Chapter Forty-Nine: The Scarlet Robe of the Radiant Wisteria

The first-floor hall of the Divine Armory Pavilion was laid out with armor and weapons neatly organized by star level, each area clearly marked, prices displayed in plain sight, rising steadily with quality. Every piece of equipment here was costly, yet all followed the most standard and reasonable market rates. For the students of Sylan Academy, it was evidently their first time in the imperial capital seeing such a grand weaponry store; they felt as if they had entered a splendid garden, excitement lighting their faces as they surged toward the sections with equipment below three stars—the areas with the fewest people—eager to examine the armors and weapons suitable for their use. With the help of the attendants behind the counters, they learned more about the items that caught their interest.

The three girls and Xie Zhan headed to the three-star section, as from mid-level two stars onward, cultivation speed slowed noticeably; progressing from two stars to three would take a considerable amount of time. Lin Qingxuan, who had already taken a liking to the three very different girls on the carriage, had planned to offer them some guidance and help clarify their future paths in cultivation. But out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of "Xu Wen" slipping quietly to the four-star section.

“Oh?” Lin Qingxuan’s eyes brightened slightly. Inner sect disciples of a young age were generally at the two-star level; even selecting three-star equipment as a future goal was considered ambitious. Yet, Xu Wen seemed completely uninterested in three-star items. Without hesitation, she followed after him.

Before the four-star counter stood a number of adventurers and mercenaries. Several attendants, each sporting a three-star badge on their chests, were busy recommending various types of armor and weapons tailored to different professions. When someone approached, they glanced over, then quickly looked away.

A two-star fire mage child—clearly, neither his financial situation nor his strength placed him among their typical customers; most likely, he was just here out of curiosity.

Yet Xu Wen paid this no mind. He stood motionless before the counter, surveying the four-star equipment within, and the larger weapons and armor displayed on the wall behind, quietly observing and searching.

Equipment in this world also had usage restrictions, depending on the user’s cultivation level, the strength of their battle aura, and their mental power, each item yielding different effects. For example, the "Sky Blue Mage Robe" in the display case was a water-element mage’s garment, only considered a mid-tier four-star piece. Its main feature was the small magical array inscribed on its surface, which, once activated by the wearer, would automatically release a basic four-star water-element defensive shield, mitigating magical attacks below the four-star level, and providing some protection against physical assaults as well.

Of course, a mid-tier four-star armor would be expected to do more than just that. The Sky Blue Robe had also been modified by an artificer to serve as a magical container—over twelve hours, it would automatically absorb elemental energy from its surroundings, much like forming an elemental vortex, giving the user a one-time boost in mana summoning speed, and it could also store the wearer’s mental energy equivalent to two four-star spells.

Crafted from the supple hide of a magical beast, the robe itself provided a measure of defense, further enhanced by the inscribed array; in a duel with a mage of similar rank, it effectively granted the wearer the time to cast an extra defensive spell. Its overall design was quite conventional, focusing on the mage’s chief need: reducing spell casting time, with the added benefit of functioning as a mana reservoir.

Judged through the eyes of a two-star fire mage, this equipment was rather decent…

But, from the perspective of someone who had once been an Archlich, this was little more than a slightly above-average item—nothing to write home about.

The equipment Xu Wen sought was… something else entirely!

His gaze swept past the Sky Blue Robe, landing on a piece that was currently drawing the attention of several adventurers—a robe folded square and neat, its fabric seeming to burn silently like living flame. On each side of its upright collar was embroidered a dark-silver camellia pattern, lifelike flames encircling each blossom. Amidst the fire, the camellia appeared subtle, yet radiated an aura of prideful spirit.

He remembered this piece well from his days in the game world—a "low-level" fire mage robe that left a deep impression.

The Camellia Flame Robe!

