Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 91

Magic Learned in Vain – 91

Short-Haired Lich 2

“But why are you looking for a blacksmith?” Dreyza asked.

“Why do you think a mage would look for a blacksmith?” Legion looked at Dreyza as if he were slow. The reason a mage would look for a blacksmith wasn’t hard to figure out.

Dreyza tilted his head, puzzled.

In the old days, knights and swordsmen would go to blacksmiths to buy weapons and armor, but that was a thing of the past. In today’s world, with its advanced distribution systems, people rarely did that anymore.

Recently, large-scale trading companies had innovatively combined distribution and retail, with national support. They established ‘traveler’s emporiums’ in every city. These were places where all adventurers’ goods were perfectly stocked.

They were a bit expensive, but convenient because you didn’t have to search far and wide; so many items were on display. That’s why many adventurers preferred these emporiums.

Even a county-sized territory would have a traveler’s emporium.

So, Dreyza couldn’t understand why Legion was looking for a blacksmith.

Dreyza didn’t know that Legion had come straight from his territory and had no idea that emporiums even existed.

He was clearly still a country bumpkin.

“Are you perhaps looking for a blacksmith to *commission* something?”

“Of course. Is there any other reason?”

“Let’s go to the emporium.”

“What’s an emporium?”

“…….”

Dreyza paused, thinking. *What to do with this rich, nouveau riche country bumpkin?*

* * *

The emporium was located in the heart of the county.

It was a five-story brick building, large enough to accommodate hundreds of people at once.

It was even bigger than the Count’s mansion.

The goods displayed inside made Legion’s jaw drop.

“Come on, come on, come on! We’re selling off beginner-level magic staves at a bargain price! Only 10 gold!”

“Imported gauntlets for sale! Sold in sets of three! 50 percent off!”

Merchants were openly trying to attract customers from the front gate. It was crowded.

“Hey, handsome young man, what are you looking for?”

A middle-aged man grabbed Legion’s arm. Surprised, Legion tried to pull away, but the man held on tight.

“I’m just looking around…”

“Sure, looking around is good. But think about it. I’ve got whatever you’re looking for.”

“Do you know what I’m looking for?”

“Of course, I know it at a glance. You’re looking for *that*, aren’t you?”

“That?”

“That which makes your imagination come true.”

*Was he talking about a staff?*

“Well, something like that.”

“Then come this way for a moment. I’ll show you something.”

Legion looked at Dreyza. *Was it really okay to follow this guy?*

Dreyza smiled faintly and nodded. “Go ahead, see if there’s anything good.” He gave a meaningful smile.

It felt ominous, but Legion followed the middle-aged merchant, hoping he wouldn’t throw him into the fiery pits of hell. He hoped he could get a staff with good performance and durability….

Legion’s soul nearly left his body.

In his hand, he held a device that could replay video magic [a magical equivalent of a video player].

Glug, glug, glug.

He had a nosebleed.

The middle-aged merchant handed Legion a tissue.

“Come again if you’re looking for anything, young man. I’ll give you a special 10 percent discount.”

He almost smiled brightly and said, *Really?* He quickly shook his head. *No way.* The video magic replay item he bought was already 50 gold—an unexpected and huge expense.

Normally, he would never have bought such a thing.

But!

There was a splendor that could never be seen in his rural territory.

This video magic replay box contained a whopping 120 adult videos.

Legion was seeing this for the first time.

How a ‘baby’ is born.

Wow! Shocking.

As the video flashed through his mind again, Legion’s face turned red.

“Did you buy something good?” Dreyza approached and gently touched the item Legion was holding.

“Ah, it’s nothing. You don’t need to know.”

“Why are you so flustered?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like you saw something you shouldn’t have.”

“That’s not true!”

“So, where should we go?”

“Let’s go to the third floor. The third floor is the magic item exhibition hall.”

“Y-yeah, let’s go. Quickly. Hurry.”

Legion walked ahead in an awkward posture.

Watching his back, Dreyza smiled brightly. *Even if he didn’t know anything else, he felt like he had won this one. You’re still a kid. I’m an adult. Hahaha.*

Dreyza somehow found Legion cute.

* * *

The emporium, created with simultaneous investment from five major trading companies, was gaining explosive popularity in the kingdom.

As a result, many traditional markets were closing down one after another.

The merchants in the traditional markets pleaded with the lord, “Please, tell the emporium not to give discounts. We merchants are all starving to death,” but it was no use.

The lords had already pocketed a considerable amount of money from the trading companies. If they gave such instructions, they would have to return the bribes.

This place was no different.

Everything was on sale.

Spring sale. At least 20 percent off.

Legion’s eyes widened in delight. He had never imagined that there would be so many magic items.

A fountain pen that writes automatically when you speak.

A luminous stone that automatically lights up when it senses human presence.

An audio device that can record and replay the songs of bards.

A lighter that stores 1st circle fire magic and can be used anytime, anywhere.

It shattered Legion’s common sense.

He didn’t know about these things even after experiencing time loops. *Was it because it was a different dimension?*

Perhaps the magic of the human realm had developed this much.

In terms of practicality, this place seemed far ahead.

“The staff shop is over there.” Dreyza pointed to one side of the floor.

Six or seven shops were lined up in a row. Perhaps because it was a shopping district favored by nobles, it was much quieter than other floors.

