As Gauss passed by the warrior section, he glanced at the prices of apprentice-level sword techniques—cheap ones were around twenty to thirty silver coins, and the more expensive ones were only about fifty to sixty silver coins. Compared to cantrips and spells, apprentice-level skills for warriors were not too expensive.

The rogue section also had some stealth techniques, concealment skills, and scouting skills displayed on the shelves.

“Is it possible for me to learn some skills from other professions?” Gauss silently wondered.

Generally, professionals would focus on mastering a set of skills specific to their own profession. Because their core skills were already diverse enough to require deep study, recklessly learning other profession skills was a task with little reward.

A person's energy is limited, and the saying “bite off more than you can chew” applies here as well.

More often than not, it would result in twice the effort for half the effect—this was a conclusion drawn by most.

“But my attributes have no weaknesses, plus I have the stats panel. Maybe learning some simple apprentice-level skills isn’t that hard?” Gauss planned to come back and check again later.

He continued walking further inside.

The section for cantrips and spells that mages could learn finally appeared before him.

According to levels, cantrips and spells were neatly divided into several areas:

Level 0 cantrips, level 1 spells, level 2 spells.

Yes, the Adventurers Guild shop in Grayrock Town only sold spells up to level 2. Level 3 and higher-level spells were nowhere to be seen for now.

Perhaps adventurer shops in other big cities might have access?

“Do not open scrolls;

violators bear all consequences.”

Glancing at the warning sign on the shelf, Gauss withdrew his hand.

No doubt, the fact that these skill books could be placed on the shelves for self-service indicated they must have some kind of protective mechanism.

Combined with the warning about bearing consequences, there might even be some minor punishments.

Gauss had no intention of being masochistic.

Fortunately, although opening was forbidden, the shelves clearly showed the type of scroll, the price, and the basic effect, which was enough for Gauss to make a choice.

He first quickly browsed through everything, roughly understanding the price range for spells of different levels.

Level 0 cantrips generally ranged from 60 silver coins to about 1 gold coin, with the most expensive slightly above 1 gold coin.

Level 1 spells were above 10 gold coins.

Level 2 spells were above 60 gold coins.

In other words, he could just look at level 2 spells for now. Level 1 spells were technically affordable, but realistically difficult.

Just as planned, his best choice at the moment was to select a few suitable level 0 cantrips as supplements.

Unfortunately, the level 0 cantrips here also seemed incomplete.

He wasn’t sure if they had been sold out without restocking or if some were just rare and unavailable.

Gauss carefully read through the descriptions on the level 0 cantrip shelf one by one.

Blade Ward, Dancing Lights, Light Cantrip, Mage Hand, Message, Acid Splash, Magic Stone, Magic Missile...

Although not complete, it was enough to make Gauss agonize for quite a while.

He spent a good deal of time reading through all the level 0 cantrips sold in the shop.

If possible, he would have loved to master every single cantrip.

But clearly, that was unrealistic.

Although he did not yet feel much mental burden from learning spells, wanting to learn so many cantrips was still absurd.

Plus, his wallet would not allow it.

So he had to prioritize and choose the cantrips he needed most right now.

“Compared to those combat-specialized cantrips, I need more functional ones.”

“Mage Hand—this one I must learn. Although the spell’s effect is weak and has no direct combat power, its versatility is incredibly useful for everyday convenience.”

Gauss confirmed the first cantrip.

The moment he saw it, he knew it was a must-learn.

Mage Hand

Level: 0 cantrip

Description: This spell is a basic magic cantrip used for practice. It can produce a faint spark, a gentle breeze;

slight noises;

strange odors;

clean a small area;

slightly season (cannot add nutrition or alter toxicity, limited to sensory experience);

create a temporary mark or small illusion.

Just from this description, Gauss could imagine many scenarios for use.

First, lighting a campfire without worrying about forgetting matches—no need to drill wood like a caveman after striking flint.

Second, after battle, it could help clean the body a bit. Although one cantrip couldn’t clean the entire body, cantrips consumed very little magic power. Using it multiple times would surely clean him up, directly solving a major pain point in Gauss’s adventures.

Also, it should be able to produce a small amount of water. Though not as good as a level 1 Create Water spell, in water scarcity, it could still turn magic power into a little water.

The price of 90 silver coins was not expensive.

Next.

“Should I buy Mending?”

Mending was also a level 0 cantrip capable of repairing minor damage on small ordinary objects.

How minor was the damage? Could it repair a small tear in my clothes?

