[Lord of Abundance] Chapter 12: Magic Beast Egg

 Chapter 12: Magic Beast Egg

Watching Kun with an expression like he’d just stolen a sack of rice, Li Tianyun asked curiously,
“What did you do?”

He hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but he was certain—this guy had just pulled something behind the scenes.

Clad in a white mage robe, Kun glanced back toward the shady fairy merchant before spreading his palm. A pea-sized pale yellow seed appeared in his hand.

“This is a malignant weed called the Wall-Pusher Vine. As it grows, it secretes a highly corrosive transparent mucus. It can eat through brick walls, and some variants can even corrode armor. It strangles the trees it clings to by dissolving them, all to compete for sunlight.”

“Sometimes houses collapse out of nowhere because they’re covered in these seemingly harmless plants.”

“The Wall-Pusher Vine is just like those Evil Flower Sprites—harmless on the outside, vicious within. I used magic to accelerate its growth. Once those flesh-eating little monsters escape their cage, let’s see if that black-hearted merchant can still smile.”

“Don’t worry. Evil Flower Sprites may be rare, but they’re not particularly dangerous. About as threatening as that bucktoothed fish you saw in the frozen river—low-tier magical creatures. Even children can deal with them if they’re careful.”

“And if they’re not?” Li Tianyun asked. “There’s more than one or two in that cage.”

Kun thought for a moment, then grinned.
“Then it’s basically like one person being chased down the street by a pack of chihuahuas.”

The mental image was too vivid—even Li Tianyun, usually reserved, couldn’t help but laugh. Still, whether the merchant would learn from this was another matter. Most likely, he’d just chalk it up to bad luck and scam people even harder next time.

The two of them, along with three guards, strolled leisurely toward the center of the plaza, browsing stall after stall.

The open-air auction wouldn’t begin until ten in the morning, so there was no rush.

One of them counted every copper coin like it had to be split into eight pieces before spending it; the other was dazzled, fascinated by everything he saw.

Kun found quite a few interesting trinkets—like half of a green crystal etched with broken magical runes. The vendor claimed it came from ruins near the Forbidden Scorched Lands and had great research value.

There was also a long tail feather, patterned with golden markings, as long as an adult’s arm, floating in midair. It drew quite a crowd.

Kun couldn’t determine its exact rank—probably somewhere between Tier 3 and Tier 4.

The seller had clearly gotten wind of something from brokers and set an outrageous price, treating Kun like a rich fool. Unfortunately, he was only half right.

Kun usually bought things based on instinct—he picked, and Old Tate paid. But this time, his wallet was thin. He simply couldn’t afford it.

“So that’s that.”

Judging by the patterns, Kun muttered, “It resembles the feather of a Storm Dragon Roc from the bestiary—but the color’s impure, the markings chaotic. More likely a hybrid. It might never reach Tier 4, but there’s still some potential. Shame it’s too expensive.”

He sighed regretfully. If he’d gotten that feather, he could’ve started researching high-tier bloodline fusion potions once he returned to Fengrao Domain.

Even if it wasn’t true Tier 4 material, it was close enough.

He wouldn’t use such an incomplete potion himself, but the knights in his territory certainly wouldn’t refuse something that could significantly boost their strength.

Even reselling a semi-finished product would easily recoup the costs.

What Kun truly valued wasn’t the material—it was the experience gained during research. Knowledge—that was the real wealth of a Grand Mage.

As they walked, Kun suddenly noticed Li Tianyun had stopped.

Turning back, he saw him crouched at a stall selling magical materials, studying something intently.

The stall owner and workers all wore thick beast-hide armor—likely a merchant arm of a mercenary group, selling off perishable materials on the spot.

Such setups usually belonged to large mercenary groups. Retired members or those injured beyond combat would be assigned here—a fallback life.

Safer, yes. But many veterans who had lived on the edge found this kind of work suffocating.

The stall owner, a scarred man with a black eyepatch and graying temples, looked intimidating—especially when he smiled.

“Everything’s good stuff! Cheap, real cheap!” he barked in a thick northern dialect.

Kun had to ask twice before understanding.

But Li Tianyun wasn’t looking at claws or pelts.

In the corner sat a pile of magic beast eggs—some the size of fists, others as large as watermelons, each with different colors and patterns.

Nearby, a young noble was inspecting them with a crystal monocle, clearly knowledgeable.

Kun crouched beside Li Tianyun, not caring that his white robe brushed the dirt.

“Don’t get scammed. The water runs deep with magic beast eggs. No one can reliably judge their quality by appearance alone.”

“Even in the capital, merchants mix in junk eggs and claim they’re from high-tier beasts.”

“One of my cousins bought what she thought was a Frostwing Dragon egg. She spent half a year incubating it—only for it to hatch into a slimy swamp toad. She was so embarrassed she stayed indoors for years.”

Many magic beasts laid eggs randomly, abandoning them to fate.

Eggs were everywhere—easy to find, but rarely valuable.

Only those verified from known nests fetched high prices. The rest were dumped here for hopeful gamblers.

Hatching was easy—just keep them warm. Feeding them was the problem. Hungry beasts might eat you instead.

Li Tianyun picked up a white egg streaked with pale blue patterns, gently rubbing it.

The young noble leaned over, examining it through his lens.

“Sir, your eye needs work. Many have lost fortunes gambling on these.”

“This egg’s already cracked. It won’t hatch. Not even a gamble—just paying for a rotten egg.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. The egg still contained strong magic, likely from a rare high-tier beast—but the crack was fatal.

Magic was visibly leaking from it.

Kun sighed and translated, then added,
“If you like eggs, I can get you a proper high-tier one through my contacts.”

“Not those ‘gamble eggs’ where you don’t even know the species.”

“Gamble eggs” were wildly popular—despite being almost guaranteed losses.

“Thanks, but no.” Li Tianyun smiled faintly. “I’ll take this one.”

Feeling the faint heartbeat within the egg, a trace of warmth flickered in his eyes.

Kun fell silent.

A flawed gem—some discard it, others shape it into something extraordinary.

Paths diverge. Who knows where they lead?

Sometimes, meeting someone is already the greatest stroke of luck in a lifetime.

The cracked egg cost seven silver coins—and came with a flood of incomprehensible blessings from the stall owner.

Something about hatching a dragon.

The young noble clicked his tongue and walked away, clearly dismissing them as fools.

As the auction time approached, the crowd thickened.

Most weren’t buyers—just spectators.

Rare goods occasionally appeared, and even a glimpse was worth bragging about.

With three guards clearing the way, people parted eagerly, smiling obsequiously.

Kun and Li Tianyun reached the front without obstruction.

Here, nobles were above all—wealth, power, law.

No one questioned it.

That was simply how the world worked.

Feeling the weight of countless gazes behind him, Li Tianyun felt uneasy.

This was the second time he truly sensed the privilege of Kun’s status.

The first was during the territorial inspection—tens of thousands of square kilometers belonging to one man.

Taxation. Lawmaking. Life and death.

Unrestricted power.

How many could resist being consumed by it?

No wonder Kun called himself an anomaly.

A noble born into such a world—yet yearning for the freer life of Blue Star.

And Li Tianyun?

He was an anomaly too.

Perhaps that was why they became friends so easily.

…