Chapter 93: Today I Won't Let You Trade Anything

In the workshop, the recently shut-off magic energy crystal forge exhaled a faint, warm mist.

At the workbench, Sunan carefully placed the last protective ring into the cube and selected synthesis.

The interface flashed, and a brand-new Extreme Protection Ring emerged.

Sunan retrieved the ring and slid it onto his right pinky finger.

Gazing at his right hand, now adorned with five Extreme Protection Rings, Sunan smiled with satisfaction, feeling a heightened sense of security.

"As long as the attack doesn't exceed 1000 defense points in instant damage, the five Extreme Protection Rings can be used in rotation."

"5000 defense points should be enough to withstand over fifty second-circle spells."

For weaker level 3 wizard apprentices, their mental power might not suffice to cast over fifty second-circle spells, highlighting the formidable defense the rings provide.

Calming himself, Sunan glanced at his left hand, where only his index and middle fingers bore the Calamity Ring and the Space Ring, leaving three fingers unadorned.

He planned to craft three more Calamity Rings to utilize the remaining fingers.

"The materials are depleted; I'll need to purchase more."

Running his hand over the rings, Sunan cast the first-circle spell **Illusory Glow**, causing the seven rings to vanish instantly.

This way, he wouldn't reveal his possession of numerous magical items and could avoid alerting enemies during battle.

Sunan then opened his status panel for a look.

Unsurprisingly, **Magic Item Manufacturing** had reached level 3, with an additional 1000 points of proficiency.

He estimated that reaching level 4 would require nearly 5000 more proficiency points.

Sunan calculated he'd need to invest at least 10,000 gold coins worth of materials to advance **Magic Item Manufacturing** to level 4.

Indeed, every wizard (apprentice) is built on a mountain of resources.

Leaving the workshop, Sunan headed straight to the meditation room for his daily routine.

Just two days prior, he had successfully constructed the tenth star ring.

At level 11, the Star Ring Meditation Method now required 500,000 proficiency points to upgrade.

At the current pace, it would take about 11 months to build the eleventh star ring.

After meditating, Sunan continued his spell learning and segmented casting practice as usual.

By the time he finished, night had fallen.

Returning to the meditation room, Sunan took out the key to the trading house.

He had already used the cube to ensure it hadn't been tampered with.

However, the key was still inactive, indicating the trading house hadn't opened and the gathering hadn't started.

Unhurried, Sunan sat patiently.

Over the past fortnight, he had pondered the Forest Cabin situation in detail.

To trade for desirable resources from other wizard apprentices, he needed something of value to offer.

In this regard, Sunan was confident.

He believed that 99% of wizard apprentices lacked the wealth of resources he possessed.

Firstly, there were potions.

Without the synthesis cube, other apprentices found it difficult to gather materials for potion-making.

While zero and first-circle potions were manageable, materials for second and third-circle potions were almost impossible to obtain.

Moreover, without sufficient practice materials, they might not even have the skills to craft second or third-circle potions.

The same applied to magical items.

Sunan had plenty of potions and magical items, resources any apprentice would desire.

However, he didn't plan to trade potions and magical items; he had a more suitable item—magic stones!

Compared to the high-cost potions and magical items, magic stones, with a production cost of less than two gold coins, were far more suitable for trade.

In thought, time passed, and the silver moon hung high in the night sky.

Sunan suddenly sensed a change in the key in his hand.

Focusing, he found the key active.

Taking a deep breath, Sunan donned a mask, then injected mental power into the key, activating it.

In the next instant, a sensation of weightlessness engulfed him.

Regaining his senses, Sunan found himself seated at a long table in a simple wooden cabin.

The walls and floor were engraved with dense runes.

Aside from the long table and a dozen chairs, the cabin had no other furniture.

It was identical to the trading house's interior he had seen before.

At the moment, four others sat around the table with Sunan.

All wore masks and robes, concealing their faces and figures.

At the head was a person with an owl mask, the words "Night Owl" etched on the table before them.

To their right, someone wore a red dragon head mask, with "Red Heart" inscribed on the table.

Two seats away from Red Heart sat someone in a white bone mask, exuding a gloomy aura.

