Wizards begin by accessing the Inspiration panel.

Chapter 140 Three Top-Tier Sorcery Items

"Is there anything better, like a longbow of top-tier witchcraft artifact level?" Richard asked this time.

Of the three bows the girl had just taken, the remaining two were clearly only mid-level witchcraft artifacts.

Richard had even less interest in watching this.

"This..." The girl hesitated slightly.

Richard was delighted to see this.

Clearly, the girl's expression revealed that this auction house must possess a longbow of top-tier witchcraft artifact quality.

The current situation is simply that either this item has already been ordered, or the auction house wants to use it as the grand finale item in the auction.

"The magic stone is not a problem," Richard added.

"Please forgive me, sir, but if you are truly interested in purchasing top-tier witchcraft items, I would like to trouble you to demonstrate your purchasing power," the girl said solemnly.

Because the girl encountered many wizard apprentices who, like Richard, would look at several items but not be satisfied, and would request to see items of a higher grade. However, this exceeded her reception authority and required reporting to the supervisor.

However, when the supervisor arrives, the other party often reveals their limited financial resources.

After several instances where customers looked at products but didn't buy them, her supervisor had started to have some complaints about her.

"Hmm, sure, how about this?" Richard didn't seem to think anything of it, and took out the [Storm Fury] short staff, handing it to the girl.

In my past life, it was very common to need to verify funds when purchasing expensive items.

Moreover, there are even more outrageous cases. For example, in Richard's previous life, when he bought Hermès bags, he often had to purchase other items as well.

"Pairing" means that if a customer wants to buy a bag, say for 100,000, they also have to spend another 100,000 to buy other Hermès products, otherwise the Hermès bag cannot be sold to them.

"This...this is a top-tier sorcery artifact?" The girl took the [Storm's Fury] and was instantly shocked by the powerful wind element energy it contained. She stared at Richard with wide eyes and asked in surprise.

"Not bad, does this prove my purchasing power?" Richard said with a smile.

"Of course, please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch the manager right away." The girl respectfully handed [Storm Fury] to Richard with both hands, and then hurriedly ran out.

The girl knew that this visit must be from a very important client.

Because this was her first time meeting a customer, she was using top-tier witchcraft tools.

A short while later, the young woman entered, accompanied by a middle-aged man dressed as a butler in a tuxedo.

The man also has a distinctive appearance, with a mustache.

"Distinguished guest, hello. I am Boris, the manager of Pete Auction House. I heard that you wish to purchase a top-tier witchcraft artifact?" Boris bowed slightly and greeted you politely.

"Yes, I've come to purchase a top-tier magical artifact weapon, either a bow or a knight's longsword," Richard said slowly.

"Do you have any specific requirements regarding weapon attributes and appearance?"

"That doesn't matter, as long as the lethality is as high as possible."

"If that's the case, our auction house happens to have three of the items you need. Please wait a moment." Boris smiled and quietly instructed the girl to fetch them.

A short while later, Richard saw the girl carrying three boxes, two large and one small.

However, the smaller box didn't seem like it could hold a bow or a knight's longsword, which puzzled Richard.

Boris first opened the largest box, taking out a huge pale blue longbow as he began to introduce it:

"【Griffin Wings】, a top-tier sorcery item, made from griffin feathers, imbued with the Wind and Sharpness spells. It can fire five arrows daily, each enhanced with these two level-zero spells. After use, it only requires 12 hours of charging before it can be used again."

"How powerful are these five arrows?" Richard raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest in his expression, and asked.

"If you use them with special arrows made from griffin tail feathers—griffin tail arrows—then each of these five arrows will have a lethality exceeding 7 degrees, approaching 8 degrees," Boris said confidently.

Richard remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was extremely satisfied.

This attack power has reached the lethality of a relatively weak level zero sorcery.

Moreover, being able to use it five times a day is already quite a lot.

Combined with his archery skills at their peak, his destructive power could probably be increased by one or two levels.

Generally speaking, the destructive power of magic is below 5 degrees. Magic exceeding 5 degrees but not exceeding 20 degrees is considered level zero magic, while magic above 20 degrees is considered to have entered the threshold of level one magic.

It should be added that the lethality mentioned here refers to the lethality tested by a wizard of medium aptitude or a wizard apprentice with a proficient level of wizardry control, without the influence of wizardry tools or other factors.

For example, Richard's Shadow Grip, when used, is not actually very powerful, dealing only about 12 damage.

