Chapter 48

Andre nodded slightly, a trace of hidden smile on the corner of his mouth:

"My friend and I are looking for some special materials, planning to write a new 'guide.' You know, academic research always requires all kinds of materials."

The dwarf's gaze turned to Luo En, looking up and down at this strange face, just like a merchant estimating the value of goods:

"New friend? He doesn't look like the type who would be interested in a 'guide,' more like the kind of pedant who would lock himself in a room to study."

"Don't be deceived by appearances, my old friend." Andre moved a magic stone fragment to the dwarf without a trace:

"His insights in certain fields might surprise you."

The dwarf reached out to cover the fragment, his short, thick fingers flexibly making it disappear into his sleeve, the corners of his mouth raised slightly:

"These days, I am rarely surprised by anything, Your Highness. But if you say so, it makes me look forward to it."

He stood up and signaled the two to follow: "Come on, let's talk in the back. A quieter environment is more suitable for discussing academic problems."

The three passed through the noisy main hall of the tavern, avoiding the customers immersed in alcohol or laughter, and came to a narrow corridor.

Both sides of the corridor were hung with some old oil lamps, emitting dim light, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

At the end, there were several closed wooden doors, all looking exactly the same.

Ao Tuo took out a strangely shaped key from his waist, carefully checked in front of several doors, and finally chose one of them and inserted the key into the keyhole.

The moment the key was inserted, the hidden runes on the door lit up slightly, and then quickly dimmed.

The dwarf skillfully turned the key, and with a crisp "click," the door lock opened in response.

Inside the door was a small circular room, the four walls hung with various maps and dried herbs, and the air was filled with a strange fragrance, like a mixture of dozens of herbs.

In the center of the room was a round table and a few chairs, and a magic crystal lamp emitting soft light was lit on the table.

"Please sit down, two guests." The dwarf locked the door, skillfully climbed onto a specially made high chair, and looked down at the visitors:

"Now, tell me what kind of 'materials' you are looking for? Here, we can abandon those cumbersome secret languages."

Luo En looked at Andre, who nodded slightly to indicate that he could speak directly.

He took a deep breath and took out the special parchment from his bosom: "We need these."

Luo En carefully only displayed a few of the relatively less sensitive material names, including "Moon Shadow Bat Heart Ash" and "Crystalline Moss."

Ao Tuo took the parchment, his thick eyebrows gradually raised, and his blue eyes flashed with surprise and curiosity:

"Oh? This is not an ordinary material list."

His fingers brushed lightly over the flashing text on the parchment, he raised his head, and his gaze moved back and forth between the two:

"Especially this 'Crystalline Moss,' it is a very tight material recently, the price has doubled several times, and it is hard to find even one in the market."

"Why?" Luo En asked subconsciously, and immediately realized that this might touch on some sensitive topics.

The gray dwarf looked at him deeply, and the lips under the beard were pursed into a straight line:

"This belongs to our professional trade secret, it is not convenient to tell you guests."

He paused, seemingly weighing something:

"But indeed, the market fluctuations of various rare materials recently are much larger than usual, especially those materials related to the wizard lords."

After speaking, Ao Tuo waved his hand: "Alright, let's get down to business. I can help you find these materials, but it won't be too fast, and the price is not cheap. You have to be mentally prepared."

"About how many magic stone fragments are needed?" Luo En asked straight to the point, deciding not to beat around the bush anymore.

"Need a list?" Ao Tuo calculated with his thick, short fingers:

"Even if you only need one of each, it will take at least 170 or 180 magic stone fragments, and several of them may need to be traded with complete magic stones."

He half-squinted his eyes and looked at Luo En, seemingly judging the financial resources of the young man in front of him:

"A single one or two materials, generally no one is willing to sell to you."

Luo En's brows furrowed slightly, this price far exceeded his budget.

Did Lady Ailan overestimate his economic ability, or did she underestimate the current market value of these materials?

He thought for a moment and said: "We can buy in batches. Start with the few that are easiest to find."

Andre inserted into the conversation at the right time, his tone relaxed but not lacking vigilance:

"If we can get samples, we might need to identify the quality. In this kind of place, comparing three shops is a wise choice."

"Oh?" Ao Tuo looked at Luo En with a bit of curiosity, his blue eyes flashing with probing light:

"You know how to identify these materials? At your age, you don't look like you have enough experience."

Luo En nodded neither humbly nor arrogantly, his tone calm but full of confidence: "I have some insights in potionology."

"Interesting, interesting..."

The dwarf rubbed his thick beard, making a rustling sound, and the corners of his mouth under the beard raised slightly:

"Usually potion apprentices come to the black market, they will bring a good-reputation appraiser and wrap themselves tightly, afraid of being recognized."

He looked at Luo En scrutinizingly: "But if you can identify the materials yourself, that saves trouble. However..."

Ao Tuo suddenly stopped, a trace of cunning flashed in his eyes, "Big talk is not a good habit, young man."

He took out an exquisite small wooden box from under the table. The wooden box was carved with complex runes, and every texture flashed with faint light:

"You are lucky today, I happen to have some stock here. Want to see it? Let us test how deep your 'insights' really are."

Luo En's heart moved, and he nodded: "I'd be happy to."

He could feel that this was some kind of test from the other party, but he had confidence in his ability.

Ao Tuo opened the wooden box, inside which were several crystal bottles and small bags neatly arranged.

The room light shone on those bottles, refracting strange light, adding a trace of mystery to it.

"Look at this." He took out a small bottle containing gray-brown powder and shook it lightly:

"This should be the 'Moon Shadow Bat Heart Ash' on your list. New goods that just arrived recently, top quality."

Luo En took the bottle and observed it carefully with the help of 【Herb Identification】 ability.

He shook the bottle lightly, letting the powder inside reveal its true color under the light.

Real Moon Shadow Bat Heart Ash should appear silver-gray and have a faint blue fluorescence under the light.

Most importantly, it should have a unique energy fluctuation, almost making those with keen perception feel a slight tremor.

But the gray-brown powder in this bottle, although the texture is similar, clearly lacks the due magic power fluctuation.

The color is also too turbid, more like an ordinary mineral powder, or an inferior product after multiple refinements.

During this process, his skill experience was also steadily improving:

【False Identification Successful! Herb Identification Experience +1】

"I'm afraid this is not a genuine product."

(End of chapter)