Arcane Trading Room

Lynch finally understood why Officer Natalie had only ever mentioned this place in passing but never brought him here.

Back then, with only a few pennies in his pocket, he probably would have been kicked out before even getting through the door. He felt that even the air here required a fee.

He could not blame these followers of knowledge for their conduct, as he knew that in this world, the higher the price of acquisition, the more things were valued.

The behavior of these people truly ensured that one would place greater importance on the value of knowledge and cherish what they obtained.

The problem was that using this as an excuse to extort money was far too shameless. I can just choose not to look, right? After all, I am just here to try my luck at learning some skills; I had better not stir up any extra trouble.

The librarian sighed with a hint of regret but did not continue to push the reading services. After clarifying Lynch's purpose, he led him into a special room.

According to the librarian, the screening upon entry checked not only for hostile intent but also for physical condition, including an assessment of arcane affinity. Regrettably, Lynch's affinity was only at the standard level for an ordinary person; neither good nor bad.

This meant Lynch could use arcane arts normally, but compared to those with an arcane affinity constitution, the energy consumption would be at least tenfold, and the effects would be significantly diminished. This meant it would be difficult for him to use arcane arts as his primary means of combat.

Of course, compared to those with an arcane dullness, Lynch could still be considered lucky. It was said that the daughter of an elder-generation Watcher was so dull she could not even cast the most basic luminescence spell, yet that person later joined the ranks of the Watchers anyway.

However, Lynch was not disappointed by this, as the arcane arts within the extraordinary powers of this world were not as vital as the magic in the games of his homeland.

Most of the arcane arts in this world were practical auxiliary techniques. One rarely saw flashy effects like fireballs or ice arrows from games; most were highly specific special techniques, much like the feather fall or warming spells Miss Valente had used.

Furthermore, as long as they were used correctly, even those who were not Soul Severers could use them, though the conditions were far more stringent, and success was not guaranteed every time. When Soul Severers used them, they consumed energy, whereas ordinary people consumed their own willpower. Each use lowered their willpower, which was difficult to recover. Consequently, those ordinary people who delved into mysticism and the arcane were often not entirely sane, and their ends were usually difficult to describe.

Yet, even with arcane arts being so dangerous for ordinary people, in the era before the Fourth Age when there were no Soul Severers, living beings relied on these arts to combat alien threats. Even now, a few ordinary people in specialized fields studied the arcane, and some even tried it out of sheer curiosity, which ultimately provided the Watchers with plenty of work while effectively reducing the population pressure in Lande.

In Lynch's view, he did not need to use this stuff, but he had to know a few things; as long as he could use them a few times to save his life at a critical moment, he did not need to squander mana like in a game.

Therefore, Lynch was quite satisfied with the result. Clutching his pocket, he followed the librarian into the room at the end of the corridor.

This place was somewhat like a lounge, with a wooden counter and several scattered armchairs. Four or five visitors were sitting on the sofas, unnervingly quiet, each huddled in a corner and reading a thin catalog. When they saw Lynch enter, they merely glanced up before returning their attention to their catalogs.

It was said that this was the designated area in the Knowledge Library for the consignment of documents, and also one of the most dangerous. Strange cases of disappearance occasionally occurred here because people often brought eerie goods to be sold on consignment, each exuding an irresistible attraction that made those who touched them unable to resist opening them to read.

And then, there was no then.

"You are different from them. They want to buy literature, so they need to look at the sales catalog. You want to buy abilities and arcane arts, so the catalog is useless for you."

The librarian brought Lynch to the counter, nodded to the young man in an academic robe sitting behind it, and pulled a thick book with a black cover from under the counter.

"Use this. It is more convenient for searching, though it can be a bit troublesome."

Do you not think you are contradicting yourself? Besides, what trouble could a book possibly be? It is not like it is going to jump up and bite me.

Lynch opened it curiously and found he could not understand a single word. The characters looked like a pile of wriggling earthworms, twisting and entwining together. Staring at them for a few moments made him feel dizzy and nauseous, almost to the point of vomiting.

The librarian smiled and pressed his hand onto it.

