I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means
Chapter 912 - 553: Key?_2

Lis was searching for the stalls that sold those relic treasures.

In fact, players also had the opportunity to find good fortune by scavenging in Ambundo City. Lis still remembered a few instances.

But those were events that happened a few years later, and the relic treasures found were sold at fluctuating stalls. Right now, Lis had no way of locating that adventurer selling the items.

Or, it was in the market shops, but the gains were nothing more than Golden Rank items and equipment, which were inconsequential to Lis at this moment.

There were no treasures on par with the [Transformer's Mask] that Lis had before.

Instead of taking those now, it was better to let players discover them as task rewards from the White Dove Chamber of Commerce, letting them explore on their own.

There was a reason for this, of course. Owning a fixed shop in Ambundo City specifically to purchase relic items from adventurers indicated a different level of insight.

If there were any special or unusual items, they would have already taken action.

After all, relics didn't only contain treasures and wealth; dangers could also be present within them.

But for the War God Church, those dangers were not much of a problem.

Today, Lis was planning to stroll through those stalls, trying his luck to see if he could find any overlooked treasures.

Lis looked at the 10 points of Luck Value on the system panel, feeling extremely confident!

"Boss, how much are these cards!"

Lis, holding a large skewer of grilled meat, was wandering around the market when he stumbled upon a good find at a small corner stall.

Arcane cards!

It was from an arcane card that he had obtained the [Transformer's Mask] back in Jade City.

But that was merely an exception.

Hoping to get a Legendary Rank item from an arcane card was possible, but very few had managed to do it.

Most of the items stored in arcane cards were trivial, or outdated and useless research notes.

If the item was genuinely important, it was rarely stored in such a one-time-use secret box like an arcane card.

"This... hmm..."

The stall owner was a mercenary-looking man in his thirties. He had casually laid out a piece of old cloth with many dull-colored, antiquated items placed on it.

He looked up and down at Lis, taking a strong puff of the cigar in his mouth, and smiled as he spoke:

"For someone else, these arcane cards would be 100 gold coins each."

"But for you, young man, 50 gold coins each. You can take all of them."

"That's too expensive."

Lis looked at the mercenary presumably selling his adventure loot and shook his head.

The stall owner was not a mage, yet he knew these were arcane cards. It seemed he was an experienced adventurer.

"Forty-five gold coins."

The stall owner said straightforwardly:

"Any lower and it's not worth it for me. I might as well sell these to the shops that buy them."

"Alright."

Lis nodded, not bargaining further. He reached out and collected all the arcane cards on the stall, a total of ten cards.

In fact, the price of arcane cards was fairly stable, especially in the Western Desert filled with ancient relics.

Most arcane cards were purchased by large transcendent forces because, given their size, any useful item found could be put to use.

However, ordinary transcendent professionals found it difficult; the probability of an arcane card yielding a good item was low, and if it wasn't suitable for them, they'd have to sell or trade it.

Hence, adventurers operating alone or in small teams typically sold arcane cards above market price directly.

After handing the gold coins to the stall owner, Lis picked up the arcane cards without leaving, intending to open them right there.

Seeing this, the stall owner's eyes brightened. He handed Lis a broken coconut, preparing to watch the spectacle with a grin.

While he couldn't open the cards himself for profit, watching someone else open them was a different kind of fun.

A crowd also gathered around, intrigued.

Who doesn't love watching a spectacle?

If something valuable turned up, it would become a new topic in the tavern that night.

Lis didn't mind the surrounding audience. Even if it wasn't in Ambundo City, no one could snatch the items from his hands.

Without hesitation, Lis picked up a gray arcane card and infused it with Magic Power.

Zing～

The first card... white, a Fireball scroll.

The second card... white, a few glass reagent bottles.

The third card... blue, Silver Rank mage research notes.

The fourth card...

...

Oh～

As Lis opened one arcane card after another, the surrounding onlookers' expressions grew more peculiar, offering sympathetic exclamations.

Lis felt his face alternating between blue and white in color.

Tightly gripping the last card, Lis resolutely opened this final hope,

This time, the light was stronger!

When the light faded, Lis found a human-sized statue appearing in front of him.

It was clearly a mage statue, lifelike, with impressive sculpting technique.

But there wasn't a hint of any special aura; it was truly just a statue.

Why would a statue be placed inside an arcane card? Was it just for show-off?

Lis checked the Luck Value on the system panel again. Was there something wrong?

Could it be the '1' at the beginning of the number was fake?

Seeing the situation, the onlookers dispersed, whispering and laughing.

Watching someone else getting something valuable could be eye-opening, but seeing them get a pile of junk was even more delightful.

"No worries, you'll get something good next time."

The stall owner tried to comfort Lis with a stiff expression, holding back laughter with a hint of lingering fear.

It was a good thing he didn't open the cards himself; otherwise, it would have been a huge loss.

Lis remained calm, putting away the opened items in front of him.

He'd throw them into the White Dove Chamber of Commerce as rewards!

As the sun set, the market slowly embraced a layer of gentle twilight, yet the lively and bustling atmosphere did not diminish. Instead, the approaching night added a touch of mystery and romance.

"Young man, do you want to buy anything else?"

"I'll give you a discount on the remaining items, otherwise I'll head to the tavern."

The stall owner asked Lis, noting that his stall had attracted quite a few customers from Lis' card opening session, selling a lot in a short time.

Lis had been good for business, so he didn't mind reciprocating a favor.

Moreover, Lis had been generous, helping the stall owner clear his stock so he wouldn't miss his drinking time.

"...Let me have a look."

Originally planning to leave, Lis noticed some jewelry on the stall and squatted down.

Taya was still asleep; buying some jewelry would make for perfect gifts.

Among the jewelry, the most eye-catching were those made of gold. Although time had dulled their luster, the gold seemed imbued with a calm and subdued charm, exuding a deep allure.

The gemstones set in the gold were like the brightest stars in the night sky. Even against a dim background, they shone with captivating glows.

Casually sorting through the jewelry, Lis paused slightly when he encountered a gold brooch set with a pigeon-blood ruby.

"These few."

Lis selected three pieces of jewelry, including the ruby brooch.

"No problem, 500 gold coins."

The stall owner glanced at them and quoted a fair price.

He had checked the jewelry and found nothing special, with ordinary gemstones, hence the price.

Lis packed away the jewelry and, after paying, smiled as he asked:

"Which relic did these come from?"

"I can't tell you that."

The stall owner looked suspiciously at Lis and shook his head.

Something felt off; had he missed something valuable?

"Fine."

Lis shook his head, secretly placing a mark on the stall owner before turning to leave.

If his guess was correct, that brooch was a special "key."

That relic site was no simple matter!