The Strongest Gun Magus: I Cast Bullet!-Chapter 62: The Manuals Not for Reynard

First, Reynard went to the Snow Trade Emissary to see what the more official channels had to offer.

Like before, Norton spoke with him and answered his question, although Reynard wasn’t sure he liked the answer.

The Order of Snow was ready to sell a Manual of Snow Turns Ice refinement technique. It was a technique made mostly with Water Magi in mind, but Norton assured Reynard that many magi with other dominant Elemental Affinities used it too.

And it cost "only" fifteen thousand gold. Just like the Bound Flame manual.

Reynard told Norton that he would think about it.

Next, he invited Marien for a private dinner and an important conversation. He still didn’t tell her about Children of the Frost...

***

"A secret society wants to speak with me, but they couldn’t bother to give me an invitation? I don’t see why I should bother, then. If they want my respect, they should give it first!" Marien said haughtily.

Reynard grinned.

"That’s the spirit, my princess! And if you feel like a silent treatment isn’t bad enough for the Children of the Frost, I can arrange a meeting for you. Their leader gave me a communication artifact."

"An artifact? Let me look at it!"

Like usual, a new trinket put a shine in Marien’s eyes. She also listened with great interest about Reynard’s successes and failures in smithing the magical gold.

"I can’t wait to see what you will make out of it. Surely, it will be something wondrous, dear... A golden gun! You will have to let me use it. At least a little!" She sighed dreamily. "I will leave you the reloading. That part is too bothersome."

Reynarg snickered.

"And good thing, too, or you would’ve taken all my guns away from me..."

Marien huffed.

"So what? I deserve them, and more. It’s my birthright!"

Reynard turned away to hide how his smile widened. When he looked at Marien again, she was looking at him thoughtfully.

"You mentioned that your current refinement technique isn’t enough for your needs. I will ask the Order of Winter about something better-suited for you. I think they should let me at least look at their less precious manuals."

"Thank you, beautiful. It seems hard to find something made with Pure Earth Magi in mind..."

Marien shrugged.

"Pure Affinities are rare as they are. It’s no wonder that most manuals are made with a mix of affinities in mind. And the local magical orders are founded by a Loremaster of Frost. I think Water Affinity and Wind Affinity are the most popular here. But we will see yet! And spring is almost here. Soon, traders will start coming in and out, and there will be auctions!"

It was true—lately, the weather was slowly turning less snowy. But the change was so gradual that Reynard had a hard time telling whether he wasn’t imagining it.

He wondered whether the Order of Snow’s buildings would be covered in snow even in summer.

***

In a couple of days, Marien brought disappointing news: all manuals she theoretically could buy from the Order of Winter were low-grade things made for Nigredo magi.

"And I hoped to get something for myself, too!" Marien added.

So Reynard returned to the privacy of his workshop and took the bird pendant from Amelia. He activated it with some mana.

"Hi? Does that thing work?"

Reynard waited for a response.

And waited.

And waited.

Reynard added some mana to the pendant, but it was already glowing. And working, presumably.

He was feeling like a fool.

"Hello, Mister Faust. I hope I didn’t make you wait?" the pendant purred with Amelia’s voice. It sounded as if she were far away.

’Phew! This thing seems to work almost like a walkie-talkie... And, shit, that voice... It’s too good. It would’ve sounded way worse through an actual radio!’

Reynard jolted and put the pendant closer to his mouth.

"It’s nothing. Miss Amelia, I won’t waste your time—tell me, can you get me a good refinement technique for Earth Magi?"

She made him wait for a response again.

"I assume that you have already heard about the Snow Turns Ice technique?"

"Uh... Yes, but I wondered if there’s something better."

"Understandable. Earlier stages of a person’s refinement can affect the later stages greatly. In my family, there’s a saying—a spring’s flower bloom is assured in winter, and a Loremaster’s refinement starts on a Mortal stage. This is something the Loremaster of Frost herself liked to tell her students."

Reynard nodded a couple of times, then realized that Amelia couldn’t see him. But she was continuing anyway.

"She also left a special refinement manual, one she had made for her own son. It’s said to work best for Wind Magi, but also for Earth Magi. Sadly, because of its special nature, the manual exists as a single copy, and no other copies can be made. But... I can arrange for you to borrow it for a period of time. It won’t be easy, so I will require a large compensation, though. Not in gold alone. You will owe me."

"Is that manual really so precious?" Reynard couldn’t help but wonder.

"It is," Amelia said with iron-like assurance. "You won’t ever find a thing like that on public auctions, and the Orders of Winter, which currently holds it, won’t show it to outsiders. I only offer you this opportunity, Mister Faust, because I believe that we can become very... close... allies."

Reynard felt hot all over. Again.

"And how much gold?"

"Three thousand. Which you can afford, as I know."

Now he was choking on air.

’Why is everything so damn expensive?! I will need money for magic-filled materials, too! How am I supposed to afford refinement, if I spent all my money on the manual?!’

Still...

Reynard closed his eyes, doubting.

’A manual made by a Loremaster. A magus who ascended to divinity and created her own magic. Even the simple ice arrows I can cast have been invented based on spells based on spells based on Loremaster of Frost’s magic! Can I really let this opportunity pass?’