There is strength in numbers, and there is pay to be earned.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, in less than two hours the guild's collection of books stored deep in the warehouse had seen the light again. They were gradually moved out and temporarily stacked in the hall.
Noah looked at the piles and roughly counted about 300 volumes.
According to Makarov, most of these books were compiled by the previous president himself.
This is a big project.
Picking up a book called Introduction to Magic, Noah quickly immersed himself.
There are many kinds of magic in this world:
- "Elements" that gather a single magical attribute;
- "Forming" magic that gives shape to mana;
- "Receiving," which uses the power of the dead;
- The mysterious "space" magic;
- Various "lost magics" passed down through the ages but fading away...
There are too many types. Based on how magic is activated, it can be roughly classified into two systems: "ability" and "possession."
Ability‑based magic can be cast anytime and anywhere as long as the caster mobilizes their mana. The power of ability magic is directly linked to the quality and quantity of the caster's own mana. With enough power, even an ordinary fireball can cause tremendous damage.
Possession‑based magic requires corresponding magic items. No matter how strong the caster's mana, their strength is limited by the carrying capacity of the item. Because they depend on both mana and items, possession magicians are generally weaker than ability magicians. If the item is lost, a possession magician's combat ability drops sharply — unless they've also practiced physical combat as a backup.
Despite this drawback, possession magic can be powerful. Celestial Spirit magic is the pinnacle of the possession system: using Celestial Spirit Keys you summon spirits from the Celestial Spirit World. The Golden Zodiac spirits are said to be comparable to S‑class wizards, but golden keys are extremely rare and collecting all twelve is nearly impossible. Silver spirits vary in strength — some can contest a golden spirit for a long time, others are mainly for companionship.
Besides specialized items like spirit keys, there are many general magic items. Universal items only require mana to activate. Most are weak, but some are powerful enough to destroy cities — even "war magic" that can devastate a nation. Noah did not expect to destroy a country, though his Dragoon weapon could theoretically cause massive destruction.
What Noah needed now was a universal magic item for protection — preferably a bit stronger.
Spotting an uncle carrying a bucket to change the water, Noah asked, "Senior Makao, do you know where I can buy decent magic items? My magic isn't suited for combat."
Makao scratched his head. A fire magician who used "Purple Flame," he knew a little about items but not where to find strong combat gear. Most market items are for daily use; combat items are rare and usually weak.
"Kana, come here."
Not wanting to embarrass himself, Makao called someone who could answer. "Noah, Kana is a card mage and the one with the best alcohol tolerance among our permanent members."
Noah already knew Kana's reputation.
The girl emerged from the warehouse with a beer bottle in one hand and a rag in the other. Noah wondered how she could work at all in this state.
When Makao murmured something in her ear, Kana grabbed his collar in mock outrage. "Makao! How dare you mention magic items to me! It was you and Wakaba who pushed me into card magic! Do you know how much those lousy cards cost? Enough to buy me years of alcohol!"
Makao and Wakaba had suggested Kana learn card magic because she had a talent for divination and wanted to know when someone would return. Makao admitted he didn't know who that someone was or whether she was still waiting for them. Perhaps Kana drank to drown her sorrow.
Kana sat cross‑legged next to Noah, comfortable with his scrutiny.
"Noah, do you really need combat items?"
Noah nodded. From her tone, she seemed to know where to get decent gear.
Kana put down the bottle, looked at him seriously, then stretched out her hand. "Consulting fee first: 10,000."
"Are you awake, Miss Kana?" Noah was speechless. She hadn't said anything useful and was already asking for money.
"Ten thousand is too much. Eight thousand... no, five thousand will do." Kana haggled; the newcomer looked like easy prey.
Noah's mouth twitched. He had underestimated her acting skills.
Through teaming with Natsu on a commission, Noah had realized that non‑S‑class wizards didn't earn much. A possession mage like Kana who loved to drink might be financially worse off than Natsu.
"Deal," Noah said.
"Take me where I can buy combat gear. If I help you pick the right items, I'll take a 5% commission on each."
"Agreed."
Seeing how eager Kana was, Noah felt he had greatly underestimated her need for money. His old father's lesson rang true: human nature can be treacherous. If he'd known, he would have bargained harder — one percent, at least.