As evening settled in, a cool breeze drifted through the window.
Adam, who had fallen asleep on the bed, snapped awake, bolting upright.
Huff.
"Was that a nightmare?"
He touched his forehead, feeling the beads of sweat, and exhaled, muttering to himself.
In his dream, Ainz Ooal Gown stood before him, his crimson eyes glaring coldly!
"Damn it!"
Adam's lips curled into a grimace as he cursed under his breath.
Ainz was a transmigrator, and so was Adam. Ainz was a player, and so was Adam!
"So why should I fear you?" Adam took a deep breath, slapped his cheeks to clear his mind, and rose from the bed, glancing out the window.
The sky had darkened.
He walked to the inn's window, pushed it open, and let the cool breeze flood the room, soothing his restless thoughts.
He hadn't expected to sleep until evening.
The small inn, a two-story European-style building, placed his room on the second floor. Through the window, he could see a narrow alley below and the adjacent street.
Outside, a few wooden railings extended outward, connected loosely, but they looked old and flimsy.
A skilled thief could easily scale the alley walls to reach the second floor.
Adam observed for a moment, shook his head lightly, and closed the window.
An inn like this offered little protection against thieves.
He splashed water on his face to refresh himself, then left the room.
The streets were noticeably quieter than during the day, with only groups of armed adventurers strolling leisurely.
Adam had already asked the innkeeper about nearby shops selling various goods.
His first stop was a clothing store.
The clothes he wore had been on him for over ten days, reeking of sweat. He'd also need spares for his upcoming trip to the Great Forest of Tob.
When he emerged from the shop, Adam carried a bulging bundle and wore a black robe that concealed his frame.
The total cost was three silver coins.
The most expensive item was the black robe he now wore, priced at one silver and seven copper coins. The bundle contained cheaper, coarse linen clothes like those he'd worn before.
He'd chosen the finer black robe because he was heading to the Mage Guild next. Looking too shabby while shopping there wouldn't do.
In the Re-Estize Kingdom, every major city had branches of the Adventurers' Guild and the Mage Guild.
However, unlike the Mage Guild's headquarters in the royal capital, the branches in other cities had little role in training arcane magic casters.
Those with talent for arcane magic were typically sent by the city branches to the capital for formal training.
The reason was simple: money.
The Re-Estize Kingdom's conservative culture meant its leadership placed little value on the Mage Guild, leaving it with scant financial support from the top.
As a result, Mage Guild branches in various cities became hubs for crafting and selling magic items and scrolls.
E-Rantel's Mage Guild was a three-story building with an unremarkable exterior. Had Adam not asked a passerby, he might not have realized it was the guild.
Unlike the bustling Adventurers' Guild, this place was eerily quiet.
No guards stood at the entrance.
Then again, few would dare to storm a Mage Guild.
Adam approached the dark brown wooden door, raising his hand to push it open.
Ding~
A soft chime rang from above the door's left side.
Looking up, Adam noticed a fist-sized bell hanging over the door, faintly glowing with a reddish light.
A magic item?
The thought crossed his mind.
Click!
The wooden door swung open on its own.
So that's how it works.
A spark of understanding flashed in Adam's eyes. Convenient, though he suspected the bell's magic did more than just open the door.
With that, he stepped into the Mage Guild. Soft light spilled through the doorway, revealing a strikingly bright interior.
Compared to the rough, utilitarian Adventurers' Guild, the Mage Guild's interior was a stark contrast to its plain exterior.
The hall was decorated in red and black tones. The walls were covered in red paneling, with only the lower sections painted black.
The space wasn't large, likely less than a hundred square meters.
From the outside, the building seemed bigger, suggesting the interior was partitioned.
Six wall-mounted lamps hung on either side, and a cylindrical chandelier overhead emitted soft white light, illuminating the hall.
At this hour, perhaps due to the evening, the guild was nearly empty.
Only two middle-aged men in mage robes sat behind the counter. One, propped on his chin, dozed off, undisturbed by Adam's arrival.
The other, younger, looked up as Adam entered.
"I'd like to purchase some magic scrolls." Adam said softly, approaching the counter.
Unlike magic items, which could cost upwards of 1,000 gold coins, magic scrolls were consumables. With relatively refined crafting techniques, they were far more affordable.
But being consumables, even moderately wealthy adventurers hesitated to buy them.
"I'm Vara. What scrolls do you need?"
The younger mage, Vara, sized Adam up, his tone tinged with laziness.
Black hair, rare around here.
"Is there a catalog? I'd like to browse." Adam said, leaning forward slightly, a touch sheepish.
Thud!
As if expecting the request, Vara pulled a thin booklet from under the counter and set it down, his attention already wandering.
Adam didn't mind the attitude. He picked up the booklet, flipping through it, only to feel a pang of embarrassment, he couldn't read the world's script.
But his unease faded as he noticed the booklet's illustrations. Even without reading, the images clearly depicted each scroll's function.
The variety of zero-tier scrolls exceeded his expectations.
Spells like Ignite, Continual Light, and Clean were purely lifestyle-oriented, with no combat utility. For adventurers, these were largely irrelevant.
He recalled someone from the Rock Team mentioning that merchant caravans or nobles often carried zero-tier scrolls to enhance their travel comfort.
Adam scanned the pages and soon found the zero-tier spell Papermaking.
He didn't immediately speak up, instead continuing to browse. The next section covered first-tier spells.
Their numbers dwindled, but their practicality and utility were far greater.
Repair (1st Tier): Restores damaged objects.
Odorless (1st Tier): Eliminates one's scent.
Floating Disc (1st Tier): Creates a translucent disc to carry items.
…
Magic Arrow (1st Tier): Fires three magical arrows.
Adam studied the booklet. Combat scrolls were scarce, totaling only three. Most were auxiliary.
Hm?
He reached the final page and found nothing more.
No second-tier scrolls?
Adam paused. If he recalled correctly, the New World's scroll-crafting technology could produce up to third-tier scrolls.
The Slane Theocracy even possessed the rare ability to craft fourth-tier scrolls!
Third-tier scrolls might be a precious resource for the Mage Guild, but second-tier ones shouldn't be.
So, were they simply not available?
Or did ordinary buyers lack the qualifications to purchase them?
***
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