The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 139 Trading
The next morning, Eric went to check on the hut where the alchemist McKinney lived, but the latter still hadn't returned, and he would have to wait some more.

He didn't let himself be idle either. He rode his horse and circled the entire area around Xingyuan Academy, witnessing dozens of mage duels. He even dismounted to treat a few unlucky guys whose palms had been pierced by ice spikes.

Unlike the magic academy in the north, this place encourages practical combat. To be precise, private fights between students are completely ignored—as long as they happen outside the academy.

Eric had heard before that mages from the Lutia Magic Academy were called Lake School mages, while mages from the Starry Sky Academy were called Wilderness School mages.

Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, these mages are indeed quite wild.

Eric, his hands covered in blood, healed a mage whose chest had been ripped open by a wind blade. He turned to look at another mage standing beside him and asked, "What kind of deep-seated grudge do you hold?"

The latter seemed somewhat at a loss, "No... I was experimenting with a new way of casting spells, I really couldn't control it..."

"If I hadn't passed by, wouldn't he be dead?"

The mage scratched his head, then calmed down. "The path of magical research is always full of sacrifices. I'm prepared for it myself, and he probably is too."

"..."

The mage on the ground stared wide-eyed, then spat out a mouthful of blood.

Eric wiped the blood off his hands with his robe. "Spit it out, spit it out a few more times. The wound has healed, so spit it all out."

Castelfel has been a chaotic no man's land for centuries, during which countless forces have tried to drive out the mages who occupy the palace, but in the end, they have all failed, and the reasons are not hard to guess.

After saying goodbye to the two wild and young mages, Eric mounted his horse and rode back to the inn, where he first washed the blood off his hands and body.

Even so, when Elise saw him, she immediately smelled the lingering scent of blood on him.

"It's nothing, it's not my blood... I saved a few reckless mages on the way."

Elise nodded, then asked, "Hasn't the alchemist returned yet?"

"Yes, they said yesterday that I could be back before tomorrow, let's wait a little longer."

She had no objection, since she wasn't the one who was busy anyway.

Eric pulled out a handful of badges and asked her if she wanted to go to Xingyuan Academy.

"..."

After glancing at it a few times, Elise casually picked out a badge and wore it on her chest before going for a stroll around the academy with him.

She spent more time in Lutia and became more familiar with the magic academy in the suburbs, thus experiencing a stronger clash of styles.

"It's hard to imagine what Eileen would become if she studied magic here..."

"I might be very happy... although I'll be very worried."

Eric showed her around the academy, including the meteorite underground, but seeing several mages nearby looking on with lewd expressions, he didn't let her touch it.

Back on the ground, the two found a magic classroom to sit in, and coincidentally, the second prince of the Kingdom of Arsha was also there.

Turning his head, he saw Eric, paused for a moment, nodded to him, his gaze fell on the Aran woman beside him, he hesitated again, and then got up and came over.

"We meet again," Albert greeted Eric first.

Eric moved aside. "Your Highness Albert, do you live in the academy?"

"More or less," Albert said. "A mage friend of mine brought me in, and I've been staying with him."

He quickly shifted the topic to Elise, "This young lady seems to be Aran?"

Elise first looked at Eric, and only after he raised his chin did she respond.

Albert looked at her and said, "I heard that the Arans have caused quite a stir in Lutia, and they seem to have gotten involved with the demons, claiming they are their spies. Lutia is already expelling the Arans."

Eric glanced at him. They had only been here from Lutia for a few days, and this second prince was quick to get information; he must have someone specifically watching over there.

“I’ve heard about it too,” Eric said. “But it has nothing to do with us. We just came from Tallinn. She’s been my follower all this time, and she hasn’t been in contact with the Aran people for a long time.”

Albert crossed his arms and rested them on his face, his tone deep, “If you don’t mind, let me ask this Aran lady a few questions. Some things will become clear once you ask.”

"mind."

"Okay... huh?"

Eric looked at the surprised-looking second prince and said, "I said I mind. She's mine, and this isn't the Kingdom of Arsha."

Albert remained silent for about half a minute, then suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

"In that case, I won't ask any further questions. Excuse me."

He rose and gave a slight bow to the two men. Then, under the watchful eyes of the assembled mages who had been drawn by his hearty laughter, he returned to his previous seat, spread his hands in front of the stage, and gestured for them to continue.

"Who is this person?" Elise frowned.

“The second prince of the Kingdom of Arsha,” Eric said.

She paused for a moment, then quickly adopted a nonchalant expression, "What's he doing here?"

“Who knows?” Eric glanced to the other side of the classroom. “Maybe he’s running away from home, searching for the meaning of life.”

He told her how they met yesterday.

Elise said, "He speaks in such an affected manner that it's quite unpleasant to listen to."

Seeing that she felt the same way, Eric smiled and said, "But he's not a bad person. We'll have to rely on him for the future."

"What?" Elise asked, puzzled.

He briefly explained the attitudes of the two princes of the Kingdom of Arsha towards the demon invasion.

