The Star Academy ushered in a "Magic Crystal Unlimited Use Day", and students and professors who were unaware of the situation were shocked. The academy, which has always been tight on funds, actually had such a generous moment. They almost suspected whether today was a weird commemorative day where they could make jokes without consequences.
Magic crystals, which used to require a week or even half a month of application, could now be used at will without much effort. The efficiency of approval and distribution was unimaginable. As long as they were used for academically related research and the crystals were returned in their original state after their magic power was exhausted.
Apart from being pleasantly surprised, the students took out their dusty experimental plans again, quickly gathered materials and started operations. Professors brought forward experiments that consumed a large number of magic crystals, and it was no longer the case that only one group could have one chance to operate. Now every student can conduct their own experiment.
The academy did not specify how long "Magic Crystal Unlimited Use Day" would last, but everyone wanted to seize this fleeting opportunity. As for those who are not in the academy, but are traveling in the wilderness, they can already imagine how regretful they will be when they return and find out about this news.
Especially the students of Magical Machinery were excited. Their various creations started jumping around the academy, and you could find a crazy magical machinery and its even crazier creator everywhere. This chaotic scene even obstructed traffic to a certain extent. Therefore, the Star Academy had to urgently issue a "Temporary Regulation for Outdoor Operation of Magical Machinery".
The entire academy seemed to have been hit with the fast-forward button. All professors and students were hurrying, and every minute wasted was disrespect for free magic crystals.
Eulanda rode her beloved motorcycle whizzing through the school, and she saw Lusen on the road, so she stopped to greet him.
"Sis, your new version of the motorcycle looks good." Lusen looked at Eulanda's many times modified motorcycle. The current version of the motorcycle is slightly slower, but the comfort and safety have greatly improved. It's much better than the previous version that could compete with a mad bull.
"Indeed, Lusen, I have tested this version for 4 hours today. Look, I can still straighten my back and control the direction with my arms. It's such a great improvement!" Eulanda said cheerfully.
"By the way, sis, I heard that your previous version of the motorcycle has been sold to the public? How did it go?"
Eulanda was a little embarrassed: "How can that be called selling? It was my father who helped me out. He placed orders from several people. By the time I found out, all these orders had been made, and all I could do was give them to him. Actually, I should have been alert when I received so many orders, but I was too happy at the time."
However, Eulanda also remembered something unexpected: "I originally thought that the old version of the motorcycles that my father bought would be left in the warehouse to collect dust. I didn't expect that they would be used recently. They had to deliver a batch of emergency goods. After thinking of many transportation methods, they found that my motorcycle was the fastest. So, they had people put the goods in space rings and set off riding the motorcycles. When I talked to them about the new version of the motorcycle being more comfortable, my father actually said 'the previous version is better, it's faster'. My God, if you ride that one for too long, you'll fall apart!"
Lusen nodded in understanding, "If it's for single-person transportation of urgent and precious goods, your motorcycle would indeed be the top choice. Such operations aim to ensure that the goods won't be intercepted by bandits on the road, so the rider must be a strong professional, maybe a bit of a bumpy ride wouldn't matter to them."
"You're right." Eulanda felt her confusion instantly lifted, "No wonder my father has placed more orders with me, and even said he wanted to help other merchant guilds place some orders, so I could make a big profit from them."
Seeing her interest in magical machinery finally being recognized, Eulanda was delighted. She lowered her voice and whispered, "This 'Magic Crystal Unlimited Use Day' must be related to Miss Ina, or it may be related to both Miss Ina and Duke Elvys."
"The emergency goods transported by the North Wind Merchant Guild?"
Eulanda gave an approving snap of her fingers, then rode off on her little motorcycle.
The various tea restaurants under the Dragon Flame Merchant Guild in the Silver Imperial City have launched a new event: "Midsummer Night". After the sun sets, the tea restaurant will light up romantic firefly lamps. These precious magical lamps can create lifelike swarms of fireflies, and the amount of magic crystals they consume in a day would even make generous nobles wince.
Not only that, but the tea restaurant has also temporarily installed a "Starry Sky Dome" and a "Breeze Creator", making customers who step in feel as if they have really entered a secret realm in midsummer.
Such a beautiful night is not suitable for drinking tea, but it is perfect for a cocktail, like a mojito with crushed ice and maple syrup. Its taste is as refreshing as its vibrant green appearance. Mint, crushed ice, a bit of maple syrup, coupled with liquor, this is a perfect summer drink.
The scent of mint permeated the air, and the guests held frosty glasses, savoring the aroma of vanilla and oak emitted by the melted ice cubes in the whiskey. The flavor of mint and maple syrup made the taste buds enjoy every last drop of liquor down the throat.
Another popular drink was the Frozen Sunset Sangria Slush, a chilled wine made from ros￩ wine, white grape juice, pineapple juice, lemon, and strawberries.
