Chapter 28: Red Fox Den and a Nine-Headed Chicago Typewriter!

Chapter 28: Red Fox Den and a Nine-Headed Chicago Typewriter!

Blackhorn Alley looked lawless, but in reality, several wizard factions maintained order there. So the order there was actually quite good.

It was originally good…

However, gang fights often happened here, especially recently. Several notorious gangs had been causing trouble for the Foxes.

Not long after, the two Wild Wizards woke up, but they seemed to have forgotten everything. They scratched their heads and went elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Louis had already entered another alley, and his money pouch now contained many more items. Unfortunately, most of them were coins and checks, but the cash added up to seven or eight Gold Galleons. This was a small fortune.

The two Wild Wizards also had quite a few spellcasting materials on them, which Louis did not let go of. After all, he was quite poor too.

“The effects of the Nightmare Curse and Infatuation are truly extraordinary. These wizards knew magic, but under the curse’s effect, they offered no resistance at all.”

The Nightmare Curse came from Stuart, whose level was such that he could play around with the Witch Queen.

But ‘Infatuation’ didn’t seem any worse than the Nightmare Curse. This magic spell could even make someone unknowingly become the spellcaster’s spy.

This made Louis curious about Yingling’s identity. This magic might not have been created by Yingling, but Yingling’s mastery of this spell should be very high.

Judging by the effect of Infatuation, ordinary wizards would probably be powerless before her.

‘Combining Infatuation with the Nightmare Curse would surely alter someone’s subconscious mind, even leaving a Mind Imprint. I can try it tonight.’

Before long, Louis reached his destination and stood before the door of a special shop.

This place was called ‘Red Fox Den’, one of the liveliest spots in Blackhorn Alley.

Interestingly, this somewhat improper establishment was run by the Foxes.

And the Foxes were one of the main factions maintaining order in Blackhorn Alley.

‘Red Fox Den’—the name immediately made one think of places that ‘Academy City certainly has nothing like’. And this place indeed had that kind of service. However, the people who came here were often the most serious-minded people in the entire Blackhorn Alley.

But judging by the shop’s decor and the posture of the beautiful girls by the door, this place seemed to be exactly that kind of ‘adult’ bathhouse.

This made Louis stop in his tracks, doubting what Stuart had told him.

Seeing the handsome young wizard frozen at the door, the flashy little Fox girls by the entrance covered their mouths and giggled. They glanced at the seemingly exquisite but actually worthless wand at Louis’s waist—obviously from Red Fox Den (this wand was from the office; it seemed the Agents from the office came here often).

He was definitely a returning customer, just a bit shy.

So the little Foxes boldly walked over, linked arms with Louis, and chirping and chattering, practically dragged him inside.

Once inside, Louis felt the lively atmosphere. There were many people inside, quite a few drinking and chatting. On the high stage, scantily clad Foxes were even dancing.

It looked like a peculiar tavern, brothel, and casino.

This made Louis doubt again if he had come to the wrong place.

Louis looked around while listening to the words of the little Fox beside him.

The little Fox didn’t introduce much; she was mostly joking with him. But from her words, Louis remembered what Stuart had said.

In fact, those drinking and chatting people were discussing business. They talked about commerce, sea trade, population, channels, and even killing. If one had connections, one could even hire Throat-cutters and Monster Hunters here.

As for those long tables that looked like gambling tables, they were counters selling various mysterious items. The staff were dressed like dealers, wearing very ‘cool’ outfits, revealing their perfect figures completely.

The customers around didn’t look like they came to buy things at all; instead, they were like gamblers, moving back and forth among the long tables, looking either excited or anxious.

In any mystery shop, 72 Gold Galleons probably couldn’t buy a truly satisfying treasure.

Except at Red Fox Den.

“Scholar~~” the little Fox said in a coquettish voice. “For only 20 Gold Galleons, you can buy a master’s work here.”

The little Fox linked arms with Louis and pulled this customer to the gambling table. “Even if you don’t buy a work that satisfies you, I won’t let you leave disappointed.”

As she said this, the fiery girl subtly brushed Louis’s thigh with her tail. All her words were already in her big, watery eyes.

Clearly, if a customer lost too much money, the little Foxes of Red Fox Den would give out some consolation prizes.

This really killed two birds with one stone; they did all kinds of business!

And they even had receipts!

‘No wonder Stuart said Director Trif loves coming here most; all that public money from the office was spent like this by him!’