Gauss hesitated because he wasn’t sure of the extent it could repair.

And ordinary items—could it repair damage on iron armor or iron weapons?

Gauss thought that those heavily rusted iron weapons he collected probably couldn’t be repaired by a simple Mending cantrip;

otherwise, weapon prices would have dropped long ago.

Many blacksmith shops had even closed their repair and recovery services for damaged weapons and equipment.

Gauss didn’t think he was the only clever one in the world who realized he could make money with this cantrip.

“Forget it, I’ll buy it. 80 silver coins. At least I can temporarily fix some daily items when out.”

After some hesitation, he decided to get it.

“Next, there’s Message and Fire Bolt.”

The core function of Message was one-way communication. It could designate a target creature and deliver a short message.

The target receiving the message would hear it as if the caster whispered in their ear, and only the target could hear it—others could not perceive it.

If he later formed a team with others or had to rescue Kevin and the others as in the last mission, he could notify them in advance with Message for better coordination.

As for the last cantrip, Fire Bolt, as the name suggests, was an offensive cantrip.

At first, Gauss thought not to buy offensive cantrips, but the shelf’s description strongly recommended it. After some thought, he bought it.

Although offensive cantrips consumed more magic power than functional cantrips, they still required less than level 1 spells.

Having an additional offensive cantrip to enrich his attack options wouldn’t be a bad thing.

That would be the four cantrips.

Gauss finally stopped.

Not because he thought other cantrips were unnecessary, but because he felt these four were enough to study for a while.

After mastering them completely, if he still had spare money and time, he could come back to select more cantrips and level 1 spells.

He called a shop assistant to help him take down the four cantrips he wanted, then went to the rogue section to pick an apprentice-level skill: Insight Technique.

Its effect was to enhance environmental awareness after activation, helping to discover and track special traces outdoors.

At the counter, seeing Gauss’s purchases, the uniformed shop assistant kindly reminded him,

“Adventurer, the Insight Technique is a rogue skill. Are you sure you want to buy it?”

Judging from the four cantrips Gauss bought, the assistant could tell he was a spellcaster by profession, but the extra rogue skill confused her.

The mage and rogue sections were right next to each other.

She feared he might have picked the wrong shelf, so she spoke up to remind him.

“That’s right. Please pack it together,” Gauss nodded without much explanation.

“Okay. The total is 4 gold coins and 65 copper coins.”

Gauss took out the corresponding 4 gold and 1 silver from his pouch. While waiting for change, he felt a little reluctant.

This was the largest single expenditure he had made so far.

If converted into quests, ignoring the value of loot, this amount would require completing 3 to 4 beginner one-star commissions.

“Here’s 35 copper coins change. All skill books have been packed for you. Welcome next time.”

Gauss walked out of the shop and looked toward the magic item store not far away.

If the skill shop had not made much impression when he entered, seeing the dazzling array of magical items in the magic item store made him start worrying about his wallet.

“May I help you with something?”

“I’d like to ask, where are the storage-type magical items kept?”

As soon as he entered, the assistant proactively approached.

Different shops seemed to have different styles. The skill shop required patient selection and clear descriptions on the shelves, so no one was needed to hover around.

But the magic item shop needed a guide.

“Please follow me.”

The guide walked ahead.

Gauss browsed the magical items around him.

Some magical items were on shelves, others locked in transparent cabinets.

Passing through a corridor, they arrived at a display room.

“All storage-function magical items are here. Please take a look and see if you want anything.”

Gauss’s gaze followed the guide’s pointing to the display rack.

The first thing that caught his eye was a series of standard model storage bags, all highly similar in appearance, almost like mass-produced copies.

But the prices marked on them made Gauss’s heart race with shock.

Small Storage Bag

Sale Price: 25 gold coins

Storage Volume: About 1.5 cubic meters (unshaped)

Storage Weight: 500 pounds (about 227 kilograms)

Description:

This storage bag cannot hold items exceeding the specified volume and weight limits;

overloading will damage the bag, so please use cautiously.

1. Regardless of the amount of items stored, the bag’s own weight remains constant at 10 pounds (about 4.5 kilograms).

2. Cannot store other storage items.

3. Cannot store living creatures.

4. Requires professional-level magic to use and daily magic input for maintenance;

ordinary people cannot use it.

Its effect made Gauss’s heart pound;

this was exactly the magic artifact he needed for daily travel.

But the price made his vision darken.

So expensive.

“Would you like to purchase the Small Storage Bag?” the guide asked.

Gauss showed a troubled expression.