High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 120: Chapter 44 Gold Card Customer_1

”Ding! Ding! Ding!”

The wandering wizard attracted everyone’s attention by tapping his high-stemmed cup with his sharp fingernails.

Zheng Qing noticed that the liquid in his glass was transparent, with golden glimmers wafting within it like tiny fish, causing ripples as they floated around.

”Young wizards, I am delighted that you have accepted the invitation to listen to an old man’s prattle,” the wandering wizard began.

Mild laughter filled the room at his words.

Zheng Qing, too, laughed and sat up straighter.

”First, let’s raise our glasses to Zheng Qing’s courageous and outstanding performance just now. To a rising talisman master, ’Bao You Ming Zhi, Zi Tian Shen Zhi!’” the wandering wizard proposed, holding his burgundy glass aloft.

”Junzi Wannian, Jie Er Jingfu!” came the response.

”Junzi Wannian, Jie Er Zhaoming!” another voice joined in.

Everyone stood up and chimed in with loud blessings.

Zheng Qing was taken aback, surprised by this sudden spotlight.

”What’s this...?” he stammered nervously, clutching his own cup and glancing around at the crowd.

His three friends were solemn, each taking a respectful sip from their glasses.

”There’s nothing wrong with it!” the wandering wizard interrupted him, turning to face the multi-arm tribe attendant who had just entered the room. ”The youngsters from Jiuyou are always so shy,” he commented with a chuckle.

The attendant simply smiled, sat the black lacquer and golden tray on the glass coffee table, and then excused himself.

Zheng Qing seized the opportunity to lean over to Xiao Xiao.

”These are the wizards’ blessings. It’s like wishing you good health, prosperity, and increasing wisdom...you know,” Xiao Xiao explained in response to Zheng Qing’s confused look.

Flushed, Zheng Qing quickly turned his attention to the black lacquer and golden tray on the coffee table.

The tray was covered with a red silk cloth, the same shade as his own robes. The wandering wizard lifted the cloth to reveal a golden card.

”This is the VIP gold card of the Wandering Bar. With this card, any spendings in my bar will be halved,” the wandering wizard paused for emphasis, ”Any spending.”

Zheng Qing immediately grasped the implication.

To the students of Jiuyou Academy, the Wandering Bar was not only a place to drink but also a secretive gray market.

Everything from advanced magic experiment data copied by senior students, forbidden plants smuggled from the Silent Forest, to even items which were officially forbidden such as dragon eggs, siren cubs, or human ghouls could be found there, complete with willing sellers.

Able to purchase items at half price and potentially sell them off for upwards of seventy to eighty percent of their value, he could easily make a decent profit!

Even if he didn’t indulge in the illegal trade, the mere buying and selling of rare items would be enough to make a small fortune.

Zheng Qing’s mind raced with possibilities. He realized swiftly that if used wisely, this could be his golden goose.

The thought startled him.

He quickly declined, ”No, sir, your gift is too generous. We cannot accept it.”

This time, neither Xin Fat Man nor Zhang Ji Xin interrupted. Clearly, they too were surprised by the wandering wizard’s generous gift.

”Your help for the little spiritual wizard has kept the members of the Great Wizard Council from interfering in my business. It’s a token of gratitude. You need not refuse,” the wandering wizard reassured, patting his law book. The golden card transformed into a golden light and whooshed into Zheng Qing’s robes.

They all froze, taken by surprise.

Zheng Qing’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Was it possible that they had done something extraordinary unintentionally?

”Actually, I’m more interested in your talent for making talismans,” the wandering wizard commented, sensing Zheng Qing’s unease. ”You’ve clearly received excellent training; your fundamentals are very solid. This is rare amongst young wizards. Without thousands of rounds of practice, one wouldn’t have this kind of skill.”

Zheng Qing pulled himself together, his face lit up with pride. This praise was well-deserved.

”Everyone saw your performance in the hall. You should be proud of your maturity at such a young age,” the wandering wizard continued approvingly. ”Well done...You’ve earned this card.”

”Thank you.” Despite receiving many compliments already, Zheng Qing was still a little embarrassed.

”Of course, this card is only valid for one term,” the wandering wizard added, motioning for Zheng Qing not to rush. ”If you wish to use it next term, you’ll need to contribute to the required number of points.”

At this, Xiao Xiao raised his eyebrows, seemingly unsurprised.

”Points?” Zheng Qing scowled.

As a student at Jiuyou Academy, he was not fond of anything related to grades.

”Not academic credits,” the wandering wizard laughed. Tapping his floating law book, he refilled their glasses, then clarified, ”Every jade coin you spend in the bar, or through the bar’s transactions, is equivalent to one point. Any customer who accumulates 1000 points in a term can continue enjoying the privileges associated with the gold card.”

Zheng Qing gasped, laying a hand on the pocket holding the card. He didn’t think he could spend a thousand jade coins in a single term.

His relationship with the gold card might just last for a term.

”This is a great idea,” Xiao Xiao remarked thoughtfully, gazing at his wine glass.

Xin Fat Man and Zhang Ji Xin were silent, their mouths full of snacks. They simply nodded at the comment.

Zheng Qing frowned, looking at them questioningly.

”You could pick out the talismans you practiced on and sell them at the Wandering Bar. I’m sure they’d offer a good price,” Xiao Xiao advised.

”You can trust the price we offer – 20% above the market value,” the wandering wizard jumped in immediately. ”There’s no limit on the type or number of talismans. If you need money quickly, we can buy your talismans outright... of course, there will be a small fee... Your talismans are very good; larger quantities could even allow for a little negotiation on the price.”

Zheng Qing quickly accepted the offer.

He happily rubbed the card in his pocket; the future looked like a golden path.

”Actually, I’m very interested in the person who taught you the art of making talismans,” the wandering wizard suddenly asked, looking at Zheng Qing. ”May I have the honor of meeting him?”

Xiao Xiao perked up at that. He, too, was curious about Zheng Qing’s mysterious teacher.

”I would need to seek his permission for that,” Zheng Qing replied noncommittally. ”I can’t just throw around his name.”

He surely couldn’t tell the wandering wizard that he didn’t know anything about his teacher beyond his surname, Wu.

”No worries, there’s plenty of time,” the wandering wizard shrugged off Zheng Qing’s refusal and changed the topic. ”A few unexpected guests just came to the bar; you might be interested.”

He flipped through his law book and projected a three-dimensional image into the room.

Arthur·Ness and his companions appeared before the young wizards.