As soon as Gilgamel laid eyes on the young man, a smile tugged at his lips, but he quickly suppressed it.
He rose, flashed a professional smile, and welcomed the young man.
"Welcome to Gil's Appraisal Room. Follow me to the appraisal room!"
The young man nodded and then followed Gilgamel right away.
"Mel, please clear the table before you leave," Gilgamel reminded her before entering the appraisal room.
Medelien jumped up from the sofa, looking as startled as a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She angrily exclaimed, "You not only treat me as a delivery girl but also as a maid. Gilgamel, you are too much!"
Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to her anger. Even Dodo, who had been eating, quietly left the room and returned to its post.
Meanwhile, in the appraisal room...
"Last time you came here, I forgot to ask your name. I'm Gilgamel, but you can call me Gil since we're close in age. What's your name?" Gilgamel asked casually.
The young man hesitated for a moment before answering, "My name is Junior..."
"Alright, Junior." Gilgamel clasped his hands, happily saying: "Now that we know each other's names, you don't need to be nervous anymore."
Junior nodded shyly.
Gilgamel gazed at Junior with approval before dropping his casual demeanor and asking professionally, "So, what do you need this time? Do you want something appraised?"
Junior no longer feels nervous this time. He rummaged through his robe, took out three familiar objects, and presented them in front of Gilgamel.
"White Spider Fruit? Three of them, at that!" Gilgamel's eyes widened in surprise.
Junior nodded and stated his intention, "I want to sell them."
"All of them?" Gilgamel asked for confirmation.
Junior shook his head and said, "I only want to sell two of them. As for the last one, I hope you can find a Potioneer and have it turned into the Owl Tears Potion. Since you're a member of Owl, I assume that request won't be a problem for you, right?"
Gilgamel smiled and replied, "You are correct. I can ask one of my seniors in the organization to make Owl Tears Potion for you. However, to concoct Owl Tears Potion, two other main ingredients are also required..."
Seeing Junior's face suddenly tighten, he paused for a moment before continuing his explanation: "The other two main ingredients for the Owl Tears Potion are the Tears of Ghost Owl and Moon Essence. Though these ingredients are easy to obtain, they are quite expensive. Additionally, other supplementary ingredients are required. It's also important to note that hiring a Potioneer's services doesn't come cheap. Given all this information, do you still want to proceed with making the Owl Tears Potion?"
Junior was surprised after hearing that. It seems he was too simplistic about his request and overstated the value of the three White Spider Fruits he brought.
He glanced at Gilgamel and asked cautiously, "If I insist, how many mana crystals should I spend?"
"The market price for Tears of Ghost Owl is 600 mana crystals, and Moon Essence is 800 mana crystals. In addition, the supplementary ingredients total 500 mana crystals. Meanwhile, the cost to hire a Tier-1 Potioneer is around 1000 mana crystals. So, the total money you have to spend is at least 3000 mana crystals." Gilgamel answered truthfully.
Junior nearly fainted upon hearing the substantial number.
The two White Spider Fruits he brought were only worth 2000 mana crystals.
The balance on his bank card was only 15 mana crystals. So, where could he cover the remaining mana crystals from?
Thinking about this, Junior nearly packed his belongings and ran away out of embarrassment.
Gilgamel chuckled at Junior's frightened look, finding it amusing. He couldn't help but say, "Normally, I don't engage in loss-money business, but this time, I will make an exception. To tell you the truth, I'm currently in need of White Spider Fruit. Therefore, your bringing it to me could be considered a favor. To repay this favor, I can cover the rest of the cost. If you feel bad, you can repay me later when you have the money. How does that sound?"
He believed that his offer was good and that Junior would accept it, as they both knew how vital the Owl Tears Potion was.
One potion could increase the levels of two First Circle Wizards.
Who could refuse that?
What's more, Junior is just a wizard without any affiliation. Encountering a precious resource like Owl Tears Potion was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
There's no way he would miss it.
As it turned out, Gilgamel's guess was correct, and despite Junior's hesitation for a long time, he ultimately agreed.
After a lengthy negotiation, Gilgamel watched his guest leave with a broad smile.
Today was really a good day.
First, Dodo managed to level up to level 8.
Second, Medelien gave him a free month of food delivery.
Third, Junior brought him three White Spider Fruits. Although one of them wasn't his, the other two he could use as he pleased.
Fortune is indeed not going anywhere~.
