It wasn't that far-fetched. Darius had literally held a tome boredly and turned it into a perfect quality manual where just reading half of it had successfully increased Foldo's Intellect stat by 2 points, bringing him to 19.
Darius estimated that once his first apprentice hit 20 in that stat, he could try for the Journeyman stage. Of course, Foldo had no numerical value to measure his Intellect, as that was unique to the Supreme System.
However, Darius was still greatly envious. Foldo and other denizens of Faust could grow their stats organically by reading spell tomes and learning/practicing spells.
On the other hand, it didn't matter how talented Darius could have been or if he could have raised his Intellect organically faster on his own. Caesar had bluntly told him that he would forego all organic growth for artificial growth with Ability Points.
Darius was tied to the system and its rules, good and bad. Of course, he couldn't complain as this very same system had also allowed him to reach 50 points Intellect in the span of 7 days, a feat that no amount of organic growth would ever be able to emulate.
In case he had been a rare genius that only appeared once every millennium, it should have still taken Darius weeks and months to reach his current level, not to mention years or decades if he would have just been averagely talented.
"Stand Foldo, and hear my name. I am Darius Stone, your master in this life and forevermore. See to it that my will is carried out." Darius said as he removed his cloak to let his first follower glimpse at his face.
Foldo's face twisted in even more shock as he began to sweat profusely. "So young… so talented… my god!"
Darius once again saw the fellow's affection increase, this time to worship level 2. Foldo was almost feverish with glee as he felt that all his suffering in life had led to this single moment, this single choice that would liberate him from his trappings.
This 13-year-old master of his, at such a tender age, had enough Mind Power to rival an Adept Mage. If he was already so talented what would happen in a couple of years when his master turned 18, what kind of power would he have? Master? Grandmaster?
And he was his first follower! Foldo quelled his excitement as he remembered the kind of person Darius was. Cruel, pragmatic, and evil from the plan he outlined earlier, he was someone to be made an ally, never an enemy.
Foldo engraved that into his heart and rose to his feet. "Master Darius, is there anything you need in particular? Any tome, service, or good that would interest you?"
Darius remembered that Foldo was a smuggler and a bandit who used to manage a black market, so he would definitely have some good items.
"Right, let me see your inventory. Oh, and do you happen to have any slaves?" Darius asked with a pleased smile.
Foldo nodded. "Yes, Master Darius. We have captured some guards, and ladies from various raids to be sold in the slave market in Ando City. Would you like to peruse them first?"
Darius shook his head. "No rush, let's take our time. First, take me through your selection of rarest goods. One thing I should make clear is that I also dabble in Itemancing."
Foldo had a questioning expression. "Uh… huh. An Itemancer?"
Darius grinned and turned back to Foldo who was following behind him slowly. "Think of it as the highest level of an appraiser. There is nothing I cannot see the true value of, hence why I asked to see your rarest and most bizarre goods."
Foldo shook visibly. An appraiser! God, he's an appraiser too?! Just what was the limit of his current master at a mere age of 13?
Appraisers were rare and very difficult to contract since there were endless items that needed appraising but not enough people who stably could.
This was true. The Itemancer class was a Supreme class not because of his Transmutation Ability or the System Brand. Those were just extras that Vena had gifted Darius to begin his journey, and they could easily have come out as something else.
So what qualified an Itemancer to be a Supreme class? It was the Analyze skill and its superiority! Even if Darius had never gained a subclass, he could have simply headed straight to one of the towns or cities and opened an appraisal shop.
Given his ability, within a month he would have been guaranteed to become richer than most nobles, at which point he could have chosen to awaken using a Scroll of Awakening.
Naturally, with his guaranteed level of wealth, he could have similarly gained a combat class 'spark' through potions or other means.
Faust was a world of magic, containing a variety of continents with different climates, traditions, and creations, so there were bound to be unique things in circulation that no one else could identify.
The simple plate an old lady kept in her tea set could actually turn out to be a Void Dimension plate that allowed a user to create a small sub-space to which only the user would know the co-ordinates.
The rusty axe of a weapon vendor inside a city could perhaps hide the secret of a Weapon Art on the same level as the Darius' Lancer Arts. The possibilities were endless!
This was why Foldo was excited, for he had many unknown items that his clients had refused to buy because nobody actually knew what they did.
All contraband was intrinsically valuable, but without the know-how how to use certain items, especially with the scarcity of appraisers, those clients would end up with nothing but decorative trinkets.
The duo returned to the pantry and climbed up the stairs to enter Foldo's office located near the northernmost end of the building. Upon entry to his office, Darius seated himself on the visitor's couch while Foldo had some servants prepare refreshments.
"Inform everyone that they are to resume their livelihoods. This person here is my new mage Master, a powerful Adept mage who wishes to use our establishment for his own goals. If you see him, always adhere to his orders as he is to me, what I am to you." Foldo informed the servants. "No, tell them to treat him with even more respect than me!"
