"Money is not an issue." After his deal with Duke Melovinca, Rorschach had a large amount of cash on hand. His mental budget was within two thousand Lang, or no more than fifteen hundred if the other party demanded payment entirely in Gold Coins.

The current exchange rate between physical Gold Coins and banknotes was about that.

"Well then, Rorschach Mage, let us officially begin. Customization is exhausting work, not just for me, but for the customer as well. We need to nail down every single detail."

Fulcanelli first took out a basic Magic Staff. Rorschach saw that it was perfectly straight, about 1.3 meters long. A pale green crystal was directly embedded in a brass base, connecting it to the staff’s body.

"The most basic model. It’s not fashionable anymore. Only Mages in the countryside still carry these around." He twisted off the staff head directly—it was actually screw-threaded—and pulled out a single Mithril core from inside, which was engraved with dense Magic Circuits.

"You see, the staff head and the Staff Core work together to store prepared Magic. The more Magic Circuits engraved within the Staff Core, the more types and quantities of Magic you can store."

He then turned the Magic Staff upside down. "And the base is for energy storage..." The butt of the staff was also encased in brass and connected with screw threads, which the Alchemy Master also twisted off.

He then poured out five smaller, pink crystals. Fulcanelli was extremely careful during the process. The crystals responsible for energy storage were much purer than the staff head crystal, likely of a higher quality.

The Master pinched one. After Ether was injected into it, it emitted a faint pink fluorescent glow. "According to the recommended standards of the Alchemy Association, it can store enough energy for fifty uses of a Fourth Ring Level spell, and can be charged and discharged no less than twenty times... You require it to cast a Sixth Ring spell, so by that conversion, this set of crystals at full charge could only cast it about five times."

’A battery?’ Rorschach thought. ’Actually, from the moment I saw the screw threads, this basic Magic Staff gave me the impression of being some kind of mass-produced trinket.’

It wasn’t like he’d ever get into a battle that required throwing around a Sixth Ring spell fifty times anyway. Rorschach nodded. "That’s fine. I don’t even need that many." For Rorschach, the amount of mana wasn’t the problem; the ability to store and instantly cast Magic was what he needed.

"In that case, we can free up some space... In the past, the Energy Storage Crystals were installed directly on the butt of the staff, exposed. And then, when Mages were casting, for some reason they always liked to slam their staves on the ground. Even the best materials will break." The Master sounded rather resentful as he said this, thinking of how many of his own creations had been destroyed by Mages trying to look cool.

’True enough...’ But then Rorschach recalled Master Humboldt’s Oak Staff. "Why are there purely wooden Magic Staves, like the ones used by the Mages of the Tower of Forest? They don’t seem to have these components." ’If it’s just a piece of wood, you could slam it on the ground as much as you want without any trouble.’

The moment he heard this, Fulcanelli slipped into his previous "poetry recital" mode. Rorschach internally groaned, but the man had already started rambling.

"Rorschach Mage, do you know the origin of the Magic Staff?"

’I don’t know, and I don’t want to know! I’m here to buy something, not to attend a lecture!’

But the Alchemy Master gave him no chance to interrupt. He picked up the Crystal Wand Head. "As far as I know, most of the Magic from the Tower of Forest is inherited from the Druids of the old era. It’s actually a variation of Divine Art. Their Magic Staves primarily need to enhance the wielder’s communication with the natural environment. Even a tree branch can become a ’Magic Staff’ after a Druid ritual.

The earliest Kings and Priests of the Shanshi people created the Single-Feathered Staff, which could strengthen their connection to the Divine Spirits and enhance their casting power.

Essentially, these types of staves emphasize ’authority.’ The staff head concentrates symbolic elements, and using this as a center, it projects a weak symbolic Domain into the Ether."

He took out more sketch designs:

"Two intertwined serpents with wings at the top represent wisdom, dexterity, and cunning, which can enhance the Enchantment System, Transformation System, and Illusion System;

A torch design paired with the corresponding crystal can enhance the Magic of a certain element;

One topped with a pinecone or grape leaves is similar to an Oak Staff, symbolizing prosperity and joy, and is effective for the Natural System and some Necromancy Magic...