Even from several meters away, Sunan could sense the intense negative energy emanating from them.

"Remains" was carved on the table before them.

Sunan sat to the left of Night Owl, and three seats away, someone with a rose mask sat, their table inscribed with "Rose."

Moonlight streamed through the window, draping the cabin like a silken veil.

Turning to the window, Sunan could see the night sky outside.

However, he knew it was an illusion; he was in an interdimensional space, no longer in the material world.

"Only five of us for the gathering today? It seems everyone's busy," Night Owl quipped lightly, glancing around.

"Enough chit-chat. As you know, today we welcome a new member to Forest Cabin. Let's welcome—"

Night Owl paused, looking at Sunan.

"Player," Sunan said, revealing his chosen alias.

As he spoke, the words "Player" etched themselves onto the table before him, as if an invisible chisel inscribed each letter.

Night Owl pondered the alias for a few seconds, but its meaning eluded him.

"Let's welcome our new member, Lord Player."

Night Owl led a round of applause.

Red Heart and Rose also clapped lightly.

Remains remained motionless, seemingly ignoring Night Owl's words.

Night Owl didn't mind and addressed Sunan: "Including you, Forest Cabin now has eight members, though not everyone attends. Everyone has their own matters."

Sunan nodded in understanding.

He was equally busy every day.

"Let's begin today's trading."

"Wait!"

Remains suddenly interjected, interrupting Night Owl.

Night Owl looked at him, puzzled. "What's the matter?"

Remains glanced at Sunan and said, "According to the rules, newcomers must demonstrate their strength to prove they belong, as no one wants to waste time trading with someone lacking resources."

Night Owl shook his head. "No need. I vouch for Player; his resources rival ours."

Ridiculous, Night Owl thought. Others might not know, but he had personally investigated Sunan and knew his capabilities well.

Someone who crafted the Blackstone Cavalry and Stone Golem Legion wouldn't lack resources to trade.

He wouldn't believe it!

Hearing Night Owl's assurance, Red Heart and Rose looked curiously at Sunan, wondering why Night Owl vouched so firmly for him.

In Forest Cabin, members didn't know each other's true identities.

Only Night Owl, the founder, knew each member's identity.

Every member was personally invited by him.

Remains, however, wasn't swayed, insisting, "Rules can't be broken."

Night Owl's eyes narrowed slightly beneath his mask.

The atmosphere grew tense.

"Sorry, Lord Sunan. Remains was close to Heb. To convince others to make an exception for you, I had to reveal you killed Heb. That might be why Remains is causing you trouble."

Night Owl's voice whispered in Sunan's ear.

Seeing the others' indifference, it was clear only he could hear these words.

"Night Owl may be the organizer, but he has little control over other Forest Cabin members. He wasn't lying; this is indeed a loose organization."

Sunan mused silently.

This was good news for him.

Nodding subtly to Night Owl, Sunan spoke, "Let's follow the rules."

He waved his hand over the table, where ten gray crystals appeared.

"Are these enough to prove my strength?"

Remains sneered, scrutinizing the crystals, then froze.

At the same time, a low gasp emerged from beneath Rose's mask, revealing a female apprentice's voice.

"Magic stones!"

The ten gray crystals Sunan brought were indeed magic stones!

Night Owl instinctively sat up straighter, eyeing the magic stones before Sunan and asked:

"May I take a look?"

Sunan gestured assent.

The trading house's oath contract ensured no one could steal others' items, not even the trading house owner.

Night Owl gestured, and a magic stone floated into his palm.

Sunan raised an eyebrow.

Silent casting?

Or a magical item's ability?

If the former, Night Owl's strength was considerable.

After examining it for a while, Night Owl returned the magic stone to Sunan, nodding slightly, "Indeed, it's a magic stone. Though a lower-grade one, its quality is impressive."

The others seemed to trust Night Owl's judgment. Hearing his words, Rose and Red Heart eyed the magic stones with interest.

Remains fell silent, saying no more.

Natural magic stone mines had long vanished from the Starry Continent, with existing stones a rare remnant from a thousand years ago.

