Archmage Raffaelli held the narrow-necked ceramic bottle in both hands and explained to the crowd, "There's a spatial gate inside this bottle. The other end opens deep beneath the sea. Miniature magic arrays inside it filter and purify the water, so it can pour out clean water without end.
"It can also control the water's temperature, switching seamlessly between ice water, hot water, and boiling water. That's why it's called 'Endless Water.'"
He channeled a small amount of mana into the bottle, and an image of the sun lit up on its surface. Half the sun lay hidden below the horizon, a warm smile drawn across its face and a ring of dancing flames surrounding it.
Archmage Raffaelli ran a finger over the ring of flames, sliding the pattern upward across the sun. The sun gradually turned crimson. When he tilted the bottle, scalding water poured from an opening that had been perfectly dry only moments before.
"Ooh…"
"Amazing!"
The onlookers exclaimed in wonder.
Raffaelli touched the pattern again and dragged the ring of flames down below the horizon. The boiling water flowing from the bottle instantly became ice-cold, now filled with countless glittering shards of ice.
The stream continued pouring without pause, quickly exceeding the bottle's capacity. Unless the ocean itself dried up and its seabed turned to land, it would not run dry even after pouring for a hundred years.
Raffaelli set the bottle upright and sighed. "Before today, I'd only ever read descriptions of this item in ancient texts. I never imagined I would see the real thing. In the era of the Eight Greed Kings' empire, Endless Water was standard issue for every army."
He raised a finger and cast a spell, removing the water from the floor. Then he turned to Barrett. "Young man, name your price. Whatever it is, I'll pay it."
"Hmm…" Barrett hesitated briefly before smiling. "Since Your Excellency is so fond of this antique, I won't ask for an outrageous price. The market rate will be fine. The truth is, we have plenty of finer treasures, all recovered from the Desert of the Eight Greed Kings. Some are far more valuable than this bottle. We may be able to make many more deals."
"What?" Raffaelli's eyes widened. "You have even better things? Then let's find somewhere private and discuss this properly!"
Everyone inside Levi's Antique Shop watched Barrett, EeDechi, and Franco with envy and admiration.
They admired the three for daring to enter the Desert of the Eight Greed Kings in search of treasure. It was a land of death, filled with strange and deadly terrain and crawling with dangerous monsters. No one knew how many adventurers and mages had perished there, leaving only their bones buried beneath the sands.
Even more than that, they envied the trio for establishing a connection with Archmage Raffaelli, one of the few high-ranking mages.
He was the current rotating chairman of the City Alliance's Mage Alliance, a man of immense authority, vast knowledge, and formidable magical power. He even owned three separate mage towers of his own.
The members of the exploration party called Burning Edge were left utterly dumbfounded.
EeDechi, Barrett, and Franco had seemed perfectly ordinary, yet the antique they had casually produced was a magical treasure from the age of the Eight Greed Kings.
Burning Edge's fine armor, excellent equipment, and much-vaunted abilities all paled in comparison with that unassuming ceramic bottle. If they were honest with themselves, none of them would ever dare venture deep into that desert.
"Tch. The lucky bastards must've just stumbled across it," the bearded man muttered resentfully. "A weak little party like theirs couldn't possibly survive treasure hunting in the Desert of the Eight Greed Kings."
Anyone could hear the bitter jealousy in his voice.
Archmage Raffaelli was old and shrewd, with remarkably keen judgment. After observing the three-person adventuring party for a few moments, he realized that EeDechi was the one with the final say.
Barrett appeared to handle everything, but he clearly held the bright-eyed young woman dressed all in black in great respect. Whatever the issue, he always made sure to seek her opinion before making a decision.
As for Franco, Raffaelli found his fellow mage's flippant, lackadaisical manner rather distasteful.
The middle-aged manager in gold-embroidered robes hurried over, hoping to keep Raffaelli from cutting the antique shop out of the transaction and to secure a larger share of the profit.
