CHAPTER 495: 002 FIRST TRANSACTION

After making arrangements, Carl paced out of the grand hall.

At the back of the hall stood a three-story tower about fifteen meters high, his own Wizard Tower.

This was a Second Order Wizard Tower!

Theoretically, a Second Order Wizard Tower could allow a First Circle Wizard stationed inside to unleash power comparable to that of a Three-Circle Wizard. A Second Circle Wizard could be on par with a Fourth Circle Wizard! That is, an increase of two Levels.

Of course, this was all theoretical. In practice, it was impossible. Even enabling a Second Circle Wizard to not fear a Three-Circle Wizard was quite a stretch, let alone a First Circle Wizard. The main reason lay in the inscribed witchcraft.

Carl’s Wizard Tower was assembled from the disassembled Wizard Towers of the four great families of the Dream Market. Inscribed within were forty-one witchcrafts, including eight Second Circle Magic spells, sixteen One-Circle Witchcraft spells, with the rest being mostly Zero-Circle Magic spells.

As for Three-rings Witchcraft spells... There were only two! One of them was the Eye of Insight innate to the Evil God’s Eye, and the other was the Ultimate Ice Cold mastered by the Capet family.

Ultimate Ice Cold: a Three-rings Witchcraft that invokes the power of the Star Realm to lower temperatures, capable of freezing a city in an instant. Even the high temperatures and Fierce Flames caused by explosions could be instantly frozen. To some extent, it already involved the chemical reactions of heat exchange and was an ability that could directly destroy the ecosystem within a certain area.

Um... Currently, Carl only possessed one Three-rings Witchcraft: Ultimate Ice Cold.

Entering the Wizard Tower, the first thing to catch the eye was a place resembling a ’scientific research base.’ Various test tubes, circuits, and equipment were scattered across a moderately sized space. In the center was a cultivation dish in absolute vacuum, within which floated a pillar from the Twelve Star Palaces.

Paul, dressed in a Wizard Robe, stood by, casting exploratory witchcraft from time to time to observe the experiment’s changes. Upon hearing footsteps, Paul merely glanced to the side and continued to be engrossed in his work. Carl was no longer surprised by this. That was just Harvey’s personality; once immersed in research, he would ignore everything else.

As he approached, Carl casually asked, "How’s the situation?"

"I can detect three spatial fragments, but for now, I can’t ensure that objects can be teleported into them," Harvey rubbed his sore eyes and said. "I’ve transcribed the ’runes’ on this object, and they seem to differ from our witchcraft system."

"Of course," Carl shrugged. "I’ve said it before, it comes from another world, and it’s related to the Divine of that world."

"So it’s troublesome..." Harvey frowned. "Even if it also involves knowledge of space, it’s different from what I’ve mastered."

"Oh! Take a look at the latest research outcome."

He moved to a cleared experimental area, where two intricate patterns were drawn on the ground. A small steel bead floated motionlessly above one of the patterns. As Harvey pointed his Magic Wand forward, the bead vanished from one pattern and reappeared above the other.

"Hmm?" Carl’s face lit up with surprise. "Spatial teleportation?"

This was a genuine Three-rings Witchcraft, and a rather rare ’Space Series’ witchcraft at that.

"Yes," Harvey nodded. "It should actually be called a Transmission Array."

"With these spatial runes inscribed in two places and activated simultaneously, teleportation can be achieved."

"Hmm," Carl nodded slowly. "How far can it teleport?"

"...Half a meter." Harvey paused before revealing, "Each teleportation consumes one Magic Stone. The farther the distance, the greater the consumption, and it increases exponentially. According to current estimates, a Transmission Array with a ten-meter gap would require about twenty thousand Magic Stones."

?

Twenty thousand Magic Stones!

Carl’s mouth twitched slightly.

"No matter," he took a deep breath and patted Harvey’s shoulder. "All beginnings are difficult, but once a good start is made, the rest becomes easier. I believe you can surely perfect this Transmission... Array."

"Hmm," Harvey nodded firmly. "I definitely can."

You can do it! Carl silently cheered for him. In the past five years, he had spared no expense in supporting Harvey’s research; the cost of various materials alone was valued at thousands of Magic Stones. There was also all the specialized equipment. For now, it could barely be considered that some progress had been made.

Harvey, feeling somewhat embarrassed, scratched his head. He lacked genuine confidence in his research results. Limited teleportation distance, the necessity of simultaneous activation, some principles still unclear, research direction still a guess...

Nevertheless, I will definitely succeed!

Steeling himself, Harvey threw himself back into the experiment.

Carl ascended to the third floor of the Wizard Tower. This was his sole domain, off-limits to outsiders. No exceptions.

SWISH...

With a sweep of his long sleeves, all the Inheritance Witch Artifacts flew out from his spatial equipment, quietly hovering in midair. One Magic Wand trembled, then turned into a dark light and fell into Carl’s hand.

After all, the Six Rings Tower is wealthy and powerful, and the Green family even stands at the apex of the Wizarding world.

Gold’s belongings can still be used to this day.

He waved the Magic Wand with a satisfied expression on his face. This ’Dark Wand,’ obtained after killing Gold, was the only Second Order Magic Wand he possessed. Wielding it doubled the power of his spells.

