[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-above-the-mage":3,"chapter-above-the-mage-above-the-mage-chapter-42":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},2257046,4404,"Chapter 42: Spell Scrolls","above-the-mage-chapter-42",42,"\u003Cp>“What about the Knock spell?” Gao De noticed Pierre had left his thought unfinished and asked after it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Knock spell is only a 1st-level spell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only a 1st-level spell?” Gao De pressed his lips together, wanting to retort that Pierre spoke without feeling the burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Hoggen City, a 1st-level mage was already the pinnacle—there weren’t even a few to be found in the entire city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So no matter what, calling a 1st-level spell “only” was absurd—but he understood this was in contrast to Dispel Magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this understanding, Gao De’s restless heart finally calmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized that within a short time, he had little chance of opening the wooden box left by Seda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, you want to unlock the magical lock without knowing the secret incantation?” Pierre spoke with implication, suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Gao De immediately grew wary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing Pierre’s calm expression, he hesitated, realizing he’d already said this much—further concealment was pointless—and finally nodded: “Yes, but it doesn’t seem simple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed, it’s not easy. In Hoggen City, you can’t even find a few 1st-level mages, let alone one who knows the Knock spell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre affirmed: “The Knock spell, while common in theory, is far too obscure in effect to ever be a mage’s first choice when learning spells.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only those with specific needs, or seasoned 1st-level mages, might possibly master this spell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre’s words sank Gao De’s spirits further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet upon reflection, it made perfect sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Learning spells requires vast sums of money, energy, and time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So mages always avoid impractical “obscure” spells and pursue those with high power or broad utility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if sensing Gao De’s disappointment, Pierre chuckled and added: “But in certain specific situations, these obscure spells often have irreplaceable uses—can’t be entirely ignored.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thus, for spells rarely used but occasionally needed, mages rarely invest the effort to learn them—they instead buy spell scrolls as emergency reserves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spell scrolls?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a familiar yet unfamiliar term—familiar because in Gao De’s past-life games or novels, “spell scrolls” were a classic item, ubiquitous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfamiliar because in this world, he had never seen a spell scroll before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spell scrolls contain pre-written spells, allowing mages who don’t know the spell to use it once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Using a spell scroll consumes no personal mana—only requires meeting the spell scroll’s mental energy requirement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And for nearly all low-level spell types, corresponding spell scrolls exist, greatly enhancing a mage’s flexibility and emergency response.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For every mage, it’s an extremely important magical item,” Pierre explained to Gao De.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are no shops in Hoggen City that sell spell scrolls,” Gao De confirmed. He’d visited the commercial district several times and never seen any shop offering them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not. Only scrollmakers who master the corresponding spell can produce those spell scrolls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre sighed: “Scrollmakers aren’t as esteemed as rune masters, but their rarity is nearly equal—usually, only major mage organizations preserve their professional knowledge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, you can only buy spell scrolls from these formal mage organizations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And they’re typically released in limited quantities—once listed, popular spell scrolls are sold out within an hour; even obscure ones vanish within a day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To acquire even one or two spell scrolls requires luck. Even in big cities it’s hard—how could you ever find them in a small place like Hoggen City?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gao De wasn’t disappointed—he knew Pierre went to such lengths for a reason, and wasn’t just giving him a lecture. He waited patiently for Pierre to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But,” Pierre paused, drawing out the suspense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De played along immediately: “But what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have a friend in Bremen City—a mage of the Emerald Alliance,” Pierre explained patiently. “The Emerald Alliance is one of Bremen City’s three major mage associations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So through him, I can get a few spell scrolls through internal channels.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m planning to travel to Bremen City soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you need it, I might be able to bring you back a scroll of the Knock spell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre finished speaking and fell silent, watching Gao De, waiting for his decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much does a scroll of the Knock spell cost?” Gao De seized the key point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Though spell scrolls are in high demand, they’re single-use consumables, so their price isn’t especially high.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Six to seven Syen gold coins—that’s the average price for a 1st-level spell scroll.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The average price of a 1st-level magical item is 65 gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A 1st-level spell scroll costs only one-tenth of a 1st-level magical item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The price difference seems stark—but the former is reusable, while the latter is single-use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering this, the price is fair and reasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the law of commodity pricing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six to seven Syen gold coins is still a substantial sum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the current output of the herb garden, it would take about half a month to save up that much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gao De believed that whatever Seda had sealed with such a powerful magical lock must be worth far more than this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a guaranteed profitable deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What else do I need to pay?” Gao De asked, fully aware.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pierre was using his personal connections, traveling all the way from Bremen City to get him a scroll—he wasn’t family or a close friend; no extra payment would be expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No free lunches existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, Pierre shook his head, staring directly at Gao De’s youthful yet unnervingly calm face: “You only need to pay the cost of the scroll itself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao De’s gaze lowered. After a moment of silence, his furrowed brows relaxed. He lifted his eyes and met Pierre’s directly: “Then I’m in your debt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for the money to buy the scroll—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No rush. Pay me after I actually bring back the Knock spell scroll,” Pierre waved dismissively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New book’s first recommendation round is here—brothers, please keep reading during the launch period; it means everything to me!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My last sword cultivator book got knocked out in the first round—this is my second book; I’ve got to make it to the second round!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",993,"2026-06-19T14:28:48.629Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2aa276da64ebded8044edc2148e67e2edd1f53dbd4d543d68a5010e24465cd2b","above-the-mage-chapter-43","above-the-mage-chapter-41",529,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fabove-the-mage-cover.jpg"]