Super Magician: The Magic Network Collapsed Again at the Start

Chapter 22 Storage Ring
After being reminded by Soradin, Anser and his two companions immediately realized the current situation and hurriedly ran to purchase adventure supplies.

Whether it was Thoradin's shout that had an effect, or Anser's charm that was strong enough, the shops that were originally out of stock sold them some of their inventory at a slight premium.

Waterproof backpacks, tents, blankets, waterproof clothing, lanterns, matches, first-aid kits, grappling hooks, emergency rations, seasonings, compasses... a whole host of different items.

Anser bought three bottles of common healing potions from the apothecary for 390 gold coins, nearly three times the price at its cheapest, which was outrageous, but he had no choice but to buy them.

As for the Mountain Giant's Might Potion, it's unavailable; you simply can't buy it.

Most alchemists are mages; without them, the market for potions, scrolls, and magical items would be on the verge of collapse.

It's already considered lucky to be able to buy it now; many adventurers have been turned away.

Going to an open-air market might be cheaper, but it's too time-consuming and you're more likely to get ripped off.

"Backpack 2 gold coins, blanket 6 silver coins, lantern 8 silver coins, medical kit 5 gold coins..." Blatt checked the supplies against the list and found that the thirty or forty gold coins in the public account were not enough.

"Everything is going up in price. Food has increased several times over, and if you include potions, the team still owes you several hundred gold coins." He smiled helplessly.

Anser patted him on the shoulder and teased, "Then get back to work."

In his view, these were all essential supplies that he would always need when going out. After packing, they filled three backpacks, which wasn't a heavy burden for the three of them, who were all professionals.

He had over a thousand gold coins left in his hand. Carrying the heavy money bag, he felt that it was better to spend them to enhance his combat power than to keep them in his possession.

"Come this way."

He arrived at the magical artifacts shop next to the apothecary. The shop occupied a large area and must have been quite prosperous in the past, but it was somewhat deserted now.

The shop owner was a female sorceress wearing a pointed witch's hat, with a face full of wrinkles that looked a bit eerie, reminding Anser of the old witch in fairy tales.

He focused his attention on the old mage, and the dice spun for a moment, but he couldn't glean any information.

Anser felt puzzled, but remained outwardly calm.

"What would you like, my adorable little fellow?" The old mage tapped his hat brim with his wand, revealing a pair of obsidian-like eyes. His voice was as gentle as a cat's, showing no sign of his age.

"Uh, I haven't thought of anything yet. Is there anything I can use?" Anser was very frank. He only had a staff on him and was missing everything else.

The old sorcerer leaned against the counter, elbow raised, his small wand twirling in his hand with an elegant posture that made you unconsciously ignore his face.
"The magic network has changed; some magical items are losing their magical properties, especially those with spell effects. Are you... aware of this?"

“Understood.” Anser raised the staff in his hand.

The old mage looked Anser up and down a few times, then waved his hand, and several items appeared on the counter: a cloak, shoes, a ring, and an amulet.

"This is a protective cloak, a manta ray cloak, spider-walking slippers, a magic storage ring, a health amulet... You don't even have a decent robe. I suggest you prioritize saving your life."

She briefly explained the abilities of these items, then sat down again, looking at Anser with great interest.

"How much is the magic storage ring?" Anser focused his gaze on the ring, the only rare-quality magical item inside.

This ring can store multiple spells, with a total ring rank of 5. That is, it can store 5 first-ring spells or one fifth-ring spell.

The magic network is currently in disarray, making the probability of stored spells failing to be cast even higher than normal spellcasting. However, Anser uses magic power for casting, so this problem does not exist for him.

This ring has lost a lot of value to others, which is probably why the old mage took it out.

“Someone offered eight thousand gold coins before, but I didn’t sell it.” The old mage picked up the ring with his withered fingers, his expression wistful. “Now… I’ll give you two thousand.”

Anser's expression froze. He only had about 1,200 gold coins left, far from enough. He turned to look at Blatt and Finn, who silently shook their heads.

He felt helpless, realizing that everyone was penniless.

"Not enough money?" The old mage had already anticipated this; she had been observing the other party for quite some time. "Do me a favor, and I'll give it to you for free."

Anser immediately shook his head and said, "I'm just a novice professional with limited abilities, I'm afraid I can't help you."

