Chapter 130: The Mixer
"Ohh... You’re finally planning to rent it. Go ahead!" Albert replied.
The Golden Coast Trading has an empty store by the southern gate and Albert obtained it after they were able to send the Veltham Family out of the City...
Rayven nodded. "Yes. Twice the size of our last shop. You mentioned that the rent is two gold a month. I can accept that since the flow there is better. More caravans, more travelers. The pens will sell faster there, and when the time comes, the mayonnaise too."
Albert tapped his cane on the floor and nodded...
He also tasted the mayonnaise, and he couldn’t help but smile at that...
He could agree that it was indeed the greatest creation of humankind.
"Hmm... That’s good. I want to lower the rent, but I also have a lot of payments, so I can’t give you a discount. However, if you want to purchase the land, we can talk about it."
"Haha... Not yet, uncle..." Rayven replied as he also had a lot of spending to do. He still needed to advance to Tier 2 Mage, and to even begin with the process, he needed to purchase 2 more Skills in his Coinbound System.
***
After the talk with Albert, Rayven returned to his room...
The stack of gold sat quietly on the desk, and since no one was here, he could finally do his thing.
He took a deep breath and willed the familiar screen to open.
[ Current Balance: 1645 Gold Coins ]
He couldn’t help but smile after seeing this.
The pen and ink trade had done far better than he had expected. In just a season, nobles and scholars alike had emptied their purses for his customized fountain pens.
Indeed, most of his earnings here were from customized ones instead of the regular products sold at the store.
Nearly seven hundred gold had come from that alone.
He then deposited the sixty-five gold coins he had just received from the Bureau’s compensation.
[ 65 Gold Coins deposited. ]
[ Current Balance: 1710 Gold Coins ]
The number glowed after depositing the gold coins into the system before fading. It was a satisfying sight.
With steady breath, Rayven shifted the screen.
[ Skill Market ]
Mana Thread (Common) - 500 Gold
Stone Shot (Common) - 550 Gold
Minor Barrier (Common) - 650 Gold
Fireball (Uncommon) - 850 Gold
Mist Shroud (Uncommon) - 900 Gold
Fade Step (Uncommon) - 950 Gold
Wind Blade (Uncommon) - 950 Gold
At this point, the Whisper Link was already replaced by the Wind Blade.
Rayven thought for a moment as he looked at the available spells.
To step forward as a true mage, he needed to build a balanced foundation. Firepower, defense, and utility... only then could he hold his ground as more than just a merchant with tricks.
His eyes settled on one.
[ Fireball (Uncommon) – 850 Gold ]
"Fireball..." he whispered.
It was probably stronger than the same spell those rogue mages had hurled so recklessly in the streets. He envied that firepower, so there was no way he wasn’t tempted to purchase that.
"I’ll get it now before I change my mind." He muttered.
[ Purchase Confirmed. ]
[ 850 Gold deducted. ]
[ Current Balance: 860 Gold Coins ]
[ Fireball (Uncommon) acquired. ]
Rayven didn’t feel anything special aside from the slight warmth he felt as the knowledge to cast the spell was etched into his mind.
It was the word "Fireball."
There was no need to learn the formula of flame, the complicated chant, or channeling mana at all.
He just needed to call the name of the Spell, and he could cast it as though he had practiced it for years.
"Nice. It got a nice range... for now, at least. I wonder if the range gets higher if I become Tier 2... or maybe there’s a stronger version of Spell that I should buy." Rayven muttered.
He wasn’t really sure about the future of the Spell, but he liked it.
[ Fireball (Uncommon): Conjures a concentrated orb of flame that can be thrown toward a target. It explodes on impact, causing minor area damage.
Range: 15 meters
Explosion Radius: 2 meters
Cost per use: 1 Gold
Type: Offensive / Fire Elemental ]
The 15-meter range might be good right now, but once he advances further, it would be quite useless already.
He couldn’t help but feel pity that the Fireball doesn’t have the series marker like Appraisal I, Mana Pulse I, and Telekinesis I. They were all first in the series and had future potential.
In any case, Fireball was now his ninth spell. One more, and he would unlock the conditions to advance.
His eyes returned to the list.
Mist Shroud. Fade Step. Both were Uncommon skills, both aligned with the path of the Mystic Explorer.
He needed one of them to fulfill the advancement requirement.
Of course, he already knew what to get... It was the Mist Shroud.
With his Gust Step as a movement spell, the Fade Step was already overkill, so he decided to obtain a cloak of mist or a veil to vanish when really needed.
It was the perfect complement to his arsenal.
Still, he had to earn more money to get the Mist Shroud. For now, the Fireball was enough. It would be his tenth, and it won’t be long before he gets it...
After all, his Mayonnaise Business would soon be ready.
Rayven then turned his head toward the corner of the room.
There, on his table, was his newest contraption. It was a bronze-and-steel mixer he had commissioned from the craftsmen of Golden Coast Trading.
It resembled a churn crossed with a barrel, fitted with a simple crank at the side.
Yes, it was the hand-cranked mixer, no battery or magic, but it would be a lot easier than a whisker...
There were iron paddles inside that turned several times whenever the handle was spun. It was a crude device, built according to his sketches, but it worked.
There would probably be a better version later, but not right now...
"Now... I have to consider how much I should charge for this new product." Rayven mused, since the mayonnaise shouldn’t be too cheap or expensive...