However, if a top genius with exceptional dark elemental affinity were to cast Shadow Grip under the same conditions, the damage would likely reach over 15 degrees.

Therefore, the destructive power of a spell depends on a combination of factors, including the level of control over the spell, elemental affinity, and the spell's props.

Of course, Shadow Grip is not known for its lethality, but rather for its versatility, which makes it rank very high among level zero shadow magic.

Richard gently stroked the pale blue Griffin Wings that Boris had handed him. The bow had a strange feel to it, neither gold nor wood. It seemed that what was mentioned earlier, that it was made from griffin feathers, was indeed true.

Furthermore, there are two miniature magic circles on the handle of the [Griffin's Wing] bow, one above the other, currently surging with powerful wind elemental energy. Presumably, one is the Sharpness spell circle and the other is the Gale spell circle.

However, seeing is believing, so Richard stood up and asked, "May I try it out?"

"Of course, please follow me, esteemed guest." Boris stood up and walked to the side of the VIP room. After opening a small door, Richard was greeted by a spacious small training ground.

The entire training ground is rectangular, more than 100 meters deep and only 30 to 40 meters wide. At one end of the ground, there are several mannequins made of iron and wood.

Richard immediately felt an urge to try it. Following the instructions on the Griffin Wings, he recited a few syllables, and the longbow shone brightly with a blue light, clearly indicating that the magic circle had been activated.

Richard nocked his eagle-tailed arrow and aimed it at the ironwood dummy from nearly a hundred meters away.

As Richard nocked the arrow, he instantly felt two bursts of wind energy being applied to the eagle-tailed arrow in his hand.

"Chirp!" A distinctive, extremely sharp sound pierced the air.

A blurry afterimage flashed by as the eagle-tailed arrow shot straight at the ironwood dummy's torso at an incredibly high speed, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

"Duo!" After hitting the target, it only made a dull impact sound, seemingly not very powerful.

But Richard, whose eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary people, had already seen that the eagle-tailed arrow he had just shot was now deeply embedded in the hard ironwood, with only the fletching of the arrow protruding, less than an inch above the ground.

A surge of shock welled up inside Richard. Hiss! This penetrating power is comparable to the Barrett heavy sniper rifle he saw in his previous life.

This is exactly the high-powered longbow that Richard needs right now.

Boris and the girl were surprised that Richard could hit the dummy from such a distance. They clapped their hands and praised, "Excellent archery! Your archery skills are truly eye-opening."

"How much does this bow cost?" Richard asked.

"The base price is 1800 magic stones. If you want to buy it directly, you will need to pay 2700 magic stones. Of course, we will also give you a tube of eagle tail arrows, a total of twenty. If you buy the eagle tail arrows separately, they will cost 5 magic stones each."

Richard nodded, said nothing, and turned back to the VIP room.

Boris and the girl exchanged glances, both unsure of Richard's meaning—whether he wanted it or not.

After sitting back down, Richard said, "Manager Boris, aren't you going to introduce the second item?"

Boris was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening and immediately began enthusiastically introducing the next item to Richard.

When the girl opened the second large box, a slender, silver-white knight's longsword came into Richard's view. As soon as it touched the air, frost began to condense on the surface of its blade.

It was about 20 centimeters longer than a typical knight's longsword, and the blade was also slightly narrower. In addition to the magic circle, there was also an intricate pattern on the hilt.

The pattern seemed familiar. A flash of inspiration struck Richard, and he recalled that it was somewhat similar to the patterns of the Night Elves, yet there were differences.

After examining it more closely, Richard felt that the longsword was most likely not made by a human craftsman, and turned to ask, "An elven longsword?"

Boris looked quite surprised, glanced at Richard with appreciation, and exclaimed, "Your Excellency is truly knowledgeable!"

Boris immediately stopped teasing them and began to introduce the sword: "【Frost Guardian】, a masterpiece from the craftsmen of the Northern Elves, forged entirely from cold iron mixed with a trace of gold essence. It is said that this longsword is the standard issue for the Elven Queen's personal guard."

Upon hearing this, Richard's expression immediately changed slightly. He had certainly heard of the great name of Golden Essence. Just a small amount of this material could greatly increase the hardness of a weapon.

Boris paused, then added, "Although it's standard equipment, very few pieces have ended up outside the country."

Upon hearing this, Richard nodded in agreement. The equipment of the Elf Queen's personal guard that could possibly be found outside was probably very limited.

