Chapter 13: New Spell (Part 1)

"Private trades of zero-ring spell formulas are not uncommon, and authorities always turn a blind eye to such deals, aren't they?" Gao De understood these principles, but he did not abandon his intention and pressed on.

0-ring spells are special; practicing them requires no magical potions, hence they are called tricks and are not classified as true spells.

This makes private trading of formulas at this level far more common.

The cost of trial and error is lower.

Pierre narrowed his eyes and said nothing, as if considering.

"If you agree, I'll add ten silver trilobe flowers per spell formula." Gao De raised his offer.

He urgently needed to master new spells.

New spells with lethal power.

Danger could strike at any moment; he must strengthen himself and find ways to secure hidden cards, so he would have room to resist when the time came.

"Private trading of 0-ring spell formulas is indeed commonplace, but I run a legitimate business—I cannot be certain of your intentions. You might come here to trade, then turn around and report me."

"Though both parties face punishment for such deals, you’d only pay a fine and serve a short detention, but my shop would be forced to shut down—I dare not take that risk," Pierre said, shaking his head calmly under Gao De’s gaze.

Although private trading of spell formulas is repeatedly banned, it mostly occurs between individuals.

Pierre and Gao De had met only once; they shared no trace of trust, and the consequences they faced were unequal—Pierre’s refusal was entirely reasonable.

But before Gao De could sink into complete despair, Pierre spoke again: "I won’t trade with you, but—"

Gao De’s eyes lit up. Seeing Pierre’s hesitant expression, he instantly understood: "If you can provide a reliable channel, I’ll pay you a fee."

Pierre nodded in satisfaction at Gao De’s quick understanding: "I have a customer who’s recently short on funds—he once tried to sell me a few spell formulas, which I also refused."

"I can introduce you two, but how you conduct the deal is up to you. If anything goes wrong, it has nothing to do with me."

Gao De pressed his lips together, paused in thought, then nodded: "Naturally. I’m grateful for your help, shopkeeper."

He knew the risks involved, but he had no other choice.

Hogen City was merely a small town; there was no official Xian Spellcaster Association here, so Gao De could not obtain spell formulas through legal channels—he could only resort to private deals.

"This customer comes by roughly once every ten to fifteen days. His last visit was eight or nine days ago. Come back here five days from now, before evening prayer," Pierre said.

Evening prayer meant five in the afternoon.

Gao De had no objection.

Knowledge truly is an expensive thing.

As Gao De stepped out of Pierre’s general store, he sighed inwardly.

To get Pierre to arrange the introduction, he had already paid ten silver trilobe flowers—without even seeing a single spell formula.

But at least he had gained something; he only needed to wait five more days.

The thought of obtaining a new spell formula in five days made Gao De’s heart flutter with anticipation.

Having arrived in this world less than a day ago, he had already glimpsed the wonder of magic.

How many people could resist longing for such supernatural power? He walked down the alley toward the main street of the commercial district.

Night was falling; he needed to hurry and meet Amy, then return to the herb garden.

Gao De walked quickly, yet his mind was distracted, muttering to himself incessantly.

Whether it was his inexplicable arrival in this world, the current crisis, or the marvel of magic, all had shaken him deeply, forcing him to think endlessly.

The next five days passed uneventfully. Gao De remained tense, yet gradually grew accustomed to life in the herb garden.

But this familiarity did not bring him peace; as time passed, he grew increasingly restless.

He knew the next test would essentially be his "death sentence," and that it was imminent—but he could not pinpoint the exact time. This torment was something only those who had lived it could understand.

That Gao De had not yet broken down or gone mad, that he still lived well and actively sought survival, could only be attributed to his iron will—perhaps forged by years of relentless battles against mathematical problems in his past life.

"New spells, and new origins."

Gao De knew this was his only chance for survival.

New spells still held hope, but new origins left him utterly at a loss.

0-ring creatures were hard to find; even a lowly 0-ring creature like Little Gray Rat, possessing earth-vein bloodline yet possessing zero combat ability, was a rarity. Even a spell apprentice like Yilan—whom Gao De had to ambush to kill—was among the weakest in the 0-ring tier.

As he pondered, he dripped the last drop of green spider venom into the vial. A flash of spiritual light passed—and a well-formed basic spider venom potion was complete.

Gao De stored the potion, tidied the tools on the table, then pulled a wooden box from beneath the shelf.

He opened the box, revealing gold, silver, and yellow hues.

Inside lay all his savings.

Six gold, thirty silver, eight copper.

Roughly equivalent to 7,500 yuan.

Gao De swiftly calculated in his mind, thought briefly, took all his savings, stuffed them into his pocket until they weighed him down, returned the box to its place, then rose slowly and stepped out the door.

His afternoon work was done.

Now came his free time.

As he stepped outside, he met Amy. He clearly hadn’t expected Gao De to be out of the lab at this hour, but reacted quickly.

"Gao De, are you going into town?"

Gao De nodded, revealing his destination without concealment.

Since Yilan’s death, he had been granted free access to the herb garden—no need to hide.

Amy stood frozen for a long time, watching Gao De’s figure vanish into the shadow of the herb garden corridor, then swallowed by the light beyond the gate.

Five days had passed. Gao De entered the city with all his wealth—not for anything else, but to buy spell formulas.

Leaving the herb garden, he followed his previous experience, combined with daylight and urgency, and reached Hogen City’s commercial district in under forty minutes.

This was not his first visit to the commercial district; in his past life, this so-called bustling area was less impressive than a single street in a small county town.

But after enduring the oppressive herb garden for so long, the bright, spacious commercial district filled Gao De with longing and a sense of vitality.

His purpose was clear. He kept his gaze straight, followed the street numbers, and arrived at Pierre’s general store, hidden deep in an alley.

Gao De strode into the shop. As before, the shopkeeper Pierre leaned lazily on his recliner—but this time, the empty shop held one additional person.

A man in his thirties, with a long, thin face and sparse stubble that spoke of hardship, dressed in clothing woven from fine linen.

Though he faced away from Gao De and had not turned to look, Pierre spoke as if he had eyes in the back of his head: "You’re finally here. Yom has been waiting for you nearly an hour—if you’d come any later, I couldn’t have held him."

The man’s name was Yom.

He was the customer Pierre had introduced for the spell formula trade.

"I took a bit longer on the way," Gao De apologized to Pierre, then turned to Yom—but did not speak to him immediately.

In a trade, if you cannot ensure control, let the other party speak first—it keeps your intentions hidden.

This was Gao De’s small tactic.

Yom clearly had no such experience. Once he realized Gao De was the buyer, he immediately sized him up with suspicious eyes.

"You’re the one who wants to buy the spell formulas?"

Clearly, Gao De’s plain clothing and youthful appearance made Yom doubt his financial capacity.

"No one spends ten trilobe flowers just to joke," Gao De said, spreading his hands calmly.

The ten silver trilobe flowers as broker’s fee had been paid by Gao De.

Yom stared into Gao De’s eyes for several seconds. After a moment of silence, he calmly pulled a yellow parchment from his chest and handed it to Gao De.

"These are the spell formulas I intend to sell. Take a look."

—Spell formulas are sold as knowledge; they are never shown in full before the deal is finalized.

The parchment listed spell formula entries and their corresponding effects.

Buyers would select a desired spell based on these descriptions, then pay and receive the formula on the spot—this was the standard procedure for spell formula trades.

Even when purchasing from official channels, the process was identical.

(End of Chapter)