Aozaki Aoko Case File [212]

Lina took out an object about the size of a child's fist, resembling a crystal ball, and placed it on the ground. The crystal ball began to spin on its own and eventually stopped, pointing in the direction of the window. (It looked like some kind of compass.)

"This should be north..." Lina muttered to herself. She then pulled out a piece of paper with a magic circle drawn in the center and spread it flat on the ground.

Next, she took out an ink bottle and a brush, brushing the ink onto a wooden board before transferring the magic circle onto a smaller card.

"Miss Aoko, could you place that ruby in the center of the magic circle? Just align it along the north-south axis," Lina said to Aoko. Aoko nodded and carefully placed a ruby, roughly shaped like a prism, in the center of the magic circle, arranging it as Lina had instructed. Then Lina gently placed the card on top of the ruby.

From what Aoko had learned about the magical knowledge of this world, this seemed to be a purification ritual. She could already guess what Lina was planning to do.

"O crimson flames, source of all power, burn brightly..."

As Lina chanted, the card suddenly caught fire. The magic circle imprinted on the card was transferred into the ruby by Lina's magic. This high-quality gem was now a magical gem imbued with fire magic.

Aoko rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Judging by what she had observed, this method seemed to be a unique enchantment mechanism of this world. Furthermore, it appeared that Lina, apart from using her magic power, incurred no other losses. This technique was indeed worth learning.

After inspecting the newly enchanted ruby, Lina grabbed a handful of low-quality rubies, held them in her hand, and placed her hand above the enchanted ruby. She began chanting again:

"O winds that traverse the skies and the earth, eternal yet fleeting, gather and transform..."

Lina's magic turned the low-quality rubies in her hand into gem powder, which she evenly sprinkled over the enchanted ruby.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Lina said to Aoko, gesturing for her to come over. "This magic may not be destructive, but it's not something just anyone can perform. It's one of the criteria for high-level sorcerers!"

Aoko imitated Lina, grabbing a handful of low-quality rubies. However, unlike Lina, Aoko was already a highly skilled mage. She had excellent mastery over silent spellcasting, and for lower-level spells like this, she didn't even need to chant aloud.

With just a little concentration, the low-quality rubies in Aoko's hand turned into gem powder, which she then sprinkled onto the enchanted ruby as Lina had done earlier.

"Impressive!" Lina praised. "Even though our worlds have different magic systems, it seems the qualities of a sorcerer are universal. Judging by your age, you're a genius!"

Aoko smiled and accepted Lina's compliment, though she secretly thought to herself that she was actually in her twenties. Her body, however, was eternally seventeen years old—a little secret of hers as a magician.

"We still have a lot of leftover gem fragments. Let's finish them together so we don't keep Gourry waiting too long," Lina said.

Aoko nodded, and the two of them alternated using the gem purification magic to process the low-quality rubies, which would otherwise have been worthless.

After they had used up all the fragments, Lina took out a small bottle of potion and poured the green liquid onto the small mound of gem powder. The powder now looked like a slushie, compacted and glistening.

"O infinite earth that nurtures all life, gentle rivers that flow endlessly, gather and take form in my hands!"

With a flash of dazzling magical light, the mound of gem powder fused with the enchanted ruby, reforging into a large enchanted ruby at least the size of a fist.

"With this, the Flame Gem Amulet is complete!" Lina exclaimed, happily rubbing the ruby against her cheek. Her tone was light and cheerful.

When the two of them returned to the entrance of the magic shop, Gourry was already lying on the grass outside, fast asleep, snoring so loudly it was deafening. His adaptability was truly impressive.

Without hesitation, Lina walked over and kicked him twice to wake him up. The three of them then entered the magic shop together.

The shop was filled with a wide variety of goods: enchanted items, everyday materials for sorcerers, equipment, and even weapons. The selection was so broad that even Aoko examined the items with great interest.

"Boss, I want to sell these!" Lina loudly declared to the shopkeeper, an elderly man with gray hair. It was obvious how eager she was to make money.

The shopkeeper nodded and looked at the items Lina had brought: ancient coins, the enchanted ruby, and a magic weapon. He then took out a monocle and carefully inspected the ruby.

"Oh, this seems to have been magically processed," the shopkeeper said, immediately recognizing the value of the enchanted ruby. "You seem to be quite skilled as a sorcerer. I'll buy this at 30% above market price. How does that sound?"

"Deal!" Lina said happily. "You're quite the discerning one, old man!"

"Next, let's take a look at this dagger..." The shopkeeper picked up the weapon and examined it closely, appearing to sense the magic imbued in it. "This looks like a decent magical item. I'll need to unsheathe it to take a closer look..."

"If I were you, I wouldn't unsheathe it here," Aoko said calmly while examining the enchanted paper the shop sold. "That dagger is cursed. If you unsheathe it, the vengeful spirit attached to it will possess you. It won't end well for anyone."

"Good point!" The shopkeeper immediately heeded the warning and carefully placed the dagger into a special box designed for storing cursed weapons. "Alright, I'll price it as a cursed weapon. Does that work for you?"

Lina thought about negotiating for a higher price but decided against it. She was about to stop the shopkeeper from unsheathing the dagger herself, but Aoko had been quicker to act.

"Altogether, these items come to 3,600 gold coins. How does that sound?" the shopkeeper asked. "If you get similar items in the future, feel free to come back. I'll give you a good price."

"Deal!" Lina was very satisfied with the price. She was also surprised that the shopkeeper had the equipment to handle cursed items, marking him as a seasoned professional.

After receiving the coins, Lina took out 1,000 gold coins, giving 500 to Aoko and 500 to Gourry. Her generosity was evident.

"Huh? Lina, isn't this money from selling your treasures?" Gourry scratched his head in confusion. "There's no need to share it with me."

"You've done a great job as my bodyguard!" Lina said, slapping Gourry's back. "I, Lina Inverse, am no cheapskate. If you worked for it, you deserve to be paid. No arguments!"

Gourry thought about it and, without further protest, accepted the money. After all, his travels required significant funds as well.