space ring, and said, “Alright… this price is fair enough. As for the payment method…”
The fat man smiled slightly, took out two crystal cards from his pocket, and placed them in front of Du Fan. “Sir, you must be familiar with this. These are white crystal cards issued by the Holy Church. Each one contains one million gold coins and is nameless, allowing you to withdraw money from any church at any time. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with this payment method.”
Du Fan took the crystal cards and put them into his space ring, unable to suppress a grin. “Watch this—right away I’ll go to the slave market to buy some cute little girls to raise as pets. I can even discuss keeping a beauty in a golden house with her tonight!”
Chenchen couldn’t help but snort in Du Fan’s mind to show her disdain, but Du Fan gracefully ignored her opinion.

He casually tidied up his clothes, then gave the fat man a faint smile and said, “Well, that’s it for today. If I need anything in the future, I’ll come back.” The fat man bowed deeply and escorted Du Fan to the door, whispering, “Then, sir, please remember to come back when you have time.” Du Fan responded with a noncommittal “Mm,” turned to leave, and it was only then that the fat man seemed to remember something and said, “By the way, sir, that magic wand is called ‘Phantom,’ and that sword is called ‘Silver Moon.’” Du Fan nodded and murmured, “Phantom… Silver Moon… Indeed, nice names…” With that, he didn’t look back at the fat man again and walked away. The fat man, on the other hand, stared at his retreating figure for a long time before sighing softly. A servant beside him whispered, “Boss, I don’t understand. Although those magic stones are valuable, they’re worth at most two million five hundred thousand gold coins. You gave him two million gold coins plus those two items in exchange for those magic stones. No matter how I calculate it, it seems like we’re not making a profit.” The fat man sighed and said, “What do you know? Among those magic stones, there are several of level eight. That alone shows this man has killed at least several level eight magical beasts. With such skills, do you still want to take advantage of him? It’s better if we suffer a small loss and give him a little advantage. That way, if we need his help in the future, he might be able to do us a great favor. Consider this an investment in a relationship.” A hint of shock flashed in the servant’s eyes as he stared in Du Fan’s direction, speechless. Could that man really be a level eight powerhouse?! The person considered a level eight powerhouse was now carefully making his way toward the church of the Holy Church in the capital city. He put on the hat on his robe carefully to ensure his identity wouldn’t be revealed at any moment, as the closer he got to the church, the more people who knew him there would be. Given Du Fan’s reputation, if his identity were recognized now, there would be no point in even thinking about taking any exams. But his worries were clearly unnecessary; not many people on the street paid attention to him. Most were enthusiastically discussing the Roland Academy’s annual recruitment exam, which, for many commoners, was the only chance to learn advanced combat skills and magic and rise to the upper classes. For those with even a hint of talent, who would dare to give up such an opportunity?