Chapter 32 : Observations at the Market

In the heart of the forest lay a vast open clearing, filled with houses and tents hastily erected to serve the needs of the bustling market.

Along the way, Li Wen saw a wide variety of people—some were ordinary, while others possessed extraordinary abilities.

Beyond just fairies and humans, there were also other intelligent races commonly seen on the central continent, such as white elves and dwarves.

To her surprise, she even spotted a few figures who looked suspiciously like players, though how they had managed to sneak in remained a mystery.

Most of them were buyers, though quite a few had set up their own stalls, selling all sorts of oddities and rare goods.

The dazzling array of items made Li Wen feel slightly overwhelmed.

She stopped at one particular stall, run by a gaunt-looking dwarf.

Despite their name, dwarves weren’t necessarily short.

In truth, they were often taller than humans.

However, due to their habit of dwelling in caves and underground shadows, they were hunched in stature and hidden from the sun.

Combined with their rather grotesque appearances, they had earned the derogatory label of “dwarves.”

“Looking for anything in particular?”

The dwarf vendor gestured with his fingers.

Although his Terra tongue was surprisingly fluent, he eyed Li Wen with visible caution.

“I’m just browsing,” Li Wen replied.

The dwarf’s stall consisted of a single grey cloth, about a meter square, stained with unidentifiable blotches.

What caught Li Wen’s attention—and made her pause—was a half-full bottle of deep blue potion.

It sat in a narrow, square-mouthed bottle, dirty and unremarkable like the rest of the wares on display.

“Lower Ghost Solution? Did you make this potion yourself?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t know… I can craft some weapons and enchant armor, but I’m clueless when it comes to potions,” the dwarf admitted honestly.

“These are spoils I scavenged from some dungeon.”

Li Wen sighed in disappointment.

Alchemists capable of brewing Lower Ghost Solution could usually also craft Shadowbane Elixirs, since the processes were nearly identical—only the materials differed.

And the Shadowbane Elixir was the final piece Li Wen needed to acquire the End Codex.

It could enhance her Shadow Reverse trait, allowing her to truly vanish into the shadows—an ability she would need to sneak past the Amber Maidens without alerting them.

“Do you know anyone who can make potions like this?” she asked.

The dwarf shook his head repeatedly.

Still, he didn’t seem annoyed by her endless questions despite her reluctance to buy anything.

“Maybe Old Lady Marsha could, but I’m not sure.”

“Old Lady Marsha?”

That name had come up before—from the short fairy earlier.

“She’s the mistress of all the fairies here. A ghostly one…”

The dwarf mumbled the last part under his breath, as if afraid someone might hear.

So this Old Lady Marsha wasn’t exactly a benevolent figure.

Li Wen filed the information away, intrigued.

“How can I find her?”

“She lives in the treehouse and rarely leaves.”

Having gotten her answer, Li Wen turned to leave.

The dwarf’s wares held nothing of value to her.

The vendor watched her retreating figure but ultimately chose not to warn her against seeking trouble.

Not all the stalls were focused on selling goods.

Li Wen spotted one run by a wild mage, who was performing free magical tricks for those who didn’t know any better.

He conjured water from empty containers and planted seeds in the ground, from which frogs would soon sprout instead of plants.

Li Wen had little interest in such simple tricks that didn’t even qualify as real magic.

But she quickly noticed something off—while the wild mage entertained the crowd, someone else was casting an unknown spell to pickpocket the onlookers.

So that was why the show was free—this was a two-person con.

Li Wen felt no moral outrage.

After all, when it came to stealing, she was no better than the rest…

But just because she turned a blind eye didn’t mean everyone else would.

“Hold it right there!”

She had just turned her head when a shout rose from within the crowd.

It wasn’t directed at her, but the voice gave her pause—it sounded oddly familiar.

The wild mage had just finished a trick involving the movement of objects without any physical contact.

At the sudden shout, he nearly had a heart attack.

He looked up as calmly as he could and was met with the stern expression of a young man.

For a moment, the mage thought his dirty little secret had been exposed.

He didn’t flee right away because the newcomer towered over him and wore gleaming armor that marked him as a knight of the Church.

Damn it!

Didn’t he know this was fairy territory?

Stirring up trouble here could get him skinned and boiled alive by the ghost fairies!

The wild mage forced himself to stay calm.

After all, their con was seamless.

And even if they were exposed, he could always offer a cut—say thirty percent—and shut the guy up with gold.

He flashed a subtle signal to his partner in the crowd.

But the armored man either didn’t see it or didn’t understand.

Instead, he spoke earnestly.

“There’s something wrong with your magic.”

Sweat instantly began to drip from the mage’s forehead.

“What are you talking about? My magic’s perfectly fine!” he snapped.

The knightly figure didn’t seem to notice the magician’s fear.

He went on, “The spell ‘Shift Touch’ consists of three sets of incantations and two gesture sequences.”

“A clever apprentice might abbreviate it down to two chants and one gesture.”

“But yours… both the chant and gestures had an extra set. Which means…”

The magician’s face grew darker with every word.

His trick had been correct—he was sure of it.

But… the stranger was also right.

The extra chant and gesture weren’t part of the original casting—they came from his accomplice.

Adding one extra chant and one extra gesture altered the spell’s entire nature.

The harmless “Shift Touch” became the stealthy, silent “Phantom Touch.”

He and his partner had been rather proud of that clever trick—applying such innovation to thievery was, in their eyes, a stroke of genius.

But being seen through so easily?

That had never been part of the plan.

Come on—mages skilled enough to dissect spell mechanics like this usually spent their days in magic guilds, poring over high-tier sorcery.

Who the hell just wandered into a fairy market like this?

Even though he’d been found out, the wild mage wasn’t ready to give in.

“You’re spouting nonsense. Everyone here saw me cast the spell. There weren’t any extra moves!”

The onlookers all exchanged glances and murmured in agreement.

They couldn’t understand the spell’s theory, but they had heard the mage speak some chants—it seemed fine to them.

Seeing the crowd’s reaction, the armored young man sighed.

“In that case… let me give you a free magic demonstration of my own.”