The Dark Mage (2)

On the third day of his consecutive visits to the tea shop, Zanjie Morito opted to window shop at the tools and weaponry shop.

"Good day, sir! How can I be of assistance to you?" A young mage with dark features and an average build greeted the visiting Zanjie with the right amount of enthusiasm. The attendant was new to this job so he needed to attract new customers so he could earn a commission.

Zanjie noticed the young man's features who seemed to have a hint of being a dark mage. But the young attendant was only at mage level 1 and he was not looking around for disciples considering this person was also one of the captives in a slave trade. The high-ranked dark mage replied with slight indifference, "I am looking around for new weapons, specifically a set of daggers."

"How many daggers in a set do you want? We have different lengths of blades in our display. But that would be on the second floor. Seeing as you are a high-ranked mage, I shall usher you to the floor where you can find better options."

When Zanjie heard the 'a high-ranked mage', his ears perked up as he was briefly astonished at the efficiency of the staff to learn the level of their customers. It didn't take him more than a minute to touch the dark crystal ball at the entrance. But then, the shop seemed to have logged in his record.

"We always get that a lot when customers are surprised about us knowing their levels. We have this device called a wristwatch, that not only tells the exact time but also functions as a recording device with an application that informs us about the level of our customers."

Upon learning about the device, Zanjie was more startled as his intention to be in incognito might be exposed. He was reassured though when he heard the attendant utter, "We respect the privacy of our customers, so we don't log your name and personal details when we gather your spiritual energy from the crystal ball."

"You may call me Cray, sir. I would like to reassure you again that only your level will be recorded. Now, please follow me to the second floor." The attendant named Cray looked at his customer briefly so as not to offend the high-ranked mage. He sent a forced smile while internally nervous. He then led Zanjie to the second floor through a staircase carpeted in red.

As he followed the attendant, Zanjie observed closely the interior of the shop. He noted the high ceiling and lights in white and gold emitted from the crystals installed in hanging patterns at the ceiling.

"The lights at the ceiling are emitted from the crystals formed differently, some are in uniform decorative shapes while others are simple in design. We call these chandeliers."

Seeing the lighting in the ceiling, he found it more elegant than the other shops he visited even in the city of Teyle. To think that this shop was located within a first-class village prompted the dark mage to reevaluate the village again. He needed to report this matter to his superior.

On the second floor, he was astonished by the varied display of weapons. These weapons are inside transparent glass crystals in various sizes to accommodate each set of weapons. Meanwhile, each of the five swords was displayed horizontally and placed on sword racks inside the transparent glass crystal.

"Sir, we have these swords created by our dwarf apprentice together with our master craftsman, Master Larry Chua. Each of the swords was infused with mana and immortal spiritual energy, making each a high-grade weapon. These swords are made of palladium and celestial iron. But there are variations of raw materials in each weapon aside from those heavenly metals. You can learn about it when you pay for a reserve. By then, the craft master will invite you to help in the refining process to assure your possession of the sword. You may also ask for minimal improvements."

Learning about the materials of the swords almost made him change his mind to go over one of the swords rather than the daggers. But when he glanced to his right side, he discovered a rare gem of daggers inside the transparent glass crystal.

For a brief time, he decided to steal the display with his shadow powers. But when he attempted to do it, he was astounded to learn that his powers were negated.

The shop had mechanisms that thwarted the release of mana except for a situation when the server asked the customers to hold a dark crystal ball to assess the mage level. Thankfully, the attendant did not notice his intention and was even absorbed in introducing the item.

"This set only has three. However, these daggers are made of star platinum and rare tektite as you notice the edges of the blade to be darker than the center, which is silvery. The hilt made of the tektite is encrusted with blue gems of spirit crystals of high-grade quality."

"How much will that be?" Zanjie's eyes were glued to the item as if the object was calling him to possess a set of it.

"It's 1,500 high-grade spirit coins."

For a moment, Zanjie was astonished by the tag price. But when he considered the raw materials for making the daggers, he believed having taken possession of the daggers would be worth it.

"Okay, I will take it." Without taking his eyes off the items, he took a magic bag of spirit coins from his storage ring. He hurriedly handed the magic bag to the attendant.

"Would you want certain improvements to the daggers, sir?" The attendant asked as he received the payment. He verified the content of the bag to be of the exact amount.

"No need."

"Can I ask you to please step back from the glass crystal box?"

Without question, Zanjie immediately complied. He only realized after a minute that the daggers were inside a black jade box after the attendant manipulated the opening of the glass crystal box.

As to the mechanism of releasing the items from the glass crystal box, he eyed Cray configuring the wristwatch in which the magic bag containing his payment was stored. After a second, an azure light beamed to the glass crystal box and released the set of daggers enclosed in that box and then transferred to a black jade box with a length of not more than 15 inches.

After receiving his item, Zanjie asked about the third floor since he didn't see any staircase.

"Sir, we can only accommodate mage level 7 and above for the third floor. There's no staircase leading to it but a portal that can only let in those who met the qualifications."

"I see… Since, I have these daggers now, no need for me to find other weapons."

"Thank you for trusting us." Cray took a bow after placing his right fist on the chest.