Boris emphasized this point, with a clear purpose: to show that although this is standard equipment of the Elf Queen's Guard, it is extremely rare in human territory.

"【Frost Guardian】is a top-tier sorcery item. There is a sorcery circle on each side of the hilt, which respectively imbues the sword with the level zero ice-type sorcery Deep Winter's Chill and ALS. Anyone struck by the sword will be injured by its unique coldness, and their movement speed and agility will be greatly reduced."

Both of the magical arrays inflicted frost damage, and Richard quickly understood the elven craftsman's reasoning in forging the longsword.

The reason why this [Frost Guardian] doesn't have the Sharpness spell is because the blade already has a trace of gold essence added to it. In terms of sharpness and hardness, even if a sorcery array is added to further enhance it, the improvement will not be significant, because it is already sharp and sturdy enough.

Therefore, within the limited space, ice-based magical arrays were inscribed on the hilt, making the weapon incredibly cold.

Richard ran his fingertips lightly across the frost-covered blade of the sword, feeling an extreme chill penetrate his body from his fingertips, even without activating the special effects of the sorcery array.

If you activate the effects of two magic circles and then slash the enemy with this longsword, the feeling on their part must be incredibly intense!

That's what Sprite is all about in the summer – so refreshing!

"If the special effects are applied, how long can the two spell circles last?"

"It can last for about ten minutes, and it needs to be recharged for a day before it can be used again," Boris added.

Richard nodded; ten minutes was generally enough for a battle.

He loved the weapon's special effect: reducing the enemy's movement speed and agility. This kind of effect could only be created by a very few ice-specialized wizards and master craftsmen from the North.

However, this elven longsword has an extraordinary origin, and its price will likely be astonishing.

"What's the price of this longsword?" Richard pondered for a moment, then turned to ask Boris.

"The base price is 2200 magic stones. If you choose to purchase directly, the total cost will be 3300 magic stones." Boris glanced at Richard meaningfully, seemingly trying to gauge Richard's willingness to buy and his financial resources through his expression.

Richard's expression remained unchanged throughout; he simply handed the longsword back to the girl in a gentlemanly manner.

At this point, Boris raised an eyebrow, but instead of continuing to introduce the last item, he picked up a teacup from the coffee table and said, "Distinguished guest, please allow me to have some honey tea. I've just introduced two items, and now my mouth is a little dry."

Richard chuckled. Upon hearing Boris's words, he knew that Boris's silence after two meetings meant he was beginning to doubt Richard's sincerity in making the purchase.

The next second, Richard turned to Boris and said with a smile, "Manager Boris, I would like to sell this [Storm Fury] to your auction house. If the price is right, I think your house would not mind having another piece in your collection."

Boris's eyes lit up when he saw the blue short staff Richard handed him. He had just heard Penelope say that the other party had a top-level witchcraft artifact, but seeing it now, he was still greatly surprised.

Because [Storm's Fury] is made entirely of bright wood and specializes in wind magic, it would be a perfect match for a wizard apprentice with a high affinity for wind elements.

Moreover, from another perspective, this [Storm's Fury] is a short staff. For wizard apprentices, the use of a short staff is obviously easier than that of a bow or sword, so it will have a certain increase in value.

Boris held the [Storm's Fury] in his hand with obvious delight, examining it closely. He then checked the instruction array and said, "Distinguished guest, your [Storm's Fury] is extremely rare. Our Pete Auction House is willing to offer 3500 magic stones for it. What do you say?"

Richard pondered for a moment. The price was acceptable, even a bit higher than the [Frost Guardian], which met his expectations.

Boris and Richard remained silent, then Boris continued, "Of course, VIPs, you can also choose to consign your item for auction by our auction house. However, we will take 10% of the total price as commission."

Richard would definitely not choose consignment. As for [Storm's Fury], Richard realized that even if he happened to encounter a wizard apprentice specializing in wind magic, the auction price should not exceed 4200 magic stones. After deducting the 10% transaction fee, it would be between 3700 and 3800.

From this perspective, although the other party must have slightly lowered the price, I'm in a hurry to sell, so there's no need to haggle over a hundred or two magic stones.

Richard smiled and said, "Manager Boris, no rush. Isn't there a third item? Could you tell me about it now?"

Boris smiled mysteriously and said, "Of course, this item is extremely rare, and therefore very expensive. Most third-level wizard apprentices probably can't afford it, but you, esteemed guest, are certainly not among them."

