Due to the nature of the Shadow Mage profession, even if Suxiao's intelligence attribute reached 79 points, he couldn't perceive any elements. Therefore, he had no idea what "Elemental Link Strength" and "Elemental Perception Sensitivity" were.
Although he didn't know, there might be someone he knew who did—Yan Chen.
He had previously cooperated with Yan Chen, and the two had shared life-and-death situations, leaving each other with contact information.
Suxiao contacted Yan Chen. A virtual screen appeared before him within a few dozen seconds, showing a tired Yan Chen.
"In this early morning, can't a person sleep in?"
Yan Chen was waking up, and as the leader of many neurotics, he wasn't in a good mood after getting up.
"What's the use of Link Strength and Elemental Perception Sensitivity?"
Suxiao got straight to the point. He had tried asking the Reincarnation Paradise before, but annoyingly, this information required payment at 10,000 Paradise coins per message.
"Just for this question? I thought you were going to treat me to breakfast."
Yan Chen seemed slightly displeased, but he still answered Suxiao's question. He provided detailed information that clarified the long-standing confusion for Suxiao.
"Elemental Link Strength is essential for every mage. You can understand it this way: there's a line between a mage and the elements. The thickness of this line represents the value of elemental link strength. The thicker the line, the faster and more stable the mage can use spells.
Elemental perception sensitivity is rare. For example, a mage with an intelligence of 50 points can perceive an essential concentration of 300 TC grams in its surroundings. Regarding what 'TC grams' are, consider it a unit, a measurement used explicitly by mages. The higher the elemental TC grams a mage perceives, the less mana is consumed when using spells. Simply put, it reduces mana consumption, but this reduction only applies to mages, not wizards."
Yan Chen emphasized "mages" and "wizards" twice, indicating there might be some difference between the two.
Clearing his throat, Yan Chen continued:
"Casting a spell goes through several processes: first, sensing a specific concentration of TC grams of elements, then mobilizing these elements, converting mana into similar pieces, manipulating, shaping, splitting, secondary shaping, compressing, tertiary shaping, followed by silent chanting + mana resonance, and finally casting it. In short, it's a lot of trouble, and this is the necessary path for academic-oriented mages.
Also, distinguish academic-oriented mages from skill-based mages. The term'mage' used in the Reincarnation Paradise refers to what academic-oriented mages have established. Among mages of the same level, academic-oriented mages are several times or even tens of times more potent than skill-based mages. However, academic-oriented mages are rare. Most so-called 'mages nowadays rely on fixed spell skills and are mediocre."
Yan Chen spoke a lot, and Suxiao concluded that the Essence of the Moon might be valuable if he could find a genuine buyer, an academic-oriented mage.
"So, do you have any equipment that can increase 'Elemental Link Strength' and 'Elemental Perception Sensitivity'?"
Yan Chen seemed uninterested in the essence of the moon. He was just a fake image.
"It's a kind of potion. Do you have a market for it?"
"Of course... we do."
Yan Chen's drowsiness faded.
"7%."
"Max 3%."
"I'll help you raise the price, so 6%."
"Deal."
Suxiao made a deal with Yan Chen. Yan Chen knew academic-oriented mages.
Suxiao had been puzzled before. In the Reincarnation Paradise, mages were referred to as "mage lords," but most of the mages he encountered weren't exceptionally powerful; they just randomly cast skills. The stronger ones were only more strategic in skill casting. The term "mage lord" seemed misapplied.
Now, he finally understood that "mage lords" were not a general term for all mages but an exclusive term for academic-oriented mages.
Academic-oriented mages also learned skills, but they delved into the skills they mastered, analyzing the principles of these skills and then incorporating their insights.
This was like Suxiao, who, even after advancing in Blade Master using Soul Crystals and Paradise coins, still meditated for 1-3 hours every day without fail. Moreover, he performed an in-depth analysis of the Qinggang Shadow Energy, allowing him to develop the Counter Shield technique.
