Wizard: I brought the wrong system.

Chapter 253 Mannheim Market

As the voice shouted, a strong wind howled, stirring up the falling snowflakes, and a golden stream of light gathered from the center of the whirlwind, gradually forming a dazzling ball of light.

"Drink! The stars will fall!"

The terrifying ball of light, now over ten meters in size, slowly pressed down toward the snow-white giant wolf.

"Woooo..."

Faced with such a terrifying attack, the wolf pack let out mournful howls, tucked their tails between their legs, and turned to flee.

Once the snowstorm concealed the giant wolves, the dazzling ball of light suddenly exploded, transforming into dense, fine gold dust. This dust, carrying a comforting warmth, mingled with the swirling snowflakes, turning each fluttering snowflake into a magnificent gold.

A young man clad in golden armor emerged from the sphere of light. He appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with dazzling blond hair. He landed lightly, brandishing a hollow greatsword, revealing a set of pearly white teeth, and cheerfully asked, "Are you alright?"

Yaro: "..."

Why does this person look so familiar?

"Huh? Your appearance..."

The boy seemed to have discovered something as well. He paused, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He took a few steps forward, appearing extremely excited, and asked joyfully, "Have you also seen that recording stone?"

Record stone?
Upon hearing this word, Yaro felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"Where have I heard this before?"

For a moment, Yaro couldn't quite recall where he had heard it, but seeing the boy approaching, Yaro's mind raced, and he nodded slightly, casually humming, "Hmm."

"Right, right! Isn't Yarrow Garner so handsome! I love his maniacal laughter when he faces countless enemies!"

The blond boy, while covering his forehead with one hand, burst into inexplicable laughter: "Hmph... Hehe... Hahahaha!"

Yaro: "..."

So embarrassing!
That was so awkward!
Did I laugh like that back then?

wrong!

Yaro suddenly realized: "I definitely didn't cover my forehead when I laughed! I couldn't possibly have done something so embarrassing!"

The blond boy looked up, his eyes sparkling with anticipation: "Am I handsome?"

"Uh...ah...um..."

Yaro wanted to convey that he was a bit confused and didn't really want to talk to the person in front of him.

He had already remembered where he had heard the word 'record stone'.

Edmund seemed to have mentioned it before the fight!

"Hehe!" The blond boy took Yaro's hesitation as agreement, smiled smugly, and familiarly put one hand on Yaro.

Yaro glanced at it, feeling conflicted.

He wanted to find out about the Mannheim market from the boy, but...

Bang!
Just as Yaro hesitated, the blond boy's hand touched Yaro's shoulder.

"what?"

He looked at Yaro's body in surprise, his fingers slightly bent, and tapped lightly.

bang bang bang!
"Wow, you're wearing solid heavy armor under your clothes?" the boy exclaimed in amazement. "That's amazing! Have you ever trained as a knight?"

What style are you wearing?

The boy added, "Is it the regular version, the demonized version, or the golden armor version like mine?"

Normal? Demonized? Golden Armor?
Yaro rubbed his forehead, feeling a strange headache coming on.

"YoYo!"

Just then, the two male deer suddenly cried out a few times. Without the warmth of the herd and standing motionless in the wind and snow, even they found it difficult to persevere.

Yaro snapped out of his daze and said apologetically to the blond boy, "I have to rush to the Mannheim market to buy purification potions. We can talk about this later."

"The Mannheim Market?" the blond boy exclaimed excitedly. "I'm going there too, let's go together!"

You've got it!
Yaro made up his mind and nodded with a smile: "That's fine too."

Since the blond boy deliberately dressed like this and even dared to go to the Mannheim market, it might mean that there is indeed no warrant for his arrest here.

Moreover, with this blond boy who immediately introduced himself as 'Yarogana' to confuse people, his safety would be greatly improved.

After the blond boy boarded the deer-drawn carriage, Yaro quickly regretted inviting him.

……

"Your makeup is quite good, it has a bit of Yaro's charm, but it's a pity you're too dark-skinned and too thin."

"Your hair color is wrong, it's not dark enough. Do you want me to recommend a potion for you? That way you can have the same gorgeous blonde hair as Lord Yarrow Gara."

