Chapter 248: Queuing and Gift-Giving

"500 grams of lunar silver water, 150 grams of ruby dust, twelve index fingers of clay golems, and rune stones soaked in holy oil"

Luo De again took the brass-colored elevator to the Magic Control League.

In his hand was a list detailing a series of materials.

Some were for Zombi Selina's magic ring, others were for Elf Karist's request that he procure them.

Others were minor experimental materials for Ghoul Pan Ni to purge the plague among her ghoul servants.

But Pan Ni's magical experiments were mostly unregulated, wild methods.

She spent a full hour of coaxing to convince Luo De.

Of course, Luo De himself had material needs.

The construction of the War Soul had nearly reached its end, requiring only a solidification ritual to complete it fully.

Add to that a batch of heating stones and heating talismans, and Luo De had brought along an extra spell satchel for this trip.

He didn't wander.

Luo De headed straight for the market district.

Passing through the service hall, after verifying his employee badge, he boarded the magic elevator reserved for internal staff.

The elevator buttons weren't numbered one through four—they directly labeled the accessible zones.

Such as the Containment Division, Market District, Archives, Meeting Hall, and so on.

It was fairly modern, all things considered.

Luo De pressed the button for the Market District.

A message popped up:

【Market District capacity reached: 2000/2000】

【Employee ID kdh9527, you are in queue. Ticket number N3651. 1262 people ahead of you.】

【'Lock Heart' serves you. For questions, visit the Service Hall.】

"?"

Luo De froze in place.

The brass elevator doors opened—still the first-floor lobby.

He had no choice but to step out.

"What's going on?"

He'd been here several times before—each time, the place was deserted. How had it become so crowded now?

And "1262 people ahead of you"?

Luo De's head throbbed just looking at it.

Waiting was out of the question. Waiting for thousands of people—there'd be nothing left in the market district by the time he got in.

I've got some connections here in the Magic Control League, after all.

Luo De went to the Service Hall and booked a meeting with Deputy Head of Containment, Ana.

Ana readily approved it—she gave him face.

Of course, face must be returned. Luo De couldn't show up empty-handed.

He pulled out a batch of seasonal fruits from his spell satchel, then added some rare magical carvings.

What?

You ask why Luo De's mage satchel had seasonal fruits?

Hard to please everyone—there are too many forest girls. Our forest warden is always prepared.

Ana, though.

You can't give her trinkets like you would a little girl.

She's not my direct superior, but gifts still require tact.

Too expensive, and she'll think you're asking for something important.

Too casual, and she'll think you don't care.

Sentiment matters most; value is secondary.

Hmm.

Luo De thought for a moment, placing a row of colorful metal-coated magic rings beneath the seasonal fruits.

These were the cute magic rings Selina had crafted under his strong insistence—meant purely to amuse girls.

The spells inside weren't for combat; they were mostly everyday enchantments.

Magic rings aren't jewelry, right?

They're magical tools.

Last time he gave her deep pink Masai crystals, Ana seemed to like them—she probably enjoys these kinds of things.

Besides, newspapers lately have been trending colored magic rings—perfect timing.

The Heavenly Flower Kingdom's press had sternly condemned the practice, calling it an insult to magic rings.

Though even people in the Heavenly Flower Kingdom ignored that newspaper.

Gifts prepared.

He neatly bundled them into an elegant gift package using the 【Packing Spell】 on the 【Trembling Soul Blade】.

Strange, right?

The 【Trembling Soul Blade】 had this skill too?

Even stranger things exist.

Recently, Luo De used the 【Cleanse Hair Spell】 on the blade—his lower body is still bald to this day.

"What a crazy skill."

Luo De shook his head, dismissing the absurd thoughts.

He headed straight for Ana's office.

Soon.

Luo De arrived at the office door and gently tugged the bell.

Click—

The door opened immediately. Maid-mage Ana stood in the doorway.

Her white hood still covered half her face; the lower half, wheat-toned skin, smiled sweetly.

"Luo De! Long time no see!"

"Lady Ana."

Luo De smiled and offered the gift.

Before Ana could react, her eyes locked onto the row of colorful magic rings.

"Color rings!"

"Color rings?"

"Haha, that's what girl mages call these dyed magic rings."

"I see."

Both hurried into the office.

Only then did Luo De notice two other guests inside.

One was a human woman; the other was a towering woman with bull horns.

Both sat on a sofa in the corner, expressionless.

Ana paid them no mind, sitting with Luo De on the guest chairs beside her desk.

Seeing what she wanted, she didn't bother with politeness—she immediately took out the row of colorful rings.

"This kind of coloring spell that doesn't damage the ring's function is rare—it sells out the moment it hits the market. Lady Yulia sent me several times and I couldn't get any. Are these expensive? Wait, they're not dyed?"

Ana's eyes gleamed slightly.

She picked up one ring; under the light of the 【Brightening Spell】, its hue was warm, natural, and luminous—clearly crafted with special pigments, far more beautiful than any dye spell.

"Same technique as the Heavenly Flower Kingdom… but inferior quality. Is this a smuggled item from them?"

Luo De had no intention of revealing he could craft magic rings himself—he'd already prepared his story.

"Bought from a familiar goblin merchant. Supposedly leaked from within the Heavenly Flower Kingdom."

"Smuggled items" meant factory workers secretly kept back some rings and sold them outside.

The Heavenly Flower Kingdom had seen this happen several times—it wasn't unusual.

Ana was envious.

"Lucky you! Yulia and I couldn't even get dyed ones—you already got this quality? Wait, this is for me?"

"Yes."

Luo De chuckled.

"Really?!"

The rabbit-mage leapt up in delight.

Her hood slipped back slightly, revealing a sweet, delicate face.

Her red pupils were striking; a strand of white hair fell across her cheek, enhancing her exotic charm.

Luo De didn't know Ana was a rabbitfolk—he assumed it was just a regional human trait.

He gave it no further thought.

"By the way, Lady Aona, why is there such a crowd in the market district today? I got a queue ticket and ended up behind 1, 62 people."

"Call me Aona, not Lady Aona~ The market district? Oh! The inspection team led by the Magic Control Committee returned from another dimension with a massive amount of materials—everyone's rushing to scavenge! Don't worry, I have a special access channel reserved for supervisors! I'll take you!"

Aona gazed at the colorful magic ring, unable to let it go, and swore earnestly.

(End of Chapter)