"I wonder what will happen now that Count Nilo is no longer around to manage the situation. With the beast tide out of control, the developments in the future could be quite unpredictable. The final simulation showed that five second-tier magical beasts attacked Eagle Town all at once, which clearly indicates that the situation has become much more severe."
Rhett exhaled a long breath, steadying his thoughts. No matter how chaotic things became, once he leveraged the hunting expedition in the Dark Patterned Eagle's branch to gather more Fate Points and make a breakthrough to a third-tier mage, he believed all challenges would be surmountable.
Turning around, Rhett looked at the five neatly arranged flaxen bags of various sizes in the middle of the hall. These were the spoils that the traveling merchant had unknowingly delivered to his door, and now they all belonged to Rhett. Additionally, the silver plate of antiquity was also placed on the ground, drawing Rhett's curious gaze. He first picked up the plate, which contained mithril, and carefully examined it.
Now that it had been cleaned, it reflected a gleaming light.
"Who would have thought that such a small plate could conceal a treasure like mithril," Rhett mused, marveling at the discovery. He searched his memory for information about mithril.
Finally, he recalled that in this world, mithril was a top-tier magical material with unparalleled magical affinity. Every mage coveted it. Whether used in crafting wands or other alchemical equipment, adding mithril through alchemical means would significantly enhance the quality.
Its most powerful effect was that a wand containing mithril could reduce the consumption of mental energy during spellcasting, depending on the amount of mithril used. This single feature was enough to make it highly sought after by all mages.
If Rhett remembered correctly, even a small amount of mithril would fetch astronomical prices in the market.
As he held the plate, Rhett noticed that it was indeed about 20% lighter than an ordinary silver plate.
"I'll definitely keep this. If I get the chance, I’ll have a wand made with mithril," Rhett thought, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Reducing the mental energy consumption during spellcasting was undoubtedly a dream come true for any mage.
For someone like Rhett, who had been through countless battles and near-death experiences, he understood the significance of this. Every reduction in energy consumption during a battle could mean the difference between life and death.
It was akin to conserving stamina in a different kind of endurance activity—prolonged performance leads to greater satisfaction. For a mage, extending the duration of combat by conserving mental energy brought a level of fulfillment comparable to other long-lasting endeavors...
Returning to his room, Rhett carefully stored the silver plate in a hidden compartment before heading back to the hall for the much-anticipated treasure inspection!
He first opened the largest bag and peered inside. The golden glint almost blinded him—an entire bag filled with coins. Rhett wasn't surprised by this outcome; the sound and weight had already hinted at the contents on his way upstairs.
"However, this amount... There must be at least five hundred coins here. It's rare for a traveling merchant to be so wealthy."
Considering that the merchant had brought more than just this bag of coins, and there were still other items, Rhett furrowed his brows. If one included ill-gotten gains, this began to make more sense.
He then opened the other bags one by one, emptying their contents onto the floor for easier examination.
With a series of clinks and clatters, a heap of items quickly formed. Some things were familiar to Rhett, while others were completely foreign.
Rhett began by sorting through the familiar items, picking out six bottles of Lunar Radiance Elixir and setting them aside. With these, he now had twelve bottles in total. Once he gathered twenty-four, he planned to pass any extras to Reilly. Glancing at the large bag of gold coins, a smile spread across his face. It seemed this goal was within reach.
Next, he identified fifteen bottles of Boiling Elixir. Since the number of knights far exceeded that of mages, it made sense that the market for combat potions was broader than that for the Lunar Radiance Elixir.
Other items included antidotes, poisons, and healing potions—most of which Rhett recognized. After organizing them, he placed them all in a designated area.
"Elemental essences of fire and wind?" Rhett's eyes lit up as he picked up two small bottles. The fire essence was a deep red powder, while the wind essence was a pale blue liquid.
These were particularly valuable to Rhett, who still needed to hatch his Fire Feathered Eagle egg. His current stock was running low, and he had planned to have the next caravan procure more from Twilight City.
For now, it seemed this bottle would last him another quarter.
As he moved aside a large crystal, Rhett discovered something unexpected underneath—a yellowed envelope.
Curious, Rhett picked it up and pulled out the letter inside, unfolding it to read.
With his speed, it took him ten minutes to carefully read through the thousand-word letter.
Rhett's eyes reflected surprise as he refolded the letter and tucked it back into the envelope, which he then placed in his pocket.
The letter turned out to be from the East Blue Coast.
The East Blue Coast was the only coastal region in the Kingdom of Jinlun, separated from the southwestern border by the Mandes State.
Mandes State was named after the first king of the Jinlun Kingdom, Mandes Jinlun, who hailed from there.
To Rhett's astonishment, the traveling merchant, Angni, had fled from the East Blue Coast, crossed the Mandes State, and ended up in the southwestern border region.
Moreover, upon reading the letter, Rhett realized that it was a will. The information he gathered from it was as follows:
...