“Your longsword may look fancy, but it doesn’t resemble Yarrow’s greatsword at all. Should I recommend an alchemy master to have one custom-made for you? No matter your grip strength, he can make a greatsword that is suitable for your strength, and the style will be exactly the same as Yarrow’s.”

"Wasn't that move I just made cool? Did it remind you of Aaron Garner's final move in the Log Stone?"

……

Yaro glanced at the chattering blond boy beside him and asked helplessly, "What's your name?"

“Ian Boone, you can just call me Ian, what about you?”

"My name is Yaro."

The blond boy suddenly realized, "Oh, I see, my name is Ghana."

Yaro: "..."

孽 孽!
Yaro hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

They can't exactly reveal their identity and tell Ian that they are the real 'Yarrow Garner', can they?

“Ian…”

Just as Yaro was about to ask, Ian quickly interrupted, "Call me Ghana!"

"Forehead!"

Yaro paused, then continued, disregarding the question, "Ian, what are you planning to buy this time?"

Yaro hoped to gradually gather information about the market through this method.

"I plan to buy a recording stone to keep as a collection."

Ian seemed to have thought of something again, and sat up straight, adopting the posture of an older brother, and solemnly reminded him: "It's obvious that you rarely go out. Next time, you should be more careful. Don't directly tell people that you're here to buy something. If someone asks you that, just say that you're just going to the market to browse around."

"Many thugs who are desperate for money will lie in ambush around the market. Those giant wolves just now could be wolf shepherds or even werewolves!"

"When you're out and about, be careful of what others say!"

Yaro said, half-laughing and half-crying, "You told me what you wanted to buy before you started scolding me. Isn't that a bit unconvincing?"

“That’s different!” Ian covered his forehead again, pretending to be profound, and said, “Those who can dress like us must be people who are devoted to justice!”

"Yaro!"

Ian suddenly looked up, his bright eyes fixed seriously on Yaro. "What's wrong?" Yaro was startled and instinctively activated his Cat-Shaped Fist technique to run away.

There doesn't seem to be any other creatures around.

Ian: "Though the enemy outnumbers us, our resolve remains unwavering!"

"What?"

Ian: "This was all Firebird's choice!"

"what?"

Ian: "Yarlo, never be defeated!"

……

"Please stop!" Yaro bowed his head in submission.

Ian patted Yaro on the shoulder generously: "Look, I didn't even steal your 'Yaro' title, can't you just call me 'Gana'?"

Are you trying to compete with me for the title of 'Sun Wukong and the Monkey King'?
Ian: "Where the sword points..."

"Ghana, stop reading now!"

Yaro finally understood: this was actually a terrifying teenager in the late stages of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)!
Moreover, his current delusional goal is none other than the legendary 'Yarlo Ghana'!
"Yes!" Ian responded briskly, then called out again, "Yarlo?"

As he spoke, he looked expectantly at Yaro.

Yaro's face was contorted in pain, and he really didn't want to respond.

"Yaro???"

Yaro slapped his face and mumbled, "Well... I'm not feeling well, and I'm in a hurry to buy some purifying potion to drink, so I really don't have any energy... Hmm, I want to sleep, plus... Brother Ian, could you help me and point the deer in the right direction?"

Ian didn't insist this time. Instead, he patted his chest and assured me, "Then you rest first, and I'll take care of the rest!"

……

The wheels wrapped in animal hides left two neat grooves on the snow-covered earth, but they gradually disappeared as the wind and snow blew.

The wheels rolled on, and Yaro, who was lying on his side in the warm carriage pretending to be asleep, kept a close eye on his surroundings.

The howling snow wind gradually subsided, and with Ian, who knew the roads well, guiding the way, even though the roads were covered by heavy snow, it did not have much of an impact on the deer cart.

If they encountered any potholes that were difficult to cross, Ian would immediately summon a whirlwind to lift the not-so-heavy carriage, allowing it to easily cross those potholes.

Sensing Ian's hard work and dedication, Yaro's wariness towards him lessened considerably.

"Perhaps, as he said, someone who would deliberately dress like this couldn't be a really bad person, could he?"

With these thoughts in mind, Yaro, accompanied by the slight swaying of the carriage, gradually drifted off to sleep in the soft and comfortable cabin, maintaining only a slight vigilance.