Louis looked at the various items on the table. There were big staffs and small wands—this reminded Louis of World of Warcraft. But in this world, most wizards couldn’t cast spells without a wand or staff. Or rather, except for those who often walked the line between life and death, no one would research wandless spellcasting. After all, the mana consumption and power differed greatly between having a wand and not having one.

Saint Oak Wizards seemed to prefer small wands. Louis also planned to get one today because Gandalf’s big staff was inconvenient to carry and made him stand out wherever he went.

Moreover, a small wand could also be used as a pistol—good wands all came with a ‘Magic Missile’ type spell.

Louis noticed that the rows of exquisite wand boxes in front of him looked very similar to those in the office.

However, there was a slight difference: these wand boxes all had small Seals on them to prevent wizards from seeing what was inside.

But even if one saw inside, it probably wouldn’t help much because many of the junk wands sold here looked just like good ones. They even used materials like unicorn, phoenix, dragon nerves, and other good materials, but they were just discarded defective products.

These wands were actually worth only one or two Golden Dragons, but here they cost 20 Golden Dragons each!

Yet they were hard to tell apart from real ones, and without using them, it was impossible to discover whether they were good or bad.

“Today we have the work of master Yingling, ‘Foxfire’,” the girl said with a giggle. “This is a genuine Thousand-Gold Wand, and no one has drawn it yet—if I were you, I’d pick that one.”

Louis followed the direction of the girl’s finger, then nodded deeply.

…

On that table, for every wand box Louis touched with his mind, he could see a note. The wand box the girl pointed at, while not exactly a Thousand-Gold Wand, was probably worth several hundred Gold Galleons.

[Extraordinary ‘Phoenix Chime’]

[Length: 36 cm]

[Main Materials: Sacred Oak bud, Phoenix fire feather]

[Materials: Mithril, Amber, Ruby (tip)]

[Mana Capacity: 8] (Maximum mana release per instant: 80)

[Effects:

1. Mana Consumption -30%

2. Power +15%

3. Spell Mastery Level -2]

[Description: Saint Oak Wizards favor Sacred Oak and Phoenix. Sacred Oak buds have high mana capacity and allow wizards to save mana. Phoenix feathers can increase power and spell range. But they also make this wand difficult to master.]

Louis puffed on his pipe, smiled, patted the hand on his arm, and said, “If I really draw that wand called Foxfire, would you get spanked by the boss?”

“I’d rather you spank me,” the little Fox blinked her eyes and said playfully.

Clearly, she didn’t believe her luck was that good.

Louis gave her bottom a slap, waved his hand, and the wand box flew into the girl’s arms.

The little Fox giggled. Louis smiled and continued scanning the items on the table with his eyes.

He did see Yingling’s work.

[Undoubtedly destined to leave a mark in epics: ‘Foxfire’]

[Length: 32 cm]

[Main Materials: Sacred Oak bud, Medusa’s Snake Hair]

[Additional Materials: Mithril, Chrysoberyl, Garnet.]

[Mana Capacity: 15]

[Effects:

1. Mana Consumption -30%;

2. Spell Mastery Level +5;

3. Foxfire Lv2: Release a Foxfire attack, a pure energy form that hits the enemy, possessing certain penetration (Lv2 special effect), Interval: 0.5s

4. Mana Gem (115/120)]

[Description: This wand is the work of a master, allowing novices to successfully cast new spells. The inscribed magic circle is also perfect, forming a clever connection with Medusa’s Snake Hair, causing targets hit by Foxfire to be petrified.]

Foxfire was similar to Magic Missile but had a purifying effect. High-level Foxfire also had strong penetration, making it difficult to block with a Protective Charm.

Moreover, the Foxfire released by this wand had a petrifying effect, making it a bane for high-regeneration creatures and the undead.

Even if the user was a Squib, using this wand purely as a firearm to wildly shoot at werewolves or Vampires, the hit target would turn to stone and shatter.

With a release interval of 0.5 seconds for Foxfire Lv2 and a capacity of 120 shots, it somewhat deserved the term ‘pour’.

But the most precious thing was its ability to help novices cast magic. A +5 mastery level, for many people, meant the difference between one spell level—Lv1 to Lv2.

Unfortunately, in Louis’s eyes, it was a useless item, while what others saw as useless was a treasure to him.

His gaze was already attracted to another wand—

[Without a doubt, this is a Nine-Headed Chicago Typewriter!]