Dominic noted the shopkeeper’s impressed expression.
It wasn’t a secret to him that Gunsmiths were well-respected anywhere that they went. They weren’t a farrier or other trade which was in demand by everyone, the Gunsmiths essentially existed to fill the demands of the wealthier noblemen. But he hadn’t expected quite as much approval as he was getting.
It was a good feeling.
Dominic looked at the [Clay To Steel] spell. In the wilderness, that would be an incredibly useful spell. But it would also be insanely useful at the forge. If you simply wrapped clay around a rifling rod, you would have a barrel, or you could shape a custom rifle with your fingers instead of the forge.
The level of effort needed to work clay was much lower.
The shopkeeper saw the deep thought in Dominic’s eyes, and mistook it as reluctance to part with so much of his first pay. But he knew the trick to overcoming that.
Introduce something related but much more expensive, and suddenly the first item looked reasonably priced.
So, he brought out two more items, both Magitech Orbs.
[Orb of Mobile Alchemy Lab]
[Orb of Pentacle Ward]
"If you need a safe spot to work, these are the premier items in their category, but if you’re willing to work out in the open with your mundane tools, then [Clay to Steel] would let you make the rough blanks easily enough. In fact, it is rather popular among the travelling Steamsmith Journeymen, as clay mud is common at all riverbanks."
Dominic smiled. "If things get rowdy enough at the forge that I need a protective Pentacle, I should probably just call it a day. Besides, I’ve already got an [Area Barrier], courtesy of the Crown."
The shopkeeper chuckled at the success of his tactic.
The young Sorcerer was definitely buying something today. If he already had the standard military issued spells for a Mage, he was way more wealthy than what they had thought when he first entered, looking so young.
"Is there a brass or bronze version of the [Clay to Steel] spell? You know how folk are about aesthetics." Dominic asked.
The shopkeeper nodded. "There is, but I do not have it. You see, both are compound alloys, so it takes a more advanced Magitech Orb to create them in a multiple-step process."
"Then clay to steel will do wonderfully for my purposes. A bit of artistic expression will be faster with clay than the forge for rough shaping. How much are you asking?"
Dominic discretely looked around the room at the items that were on regular display, and saw that the prices were mostly in the thousands of gold coins. He might not be able to afford his shopping impulse.
"Fifteen hundred gold coins, or fifty levels worth of Mana Cores above Level five, if you prefer a direct trade."
The shopkeeper knew that many of the workers liked to sneak Mana Cores out of the Palace, as they were much more valuable than their wages. The penalties were harsh, but the Palace didn’t force a shopkeeper who obtained one and reported the thief to return the core.
Dominic had noticed that the cores from work were all marked, etched with the Royal logo. But he didn’t carry them around anyhow, much less have any intention of stealing them.
Instead, he pulled out three level thirteen Ogre sourced Mana Cores and a level six Hobgoblin Core.
The shopkeeper smiled as he saw the cores come out. Five levels short of the asking price, but definitely close enough for them to make a deal.
"I can give you forty-five levels worth of cores for it." Dominic offered, then waited for the Shopkeeper to agree.
The gem was taken from the case and handed over, then they shook hands and the mage collected his payment.
Dominic left, and the two assistants came out from the back, shocked at the exchange.
"He actually had that much money on him?" One of them gasped.
"You haven’t seen the way of the world yet. You looked down on him for being a demihuman, right?" The older mage asked.
They both reluctantly nodded.
"But what you don’t realize is that as innocent as he looks with those two little gold horns, he could most likely take all three of us at once in a fight. If he managed to overcome enough of his bestial nature to be a Royal Smith, he definitely had enough discipline to collect Mana Cores and not eat them to fuel his growth."
What none of them realized was that Dominic was still standing at the corner of the shop, adding the new spell to his magitech spellbook.
He hadn’t ever considered eating a Mana Core.
They didn’t look tasty at all.
But if that was the way to grow his innate powers, it wouldn’t be the most ridiculous thing he ever heard.
But he wasn’t going to try it now. He would try to find a book on the topic first, in case there was a side effect. Each Mana Core had impurities based on what sort of creature had formed it. Who knew which ones would be poison?
Dominic looked at his spell book, and then decided that he would touch it up a bit for more utility. The mage shop had said level five to make good knife steel from clay. So, Dominic grabbed a pair of stronger Mana Cores from the ring around his toe and pushed the book up to level six, and then level seven.
The cost was painfully high, as the amount of mana core needed per level doubled every level. But level seven combat and utility spells would be on par with the lower Nobles, and the stronger city guards. That was enough for Dominic to feel confident that his [Area Barrier] and [Fireball] spells would not be looked down on.
But more importantly, he now had a good idea what it would cost to get new spells when he needed them. With that settled, he could spend the rest of the day enjoying the city, and browsing the Magitech shops.
A hobby of his, and now he could even do it from inside the store and not just through the windows.
These Royal Sorcerer Robes were an overpowered buff to his social status.