There is strength in numbers, not to mention getting paid for it.
With the efforts of his companions, in less than two hours, the guild's collection of books, stored deep within the warehouse, saw the light of day again, being continuously moved out of the warehouse and temporarily stacked in the hall.
Noah looked at the piles of books, roughly counted them, and estimated there were over three hundred volumes.
According to Makarov's previous introduction, most of these books were personally compiled by the previous Guild Master.
This was a huge undertaking.
Picking up a book titled "Introduction to Magic," Noah quickly delved into it.
The types of Magic in this world are diverse.
Elemental Magic, which focuses on a single Magic attribute;
Molding Magic, which gives form to Magic;
Take Over, which uses the power of the deceased;
The mysterious and unpredictable Spatial Magic;
Various types of Lost Magic passed down through the ages, but gradually dwindling due to excessively high requirements...
There are too many types of Magic. Based on how Magic is activated, Magic can be broadly classified into two categories.
Caster Magic and Holder Magic.
Caster Magic only requires a Mage to channel their Magic Power, and they can cast spells anytime, anywhere. The strength of Caster Magic is directly linked to the quality and quantity of the Mage's own Magic Power.
As long as the Magic Power is strong enough, even the most ordinary fireball can deal tremendous damage.
In contrast, Holder Magic requires corresponding Magic items to be cast, and even if the Holder Magic user's own Magic Power is strong, their strength will be limited by the capacity of the Magic items.
With strength limited by both Magic Power and Magic items, this generally leads to Holder Magic users being weaker than Caster Magic users.
Moreover, once they lose the items that serve as a medium for their Magic, Holder Magic users almost completely lose their combat effectiveness.
Unless they secretly honed their physical combat skills, intending to engage in hand-to-hand battle with the enemy after losing their Magic items.
Although Holder Magic is a notch inferior, it does not mean there is no powerful Magic within it.
Celestial Spirit Magic is the pinnacle of Holder Magic. Through contracted Celestial Spirit Keys, one can summon corresponding Celestial Spirits from the self-contained Celestial Spirit World to fight for them.
It is said that the Celestial Spirits of the Zodiac possess strength comparable to an S-Class Mage. Unfortunately, Gold Keys are priceless and hard to find, and collecting all twelve Gold Keys is even more difficult than ascending to heaven.
Below the Golden Celestial Spirits are the Silver Celestial Spirits, whose levels vary greatly; some can contend with Golden Celestial Spirits for hundreds of rounds without defeat, while others can only act cute.
Besides Celestial Spirit Magic, which requires specific Magic items, there are also many general Magic items.
General-purpose items can be activated with just Magic Power. Although the vast majority of them have low capabilities, there are also powerful items capable of destroying cities, and even nations.
Noah doesn't aspire to destroy nations; his own Dorma Anim can theoretically achieve that.
What Noah needs now are general-purpose Magic items that can ensure his self-preservation. Of course, if they could be even a tiny bit stronger, Noah wouldn't refuse.
Looking at the man carrying a bucket to change water, Noah asked, "Macao, do you know where I can buy good Magic items? My Magic isn't suitable for combat."
Macao, questioned by Noah, scratched his hair. He was a Fire Mage who used Purple Flare. Although he knew a little about Magic items, he truly didn't know where to buy Magic items suitable for combat.
Most of the items in Magic shops on the market were for daily life, and the few combat items they had were incredibly weak.
"Cana, come here for a moment."
Not wanting to lose face in front of a junior, Macao quickly found someone who could answer Noah's question. "Noah, Cana is a Card Mage, and also the best drinker among the guild's current resident members."
Actually, even if Macao hadn't said anything, Noah knew about Cana's drinking capacity.
Watching the girl stagger out of the warehouse with a beer bottle in one hand and a rag in the other, Noah didn't know how she managed to work without delay in that state.
After listening to Macao whisper a few words in her ear, Cana suddenly grabbed the middle-aged man's collar with a look of indignation and shook him vigorously.
"Macao! How dare you mention Magic items to me!"
"It was you and Wakaba who tricked me onto this path of no return with Card Magic!"
"Do you know how much those broken cards cost?! That's enough money for me to drink for several years!"
Facing Cana, who was starting to get drunk, Macao also looked helpless. He and Wakaba did bear some responsibility for this issue, but they also didn't really.
Cana joined the guild when she was a child. Because she wanted to know in advance when a certain person would return, she learned Card Magic, which could be used for fortune-telling, at the suggestion of Macao and Wakaba.
Of course, as seniors of the guild, they weren't giving blind advice, because Cana indeed had a talent for fortune-telling, and the quickest and simplest way to achieve fortune-telling was Card Magic.
At that time, Macao had also clearly explained the drawbacks of Holder Magic users to Cana.
But in order to know when "that person" would return, the young Cana still learned Card Magic without hesitation and put a lot of effort into it.
Yet, even now, Macao didn't know who the "certain person" Cana spoke of was, whether Cana had waited for them, or if they were a member of the guild.
Every time Macao asked Cana, she would brush him off. Sometimes Macao would also feel that the reason Cana loved drinking so much was actually to drown her sorrows.
Releasing Macao, Cana sat down cross-legged beside Noah, as if they were old friends, not caring about Noah's scrutiny of her.
"Noah, do you really need combat Magic items?"
Noah nodded. From Cana's tone, she seemed to know where to get good combat items.
Receiving a response, Cana put down her beer bottle, looked at Noah seriously, and then extended her hand. "Then give me the consultation fee first, 10,000 Jewels, thanks."
"Are you sober, Cana?"
Noah was speechless. She was asking for money before even saying anything. Did she think "sucker" was written on his face?
"Is 10,000 still too much? 8,000... No, 5,000 Jewels is fine too!" Cana still wanted to try harder, after all, the newcomer in front of her seemed like someone easy to fool.
Noah's mouth twitched slightly, but that's only if you have acting skills...
Through one team mission with Natsu, Noah also understood that Mages other than S-Class Mages didn't have very abundant incomes. A Holder Magic user like Cana, who loved to drink, probably wouldn't be much better off financially than Natsu.
"How about this, Cana."
"You take me to a place where I can buy combat items. If I buy suitable items, I'll give you five percent commission for each item."
"Deal!"
Watching Cana eagerly agree, Noah only felt that he had greatly underestimated the extent of her financial need.
His old father's last lesson was right: human hearts are treacherous.
He should have said one percent if he had known.