A New World, An Immersive Game Experience

But, of course, the true importance of magic grade items isn't their raw stats, but their abilities. And so Eldrian continued to read through the information mana sense returned. Luckily, unlike times before, nothing was hidden from his eyes. Probably because the item wasn't a higher Tier than him.

[Passive abilities:]

[Attunement: Through binding the circlet to your soul, greatly enhance your agility and mental strength.]

[10% increase in agility (base stats only)]

[5% increase in spirit (base stats only)]

'Oh wow, I didn't know the attribute bonus can be specialized.' This made Eldrian even more eager as he continued to look at the other abilities of the circlet. Though he would have to think carefully about which items he would bind with.

[Flow of Exousia: Harmonized craftmanship between the circlet and Aventurine gem has allowed its true power to flow.]

[Mana regen: 5MP/5s]

'Standard,' Eldrian commented internally. The mana regen wasn't shocking, though it was most welcome and what he was actually looking for in his shopping. Especially if he was going to save Adriana. He would need all the mana he could get.

[Active abilities:]

[Soar: By gathering the power of winds, form invisible wings and take flight.]

[Cost (activation): 1000MP]

[Duration: 60 seconds]

'Huh, say what?!' Knowing how hard mastering flight magic was, Eldrian was shocked speechless by this ability. Though, as he looked at the mana requirement, he nodded in understanding.

A Tier 5 mage would only have 800 mana available to them. Ilmadia only had around 1200 mana thanks to her excellent gear. Yet the activation of Soar required a thousand.

Naturally, this made the item ineffective for the average mage. And for those at Tier 6 or 7, who had more mana to spare, learning the spell was more effective because of the short duration of the ability.

But, to Eldrian, a thousand mana was but a third of his physically flowing mana and a twentieth of the usable mana he had stored inside his soul. It was a drop in the bucket and a minute of flight could change many things.

Sadly, the ability was too great for a Tier 5 item. Unlike others, it only had the one active. But Eldrian was sold nonetheless.

"What's the price?" Eldrian asked, finding an opening between the lady's ravings of the circlets design. Nearly all of which had flown past his head, though Two had taken some interest.

"Merely five hundred gold." The lady said, and the price had Eldrian wince.

That was the price of an average Tier 6 item, not a Tier 5. Hearing this, he realized another reason the circlet hadn't sold. Asking anything over 300 gold for a Tier 5 item would make it near impossible to sell. After all, lower grade Tier 6 items could be bought for anything around 400 gold.

"Is that a joke? I can get something a Tier above at that price."

"Indeed. If that is your decision, I won't try to change your mind." She replied with a smile. Her feline eyes filled with resolve. She had seen right through Eldrian and his eagerness for the circlet. She clearly wasn't willing to negotiate the price.

'Should I? I can afford it, but I need so many items. I need to get some proper greaves and bracers to block attacks. They need to be at least Tier 5 to be worth a damn, and preferably Tier 6 so they don't get destroyed after one block...

'I also want a cloak, and preferably a sturdy breastplate. And let's not forget about shoes... Plus, I need some daggers or short swords for close combat in confined spaces.'

Eldrian wavered. He hadn't spent much time window shopping with Mattheus. But there were only three shops that had been able to nod with confidence that they could meet his requirements. And this one was the only one which had an item already made. The others only promised they could meet his demands, given a week to a month.

Eldrian had been fine with that, but now waiting such a long time no longer seemed the correct choice. He had originally planned to scout the forsaken cavern in the interim, but if he was to save someone, then time was of the essence.

He could always abandon them. But Eldrian was curious, too curious to let it go. He needed to find out what kind of person Adriana was and what she did that had allowed Skepsi to notice her presence. He wanted, if possible, to get her as his ally.

However, it was entirely possible that she wasn't anything as grand as Eldrian had imagined. He knew it was completely possible that she wasn't a candidate. That Skepsi was just messing with him. But Eldrian wanted to know. Sadly, he was certain Skepsi wouldn't tell him more.

'Why not ask Ziraili?' Two asked, and Eldrian shook his head in denial. The world was fast, too fast. If this was a player they were talking about, he would have done that. But to find a random person in a world of trillions with a name only, not even a last name.

'But we know where she is.' Two countered, and this was true.

'I'm afraid of what Skepsi might do if she catches Ziraili looking for someone. We don't know how the AI function, nor their limits. And I don't want to pit them against each other. As far as we know, the two are friends. I don't want to figure out which Ziraili will side with if things come to a head.'

Saying such, Eldrian realized he didn't have much of an option. But he was still going to negotiate. If the price wasn't negotiable, perhaps something else was.

"Five hundred gold is steep, really steep. If I'm going to think about it, I need something to sweeten the pot." He said, trying to put on his best salesmen smile.

"Throwing something in for free is the same as lowering the price. I can't do that." The shopkeeper countered, shaking her head in a sad show of giving up.

"It doesn't need to be free. But I need something that will work well with the circlet. Do you have anything like that? I'm also looking for something to hide myself from Observe and my items from Inspection."

This shop was peculiar in that all the items here had an affinity for wind or nature magic. Which was just perfect for Eldrian as such items were more often than not supportive in design.

"As long as you won't argue the price, I'm sure we can reach an agreement." Smiling, she led Eldrian around while briefly explaining what each item does. From rings capable of storing spells, to cloaks capable of invisibility. A feeble invisibility, sure, but it still distorted what others saw of you. A trick that could make them misjudge your attack and fail to block or dodge.

After a while of looking around and asking the price first—so as to not get hooked by something too expensive—Eldrian settled on a cloak and ring.

The cloak, in particular, harmonized well with the circlet. They had been designed as a set, but sadly, due to the craftsman's lack of ability, ended up as separate items without a set bonus.

"However, if you use soar while having the cloak equipped, it will increase the speed at which you can fly." The shopkeep said, trying to sell the cloak to Eldrian.

The cloak didn't look like much on the outside, a normal traveller's cloak made of fur. But on the inner linings lines upon lines of engravings formed a beautiful, almost hypnotizing pattern.