The Necromancer in the Wizarding World

Matthews walked into the Old Ward Magic Shop, which had once daunted him, as he couldn't even afford the smallest space pocket at that time. But now it had become his temple of knowledge.

He called out expectantly, "Is old Ward here?"

Old Ward slowly stood up from behind the counter, fiddling with alchemical materials in his hands, his eyes deep. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Matthews was extremely surprised. He did not expect that this seemingly ordinary old man was actually an alchemist with magical skills. "I heard that you can teach people how to engrave magic wands. How many magic stones are needed to learn this skill?"

Old Ward seemed a little surprised that a second-class apprentice actually wanted to learn how to engrave a staff. It seemed that he was a wealthy man. "Only twenty magic stones." His answer was concise and powerful.

Matthews stared at Old Ward with his eyes wide open in disbelief, as if he had heard something incredible. Just learning how to engrave a witchcraft model on a staff would cost twenty magic stones? Although he was no longer as poor as he was in the past, he was not the kind of person who would be easily ripped off.

"Old Ward, I'm not one of those family members who can be slaughtered at will by you. Are you sure this price is okay?" he asked tentatively, trying to test Old Ward's bottom line.

Old Ward looked at the apprentice in front of him with some surprise. He didn't expect that the other party would dare to speak to him like this. In his impression, the lower apprentices were always respectful to the higher apprentices. How could there be someone as tough as Matthews? He was really unsure where the confidence of this apprentice came from.

He patiently explained, "Young man, you may not know this. Learning how to engrave a staff is not an easy task. Not only do I have to provide you with the necessary materials, I also have to share my years of experience and knowledge. You can imagine how much time and effort this takes. Therefore, twenty magic stones are not expensive."

After listening to Old Ward's explanation, Matthews couldn't help but feel a little shaken. He knew that Old Ward was telling the truth, and staff engraving was indeed not a simple skill. However, he was unwilling to be led by Old Ward. So, he gritted his teeth and proposed his price: "Ten magic stones!"

Old Ward was stunned by Matthews' words. He didn't expect that the other party would dare to bargain so low. In his memory, he had never met an apprentice who bargained like this. He was stunned for a while before he came to his senses and said unhappily: "Young man, don't you think that bargaining like this is a bit too much? No matter what your background is, the price here is fixed."

Matthews almost subconsciously offered to cut the price in half, but it seemed that this bargaining method from another world was somewhat unacceptable in this world.

Since the tough attitude didn't work, he changed his strategy. He put on a smile and tried to be sincere: "Mr. Ward, don't be angry. I'm only bargaining because I'm short of money. Just think of it as a favor and give me a discount. I really want to learn your superb skills."

Although Matthews' words became polite, his relaxed attitude still made Old Ward a little nervous. He hesitated for a moment, as if weighing the pros and cons.

Finally, Old Ward sighed and said, "Well, since you are so sincere, I will give you a discount. Fifteen magic stones, this is the lowest price I can offer. I have never offered such a low price in all the years I have run the store."

Matthews was delighted when he heard this, but he remained calm on the surface. He nodded and agreed: "Okay, fifteen magic stones is fifteen magic stones. Thank you, Mr. Ward." After saying that, he immediately paid the magic stones.

Then, Old Ward took Matthews upstairs to his laboratory, which was filled with various magic materials and wands, and looked very professional.

Old Ward motioned Matthews to sit down, and then began to patiently teach him how to engrave a witchcraft model on a staff. He explained and demonstrated on a wooden stick, allowing Matthews to understand the essence of this skill more intuitively.

Not to mention, Old Ward has superb skills and rich experience in the field of staff engraving. He can simplify complex knowledge so that Matthews can understand it easily. At the same time, he can also keenly point out the minor mistakes Matthews made in practice and correct them in time.

Not only did he teach Matthews how to engrave witchcraft models on a staff, he also fulfilled his promise and provided him with a staff for practice. Although the staff was a defective product and there were only two opportunities for practice, it was an extremely valuable practice resource for Matthews.

As a result, Matthews successfully completed the engraving on his first try, which made Old Ward think that he no longer needed to waste the magic slot on the staff. However, Matthews was eager to achieve a more fluent engraving technique, because this would affect the efficiency and effect of future spellcasting.

In order to continue practicing and improving, Matthews made a promise to Old Ward: after completing his studies, he would buy all the necessary materials and tools from Old Ward's store. This promise made Old Ward feel at ease and agreed to let Matthews continue practicing.

It was here that Matthews not only learned the valuable skill of staff engraving, but also purchased the materials and tools needed to engrave witchcraft models in the future.