Episode 279

Fairy stones are incredibly expensive, and for good reason—they’re exceedingly rare.

Yet, wizards have a constant need for them. No other medium surpasses fairy stones in mana conductivity, not even the finest magic stones.

In fact, more than three-quarters of a wizard’s research budget often goes toward purchasing fairy stones, making them an essential research material.

Antonio swallowed hard as he gazed at the fairy stone before him, its color, size, and condition all flawless.

Such a stone was nearly impossible to acquire, even with money.

“What’s this? Oh, I see, you brought it as a bribe. You must know a thing or two, thinking to bribe a wizard with a fairy stone.”

“I’m afraid it’s not a bribe.”

Antonio’s face fell into a frown.

“Not a bribe? Come on, think it over. It must be a bribe.”

“It’s not a bribe; it’s a trade item.”

Antonio tilted his head at Zeke’s words.

“A trade item? Are you saying you want to supply us with fairy stones?”

“I can deliver a processed quantity every quarter. I’ve heard that both the Magic Tower and Nirvana are struggling to find enough fairy stones these days.”

Antonio gritted his teeth and bit down on his pipe.

“Damn it, it’s hard enough to get them as it is, and now it’s even worse. Someone’s playing tricks.”

Before coming to Nirvana, Zeke had investigated the market and discovered that the supply of fairy stones had dwindled to less than half.

It seemed likely that the underworld was buying up fairy stones or manipulating the supply for the production of bloodstones.

As a result, wizards were desperate for fairy stones.

Fortunately, Zeke had discovered a massive vein of fairy stones in the southern archipelago, making it easy for him to supply them.

Antonio licked his lips as he handled the fairy stone Zeke had brought.

“Can you supply stones of this quality?”

“While the fairy stones you find on the market often contain impurities, ours are over 99% pure, as you can see. Plus, they’re processed by dwarves, so there’s almost no loss.”

“Hmm.”

Antonio’s demeanor had completely changed since Zeke first arrived.

He examined the fairy stone with a magnifying glass, nodding in approval.

“Could you supply 20 kilograms per quarter?”

“How about 40 kilograms? But the price would be 110% of the market rate. I guarantee the highest quality.”

“Forty kilograms of top-grade stones? Damn, if you can supply them, I’ll buy as many as you have!”

“There’s one condition.”

“A condition? What is it?”

“You must agree to use them solely within the Nirvana family and not sell them externally.”

Antonio chuckled at that.

“Why would I sell them elsewhere when we’re desperate to get our hands on them?”

“As long as you keep that promise, we can maintain a good business relationship.”

Antonio grinned widely.

“Alright, alright. Can I borrow this for a moment? I need to discuss it with the old-timers here.”

“Consider it a gift, Antonio.”

“What? Really? Hahaha!”

Antonio danced around with the fairy stone, then shouted toward the next room.

“Hey! Hickson!”

At his booming call, there was a clatter, and someone quickly entered the lab.

“Yes, Master, you called?”

“Hey, I’m going to talk to the old-timers for a bit. Keep Sir Zeke company, will you? Hahaha, just wait a moment.”

Antonio left, laughing heartily, leaving Zeke in Hickson’s care.

‘It’s like a storm just passed through.’

Though Zeke had brought the fairy stone as a bargaining chip, he hadn’t expected an 8th-circle master to be so delighted.

Hickson, now unexpectedly tasked with entertaining Zeke, scratched his head and greeted him.

“Nice to meet you. So, you’re Sir Zeke Draker! Ah, you’re the Knight of the Sea, right?”

“That’s correct, Hickson. How should I address you?”

“Just Hickson is fine.”

Wizards have various titles. Typically, a general wizard is called a mage. Once they join the Magic Tower and master a certain level in their field, they receive a specific title.

Those who master elemental magic are called sorcerers, those in curses are witches, enchanters craft magical items, warlocks specialize in combat, and those who study spells and incantations are magicians.

Wizards who discover new magical systems or theories are given the title of wizard.

The Nirvana family, however, disregards these classifications and refers to themselves simply as ‘madosa,’ or sorcerers, signifying their pursuit of truth through the fusion of all knowledge.

As Zeke considered that even the somewhat awkward Hickson was a wizard of Nirvana, Hickson pondered how to engage Zeke in conversation.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he spoke up.

“Sir Zeke, being a Draker, you must know a lot about dragons.”

“While I’ve learned dragon-slaying techniques, I’ve never actually seen a dragon, so I only know what’s commonly known.”

Hickson’s eyes lit up at Zeke’s response.

“Ah, the famous dragon-slaying techniques. I’ve heard that pureblood awakeners can repel magic. Is that true? You’re the first Draker pureblood awakener I’ve met…”

“It’s true. I’d show you, but if I took off my gloves here, Antonio might faint.”

Hickson paled at the thought.

“No, please don’t! If anything here gets damaged, I’m done for…”

After calming down, Hickson continued.

“By the way, Sir Zeke, did you know about the way dragons used to cast magic?”

Zeke nodded at Hickson’s question.

“Are you referring to Dragon Speech?”

“Wow! How did you know?”

Zeke had inadvertently given the correct answer.

“I’ve picked up bits and pieces, but I don’t know the specifics.”

Hickson’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Actually, that’s what our lab is researching.”

“Dragon Speech, you mean?”

“To be precise, we’re studying how to apply Dragon Speech to make non-verbal spells more efficient.”

