73: Chapter 56 Northern Wizard 73: Chapter 56 Northern Wizard As Leon brought forth the crossbow arrow as large as a short spear, named Hilgard, the burly mage could hardly wait to get his hands on it and examine it closely.
He flicked off the dried blood scabs on the crossbow arrow and leaned in to scrutinize the intricate runes and demon runes on the shaft.
Discerning their secrets, Hilgard couldn’t help but marvel.
“Incredible…” The more he studied, the more astonished he became, not only in admiration of the ingenious application of the demon runes but also in reverence of the maker’s profound understanding of the ancient magic language.
“It’s no wonder it’s from Athias, the knowledge of the kingdom of mages is truly mesmerizing.”
Setting the rune crossbow arrow aside for the moment, Hilgard turned to the young knight in front of him and proposed, “Sir Leon, would you be willing to sell it to me?
To you, this is merely a crossbow arrow engraved with patterns, but it’s very helpful for my research.”
At these words, Leon was surprised.
Judging by the mage’s reaction, was this arrow actually quite valuable?
Having seen Miss Lora’s disdainful attitude before, he had thought it was just an ordinary consumable with a simple tracking effect.
“May I ask about the origin of this item?
And what’s this Athias you just mentioned?” Leon asked curiously.
“Athias is the name of a distant empire; it’s normal that you haven’t heard of it,” Hilgard replied with patience, knowing the young knight before him was the son of an ordinary hunter until recently.
“That realm lies at the far eastern end of the continent, almost reaching the edge of the world to the east, and is extremely powerful.
Moreover, unlike the surrounding nations of this continent, Athias is entirely ruled by spellcasters; both the emperor and the nobles are mages.”
As he spoke, Hilgard lifted the crossbow arrow in his hand: “This hefty rune-engraved crossbow arrow, unquestionably crafted by a learned mage of Athias, is etched with ‘Lorelette runes.'”
An empire ruled by mages?
A magic emperor, mage nobles?
Hearing this, Leon felt a strong sense of shock, momentarily getting the odd impression that he’d crossed over to some other sort of fantastical otherworld.
However, it was also apparent from the other’s words that this realm was incredibly far from Orland; after all, a country described in legends as at the edge of the world in the far east would likely have little to do with his own life, given the means of travel of the present era.
I can offer you twenty gold crowns for that arrow,” Hilgard quoted a price to Leon.
“Wait, take a look at this too, I’m not sure if it still works or if it has any value.”
Leon didn’t rush to answer but placed the pendant he had taken from Dawson’s body onto the table from his belt pouch.
The insect-shaped gem on the necklace was as clear as glass, devoid of the dazzling red light it once had.
Several metal short legs had also retracted back into the pendant.
“Another magic item,” Hilgard remarked in surprise at the pendant.
“Yes, it’s the spoil of war I gained on the day…
I killed Dawson,” Leon replied, his statement masking the involvement of Olivia.
Hilgard picked up the pendant for a brief examination.
There were no inscriptions on it, making it impossible to tell where this style of craftsmanship originated.
He reluctantly placed it in the palm of his hand, closed his eyes, and concentrated his spirit to summon magic power, testing the item’s response.
A dim red light gradually spread from the gem, and the blood-colored halo bit by bit filled the clear crystal.
After a long while, the stout magician consultant opened his eyes again.
“It’s probably some kind of life-enhancing device, but its magic power has been completely exhausted.
To make it work again, it needs to be recharged with a significant amount of magic power.”
Leon eagerly asked, “Could you recharge it for me?”
“Recharging it isn’t difficult, but I currently hold an important position under Sir Trosa and must be ready for various potential emergencies.
I really can’t afford to expend a lot of energy recharging this item,” replied Hilgard tactfully.
what if you charged it a little bit daily?” Leon, unsure whether the mages in this world ran on a mana bar system or a magic net system, persisted in his questioning.
Dawson on that day, like a boss in his second phase, had left a profound impression.
The Kantadar noble, who was originally no match for Olivia, managed to hurt the formidable golden-haired girl with the aid of this device.
Even withstanding a heavy sword blow from Olivia without any armor on and not being killed, his body’s speed, strength, and resilience had all been significantly enhanced.
If he could use it himself, even if he couldn’t reach Dawson’s level of that day, it would still be an extra trump card in emergencies, in addition to Miss Lora’s help.
Considering the great physical exhaustion that Dawson seemed to have shown before his death, after all, he had still had the strength to flee from the griffin and ride his horse wildly.
That was certainly better than feeling weak in the legs after every shot.
“If you have the patience to wait, it’s not impossible, but then I’d have to take it with me.
Even considering the situation on the front lines, dedicating some magic power to it daily, it would still take one to two months,” Hilgard replied.
“That’s fine; I can wait.
How much would you charge?
Is the value of this crossbow arrow enough?
If not, how much more do I need to pay?” Leon asked excitedly, willing to wait a month or two in exchange for a lifeline in dire situations, it seemed well worth it.
Since they were both prominent figures in the kingdom, he wasn’t worried that the mage consultant for the great nobles would abscond with his equipment.