The servants shook and bowed to Darius. They were also astounded at seeing such a young Adept mage, yet simultaneously felt excited for this was a very powerful backing they had acquired!
Once they left, Foldo personally served Darius some tea and prepared a plate of biscuits for him as the older man sat across. From within his suit jacket, he pulled out a small leather pouch that looked like it could barely hold a few coins.
He gently placed it on the table as Darius lazily Inspected the pouch out of habit.
[Bag of Holding - Storage
Durability: 10/10
Quality: Average
Description: A unique creation created by enchanting a bag with spatial magic that allows a user to store items in a pressurized sub-space. This item can store up to 50 things and reduces their weight to 1% of the total.]
Darius raised an eyebrow. So, it was the fabled Bag of Holding, huh? He definitely heard of this item as it was quite common in settings like this, and it was a makeshift means to make storage easier for denizens of such worlds.
Darius also knew that this kind of item should be very expensive, which further proved that Foldo was a man of good means. He began to look forward to the kind of things Foldo would take out for him to appraise.
The older man wasted no time in doing so too. He carefully took out 10 items first, placing them on the table before Darius one by one.
Darius was in no rush to Analyze them. He waited for Foldo to withdraw the items he felt he needed to appraise and let the man introduce them one by one.
Foldo pointed to a strange pocket watch that glowed with a kaleidoscope of colors. "I've acquired this item from an elven family that was on the run from some enemies. In exchange for smuggling them out of the area, they paid a hefty sum."
Foldo suddenly smiled. "Of course, I had them drugged and shackled to become slaves. In my entire career, I've never made as much profit as I did that week, haha."
Foldo then held up an egg-shaped stone that looked similar to marble. "This was sold to me for the price of 300 bronze by a hunter who found it in an abandoned nest."
The next item the older man picked up was a strange rectangular device, which Darius identified easily without even needing to Analyze it. "This is a strange device that was smuggled from the Gravitas Continent. Contraband from there is the hardest to get our hands on due to their extreme xenophobia and the absurdity of their creations."
Foldo placed the item down and picked another, which was a small ornate dagger, lined with rubies at the hilt and a blade-edge that was colored black. "As for this, I know where it's from and some of its history. However, I don't know what exactly it does or how to use it."
Foldo then switched to a tattered scroll that looked like it would crumble to ash if not handled properly. "This one I obtained here, in the outskirts of Andrato. There was a strange outbreak of Undead in the past which caused me many losses. When the necromancer responsible was found and killed, it was found on his person."
Next was a small quill that had a glowing feather as its shaft. The feather seemed to radiate intense warmth that heated up the room. "I know this to be a quill made from the legendary feathers of a Phoenix. There was no way I could buy something like this, so I had to steal it from a client who wanted to auction it at the black market and kill them."
Foldo held up an arrow that had a weird heart-shaped head and its shaft was a bright pink color. Its fletchings were frilly and seemed impossible to fire from a bow competently, almost like this was a prop.
"As much as I want to believe that this is a child's toy, there have been some strange phenomena occurring around it that makes me believe there's more to it."
He then gestured to a tome that sat on the table. The book looked positively malevolent, with a strange and dangerous blackish energy coiling around it as it shook on the table, trying to break its bindings.
"This item is a demonic tome of some sorts, that much I know. However, you can understand why I am hesitant to open it and find out what exactly it does."
Foldo sighed and then looked at the last but one item on the table, which was a chromium coin. "This is another piece of rare contraband from Gravitas."
And then, the final item; a strange ruby that seemed hollow in the middle. "This one is believed to be the former phylactery of a Lich, but after being purified, I have no idea whether it has any use besides acting as a trophy of sorts."
Darius, who had silently listened to the introductions of the items so far, smiled and nodded when it came to an end. "Do not worry, I shall identify all these items for you, as well as how they function if possible."
Foldo looked relieved and relaxed into his couch as he waited for Darius to begin. For that matter, Darius went ahead and Analyzed the first item he was introduced to, the rainbow pocketwatch.
[A Stitch in Time - Unique
Durability: 300/300
Quality: Perfect
Uses: 9
Description: A legendary creation of Alchemy, Magic, and Enchantment, this pocket watch is said to be able to reverse time by a certain amount, returning its user to a point in the past where they could avoid a currently occurring danger.]
Darius' lazy glance he gave the watch sharpened and his eyes gleamed. Foldo noticed his look and his heart began to thump. Had his master found out something special about the item?
"Foldo." Darius called nonchalantly.
"Yes, Master." Foldo replied dutifully.
"Please make sure there are no unwanted eyes or ears in the area, for what we are about to discuss is very crucial."
"Right away, Master." Foldo replied as he rang a bell.
Nothing visibly happened when he did so, yet Darius felt the area had become… quieter and more muted. His ears even began to buzz a little, which interested him, but he had another agenda.
"First things first, Foldo. I shall appraise all the items in a row and tell you of their features. After I tell you, I will never again repeat them for they must not be heard by any man lest the Gods themselves come down to raid you."
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