Chapter 109: Layman

Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Layman

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t let the joy of success go to her head. Instead, she started pondering the nature of rune making.

These E-level runes were all created using the crafting method for basic F-level runes, just with new materials added.

’And... the new materials I added just so happen to be E-level materials.’

’Could it be that by adding higher-grade materials to the basic ingredients for a rune, you can create a higher-grade rune?’

’Then there’s the issue of rune grades. When I added Moonlight Powder, why did the Fire Drawing Rune and the Blood Stopping Talisman only go up by two sub-levels, while the Corpse Suppression Rune jumped a full three sub-levels?’

Seraphina Sinclair guessed there had to be an underlying logic to it all.

’Right now... even though I’ve supposedly learned Basic Talisman Making, to be perfectly honest, I’m still a complete amateur.’

’And the worst part is, when it comes to how to learn and how to research this, I’m completely in the dark, without a single lead to follow.’

Seraphina Sinclair’s brow furrowed slightly.

Today’s harvest had been substantial, but Seraphina Sinclair couldn’t bring herself to feel happy.

But it was precisely because her gains were so substantial that she was able to realize she had only just scratched the surface of rune making.

Seraphina Sinclair never wasted her energy on excessive introspection. There are two sides to every coin—a blessing in disguise. ’Looking at it from a different angle,’ she thought, ’this could even be a good thing.’

Seraphina Sinclair stood up, her gaze falling upon the Sunflower as she emptied her mind.

After resting for a moment, she remembered the Black Phosphorus Powder she had gotten from selling the Fire Drawing Runes.

’Not only is its description very similar to the Moonlight Powder, but even its grade is the same,’ she thought. ’The runes made from it should be pretty similar.’

Seraphina Sinclair closed her eyes, trying to feel whether she still had it in her to craft an E-level Talisman today.

But she quickly realized that this method was of no damn use.

With a sense of resignation, Seraphina Sinclair took out the materials and added the Black Phosphorus Powder.

’I can’t feel it out, so I’ll just have to try the old-fashioned way.’

The effect of Basic Talisman Making was immense!

Although it had only gone up one level, it was a world of difference from before.

Not only did Seraphina Sinclair successfully craft three new runes, but she also managed to use up all the mixed ingredients.

She named the three new runes herself. Their effects were similar to the ones made with Moonlight Powder, but...

Seraphina Sinclair then noticed something else that was crucial.

The descriptions of the runes made with Moonlight Powder all mentioned the Power of Moonlight, while the runes made with Black Phosphorus Powder all mentioned the Power of Black Fog.

’Familiar...’

’Too familiar.’

Seraphina Sinclair guessed, ’Is there a Sun’s Power, then?’

’Doesn’t this perfectly correspond to the three types of crystals? The Black Fog Crystal, the Sun Crystal, and the Blood Moon Crystal.’

’And! Of the runes made with Moonlight Powder, only the Corpse Suppression Rune was E+! With the runes made from Black Phosphorus Powder, only the Blood Stopping Talisman is E+!’

’In that case...’ Seraphina Sinclair reasonably inferred, ’for the runes made with some kind of sun powder, it must be that only the Fire Drawing Rune becomes E+, right?’

Seraphina Sinclair fell silent for a moment, then picked up the E+ rune made from the Black Phosphorus Powder. She named this rune the "Soulreaper Rune."

The name alone gave a hint of its nature, and the description proved the name was incredibly fitting.

[Soulreaper Rune (E+)]

Effect: Drawn with herbal juice mixed with the essence of Black Fog, this rune creates an Erosion Force Field. Living creatures within the field suffer a continuous life-draining effect that restores the user’s vitality. The effect is halved against The Undead. Duration: 5 minutes.

Evaluation: Nourish the body with darkness, devour life with fog. This is not healing, but a predatory form of recovery. You have created a selfish yet efficient recovery rune!

That’s right.

It was such a wicked rune, yet Seraphina Sinclair was quite fond of it.

She picked out the two E+ runes, laid them out before her, and stared at them in thought for a moment before opening the regional channel, deciding to see if she could get her hands on the mysterious Sun Powder.

"Trading lots of Metal Fragments for wood, PM me if you have any!"

"Selling high-grade materials! E-level! E+! Whether you’ve seen it before or not, I’ve got it! Feel free to PM me with inquiries!"

"Help! The Black Fog is pouring into my cabin, and a strange monster keeps chasing me! Can anyone come and save me..."

Seraphina Sinclair quickly filtered through the useless messages, directly searching for keywords like "Sun Powder," "Solar Flame Powder," and other possible names, but she came up empty.

After a moment’s thought, she posted a purchase request:

"Buying any high-grade materials related to the sun. PM me with what you have and your price. Willing to trade E-level Talismans or large amounts of basic resources."

Posting under the ID of "Blacktiger Ford," her message was naturally eye-catching.

"Look, the master is out shopping for stuff again~"

"I wonder what the master wants. If only I had it... hehe... hehe, my dream of getting rich overnight could come true."

"Can the guy above me wake up?"

"It’s not even dark yet and you’re already daydreaming?"

"No, wait, you guys, think about it. ’Related to the sun’? Sun Crystals definitely count, right? That’s an E-level material. The master wouldn’t be trying to buy that, would they?"

"Dude... I know this sounds harsh, but seriously, bro, you’re the only one who still thinks that’s treasure. These masters are probably drowning in materials by now, right? Why would a master be buying that?"

"Why do you think Master Blacktiger is being so vague? He’s always been direct before. When he wants to buy something, he just says what it is. But this time is so vague... I’ll make a bold guess: maybe Master Blacktiger doesn’t even know what he’s looking for?"

"That’s a little too bold of a guess. If he didn’t know what he wanted, why would he be posting a request for it?"

In reality, that last comment was pretty close to the truth.

Seraphina Sinclair really didn’t know the name of the item she needed; she could only determine if something was right based on its description.

It was a clumsy method, admittedly.

But a handsome reward is a great motivator. That principle applied just as well to sourcing items.

She was Blacktiger Ford, number one on the rankings. Innumerable people hoped to get something good from her, so of course they’d be willing to show off their own treasures and let her decide if they were what she was looking for.

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t have much else to do today anyway, so spending some time on this was no big deal.

Unfortunately, the materials that flooded her private messages were either things she had seen before or had nothing to do with the sun at all. People were just taking the opportunity to pitch their wares, hoping to pique her interest.

They were certainly good at seizing any opportunity they could.

The things they offered were on par with that old fireworks blueprint, so naturally, Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t interested.

Just when she thought today would be a bust, Pretty Guardian sent her another private message.

’This...’

’If this person has one of these too, then isn’t The Black Mist World just a little too unfair?’