Each of them received a lump sum of Palace Points, and naturally, the first thing they did was head toward the market district
Floating walkways connected clusters of specialist halls, each devoted to a particular discipline. According to the guides projected before them, there were twelve dedicated artifact specialist shops, along with four large general stores that carried mixed inventories.
Everything on display was virtual-yet each item represented a real artifact stored sowhere within the Alliance's secured vaults, ready to be delivered into the physical world upon purchase.
Rows upon rows of weapons, armor sets, and accessories glimred in suspended light projections. Blades of every conceivable design rotated slowly in midair. Full plate armors hovered upright like silent sentinels. Rings, cloaks, boots, and talismans floated within glass-like cubes of light.
Tier 6 top-grade weapons were astonishingly affordable in this place. A high-quality blade or staff could be purchased for 100 to 200 Palace Points. Lower and mid-grade tier 6 items could be acquired in bundles for just 100 points.
Tier 5 artifacts were entirely absent. No grand magus would consider using them.
Tier 7 artifacts were available-though only in low-grade, standardized
versions. These were not the unique treasures. They were crafted by master or grand master blacksmiths affiliated with the Alliance, using top-grade materials and refined under strict standards.
They were reliable, powerful, and customizable.
But they were not extraordinary.
Each of these tier 7 artifacts ranged from 500 to 1000 Palace Points, depending on the type-dagger, greatsword, longbow, full plate armor, or specialized magical instrunts. Buyers could submit personal design modifications, allowing the artifact to be tailored to their cultivation style.
"What about the special ones?" Ery asked the virtual chanical attendants.
He was not referring to the standardized tier 7 equipnt displayed. He ant the truly rare creations-artifacts forged from unique formulas, refined with extinct or near-impossible-to-obtain materials, tempered under extre conditions, or infused with mysterious energies that granted powerfull effects. The construct responded smoothly. In a place filled with grand magus, these artifacts were the most sought-after category. They were reserved for the monthly auction. Several were guaranteed to appear each cycle.
That detail imdiately captured Ery's interest.
He currently holds more than 5400 Palace Points. Spending all of it impulsively would be foolish. The others seed to reach the sa conclusion.
They would reserve a large portion for the upcoming auction.
Leaving the artifact district, Ery explored the other specialized shops. The apothecary shop drew his attention almost imdiately.
The structure resembled a luminous conservatory. Rows of crystalline cabinets lined the walls, each containing sealed pill bottles, vials of concentrated essence, and rare dicinal extracts. The air glimred faintly with stabilizing formations that preserved potency even within the virtual projection.
Like the blacksmith halls, the shop carried two primary categories of goods. One consisted of items deposited by Palace mbers-rare pills looted from ancient ruins or crafted by an independent grand magus. The second, and more reliable supply, ca directly from the Apothecarist center.
They had almost everything available-even identical effects produced through different recipes. They would even accept custom orders. Ery saw a list of apothecary masters they could hire to handle the project.
At the center of the hall floated the most in-demand product.
[Cosmic Pills]
These were tier 8 cultivation pills specifically designed for grand magus, capable of dramatically accelerating cosmic energy refinent.
[Cosmic Pill - Common Quality - 10 Palace Points - 100% efficiency boost]
[Cosmic Pill - Excellent Quality - 25 Palace Points - up to 200% efficiency boost]
[Cosmic Pill - Masterpiece Quality - 40 Palace Points - up to 300% efficiency boost]
Klea's brows lifted slightly.
A masterpiece pill effectively condensed four years of cultivation progress into a single year's effort. For grand magus who often required centuries to advance aningfully, such acceleration was extraordinary.
Yet the system did not allow miracles without cost.
"These pills remain effective for several months, at most one year," the attendant continued. "After that period, the enhancent dissipates completely."
In other words, sustained usage required repeated purchases. Even at ten Palace Points per common pill, prolonged consumption would drain fortunes
quickly.
There was another limitation.
Cosmic Pills were effective only for those in the One-Cosmos realm.
For higher levels, stronger variants were required.
[Myriad Cosmic Pills for Two-Cosmos Realm]
Common/Excellent / Masterpiece - 50/125/200 Palace Points
[Profound Cosmic Pills - for Three-Cosmos Realm]
Common/Excellent / Masterpiece - 200/500/1000 Palace Points
At a thousand Palace Points per masterpiece Profound Pill, a single dose equaled the price of high-grade tier 7 artifacts.
The price reflected their rarity and refinent difficulty.
These pills were typically supplied by powerful factions to nurture top talents. Rogue grand magus rarely consud them; even if they acquired such pills as loot, many preferred to sell them for spirit stones.
As they observed, grand magus entered the hall steadily, purchasing these pills almost casually, like sweets from a vendor.
The scale of consumption revealed how fiercely competitive the grand magus realm truly was.
Ery felt a spark of ambition.
During his ti in Tartarus realm and trapped within the Leviathan's belly, he had collected three pill recipes that could theoretically produce similar effects. However, those were archaic formulas requiring extinct materials or unavailable in magus realm. Reconstructing viable modern equivalents would require decades-if not centuries-of research.
Still, the idea lodged firmly in his mind.
He would discuss it with Master Grom later.
From there, they entered the scroll shop-a structure resembling a grand
library.
Towering shelves spiraled upward in concentric circles, filled with ancient
tos, crystalline data tablets, and tightly sealed scrolls bound with glowing runic threads. Floating platforms moved silently between levels, carrying browsing grand magus from one tier to another.
The air itself felt dense with accumulated knowledge.
Just as in the other specialist halls, there were no low-tier items here. Not a single spell below tier 6 could be found. Every scroll on display contained high-ranking techniques suitable for grand magus. So were elental combat spells, others were advanced defensive matrices, movent arts, or domain-enhancing formations.
Several sections were marked with a faint golden sigil.
Divine Rank.
Klea slowed her pace, her eyes scanning the shelves with careful focus. The lightning, wind, and ice sections imdiately drew her attention. Even through the virtual dium, she could sense faint fluctuations-residual imprints left
behind by their creators.
However, the impressions were only brief. The deeper contents remained sealed, locked behind purchase authorization. Interestingly, so tos were sold alongside the rare materials needed to refine or activate them. When she inquired about tier 8 spells, a nearby female grand magus glanced
over. She appeared scholarly rather than combative and presented herself as a formation expert.
"You must be a new mber," she said with an easy smile.
Klea did not deny it.
"If you're looking for tier 8 spells, I would advise you not to rush into buying
scrolls just yet."
Klea raised a brow. "Why?"
The woman folded her hands. "Because the truly valuable techniques aren't purchased from shelves." She
added, "Before you spend your Palace Points here, you should visit the Hall of
Supre Knowledge."
Klea tilted her head. "What place is that?"
The woman chuckled softly, "That is where most of us actually spend our
points."
Hearing this, Ery's interest sharpened.
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