Infinite Mage [Remake]-Chapter 171: Noor’s Sanctuary (Part 1)

The field was buried in the ruins of a relic. A shallow stream flowed, and wildflowers bloomed along the banks.

The relic site, aged with time, felt more comforting than desolate. Butterflies flew between the tilted arches, and a few people were resting.

Arriving at the Noor's Sanctuary, Shirone examined the arrival point.

Light was descending like a spotlight. Looking closer, light spirits flew along the pillar of light.

The ancient magic, Elaiser, seemed to be a spell that moved from light to light.

Shirone: "Is this the Noor's Sanctuary?"

Guardrak: "Yes. It's a place where light spirits gather strongly. It can transport hundreds of Noor. I heard it was once the site of an ancient light altar, and its remnants remain."

Shirone: "It's more peaceful than I thought. Is it safe from the attacks of Heavenly Outsiders or heretic hunts?"

Guardrak: "It's not that far away. But we've set up a light barrier to conceal it. From outside the Noor's Sanctuary, it just looks like a field."

It was similar to the principle of invisibility magic.

Invisibility bends light using electrical power to make something transparent. But here, the light's reflectivity was set to 100%, making it blend with the landscape like a mirror.

Someone with a keen eye might find repeating patterns, but it was unlikely anyone would do such work in this vast land.

Guardrak: "Of course, the higher beings of Heaven could find it if they tried. But no one cares about life in Purgatory. Only the Kergoin and the hungry Heavenly Outsiders cause trouble."

Near the forest, a makeshift tent village had formed. Merchants with stalls were also visible. There were no customers, but they seemed to have no intention of selling, casually chatting.

Guardrak explained that they were merchants heading to the mainland's shop. It was just a rest stop, and to find proper goods, one had to go to the Noor's Shop.

Still, believers sometimes came to obtain Noor items, and Kanya and Rena were among them.

Kanya had been tense since arriving. If Purgatory was a neutral zone, this was the heretics' territory.

Perhaps that's why she didn't even make eye contact with Shirone's group and asked Guardrak.

Kanya: "Where do they sell Noor medicine?"

Guardrak: "Hmm, is the herbalist here? Look over there."

As Kanya walked away, Guardrak called out behind her.

Guardrak: "Remember one thing. Never fight in the Noor's Sanctuary. Got it?"

No answer came. Instead, Rena turned to Shirone and smiled sweetly. It was a kind gesture to smooth over her sister's rudeness, but there was also a hint of the girl's affection.

Rena: "See you later, oppa."

Shirone: "Sure. I hope you find what you're looking for."

The Noor's Sanctuary wasn't that large, but since conversation was impossible outside Aarin's Spirit Zone radius, it was as good as a farewell.

Shirone watched Kanya's retreating figure.

She seemed anxious.

What had she left Heaven to find?

As Shirone pondered, Guardrak examined the wound on his abdomen. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was a mess. Without proper treatment, it could be dangerous.

Guardrak: "I'll rest for a bit. Losing blood has made me tired. Clove will tell you how to buy things. You'll need to know if you're going to live in Purgatory."

Seeing the master's pale face, Clove couldn't refuse. Taking Shirone's group to the stalls, he noticed there were more merchants than usual and his eyes lit up.

Clove: "Hey, about the White Elixirs, are you going to use them now?"

Shirone: "Not sure. I'll look at the goods first and buy what I need. Why?"

Clove: "If you're willing to pay a brokerage fee, I can negotiate for you. You're new here, so you wouldn't know what's good, right?"

There weren't many things one could buy with White Elixirs at the Noor's Sanctuary. It was like paying with gold coins for an apple.

But since Shirone didn't know what was valuable, there was a good chance of getting some crumbs if he negotiated well with the merchants.

Shirone checked his friends' positions. They were scattered, browsing goods. Since they were connected by a mental channel, there was no need to gather them.

Shirone (mentally): "Clove is asking for a brokerage fee. What should we do?"

Amy (mentally): "Not sure. We might need a broker. Honestly, I don't know what's what among the things sold here except for clothes and food. But can we trust him?"

Aarin (mentally): "I can figure that out."

Shirone made a decision.

If they used mental probing, they could tell if Clove was trying to cheat them. But he hoped it wouldn't come to that. They could pay the fee, but wasting time on unnecessary emotional conflicts was a loss for both sides.

Shirone: "Alright, let's walk around together. Show me what's available."

As Clove led the way, the friends gathered around Shirone.

Since many mainland merchants were included, the variety of items was diverse.

First, there were daily necessities. Food, clothing, pillows, and blankets seemed common, but they were important to heretics living in Purgatory.

Clove pointed to a white bread that looked like a pebble.

Clove: "This is the heretic's travel essential, Cala. It's food made from Elixirs, and just one can keep you full all day."

Amy crouched down to examine it.

There were various colors, but aside from that, there was nothing distinctive, making it hard to guess the taste.

If one Cala could solve a day's meals, it was a good item, but whether it was a top priority purchase was another matter.

Amy: "Hmm, it's cute and round. Should I try one?"

As Amy baited him, Clove bit immediately. His words would reveal how sincerely he was brokering.

Clove: "This is an amazing item. Even if you're stranded in the wilderness, you can last a month with just this. It's best to buy as many as you can while you can."

Then, Clove winked at the merchant.

Aarin scratched her head in dismay. The mental probing was so blatant it didn't even need analysis.

Assuming her friends knew as well, she skipped the miscellaneous explanations and went straight to the conclusion.