This Sangria slush was rich in fruit flavor, with the sweet and sour taste of the fruit intertwined with the rich wine in the refreshing texture. Because a layer of sparkling wine was added to the top, the refreshing sensation was multiplied. It was named Sunset because its liquid itself was brightly colored, decorated with lemons and strawberries. The orange-yellow lemon slices floated in the wine that had been frozen to the point of crystallization, just like the slowly sinking sunset in a fiery cloud.
Lightness and refreshment were the synonyms for Sunset Sangria Slush.
Everyone who set foot in the tea restaurants under the Dragon Flame Merchant Guild would linger involuntarily. The surprises here were endless, like a never-ending box of gifts.
----------
William from Miller Merchant Guild received a message and immediately got up in a hurry, finding Harvey who was in charge of the blank magic crystal stone allocation.
"How many tons of signed blank magic crystal stones do we have? How many are still on the way?"
Harvey quickly responded, "60 tons have arrived, and there's about 30 tons left on the road."
"Tell them to speed up!" William paced anxiously.
"But Mr. William, you already urged them yesterday. If our guild also had that kind of transportation tool called a motorcycle that the North Wind Merchant Guild used this time, it would be nice. Horses need rest, but magic machinery does not. All the goods of the North Wind Merchant Guild have already been delivered." Harvey said, implying he had indeed done his best.
The reason why William was so urgent was that he had a new business deal.
Duke Elvys told him that they had a batch of magic crystals that the guild could buy, priced at only 60% of the market price, and it could be even lower. As long as the provided blank magic crystals reached a sufficient weight, the discount could go down to 50% or even 40%. But there were two additional requirements. One was that the batch of magic crystals had to be used up within five days. The second was that the used magic crystals had to be returned in the same condition. These magic crystals had a unique mark, so it was impossible to pass off ordinary magic crystals as them.
Don't underestimate this difference of 10%. Anything suitable for magic crystals is expensive, and the price of magic crystals consumed by the Miller Merchant Guild every month could even reach five figures. If this transaction is successful, it can save a lot of money for the Miller Merchant Guild.
As for the requirement that it must be used within five days, although a bit harsh, it is completely tolerable under such a generous discount.
"I've ordered five tons of gold-patterned magic crystals. All the workshops under the guild that can use magic crystals must work day and night. Pay the workers triple wages. We must, within five days, exhaust all the magic power contained in these magic crystals!" William passionately told the leaders of the various branches of the Miller Merchant Guild.
A large guild inevitably does more than just buy low and sell high. In addition to having pharmacies, grocery stores, auction houses, and other shops all over the continent, the Miller Merchant Guild has also set up many workshops.
The people below immediately began to discuss. Some said, "Five tons of magic crystals! Even if all the workshops start working together, they may not be able to use them all."
William said indifferently, "There's no penalty if we can't use them all. Just return the purchased magic crystals at the original price. How often can you encounter such a good deal falling from the sky? You should seize this opportunity."
Another person lowered his voice as if he were discussing some secret, "Usually, the magic machinery in the workshop is turned on and off, and it doesn't attract too much attention. But if they all start working now, the noise will definitely be loud. The residents near the workshop will definitely find out that we are secretly using magic machinery to produce goods. If this gets to the ears of orthodox mages, they may not want to cooperate with our guild in the future."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The products made by these workshops have nothing to do with magic and are almost all daily necessities. The guild people found out early that magic machinery can also be used to make goods. It is even less prone to errors than hiring workers to make them manually, and it is more efficient. However, the current magical community does not approve of using magical products to benefit the public, so the Miller Merchant Guild has always been concealing the secret of using magic machinery privately.
Although they own the workshops, and the machinery was custom-made from familiar alchemists or mages at a high price, they could not openly use it. Instead, they had to hide like rats in the sewer. But they didn't dare to challenge the mainstream views of the mages, so they could only live this stifled life.
This issue had been simmering within the guild for a long time. William slammed the table, "Have you ever thought about why mages came up with the unspoken rule that 'what belongs to magic should only be for magic'? Is it really because magic is supreme? It's because the mineral resources are becoming less and less, and the manufacture of magic machinery not only consumes a lot of materials, but also requires a constant supply of magic crystals when starting up. If magic machinery can be used by the public, it would be seizing resources from the mages. All of this is for their own benefit!"
"But what does this have to do with us? We are merchants. As long as there is money to be made, we will do it. Why should we sacrifice our own interests to fulfill the mages? Even if we offend more than half of the mages, aren't there still some left? Moreover, the various magic materials needed by the mages are basically bought from the shops of various large merchant guilds. If they are not willing to step into our shops, let them go and find them one by one! I want to see if we are the only ones who suffer losses, or if both sides will be hurt."
After William finished speaking, the people below showed agreement in their eyes. They had felt this way for a long time, but no one dared to take the initiative to propose it. Now there seems to be a trend of reviving practical magic in the Silver Empire, the environment has relaxed, and William can finally speak out the words that have been stifled in his heart for more than ten years.
Finally, William added, "I have calculated that if we can really use up this batch of magic crystals, we can save at least 300,000 gold coins."
This sentence was more shocking than the lengthy discussion above, and the butts of the leaders of the various branches below immediately bounced up like springs, and they couldn't wait to run towards the door.