Chapter 85: I Want to Marry Nicholas Zhao Si

Andy was astonished to discover that this mysterious stone was actually the most valuable item in his possession. Simply querying its information required over a million magic stones—how could he bear to let Catherine toy with it in his spatial pouch any longer? He quickly found a red cord, tied the stone securely, and hung it around his neck, keeping it close to his chest with the utmost care.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the instant the stone touched his skin, Andy thought he felt it give a faint pulse.

No matter how much he valued this mysterious stone, he had to proceed with caution. After all, there was no way he could produce a million magic stones anytime soon. What Andy needed now was a way to earn magic stones to pay for the cost of using the magic mirror to search for information.

As for making money, Andy already had a preliminary plan: to sell manuals!

All he needed was to use the magic mirror to search for the detailed contents of some training manuals at a low cost, then sell them at a high price. The profit margin would allow Andy to make a significant sum. He came up with this idea partly because he realized the magic mirror had this unique advantage, and partly because he had relevant experience: in his previous life, Andy often used his spare time at university to set up a stall and sell various English proficiency guides, graduate school prep materials, and civil service exam reference books on campus.

With this idea in mind, Andy began to conduct some market research. He learned that, in this world, people had virtually no sense of sharing akin to the internet age. Most manuals and secret techniques concerning the inheritance of power were closely guarded and rarely circulated in the marketplace. However, some widely known and common manuals did appear from time to time, and even those could fetch a handsome price.

Andy’s plan was to sell these common, widely circulated manuals, occasionally mixing in a few relatively rare ones. He deliberately avoided selling only rare and precious manuals because those were mostly monopolized by powerful factions—if Andy were to offer them without cause, he could easily draw unwanted attention. It was just like the “Dominant Body” technique he possessed; ever since arriving in the capital, he had used it sparingly and with the utmost caution.

For safety’s sake, Andy decided that his main customers would not be the students of Grimoire Academy’s outer court, but rather the vast population of adventurers in the capital. The manuals he would sell would primarily focus on knightly cultivation, supplemented by basic wizard meditation methods and spell models.

Still unfamiliar with the capital, Andy sought out Oliver, who knew the city well, for advice. With Oliver’s help, he learned of several marketplaces where extraordinary items were traded—places frequented by large numbers of adventurers.

There were also two such locations within Grimoire Academy itself: one near the mixed court, and one in the plaza outside the inner court’s mission hall. But Andy decided to avoid these two markets for now.

Having scoped out the market, Andy began preparing the manuals. He first inquired about the names of some common manuals, then used the magic mirror to search for their specific contents. These common manuals truly lived up to their name—the search costs were negligible, and even with the scant amount of magic stones he had left, Andy managed to obtain the details for five or six manuals.

He then carefully transcribed the contents onto fine parchment scrolls, packaging each one in an exquisite box. Andy was confident that, after such treatment, each manual could sell for over a hundred magic stones—ten times their cost—without issue.

Although borrowing such manuals from the “Victoria’s Dream Library” didn’t cost nearly as much, the library was only open to students who paid tuition each year; adventurers outside the academy had no access. Thus, manuals in circulation among the general populace were always more expensive than those borrowed from the library.

Andy labeled the capital’s extraordinary item marketplaces A through F. He decided to hit a different market each day, taking Sunday off. The next day, Wednesday, he arrived at market C. This market was far more chaotic and disorderly than the academy’s markets. Cries of vendors and haggling filled the air.

But Andy had already consulted Oliver and knew that, while chaotic, the market wasn’t entirely unregulated. After some searching, he found a decent little building in a corner of the market. Upon entering, he found it even noisier inside than out.

He found the bartender, exchanged a few words, and handed him two magic stones. The bartender nodded and tossed Andy a small wooden plaque, which Andy took before leaving the tavern.

The two magic stones were a protection fee, paid to the adventurer group controlling this part of the market, and the wooden plaque was his permit to set up a stall there.

Of course, he could have chosen not to pay—the kingdom’s laws dictated that this was a free market, and anyone could set up a stall anywhere. But who could say what kind of trouble might follow if he refused to pay the fee?

Andy quickly found a good spot for his stall. Despite not having done such work for nearly a year, his hands were as nimble as ever. He carefully arranged the exquisite boxes on the stall and, drawing upon his strength as a Grand Knight, firmly planted a bamboo pole with a large banner reading “Manuals” into the ground. Then he sat down on a small folding stool he’d prepared.

Since it was his first day, Catherine had come along enthusiastically. But she soon grew bored and began yawning in Andy’s lap.

Though the street was bustling, few people approached Andy’s stall; most only glanced at it before hurrying away.

After observing for a while, Andy realized the problem: this market was very different from the campus stalls he’d run before, and different from the markets at Grimoire Academy. Here, most of the patrons were rough-and-tumble adventurers, who ran their businesses in a much more boisterous manner, each vendor shouting louder than the last. Andy’s quiet approach drew little attention.

He tried calling out a couple of times—at first, he felt quite embarrassed. Clearing his throat, he shouted, “Manuals! Manuals!…”

Suddenly, he heard a voice not far away: “Manuals! Family heirloom manuals! Advance to knight level without bottlenecks! Special price—one hundred and twenty magic stones!”

When that man finished shouting, Andy resumed, “Secret techniques! Secret techniques!”

Almost immediately, another voice rang out: “Super technique used by Silver Knight ‘Fayan’s Light’! With this, you can challenge those above your rank! One hundred and fifty magic stones, guaranteed instruction included!”

After a few more attempts, Andy’s embarrassment became overwhelming. He felt as if he were disgracing the honor of a transmigrator. Catherine, seeing this, was so amused she forgot her drowsiness and rolled about gleefully on Andy’s lap.

Thus, the entire day nearly slipped away, and Andy didn’t sell a single manual.

Suddenly, Andy remembered something and asked Catherine, “Do you still have the alchemical recording box you got from Bill in Dallas?”

“Meow!” Catherine didn’t know what Andy wanted it for, but she obediently fished out an exquisite little box from her spatial pouch. Andy knew it was essentially a recorder powered by magic stones.

Catherine tapped the play button with her paw, and suddenly, Andy’s own voice blared from the box:

“I want to marry Nicholas Zhao Si!” “I want to marry Nicholas Zhao Si!”…

The bizarre chant played on a loop, finally attracting the attention of many passersby. But they all gave Andy strange looks before quickly distancing themselves, and even the two neighboring stalls packed up and moved away.

Andy shuddered. Only then did he recall the origin of the recording: back in Dallas, they had seen an astral ship, and since the kid seemed to know quite a bit, Andy had tried to coax information out of him. He’d persuaded Bill to play truth-or-dare, gleaning a lot of intel. But there were costs—like the time Andy lost a round and, choosing “dare,” was recorded making that embarrassing declaration.

Andy quickly turned off the recording, scooped up Catherine, and hurried away.