Aarin (mentally): "Should we just do it ourselves? It doesn't seem like this guy is serious."

Amy (mentally): "Seems like it. But let's keep him around for now. Who would have thought these pebbles were food? Anyway, we need someone to introduce the items. He's not lying, right?"

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Aarin (mentally): "Right. He just wants to earn some Elixirs. He must really want them. Seeing him like this, I feel a bit sorry for him."

Canis chuckled.

That must be it. Forget magic for a moment—his situational judgment and quick decision-making are severely lacking. Could someone like that even hunt properly? That's why I'm even more tempted.

The power of magic varies greatly depending on the level, but it can't be the sole criterion for determining superiority. The efficiency of magic differs depending on the environment and situation, and there are also compatibility issues.

Even though the Vortex Serpent's magical power was overwhelming, it was defeated by Shirone for the same reason.

To gauge a mage's level, you need to see how quickly and accurately they can make magical judgments.

Of course, that aspect takes even longer to develop than magic itself. There are countless stories of mercenaries being wiped out because they hired mages based solely on visible magical prowess, only to fall victim to the mage's mistakes.

Canis, who had traveled the continent in search of Arcane's legacy, had more experience with this than anyone else.

After reviewing the three battles that took place after arriving in Heaven, it was clear how crucial Shirone and Amy's decisions had been. In comparison, Clove's level was almost embarrassing to call him a mage.

Next, Clove introduced them to a stall selling potions.

Shirone had overheard the apothecary arguing with Kanya earlier, but the mental channel had been cut off, so he couldn't understand what they were saying.

Clove introduced the group to various potions.

Small vials contained colorful liquids, all made using Elixirs, he explained.

The red potion healed wounds, and the blue potion cleared the mind. Those two were the most common.

The other colored potions had unique effects as well.

The pink potion amplified feelings of love, and the brown potion allowed one to permanently remember a specific moment in time.

Shirone pointed to the white potion he had seen during Kanya's argument with the apothecary.

Shirone: "What's this potion?"

Clove narrowed his eyes in surprise and picked up the vial.

Clove: "Huh? This was here? This one's pretty hard to make."

Shirone: "What's it used for?"

Clove: "It's a stimulant. Epines, the stimulant. If you drink this, you can stay awake for a week without needing sleep. It's also highly effective for mages. For example, if you're mentally shaken by a Howling, this can help you hold on."

Shirone processed Clove's explanation. If the blue potion enhanced magical power, the white potion seemed to boost endurance.

Clove: "This is perfect for you guys. It's expensive, but I'll get you a discount. How about buying it?"

Shirone had no intention of buying Epines. While it was clearly effective for maintaining mental strength without sleep for a week, bringing consumables back to their original world would be a waste.

If it were a one-of-a-kind item, timing its use would be tricky. In Purgatory, you might gulp it down in emergencies, but for mages in their world, it could become a burden.

For a moment, Shirone thought it would be amazing to take before a practical exam, but he dismissed the idea, fearing expulsion for using banned substances.

After his idle analysis, his thoughts returned to Kanya.

Stimulant.

What exactly was she planning to do with this potion?

By the time Shirone snapped out of his thoughts, the group had moved on to the next stall.

There were seeds that grew into vines dozens of meters long in under ten minutes, essential for traveling through rocky terrain, and powders that made water boil when sprinkled—all fascinating.

As Shirone listened to Clove's explanations, he noticed Amy had wandered off and was staring intently at something.

Curious, Shirone walked over.

Inside a cage-like basket, something was moving around. It was a ball of fire.

Was the fire alive?

When Clove approached, Shirone pointed to the iron bars and asked.

Shirone: "What's this?"

Clove, who had been peering into the cage, widened his eyes in surprise, as if he hadn't seen anything like it before.

Clove: "Wow! It's a spirit! Sir, where did you catch this? You've hit the jackpot."

The merchant laughed heartily.

Merchant: "Haha! It's a long story. I had a good dream for the first time in a while, so I went hunting outside the community. Sulfur worms have a low chance of dropping Green Elixirs, you see. So I caught a few, but they all dropped Red ones. Damn, what a waste of a dream. Just as I was about to head back, I ran into a 'Fire Claw.' I ran for my life, thinking of my wife. Then I fell off a cliff, and guess what? It was a flame hotspot! Sulfur gas had been leaking from the ground, keeping the fire burning for years. I was about to drink a brown potion to remember it, but the fire started bouncing toward me. I just sprayed it. In a frenzy, I pulled out a spirit cage and caught it. Anyway, that's how it happened, hahaha!"

Clove wasn't in the mood to laugh along. He was just bitter that such opportunities never came his way.

Sulfur worms were extraterrestrial creatures commonly found not only in the land of fire, Muspel, but also in any lava region.

They were one-meter-long worms that spewed lava, but their slow movements made them easy for even Clove to catch.

The problem was the Fire Claw. Not only had the merchant survived an encounter with such a powerful creature, but he had also obtained a fire spirit. It seemed like he was born under a lucky star.

Shirone glanced at Amy. She was looking at him with a helpless expression.

Shirone fully understood her desire.

If a light spirit had been trapped in that cage, he wouldn't have known how he'd react either.

For the first time, Shirone seriously asked about the price.

Shirone: "Sir, how much is this?"

Communicating via telepathy was unfamiliar even to the merchant. But he just blinked and responded calmly.

One might think that's just how merchants are, but Shirone inferred one possibility from his reaction.

Those who didn't use the language of the citizens might not be the only ones in this world.