Legion walked towards the shops.

Each shop had a different name. At the entrance, a mannequin wearing a fancy robe stood holding a staff.

It looked expensive at first glance.

“Even if you leave such expensive staves outside, won’t they get stolen?” Legion asked.

“They’re enchanted with barcode magic [a security enchantment that identifies the item and its owner], so if you just take them, you’ll get caught and branded as a thief. Imagine a great mage getting caught trying to steal a staff. How embarrassing would that be? They’d be kicked out of the Magic Tower.”

“Hmm, I guess so.”

*But what was barcode magic?* Legion didn’t want to seem too country, so he was curious but didn’t ask.

As Legion entered the magic shop, a young woman wearing a revealing outfit that exposed half of her chest shouted brightly and cheerfully, “Welcome, customer!”

Then, she gave him a look that said she was smitten with Legion’s appearance. Hearts were spinning in her eyes.

Legion didn’t care, as it was something he experienced often.

Besides, the shop employee was just big-chested and really… not his type.

“I’m here to see the staves.”

“Staves?”

“Yes.”

“Are you a mage?”

“Well, for now…”

“I knew you looked like a mage! No, it seems like any job would suit you. That tall figure, that enchanting smile, those melancholic eyes… Do you have a girlfriend?”

*This was the most common question he heard. Do you have a girlfriend?*

“I’m married.”

“Ahhhh.”

The female employee sighed with a mix of lament. She looked genuinely disappointed.

*This was also something he experienced often. Just in case, he had to deliver the finishing blow.*

“I have five children.”

“Gasp!”

“And my wife lives with my parents.”

“Gasp!”

He had heard it from Ms. Set before: Women hate words that start with ‘in-law’ the most. That’s why they prefer the second son who doesn’t live with his parents.

As expected, the female employee’s expression returned to its original state, with the look of a cold-blooded merchant. Now she seemed to see Legion as something she couldn’t have.

“What kind of staff do you prefer? Or a wand? We also have rings or necklace magic artifacts.”

“I’d like to see the staves.”

“We have many high-performance staves. This is a trade secret, but our shop probably has the best staves in the kingdom. We have an exclusive contract with a pretty good blacksmith.”

“Is that so?”

“Come this way.” The female employee took Legion to where the staves were displayed. Dreyza was nowhere to be seen; he seemed to be shopping alone.

“What circle are you?”

He was about to say 5th circle, but he stopped. After all, if the ‘Exploding Coolness’ passive skill disappeared, he would plummet to 3rd circle. He just told her honestly, “3rd circle.”

“Oh, 3rd circle! You’re young and amazing! Well, then, how about this staff to suit the young trend? It’s the best-selling model.”

Legion looked at the staff the female employee handed him.

*What was this? Was he supposed to carry around a staff like this?*

A two-headed dragon was hanging on the head of the staff. The two-headed dragon sculpture looked more expensive than the staff.

“It has pretty good options. Magic power increases by 3 percent, and resistance to poison increases by 10 percent just by holding the staff. And you see this two-headed dragon here? When your magic power drops, if you shout ‘Cry, two-headed dragon!’ a 2nd circle fire magic will be fired through its mouth.”

“Is that so? It looks like it’ll break if you hit it a few times… Anyway, how much is this?”

“500 gold.”

Gasp! 500 gold? *Were staves that expensive?*

Legion had expected a maximum of 100 gold and a minimum of 50 gold. He had no intention of buying such an expensive item.

“It’s not expensive. Three people bought this staff right before you.”

“Three of the same item?”

“Yes, about thirty of this model have been sold this month.”

“Th-thirty?”

“Yes.”

Legion thought he shouldn’t buy this one. There was nothing more unsightly than chanting magic with the same staff as someone else. What if the opponent was an enemy? It would be really funny to have the same staff.

“Show me other staves.”

“Okay, customer. How about this one?”

“What is this?” Legion pointed to the cute rabbit at the end of the staff.

“It’s a rabbit staff that’s popular these days. It’s mainly used by couples. We’ll put the caster’s name on the rabbit’s forehead. The options aren’t bad either. When loving feelings arise, magic power increases by 1 percent. It increases by 3 percent when you hold hands, and 5 percent when you kiss. And…”

The female employee blushed and continued, “When you make love, magic power increases by 10 percent. It’s a really overwhelming number, right?”

It was overwhelmingly embarrassing.

*You have to say something that makes sense. Feel loving feelings in front of the enemy? Hold hands? Kiss? Make love? How? Ah, so the enemy is so dumbfounded that they automatically retreat.*

“Excuse me, but can I look around?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, go ahead.”

The female employee smiled and stepped back.

Only then did Legion breathe a sigh of relief and begin to appraise the staves one by one. He could feel the female employee’s gaze piercing him from behind, but he didn’t care.

Honestly, he didn’t like any of the items.

All the staves were personified: dragons, elves, rabbits. Come to think of it, there were quite a few ornaments to wear on the staves.

They were ornaments without any options.

They were just ornaments sold to make the staves look pretty.

Legion’s eyes were drawn to a staff tucked away in the corner. It had a very dark color compared to other character products.

Its simple appearance was the only thing he liked.

Legion grabbed the black staff and lifted it.

“Ugh.”

He was startled. It was incredibly heavy, at least twice as heavy as a staff made of steel.