Magic stones were crucial for setting up arrays, crafting magical items, making puppets, and even certain potions.

Without them, many tasks were impossible.

For any apprentice on the Starry Continent, magic stones were invaluable.

These ten stones were more than enough as trade items for a gathering.

Even if Remains sought trouble, there was no excuse.

Seeing Remains's silence, Night Owl chuckled, clapping his hands:

"Since there are no objections, let's start tonight's trading."

"Who wants to go first?"

As Night Owl's voice fell, Rose spoke up, "I'll go first."

Under everyone's gaze, Rose waved her hand, and two exquisite wooden boxes appeared on the table.

She opened one, revealing densely packed green seeds.

"These are Mandrake seeds. You're all aware of Mandrake's properties, so I won't elaborate. There are 121 seeds. Anyone interested?"

Mandrake is a magic plant with hallucinogenic effects, used in many potions.

Sunan had encountered Mandrake in the Evil Spirit Manor of Stone Bell City, though those were tainted by negative energy and unusable for potions, ultimately burned away.

"What do you want in exchange?" Sunan asked.

He planned to establish a new magical plant garden and could plant some Mandrake.

Rose eyed the magic stones before Sunan, hesitating, then said, "One magic stone, how about it?"

Sunan nodded, "Deal!"

"Thank you." Rose exhaled slightly in relief.

The value of over a hundred Mandrake seeds was slightly less than one magic stone, making it a favorable trade for her.

Sunan stored the Mandrake seeds in the cube, verified them, and tossed a magic stone to Rose.

Receiving a magic stone brightened Rose's mood, lending a lighter tone to her voice.

She opened the other box, pointing to the potion inside:

"This is Flameheart Potion, a first-circle potion that enhances constitution and slightly boosts fire element resistance."

Hearing "first-circle potion," the three others, except Sunan, showed interest.

Sunan observed this, nodding inwardly.

As he suspected, first-circle potions were indeed valuable to these apprentices.

Night Owl and Red Heart hesitated, contemplating whether to trade for the Flameheart Potion, but ultimately shook their heads, remaining silent.

Remains produced an irregular gray crystal, saying, "One micro soul crystal for your Flameheart Potion."

Rose was about to agree when Sunan's voice interrupted.

"Three magic stones for your Flameheart Potion."

Rose perked up, agreeing without hesitation.

"Deal!"

Remains's face darkened, glaring at Sunan.

Unbothered, Sunan exchanged magic stones for the Flameheart Potion.

For other apprentices, the cost of a first-circle potion exceeded 200 gold coins.

Magic stones were worth around 50-60 gold coins, with scarcity adding a premium. Three magic stones for a first-circle potion was reasonable.

However, this was only reasonable for others.

For Sunan, it was nearly free.

Sunan synthesized each magic stone for less than two gold coins, making three stones worth just over five gold coins.

Trading that for a first-circle potion was a bargain!

"This potion will enhance my constitution."

Sunan smiled, storing the Flameheart Potion in his space ring.

Seeing Rose had no more items, Night Owl addressed the others.

"Who's next?"

"I'll go," Red Heart said.

His voice was low and disguised, making it unrecognizable.

He presented a large skeleton.

Unfurled, it spanned over ten meters in length and five or six meters in height. Judging by its appearance, it was likely a dragon subspecies, a drake, or a similar creature.

"This is a Spiked Wingless Dragon skeleton," Red Heart explained.

Before he finished, Remains eagerly declared, "I'll take it!"

He placed two soul crystals on the table.

"Though a legendary dragon subspecies, the skeleton's value is lower without blood or a heart. Two micro soul crystals for your skeleton is fair."

Red Heart nodded, acknowledging Remains's statement.

He was about to agree when he paused, turning to Sunan.

Sure enough, Sunan said, "Five magic stones, interested?"

"Deal!" Red Heart replied without hesitation.

While soul crystals were precious, magic stones were more versatile. She needed the latter more.

Watching this, Remains nearly ground his teeth to dust, glaring at Sunan, wishing he could cast a spell at him.

Sunan glanced mockingly at Remains.

Little troublemaker, dare to mess with me? Today, I won't let you trade anything!

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