Chapter 478: Chapter 235: Setting Off on the Journey, New Skill "Strength Increase

This information was even noted on the tag.

Besides, the Association didn’t support rentals.

However, Lin Mo could sell the scroll at an auction after he was done learning from it, allowing him to recoup a significant portion of the cost.

Sometimes, the auction price wasn’t even that different from the original purchase price.

Of course, it was unlikely for an average Professional to sell a scroll so soon after obtaining it. For one, learning the skill took a long time. The scroll also remained useful for practicing the skill afterward.

The price for a Priest Profession’s Skill Scroll was generally similar to a Magic Scroll’s, or perhaps slightly more expensive.

In the end, Lin Mo spent 2,000 gold coins on this Excellent Level Skill Scroll.

Good thing it was only 2,000... If it had been any more expensive, he would’ve had to go downstairs and borrow money from Ali and the others.

That’s right. The equipment and scrolls he had purchased earlier, combined with this new one, had completely drained Lin Mo’s savings. He now had less than 100 gold coins to his name, making him utterly broke.

But it was all worth it.

After completing the transaction, Lin Mo didn’t rush to open the scroll. Learning Magic Skills took time and wasn’t easy. He decided it was better to head to the city gate first and meet up with the commerce association. There would be plenty of time to study it on the road, anyway.

After storing the scroll in his Ring of Space, Lin Mo went downstairs. Everyone was chatting, but it was clear that Shefilya, Feney, and even Ali weren’t quite clicking with the members of the Lion Adventurer Group.

Shefilya was her usual stoic self, Feney was too shy around strangers, and Ali was a Half-Beastman...

After a bit of awkward small talk, the conversation died completely.

Fortunately, Lin Mo returned quickly, and the atmosphere instantly went back to normal.

"Did you get everything you needed, Lin Mo?"

Deke stood up to greet him, looking greatly relieved.

Lin Mo nodded. "We can head out now."

"Alright, let’s go. It’s getting late."

...

The group made their way directly to the city gate. Even though they had accepted a mission to escort a merchant caravan, Lin Mo still went to retrieve his own horse-drawn carriage.

An escort mission required them to be vigilant of their surroundings, so it wouldn’t be possible to stay in the carriage the entire time. But when passing through safe areas, they couldn’t be expected to walk the whole way, could they?

He also had to consider the return trip; renting a carriage in the Royal Capital later would be a hassle.

Besides, his carriage was no ordinary one. The two horses pulling it were Lord Level Demons. Even though they were only Low Tier Lords, that was equivalent to a Level 6 or 7 Professional, making them quite formidable.

Deke and his companions had no such worries. A major Adventurer Group like the Lion Adventurer Group naturally had plenty of carriages stored at shops near the city gate, available for them to use at any time.

This was one of the perks of joining an Adventurer Group—the group provided access to shared resources like these, saving its members a great deal of trouble.

He brought the carriage to the city gate, where the members of the Jade Commerce Association were already waiting.

They were right on time. A middle-aged man, the leader of the caravan, saw Deke and immediately walked over to greet him.

"Mr. Deke, good to see you again."

’For an escort mission like this, both parties would have definitely met to discuss the details before the mission was formally accepted.’

"We’re not late, are we?"

Deke said with a smile, bumping fists with the man.

"Not at all, you’re right on time... We just finished our own preparations."

The man waved his hand dismissively, his tone exceedingly polite.

After all, these Adventurers were responsible for their safety on the road ahead. Only a fool would risk getting on their bad side.

"And this is...?"

He then glanced at Lin Mo, who was standing off to the side. Unlike the members of the Lion Adventurer Group behind Deke, Lin Mo and his companions clearly weren’t part of the same crew.

"This is Lin Mo... Mr. Glen, don’t be fooled by his youth. His strength surpasses my own."

"Oh?!"

Glen’s eyes widened in surprise. "Mr. Deke, you can’t be serious."

