Volume 3, Chapter 13 – Thousands of magic cores

“So this is an inn…”

Fia tilted her head up to observe the inn Renee had chosen. It wasn’t the first time she had seen an inn, but it was her first time staying in one like this. Previously, in Aurora City, she had either stayed at the slave trader’s residence or at Claire’s clinic. By the time she reached the Territory of Oro, it had been left in ruins by the Despair Demon General. Forget inns, even finding a house with a roof was a big deal. So, this was Fia’s first time staying in an inn.

The style was quite grand.

Inns on the World Tree Continent were usually made of wood; only private residences were built with stone. Moreover, whether it was a shop with a storefront or a house on the street, the interior space was very small. This was especially true for private residences, where the living room, kitchen, and bed were all concentrated in one room, which was both cramped and smelly.

Furthermore, the service at inns could only be described as peculiar. To be precise, it was not even as good as in the ancient era of the Human Alliance. The bedsheets and pillows used by the previous guest would be kept for the next one as long as they were not too dirty. And the first floor, which served as the lobby, was often decorated as a tavern for diners, with tables and chairs crowded together, mixed with the smell of ale spilled on the floor from the previous night and fermented food scraps stuck between the floorboards. It was a smell that was hard to get used to.

But the inn in front of her was vastly different from the ones Fia had seen before. The entire building was constructed from stone that reflected a lustrous sheen, and the lobby’s ceiling was at least four meters high. Apart from the main door and pillars, the walls on the first floor were completely replaced with large panes of glass.

Although the glass manufacturing process might not have been the best, resulting in a bluish, not completely transparent color, it was still enough to show the luxury of this inn—there were probably huge crystal chandeliers and spotless, polished stone floors inside.

Even the Mage Association in Aurora City was not this grand.

In addition, since the carriage had entered this street, the number of pedestrians had decreased significantly, and their attire had become neat and proper. Fia could even see people dressed as maids and butlers walking on the street. It felt as if the surroundings had suddenly become brighter, and even the air was cleaner.

This must be the noble district, Fia guessed. She had heard in Oro that the World Tree Continent also distinguished between noble districts and commoner districts. Although commoners were allowed to enter the former, they would not go there unless they had a reason. If their dress and behavior were not appropriate, they would likely be picked on by idle nobles, and no one liked to lose their head.

“Her Highness, the First Princess?”

Seeing Fia standing at the door without moving, Renee, who was half a step behind her, tilted her head slightly. Renee did not yet know that Fia had lost her memory, so in her eyes, Fia’s daze was a bit strange.

Fia quickly resumed the cold expression an elf princess should have and waved her hand.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go in.”

“Yes. This inn is the most luxurious and safest in all of Byrne City. Only nobles and those with assets of at least one Gem Coin can stay here. Although Byrne City may look like an ordinary city, it is actually very dangerous, especially at night. If you sleep too soundly in an ordinary inn, you might be burglarized, robbed, or even kidnapped.

Her Highness, the First Princess’s strength is of no concern, but Her Highness, the Third Princess, if you have no business, do not go out alone. If you are kidnapped by someone with malicious intent, you will bring shame upon the entire elf race.”

By the end, Renee had already switched to her usual annoying tone.

In response, Liti just snorted impolitely and did not answer.

The subsequent events unfolded very simply. First, Renee flashed the proof of assets issued by the inn in front of the guards at the door. Then, a guard led the carriage to the stables behind the inn. With the extremely enthusiastic reception of a young staff member, the group soon settled into two rooms in the inn: Anastasia and Liti in one, and Renee and Fia in the other.

The price for each room was a steep one gold coin per night, more than what an ordinary carpenter earned in a month.

It was worth mentioning that the reason Fia had arranged the rooms this way was the possibility that if Anastasia and Renee stayed together, they might get into a fight and demolish the inn.

