บท 8: 8. Necromancy
In the movie Dorothy watched in her previous life, there was a rather interesting aspect about magic wands; it was not the wizards who chose the wands, but the wands that chose the wizards.
In the Witch World, there was indeed a similar saying, but essentially, it meant that Divine Weapons had spirituality and automatically chose their own masters. However, this concept mainly applied to spellcasters of otherworldly races, not so much to witches.
Because no unclaimed magic wand would ever refuse a witch as its master.
Well, having high Talent really allowed one to do whatever they wanted.
Just as a billionaire would agonize over which luxury car to drive out of his garage, witches would also be troubled because they, unlike spellcasters of other races, couldn't rely on the wands' autonomy in choosing their owners to pick the most suitable wand for themselves.
Therefore, at such times, listening to a skilled Wand Master's advice was very crucial. Masters would select a wand from their creations that had the highest compatibility with the witch's innate talents.
According to Alice, the elderly gentleman shop owner, Odell, standing before her, was such a Wand Master. Her own wand was previously recommended by the old man, and her experience over the years had been flawless—each spell execution felt as smooth as silk, with magic flowing seamlessly. She directly gave him a glowing five-star review.
Seeing how passionately her sister praised this old man's craftsmanship, Dorothy naturally felt some anticipation about the wand the old man would recommend for her.
To speak of an embarrassment, being almost an adult and still using a beginner wand was truly rare among witches, bordering on being unique. After all, a wand is essential for casting spells, a necessity in life. Should it feel inconvenient, it could be as frustrating as her previous life's old smartphone—prone to freezing and crashing.
Over the years, Dorothy had thought about changing her wand more than once, but she had ultimately refrained.
For one, even in this life, she was still predominantly an internet addict, spending most of her time in the Magic Web Virtual Realm; in that virtual-reality-like environment, she was a top player, clad in divine gear, so a simply functional wand sufficed in reality.
Secondly, using this old wand for casting spells was a form of training for her. She had been intentionally improving her control over magic power and the precision of her spells. That feeling of having to handle with care during every spell to prevent the wand from exploding indeed contributed to her training.
However, such training was no longer of any use to her now. Even now, if she were to cast spells while sleepwalking in the middle of the night, she could perfectly manage every bit of her own magic power without fearing any catastrophic failure of the magic bursting from the wand.
With no further need for such training, she became quite curious about the legendary concept Alice described, where the wand and the wielder were in perfect unison.
Dorothy looked expectantly at the old man as he took her old wand, also curious about what he intended to do with it.
Without further explanation, the old man simply inspected the basic-level wand in his hands and then nodded in satisfaction at Dorothy.
"Well-maintained, it seems, Miss Dorothy, you care greatly for it, don't you? She told me that she is very fond of you as her master," he said.
The old man's words baffled Dorothy, and she looked at him in surprise.
"She? You mean you can talk to the wand?"
Even though she knew this was a fantasy world, talking to an inanimate object still astonished Dorothy.
But after a slight surprise, she understood.
"So you mean my wand has become sentient?"
Dorothy was somewhat excited by this.
In the magic world, it wasn't hard to understand objects becoming sentient. Old objects that held their users' emotions could become sentient if they stayed in a magic-rich environment for a while, though the probability wasn't high. To increase the likelihood of sentience, the emotions invested in the object had to be particularly strong.
As a tool for casting spells, a wand naturally wouldn't lack immersion in magic power, and the wand itself was made of spiritual materials, so it was inherently quite spiritual. Even so, truly sentient magic wands were not common in the Witch World, because the level of emotion required to make an object sentient was challenging to achieve.
Having cared for this old companion for many years, Dorothy naturally cherished it, yet she felt she had not treated it exceptionally; she was just a typical user, herself devoid of deeply traumatic and complicated experiences. Under such circumstances, the wand becoming sentient surprised her, and it also left her conflicted.
After all, she had come here intending to change her wand. If it were merely an object, switching would have been easy; but a sentient item could be regarded as a separate living being. At this moment, changing wands felt equivalent to abandoning a loyal old love for a younger and prettier new one, a notion that filled her with a sense of guilt.
Maybe it didn't matter after all, she thought. With her ability to control magic power, the wand's enhancement was a minor concern; she wasn't a combat-oriented Armed Witch, so having lesser augmentation didn't really affect her.
That's what Dorothy thought to herself.
"Don't worry, Miss Dorothy."
The old man seemed to have noticed Dorothy's dilemma. He smiled at her, his eyes filled with even greater admiration.
"For the Spirit race, the Spiritual Body is the true essence; everything else is just a shell. If you're reluctant to part with this Spiritual Body, you could use it as the smart core of a new Magic Wand. Weren't you planning to buy a smart Magic Wand today?"
"Oh, that's actually possible? Then please, I would appreciate your help with that."
Upon hearing that there was such a solution, Dorothy was overjoyed. She promptly bowed to the old man to express her gratitude.
"There's no need for such formalities. It's my honor to serve someone like Miss Dorothy, who cherishes her Magic Wand. Besides, Psychic Magic Wands are rarely seen even by me. I will create an excellent new form for her. I have a premonition that this piece might be the pinnacle of my lifetime's work."
The old man waved his hand dismissively, but then he seemed to remember something and asked again.
"Custom Magic Wands differ from standard ones, so regarding the cost..."
Alice, standing nearby, started to look troubled upon hearing the old man's question. Her twin pistols were custom Magic Wands, so she knew the price of custom-made ones well. These had been gifts from her mothers when she started school. Back then, her mothers' relationship hadn't yet soured, and the family, formed by two witches, naturally had substantial finances. Nonetheless, that custom order had once caused a major financial strain on her family.
Although Mother Superior had given her quite a bit of money before she left, it would suffice for standard purchases, but customization would be another matter...
The little witch reached into her bag to check how much money was left in her little treasury, considering whether to lend it all to her sister to see if that would help. Unfortunately, her thin wallet left Alice feeling somewhat helpless.
She was never one of those hoarder-type witches. Quite the contrary, she always spent freely; as it killed her, she had no savings. Now she only had some pocket money her mother had just given her for the month, and that was far from enough.
"It seems I'll just have to contact Mother."
Alice thought.
However, before she could act, Dorothy directly pulled out her Identity Card and pushed it toward the old man, then immediately spoke in a very firm voice.
"Please use the finest materials available. Cost isn't a concern. See if this will cover it, and if it's not enough, I'll find another way."
Alright, though she spoke firmly, her face hidden behind her scarf twisted in discomfort.
It was going to hurt financially, she had a premonition that this might cost a great deal of money.
Luckily, as a long-time member of the Hamster Party, saving for future home purchases, it was time for that cursed money to come into play.
Of course, if that still wasn't enough, she'd have no choice but to start selling gear on the Magic Web.
Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that, considering those were her limited edition collectibles she had painstakingly gathered over the years.
Dorothy prayed inwardly.
The old man took her Identity Card, inserted it into the mouth of a brass mechanical cat resembling a beckoning cat on the counter, and a number only he could see bounced in his glasses.
At that moment, the old man's hands trembled slightly, the old gentleman looked at Dorothy with some astonishment and then pulled out the Identity Card and handed it back to her.
"That's more than enough, way more than enough. The most I can make is a High-Rank Magic Wand, not a Legendary one. There's no need for so much."
With that, the old man said no more. He turned and walked into the back of the store to prepare the materials.
Meanwhile, Alice looked dumbfounded at Dorothy.
What? My sister is a rich witch?
The little witch was utterly shocked.
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