Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 227 Resonance Relic
How to determine if a piece of equipment is a magical item, or what special effects it has.

The simplest method, of course, is to use the first-circle divination ritual spell – "Identification".

With just a light touch, information about how to use the item, its special effects, and even the remaining charges will enter your mind like inherited memories.

Even the most common and ordinary practical first-level spells, after being improved by countless outstanding mages over the years, have almost no requirements for casting materials.

The most basic requirement for casting "Identification" is that one must be a spellcaster.

The scarcity of spellcasters due to the high barrier to entry means that such low-level spells are unlikely to benefit the vast majority of ordinary people and low-level adventurers in this world.

As for the magic scroll with the "appraisal" function... one can only say that anyone who, after witnessing its exorbitant market price, still uses it as a common appraisal tool possesses wealth far exceeding that of ordinary people.

It's true that the Adventurers' Guild is a colossal organization with influence spanning the entire continent, but it's impossible to have a spellcaster skilled in Appraisal in every branch of the guild.

Leaving aside whether there are really that many spellcasters willing to give up their future careers and the comfortable life in manors and castles to work in guilds that are often located in front-line towns where monsters gather.

The annual salary alone is already astronomical.

Furthermore, the Adventurers' Guild itself is loosely organized and free, and its "platform"-like organizational nature makes it impossible for ordinary members to be forced to work for other adventurers.

Therefore, adventurers' guilds in many places, especially in more remote branches like Riverdale, rarely have dedicated spellcasters who are skilled in Appraisal.

Instead, they use experienced, discerning ordinary appraisers as substitutes.

When Xia Nan, led by Jasmine, entered the so-called appraisal room on the second floor of the association, this was the gentleman she met.

He looked to be a bit older, with very obvious crow's feet at the corners of his eyes and loose wrinkles on his face. His short, gray hair was neatly combed without a trace of mess, and he wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses on his nose.

Although she was wearing the uniform of an association staff member, Xia Nan didn't perceive her as a professional with any special abilities; she was just an ordinary person.

But those refined, scholarly airs, cultivated through extensive knowledge, stood in stark contrast to the chaotic adventurers downstairs.

“This is Mr. Downs, an appraiser from our association,” Jasmine said softly as she opened the door for Xia Nan.

At the same time, explain your purpose to the other party.

"This is Mr. Xia Nan, who needs consignment services for his items."

"Hello!" Sitting behind the wooden table, appraiser Tang Si took the initiative to stand up and step forward to greet Xia Nan.

They did not look down on the other party because they were just an ordinary person, nor did they feel superior because of their professional status.

Xia Nan smiled and shook hands politely with the other party.

At the same time, they were secretly observing the layout of the appraisal room.

First and foremost, the most eye-catching feature is, naturally, a huge and sturdy long table made of heavy oak, right in the center of the room.

The center of the tabletop is covered with durable leather, while the two sides are covered with thick felt and lead plates, as if to accommodate different kinds of items that may be placed on the tabletop.

A shallow groove is carved along the edge to effectively prevent items from rolling off. Multiple adjustable-height bench vises and clamps, trays, balances, crucibles, reflectors... a large number of highly specialized items are neatly arranged on the table.

A large, bright window let in the slightly dim light from outside. Next to it was a wooden bookshelf that almost filled the entire wall. The books were arranged in an orderly manner according to their contents and were not dusty, indicating that they were frequently read.

Xia Nan glanced at the bookshelf, and what he saw included various styles of armor, weapon designs, heraldry, textiles, regional styles, historical biographies for studying the evolution of equipment and identifying aristocratic items, mineralogy and materials science...

It's less of an identification room and more like an office or a workspace.

For those adventurers from the countryside who had never even been to Newme, the professional setup of the room would probably be enough to convince them of Downs's reputation as an appraiser.

Xia Nan's expression didn't change much, but he had to admit that, given the environment of the appraisal room, the other party gave the initial impression of a knowledgeable and professional appraiser.