A top-tier four-star armor! Its material was taken from the hide of a high-level four-star fire-element beast, its defensive strength nearly double that of the Sky Blue Robe! In addition, it bore two magical arrays: one that, with a thought, could instantly activate a high-level four-star "Flame Shield," providing comprehensive protection that followed the user’s will; the other, for use in close-quarters danger, allowed the user to channel mana and instantly trigger a three-star spell—"Ring of Fire Repulsion"—usable only once per day, after which the array cooled down, absorbing ambient elements to recharge itself.

From a defensive standpoint, Xu Wen personally felt that the Camellia Flame Robe was a thoroughly qualified piece of equipment—at least, at the four-star level, it was outstanding.

He glanced at its price tag…

Two thousand gold coins! Nearly the equivalent of two million in the real world.

Certainly not cheap…

Instinctively, Xu Wen touched his storage ring; inside, he just happened to have two thousand gold coins—funds prepared by his clan for his living expenses and other needs. It was enough to buy the Camellia Flame Robe.

“Will you let this go for 1,500 gold?” A few adventurers were also eyeing the Camellia Flame Robe but balked at the high price.

“Sorry, nothing here is discounted,” replied the attendant firmly.

Enchanting was a specialty exclusive to fire mages; other professions and mages could not substitute for them, so prices were quite standardized. For one-star items, the profit was about ten gold coins; two-star, twenty; three-star, fifty; but at four stars, profits soared! Four-star items: over two hundred gold each, five-star: more than a thousand, and the higher the level, the more astronomical the profits. Particularly for a top-grade four-star armor as difficult to craft as a five-star piece, the effort and complexity drove the profit as high as five hundred gold coins!

The hide and core of a high-level four-star fire beast, plus a slew of other materials, cost nearly a thousand gold coins on their own, not to mention the risk of failed enchanting—so the price was not unreasonable.

Yet the rules of fire mages did little to win favor. Other professions were reluctant to pay five hundred gold in profit to an enchanter, while also shouldering part of the risk.

The adventurers before them clearly had no intention of accepting the two-thousand-gold price tag on the Camellia Flame Robe.

“If there’s no room to haggle, let’s go elsewhere.” “What a disappointment.” The adventurers filed out one after another, though one woman in their group, bearing the fire mage’s badge on her chest, glanced back at the robe before leaving.

“Camellia Flame Robe? Our Hortonklin family can’t produce something like that. Are you thinking of buying it?” Lin Qingxuan, noticing Xu Wen’s focus, asked in surprise.

Without turning, Xu Wen nodded twice. “The defense of this robe rivals five-star armor. It can be used for a long time.”

“You need to be at least four-star first tier to use it. Isn’t it a bit soon for you?” Lin Qingxuan queried.

Xu Wen said nothing. He stepped forward, calmly took out a crystal card loaded with two thousand gold coins, and, to the astonishment of Lin Qingxuan and the attendant, quietly placed the Camellia Flame Robe into his storage ring.

The Camellia Flame Robe was a signature craft of the Western City Clan; with the requirement for a specific high-level four-star fire beast, sometimes only one could be made in half a year. Who knew if he’d come across another after reaching four stars?

After purchasing the Camellia Flame Robe, Xu Wen scanned the four-star section once more, then passed leisurely through the five- and six-star areas, finding nothing else of interest.

As he prepared to leave, the shopkeeper, who had been silently observing Xu Wen being shadowed by Lin Qingxuan throughout, approached. “Young man, if you haven’t found what you’re looking for on this floor, you’re welcome to take a look upstairs.”

“Shopkeeper…” The attendant began to protest, but the shopkeeper silenced him with a cool glare, and he immediately fell silent.

“Upstairs?” Xu Wen looked around but saw no staircase.

Behind him, Lin Qingxuan’s mind was in turmoil…

The second floor of the Divine Armory Pavilion!

It was said to house even rarer, higher-level equipment and secret tomes, never open to the public, unless one had reached at least six-star strength or possessed significant background. Yet neither the Hortonklin family nor Lin Qingxuan, herself a five-star fire mage, were qualified to step onto that floor—let alone Xu Wen!