Elise paused for a moment, "Can the attitude of such a small country really change anything?"

Eric looked at her. "Of course you can."

He didn't say much. He sat in the magic classroom for a while, then took her to other places to look around. Finally, they left Xingyuan Academy together and went back to the hotel.

Around four or five in the afternoon, Eric went to McKinney's shack, only to learn from the alchemist who lived next door that McKinney had returned at noon and had just set up his stall at the academy gate.

"...No, does he need to set up a stall to support himself?"

The alchemist looked at him. "Oh, where did this young master come from? All your food, supplies, and alchemical materials—did they all fall from the sky?"

“…I mean, isn’t he already somewhat famous?” Eric explained.

The man sighed softly.

“That’s true… but the problem is, there are plenty of famous alchemists here. I’m not even as good as him.”

Eric asked helplessly, "When will he be back?"

"That's hard to say. They usually come back once they're sold out, but when they'll be sold out depends entirely on luck."

Eric could only go to the school gate to find McGinn, but soon realized another problem: he didn't know McGinn.

Just as Eric was about to go back and spend money to ask his neighbor to come and find someone, he suddenly saw that the female mage Molly had also set up her stall, so he rode over there.

"Miss Molly."

“You…” She looked up and quickly recognized yesterday’s big spender, but then she seemed to remember something, her expression changed, and she pretended not to recognize him, “Who are you? I don’t know you.”

Did you think he came to ask for yesterday's money back?
Eric pulled on the horse's reins. "Never mind then. I was actually thinking of doing another business deal with you."

"I remembered!"

The female mage's expression changed in an instant, and she practically pounced on him to grab his horse. "Isn't this the rich, handsome, and kind-hearted gentleman from yesterday? Please dismount quickly and give me the money... no, I mean, do business with me."

Eric remained silent, and dismounted from his horse under her enthusiastic guidance.

Greed for money is practically the defining characteristic of this well-known female mage NPC outside the Star Origin Academy, something even her teacher, Rusdy, couldn't change.

Eric had done her quest and knew that Molly, like most of the well-known NPCs in the Chaos Lands, was a homeless child. Because of her innate magical talent, she was adopted by Rusdy and became his apprentice.

However, due to the intense memories of her childhood, Molly wasn't very interested in magic. Instead, she used her magical talent to start a business reselling alchemical materials and magical items. However, she lacked foresight and just hung around the academy gates.

“I’m looking for someone. You often bully your colleagues here. You should know him.”

“What bullying of competitors… that’s normal business,” Molly retorted. “What’s his name?”

“McGin”.

She recognized him as she was, and immediately held out her hand, "One gold coin, and I'll help you find him."

Eric casually pointed, "There was someone over there who said he'd give me fifty silver coins in change, but I only turned down the business because of you."

"Alright... then fifty silver coins it is."

Eric took out his money, and Molly accepted it, then looked at her own stall.

"Go ahead, I'll keep an eye on things for you."

“Hmm…” the female mage hesitated. Eric frowned, “Do you think I’d even look at your rags?”

"You're being really rude... okay."

Molly ultimately believed him because of the gold coins and went to find someone.

Eric tied the horse to the side and stood behind the stall, watching over it while waiting. He wasn't so busy as to yell at her to sell her things.

Even so, business still came knocking on our door.

The customer was a young female mage, carrying a bare staff, and her robes were somewhat worn.

Eric initially thought she had come because of her looks, but after she stopped in front of the stall, she carefully picked through the alchemical materials without even looking at him, clearly indicating that she genuinely needed them.

He didn't bother her, but just let her choose for herself.

After a while, the female monk finally made up her mind between the two materials, picked up one of the black stones, and asked him, "How much is this sublimated fine-pore charcoal?"

Sublimated porous carbon... Eric remembered this material; it seemed to be used to remove impurities during the alchemical process.

But he didn't know the price either.

At Molly's stall, nothing was priced; the price depended entirely on her asking price. Most stalls around here were like that.

Eric thought for a moment, "Fifty silver coins?"

He remembered that the other items at the stall were priced similarly, so this one shouldn't be too far off.

The female mage shrank back, seemingly startled. "Fifty silver coins?"

“Hmm…” Eric replied without much confidence.

She stared at the charcoal in her hand for a few more moments. "What was it made of? How efficient is it at absorbing impurities? How can it sell for fifty taels of silver? Is it even better than a mid-grade impurity removal scroll?"

Eric was already getting a headache. "Well... I got it from someone else, so I don't know what kind of wood it is. But there's a reason it can sell for this price. I'm just making a little money off your hard work running errands and setting up your stall."

The female mage hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Could you make it a little cheaper?"

"Forty-eight silver coins, how about that?"

"Can you make it a little cheaper?" she pleaded.

"Forty-five silver coins, that's the lowest I can go." Seeing that she had accepted the base price of fifty silver coins, Eric felt more confident in his bid.

The female mage gripped her staff tightly, looking conflicted, and then turned to look at the other stalls near and far.