“Caution is an essential quality for a spellcaster.” The old mage nodded approvingly, then pushed the protective cloak and mana storage ring in front of him at the same time. “Add a thousand gold coins to these and help me bring someone out of the Haita District.”

“Me?!” Anser pointed to his nose, looking astonished. “Yes.” The old mage nodded naturally.

"Don't you know the city is full of underground creatures now? Even the upper city has fallen. Wouldn't it be suicide for me to go in?" Anser's eyes widened, as if he had heard a hellish joke.

"Relax." The old mage shook his wand slightly. "Currently, the Castle District, Manoburn District, Bronnridge District, High Tower District, and part of the Temple District are still in the hands of the Sentinels and will not fall anytime soon."

Taking a boat from Livington Wharf is not very dangerous.

“Well, you’re very thoughtful, but my abilities are limited. You should find someone else.” Anser refused decisively; he didn’t want to risk his life.

It is true that you can take a boat down the river from Livington directly to the Haita district on the west side of Grey Harbor, but what if the Grey Dwarves have fortified the sea route? What if they are besieged as soon as they land in Haita? What if the ship goes out of control and plunges into the giant pit?
"It's alright." The old mage smiled slightly, not insisting, and placed a piece of parchment on the cloak. "The item is still yours; it's worthless to me."

"Come find me anytime when you've saved enough money or changed your mind."

Anser was taken aback, not expecting such a good thing to happen.

He picked up the parchment, unfolded it, and saw that it was an unsigned magic contract with the contents of the commission written on it. The commissioner's name was Dorothea Zetkin, and the handwriting was elegant.

After a moment's hesitation, he transferred 100 platinum coins to an empty money bag and placed it on the counter: "This is all I have for now. Thank you for your generosity and trust. I won't be polite."

"Good luck." The old mage brushed aside the white hair on his forehead with his wand, his eyes darting around, his gaze fixed on Anser's face, not even glancing at the bag of platinum coins.

Anser picked up the things, nodded in acknowledgment, and turned to leave.

Blatt quickly caught up with Anser and whispered, "Is there something wrong with the stuff?"

“Back to the hotel.” Anser didn’t know appraisal magic, but he had a more accurate appraisal method.

The three of them returned to the room with bags and packages, piled their things on the floor, and gathered around Anser.

"These two magical items are worth at least three thousand gold coins, aren't they afraid we'll run away? That's strange." Blatt was a little uneasy.

“Hmm,” Finn agreed.

Anser closed his eyes slightly, pulled up the character card to check the two magical items, and found no curses or magical marks; everything was normal.

"It shouldn't be that complicated." He opened his eyes, picked up the parchment, and pondered, "Maybe it's just about doing someone a favor."

“What’s the use? We’re all leaving.” Blatt waved his hand, sat down on the floor, and began to organize his supplies and backpack.

Seeing this, Finn also stepped forward to help.

“That’s true.” Anser decided to stop thinking about those things and focus his attention on the two magical items.

The magic storage ring is a dark gold ring, nearly one centimeter wide, covered with concentric circles of blue magic patterns, clearly indicating its extraordinary nature.

He wore the ring on the index finger of his left hand; it was slightly too big, but it wouldn't fall off.

The protective cloak looks unremarkable from a distance, but when you pick it up, you realize that it is not pure black, but rather a deep black, with a purplish-blue metallic sheen under the light.

This cloak is a fine-quality magical item. Wearing it increases your armor level and saving throws by 1, which means a slight increase in protection and resistance. It's simple and practical.

This immunity, in particular, is effective against most attacks and is especially effective against spells and psionic magic.

Anser put on a cloak, covering his face with the hood, making him appear more mysterious and giving others a sense of peace.

　Description:
　　1. Staffs: Generally quite long. Some staffs have a smooth surface and are nearly uniform in diameter throughout, while others are long and twisted; some are made of wood, while others are made of polished metal or crystal. Staffs weigh between 2 and 7 pounds and also serve well as walking sticks or canes.

　　2.魔杖：参考哈利波特的魔杖。一般12到15寸长（30-38厘米），且一般由金属，木头或骨头制成。

　　3. Scepter: Scepter items are usually made of metal, wood or bone, and generally weigh between 2 and 5 pounds.

　　4. District names may differ due to translation issues: for example, Manoburn District is the same as Zhuangdan District, and Bronnridge District is the same as Huaji District.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)