Yan Chen mentioned that contacting academic-oriented mage lords took some time. According to him, most of these mage lords were homebodies, spending most of their time researching magic in their exclusive rooms.
For academic-oriented mage lords, studying magic was the most exciting thing. They pursued knowledge, armed themselves with it, and gained higher levels of understanding.
Suxiao left the exclusive room and headed to the trading market. He intended to sell the Malicious Shock and Swig Tower Shield first; this item could fetch a reasonable price.
The main tank might not afford this thing, but the adventure team behind the main tank would approve. An excellent main tank was equivalent to a "giant panda" in the Reincarnation Paradise, a profession needing protection.
Usually, the leaders of significant adventure teams took extra care of their main tanks, treating them like their own sons. However, in battles, sorry, the main tank had to bear the brunt and take hits until they fell. In most cases, when the main tank fell, it was connected to the entire team wiping out.
Suxiao arrived at his "exclusive" stall, which he frequently used.
Sitting behind the stall, Suxiao hesitated momentarily and priced the Malicious Shock and Swig Tower Shield at 600,000 Paradise coins. This price was low. The cost of shields was much lower than that of staff; after all, there were far fewer main tanks than mages. When the output quantity exceeded demand, the price naturally decreased. As for shield-type equipment, it was in an output-lower-than-demand situation. There were too many mages in the Reincarnation Paradise, and mages were already safe within teams, not to mention the stylish and impressive spells, plus the title of "mage lord."
Just as Suxiao opened his stall, a golden light attracted a large crowd of contractors. However, when they saw it was a shield, they appreciated it briefly and dispersed. Out of nearly a hundred contractors, only one burly man stood before the stall, eagerly eyeing the golden guard on display.
"Sir, can this shield be a bit cheaper?"
"Sure."
Suxiao wanted to retain this rare customer.
"Um, how about 210,000?"
The burly man chuckled.
"That's a bit low—at least 550,000."
Suxiao smiled; the other party wasn't causing trouble, just financially tight.
"Excuse me, but could I feel this shield?"
The burly man felt relieved because Suxiao didn't show any mocking expression.
"Sure."
The burly man excitedly picked up the shield. Even though his attributes and skills weren't enough to activate the shield's abilities, holding the golden shield made him feel great. He couldn't help but chuckle.
"Thanks."
Carefully placing the shield back down, the burly man secretly resolved that he would hold a security of similar quality in the future, standing in front of his teammates.
The contractors continued to come and go from the stall. Soon, a burly man wearing a red shirt with exposed chest hair stopped before the booth. He had a muscular build, a characteristic of most main tanks.
Instead of immediately asking for the price, the chest-haired, burly man began to contact someone. Seeing this scene, Suxiao knew that the actual buyer had arrived.
A few minutes later, a gloomy middle-aged man with triangular eyes approached.
"Captain, it's here."
The chest-haired, burly man waved his hand. Upon seeing the chest-haired man, the gloomy captain smiled—a smile that looked more like a cry. He didn't know how to smile.
The gloomy captain examined the shield on the stall, hesitating for a long time.
"548,620 Paradise coins. How's this price?"
This gloomy captain was accurate down to the tens for something worth several hundred thousand Paradise coins.
"Not bad, but why the precision to tens?"
"It's a personal preference. Just consider me obsessive-compulsive."
The obsessive-compulsive captain's offer was based on a comprehensive judgment of the market price and their team's affordability.
"Fine, but let's leave out the 20's place."
The counterparty's offer was a little low, so Suxiao naturally wouldn't make it easy for them.
As expected, right after Suxiao spoke, the obsessive-compulsive captain looked highly uncomfortable, as if he had eaten something foul, but both sides still completed the transaction.
"Steel Bullet, come with me for breakfast immediately, and make sure the price stays exactly at 20 Paradise coins."
The obsessive-compulsive captain left with Steel Bullet, the main tank, who wore an expression of utter speechlessness. They were going to eat a breakfast that cost exactly 20 Paradise coins. If the breakfast's price exceeded 20 Paradise coins, the obsessive-compulsive captain would feel uncomfortable for several days.