Geometric Mage: First Spell, Circle

Lian thought for a second before adding, "Let us start there. We will take a quick look. I want to know the prices of things I will sell in the future, after all."

"You could open your own shop!" Rick swallowed loudly, already imagining the moment when tens of thousands of gold coins filled his pockets. "Obviously, I will handle the shop's management."

"Yeah, sure—" Lian gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder. "As if I would let you manage my affairs. The way you are, you would spend everything in seconds."

Chatting, the two headed north.

At the center of the Falling Stars Emporium, there were only small shops selling snacks, but having just left the restaurant, the two passed them by.

After climbing the stairs, an enormous store filled their eyes.

The sign was simple: Artifact Store.

Rows of shelves stretched far and wide, loaded with artifacts organized by element and rank, all identical.

No variety. Every artifact was standard. This was the academy's limitation. To get a custom artifact, you had to be willing to pay an incredible sum, and even then, you had to be lucky. Not everyone could occupy a Rune Master's time, especially now with the war ongoing.

Their time was too precious. They had to constantly create standard artifacts to face threats, unable to afford crafting something unique.

"Damn," Rick murmured, eyes wide as he observed a row of Bronze 3 swords, all with the same enchantment carved on the blade. "This place is… unsettling. Everything is the same. It looks like an army of artifacts."

Lian nodded, a bit disappointed. "I thought we would find something unique, honestly…"

Many other students were inside, looking around, some discussing prices, others just dreaming of owning one.

Lian approached a shelf, reading a tag.

<Sword Bronze 1, fire element, 700 gold coins>

"Hm… exactly as I expected—" he murmured while glancing at another tag.

<Sword Bronze 1, water element, 600 gold coins>

"Huh?" Lian paused for a second, surprised. "Rick, look here. The swords are the same, just different elements, yet their prices are different—"

Before Rick could respond, a middle-aged man with a gray robe edged with white runes approached with a professional smile.

"Welcome, young Mages, I am Loper," he said, his voice calm but authoritative. "The different price is not a mistake. The price depends on demand, and it so happens that fire element artifacts are the most requested, unlike water element artifacts."

Lian nodded, understanding the reasoning behind those words. So to maximize my profit, I should focus on the fire element…

"Can I see it up close?" Lian asked with curiosity.

Loper shook his head. "Unfortunately, I cannot let you do that. But do not worry about their quality. They are all certified, created by the academy's Masters, and not only that. Many products are imported from the kingdom's capital, Ironridge."

"Fine, then we will look around, if you do not mind."

"Please, go ahead," Loper replied with a smile, leaving the two alone and heading toward other people.

Rick watched him go, then leaned toward Lian's ear. "That old man is a cheapskate. He did not even give us an artifact to study. Tch, when he comes to our shop, we will treat him the same way."

Lian rolled his eyes. "You do not have to be so vengeful. Relax, he is just doing his job."

Rick thought for a second before nodding slowly. Am I becoming vengeful? Does it have to do with my newfound affinity? he thought while following Lian to another shelf.

<Sword Bronze 5, water element, 1,300 gold coins>

Observing the tag, Lian was momentarily stunned by the price. "How is that possible?" he whispered to Rick. "The Bronze 5 costs just over double a Bronze 1… it does not make sense—"

"Maybe because it is not that hard to create them? Perhaps the difference between creating a Bronze 1 artifact and a Bronze 5 one is not that great."

"But do not take my word for it," he added. "I am not a Rune Master like you."

Lian thought for a moment. "That actually makes sense…" He recalled the difficulty of extracting Bronze 1 and Bronze 5 Mana Cores. There was a difference, but not as exaggerated as between a Bronze 5 and a Silver 1.

Those were almost two different worlds.

"Do you think they also sell standard artifacts other than melee weapons?" Rick asked. All around were only swords, spears, daggers, short swords, two-handed swords, long staffs.

"Like the staff? I do not know; I have not seen Torin make things like that…"

"But you made one. Maybe its value could be higher—"

"Or lower…" Lian interrupted.

"But that guy at the restaurant took the artifact with a big smile on his face. Could it be that it is worth much more than a regular one?"

"I have no idea. Are you not supposed to be the world expert? You have lived in this place much longer than me."

"Why do we not try asking that guy from before? What was his name…"

"Loper," Lian replied thoughtfully. "Let us try asking."

The two headed toward his position. Loper stood there, off to the side. He was used to receiving many students who would only look. Very few had the gold coins to buy artifacts. After all, their prices had risen by about 50% compared to before.

"Excuse us—" Lian approached the old man. "I would like to ask you something. May I?"

Loper turned toward the boy. "Of course, tell me everything. If you want to buy something custom, I must ask you not to. We do not accept commissions, unfortunately…"

"No," Lian shook his head. "I wanted to ask you about the price of an artifact."

"Oh," Loper nodded, taking a monocle from his pocket and placing it over his right eye. "Show it to me."

Lian and Rick exchanged a glance, then an embarrassed smile formed on their faces.

"We do not have it with us now…" Lian scratched the back of his neck. "It is a long story. However, I can describe the artifact, or rather, the enchantment within it."

Loper's expression, which for a moment was one of complete disappointment, became interested. "Tell me more…"

"It is a classic mage staff, enchanted with a primary fire rune, a secondary rune giving it the shape of a sphere, and a tertiary rune for greater power. Bronze 1," he said without stuttering even for a moment.

The man with the monocle's eyes gleamed for an instant before returning to normal. "It is a nice artifact…" he said, finally, nodding slightly. "However, they are not so widely used nowadays… melee weapons are preferred. After all, what a mage lacks most is not ranged attacks but close-quarters combat."

Lian nodded, understanding the point presented by Loper.