Edric began reading the details.
...
Explanation:
This spellbook is a relic of the past. None of the spells recorded within these pages are usable on Silverflower Island. There is insufficient information on whether the mages of the Flicker Empire can still wield its magic, but even if they could, importing the necessary ingredients for these spells is economically unfeasible. Even if cost were not a concern, it remains uncertain whether Flicker’s magic labs would allow the importation of these materials ever again.
The spells contained in this book differ greatly from modern magic. Today’s spells are cast by channeling mana into imaginary magical formations—these are known as Arcane Spells. However, the spells recorded here rely on infusing mana into real-world ingredients, a practice known as Substance Magic. Spells of this nature are referred to as Substance Spells.
Substance Spells are generally easier to cast, require less mana, and are significantly more powerful than Arcane Spells. However, they demand more preparation time and are far more expensive to execute.
Historical records speak of mages who wielded Substance Spells centuries ago. The ingredients necessary for this magic could only be produced by highly advanced magical laboratories—facilities so sophisticated that only vast empires with ultra-rank mages could construct them. All necessary components were once imported from the Flicker Empire. Yet, for reasons unknown, the importation of these essential materials ceased entirely. Today, no such ingredients exist on Silverflower Island, nor are there any ongoing efforts to procure them.
History:
This book was discovered within the tomb of a Silver Mage. After years of study, it was deemed useless and was ultimately sold to alleviate the Bloodstone Order’s financial troubles.
Experimental Results:
No experiments could be conducted, as the required ingredients for casting Substance Spells no longer exist. All knowledge of Substance Magic comes solely from historical records and other magical texts.
...
Reading through the details, Edric fell into deep thought.
"This… honestly doesn’t look good." He frowned.
He was well aware of his lack of magical talent. If he couldn’t even master Arcane Spells, expecting to modify these ancient Substance Spells into something usable was nothing more than a pipe dream.
"They put it up for auction, which means they’ve already studied it and decided it’s worthless. I’ll buy it if the price stays under 10 million… otherwise, I’ll let it go."
Even if it wasn’t useful, it was better than leaving empty-handed. By now, he had come to terms with the reality of the auction—he had no chance of winning anything truly valuable. If he wanted something, he had to settle for scraps.
Minutes passed. Then, the man in white finally announced, “The bidding begins! Start!”
"1,500,000." Edric swiftly entered his bid on the laptop.
"1,600,000." Another bid followed, coming from participant number 711.
The price steadily climbed as a few more bids were placed, eventually reaching 3 million.
"3,100,000." Edric increased his offer.
Seconds ticked by in silence. No one else placed another bid. The book had no practical use, and spending money on it was as good as throwing silver into the wind.
“No other bids?” The auctioneer’s voice echoed. “Three… two… one… Sold!”
With that, the book was his.
Edric had already deposited all 25 million silver and, in return, received a Chamber of Commerce Credit Card, commonly known as QuadC.
QuadC was widely accepted across the kingdom and even in neighboring nations. It was the most reputable financial transfer organization within the kingdom, second only to the Bank of Bloodstone.
The auction house deducted the payment from his QuadC, and the book was dispatched via express magical post. They assured him it would arrive in less than a day. If anything happened to it during transit, the Chamber would take full responsibility.
For items valued under 10 million silver, safe delivery was fully guaranteed.
For items between 10 million and 200 million, if an issue arose, the Chamber would compensate 50% of the loss.
For items exceeding 200 million, however, no compensation would be provided. The buyer assumed full responsibility for securing and retrieving their purchase.
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Edric leaned back, exhaling slowly.
"Now… let’s see if this so-called useless book is truly worthless."
The man in white continued presenting item after item, each selling for astronomical sums. Yet, not a single modern Silver-grade spellbook appeared.
For whatever reason, the Bloodstone Order, which was responsible for most Silver-grade items in the auction, seemed to be deliberately withholding any spellbooks of real value.
"Buying books is impossible! I should give up!" Edric sighed in frustration.
As he was lost in thought, the man in white suddenly announced, “All Silver-level items have been sold! Now, it’s time for our one and only Golden-grade item!”
With a dramatic flourish, he brought forth a jar—an ancient wooden vessel, its surface worn yet emanating an air of mystery.
“This,” the man in white declared, “is called the Jar of Drunkards! Wine from this jar can intoxicate even a Golden-rank knight! The starting price is 500,000,000 silver, with a minimum bid increment of 50,000,000. I will now send out further details—you have half an hour to decide!”
