bookandnovel Chapter 74 The Minister of Alchemy, the Wizard's Staff and Robes
Chapter 74 The Minister of Alchemy, the Wizard's Staff and Robes
"Ian, you've finally arrived!"
As soon as Ian entered, he saw Hyde smiling at him.
"I apologize, Minister Hyde, these past few days..."
"No problem, come with me to the alchemy department!"
Hyde waved his hand.
Soon, a carriage was ready outside the door, and a servant bent down to lift the curtain for the two of them.
"carriage!"
Ian followed and sat down inside.
The carriage sped along the road, passing through residential areas and even school districts...
Ian was very surprised.
There is also a school of thought on carriages, but they can only travel in fixed areas, while the carriage in front of us is moving freely without any obstacles.
This is clearly a privilege reserved for top-tier wizard apprentices.
Soon, they arrived near a huge complex of buildings.
Unlike the towering castle of the Potions Department, this was a cluster of low buildings, with chimneys extending from the rooftops, emitting thick smoke of various colors.
Just by walking into this area, Ian felt that the temperature seemed to have risen considerably.
"Let's go, let's go straight to Ed."
Hyde walked out of the carriage.
"Ed?"
"The head of the Alchemy Department actually has the same level of power as the deputy head of the Potions Department, but he wields all power and his wealth is far beyond what I can match!" Hyde explained, turning his head.
Ian understood.
The Potions Department is part-time headed by Hyde, but the Alchemy Department is clearly different; it has a dedicated head.
They got off the carriage.
The two walked towards the center of the alchemy department.
No one stopped them along the way.
At the very center was a low building that resembled a blacksmith's shop, from which came loud, clanging sounds.
"Ed, open the door!"
Hyde pounded on the door without any hesitation.
"They're here!"
Suddenly, a deep, muffled voice came from inside the door, followed by the appearance of a short, burly wizard with a full beard.
Ian was a little surprised.
This appearance doesn't seem like that of a normal wizard. Has he practiced special witchcraft?
"He has some dwarf blood."
Hyde whispered to Ian from the side.
Ian suddenly realized.
The wizarding world is vast, with numerous races, some assimilated by wizards, and others hostile to them.
The dwarves are considered to be in the middle.
However, the Emerald Forest is still quite rare, and this is the first time he has seen a human with dwarven blood.
"Hyde, what are you doing here?"
Ed came out and looked at Hyde.
"Of course I'm here to exchange for magic stones. I've already bet a thousand magic stones on you!" Hyde said with a smile, taking out a mark.
Ed raised an eyebrow.
Then Ian was seen behind Hyde.
"Ian?"
Ed raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion.
"Yes, Lord Ed," Ian bowed.
"Tsk tsk, you've got something."
Ed nodded.
Although he was the one who opened the betting pool, he didn't actually pay much attention to Ian.
Talent is one aspect, but he was indeed unknown.
The result was a big one, which finally made him notice Ian.
In other words, the number of bets Ian can enter is relatively small, so the losses are not significant.
If it weren't for that guy interfering, we might have even made a small profit.
Thinking of this, he stared at Hyde beside him.
He didn't give me a friendly look at all.
"Brother Ed, I'm perfectly legitimate!"
Hyde and Ed seem to have a good relationship, he said, spreading his hands.
"Okay, I'll exchange it for you, but I don't have many magic stones left. I might have to trade you resources instead."
Ed snorted.
"Of course, I came here specifically to ask you for a batch of magical artifacts," Hyde grinned.
"Okay, but is the front line already in such a hurry?"
Ed frowned.
"It's okay now, but it might be different in a year or two. The Blackstone School's resilience and foundation are surprisingly strong."
Hyde also became serious and shook his head.
Ian listened from the side.
I was also startled.
This was the first time he had learned about the school wars from the higher-ups at the academy.
Are you in a pessimistic state?
Ian suddenly felt a sense of urgency; he knew he had to become stronger as soon as possible.
We cannot slack off!
The two chatted for a few minutes and then stopped, clearly indicating that this topic was not suitable for discussion in public.
Ed turned to look at Ian.
"Ian, you must have bet three hundred magic stones, right? You bet on the top three."
"Yes."
Ian nodded.
"I remember it was 1 to 4, which means I need to give you 1,500 magic stones, including the principal." Ed also felt a toothache.
This is no small amount of magic stones.
"Like Hyde, I'll use magical artifacts to replace some of them," Ed said, stroking his beard.
Part of it?
Ian thought about it for a moment, and it didn't seem like a bad idea; he did need some magical artifacts.
So he nodded.
Hyde then interjected, "Don't bring any junk. Don't bring anything below zero ring level."
Ed glanced at Hyde, knowing that with Hyde around, he wouldn't be able to get away with it today.
"Let's go to the warehouse and choose."
Soon, the group headed to the warehouse.
It is located not far away.
The door opened.
A row of shelves appeared before Ian's eyes.
Rare ores, materials, staves, stacked wizard robes, and all sorts of strange and wonderful things.
"A wizard's robe?"
"These aren't the ones you're wearing; they're all magical artifacts branded with runes," Hyde said as they walked.
Wizards who create alchemical artifacts are called alchemists, and these artifacts with unique abilities are called magical artifacts.
"These are all low-grade zero-ring areas, including small warehouses."
Ed walked at the very front.
The wizard apprenticeship stage is also known as the zero ring, and wizard artifacts are divided into low, medium, and high grades.
Soon, the three entered a small warehouse.
The number of items decreased significantly at once.
"You can't take the items that were previously put into storage, but there are a few items that haven't been put into storage yet, you can take a look."
Ed pointed to a shelf on the side, on which were seven or eight items scattered about.
Ian looked over.
There were two staffs, three wizard robes, and three rings on the table.
"The choice is yours."
Ed was also a little heartbroken and stood aside.
Ian stepped forward and began to examine it.
For ordinary wizards, good magical artifacts can quickly enhance their combat power and survivability, and the same is true for Ian.
This was also the first time Ian had ever come into contact with so many magical artifacts.
So they were very meticulous.
First is the staff.
"Silent Low Magic Staff, a mid-level wizarding artifact of zero rings, imprinted with two advanced runes and thirty-one basic runes, imprinted with the Chain Fireball spell, slightly improving the efficiency of mental energy concentration and helping the caster maintain focus. Creator: Erin White."
"The Echoing Staff, a mid-level magical artifact of the zero ring, is imprinted with three advanced runes and thirty-five basic runes. It can store a portion of mental energy, improve spellcasting stability, and maintain focus."
They are two completely different staffs.
One is clearly biased towards attack, while the other is biased towards endurance.
Ian has no shortage of instant-cast combat methods, so he naturally chose the latter.
Among the wizard robes, all three were identical, but one had an extra defensive rune imprinted on it.
"The Robe of Guardians, a mid-level wizarding artifact of the zero ring, is imprinted with three advanced runes and twenty-eight basic runes."
Effectively deflects normal physical cutting attacks and provides a certain buffering and dispersion effect against zero-ring level energy impacts. The accompanying "Stabilize Mind" effect helps the wearer resist a certain degree of mental interference and maintain spellcasting focus. Creator: Sofia Weaver.
Ian picked it up.
Next up is the ring.
The first two were rings that granted instant-cast spells, which disappointed Ian somewhat.
Instant-cast spells are difficult for ordinary wizards, but for him they are practically useless.
However, when he saw the third ring, his disappointment gradually faded, and his eyes widened.
"There's even this!"
Ian's eyes lit up!