Jasmine left the room on her own and closed the door for the two of them.

Xia Nan sat across the table and first took the [Tidal Surge Lure Rod] out of the cotton cloth and placed it on the table.

Without wasting any time, he directly told the other party the information he saw on the attribute panel.

Like Rockhammer Barn, the appraiser named "Downs" did not show the slightest disdain after learning about the extremely demanding conditions for using the Stone Spear.

He meticulously examined the stone spear from tip to shaft.

"It seems someone has already told you. This kind of equipment with special effects is indeed more suitable for consignment by the association."

With a solemn and serious expression, he focused intently through his glasses, carefully examining the wave-like patterns on the surface of the stone spear.

"After registration, all adventurers who need this equipment will be able to see it, and if they are interested in purchasing it, they can quickly contact you to complete the transaction."

As mentioned earlier, while the "Appraisal" spell is convenient, the number of casters is small and magic scrolls are expensive, so it is not the mainstream method of appraisal in most cases.

Regarding the vast number of magical items consigned to the association, how does the association itself guarantee their authenticity, and how should it handle situations where the actual effects differ from what was stated before purchase?
On some levels, the Adventurers' Guild may sometimes seem like a makeshift organization.

But at least in terms of consignment transactions, it still has a detailed and complete plan.

In cases like Xia Nan's, where the seller already knows the attributes and effects of the equipment, they should describe the attributes in detail, declare the information to be true, and have an appraiser conduct a certain level of inspection when submitting the equipment to the association.

At the same time, consignors are required to provide credit guarantees in their capacity as members of their associations, and some may also require senior members to sign on their behalf, assume joint liability, or pay a large deposit.

Every so often, the association conducts random checks on the items being sold internally. If any item is found to have a deceptive and serious negative difference from the consignor's description, the association will take action.

Alternatively, if a buyer claims that the purchased equipment does not match the specifications, and the association intervenes and uses resources for arbitration, it may discover that the purchase was an act of deliberate deception (the appraisal fee shall be borne by the losing party).

Consignors will be subject to extremely severe penalties, with hefty fines being just the most basic measure. Other penalties include expulsion from the association and blacklisting, confiscation of property in cooperation with local authorities, and being wanted and pursued.

This is to ensure the authority and stability of the association's platform, so that both buyers and sellers can trade with confidence without worrying about being scammed.

This is why the association's platform, despite offering the highest transaction fees on the market, remains the preferred choice for many adventurers to recycle equipment.

And the above is only a small part of the association's consignment trading system.

Other factors, such as "Association Certified Master" certificates/badges (comprising blacksmithing and enchanting masters, advanced scholars, and legendary adventurers), third-party organization collaborations, mantra contracts, and internal reputation ratings, all contribute to making it the largest and most extensive professional trading platform on the continent of Aifara.

Of course, although the "Appraisal" magic scroll is expensive, the association must still have a lot of it in stock.

For high-level magic equipment where the specific attributes are uncertain but the quality level is high, the handling fee alone exceeds the price of the scroll, so naturally, no one will try to save money in this regard.

At the same time, it can also help maintain good relationships with adventurers who can provide equipment of this level, which is conducive to the consolidation and expansion of the power.

After Xia Nan fully explained the properties of the [Tidal Surge Lure], Tang Si spent another thirty minutes examining it.

He took off his silver-rimmed glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and said:

"Regarding the origin of this stone spear, based on its stone material and forging technique, it should belong to the whale-man clan of the Black Reef Islands on the south coast of the mainland."

"It is undoubtedly a magical item, but it also has a certain collectible value, especially for nobles in inland desert regions like Kalinsan, many of whom are interested in such exotic items."

"If you encounter aristocratic buyers like these, you can offer a premium, since for them, there is no essential difference between a couple hundred gold coins and a few copper coins."

Towns put his glasses back on, made a small joke with Xia Nan, and continued.

