Chapter 23 - Cultivation Skills (1/2)
”Before we negotiate to price for the Affinity orbs, the main item I'm looking for is a Mana Regeneration Technique; aside from that, I'm in the market for Grade 0 short swords and shields,” Cynrik had done his research on weapons. Vinestra's weapons were on a Grade scale; each Grade corresponded with a person's level. Grade 0 was meant for use by anyone between levels 1-10, and the higher someone's level, the higher the Grade of weapon they could use. Weapons further broke down into rarities, the lowest being basic, the highest being Unique Advanced, but like the classification of Elemental Affinities.
Listening carefully to what Cynrik was requesting, the man immediately set about collecting anything that met the customer's criteria. Although the weapons and techniques being listed weren't high leveled, many of them were in high demand and, as a result, quite tricky to come by, of which the rarest thing in the shopping list was a Mana Regeneration Technique.
These techniques came in many different varieties. From those that sped up Mana regeneration or collection to ones that allowed the person to increase their Mana capacity, based on the job of the skill, the price range for these techniques could end up being astronomical.
Upon gathering up several options for the customer, the shopkeeper reached into his inventory and pulled out five skill booklets. Unfortunately, each was several decades old and appeared as if they would fall apart when they were opened.
Gently the man placed these five booklets on the counter neatly. ”These five books are the only options I have on my person that can aid in Mana Regeneration. Each of these booklets is from a particular skill classification called Cultivation and is both taxing and extremely difficult to master.”
Hearing the green-haired shaggy man say the word Cultivation forced Cynrik to smile internally, as his ears perked up to listen intently.
”Cultivation is an ancient method of strength training that would train not only a person's body but also their mind and soul. These techniques were created long before modern-day technology and scientific research discovered the formation of the Mana Codex and the existence of Mana. In ancient times, Mana was called Qi, and the Codex was called a Dantain, the main difference being in the strength of current Mana and the abilities presented by the Codex. Both are currently thousands of times more powerful than in ancient times.”
”While these methods may seem archaic and outdated, they work just as well now as they did back then. The only difference is that modern techniques weigh heavier on the significance of the systems Status and Stats panels, whereas cultivation techniques only had one effective use.”
The man continued explaining while Cynrik stepped forward and examined each book individually with Inspect.
”These techniques will automatically be converted by your system to be used with a Codex; however, they will be slightly less effective than what is in these booklets.” He continued explaining further, trying to entice the already responsive Cynrik into buying one of the booklets.
Little did the shopkeeper know, Cynrik had already decided on 2 of the books, one for himself and one for Brance. ”I see; let's put this conversation on hold temporarily and discuss the Orbs again.” Taking hold of the direction of the conversation, Cynrik diverted the attention away from the Cultivation Techniques back to the Affinity orbs.
”Yes, of course. If we break them down by classification, then; Fire, Earth, and Water are considered Basic Grade Elements, while the Sound Element is categorized as Special Basic Grade. As such, if we categorize their rarity and usability, my going rate would be the following….” The man stopped speaking momentarily to do some quick math.
”For the Fire orbs, The best I can do is 35 SP and 50k Credits; Earth, I'm willing to do 27 SP and 35k Credits. Due to the water element's viability with both healing and shielding, I'm willing to go as high as 50Sp and 75k Credits. Lastly, the SBG Sound Elemental Affinity Orbs are extremely rare but unfortunately not widely sought after. While their application in combat can range from scouting to offensive, they are known to be extremely difficult to learn, lest we mention the low success rate on assimilation. Nonetheless, I'm willing to offer the same price as I am for the Water orbs. If you are trying to sell them as a lot, I can round up the totals slightly, bring the total to 300 SP and 420k Credits.” The shopkeeper said matter of factly.
Hearing these numbers, Cynriks left eye began to twitch slightly. In just credits alone, if he sold these orbs, he would be making multiple times more than his parent's yearly income, that's not even factoring in the Skill points, which currently he didn't have much of a use for except for buying skill books or weapons.
Calming himself down and keeping a straight face, he looked directly into the Green hair man's eyes and calmly made his counter offer. ”The SP amount is acceptable, but I want 550k Credits.”