With a broad, ingratiating smile, he said, "Honored guests, you've traveled a long way. Might you have any other treasures you wish to sell? Levi's Antique Shop offers fair prices—a full ten percent more than our competitors, in fact. Anything Archmage Raffaelli isn't interested in can be sold to us."
Faced with the manager's eager hospitality, EeDechi and her companions found it difficult to refuse. Each of them took one of their less remarkable items from their spatial ring and placed it on the counter.
Everyone in the shop, including the members of Burning Edge, was stunned all over again.
Each member of this adventuring party possessed a spatial ring.
These people were secretly loaded!
After selling the antiques, the trio accepted Archmage Raffaelli's invitation and joined him over tea for a long conversation.
Archmage Anderson Raffaelli was an eloquent conversationalist, displaying both his broad learning and his profound knowledge of magic.
Barrett, meanwhile, shared stories and observations from their travels and adventures. Even the well-traveled and experienced Raffaelli found himself nodding again and again, surprised by how much he was learning.
He was amazed by Barrett's wealth of adventuring experience. The man seemed to know every trick involved in exploring ancient tombs and ruins.
At the same time, he was quietly surprised by EeDechi's innocence and purity.
It had been a very long time since he had met such a pure-hearted, cheerful young woman, one who seemed to glow with the warmth of sunlight.
As Barrett related their experiences in the Desert of the Eight Greed Kings in a calm, engaging flow, Raffaelli listened and nodded thoughtfully.
At first, he had assumed Barrett was a warrior or guide hired by EeDechi and that EeDechi was both the party's leader and strategist.
Now he understood their division of roles more clearly. EeDechi held the final authority, but despite Barrett's tall, muscular build, he was the party's strategist. EeDechi, meanwhile, was their powerhouse.
From the scattered hints in Barrett's stories, Raffaelli could also tell that EeDechi was an absurdly powerful warrior.
Once they had become more comfortable with one another, Barrett subtly mentioned that he was investigating skyship technology from the era of the Eight Greed Kings. He hoped to find someone who still knew how to build one.
Raffaelli thought seriously for a while, then admitted that although he had heard of skyships, he knew little about them.
However, he might be able to introduce the three of them to someone who had studied the subject in depth.
The man's name was Longfellow Campbell, a mage with exceptionally high Intelligence who was also an explorer and archaeologist.
Raffaelli vaguely recalled that Longfellow Campbell had once tried to recreate ancient skyship technology, though the attempt had ultimately ended in failure.
The mage normally kept to himself and rarely appeared in public. He could not be found even at his own mage tower, and Raffaelli had no idea where he currently was.
However, Longfellow was responsible for appraising treasures at the City Alliance's largest auction. That auction, attended by countless dignitaries and wealthy elites, would begin in ten days.
If Barrett and his companions could obtain admission to the auction, they would be able to find Longfellow and ask him about skyship technology.
"The once-in-a-decade sea route to Dragon Island is about to open, and the auction will feature rare treasures brought back from there," Raffaelli explained. "Only true members of high society are allowed to attend. Countless members of the nouveau riche would do anything to force their way inside, yet they still can't secure an invitation."
His eyes gleamed as he spoke of Dragon Island. Even as a high-ranking mage, he could barely contain his anticipation.
According to him, Dragon Island was a mysterious, moving island hidden somewhere in the vast ocean—a miraculous land countless people dreamed of visiting. Its allure rivaled even the lost treasures of the Eight Greed Kings.
Countless expeditions had sailed out across the vast sea in search of the island, but not one had ever managed to find it.
Once every ten years, Dragon Island opened trade with the City Alliance, bringing with it countless exotic treasures and igniting a buying frenzy among the wealthy members of high society.
After thanking Raffaelli, the trio agreed to meet him somewhere private the following day to conduct their business.
Raffaelli also planned to invite several of his friends so that they could purchase antiques and magic items recovered from the Desert of the Eight Greed Kings.