After some consideration, Asher chose Luminous Bolt.
Luminous Bolt: Shoots a fast-moving bolt of light that explodes on impact, causing light damage to the target and nearby enemies.
After choosing it, he turned to the assistant and said, "I will buy these two skills today."
Taking the two skill books from Asher's hand, she led him to the counter. After a few seconds, she looked at him and said, "That will be 30,000 Aetherium in total."
He already knew the cost of these skill books and was prepared for it, but hearing the amount still made him realize how poor he was.
After handing Asher the skill books, the assistant gave him a card and introduced herself, saying, "I'm Emma Hall. If you need anything else, you can contact me."
Asher took the card and thanked her before leaving the store.
He stored the skill books in the storage space within his ID card. Although his ID was a standard government-issue one, it had a small storage capacity of 3 cubic meters accessible only by his Aether signature.
Now that he had purchased the skill books, he planned to look around for a while before leaving. Walking in a random direction, he found himself in front of a potions store. After looking at the introductions to various potions, he decided to buy some basic ones like healing potion and purify potion for 1000 Aetherium in total.
Healing Potion: Helps to heal minor injuries within 30 seconds after consumption.
Purify Potion: Helps to remove abnormal statuses like poison, curse, freeze, and others.
After making his purchases, he stored the potions securely in his bag before continuing on his way.
When he reached a corner of the street, Asher noticed a crowd gathered ahead. Curious, he moved closer to see what was happening. Among the crowd, he saw people with a range of expressions—some looked angry or sad, while others were smiling or filled with eager excitement, clutching egg-shaped stones in their hands.
Intrigued, Asher approached a nearby man and asked, "What's happening here?"
"It's a stone egg gamble," the man explained. "You can buy any stone you want, and when you open it, you could get crap, useful items, or nothing. Try it yourself, but don't get too addicted."
Asher thanked him and moved closer to the stall. It was a small setup run by a peculiar-looking man. As Asher approached, the vendor greeted him enthusiastically, "Welcome, young man! Do you want to try your luck?"
Asher nodded and surveyed the table in front of him, rows of stone eggs neatly arranged. Activating his insights, he couldn't discern the contents of each egg clearly, but he sensed that some were empty while others held something within. After careful consideration, he noticed one in the middle that gave him a strong feeling it held something useful for him. He picked up the egg and asked, "How much?"
"Not much, young man, just 200 Aetherium," the vendor replied with a smile.
Asher paid him and asked about how to open it.
"You just have to infuse some Aether into it for a while, and the egg will dissipate itself," the vendor explained.
Asher stored the stone egg in his storage space and was preparing to leave when he heard the vendor say, "Aren't you going to open it? If it's anything special, you can sell it back to me for a good price."
Asher shook his head and left the stall, intrigued by his purchase and wondering what might be inside the mysterious stone egg.
After walking for a while, Asher spotted a bookstore. Recognizing the value of knowledge that couldn't be accessed online, he decided to enter. The interior was reminiscent of the skill shop, with shelves neatly stocked with books categorized by genre.
As he browsed, Asher came across a table displaying a panel resembling his phone but dedicated solely to accessing information about the books in the shop—details like their titles, prices, basic information, and more. Intrigued, Asher approached the table and activated the panel, exploring its capabilities to gather information on various books that caught his interest.
After scrolling through the panel for a while, Asher came across books related to summoning rituals. He knew that these rituals allowed summoners to bring creatures from different planes and form contracts with them—creatures that could assist in chores or combat. He recalled childhood stories of dragon summoners and shadow summoners, which had fascinated him.
After a moment's contemplation, Asher selected two books: "Basics of Summoning Rituals" and "Materials from Fauna and Flora." He paid a total of 150 Aetherium through the panel and watched as an alchemy puppet efficiently brought him the chosen books. Observing the alchemy puppet, he speculated that powerful surveillance mechanisms might explain the absence of human staff in the shop.
Satisfied with his purchase, Asher left the store.
On his way back to the entrance, Asher heard his stomach grumble. After a thorough stroll through the market, hunger had caught up with him. Noticing a small restaurant nearby, he followed the deep fragrance of spices that made his mouth water. Finding an empty seat, he settled down and noticed a menu placed neatly on the table.
Glancing over the prices of the dishes, Asher felt thankful for Uncle Milo's provision of free meals. After deliberating for a moment, he decided to order a plate of Sungazing Cow Steak along with a refreshing cup of Mermellow Juice. This meal cost him 40 Aetherium, which was equivalent to 10 Featherflame Fowl Fries at Uncle Milo's restaurant.
After a while, the food he ordered arrived. When Asher saw the juicy steak, he recognized it as not just mundane monster meat, but Fledgling level Sungazing Cow meat. Carefully slicing into the steak, he took a bite and savoured the rich spices, confirming that the 40 Aetherium he spent was well worth it. As he ate, he could feel a small amount of aether flowing through his body, a characteristic effect of Fledgling level meat. After finishing the steak, Asher drank the Mermellow Juice and felt refreshed and calm.
Satisfied with his meal, he paid and left the restaurant.
With nightfall approaching, he decided to head home rather than linger in the market.