The next moment, a faint red mist suddenly diffused from the pages—the symbol of the filth of the Dreamlands. The red mist quickly enveloped the tome, making the entire book appear hazy. Then, a human face slowly emerged on the pitch-black cover. The face suddenly opened its eyes, its lips moved as if it had come alive, and it spoke its first sentence.

"Who disturbs the sleep of the great Sair? State your name, and the great Sair shall grant you eternal slumber."

"This is a familiar of the Lord of a Billion Radiance, mostly found in the library rooms of various ruins. It is very useful for searching. Sair, he wants to buy some arcane arts and abilities. Help him search for items recently placed on consignment."

"Guard your humility and respect, Dalil. Call me Lord Sair." The eyes on the cover turned to Lynch and suddenly let out a burst of laughter. "Arcane dullness! Hahaha, struggling even to use a single arcane art, how truly pathetic. Do you know what arcane dullness implies? See the ink bottle next to me? I suspect its affinity is higher than yours. How about you two swap? You crouch on the table, and it can go learn the arcane arts for you."

You son of a... can you not speak properly? I am actually being mocked by a book. What is wrong with this library? Everything about it reeks of something sinister.

Lynch felt his temple twitching, but bickering with a book seemed beneath his dignity, so he simply twitched the corner of his mouth and maintained the most polite smile possible.

"Dalil, even the Lord of Radiance has said that one must be cautious when using me. I am a noble Book of Arcane and Wisdom; do not bring just anything before me. I refuse to help these arcane-dull barbarians search. They are only fit to wear animal skins, carry wooden clubs, and dance the hula. Hey, barbarian, why don't you dance one for me right now? If the great Sair is satisfied... Ouch! What are you doing? Wait, stop, barbarian!"

Lynch had done nothing, just smiling as he picked up the ink bottle, unscrewed the cap, and hovered it over Sair.

"Calm down! I am the great Sair! You cannot do this to me! Stop, I was wrong! Respected sir, I was truly wrong. Please forgive my dullness; I will search for you right now. Ta-da! Sair is indeed the greatest Book of Wisdom. The results of the search are fast and good. Let me see... Hahaha, you are too unlucky, there are so few that suit you. I... wait, don't pour the ink! I was wrong, I'll shut up immediately!"

Lynch felt his blood pressure soaring. He snatched the book away; it had already automatically flipped to a page showing a record of goods.

The librarian, Dalil, leaned in to look and sighed: "Regrettably, there is no one selling arcane arts during this period. You will have to come back another day to try your luck. However, there is one ability you can use under the Death Authority called 'End Resonance'. Your spirit can resonate with the soul of a dying person and enter their soul world. Most people use it to listen to final words, though some take the opportunity to discuss countermeasures. Unfortunately, it is a useless ability, so it has been sitting here for a long time."

It really was tasteless, but Lynch still asked: "How much is this?"

"It is truly stagnant stock. Just the minimum price: ten pounds. Including the five percent commission, ten pounds and ten shillings."

"Ha? The buyer has to pay the commission? I thought the seller paid it."

Dalil revealed a subtle smile: "The seller takes away nine pounds and ten shillings."

Damn, charging commission on both ends? Are you guys real estate agents?

"Actually, you should just come back in a few days; perhaps there will be suitable items then," Dalil spread his hands. "There really is nothing suitable for sale right now. What a pity."

Lynch did not think it was a pity; on the contrary, he was somewhat tempted.

There was no upper limit to the number of abilities a Soul Severer could have, nor was there a slot-limitation issue. So-called 'having many skills is no burden'; it was always good to learn one more ability. Even if it was currently useless, there was no guarantee he would not have a chance to use it in the future. Moreover, it could deepen his understanding of the Death Authority from different perspectives.

It was just that the price was truly heart-wrenching, making Lynch quite hesitant. However, just as he was struggling with the decision, he heard someone ask from behind.

"I do happen to know an arcane art that you Soul Severers love: Flash. I wonder if you are interested."

A young voice suddenly rang out from behind him. Both Lynch and Dalil were stunned and turned around to look.