[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-14":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Above the Mage!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2257018,4404,"Chapter 14: New Spells (Part 2)","above-the-mage-chapter-14",14,"\u003Cp>Gao De took the yellow parchment offered by Yom and quickly scanned its contents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spell list contained five 0-level spells: [Acid Splash] (Conjuration, 0-level) — fires a small acid globule at the target, with an initial maximum range of 25 feet (approximately 8.5 meters).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You must make a successful ranged touch attack to hit the target; the acid globule deals acid damage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The acid from the globule dissipates after several seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Resist Spells] (Abjuration, 0-level) — channels mana into the target (which may be yourself) to increase the target’s spell resistance, reducing damage and effects from spells; one casting lasts one minute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Blade Ward] (Abjuration, 0-level) — trace a warding sigil in the air with your hand to gain resistance against bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from weapon attacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ray of Frost] (Evocation, 0-level) — fires a cold blue-white ray at the target in a ranged spell attack, with an initial maximum range of 25 feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it hits, the target suffers cold damage and its speed is reduced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Read Magic] (Divination, 0-level) — allows you to decipher magical writing on objects: books, scrolls, weapons, etc., that cannot be read by ordinary means; such deciphering typically does not activate the magic contained within the writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, once you have cast this spell and deciphered a particular piece of magical writing, you may thereafter understand that same writing without needing to cast Read Magic again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well? Satisfied?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De forcibly suppressed his excitement and looked up with a blank expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Satisfied. Very satisfied!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he not be satisfied? Yom’s spell list contained not just one but two of the offensive spells he most needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the most important principle in any deal is never to let the other party see your satisfaction — otherwise, you’ll only invite inflated prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A couple of these spells are acceptable, barely meeting my needs — though the number of spell formulas is rather limited,” Gao De replied, half-complimenting, half-criticizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not few at all. For a wizard apprentice, mastering all five spells would take at least one or two years,” Yom muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De pretended not to hear Yom’s muttering and asked bluntly: “How much do you want for one spell formula?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three roosters,” Yom held up three fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too expensive. I’ll pay no more than one gold coin per spell formula,” Gao De frowned slightly, cutting Yom’s price in half — and then some.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the official Wizard’s Guild, the average price for a 0-level spell formula is six gold,” Yom immediately emphasized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You said it yourself — that’s the official price. If your price isn’t clearly better than the official one, why would I buy from you? Not only would I be breaking the ban, I’d be taking huge risks — after all, how do I know if your spell formulas are even real?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two gold and ten silver,” Yom fell silent for a moment, then spoke at last. “I’m a native of Hogen City, I live right here — I can’t run away. So at least on the authenticity of the formulas, I offer real assurance — far more than you’d get from some random trader.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De glanced at Pierre, who had been watching the whole exchange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre, ever shrewd, nodded and said: “Yom is indeed from Hogen. He’s lived here his whole life and never left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De’s heart stirred. If Pierre wasn’t lying, then Yom’s formulas did carry some guarantee of authenticity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, monks may flee, but the temple stays put — Yom wouldn’t risk fleeing his hometown over a deal worth less than ten Xien gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that case, paying a little more wasn’t entirely unacceptable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sell me three spell formulas as a bundle — fixed price: six gold coins.” Two gold and ten silver had already reached Gao De’s limit, but he chose to haggle further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is already my lowest price,” Yom gritted his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a pity,” Gao De shook his head, handed the list back to Yom with crisp finality, and turned to leave the shop — his expression utterly calm, his heart pounding with tension. Will he call me back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew full well that if he missed Yom, he wouldn’t easily find another willing to trade spell formulas with him in the near future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Pianpian  Gao De was running out of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, his funds were tight — so every silver coin saved mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this was just a trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De had already prepared his fallback: if Yom didn’t call him back before he left Pierre’s store, he would turn around with a look of defeated speculation and say: “Alright, sir, two gold and ten silver — you win.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Face won’t feed you, but thirty silver coins can buy many meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One step, two steps, three steps — Gao De was about to step out of Pierre’s general store when Yom’s weary voice finally called out behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De turned to face Yom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. Six gold coins. You win. If only I weren’t short on cash right now…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect! Whether in his past life or this one, his first-ever negotiation had succeeded so well — he was truly gifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De praised himself fiercely in his mind, then smiled calmly: “Sir, this should be called a win-win.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mood was truly good — the smile was genuine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which three spell formulas do you want?” Yom asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Acid Splash, Ray of Frost, Resist Spells,” Gao De had already decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his current finances, three spell formulas were his limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, two offensive spells were mandatory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the remaining three formulas, Read Magic could be ruled out — not because it was inferior, but because Gao De didn’t need it yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed spells that boosted his combat power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Between Blade Ward and Resist Spells, both were abjuration spells, but they protected against different damage types — one against magical resistance, the other against physical resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against the hypothetical enemy, Sage Seda, Resist Spells was clearly the better choice: an elderly mage wouldn’t pull out a longsword to duel you, would he? Though he’d paid thirty silver less than he’d hoped, six gold coins clearly fell within Yom’s acceptable range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swiftly pulled out three thin booklets — the three spell formulas Gao De had chosen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hand over money, hand over goods — Gao De also took out six gold coins and completed the transaction with Yom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After receiving the money, Yom greeted Pierre and left immediately — he had waited for Gao De too long and was eager to return home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Mr. Pierre,” Gao De, thoroughly satisfied, expressed his gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Paid to do a job — it’s only fair. No need to thank me. On the contrary, my little business still depends on your future patronage,” Pierre smiled as always.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten three-leaf silver coins meant little to him, but saying a few words required no effort and brought profit — Pierre was more than happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1166,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c9cde66aace497b1121d56bdb8ccccab156922a6d8db106c5a965aa57ef5260c","above-the-mage-chapter-15","above-the-mage-chapter-13",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]