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Upon entering the inn, Fia had used [Wind of Exploration] to scan the guards inside. The strongest among them was only at the Third Rank. Although there were occasional Fourth Rank powerhouses dressed as noble guards, strength could not be judged by rank alone. If the battle-hardened Anastasia and Renee were to really fight, no one but herself could stop them.

The room was about thirty square meters, divided in the middle by a wall into a bedroom with a bed and a washroom on the other side. Fia did not see a bathroom. According to Renee, this was because Byrne City was near a desert and was very short on water. The room was carpeted, and the walls and lighting were a soft yellow. Combined with the glass windows (instead of ventilation-slit-like windows), it had a very warm and cozy feel.

“To be in the same room as Lord Thanatos…”

Since entering the room, Renee, with her long chestnut hair and dressed in a green and white elf outfit, had been restless. Unlike Anastasia, who wore a simple cloth elf outfit, Renee’s chest, knees, and wrists were covered in metal armor, giving her a heroic yet feminine softness.

Her chest, which was no less impressive than Anastasia’s, would bounce with her steps if not for the metal armor, enough to attract the attention of countless men and even women.

“What, are you not used to it?”

“Not at all!” Renee, standing at the door, said hastily. “I-I am just honored…”

Is she really that devoted to me?

Fia raised an eyebrow imperceptibly, not voicing the question in her heart.

Although she had learned from Renee that the organization she spoke of was completely centered on Fia, and that Fia had shown them all an indelible kindness of rebirth, causing them to regard her as a new parent and be willing to give their lives for her, such a description felt too exaggerated to Fia. She found it difficult to act as Renee had suggested and “just order her around like a slave.”

Although, on second thought, for those who were ostracized by the whole world because of the Darkborn disease, to be suddenly accepted by a stranger in their moment of despair when even their own families despised them, and for that stranger to not only erase the traces of the disease but also treat them with kindness and teach them enough knowledge to protect themselves—such a scenario could easily make a person trust the other without reservation, feeling that they had been saved. But Fia had no memory of saving them, so it all felt very strange.

Maybe I should have had Anastasia stay with me, and Liti with Renee. The room is big enough and has two beds, and Liti is the type who can be well-behaved when she wants to be.

I made the wrong decision , Fia couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. She untied the dust-proof cloak from her body and tossed it onto the bed.

“I will set out for the royal capital tomorrow morning. You continue with your mission. Remember, do not be rash.”

“Yes!”

As she said this, Renee, like a maid, quickly picked up the cloak Fia had thrown on the bed and neatly hung it on the coat rack by the door.

Fia watched this scene in silence.

“The operation to annihilate the bandits’ lair will begin tonight. Prepare yourself. Also, do you know where Baron Khesa lives?”

“Baron Khesa lives in the tallest building in the city center. Does Lord Thanatos have business with him? I can relay a message or summon him here. A mere incompetent minor noble is not worthy of you paying him a visit.”

“I have my own arrangements. It’s still early. I’m going out for a while and will be back before dinner. If anyone is looking for me, tell them to wait. I will inform Liti and Anastasia separately.”

Fia said coldly.

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First, she had to go to the great desert to confirm whether the Flame King was truly dead. If he had indeed died from [Spatial Rift], then she would convey the definite news of his defeat to Baron Khesa to prevent him from issuing some thoughtless decrees that would affect the lives of ordinary people. It should be said that Fia did not intend to meet Baron Khesa as the “elf princess,” but rather in the name of “Thanatos.”

The purpose of doing so was, one, to avoid being entangled by Baron Khesa, and two, to avoid some unforeseen hidden troubles.

The Flame King had changed the surrounding environment, and its death would surely affect the interests of countless people. It would be fine if those with ill intentions retaliated against her; she could just burn them as they came.

But if people of the sort who said, “Because the Flame King is dead, I’ve lost my job of hunting Fire-striped Frogs, and it’s all your fault,” appeared, it would ruin her whole day. The World Tree Continent was home to billions of people; it was normal for unexpected types to appear.