“Non-verbal spells, huh? That’s intriguing.”

Seeing Zeke’s interest, Hickson became even more enthusiastic.

“Right? My master and I have been working on it for five years now. A 5th-circle wizard can only cast up to 3rd-circle spells non-verbally. If they could cast 4th or 5th-circle spells non-verbally, the efficiency would skyrocket.”

Zeke nodded in agreement.

Wizards often perished on the battlefield because they were vulnerable while chanting spells.

If non-verbal magic became possible, it would eliminate the advantage of dark wizards and revolutionize the magical world.

As Hickson explained the workings of Dragon Speech, Zeke had a realization.

‘Come to think of it, are the skills I use a form of Dragon Speech magic?’

As a knight, Zeke shouldn’t have been able to use magic.

However, through the system, he could use magic in the form of skills.

Of course, this was possible because of Bahamut’s heart lodged in his core, but it was still remarkable.

‘If I study magic, could I use my skills more efficiently?’

Magic was an area Zeke had never considered before.

As he pondered the relationship between his skills and magic, he asked Hickson a question.

“Hickson, I have a question.”

Hickson, who had been explaining the theoretical aspects of Dragon Speech, was taken aback by Zeke’s interruption.

“So, mana moves to the magical organ and changes its composition… What? A question?”

“Are there any combat records of Dragon Speech magic?”

Hickson thought for a moment before nodding.

“There aren’t direct records, but there are reconstructed materials based on ancient texts. Hold on, there’s a specialist in that area.”

Hickson turned his head and shouted.

“Hey! Xeros!”

Despite Hickson’s call, there was no response from the next room.

Hickson stood up and kicked the door open, shouting.

“Hey! Xeros! What are you doing?”

This time, Hickson’s voice was commanding and forceful.

The door creaked open, and a wizard with a haggard face shuffled out.

“Ugh, senior. Why did you call me?”

“Man, you’re lucky it was me. If the master had called and you didn’t answer, you’d be dead.”

“Ugh, please don’t tell the master.”

The young man, called Xeros, slumped into a chair and asked Hickson.

“So, why did you call me? I just managed to fall asleep after three days.”

Hickson gestured to Zeke, who was seated across from him.

“Introduce yourself. This is Sir Zeke Draker, a guest of the master… the Knight of the Sea.”

Suddenly, Xeros sprang to his feet, climbed onto the table, and extended his hand to Zeke.

“The Knight of the Sea! The continent’s youngest blue, no, now red knight! Sir Zeke Draker! It’s an honor to meet you! I’m a member of the Dragon Enthusiasts.”

Zeroth’s comment left Zeke scratching his head in confusion.

“Nice to meet you, Zeroth. But… what exactly is a ‘Yongyongi’?”

Zeroth was taken aback by Zeke’s lack of knowledge about his fan club, the Yongyongis.

Trying to regain his composure, Zeroth fidgeted with Zeke’s hand, murmuring, “This… this is Sir Zeke’s hand… Ah, ah. I mustn’t wash it until the next fan club meeting. Hehehe.”

Hixon smacked Zeroth on the head.

“Hey, you’re startling Sir Zeke. Stop with the nonsense and share some of your expertise.”

Rubbing the back of his head, Zeroth asked Hixon, “Ugh. What should I talk about all of a sudden?”

“Sir Zeke is interested in the battle records of Dragon Speech magic.”

“Really? Is that true?” Zeroth asked, eyes wide.

Zeke nodded. “I’ve heard you’re researching ways to improve non-verbal spellcasting using Dragon Speech magic. As a knight, I’m curious about how one might counter such swift incantations.”

Zeroth, moved by Zeke’s words, nodded enthusiastically. “As expected of Sir Zeke. Truly a noble knight.”

Hixon smacked him again. “Why are you getting all emotional, you fool? What Sir Zeke means is he’s figuring out how to take down a non-verbal spellcaster.”

Zeroth nodded, a bit sheepishly. “Of course, if it’s Sir Zeke, even a non-verbal spellcaster wouldn’t stand a chance… Oh, just thinking about it is terrifying, haha. Anyway… please wait a moment.”

With a nod, Zeroth hurried back to his room to fetch something.

Pointing at Zeroth, Hixon sighed. “I apologize, Sir Zeke. Zeroth may seem a bit off, but he’s a top graduate of the Magic Tower and has already earned the titles of Sorcerer and Warlock.”

Receiving both titles at such a young age was impressive. A Warlock had to master at least two branches of combat and support magic at the fifth circle or higher, while a Sorcerer needed to master three or more elemental magics at the same level.

Soon, Zeroth returned, struggling with something in his arms.

“Whew, could you help me with this, senior?”

Hixon took the object from Zeroth and propped it against the wall. “What is this?”

“It’s a holographic projector. You applied for it last month but left it in my room because there was no space.”

Zeroth set up the projector and infused it with magic, causing a translucent glow to appear.

Adjusting the magic flow, Zeroth manipulated the light, revealing a scene of a knight and a dragon.

“Sir Zeke, watch closely. This is a reconstruction of an actual Dragon Speech magic scenario based on the records.”

As the hologram played, a human knight approached the dragon, and suddenly, a magic circle appeared before the dragon.

Crackle!

The knight was instantly frozen, electrocuted, and incinerated, all in a flash.

Zeke stared at Zeroth, bewildered. “What is this?”

“That’s Dragon Speech magic. Six spells cast simultaneously without a single incantation.”