Magician in Type-Moon

Page 251

"What exactly do you want to do with all this junk?"

Matouchi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked over, squatted down, reached out and parted a rope, then lifted the lid.

They are indeed all junk, but even junk has a history of over a thousand years.

This is enough.

Moreover, there were a few interesting items mixed in with it.

To Matou Ike's surprise, the man behind her wasn't faking it; it seemed he genuinely considered these things as a garbage dump.

It is estimated that even these wooden boxes and hemp ropes were prepared after the transaction was initiated at Matou Pond.

"The items are all very nice... As for why I bought these things... well... I personally like to collect historical artifacts."

"Oh, just a hobby?"

Barzan narrowed his eyes, glanced at Matou Ike, and then returned to his original state, casually looking away.

Matouchi, on the other hand, seemed to be looking around aimlessly.

After a few seconds, Matou Ike spoke again:

"Senior brother, there are other things too. I need more than just these things."

"Yes, in another place, you know. Some things need to be categorized and stored, otherwise it's easy to cause big trouble. Don't worry, you'll be satisfied with those materials. Even the Clock Tower doesn't sell much of this openly."

"Really? That's something to look forward to," Matou Ike said with a faint smile.

Barzan turned and led the way, the two of them passing through a narrow corridor at the back.

After passing through several winding corridors, the air changed from being filled with the smell of old dust to having a faint, sweet, fishy smell, and occasionally you could hear the rustling of tattered cloth in the distance.

Feeling the soil beneath her feet, which had gone from loose to slightly hardened, Matouchi paused for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Balzan's attention was focused on Matou Ike.

"It's nothing," Matou Ike replied casually, her gaze never leaving the ground.

The soil here shouldn't have this slight feeling of compaction—as if it had been eroded by magic and undergone some kind of compression.

"You noticed, didn't you? As expected of a reserve member of the Clock Tower, what do you think of my barrier skills?" Balzan paused slightly, a sly smile curving his lips. "Let's go, the slaughterhouse is just ahead."

"Slaughterhouse?" Matou Ike looked puzzled.

Barzan chuckled upon hearing this:

"Otherwise what? What you're asking for is materials full of magic, right? Aside from ores, aren't the most magical materials things like magical beasts and phantom beasts?"

"Mythical Beasts? Senior Brother, do you still have any of those?"

Matouchi was genuinely surprised this time; he hadn't expected to find such valuable items besides historical fragments.

"Of course, you won't see this kind of thing even if you go to the Clock Tower."

Barzan seemed to enjoy the surprise of his "junior," his tone revealing a hint of smugness.

"Doesn't the Clock Tower have any mythical beasts?"

"Hmph, of course they have them, it's just that we're not qualified to see them..."

Barzan's smile faded slightly, and although his tone was relaxed, a hint of self-deprecation was faintly visible: "Go and see, there are some good things."

Matou Ike stepped forward to follow, a scrutinizing glint in his eyes.

Led by Barzan, he entered the cold, dark cold storage room.

The walls were covered with rune marks, like some kind of rough and complex array of spells, as if every crack was quietly absorbing the remaining magic power.

"Where did you get all these things?" Matou Ike asked casually, but her tone held a hint of inquiry.

"Trade secrets."

"The 'good stuff' you mentioned certainly lived up to expectations."

Matouchi gently touched a piece of crystal-clear ice with her fingertips, feeling the faint magic flowing within it.

"It's clear that these materials have been processed quite well."

He glanced at Barzan with a hint of regret.

Is fishing with a straight hook a bit too obvious? Or does the other party really not have that intention? Or perhaps the identity chosen makes the other party somewhat hesitant?

Even after entering each other's magic workshops, both still have the option to make a move...

"Twelve million dollars, and you can take these materials with you," Balzan said.

"The price is a bit high."

Barzan frowned upon hearing this:

"The value of mythical beast species is inherently like this; I've already sold it cheaply."

"Senior brother, you misunderstand. It's not that I don't know what's good, it's just that my needs aren't about mystery, I just want materials with high magical power. Such high-quality materials are beyond my reach."

"That's what Matouchi replied."

In a normal transaction, he wouldn't have enough funds to acquire this batch of goods, and he also didn't expect to find such high-value goods here.

"Is that so? There are some bargains inside, but only if you don't mind." Balzan thoughtfully weighed the cigarette case in his hand. "Want to take a look?"

Matou Ike smiled slightly, as if he had already expected Balzan to say this: "Of course, senior brother, please lead the way."

Before long, they arrived at a place... well, it was more like a dungeon than a place where materials were stored.

Dirty, messy, and chaotic are the defining characteristics of this place.

"Senior, the material you're talking about isn't a magician, is it?" Matou Ike squinted, glancing around as he asked in a low voice.