Second, if there were any remaining Fire-striped Frogs in the great desert, she would eliminate them to prevent them from going mad and harming the surrounding villages, and at the same time, collect the magic cores of the Flame King and the frogs.

On the World Tree Continent, all monsters had something called a magic core in their bodies. The magic core was the fundamental reason why monsters could use magic. It contained a large amount of mana and had many special properties, making it an essential basic material for any alchemy.

Without a magic core, even the most learned alchemist could not perform alchemy. This was mentioned at the beginning of the book An Introduction to Alchemy That Even Slimes Say Is Good.

“I understand. Do you have any other instructions?”

“No, you’ve done well.”

Fia subconsciously wanted to show an approving smile, but remembering that Thanatos was a person of few words and smiles, she quickly suppressed the smile that was about to appear on her face, waved her hand at Renee, and walked out of the room.

◇

The orange-red sun was about to set behind the mountains, and the shadows of the pedestrians on the road were stretched long. The aroma of people cooking dinner drifted through the streets. The whole of Byrne City was settling in for the night.

Wearing a hood and a mask covering her face with [Cloud Moon of the Illusory Sea], Fia walked into the spacious and magnificent Mage Association.

As people had said, the Flame King was indeed dead. Although Fia did not find its corpse in the canyon created by [Spatial Rift], she did find some traces of it. For example, there was a vast underground space beneath the desert, which fit the description of the Flame King being a large turtle. In addition, since Fia did not find any monsters above the Third Rank in the rest of the desert, it was certain that the Flame King had been killed by [Spatial Rift].

As for where the Flame King’s body had gone, Fia believed it had been sucked away by the spatial fissure created by [Spatial Rift]. Because of this, Fia did not get its magic core, which was probably at the Sixth or even close to the Seventh Rank level, and could have been sold for an astonishingly high price on the market.

It was just a turtle, it should have been very tough, yet it was killed in one shot by [Spatial Rift]. What a disgrace to turtles, Fia thought indignantly. ¹ what kind of turtle can survive a black hole smh…

As for the remaining Fire-striped Frogs, Fia only found a few scattered groups of a dozen or so on the desert’s surface. It was not as ridiculous as the soldiers had said, that there were hundreds of thousands of them in the desert. If the soldiers were not mistaken, the only other possibility was that the Fire-striped Frogs, like the Flame King, lived underground.

But since the frogs were not coming out to harass people, Fia did not intend to go to the trouble of turning the entire desert upside down to find them. The desert stretched for two or three hundred kilometers; it would be difficult to clear them out quickly and efficiently without an orbital bombardment.

At this moment, that group of Fire-striped Frogs had probably already chosen a new leader. This was Fia’s guess.

When she was dealing with them earlier, she had discovered that there were some among them who had intelligence, could use tools, and even used language to command their subordinates. At their Third Rank level, even if they couldn’t dominate a region, they could still be minor leaders, not to mention that there might be even more powerful Fire-striped Frogs in the desert.

Finally, what Fia was doing now was purchasing some alchemy materials that would be useful later.

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Previously, when Fia was choosing spells with Claire in Aurora City, she had discovered that the Mage Association sold alchemy materials. The materials she had plundered from the temple in Aurora City were all of high quality, too wasteful to use for practice. As a novice, it was better to start with the simple things. Fia had no intention of aiming too high.

“How may I help you?”

Although Fia was wearing a mask and strangely dressed, the staff in Byrne City were used to it. In this city where anything could be bought with money, there were countless people like Fia who needed to conceal their identity to appear in formal places.

Rather than risking offending a customer by asking questions, it was better to warmly cater to them. After all, a customer who needed to conceal their identity often meant a big transaction.

“These.”

Since she was currently acting as Thanatos, Fia adopted a taciturn persona and handed a piece of paper filled with the names of alchemy materials to the receptionist. The Mage Association in Byrne City was much larger than the one in Aurora City, and since the materials she needed were of the lowest grade, Fia was not worried that they wouldn’t have them.

