Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

Eustace squinted his eyes as he tried recalling any information about the Blackheart Stone… However, the closest alchemy materials he could remember were the Shadowheart Stone, Blackbrain Gem, and Petrified Heart. He couldn't recall any Blackheart Stone at all.

Nevertheless, he remained silent as he allowed the old Appraiser to continue.

Analyzing the stone's properties, the Appraiser continued.

"The Blackheart Stone possesses an uncanny ability to amplify dark magic and tap into the dark desires of their target. If used by Alchemist, it holds the potential to strengthen spells of concealment and manipulation, making it highly sought after by those involved in espionage or stealthy endeavors. This item is something the Vessels of the Dark Arts Faction would want. I would estimate its initial value to be 20,000 zen… However, if we get the faction involved, its price could easily reach 80,000 zen or more."

The room buzzed with excitement as the appraisal of the Emberstrike Feather and the Blackheart Stone revealed their immense value and potential.

The customers and the Manager sighed in amazement, realizing the tremendous opportunities that lay before them.

The two who had their items appraised were even considering to start negotiating with Vale.

However, Eustace seemed to have questions about the appraisal.

"I didn't expect this stone to be so valuable… When you said that it can tap into the dark desires of the target, may I ask what you mean by that?" He asked.

The old Appraiser thought for a moment before he answered.

"It means that you can draw out anyone's deepest, darkest secrets and desires with the help of this stone… If those Mind Controllers used this, their powers would be amplified by three—no, five times, I believe."

Eustace wryly smiled at this as he hesitated whether to really sell this item. He just thought it was related to Dark Magic, which wasn't that impressive initially.

Nevertheless, he maintained a calm demeanor and expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you for your evaluation… I'm willing to pay the fee."

The Manager couldn't just give up after hearing this. As someone working in this business for a long time, she knew that she just had to continue negotiating.

"The Appraisal Fee is free if you consider selling any of your three items here. Well, we can tell you're a Summoner. I doubt that you will need these items... It is also not safe to carry these items with you for a long time. They have negative effects, and if they do not receive the correct maintenance, their effects could weaken or even cause self-destruction and become trash…" The Manager immediately said.

Seeing that Eustace wasn't showing any reaction, she continued.

"You may have a way to maintain them, but for how long would you continue doing that? I think selling them now would be better. Of course, I have another option for you."

"Mhmm? What's the other option?" Eustace asked.

Maurine finally smiled as she continued. "If you want, we can do a trade… If you still have some spare pages in your Grimoire, we can do a Summon Transfer. We have Summoners in our club, and they are looking for a way to dispose of their Summons in exchange for money… As you know, getting a Summon is quite challenging and has many requirements. The Transfer is the quickest way to obtain Summons. It's unethical, but if money is involved, it could be easily done."

Eustace was a bit stunned since he didn't know it was possible to do that.

He thought of asking for the price of the Moonlight Fairy in his Grimoire, but he immediately shook his head. It doesn't feel right to him if he sells the cute and grumpy Fairy.

Anyway, it would be weird if he wasn't interested in this type of transaction since he was currently assuming the identity of a Summoner.

"This is indeed an interesting offer… Let's do that instead…" Eustace replied.

The Manager nodded in excitement as soon as she saw an opportunity. She had been wanting to get rid of those summons.

However, she explained that they would need to move to a separate room where the Grimoires were kept.

Then, Maurine swiftly concluded the deal with the two other customers who had brought the Blue Scream Staff and the Soul-Capturing Dagger to the Gold Club.

Once the formalities were completed, Maurine led Eustace to her office on the third floor. She graciously served him chamomile tea, which Eustace surprisingly found refreshing after the wine he had consumed earlier.

As he sipped the tea, Eustace observed his surroundings, confirming that Maurine appeared to be a trustworthy individual. The Formation Arts he noticed were deactivated, and he detected no signs of anything amiss with the tea.

Maurine seemed genuinely interested in facilitating the trade, unlike a certain female professor at the Academy who had ulterior motives.

In due time, a waiter from the first floor arrived, carrying three Grimoires.

Maurine introduced the Grimoires to Eustace, explaining their origins. "These three Grimoires come from three different Summoners. Each Grimoire contains over 50 summons, offering you a wide range of choices. They are priced differently based on the number of Abilities they possess, whether active or not."

Eustace found the concept intriguing and commented… "Interesting."

He initially thought the Summons would have a proper grading system.

Anyway, Maurine further elaborated on the pricing structure. "The value of a Summon is determined by the number of Abilities it possesses. A one-ability Summon is priced at 3,000 zen, a two-ability Summon at 5,000 zen, a three-ability Summon at 10,000 zen, and a four-ability Summon at 40,000 zen."

Eustace was a bit surprised by a steep increase in the price once it reached four abilities.

He couldn't help but recall that his Moonlight Fairy has four abilities, though two of them are Inactive.

"So, the four-ability Summons are the highest we can find…"

Maurine nodded. "At the very least, in these three Grimoires, the highest you can see are the four-ability ones... If you happen to come across a five-ability Summon, its value could exceed a hundred thousand zen. As for the six-ability Summons, they are usually life-bound to the Grimoire itself and could not be traded."