Her gaze swept around and then returned, and she found that the young, handsome man in front of her, who looked neither like a mage nor an alchemist, was actually the most reliable.

She finally made up her mind, "Alright then, forty-five silver coins, I'll take them."

The deal was done, Eric rubbed his hands together.

Ok……

There weren't even any plastic bags or anything at the stall... Is it really just a matter of paying money and receiving the goods?
The female mage counted the silver coins with her head down, but after counting for a long time she realized she didn't have enough, so she had to take out a Charon gold coin and give it to him.

Eric hesitated for a moment, but still took it and took out his own money to give her change.

How am I going to settle this score with Molly later...?

Just then, Molly returned to this side.

From a dozen steps away, she saw the black charcoal in the female mage's hand, her face full of pain.

Fearing she would lose the deal, she quickly ran over.

"Eight silver coins! High-quality sublimated porous charcoal, just one piece can remove most of the impurities, and one piece costs only eight silver coins!"

"..."

To be honest, this was the first time Eric had ever seen a woman give him such a twisted and ferocious expression since he started wearing this face.

He stopped counting the change and, despite her angry glare, silently returned the Charon gold coin to her.

"Sorry, I got the price wrong. Consider this piece of charcoal a free gift."

The female mage paused for a moment, then accepted the gold coins, bowed her head in gratitude, and quickly walked away with the charcoal.

“I also misremembered, it’s eighty silver coins.” Molly wasn’t in a hurry and directly extended her hand to Eric, who was being generous.

The latter took a deep breath, calming his feelings of regret or guilt. "You found McKinney?"

“It’s just finding someone, not killing anyone, what’s so difficult about that?” Molly raised her hand, gesturing for him to quickly pay the difference.

Eric simply gave her a gold coin and said, "Take me there."

“No need to go over.” Molly beamed as she received another gold coin. “He can’t sell anything over there, he’s not busy at all. He said he’ll come find me later, he knows me… Hey, hey, hey—”

Eric took back the gold coin he had just given her and then patiently counted out eight silver coins for her.

"It's settled."

"..."

Molly stared at him expressionlessly.

“Greed is the biggest obstacle preventing you from getting rich.” Eric continued to squat behind her stall, waiting for McKin to come over. “Believe me, you won’t get rich for at least the next ten years.”

Otherwise, she wouldn't have to stay at the academy gate every day as an NPC for players to accept the [Soul Scholar] sub-job change qualification quest.

Molly cursed him for being unlucky and a jinx, telling him to leave her stall immediately if he didn't compensate her with a gold coin for her emotional distress.

Eric ignored him and went straight back to his horse.

After a while, a middle-aged alchemist walked over from the other side. When he saw Molly, he was about to speak when she subtly waved her left hand at him, signaling him to hurry up and leave.

The problem is that Eric saw it too.

He dismounted and went over, first pointing at Molly, before speaking to the man: "Are you Master McKinney Campbell?"

The middle-aged man looked at him, then at Molly, and nodded. "I'm McKinney, not some kind of master."

“That’s great.” Eric breathed a sigh of relief and briefly explained his purpose.

McGinn was initially wary, but burst out laughing when Eric mentioned the forging material he had personally synthesized.

"Ha! I knew someone would need this!"

McKin quickly became excited, "Iggy said no one would use that material to forge equipment, but here it is! And it's a..."

“Master elven craftsman,” Eric added.

"Correct!"

McKinley pulled him along, "Come on, let's go to my place, I'll show you how that thing is synthesized."

His emotions were completely consumed by the fervor in his heart, and Eric had to pour some cold water on him.

“Master McKinney, I am just an intermediary and know nothing about alchemy. No matter how much you show me, I will not understand a single thing.”

McKin scratched his face, chuckled awkwardly, and calmed down considerably.

"Where is that master elven craftsman you mentioned?"

“Tallinn,” Eric said, “He needs you to provide some more of that forging material for research, the more the better. I wonder how much you can give me? Money is not a problem.”

McKinney took a deep breath. "I need to get back to where I live to be able to explain this clearly."

So Eric rode his horse and quickly took him back to his lodgings.

As he dismounted, the frail alchemist's legs were still trembling slightly. "Please excuse me, I've never ridden a horse before..."

Eric shook his head inwardly.

In his small house, Eric also saw the laboratory where he made the synthetic material, which was, to be precise, just a table with some bottles and jars.

McKin used physical objects to explain, "With my current abilities, to make this ceramic pot, I would need these, these, and these raw materials, as well as a morning's time. The process is like this, it requires this... and this..."

Eric listened for a while, then interrupted him, "I need the materials for ten clay pots. How much time and how many gold coins do you need?"

He planned to max out the elf master's favorability in one go, so that he wouldn't have to run quests to get equipment from him later.

"Ten clay pots!"

The massive order left McKinner somewhat dizzy. After a moment, he said, "Five days, five days at most! As for the gold coins, I'll have to recalculate. Also, could we......"

Eric took out his money bag and poured the gold coins onto his lab table.

"Money is not a problem, as long as it's done as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)