Chapter 2-14 : Ancient Magic Weapon (part 2)
The next day, I went to the city and visited the magic item shop that Father was talking about.
「Welcome, Lady Kako. I’ve been waiting for you」(clerk)
As soon as I entered the shop with Thea, the gentle-looking man who seemed to be the clerk welcomed me with a deep bow.
「Do you know me, Sir?」(Kako)
「Your father, Marquis Kushaq, sent a messenger this morning, telling me that you would visit. So, how can I help you today, my lady?」(clerk)
「I heard that you knew about ancient magic weapons. Do you by any chance sell them here?」(Kako)
「Ancient magic weapons?」(clerk)
The store clerk looked a bit surprised when I asked him that.
「We do have a few of them here.」(clerk)
「Really!? Can I see them? I want to see the best one!」(Kako)
「U, understood. Please wait a moment.」(clerk)
The clerk went to the back room and returned with a nice-looking sword.
He carefully placed it on the table and began to explain.
「This is the best ancient magic weapon we have here. It’s been infused with fire magic. When activated, the blade will be covered in flames, and you can unleash a fire spell as you swing the sword.」(clerk)
「A flaming sword, huh? Is this a rare ancient magic weapon?」(Kako)
「Uhh, unfortunately, no. Although this is the best one we have, this sword is not a rare one. It’s a common one. Not many people in this world have rare ancient magic weapons.」(clerk)
「I see…」(Kako)
Well, it’s not that I wasn’t expecting that.
Such rare weapons can’t be found so easily, especially in a magic item shop in the middle of the city like this.
Honestly, this sword looks nice, but a weapon that can unleash a fire spell is just too ordinary and plain in my opinion. There are hundreds of weapons that can do that.
It might not be a rare ancient weapon, but this sword is not bad at all.
I might be able to increase its power and quality with my Synthesis Skill. If I can do that, even a plain flaming sword like this will probably become a hot topic among the weapon collectors.
Taking this sword home probably is not a bad idea.
The problem is… How much it costs…
It’s obviously not a cheap sword at all.
「It’s quite a nice sword. How much does it cost?」(Kako)
「This one costs 800 gold coins.」(clerk)
「E… EIGHT HUNDRED!?!?」(Kako)
「Kako ojou-sama.」(Thea)
The price shocked me. I couldn’t help but shout, but Thea, who was standing behind me, glanced at me with squinted eyes.
I think she’s telling me to keep behaving like a noble lady.
That’s right. I’m a noble lady now. I have to keep being in my ‘lady mode’ in front of other people.
「A, Ahem! Excuse me… That’s surprisingly expensive…」(Kako)
But… What is that price!? He said it’s a common ancient magic weapon, right? It’s not a rare one.
I thought it would cost two or three hundred, but… eight hundred!? It’s almost the same price as a Lost Potion!
「Pardon me, my lady, but a common ancient magic weapon normally costs about that much. Of course, the rare ones are much more expensive.」(clerk)
He was saying that the price was fair. He didn’t seem to be joking at all.
「I see… I’ve been wondering. What is so special about ancient magic weapons? What’s the difference between ancient magic weapons and normal magic weapons?」(Kako)
Judging from what people call those weapons, I think they’re like weapons made with ancient technology or weapons found in ancient ruins or something.
「Before answering your question, my lady, do you know how magic weapons are made?」(clerk)
「Yes. I heard that you need an alchemist who can use enhancement magic to infuse magic into a weapon made of ores with a high affinity for magic like mithril.」(Kako)
「You are quite knowledgeable, my lady. That’s right. You can make a magic weapon if you ask an alchemist. Not just weapons, you can also make any magic items if you ask them. However, compared to modern magic weapons, ancient magic weapons are far more powerful. The reason is that modern alchemists are far inferior to the alchemists from thousands of years ago. Their skills, their magic, the technology, and the techniques they use are much poorer than the alchemists who lived in ancient times. 」(clerk)
「I see. It’s from thousands of years ago. So, how do you get these ancient items then?」(Kako)
「They’re mostly found in ancient ruins, dungeons, graveyards, or some excavation sites.」(clerk)
Just as I thought.
That means it’s impossible to make an ancient magic weapon in this era.
「So that’s why they’re extremely expensive.」(Kako)
「Exactly. Not just because they’re more powerful than modern magic weapons, but because they also have historical value.」(clerk)
「Then, how about modern magic weapons? How much do they cost?」(Kako)
「Of course, they’re much cheaper than the ancient ones. However, because they’re made of precious ores such as mithril, they cost at least 100 gold coins.」(clerk)
It’s indeed much cheaper, but still, a hundred gold coins is not a small amount of money.
「Hmm… You said they were expensive because they were made of mithril, but… Mithril weapons don’t cost that much, right?」(Kako)
「Oh? My lady, do you know the market price for mithril weapons?」(clerk)
「I once bought some mithril daggers in Tranto Town. I bought them for ten gold coins each.」(Kako)
「I see. The price of mithril weapons varies depending on how much mithril content they have. Because mithril is precious, most of the time people mix it with other ore to make mithril weapons. The higher the mithril content a weapon has, the higher the price is, but, they normally cost five to ten gold coins each.」(clerk)
「So, what makes modern magic weapons so expensive? It costs ten times the price of mithril weapons.」(Kako)
「Of course, mithril is not the only reason. The biggest reason is that hiring an alchemist to infuse magic into a mithril weapon costs a lot of money. There are not many alchemists who can use enhancement magic. Only a few of them exist in this country.」(clerk)
「I see. Is it because there are not many alchemists who are talented enough to perform that enhancement magic?」(Kako)
「Yes, but that’s not the only reason. The research and development of enhancement magic and magic items cost a huge amount of money. It’s totally not for ordinary alchemists who don’t have much money and outstanding skills. That’s the reason why most alchemists focus more on developing potions and medicines rather than magic items.」(clerk)
「So there are hardly any people who research magic items?」(Kako)
「That’s right. Only a few alchemists with tons of money to burn and those who are employed by the country. Sometimes, the government supports talented people, alchemists included. They can do the research thanks to the huge budget and materials they got from the government.」(clerk)
「I see.」(Kako)
I was thinking of buying a lot of cheap modern magic weapons from apprentice alchemists and combining them into a special weapon just like I did in the blacksmith village, but from what I heard from the clerk, it seems impossible.
Given the required talent and budget you need, I doubt there are any apprentice alchemists who can perform enhancement magic and make magic weapons, nor professional alchemists who want to sell their magic weapons cheaply to me.
Ugh… This is bad… Am I stuck…?
I folded my arms and started thinking of another plan.
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… I mean she can just keep combine, then call it ancient weapon that stay fresh or something like that