Item: Appraisal Glasses (E)
Effect: Can appraise items, demons, and various unknown entities.
Description: A valuable item that helps the wearer quickly understand their surroundings anytime and anywhere. Of course, you can also attempt to learn appraisal magic and eventually discard this thing from your face.
"Hiss—"
Arya inhaled sharply when she activated the Appraisal Glasses and saw their effect.
Without hesitation, she opened the messaging interface and contacted Roy.
Arya: "Name your price."
Right now, knowledge was exactly what she lacked.
If not for this gap, she wouldn't be hoarding strange books like demonology texts just to survive. With this item, countless things would become far more convenient in the future. At the very least, she wouldn't need to drag every single object over to the small appraisal screen each time.
Roy replied almost instantly.
Roy: "One thousand red Magic Potions and one thousand blue Magic Potions. Five hundred of each type of attribute Magic Potion, and one thousand glowing Magic Potions."
Arya froze when she read his response.
It wasn't because the price was too high.
It was because it was too low.
It was so cheap that it didn't feel like a realistic price for such a useful item.
Honestly, even if Roy had asked for half of her future production capacity, she wouldn't have felt he was being unreasonable. But then she remembered that the glasses were only E-grade, which probably explained the price.
Still, something felt off.
Arya: "What's the catch?"
Roy: "The Appraisal Glasses only work based on the wearer's comprehensive knowledge."
Arya: "Explain."
Roy: "You've seen the 'Knowledge' section in your personal status panel, right?"
Arya: "I have."
Roy: "If your comprehensive knowledge level is E-grade, then the maximum range of what the glasses can appraise is also limited to E-grade. Do you understand now?"
Arya understood immediately.
In the end, knowledge was still everything.
The glasses didn't magically create knowledge out of thin air. Instead, they worked by using the user's own knowledge as a reference point.
Arya: "Then your price is a little too high."
She paused for a moment before sending that message.
If everything depended on her own knowledge, then weren't these glasses unnecessary?
Roy: "Not really."
Roy: "Even though they depend on your knowledge, they don't just mirror it."
Arya: "What do you mean?"
Roy: "For example, let's say you've studied E-grade Alchemy, but you haven't touched E-grade Mechanics or E-grade Runology."
Roy: "The glasses can still help you appraise unknown things that are on the same level as your Alchemy knowledge, and they can even give you a rough idea about higher-grade items like D-grade or B-grade ones."
Roy: "That said, the information will be vague. You'll only get a general sense of quality, not precise data."
Now Arya fully understood.
These were not true "appraisal" glasses.
They were more like identification glasses.
Even if she only knew E-grade herbalism, she would still be able to roughly identify E-grade mechanical tools, and even get a surface-level sense of stronger, higher-grade artifacts.
Arya thought about it carefully.
In this world, everything was unfamiliar and dangerous. Even if these glasses weren't perfect, they could still help her judge danger and buy her precious time to escape when she encountered something terrifying.
She made her decision.
Arya: "One thousand red and blue Magic Potions each. Two hundred of them will be +50 strength, and the rest will be +30. Two hundred of each attribute Magic Potion. You will supply the test tubes and the base liquid. Also, glowing Magic Potions require glowing mushrooms, which I don't have, so you'll provide those as well."
Roy replied after a short pause.
Roy: "Deal. But add two hundred Universal Poison Antidotes."
Arya exhaled slowly.
As expected of a merchant.
She had only made the poison antidote for Natasha yesterday, and now he was already factoring it into a deal.
Arya: "One hundred and ninety-nine. Pre-made."
Roy: "No problem."
Just like that, the deal was done.
Arya traded the remaining 199 apprentice-grade Universal Poison Antidotes that she had prepared for Natasha in exchange for the Appraisal Glasses. Along with them, 3,800 empty test tubes were delivered to her.
"…I'm in debt again."
She reached out and grabbed Gang emima, gently stroking it a few times.
The small creature squeaked softly in response, its tiny body warm in her palm.
Arya didn't ask how Roy had obtained the Appraisal Glasses. A merchant's channels were their biggest secret.
After comforting the squeaking Gang emima for a while, Arya thought for a moment and then sent a message to Natasha.
Arya: "The Magic Potion you asked for might take a few more days."
Natasha's reply was calm.
Natasha: "That's fine. I'm still recovering from my injuries anyway."
After the conversation ended, Arya picked up the Appraisal Glasses and examined them carefully.
There was nothing special about their appearance.
They looked like a completely ordinary pair of black-framed glasses.
When she put them on, the world instantly felt different.
Windows began to pop up before her eyes, hovering over objects of various sizes. They showed grades and brief descriptions.
Unlike the detailed commentary from the small screen on the Magic Desk, these descriptions were extremely concise.
Clear. Direct. Efficient.
Later, after she finished eating, Arya entered the Alchemy Workshop while still wearing the glasses. She planned to continue brewing medicines.
However, two particular windows that appeared in the workshop immediately caught her attention.
Meteorite Crucible (Unknown)
Effect: Unknown
Description: A crucible made of meteorite.
Meteorite Mortar (Unknown)
Effect: Unknown
Description: A mortar made of meteorite.
Arya stood frozen.
"…What?"
Meteorite?
These things were made of meteorite?
Without even thinking, she rushed forward, grabbed the mortar, and flew over to the Magic Desk. She placed it on the small appraisal screen.
The glasses had their limits.
But the screen did not.
The result appeared instantly.
Deep-Sea Meteorite Mortar (C)
Effect: Increases Alchemy material potency by 50%
Description: The ultimate tool that Alchemists dream of, a world-class magic item recognized by the will of the world itself. Whoever owns it enjoys its blessings. Everyone who has used it agrees that it is exceptional. Unfortunately, after long-term disuse, its power has faded. Perhaps frequent usage can awaken this dormant world-class item.
"Gulp…"
Arya swallowed hard.
Her throat went dry.
The mortar she had been casually using to grind centipedes and earthworms… was a world-class item?
Then…
Slowly, she turned her head toward the crucible in the corner.
It was bubbling softly, steam rising from its interior.
"Calm down… Arya…"
She warned herself over and over again in her mind.
You have to stay calm.
Don't lose your mind just because of treasure.
But her heartbeat refused to slow.
If the "Rusty Mortar" and "Rusty Crucible" were actually like this…
Then what about the rest of the old junk in Albert's basement?
The thought exploded in her mind like a spark hitting dry tinder.
Her eyes lit up.
She unconsciously licked her dry lips, unable to hide the excitement that burned inside her.
A dangerous, hungry smile slowly formed.
Treasure.
Hidden treasure.
And perhaps… much, much more.
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