What a pity! The Dark Wand, leaning towards the undead and the Shadow Series, wasn’t the best match for Carl, who practiced witchcraft of the Natural School.

"So..." Carl looked up and murmured to himself, "I now have a Second Order Wizard Tower, a Second Order Magic Wand, and an imitation Fourth-tier Dream Treasure Bead."

As for other First Order items, they were now dispensable to him, not worth considering.

With a flip of his hand, the Dream Treasure Bead appeared in his palm. The egg-sized bead had no visible cracks, and inside it seemed to contain countless worlds. It was the very cornerstone of the existence of the Dream Market.

I have now initially refined this pseudo Fourth-tier Inheritance Witch Artifact. Once deployed, anyone who isn’t a Three-Circle Wizard within its range will be suppressed, and I will be invincible. Moreover, from it, I have comprehended a One-Circle Witchcraft spell, ’Enter Dream,’ and a Second Circle Magic spell—’Weave Dream.’ Perhaps I could also comprehend the Three-rings Witchcraft spell ’Nightmare Walker’!

"Hmm?" Carl stroked his chin. Once my Abyss Giant Squid Bloodline is fully integrated, I’ll automatically master the ability to navigate dreams. There’s no need to spend time comprehending the witchcraft ’Nightmare Walker.’

Ultimately, the highest-Tier item he possessed was a true Fourth-order Artifact—The Twelve Star Palaces! The Twelve Star Palaces consisted of twelve pillars, or rather, twelve Star Gates, each connecting to a spatial fragment. That is, dozens of spatial fragments!

From previous experiences entering them, each spatial fragment of the Twelve Star Palaces seemed to hold a treasure. The treasures were of varied Tiers, Second and Third Tier. Perhaps there were even Fourth-tier ones! Even if some fragments no longer existed, the remaining ones were still a treasure trove for Carl. As long as he could enter them, he would not have to worry about resources even if he became a Three-Circle Wizard.

Harvey... It’s up to you now!

Glancing down at the floor below, Carl planned to increase his investment in Harvey’s research.

With the task assigned, Evgeny and her three companions also put great effort into mobilizing their connections to contact targets.

"Reopening the Dream Market? Is the Six Rings Tower ready to let you guys go? No? Then it won’t do!"

...

"Trading Wizard Towers? I’m actually quite interested, but the Dream Market is too dangerous. If the trade were to take place outside, that would be feasible. Forget it!"

...

"Hide identity? Ensure no backstabbing will occur? I’ll think about it! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!"

...

「One month later.」

The Dream Market trading post reopened. Evgeny and her three companions had sent out over thirty invitations, but only nine people showed up.

Goodness me!

Almost all oddballs and misfits!

Carl sat on a stone chair, with a long table set up in the middle of the great hall, and the guests were seated on either side. As the host of the Dream Market, a Second Circle Wizard, and a Holy Knight, he could sense the power of the attendees without needing to use any Magic Door, even without trying.

First Circle Early Stage!

Just advanced to First Circle Wizard!

Wanderer!

Hmm? When his gaze swept over one of them, Carl’s eyes shifted subtly, as if inadvertently withdrawing his gaze.

This person’s aura is somewhat elusive. Could there be a Second Circle Wizard here to join the fun?

After pondering for a moment, Carl stood up and nodded to the people in the center, "I am delighted that you could all come to the trade gathering. You must be aware that I was not born into a Wizard Family. I am a Wanderer without any backing and have reached this point solely through fortune."

He sighed, "It’s precisely because I have no background, no influence, and no resources that I understand just how difficult the path of a wizard can be."

The guests were silent. Those who were willing to take the risk to attend the trade gathering clearly did so out of a desperate need for resources and the hardships of their cultivation. They empathized deeply with Carl’s words.

"Therefore," Carl continued, "to ensure a clear path ahead for our witchcraft journey, I reopened the Dream Market for the exchange of goods and services."

He further added, "From henceforth, this gathering is tentatively set to occur once every three months, four times a year. Should anyone have specific needs that aren’t met this time, they can carve it on the stone board outside the gate, to facilitate trades with people bringing items in the next time."

The crowd nodded slowly.

"The trade gathering prohibits forced buying and selling, forbids dueling, and equally bans the sale of fakes or deceitful trading... Violators will be severely punished!"

These were all reasonable expectations, and the crowd had no objections.

"Now, I’ll go first." Carl settled back into his seat, waved his sleeve gently, and several fist-sized exotic fruits appeared on the table in the center of the hall. "Some years ago, I explored a half-plane and was fortunate enough to see a Third-tier Thunderous Gold God Tree. I picked a few fruits. These fruits are beneficial for the cultivation of wizards with lightning and wood attributes, and they are also the main ingredient in certain Potions. Those interested may start bidding now!"

The room fell silent momentarily. Then, the attendees began showing greedy, eager expressions, fixing their eyes intently on the fruits on the table.

Fruits from a Third-tier strange plant.

Even Second Circle Wizards would be interested!

Ah... Seeing their reactions, Carl chuckled softly.

How could he make the trade gathering grow and attract more experts without offering some enticing items?

Honestly, putting these fruits up for trade was equally painful for him.

But there was no choice. You cannot trap a wolf without sacrificing some bait!