“Uh, will ten of each be enough?”

“Yes.”

“The total is three silver coins.”

Perhaps it was Fia’s imagination, but she felt that the female clerk was disappointed—which was understandable. The clerk had probably expected Fia to bring in a big deal, but instead, Fia had only bought things that a novice alchemist would buy.

Because the clerk did not deliberately lower her voice when she spoke, the other staff members near the counter were already covering their mouths and snickering at their colleague’s misfortune.

Fortunately, the clerk’s professionalism was quite good. She quickly brought out the alchemy materials from the back and handed them to Fia.

“Here are all the alchemy materials. You may check them.”

“Yes, I also want to sell some magic cores.”

“Selling magic cores? May I ask what monster they are from?”

“Fire-striped Frogs.”

Because the female clerk showed a wry smile, Fia, worried that she might not accept them due to their low value, had no choice but to add.

“About five thousand or more, ranging from the First to the Third Rank.”

Because the magic cores were hidden in the frogs’ heads, and their heads had been blown apart by her mental magic, Fia did not need to break them open to find the cores. With the help of the Spatial Hand, the process of collecting them was exceptionally simple.

If not for the fact that her spatial backpack was full and she was unwilling to let her clothes be squeezed together with the cores, the number of magic cores would have been even greater.

“Eh?”

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The wry smile from a moment ago vanished as if it had never been there. The female clerk stood frozen on the spot as if struck by lightning. A second later, she came to her senses and asked loudly, stammering.

“Y-you said several thousand?! Even if a First Rank Fire-striped Frog magic core only sells for two silver coins, several thousand would be worth several hundred gold coins, not to mention there are also Second and the more valuable Third Rank cores! Are you joking? Please stop with the malicious jokes, or you will be blacklisted—”

The clerk’s flustered appearance made Fia sigh softly.

“You can get a box.”

“Y-yes!”

The female clerk hurriedly brought up a box from under the counter. And because she had practically shouted “several thousand,” Fia had now attracted the attention of a dozen curious onlookers.

Then, Fia took off the spatial backpack from her waist and, by tilting it, poured the magic cores she had collected from the desert in the afternoon into the box. In just a few seconds, the light red magic cores, the size of a pinky fingernail, had piled up into a cone-shaped “mountain.”

The female clerk’s mouth was now wide enough to fit an apple, and the other staff members nearby looked on with a mixture of envy and jealousy. As staff members, they received a 1% commission on transactions they handled. Even if all these magic cores were First Rank, this clerk would still get several or even a double-digit number of gold coins tonight, enough to cover her salary for several months.

Of course, Fia did not know this. She just continued to add in Thanatos’s cold tone.

“I also need some low-rank magic cores of different attributes. Also, give me the magic catalog.”

She still needed to buy some magic crystals and books to enrich her variety of spells. As for the money, if selling these Fire-striped Frog cores was not enough, Fia could always go back to the desert and collect more.

In the afternoon, worried that the cores that couldn’t fit in her spatial backpack would be picked up by someone else, Fia had deliberately collected all the cores from the ground and buried them in a specific location, the coordinates of which only she knew.

“Y-yes. But please wait a moment, I need help to… to count the magic cores.”

As if worried that Fia would get angry, the female clerk hastily added.

“They will be counted in front of you!”

“It’s fine if you don’t count them so clearly. I just need you to be quick.”

“Yes, please wait a moment!”

Before Fia could urge her, the female clerk turned around without a second thought and ran hastily to the back room. The way she ran in high heels made Fia feel that she could fall at any moment.

—And that was indeed the case. The female clerk soon stumbled, but fortunately, Fia secretly supported her with a Spatial Hand, so she was not injured.

As more staff arrived to count the magic cores in public, the originally quiet Mage Association quickly became noisy.