……

"My dear little apprentice, you must pay a magic stone to enter the Mannheim Market."

A hoarse, low voice startled Yaro, who was sleeping lightly, awake.

Ian said irritably, "Get out of the way, you beggar who's never seen a magic stone before."

Soon, a soft rustling sound came from outside the carriage, and the owner of the hoarse voice quietly withdrew.

Have we arrived yet?
Yaro sat up, pulled back the heavy leather curtain, and looked around. He actually wanted to know why he didn't have to pay for magic stones to enter the market, but he didn't want to seem ignorant, so he had to ask a different question.

"Why was someone stopping us from asking for magic stones just now?"

"Are you awake?"

Ian skillfully herded the deer, explaining as he went:
"These people are the most disgusting. They see someone they don't recognize and try to extort them. Don't they realize that if everyone has to pay a magic stone to enter the market, wouldn't others know to exchange their items outside?"

Yaro nodded in deep agreement: "Indeed, even if someone takes over this market, they will have plenty of ways to earn magic stones."

"You can open your own shop, sell or rent the shop space and land, or charge management fees to businesses."

“If such high fees are charged to customers who haven’t even entered the market, most potential customers will be kept out. As the market business declines, no shops will be able to move in, and the market will eventually decline and perish.”

Even if you want to raise your own level and set thresholds, you should divide it into inner and outer layers. The outer layer is for free trading, while the inner layer can be paid for. You need to have a comparison object so that others will be willing to give up the magic stone.

Ian turned around in surprise and sighed, "Yaro has a good eye. Ghana is very pleased!"

Yaro: "..."

This kind of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferer is really sick!

Ian skillfully drove the deer-drawn cart onto a side path. The brownish-yellow animal droppings scattered along the path indicated that this was likely a designated rest stop for carriages and horses at the market.

As soon as they drove in, a little boy ran over and said, "Two wizards, please come this way, there are still seats available here."

Led by him, two elk pulled the light carriage toward a simple stable.

"Sir, would you like to park in a separate stable?"

Ian looked at Yaro.

After a moment's thought, Yaro looked up warily and asked, "What's the price?"

Special treatment always comes with special privileges, and Yaro certainly doesn't want to be slaughtered like a pig.

Five gold coins a day.

This price... is astronomical for ordinary people, and it's not cheap even for extraordinary individuals.

Even if you can earn 10,000 a month, can you accept it with a clear conscience? Why does parking once cost several hundred?

A few magic stones are enough to drive apprentices to their deaths. In this realm, a magic stone is only worth a few hundred gold coins. Isn't that the ratio?
"Okay, take us there."

Yaro did not refuse. These two deer were not like horses. If they were placed in a public place, they would likely be bullied by the temperamental horses.

Not to mention that people who come to this kind of extraordinary market may bring different ferocious beasts and magical creatures. As a mortal, a deer is really not suitable to be parked with those things.

After paying the gold coins and receiving a wooden plaque, Yaro followed behind Ian and headed towards the actual market.

Noticing the many different kinds of mounts parked around, Yaro couldn't help but sigh, "Opening a market is really profitable!"

This is the real way to make money at the market.

As long as you have a mount, even if you park it in a public stable outside, it will cost one gold coin per day. Compared to the price of magic stones, this parking fee alone can generate a considerable profit every day.

In this situation, no matter how unwilling you are, you can only obediently pay the money. If you are really in dire straits, you can walk here. If you don't want to walk here, it is only natural to pay extra.

This is just the first step in making money at the market; it's unknown how many more ways there will be to generate profits later.

Ian casually replied, "Making money is definitely possible, but they must have enough ability to do so."

As Yaro curiously observed the mysterious figures in deep robes passing by, he nodded in response, "Of course."

Without this strength, not to mention whether the market will be robbed by others, if robberies or other major events occur in the market every few days, the market will not last long and will eventually fail.

"Brother Ian, you go ahead and get busy. I have some things to sell."

Ian assumed that Yaro was going to sell some treasure, but little did he know that Yaro simply wanted to avoid him so that he could easily retrieve the Shadow Wolf materials from his spatial ring.

“I’ve told you so many times, call me Ghana!” Ian chuckled, then waved his hand. “Alright, when you’re done with your work, come find me at the alchemy shop on the right.”

(End of this chapter)