Chapter 0060: City Management in Another World

Grimm rubbed his nose, unable to suppress his shock at the grand spectacle before him. Fat Sam was even more flustered, mumbling under his breath.

“This is bad, really bad. If I’d known it was a Revitalization Earring, I should’ve been shouting at the top of my lungs. Now, if Boss Kern finds out, he’ll skin me alive…” As he spoke, he pulled out a round crystal orb and began contacting someone far away.

The chaos surrounding them made Grimm frown deeply, unable to make sense of this commotion’s origin. Wasn’t this just an ordinary self-healing earring? How could it cause such an uproar? Still, his senses were sharp; soon, he caught a crucial phrase from the snatches of conversation among the apprentice crowd.

A Level-3 Magic Item!

Grimm had only skimmed a few alchemical texts and had never systematically studied the classification of magic items, so the term “Level-3 Magic Item” was utterly unfamiliar to him.

As he hesitated in thought, the delicate-featured female apprentice finally spoke up.

“Excuse me, which of you owns this pair of Revitalization Earrings?”

By now, Fat Sam had put away his communication crystal, utterly dejected, and pointed at Grimm.

Grimm could only touch his nose helplessly and nod. “This item is mine.”

“How much are you selling it for in magic crystals?” the female apprentice asked, her eyes shining with hope.

“It’s not for sale,” Grimm replied.

“Not for sale? Then why bring it out at all?”

“It’s only up for trade, not for sale. Plant-based items aren’t suitable for me—I want to exchange it for something else…”

But before Grimm could finish, the crowd erupted. The apprentices parted, and several burly men, sweating profusely, rushed over.

They stared at each other in surprise in front of the stall, and then their eyes blazed with mutual hostility.

“Barton’s brat, you again? We saw this item first today! Don’t think you can snatch it from us!” The man wielding the giant sword wore fine leather armor, and his words were brimming with an intimidating presence.

On the other side, a grey-robed apprentice refused to back down, his expression dark and scornful. “You saw it first? Hmph, with childish nonsense like that, I can’t be bothered with you. Everything on sale here goes to the highest bidder. If you have the guts, just buy up the whole stall.”

These two were clearly leaders of fixed teams, both high-level apprentices. The tension between them was palpable, their killing intent almost suffocating. Yet, as they were inside the wizard tower, they dared not actually brawl, so they could only compete through spiritual pressure, intimidating each other with their overwhelming auras.

“All right, enough! Every time you two meet, it ends like this. Since we all want the Revitalization Earrings, let’s each make an offer and see who wins in the end!” Just as their contest of wills reached a stalemate, another, milder voice interjected.

The crowd parted again, and a young man in a red robe approached.

He didn’t look very old, but there was a steadiness and calm on his face, the mark of someone who’d weathered many storms. He was neither handsome nor ugly—utterly unremarkable, except for the faint, constant smile at his lips.

“Who would’ve thought even Boss Kern is here!”

“Now this is going to be a real show!”

“Don’t push! I want to see the excitement too!”

…

The crowd roared once more.

The red-robed young man turned to survey the crowd; wherever his gaze fell, silence spread. At last, he smiled gently at everyone.

“All right, let’s not make a scene. Since we’ve all chanced upon a pair of Revitalization Earrings and everyone’s interested, let’s see who luck favors in the end.”

With the red-robed man’s authority, the other two leaders had no choice but to withdraw their spiritual pressure and step forward to the stall, eyeing the earrings in the female apprentice’s palm like hungry wolves.

The female apprentice was clearly from the greatsword-wielding man’s team, for his face lit up at the sight of her.

“Heidi, you really have a good eye! So, did you get the earrings? If you’re short on magic crystals, the rest of us can pool together—you must win them!”

Both the grey-robed and red-robed leaders frowned.

“But he’s not selling them!” Heidi, the female apprentice, stamped her foot in frustration.

“Trading?” The three leaders were taken aback. “Trade for what?”

“Fire-element magic items!”

The three fell silent.

Where were they? The Dark Caverns! Fire-element materials were even scarcer here, making fire-element magic items extremely rare as well.

Still, these three leaders were not ones to give up easily. They each sent Grimm spiritual messages, seeking a compromise, but Grimm resolutely refused them all.

