Chapter 446: Chapter 461: Market District Chapter 446: Chapter 461: Market District The market area wasn’t far from Hagrid Manor, but the two first had to cross a gloomy path. On both sides of the path were manors similar to Hagrid Manor, the stone walls covered with withered vines, and in the corners, rats with glowing red eyes scurried past. Even though it was daytime, the thick fog in the air almost completely blocked out the sunlight.

Little Isha didn’t seem uncomfortable at all with this atmosphere, the reason being simple: all of this was the nesting effect created by their vampire neighbors, and being a vampire herself, she naturally found nothing amiss. In fact, the girl occasionally greeted the black cats or bats that passed by, asking them to convey her regards to their masters.

Upon leaving that alley, their first stop was the mercenary area. Naturally, the centerpiece of this region was the grand Mercenary Hall, surrounded by pubs, inns, gambling dens, and other places serving the mercenaries. There was a smaller market inside the Mercenary Hall itself, selling mainly consumables for adventuring. Lancelot, however, was looking for materials to create Arrays and needed to go to a more inclusive market area.

But as they passed a pub named ‘Deadly Lover’, Lancelot halted for he sensed a familiar presence.

“What’s wrong, brother?” Little Isha curiously looked at the tightly shut doors of the pub, “It seems like this shop isn’t open yet.”

Before Little Isha could finish speaking, the door was abruptly pushed open. The Elf Priest Alamir came out, mumbling complaints under his breath.

“Good morning, Alamir.” Lancelot waved at him, “Ran into some trouble?”

“Lancelot? Little Isha?” The elf looked surprised, “What brings you here?”

“Just passing by. I’m planning to head to the market area to pick up some items, and probably make a trip to the Blacksmith area to place some custom orders with Barrend.”

“I need to return to the manor to complete my daily prayers to the Goddess.” Alamir glanced sadly at the pub behind him as he walked down the steps, “Ah, I thought I had found love, but it turned out she was only after my wallet…”
“You’ve been here all night?” Lancelot raised an eyebrow, “You know, worse things could have happened, but having only your wallet taken means she might still care about you a bit.”

“You make sense, I really shouldn’t complain. But, achieving my wish seems to require a bit more effort,” Alamir shrugged helplessly, “By the way, does Tijana like the garden we made?”

“She loves it, and so does Little Isha. However, you might notice some changes in the garden soon…” Lancelot switched to a whispering technique to speak to the elf, “Tijana has cast an Illusion disguise, don’t worry, everything will return to normal once you enter the garden.”

“Understood,” the elf nodded. “Then goodbye, I’ll be waiting for you at home.”

After bidding farewell to the elf, the two continued towards the market district. As time passed, hungover mercenaries trickled out from the roadside taverns, gradually reviving the somewhat deserted street. However, once they entered the market area, the atmosphere contrastively rivaled that of the just-awoken mercenaries zone: the ambiance here was fervent, filled with merchants, nobles, adventurers, and their bodyguards from various planes of the multiverse, all haggling over prized specialties from other worlds, with the clinking of coins, jewels, and gold resounding continuously.

Lancelot, holding little Esha’s hand, discreetly navigated through various shops and stalls, occasionally pulling out a bag of gold coins or dropping a few gemstones in exchange for peculiar trinkets like coal that bursts into intense flames with just a few sparks, rocks claimed to be from the earthly elemental plane, or a vial of icy blue liquid that constantly emitted cold air.

These materials were not cheap; they were typically purchased by arcanists as research and spell-casting materials. However, to Lancelot’s spirit perception, they also contained rich Power of the Five Elements, suitable for use as props in setting up formations.

A magic formation is essentially still magic, constructed from arcane symbols, conductive lines, spell catalysts, and other elements to resonate with the Magic Net, relying on the power of the Magic Net to take effect.

The formation system under the Spiritual Cultivation System, however, follows a different path. The energy source is usually the natural power contained in spirit stones, or it may involve setting up a Spirit Gathering Array that automatically draws spiritual energy from the environment to drive the operation of the formation.

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Various formation effects such as trapping enemies, alerting, sacrificial refining, and concealment rely upon the Power of the Five Elements contained in the materials used for the formation. Thus, a stone, a pool of water, or a piece of forest can all be used as materials for constructing a formation. A true formation master can even set up formations so stealthily, like an antelope’s horns, without trace, making them indecipherable to others.

However, that realm was still far off for Lancelot; he could only start learning from the very basics of formation techniques. But he did have a bit of an advantage: one can practice this path of formation after successfully sensing the energy, and he had already reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, which allowed a more precise sensitivity to the Power of the Five Elements, making his learning likely a bit easier.

While choosing materials for formations, the two also saw some impressive magical equipment. Although very pricey, for adventurers, the value of these items that could increase their chances of survival was hard to quantify in money. However, Lancelot and Esha didn’t spend anything; they had a simple reason–without Kalalin, they dared not casually purchase these magically effective items, as a bad curse attached to them would invite trouble, and these items often couldn’t be easily removed once equipped.

Lancelot’s spirit perception was quite sensitive to direct threats, like poison-laden wine or hidden enemies, but less so to effects like incessant hiccupping, uncontrollable singing during battle, or becoming exceptionally attractive to flies; these had to be verified through an Identification Spell to ensure no unexpected magical effects.

Just as he wished Kalalin were here, the scholar’s figure appeared in Lancelot’s sight. This knowledgeable companion was sitting at a tea shop on a street corner, sharing a table with two individuals dressed in black robes and hoods, as though eager to show their affiliation with an organization named ‘black.’
The scholar looked quite relaxed, indicating he was not being held captive. Lancelot took Esha’s hand and walked towards the table where Kalalin was seated.