Chapter 86 – New Wand

Elinka requested Punk’s permission to allow the butler waiting outside to enter, as the Doctore Family’s “final bargaining chip” was with the butler.

Presenting such a direct display of bringing the “chip” openly implied that the Doctore Family had gone all-in—what they were showing now was all their remaining wealth, and no matter what, they couldn’t offer anything more.

Punk stared into Elinka’s eyes, his pupils shimmering with a pale blue magical glow. His cold, detached gaze sent chills down Elinka’s spine.

Though facing Punk’s intense scrutiny made her feel an urge to turn and flee, Elinka gritted her teeth and said:

“Respected Mage, the Elinka family’s collections have all been exhausted in dealing with the fallout from the perfume sales halt. Moreover, opportunistic business competitors have recently taken advantage of our plight. This ‘gift’ presented to you, Mage, is the last treasure the Doctore Family possesses!”

After speaking, Elinka bowed her head anxiously, her heart torn between apprehension and resignation as she awaited Punk’s final decision.

“Alright, alright!”

Puck shrugged with feigned reluctance:

“After all, eradicating evil is everyone’s responsibility. Although I have experiments to attend to, upon reflection, I believe striking against malevolent forces brooks no delay. So… now let’s discuss that mysterious Spider Cave.”

Having secretly used several Divination Spells to confirm that Elinka truly had nothing left to offer, Punk felt somewhat dissatisfied but recognized that excessive greed was pointless. Pushing the Doctore Family too hard would only needlessly antagonize Doleiz City’s Noble circles. Thus, having already squeezed some benefits from them, Punk grudgingly decided to “set aside his experiments” and step forward for “justice.”

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After seeing off a visibly pained Elinka, Punk returned to the hall carrying a long package.

The package radiated intense magical fluctuations, making it easy for Punk to sense that this seemingly unremarkable bundle contained a Formal-Level Magic Equipment!

This came as quite a surprise to Punk. He had assumed the Doctore Family could, at best, produce some rare Formal-Level magical materials, never expecting they possessed a treasured Magic Equipment.

“Indeed, these Nobles all have a few hidden treasures tucked away. Squeezing them hard was definitely the right decision!”

Gently tearing open the thick silk wrapping, as the fabric strips fell away, an exquisitely crafted Emerald Staff about one meter long was revealed!

The staff was entirely made of an unknown emerald-green wood. Two nearly identical green wooden branches, densely engraved with delicate pale golden runes, spiraled tightly around each other to form the staff’s shaft.

The staff’s base featured a golden Crystal entangled by the branches, with a sharp spear tip partially exposed. The sharp spear tip gives the staff’s end penetration and lethality that is no less than any refined spear!The staff’s head was inlaid with a fist-sized green crystal ball, within which pale green mist churned and swirled. In the darkness, the crystal ball seemed to emit faint, profound fluorescent specks, intertwining with the flowing golden runes that shimmered with the same radiance. This blend of splendor and mystery made the entire staff appear harmonious and beautiful!

Punk carefully stroked the staff’s shaft, feeling the energy runes that flickered in and out of view on the smooth, lustrous wood. It seemed the staff had endured many long years, yet the magic imbued within showed not the slightest weakening or obstruction—clear evidence of its superior quality.

“System! Begin analysis!”

Holding the emerald-green staff, Punk issued the command to the System.

“System analysis in progress… Analysis results as follows:”

Item Name: Formal-Level Staff

Materials: Unknown

Production Date: Unknown (high probability of being extremely ancient)

Staff Attributes: Natural Divine Arts, Life Element

Staff Description: Judging by the staff’s attributes and the attached Formal-Level spells and divine arts, it was likely originally crafted by a Formal-Level Druid. It was later modified by a mage who added Life Element attributes and spells. It eventually came into the possession of the Doctore Family and was “gifted” by Elinka Doctore to the Formal-Level Mage Punk Cyan!

Solidified Divine Arts (all at Formal-Level):

1. Natural Fortitude: The power of nature significantly enhances the staff’s material strength, now rivaling the toughness and resilience of alchemical alloys.

2. Natural Affection: The wielder of this staff exudes an aura of natural friendliness, causing most Formal-Level beasts and plants of good or neutral alignment to develop favorable impressions (limited to good-aligned beings).

3. Natural Affinity: The wielder’s natural energy recovery speed can be increased by up to 10% (maximum increase of 50%, limited to Druids).

4. Summon Minor Treants (three times daily): With sufficient energy, you can summon three minor treants capable of blending into plants to evade Formal-Level detection spells, obeying your commands for fifteen minutes.

Solidified Spells (all at Formal-Level):

1. Casting Speed Increase: The wielder’s spell model construction speed can be accelerated by up to 10% (maximum increase of 50%, limited to Mages)!

2. Acid Fog (three times daily): With sufficient energy, release a cloud of acid fog covering 100 square meters to attack, lasting three minutes. This is an area-of-effect attack affecting both allies and enemies indiscriminately!

3. Underground Spikes (twice daily): With sufficient energy, thrust the crystal spear tip at the staff’s base into the ground to release earthen spikes starting one meter away from the staff, covering a ten-meter radius. The spikes persist for six seconds!

Note: Equipment combining nature and magic like this is most despised by Shadow Druids (Natural Avengers)!

“Quite excellent equipment.”

Punk swung the staff in a satisfied flourish, the emerald-green shaft tracing a vibrant arc through the air. The pale golden runes gleamed brilliantly under the magical light.As a Formal-Level staff, it was actually imbued with both divine nature spells and arcane magic simultaneously—such craftsmanship was exceedingly rare. Even if one day in the future, this staff could no longer keep up with Punk’s power, dismantling it could still provide valuable insights into the art of crafting magical items!

Punk was thoroughly satisfied with the staff he had “extorted” from Elinka.

“From today onward, you shall be called… the Emerald Staff.”

After simply naming the staff based on its appearance, Punk used a minor spell to strap it to his back and turned toward the Experiment Table.

Mr. Hotte’s soul had already been split into over a dozen personalities. Now, all that was needed was to wait for these personalities to drift further apart in the illusion crafted by Punk, at which point his soul would be torn into roughly a dozen neat and stable fragments. This process would take about ten magic hours—soon, the material Punk eagerly awaited would be “freshly” ready.

Next was to brew the Activation Potion, and then… embark on another thrilling adventure!

The secrets within that Spider Cave were enough to compel a Formal-Level mage to dive in without hesitation, and Punk was greatly looking forward to them!

(End of Chapter)