Since he often did business between the two cities, Glen was quite familiar with the Adventurer scene in Fajade City. Deke was a high-ranking member of the Lion Adventurer Group and a well-known figure in Fajade City. His strength was just a stone’s throw away from reaching the Elite Level.

’And this Lin Mo, who didn’t even look twenty... could he really be stronger than Deke?’

Glen didn’t press the issue, however. He just exchanged a few more pleasantries before turning to organize the caravan for departure.

The entire caravan consisted of nearly thirty carriages, each one packed with goods.

’To risk taking a shortcut like Route 11, this shipment must contain something time-sensitive, like certain medicinal herbs or Alchemy Materials.’

Lin Mo wasn’t concerned with any of that. He simply led Ali and the others into his carriage and had his two Gale Horses follow the caravan.

The first long stretch of the journey was relatively safe. They were unlikely to encounter any Demons, and if they did, they’d just be low-Level ones that posed no real threat.

The critical phase of the mission wouldn’t begin until they drew near the Blackwater Swamp.

The caravan began to move out. The carriages traveled much more slowly than they normally would.

In truth, the Jade Commerce Association was no small enterprise. While its operations were mainly focused in the Royal Capital, with a smaller business scale in Fajade City, its carriages were still top-notch.

The horses pulling the carriages weren’t ordinary steeds, but Windstepping Horses.

However, compared to a genuine Lord Level Demon like a Gale Horse, an Elite-level creature like a Windstepping Horse was a world of difference.

The caravan leader, Glen, noticed this as well and was quite astonished.

’Someone who can afford Gale Horses is no ordinary person.’

’Even in the Royal Capital, only Dukes and a handful of Marquises have carriages with that kind of setup.’

’Just what is the background of this Lin Mo, who came out of nowhere?’

He was now starting to believe what Deke had said.

’Regardless, I just hope this trip goes smoothly...’

He sat at the front of his carriage, gazing toward the Royal Capital. His earlier, relaxed expression had vanished, replaced by a grim and solemn look.

----------

Inside his carriage, Lin Mo took out the scroll he had just purchased and unrolled it.

Learning Magic had become a familiar process for Lin Mo by now.

After reading it carefully, he began the process of constructing and connecting the Magic Circuit...

About half an hour later, he had learned it successfully.

"You have learned the Skill [Strength Increase]! Gained Magic Power +2!"

’Two points of Basic Magic Power. Not bad. That leaves me with a 14-point margin for error.’

’But my Basic Strength Attribute is still a full 38 points away from my goal of 120.’

’Still a long way to go...’

He checked the skill’s description.

[Strength Increase] Level 1 (0/10): Bestows a blessing with the Power of Holy Light, increasing a designated target’s Strength Attribute for a limited time. The increase is equal to 5%-10% of the caster’s Magic Attribute (depending on Skill Level). The duration is dependent on the caster’s Magic Power, with a maximum of 10 minutes.

’Holy shit, this is awesome!’

Lin Mo’s eyes widened.

’An increase of 10% of my Magic Attribute... It’s based on my total Magic Attribute, not my Basic Magic Attribute. That means buffs are included in the calculation.’

’My current total Magic Attribute is 154, so 10% of that is about 15 points. That’s a pretty significant boost.’

’And this is just a Green, Excellent Level skill...’

However, there was a limit to the number of active Beneficial Skills. You could only have one of the same type active at a time.

For example, with attribute-boosting skills, if you had a Strength buff active, you couldn’t add an Agility one. The same principle applied to trait-enhancement skills, like those that increase physical or Magic resistance—only one could be active at a time...

But an attribute-boosting skill and a trait-enhancement skill could be active simultaneously.

It was like in some games where you could only have one active buff from an attack-boosting food and one from a defense-boosting food, but you could have both an attack and a defense buff active at the same time.

’And now, for the exciting part: leveling up.’

As expected, a level-up notification soon appeared before his eyes.

"Promotion Conditions Met. Profession: Priest (Lv. 5) has been promoted to Profession: Priest (Lv. 6)."

...

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