As the leaders began rallying their followers to search for fire-element magic items, Grimm finally learned from Fat Sam the real reason behind the Revitalization Earrings’ popularity.

For most intermediate and lower apprentices, the Dark Caverns were rich in resources but far too dangerous. So the majority limited their training and activities to the Crela Mountains. Hunting magical beasts, gathering wizard herbs, and exploring secret sites in the deep forests always came with unpredictable risks. Having a member skilled in healing was a tremendous advantage for any apprentice team.

If all injuries had to be treated with blood-staunching salves or life potions, the cost would be enormous, eating into any gains from their expeditions. In such cases, a plant-based Revitalization Spell could save a fortune. Moreover, once the earrings’ plant energy was depleted, it could be fully recharged simply by staying in the jungle for a while.

That made it exceptionally cost-effective!

As for “Level-3 Magic Items,” it was simply the apprentices’ classification system. Magic items with 10–20 energy points were Level-1; most apprentice-made trinkets fell in this category. Level-2 were those with 20–30 energy points, reached only by the occasional masterpiece. Level-3, with 30–40 energy points, were usually made by full wizards as practice in alchemy. Yet, in the hands of an apprentice, such an item could be a trump card for sudden ascendance.

After hearing Fat Sam’s explanation, Grimm couldn’t help but express his confusion. “That can’t be! I tested the earrings myself—they can only channel about 10 points of green life energy, nowhere near a Level-3 magic item!”

Fat Sam clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t tell me you tested it with your own energy? To unleash the earrings’ full healing power, you need to be in the jungle, and ideally, a plant-element apprentice. As a fire-element apprentice, you’re bound to get diminished results!”

Only then did Grimm realize the truth.

No wonder the earrings had barely reacted when he tried them, yet, with just a simple test by the female apprentice, a clear green glow had appeared. The energy simply didn’t match.

Glancing at the growing chaos, Fat Sam shook his head. “This is getting out of hand… If this keeps up, the Enforcement Council might get involved.”

Whether it was Fat Sam’s jinx or simply bad luck, the crowd outside stirred anew. Two intermediate apprentices in blue uniforms hurried over.

“Who is it? Who’s selling Level-3 magic equipment here? You’ve got a lot of nerve—don’t you know that all magic equipment above Level-2 is exclusively dealt by the Murphy Trading House?” The lead apprentice, his face fierce, glared at Fat Sam on entering, clearly thinking him the culprit. “It’s you again, Sam! You’ve got some nerve!”

Sam protested indignantly, “Ryan, don’t talk nonsense! This item isn’t mine. Even if you’re being unreasonable, you can’t pin this on your old pal!”

The enforcer named Ryan shifted his cold gaze from Sam to Grimm, whose face displayed nothing but calm composure, causing Ryan a sudden sense of unease. There were many apprentices in the wizard tower, but he knew all those of any power. Where had this unknown junior apprentice acquired a Level-3 magic item?

“Kid, you must not know the rules here,” Ryan said arrogantly, stepping in front of Grimm. “In this wizard tower, all magic items above Level-2 can only be sold to our Murphy Trading House. That’s our contract with Wizard Howard. If you dare defy it, you’ll risk losing your apprentice status! Hmph…”

With that, he snatched the earrings from the female apprentice’s hand, inspected them, and nodded in satisfaction.

“These earrings are of decent quality. According to our house rules, I’ll purchase them at market price—15 magic crystals!” Ryan’s eyes darted as he spoke. Originally, he’d wanted to offer 12, but with so many apprentices watching, he had to raise the price a little.

Even so, at the mention of 15 magic crystals, the crowd erupted.

“Why don’t you just rob us!”

“Heavens, only 15 magic crystals? That’s not even enough for a Level-1 magic item!”

“Exactly, this is daylight robbery!”

…

The apprentices’ outrage clearly left Ryan infuriated as well.

“Silence, all of you! This is an agreement between our trading house and the wizard. Anyone who questions it—any more outbursts and I’ll report your names to the duty wizard!”

His naked threat finally silenced the crowd. Even the team leaders at the stall could only glare coldly, their faces full of suppressed anger, yet none dared protest aloud.