SWNOVELXO Chapter 280: A Fresh Breeze in the World of Antiques (3)
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The owner nodded, and then turned to look at the sofa and smiled. There was silence for a while, and then the owner had another question for Mira.
「By the way…why were you able to form a Contract right away? I think you mentioned something about things being slightly different for you?」
With Mira’s explanation complete, the owner asked about the one thing that had been bugging him for a while.
Mira had just claimed that summoners would need to build up trust with a spirit before being able to form a Contract, as the Spirit King had told her, but she had been able to form a Contract right away. She had said that was because of special circumstances, but had not gone into detail about what those were.
「Hmm, about that…」
Mira lightly scratched her chin and thought for a moment before replying. Strong bonds were important for summoners, and usually those were built with trust.
With spirits, a summoner needed to get close to them and be their friends first, and trust would built together with that friendship. Spirits, by their nature, would reflect the emotions of those around them, so treating them well would also cause them to be friendly.
Once a strong enough bond was established, they would become summons, and their abilities as summons would continue to improve based on the strength of their relationship. All of that still applied to Mira too, but there was something that made the beginning different for her.
「When it comes to me, I’ve received the Spirit King’s Divine Protection, and through it, I can gain their trust and skip over that whole step.」The Spirit King stood as the being atop all spirits, so when they saw that Mira had gained his trust, then they had no reason to doubt her and instantly trusted her as well. If it was not for that, Mira would also have to spend a long time with the sofa, using it lovingly.
Gaining the trust of the Spirit King was almost like a cheat code when it came to building relationships with spirits.
「I see… I expected no less from someone named the Spirit Queen. But I guess that means no one else would be able to do it then.」
「It’d be hard for someone else to do it the same way. But anyone would be able to accomplish forming a strong bond with time.」
The social standing of summoners would improve by leaps and bounds if all of them could do the same thing, but as long as the Spirit King’s Divine Protection stayed out of reach, they would need to put in the effort to gain each spirit’s trust.
(Hmm, I feel bad for everyone else, but I’ll get as much use of this as I can.)
There had been one time when Mira had honed her skills and trained with other summoners on an even playing field. But now she had gained an unfair advantage over all others. She felt a bit bad about it, but she had no intention to artificially slow herself down. Instead, she wanted to see just how far that advantage could take her.
「What can I say, thank you so much for all this valuable information!」
The owner had been scribbling down notes while listening to everything Mira said, and now that she was done, he finally could raise his pen and thanked her. Despite his impure inclinations, his love for antiques was real, so seeing an issue that had been plaguing him for so long be resolved in the best way possible filled him with joy.
「Oh it was nothing. I couldn’t possibly turn a blind eye to those poor spirits receiving such harsh treatment. Though I feel like I’ll end up leaving all the heavy lifting to you.」
Mira felt like it was better for an expert in the trade of antiques to spread the word about spirits living in furniture, so he left it all in the owner’s hands, including convincing the church that those antiques sealed away could be released, and spreading the word everywhere. Mira was popular enough that she could likely have an effect if she went herself, but the owner would have much more success.
Then again, they had taken a bunch of pictures that could serve as proof, so that would certainly come in handy. The owner also was full of passion for antiques, so she had no doubts about him.
「I promise I’ll meet up to your expectations!」
The owner noticed how Mira was looking at him, so he knelt down and announced that with a resolute voice. For a moment, he looked like a devoted knight pledging his service to a queen.
「Good, I’ll be counting on you.」
After replying to him, Mira turned to look at the sofa again, not the summoned one, but the antique.
The spirit inhabiting it was gone, as unlike Primitive Spirits, Man-Made Spirits would move to live within the summoner once a Contract was formed.
So now the sofa was just a regular antique, and since Mira was not much of a collector, it did not really serve much purpose for her. She even had the option to sell it back to the owner now that the Contract was done.
But Mira did not do that.
「Let’s see if this will work.」
Mira touched the sofa and activated the Concept Magic Itemization, an improved version she was testing. This enhancement was developed through her experiments with Spell Analysis and Spell Magnification, techniques she had discovered in the Encyclopedia of Skills.
Spell Analysis and Spell Magnification unlocked their true power when used in tandem, allowing one to examine spells in much more depth, even those that could normally not be modified. But that was no easy task, as carelessly tampering with the intricacies of spells could end up leaving them completely unusable.
But Mira had once stood atop all other spellcasters as a Wiseman, so she knew more about spells and how they were built than most other spellcasters. Modifying them was an easy task for her.
And that was how she ended up with that modified version of Itemization. The original spell had many limitations on which items it applied to, and which it did not, with furniture belonging to the latter group.
But that was only if the original Itemization spell was used. The more experienced spellcasters were used to casting Spell Magnification liberally on any spells they used, adjusting them to their needs. That could also be done with Itemization.
When Mira decided she would look for Man-Made Spirits, she had started looking into those changes, and now she was able to use Itemization on furniture like the sofa and store it in her Item Box.
Usually, spellcasters would only do such changes in small steps. That was because while it was possible to make changes at any moment, if they made too many changes to a spell they were not fully familiar with, the effects could backfire and in the worst case scenario, the spellcaster would lose the ability to use the spell at all. So it was common to wait at least six months between changes.
「Good, it seems it worked.」
Mira had successfully stored the sofa in her Item Box without incident. Seeing that, she broke into a smile, knowing she would be able to get as much furniture as she wanted in the future.
She had no intention of getting rid of the antiques, even if they no longer housed spirits. Rather, she wanted to keep using them as much as possible, alongside their summon counterparts.
「Ohh, you just put that sofa in your Item Box… There really is nothing you can’t do.」
The owner continued being surprised and impressed. He knew that Itemization usually could not be used on furniture, but that it was possible to modify it in a way that allowed that.
A large portion of the antiques the owner traded were furniture, which was both delicate and heavy, making it difficult to transport.
So he had always been on the lookout for a spellcaster that was able to use Itemization on furniture, dreaming about hiring someone like that so he could speed up his commerce.
But only the most experienced spellcasters knew how to properly use Spell Analysis and Spell Magnification, so hiring someone like that to work exclusively for him was rather expensive.
Now he began to think that Mira was literally perfect for him.
She could provide a safe shelter when traveling, no need for night guards thanks to her summons, had the ability to use Itemization on furniture, and more importantly, had a striking appearance. He felt like she was his soulmate.
But Mira felt absolutely nothing towards him.
「Thank you for everything, I’m really happy with my purchase.」
She had done everything she needed to at the antique shop, so she thanked the owner one last time before leaving.
「I’m the one who should be thanking you. I feel like today has been the happiest day of my life.」
The owner quickly stopped fantasizing about working exclusively with Mira, and smiled back at her. Even if his dreams would not be fulfilled, he had still gained a lot that day.
He accompanied her to the door, where he said, 「Thank you for your patronage,」 and saw her off with a saddened look. Mira left the store, waving at the owner as she walked away.
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