But none of these designs are popular anymore. They are all outdated styles."

"Why?"

"If you’re carrying one of these flashy things, wouldn’t everyone know what type of Magic you specialize in at a glance? Announcing your specialty like that is fatal in a fight.

So, later Mages generally pursued casting efficiency and versatility. Most staff heads are now made directly from materials with a high affinity for Ether, like various crystals, which have almost zero symbolic value. Originally, they were favored by Shaping Power Barbarians, but now everyone just sticks a crystal on top and calls it a day."

But one could see the regret on Fulcanelli’s face. Those symbolic staff heads were a better showcase of a craftsman’s skill.

But this gave Rorschach, a Shaping Power Barbarian who specialized in that very system, a new idea. He had thought the owner’s history lesson on Magic Staff development was a waste of time, but it turned out that a highly symbolic staff head was perfect for him.

That’s right. From the core of the Magic Array for [Rorschach’s Divine Exorcism Technique], he could extract a symbolic Rune that pointed to himself.

"If I need to customize a symbolic staff head, can it be done with a Rune?"

"One is two-dimensional, the other is three-dimensional. It might affect the directionality of the spell’s release..." Fulcanelli’s eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Can you show me this Rune?"

This... Rorschach hesitated. If it were inscribed within a Scroll, not everyone would realize the meaning of the core symbol. But now, it was to be used as a symbol. If Fulcanelli obtained it, the possibility that he could use it to trace it back to Rorschach himself couldn’t be ruled out.

Seeing Rorschach’s silence, the Alchemist shrugged. "If you don’t want to show me, I can give you a Mithril and Brass Alloy staff head to engrave yourself. However, I won’t accept any returns after the sale. You, the customer, will be fully responsible for whether it works or not."

Rorschach picked up the Crystal Wand Head, and seeing the screw threads, had a flash of inspiration. "In that case, could I get one Crystal Wand Head and one blank alloy staff head?"

Fulcanelli was taken aback. This was the first time he had ever heard such a request, but he quickly nodded. "You can. But it’ll cost extra."

Afterward, Fulcanelli took out a pad of drawing paper. As was evident from the paintings in the attic, he was not only an Alchemy Master but also a master painter. He drew up a design for the custom Magic Staff on the spot, based on Rorschach’s requirements.

In the end, the staff’s total length was a little less than three feet. It had no flashy decorations and, from the outside, looked just like an ordinary person’s Ebony and Brass Staff.

Inside was a Universal Staff Core. Rorschach directly chose the one with the highest Mithril purity and the densest engraving of Magic Circuits. Once the Casting Structure was complete, the Staff Core would enter an activated state with the support of the Energy Storage Crystal. When it was time to cast, activating the staff head would complete the instant cast.

As per Rorschach’s request, two staff heads were designed: a small Crystal Wand Head and an alloy one. Because the crystal of the former wasn’t large, it maintained the appearance of a normal walking stick, but the trade-off was that Fulcanelli estimated it could only store a single spell.

"As for the effect of the Rune Wand Head, that will be entirely up to you."

High-priced Magic Tools, much like the fashion items and electronics of Rorschach’s previous life, were all about appearance and various specifications—they came in medium, large, and extra-large.

On top of that, Rorschach’s choice to DIY the core component seemingly turned him into some kind of Otherworld PC builder.

After finalizing the details, Rorschach paid a deposit of 355 Lang. As for why it was such a specific number, the total price was set at 1777. Seven was a lucky number here, for the same reason prices in his previous life always ended in an eight or a nine.

"Please come back to pick it up in seven days."

When he emerged from the canvas, Rorschach felt as if he were covered in the smell of turpentine, but thankfully it evaporated quickly.

’That owner really loves to ramble... I’m starving.’ Rorschach had already missed mealtime.

But thanks to the Alchemy Workshop owner being such a chatterbox, the money Rorschach spent not only got him a Magic Staff but also new ideas he could use for his own projects.