Gilgamel planned to use one of two White Spider Fruits for the Owl Tears Potion. He could sell the other one to Medelien.
Medelien is still at level 8, so she can consume it directly without making it into an Owl Tears Potion.
Although Gilgamel could consider giving it to Dodo, Dodo's talent was much better than Medelien's. It definitely could reach level 9 in a year or two.
Moreover, Medelien was joining him at the trial, as her strength would improve their chances of success. It was uncertain if he could bring Dodo along.
Gilgamel carefully stored the three White Spider Fruits in three separate boxes made of Ageless Wood.
Ageless Wood was a unique material commonly used as a container for elixirs, as it helped maintain the vitality and essence of the elixir for extended periods.
Gilgamel placed two boxes into his spare necklace-shaped storage item and the other into the storage item he was wearing on his finger.
Afterward, he promptly left and met Dodo.
"Dodo, could you please run an errand for me?"
Dodo tilted its head in puzzlement.
Gilgamel crouched down in front of Dodo and placed the necklace around its neck. "Take this storage item to Madam Teressa and don't return until she finishes the potions. Do you understand?"
Gilgamel and Dodo always stick together. Gilgamel frequently visits the Forest Witch House, and Dodo always accompanies him, becoming very familiar with the route.
In fact, Madam Teressa liked Dodo more than its owner. She always fed it lots of good things whenever it went there.
As expected, Dodo was immediately excited as soon as it heard Madam Teressa's name. It didn't even hesitate to leave Gilgamel without looking back.
"That ungrateful dog!" Gilgamel helplessly shook his head before returning to his office.
Time was passing by...
Not many customers came to Gil's Appraisal Room today, so Gilgamel decided to leave earlier than usual.
On his way home, he passed by a bookstore called Storyteller's Corner.
This bookstore doesn't just sell general knowledge books but also books filled with anecdotes from around the empire. One can also find newspapers, magazines, and picture books here. Occasionally, rare magic spells are available as well.
Gilgamel visited the bookstore weekly to catch up on the latest news from beyond Owl's influence.
He also enjoyed adventure books that described the author's thrilling experiences: visiting beautiful and scary places, meeting people with countless stories, and encountering creatures with strange shapes and abilities.
Reading these books made Gilgamel fantasize about being like them one day. However, he knew he needed enough sufficient strength to achieve that dream.
Therefore, Gilgamel's only focus for now was to increase his strength and gather as much knowledge as possible before pursuing his dream.
"Shopkeeper Finn, do you have any new interesting books here?" Gilgamel asked as he entered the bookstore and approached a middle-aged man wearing a jumpsuit and an ivy cap.
The middle-aged man was named Finn. People usually called him Shopkeeper Finn.
Shopkeeper Finn is busy arranging the books on the shelves, but he immediately stops when he hears Gilgamel's voice. He responded, "We have the latest news from The Heritage and a popular new picture book from Isaac Bloom. You can find the former on bookshelf number 1 and the latter on bookshelf number 5."
Gilgamel asked again, "What about the adventurous book from Hummingbird?"
"Hummingbird" was the name of a famous wizard adventurer whose reputation spread across the continent. He claimed to have visited every corner of the continent and unraveled many of its mysteries.
He was an idol for adventurers, including Gilgamel.
"It's been over a decade since he published a book. Maybe he passed away or got lost at sea," Shopkeeper Finn casually remarked.
"Stop cursing my idol, Shopkeeper Finn," Gilgamel unhappily said. "Maybe he's on another continent."
Shopkeeper Finn shrugged his shoulders and remained silent.
Hummingbird typically releases his adventure book every ten years, but in the last decade, he has yet to release a new book. His last book detailed his adventures at the end of the continent, and at the conclusion of the story, he wrote, "See you again in another continent."
Consequently, many of his fans speculate that Hummingbird is no longer on this continent.
The geography book that Gilgamel read stated that the Arcane World is made up of seven large continents and hundreds of smaller ones.
Gilgamel currently lived on the Camelot Continent, and he knew the names of the other six continents: Atlantide, Carcosa, Iperborea, Libertalia, Nova, and Xibalba.
The distances between the continents were vast, even for Ninth Circle Wizards. That led to little record of the situation of the world outside this continent.
The distances between continents are vast and filled with obstacles, making it almost impossible for even Ninth Circle Mages to cross carelessly.
As a result, there are few records of the situation outside the Camelot Continent.