After a pause, Boris noticed that Richard's expression remained calm, so he carefully opened the small box and handed it to Richard.

In the center of the ornate box lay a dull gray metal wristband, unremarkable in appearance and seemingly less valuable than the box itself.

Richard was intrigued and looked up at Boris, who waved his hand, indicating that Richard could check it himself.

When Richard touched the metal wristband, he found it to be cool to the touch and of moderate weight. Moreover, the magic circle was actually engraved inside the wristband. Upon touching it, he discovered that the inner circle was full of magic runes, which were extremely intricate.

When Boris saw Richard finally show a look of doubt, he smiled with satisfaction, seemingly pleased with the effect, and introduced, "This item, called the [Mimetic Bracelet], is made of mimicry metal mixed with gold essence and thorium, and it was crafted by a formal wizard."

Mimicry metal! Richard was surprised. He had certainly heard of mimicry metal. It was said that only formal wizards had the ability to make it, and it was extremely expensive.

"You've seen the magic circle inside the wristband, haven't you? It's a special mimicry circle. Although it's complex, it only has one function: to simulate the shape the user envisions in their mind."

"Because this item is mixed with gold essence and thorium, both of which are exceptionally strong metals, its greatest use is to conjure defensive equipment such as shields or armor."

"Of course, it would be perfectly fine to use it to conjure a knight's longsword, but its special effects wouldn't be as good as the [Frost Guardian] you saw earlier."

Richard nodded in understanding. The greatest function of biomimetic metal is to change shape in order to cope with various situations.

Moreover, leaning towards defense is actually a good thing, as it can further enhance one's defensive capabilities.

"Can I give it a try?"

Seeing Richard's slightly excited face, Boris smiled and nodded.

After examining the instruction array inside the wristband, Richard immediately recited a few short syllables in the Akkadian script recorded therein.

In an instant, the dull gray wristband turned bright silver, and ripples spread across its surface, as if there were water on the surface.

Richard began to mentally visualize the shape of a square tower shield. The instant the image of the shield was completed in his mind, the wrist guard instantly transformed into a thin square tower shield, standing in front of Richard.

Richard was overjoyed. The mimicry metal changed at an extremely fast speed, almost in sync with what he was thinking, which was beyond his expectations.

However, after carefully examining its deformed state, Richard frowned and said, "This thickness...?"

Seemingly a little doubtful about how much defense this thickness could provide, Boris quickly explained, "Honorable guest, don't be fooled by its thinness. With the current area, the defensive strength should be around 15 degrees. Moreover, the smaller the area, the higher the defensive strength, reaching up to nearly 20 degrees, which is almost the limit of a wizard apprentice's attack power."

I see. The larger the area, the weaker the defense; the smaller the area, the stronger the defense.

Richard nodded in understanding. If used properly, having this equipment is often equivalent to having an extra life.

Richard then adjusted the tower shield and asked, "How many magic stones?"

"The base price is 5000 magic stones. If you want to buy it directly, you will need to pay 7500 magic stones."

"What?" Richard exclaimed in surprise.

Although Richard had expected it to be expensive, he didn't expect the [Mimetic Wristband] to be this pricey.

To be aware, a basic, low-level magical artifact costs around ten thousand magic stones.

This top-tier sorcery item actually costs 7500 magic stones. It's a good item, but the price is just too high.

Boris, of course, noticed Richard's surprise and calmly said, "This Mimicry Bracer was once a family heirloom of a small wizarding family. Later, the family experienced some changes and fell apart. After many twists and turns, this Mimicry Bracer finally ended up in our Pete Auction House."

"We paid a considerable price to acquire it. Originally, this item was intended to be the highlight of our auction three days later, so..."

At this point, Boris paused and didn't continue.

Richard understood what the other party meant. If he thought the price was too high, he could wait until the auction three days later to bid. If there were fewer bidders, the price might be cheaper.

At this moment, the VIP room fell silent. Neither Boris nor the girl interrupted Richard's thoughts.

Anyone would think carefully before buying such an expensive item.

Actually, Richard wasn't thinking that the [Mimetic Wristband] was too expensive and therefore not worth buying.

He was considering whether to choose the Mimicry Bracers alone, or the Mimicry Bracers and Griffin Wings, or perhaps all three?

The price of a single [Mimicry Bracers] is 7500 Magic Stones, but if you include [Frost Guardian] and [Griffin Wings], it will be 13500 Magic Stones.

An absolutely enormous sum of money!

(End of this chapter)