Felicia settled on a red staff. It had an inch-sized red mana crystal embedded on its tip. It didn't look impressive, nor did it look bad. Overall, it was an average-looking staff.
"You chose a great staff, miss."
The old shopkeeper grinned. He licked his lips a little, appearing creepy.
"What is this staff?" Henry asked.
He couldn't tell what it was at a single glance. His magus class was not strong enough yet for him to peer into this magic weapon's intricacies.
"This is a Blood Sacrifice Staff. It's soaked with the first menstruation blood of virgin girls. Hehehe."
The smile of the shopkeeper became eerie. He looked like a devil selling his wares.
"Ah!"
Felicia threw the staff away in disgust and horror. She glared at the shopkeeper with anger.
"It's a good staff."
With adept skill, the shopkeeper swiftly caught it while smiling. He was unfazed by Felicia's disgust.
"Disgusting…"
Felicia couldn't believe she just held something made with menstruation blood. As a woman, she knew firsthand what that smelled like.
"Magic is mysterious. It's not so bad to use something like menstruation blood," Henry said and took the staff from the shopkeeper.
He channeled some of his mana into the staff and sensed its reaction to him. As he expected, it felt sluggish, and resisted his mana.
"This staff is suitable for women but unsuitable for men. I can guarantee you it doesn't smell bad."
Henry sniffed it a little and only smelled the wood material. Since he was familiar with creating magic weapons, he knew what to expect.
From the looks of it, the magic weapons of this era hadn't deteriorated compared to the past.
"Splendid! This young gentleman knows a lot."
The shopkeeper smiled from ear to ear.
"Take it. If you use your menstrual blood on it, it will work better."
Henry didn't think it would be a bad idea. Using her menstrual blood would increase her compatibility with it and thus increase the efficiency of her spells.
"W-what are you saying?? I will never do that!"
Felicia was thoroughly disgusted. For the first time ever, she didn't like what Henry said. It was repulsive and made her sick in her stomach.
"You really don't want this?"
Henry was let down a little. He sincerely found this staff to be worthwhile and suitable for her.
"No! Can I choose a different one…?" Felicia asked with a bit of pleading in her eyes.
"All right."
Henry conceded. From her eyes, he knew she would not use it if he forced it.
"Unfortunate. If you want a different one, I have one soaked in liquid mana."
The shopkeeper put the red staff back in place, shaking his head, disappointed. He walked over and got a different staff.
It was pure white in color and had no mana crystal embedded. It appeared as if it was not a magic weapon but a normal stick.
Felicia took it and held it in her hand.
She closed her eyes and channeled her mana into it. The staff glowed a faint holy light that illuminated the surroundings. Shortly after, the effect disappeared, and she opened her eyes.
"It feels gentle pouring my mana into it."
Felicia's eyes lit up, looking at the staff with interest. She hefted it up and down and quickly familiarized herself wielding it.
"That one is called the White Staff. It's soaked in liquid mana and bathed in the sun for a year. It's suitable for those who frequently use Life Element magic."
The shopkeeper proudly introduced the staff.
Life was one of the seven elements of magic. However, it also had another name, and that was— Holy Magic.
It was the same element Henry used to blind the hobgoblin back in the cave. It was a versatile element with many uses.
"I'll take this."
Felicia was all smiles while holding the white staff. It had a calming effect, which she enjoyed.
Henry paid for it and left with her.
Felicia happily held the white staff as they walked. She kept looking at it and pouring a bit of mana. She was like a little kid impatiently trying out her new toy.
"You want to focus on Life magic?"
Henry was curious about her choice to take the staff.
"I'm not sure, but I like this staff." Felicia smiled at him.
"I will teach you more about Life magic then."
The duo aimlessly walked and followed the crowd in the streets. They soon wandered into a plaza.
Thousands of people crowded as they looked through small stalls along the plaza. It seemed like there was an event, and the duo stumbled into it by accident.
Henry glanced at the items and didn't find anything of interest. Most of them were ingredients for making magic weapons, but Henry had no need for one at the moment.
He wanted to find one that would suit him. For now, he could see none.
Felicia was ignorant of the materials she saw and asked Henry. And so, Henry explained to her each of the materials he could recognize to the best of his memories.
He couldn't explain all, but those common ones were easy.
Half an hour later, Henry finished explaining to her as they had already made their way to the last stall.
"I doubt I can remember all of that…" Felicia smiled wryly.
Halfway through the explanations, her mind slipped and failed to save what he said. It was like she was listening to a foreign language.
"It's fine. You don't have to know everything. You will naturally etch their information in your mind as you live with magic."
Henry didn't think much of it. He was pretty lax when it came to stuff that didn't matter. After all, she could just ask someone else to build her a magic weapon.
It didn't have to be her to make it.
"Let's get another mercenary job. Your white staff was pricey."
Henry and Felicia returned to the City Guild and looked at the posters on the wall. There were fewer requests here compared to Poppy City, where they came from.
"Rescue the Young Mistress of a noble family…"
Henry read the request and thought about it. The reward would pay back for the white staff they had bought.