Chapter 240: Chapter 238: You Think I Bought It to Use?
When Hilia left Emilia, her face was full of smiles.
The rewards were substantial. Although she split the money from the information with Elina, not counting the money from selling scrolls, her savings had exceeded 100 Gold Coins again.
And with the scrolls ordered by Emilia, her savings directly exceeded 200 Gold Coins.
She wanted a large quantity, covering Tier Two and Tier Three, mostly protection-type magic, a few for enhancement and attack, none for healing, because of the Healing Ban Curse.
Since Hilia currently didn’t have that many scrolls, plus she had to use some herself, she negotiated with Emilia for a phased delivery schedule, with a timeframe of one week.
After the negotiations, they happened to have a sumptuous dinner at the Royal Mercenary Corps’ camp, letting Hilia and Elina see how even mercenary nobles lived in decadent luxury, a meal costing several Intermediate Magic Crystals.
"Let’s take a rest for the next few days, and after I deliver the goods, we’ll explore the sixth layer again. This level and above are somewhat different, we can’t be careless."
Counting the Gold Coins, Hilia said.
Elina also nodded: "I need to prepare for repairing the magic puppet too. We rushed too quickly today, and the puppet sustained significant damage."
"Let’s continue in five days then."
"Okay."
Thus, the two paused their conquest, starting to earn money and repair the magic puppet.
Meanwhile, Pascal learned about Emilia purchasing scrolls from Hilia, and he rushed into Emilia’s tent while she was resting, incredulously saying: "Emilia, are you crazy? It’s one thing to purchase ruin information, but why are you spending heavily to buy scrolls from the Elf Race?"
Emilia responded calmly: "Their scroll craftsmanship is excellent, what’s wrong with buying from them?"
Pascal angrily said: "If you need any scrolls, you can just tell me. Why buy from other races? Do you know the consequences if there are issues with the scrolls?"
Emilia didn’t answer directly but asked: "Can you make a Tier Three Magic Scroll of [Shield of the Earth]?"
Pascal hesitated, but soon hummed: "Although I’ve never made one before, I’ve made other Tier Three scrolls, there’s a certain success rate, so it can be done."
Emilia nodded, then asked: "What’s the success rate?"
Pascal confidently replied: "Using the feathers of a Celestial Griffin as a brush, incorporating the Heart of Gold, Pure Magic Crystal Powder, and the blood of Frost Goblins, the success rate can reach at least 5%."
Emilia nodded again, saying: "Okay, help me make five."
Pascal said: "No problem, you’re my sister, I won’t charge you, just the cost, 15 Gold Coins each."
Emilia laughed sneeringly: "15 Gold Coins? No, no, at most 10 Gold Coins."
"The Earth Shield is an extremely difficult type of Tier Three magic to craft, involving communication with the earth, 10 Gold Coins? I’d have to subsidize you with 5 Gold Coins for materials!
"That Elf, with a name similar to the Holy Daughter, sells Earth Shield scrolls for 10 Gold Coins each, right? Do you know the difference in effect due to material differences? It’s not just about the power, inferior materials can also lead to scroll failures or low success rates; you might get a scroll that is a fake or lower-tier posing as higher-tier. You don’t understand scrolls, I advise you to think twice."
Emilia smiled, not saying a word.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t easily purchase it.
But if it’s the handiwork of the Holy Daughter, why not buy it?
You think I’m buying it to use?
Wrong, I’m buying it to collect.
Scrolls are all marked with the maker’s signature or mark. Every curse master’s scroll is specially designed with their mark or signature, inseparably linked to the scroll itself, which triggers or invalidates if altered.
This is not just to prevent counterfeiting and price inflation, but also a requirement from the Holy Court and the Empire, making it easier for users to trace the source of problems and for buyers to file complaints when issues arise.
Upon determining that Hilia might be that Hilia, Emilia specifically researched what significant events Holy Daughter Hilia had done, finding them astonishing.
"Based on Miss Hilia’s actions, her chances of becoming Lady Hilia in the future are extremely high. Collecting her works during her growth period not only earns her friendship but also serves as an investment. If money is needed in the future, a piece can be auctioned off for cash."
This was one of Emilia’s goals.
Maybe this Hilia isn’t the Holy Daughter, but the "Hilia" on the scroll can be.
Thus, Emilia said: "The deposit has been paid, it’s at least the work of Miss Hilia, so I’ll buy it."
"Do you think this Hilia is that Hilia? Even if it is that Hilia, her scroll crafting skills are still inferior to mine..."
While speaking, Pascal suddenly paused.
He began to ponder.
He realized something was amiss.
And then he left.
Emilia merely smiled and watched Pascal leave, saying nothing.
...
Time passed quietly.
The reputation of this ruin gradually spread.
No one knows who spread the word that this ruin casually had Intermediate Magic Crystals, richer than other ruins, attracting more and more people to the temporary camp.
The temporary camp grew in size, forming layers of small towns around the pool, with more and more vendors selling their wares.
Especially those selling armor.
During these days, Hilia was immersed in scroll crafting, while Elina was busy repairing her magic puppet, and did one more thing.
She resolved to convey the message to elves she knew at the Ista border that they could earn money through Elf Blessing here.
Thus, several elf purification stalls soon appeared, temporarily suppressing curses for adventurer mercenaries.
As more elves arrived, the cost of treatment dropped increasingly lower, falling to 5 Silver Coins, then to 4 Silver Coins, and finally to 3.5 Silver Coins...
Meanwhile, the nearby town’s Divine Hall, learning of an unpurifiable curse here, summoned the bishop from Southern Border City to study what the curse was and how to lift it.
Under these circumstances, the elves couldn’t unite to raise prices.
Because it lacked core competitiveness, any elf could do it.
The two elves summoned by Pascal didn’t follow the trend to lower prices, stubbornly maintaining the original price.
At the same time, with Elina’s help, they began to search for loopholes in the contract to demand a "base salary" from Pascal.
With so many elves already offering dispelling services, the two elves were no longer cost-effective. Keeping them would mean paying them, so eventually, Pascal terminated their contract, restoring their freedom.
Outside the ruin, the wind was stirring, with various clues being uncovered inside the ruin every now and then.
Five days passed quietly.