Ordinary alcohol could make a normal person drunk, but only because it affected the brain. However, once a person ascended to Knight-rank, their mental fortitude became too powerful for common alcohol to have any effect. The same applied to Mages, whose strong souls kept them perpetually lucid no matter how much they drank.
Of course, that didn’t mean Knights and Mages were immune to intoxication—it was simply that only wine brewed from high-ranking ingredients could affect them. For instance, to create wine capable of intoxicating a Silver-rank knight, its ingredients also needed to be of Silver-rank.
Because of this, alcohol strong enough to affect powerful warriors or spellcasters was exceedingly rare and outrageously expensive.
Edric wasn’t particularly interested—he couldn’t afford it anyway. Still, out of curiosity, he opened the file to check the details.
...
JAR OF DRUNKARDS – ITEM DETAILS
* The jar is exceptionally durable, capable of withstanding a full-force strike from a Golden-rank knight without breaking.
* The wine’s effect only works if consumed directly from the jar—it cannot be poured into a cup or stored elsewhere.
* Produces 100 liters of wine per day, resetting every 24 hours.
* The wine affects everyone up to Golden-rank equally—whether a mere mortal or a Golden knight, a single gulp induces the same level of intoxication.
* The wine has seven distinct flavors, each corresponding to a different color of the rainbow, cycling daily. Each flavor carries a unique effect.
Edric skimmed through the details.
Jar of Drunkards – Wine Effects
* Red – Slightly increases total mana reserves.
* Orange – Slightly enhances physical resistance.
* Yellow – Slightly increases thinking speed and mental agility.
* Green – Slightly boosts mana and stamina recovery.
* Blue – Greatly accelerates health recovery after injury.
* Cyan – Slightly increases resistance against spells.
* Purple – Grants all six effects combined: increases mana reserves, enhances physical and magical resistance, sharpens mental agility, improves mana and stamina recovery, and significantly boosts health regeneration.
History:
The Jar of Drunkards was originally a failed experiment by the Bloodstone Order, now being auctioned to recover lost funds. While it had indeed reached Gold-rank, the crafting process had gone awry—its wine was meant to be extractable and storable, but due to an unknown error, it could only be consumed directly from the jar. As a result, it was deemed impractical and put up for auction in an attempt to recover the cost of its creation.
...
Edric read through the details with growing interest.
"If the wine always generated the purple variety, this thing would be incredibly powerful… but since purple only appears once every seven days and can’t be stored, it’s effectively a once-a-week boost. That’s probably why they decided to get rid of it."
He smirked.
"Still… just how rich is the Bloodstone Order? I wonder how much I’d make if I robbed them of everything they had?"
It was difficult for someone like him, a Golden Knight, to experience drunkenness. With his current physique, it was impossible to get drunk with ordinary alcohol.
Of course, there might be Gold-rank spells capable of amplifying ordinary alcohol’s effects to the point where even he could feel intoxicated. But first, he didn’t have such a spell, and second, he couldn’t learn any Gold-rank magic with his average talent—not unless he dedicated years or even decades to training.
"Too bad I’m just a poor man with no chance of winning this." He sighed.
...
Soon, the thirty-minute waiting period ended.
The auctioneer, eyes gleaming with excitement, raised his voice.
“Everyone, it’s time to bid! Start!”
"600,000,000!" called bidder number 3.
"610,000,000!" followed bidder number 4.
After several minutes of intense bidding—
"1,100,000,000!" Bidder number 6 raised the stakes.
The auctioneer in white waited. Then, with a nod, he declared,
“No further bids? Three… two… one—Sold!”
“Thank you all for your participation! The next auction will be held one year from now. The official dates and times will be announced through our official channels. However, a word of caution—the minimum participation threshold will be raised next year! So, to those with lighter purses, I suggest you work hard to cross that threshold!”
This year’s auction had a minimum threshold of 10,000,000 silver, meaning anyone who wanted to participate had to prove they had that much available and ready to spend.
Of course, now that 10,000,000 silver was no longer an issue for Edric, it was easy to forget how absurdly high that number actually was.
For context—his mother’s entire yearly budget as a Countess barely exceeded 4,000,000 silver.
Only powerful Marquises like Alaric Windwalker, Rhaegor Darkwind, or exceptionally wealthy Counts who had saved for years could afford to participate in these auctions.
----------------------------------------
Closing the magic laptop, Edric stood up, stretching slightly.
"Time to go hunt for some spellbooks."
He was certain that buying a decent spellbook was impossible at this point. His only hope was to dig through noble estates and hope to stumble across a rare one…
Or take matters into his own hands.
He decided to wait for the arrival of his substance spellbook before leaving.