Inheritor Of Magic: The Magi King

The merchant knew that Wolfe would have some sort of valuable items with him if he were here for the auction, which suited her perfectly, as the Sect had no use for massive amounts of coin, which they were going to both gain and spend at the auction anyhow.

"The two ladies bags are worth a Rank Five Artifact, while the plain coat bag is worth a Rank Four artifact." She informed him simply.

Wolfe considered that for a moment. "I will give you a Rank Five Garden Charm, and a Rank Six Lightning Barrier Array for all three. Are you familiar with the two artifacts?"

"I know the Lightning Barrier Array. But I have never heard of one of that power. The Garden Charm, I have never heard of." She replied.

"Garden charms are truly wonderful. With the application of mana, you can make plants grow from seed to fruit in a single day, no need for natural sunlight, or even water. That is hard on the soil, but at a more moderate rate, over a large field, you can double or triple your production with ease."

The merchant seemed hesitant, but Wolfe smiled as he continued. "Of course, that is also effective for the growth rate of magical resources."

*Thump*

The merchant simply passed out in shock, landing in Stephanie's arms on the coffee table as the witch leapt forward to catch her.

Wolfe took that opportunity to make a Lightning Barrier Array on a hastily created silver sphere, engraving the inside of the sphere with the inscription, so that anyone who tried to learn it would simply destroy the array in the process unless they had superb mana sense.

Cassie passed him a Garden Charm from her pocket, and Stephanie set the merchant back in the chair before preparing a fresh cup of tea for her, while the maids panicked in the corner.

The merchant slowly came around, and gave Stephanie a soft smile as she sipped the tea and recovered her composure.

"That sounds too good to be true. Is there a way that you can prove its value?" She asked.

Wolfe nodded. "Maid, will you bring that plant to the central table, please? If I am right, that is a Rank One magical plant, and newly sprouted."

The maids bowed, and one of them brought over the plant from the windowsill. It was there as a show of wealth by the hotel, though the plant itself wasn't hugely valuable, and was mostly used as a topical ointment for minor burns and abrasions.

Wolfe set the charm next to the plant, and then gestured for the maid to put mana into it.

"The hotel staff wouldn't cheat you, so they will perform the test for us." He explained.

The maid looked shocked that Wolfe knew she could use magic, and even the merchant seemed shocked. But she sent a trickle of mana to the charm, which made the runes light up in soft green light.

The plant began to visibly grow, and after a few minutes it had begun to bud, in preparation to flower.

"What do you think? Is it a valuable enough item to forego the third charm when combined with the Lightning Barrier Array?"

Wolfe set the barrier sphere on the table and activated it, enclosing the seating area around them with a faint barrier.

"Do we have anything that can test the barrier? If the merchant isn't familiar with a Rank Six barrier, we should test it as well." Wolfe suggested.

The merchant grimaced, and then took out a small golden item.

"It's a Rank Five mana nullification stick. I trust that you won't mention that I have this, as they are somewhat regulated in this nation." The merchant whispered, then activated the item.

The barrier remained, but the garden charm faded back to its inert state. There were still some flickers of green light on the Garden Charm, but not enough to say that it was truly active anymore.

She quickly cancelled the effect, and then frowned when she looked at Wolfe.

"That clothing, it is a spell, isn't it? Above Rank Five." She commented slowly.

"Indeed. It is an armour spell, in my preferred fashion." Wolfe agreed.

"And it survived the mana nullification. Just how powerful are you?" She replied.

"Strong enough."

That was all that Wolfe needed to say, and the merchant nodded. "My boss will accept that deal. Thank you for doing business with us today."

Wolfe deactivated the barrier and passed it to her, along with the Garden Charm.

The maid put the plant back on the windowsill with a reverent look, and the merchant shook everyone's hand before storing the items in her own storage bag and rushing from the room to show her boss what she had earned.

"You really know how to be subtle in a new place, don't you?" Cassie asked sarcastically.

"You know me, I'm always subtle." Wolfe replied proudly.

"Like a slap across the face." Stephanie agreed.

Ella motioned for the maids to leave the room, and the group was left in silence in the suite.

"What were you hoping to get at the Auction house?" Stephanie asked as soon as they were alone again.

"Information. I will invite one of the merchants to the balcony with us. I find that people get much more relaxed around friends and after a few drinks. So, we will get to know some people and find out more about the area.

I will need all of you to stifle your aura so that it's not too obvious, except Molly. It's fine if they realize you're a first, or possibly second rank mage. Your power is growing pretty steadily.

I don't recall you being that powerful when we left, but now, I would say that it wouldn't be a stretch to say that you were at Rank Two." Wolfe noted.

Cassie nodded. "You have changed as well. I can feel the aura of that place on you, like you absorbed it. I still sense seven Mana Cores, so you're still at Rank Seven, but there is something wrong with all your cores, the mana is wrong."

Wolfe sighed. "I know. I will see what I can do about it, but I think that the reward of that place was to change and upgrade my mana system. The power of the Lowest Planes is incredibly potent, in a way that compressed mana from home could never hope to be."