"Regarding the price, I personally suggest you 'negotiate' with the buyer in person. After all, for many people, this kind of equipment with special effects is not very useful and can only be a collectible. However, it has a very high value in certain areas. Even those powerful figures who are active in newspapers and epics may be interested."

"Simply setting a relatively average price could result in significant losses for you."

Reasonable!

Xia Nan nodded inwardly, agreeing with the other party's statement.

The audience for recreational activities like fishing includes not only ordinary citizens, but also "extraordinary" and "legendary" professionals, and even some deities with leisure time.

What if my "baiting magic weapon" catches the eye of some big shot whose skills aren't exactly superb?
At that time, not to mention how many gold coins we can sell for, we might even be able to exchange them for a suitable combat skill.

Seeing that Xia Nan agreed, Tang Si took out a long box from under the table and helped store the stone spear inside.

"After this is over, you will need to sign several contracts with the association. After the transaction is completed, a certain percentage of the total value will be charged as a handling fee."

"Jasmine will explain the details to you later."

With one of the tasks that needed to be handled resolved, Xia Nan felt a sense of relief.

Then he took the broken yew staff out of his backpack.

“This staff came from an orc who was suspected of being a druid. I showed it to Barn at the Rockhammer shop before I came here, but he wasn’t sure either, so he asked me to bring it to the guild for him to take a look.”

“I know Mr. Barn; he is a highly skilled blacksmith.” River Valley Town is not large, and well-known figures such as Rockhammer are familiar to adventurers and people in related industries.

Hearing that even Barn couldn't tell the difference, Xia Nan's meticulous appraiser became interested. He immediately changed into a pair of uniquely styled glasses, carefully held the staff, and leaned closer to the appraiser.

"Yew tree...200 years old..."

"The process is ordinary. This kind of grinding technique is very common in Panyun Province. The finished product won't be too far off... five years?"

"Wait, this is it?"

Towns, standing in front of them, suddenly closed his eyes.

The fingers seemed to be caressing the staff, but there was a gap of about half a centimeter between the fingertips and the staff, as if they were feeling something invisible on its surface.

This continued for five minutes before she murmured and opened her eyes.

"It's it... there's no mistake."

"Relic of Resonance!"

"Resonance Relic?" Xia Nan frowned slightly upon hearing the unfamiliar term from the other party, and asked in confusion.

"An item with extremely special and rare properties."

The appraiser, Downs, held the staff and examined it carefully before explaining to Xia Nan.

"Simply put, it is an object that undergoes an intangible change due to the strong emotions of its owner."

"The core driving force is strong, pure, and extreme emotions, including but not limited to: extreme love, profound despair, boiling anger, twisted fear, ecstasy, obsession, determination, and extreme hatred..."

"This kind of change has no requirements on the material of the item, and it is itself non-physical, so it will not produce any changes to the material world."

"It is precisely because of this characteristic that very few people are able to discover the existence of resonance relics."

"Just like your yew wood staff, if you replaced it with a piece of clothing or a bloodstained stone, I doubt anyone would hold it in their hands and examine it closely for more than ten minutes to perceive its difference from ordinary objects."

"As for the uses of these kinds of resonant relics..."

Towns paused for a moment, as if recalling the knowledge in his mind.

"As a product of intense emotions, it is often used in certain ancient rituals as the core of curses; some spellcasters also use it as a spellcasting material to enhance the effects of certain bewitching spells."

"I remember there were a few unorthodox professions similar to mind warlocks, and these kinds of items were required for job advancement. However, there are few records of them in the association, and the relevant advancement methods have long been lost to history."

At this point, Towns looked up at Xia Nan and suggested:

"If you want to consign it on the association's platform, it may take a long time, much longer than the previous stone spear, and you may not be able to get a satisfactory return."

"But coincidentally, a few days ago our branch received a request, and the resonance relic in your possession just happens to meet the mission requirements."

"perhaps……"

(End of this chapter)