Claire was confident. The treasures within Silverscale Store were not the highest quality in the world, but for a small city like Riverside, they were more than sufficient. For use in an academy, they were even overqualified.
"Do you see anything here that pleases you?" Claire asked, thoughtfully.
"No," Daniel's response made her expression shift slightly. "This isn't what I was expecting."
Daniel didn't touch the exquisite furs. He didn't glance at the finely crafted staffs, nor did he even acknowledge the magic scrolls.
Too mediocre. A complete waste of time.
Daniel's words brought a bead of sweat to Claire's forehead.
"Not... satisfied?" she asked, her voice uneasy.
She hadn't been exaggerating earlier. For a small town like Riverside City, Level-C quality treasures were already considered high-end. If it weren't for the city's proximity to the Mist River and the potential opening of the realm, neither Dragonscale Bank nor Silverscale Store would have even bothered to set up branches here.
These were the finest items Riverside City had to offer, and Daniel's attitude made it clear he was genuinely unimpressed.
Claire looked troubled. "Professor Daniel, please forgive me. I didn't mean to offend you. These are the best items within our budget."
She gestured toward the items her staff had carefully brought forward—the staffs, scrolls, and various magical tools.
"Anything higher-tier than these would be..."
"Forget the budget," Daniel interrupted. "I need truly high-quality items."
With one sentence, Claire's further explanations were cut off.
At that moment, her assistant handed her the detailed report of the mana stone count from Daniel's carriage. A total of 23,000 superior mana stones.
It was, undeniably, a significant sum of wealth.
Initially, Claire had assumed that Crossbridge Academy was struggling financially and that this might be their last stash of savings, so she had tried to help them conserve funds. That's why she had chosen these particular treasures, balancing quality with cost to avoid draining Daniel's resources all at once.
But now, since the client had made his demands clear, Claire had no choice but to comply.
"Bring out the finest treasures from our vault for Mr. Daniel to choose from. Bring all of them."
This time, the process was quicker, as the more precious items were fewer in number. Several staff members carefully brought out a few treasures, treating them with great reverence.
Claire stepped forward to personally introduce them:
"Here, we have the Windwalker boots.
"They are as light as a feather, allowing the wearer to walk on wind and cast a weaker version of Wind Step, a high-tier spell, with minimal mana consumption."
"Over here is the Green Crystal Oak Staff. It's particularly suited for spells that harness natural forces.
"If you're considering shifting to druidic magic or gifting it to a friend who practices natural magic, this would be the ideal staff."
"And here—we have the Chronicles of the Elements, written by Tier-Grandmaster Archmage Elrian.
"It contains not only foundational and advanced elemental spells but also detailed accounts of various mages' experiences with these spells, as well as the evolution of casting techniques over the years. It's a priceless magical tome."
"And finally," Claire unveiled a long box covered with red cloth, "this is the Knight's Sword, once wielded by Paladin Fernandez. According to legend, it possesses the ability to guide one onto the path of knighthood."
"The higher-tier items you asked for," Claire said, gesturing toward the displayed treasures, "are right here."
The magical items were impressive, but Daniel's attention was drawn to the Knight's Sword. Unlike him, his daughter Rose seemed inclined to follow the path of a knight.
Daniel wanted to give her a gift.
Even if she lacked the talent, she would have the finest equipment. With him by her side, her future would be nothing but bright.
"Good..." Daniel was about to nod when Isolde suddenly spoke up.
"Wait a moment!"
Without giving Daniel a chance to ask why, Isolde turned to Claire.
"What about the prices for these items?"
Her eyes were full of concern.
These treasures looked incredibly expensive. Could the headmaster really afford them? It was better to ask first to avoid embarrassment later.
"These Windwalker boots can be used by a tier-bronze novice mage to cast a near-advanced spell with low mana consumption."
"The price is 200 high-quality superior mana stones."
This was the most favorable internal price Claire could offer. She had always been considerate of her customers, which earned her many returning clients. Even in dealing with the struggling Crossbridge Academy, she had shown no negligence.
Isolde, accustomed to dealing with inferior mana stones, quickly did the math. Based on what she knew about the current exchange rates, one superior mana stone could be exchanged for at least 100,000 intermediate mana stones, and each intermediate mana stone could easily fetch 1,000 inferior mana stones, even in a poor market.
So, 200 superior mana stones would be equivalent to... 20 billion inferior mana stones!
Isolde's eyes fluttered shut as she felt a wave of dizziness.
Boots worth 20 billion inferior mana stones?!
Such was the world of mages.
It's no wonder there were so few high-tier mages. The sheer expense of it was unimaginable for most people.
Superior mana stones were typically reserved for large-scale, nation-level trade. This was no joke. Even without converting, 200 superior mana stones were no small sum!
Claire moved on to the next item.
"This Green Crystal Oak Staff is slightly more expensive than the Windwalker boots."
"The price is 1,000 superior mana stones."
A thousand... superior... mana stones...
Those words had never strung together in Isolde's mind before. She felt as though the woman in front of her was casting some kind of spell on her, making her feel faint and dizzy again.
Thank goodness she hadn't visited Silverscale Store before today. The items were amazing—but the prices were staggering!
"And... how much for the magic book?" Isolde asked, struggling to stay conscious.
"The Chronicles of the Elements is one of our finest Level-C treasures.
"To be honest, if you hadn't come today, we were planning to upgrade it to Level-B."
The book's price was 10,000 superior mana stones.
Isolde felt like the world was spinning, and she could no longer find the words to speak.
"And the price of the Knight's Sword?" Daniel, however, seemed unaffected by the astronomical prices. He inquired about the items as casually as if he were asking about vegetables at the market.
Claire replied, "The Knight's Sword is in the same class as the magic book, and considering its legendary status, it's valued even higher.
"If you want both, we'll give you a special price—20,000 superior mana stones for the two."
For Daniel, the quality of the Knight's Sword wasn't "the best" or even "good."
But for his beginner daughter, Rose, it was passable.
This was about the limit of what the store had to offer, and Daniel was mildly satisfied, giving a slight nod.
"And what about something better?"
Claire was taken aback.
The items she had just listed, along with their prices, would nearly exhaust the superior mana stones Daniel had brought. If she hadn't offered such generous discounts, his supply wouldn't have been enough!
Was Daniel planning to take out a loan to purchase even higher-tier items?
"I'm sorry, but loans carry very high interest," Claire gently warned. "You'd end up at a disadvantage. It might be better to wait until something suitable comes in. I'll reserve it for you."
"These items are fine," Daniel acknowledged that Silverscale Store's offerings weren't without merit.
The magic book, the magical tools, and the staffs would all be useful for the academy.
"But if this is truly the best Dragonscale Bank has to offer, I have to say, I'm disappointed."
Daniel made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction as he shook his head.
"Don't tell me—this is your limit."
"Miss Claire, I want to see something truly impressive."