What you see is a prison, damp and dark, with mottled walls and filthy debris scattered on the ground.

Several dim chandeliers swayed in mid-air, casting flickering light on the scene inside the cage.

In each cell, there were two people, a man and a woman, dressed in rags, with blank expressions; some were even barely breathing.

Barzan leaned lazily against the doorframe, watching Matou Ike's changing expression, a playful smile appearing on his face:

"After all, a magician's body is the cheapest and most readily available material, you probably won't mind, right?"

"Of course... I don't mind, it's just that the quality of the materials here is ridiculously poor right now, it doesn't quite meet the requirements."

Matou Ike tilted his head and looked at Balzan.

Barzan raised an eyebrow slightly, a meaningful smile playing at the corners of his lips:

"I knew I hadn't misjudged you, but you really are picky, junior."

“This stuff is definitely not top-notch material.” He tapped the doorframe with his finger, a muffled thud echoing in the damp air.

"But you have to understand that these kinds of materials are bound to have some flaws—the bodies of losers and unlucky people, their magic circuits may be inferior, but they're still better than nothing, right?"

Matou Ike didn't reply, but merely glanced casually at the numb eyes inside the cage, as if assessing their value.

It seemed that Matouchi wasn't going to pay.

“Hmm…” he drawled, as if deliberately considering his words, and then slowly said, “I didn’t say it’s completely impossible. In fact, there are some of good quality ones that I just got my hands on recently.”

Barzan's eyes flickered, then he put on a feigned expression of regret:

"But those were originally intended for my own use, but since they're yours, I wouldn't mind giving them to you."

He suddenly moved closer and lowered his voice: "But it is, after all, a 'top-quality item,' so we have to go through a different process."

Matou Ike smiled and tapped lightly on the cell door beside him with his fingers, producing a crisp sound:

"Superior grade? You mean those who are members of the Clock Tower like us?"

"You'll know when you go and see for yourself."

Chapter 306 The Screw (Two-in-One)

"Hmm... Senior brother, is this the top-quality goods you mentioned?" Matou Ike lazily glanced around, his hands in his pockets.

The cell was empty, not a soul in sight, only some messy footprints on the ground, as if people had hurriedly left.

Even more bizarrely, the footprints led to the broken iron gate, which should have been covered by a sealing barrier, but was now lying askew on the ground, with runes shimmering on it.

"How could this happen?" Balzan stood beside him, a hint of confusion and subtle tension flashing in his eyes. "I didn't receive any information that the barrier had been breached..."

"Is that so?" Matou Ike replied casually, then squatted down to examine the fallen iron gate closely.

He ran his fingertips over the remnants of the runes, his brow furrowing slightly—indeed, there were no signs of external damage. The magical fluctuations of the barrier were weak, but it still retained its complete structure.

“If the barrier wasn’t destroyed, then the only thing that could have happened was the iron gate itself.” Matou Ike gently stroked the remaining traces of magic on the iron gate, as if deep in thought.

"Interesting, I see." Matou Ike smiled and withdrew his hand from the iron gate.

Barzan leaned against the wall, his brow furrowed. "What are you trying to say?"

“They used magic to age the hinges of this iron door, which is why your barrier didn’t react,” Matou Ike explained casually. “Because they didn’t touch the barrier at all, they just let the hinges collapse naturally. This method of handling things is really interesting.”

Upon hearing this, Barzan's eyes darted around, as if he were pondering something.

Matou Ike simply watched him quietly, as if leaving the decision entirely to him.

Barzan remained silent for a moment, his gaze becoming deep.

"You're in cahoots with them, aren't you?"

Matou Ike's expression remained unchanged, not even raising an eyebrow, as if Balzan's words were just a meaningless joke.

"Senior brother is joking," he replied calmly. "If I were really in cahoots with them, why would I go through all this trouble to get these goods from you? Besides, I'm already inside your workshop."

Barzan did not respond immediately, his gaze remaining fixed on Matou Ike, as if trying to read some clue from his face.

“However, if that’s really what you think, then we can end the deal now.” Matou Ike shrugged, his tone unhurried. “No need to waste time.”

Barzan snorted and threw the cigarette pack on the ground. "Don't be in such a hurry to leave. I was just asking casually. Who knows how many eyes are watching this place?"

As soon as the cigarette box hit the ground, magic began to flow in the atmosphere. Several rays of light suddenly burst out from around the cigarette box, turning into several streams of light, like agile water snakes, quickly swimming in the air.

Barzan's expression changed slightly as he stared intently at the streaks of light.

"Is Senior Brother looking for someone?"

"Ikemaru teased, his gaze sweeping over the streaks of light as he observed their movements," Matouchi said.