Chapter 37: Strange Wand and Freak
Gauss wasn’t kept waiting long.
Andini returned to the hall carrying a pile of long wands in her arms.
“Good thing I have a habit of keeping old stuff—didn’t lose them even after all this time.”
She placed the wands on the table and stood with her hands on her hips, looking quite pleased with herself.
Gauss lowered his head and looked at her.
Although he knew she was probably old enough to be his mother, maybe even his grandmother, considering her petite figure, she still seemed more like a mature child to him.
“What are you staring at me for? Hurry up and give it a try.”
Andini reached out and nudged Gauss’s waist, motioning for him to try quickly.
Gauss looked at the wand-like objects on the table and noticed they were indeed different from the previous wooden wands—the base materials this time were much more diverse.
Bone, stone wands, green vine, and several other types of wood.
“The types of wood I tested with earlier were the most common and also the most suitable materials for making magic wands. These now are relatively rare base materials.”
“The reason they’re considered rare is because most spellcasters’ magic is hard to attune with them.”
“But the thing is, they do respond to magic energy, so theoretically, although it’s rare, they still have compatible owners.”
“Matching a magic wand is a two-way process. The person chooses the wand, and the wand chooses the person. You can’t force it.”
“Your magic seems quite unique, so maybe these oddballs are the right match for you. Just pick one and try it.”
Andini couldn’t be bothered to explain the specific types of wand base materials on the table.
Anyway, it wasn’t necessary to know that for the test—if any turned out to be suitable, she could explain afterward.
Gauss first picked up the green vine wand closest to his hand.
The slender green vine wand was less than thirty centimeters long.
It resembled the pointer his teacher used in class back in his previous life. But unlike the impression of vines being bendy and soft, this wand had clearly undergone special hardening treatment—it felt more like a tree branch in the hand.
Magic flowed into it.
The familiar sense of rejection returned, but compared to those earlier, more common wand materials, the resistance seemed somewhat weaker.
Gauss controlled his magic to circulate through it once, then put the green vine wand down.
“How is it?”
“Better, but still a bit uncomfortable,” Gauss answered honestly.
He then tested the stone and wooden wands one by one, and the results varied.
One pale yellow wooden wand performed fairly well in channeling magic—it could serve as a fallback.
So a relaxed expression appeared on his face.
If the final bone wand didn’t turn out to be a perfect match, then he already had a conclusion.
He picked up the bone wand.
In fact, although it was made of bone, which sounded eerie and spooky, the wand’s base material was exquisitely smooth.
It was around forty centimeters long and two fingers wide.
There was a joint in the middle.
The shorter bottom section had been shaped into a handle, with a groove left at the bottom for further processing, while the upper part was relatively slender and straight, gradually tapering off.
Though it was called bone, it looked more like a piece of white jade artwork, even exuding a faint aura of sacred purity.
Gauss muttered inwardly.
Am I sure I can afford this base material?
But since Andini had brought it out, he figured he might as well give it a try.
He guided his magic slowly into the wand.
The moment the magic touched the wand, a warm current surged out from within.
Gauss shuddered all over.
A sudden, indescribably pleasant sensation spread through him.
It was as if this piece of bone had always been an extension of his own body—perfectly natural in his hand.
At the same time, magic flowed through it with extraordinary smoothness, without the slightest obstruction.
Every grain within the wand seemed to be aiding the circulation of his magic.
I want it!
Gauss's heart was pounding.
Even though he didn’t know much about wands, he knew he had found a base material extremely well-suited for him.
“What creature’s bone is this from?” Gauss swallowed and suppressed his excitement, looking at Andini as he asked.
To his surprise, Andini only shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
“I picked it up years ago during an adventure in a cave. It was just this one piece of bone. I noticed it responded to magic, so I kept it.”
“Didn’t you use any identification-type spells, Senior?”
Earlier, when Andini touched his Life Magic Stone, although briefly, she did activate some kind of spell—he guessed it was for identification.
And considering this was a shop that dealt in magical items, it wasn’t strange for Andini to know identification magic.
“I did use an identification spell, but it only returned very superficial results—nothing that told me what creature it came from.”
“All these years, I’ve never met a single spellcaster whose magic could even slightly resonate with it. I even thought it was some priceless treasure at first, but it turned out I couldn’t sell it at all.”
“Senior, can I buy this one?” Gauss held the bone wand tightly, unwilling to let go.
“Huh?” Andini suddenly widened her eyes, as if she had heard something unbelievable. Her mouth opened wide like a goldfish.
“You mean your magic actually resonates with this base material?”
“Don’t let the wand’s nice appearance fool you and try to trick me.”
Andini had only brought the bone wand out because it was lumped together with the others.
In truth, after so many years of testing, she had long since given up on it. To every spellcaster who tried it, it had never shown the slightest compliance.
“What spell do you know?”
“Mage Hand.”
“Then try casting it with this bone wand.”
Andini was now a bit curious herself.
Over the years, the price of this bone wand had kept dropping. By now, she honestly didn’t care how much it could sell for.
If this magical base material could truly find a compatible spellcaster, it would resolve something that had lingered in her heart for years.
Gauss nodded.
This bone wand felt so attuned to him that even with just brief use, he was confident he could cast smoothly.
“Mage Hand!”
The moment his magic flowed into the bone wand, that silky smooth sensation returned.
So comfortable! Gauss couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
No going back.
Really, no going back!
After experiencing the exquisite sensation brought by this bone wand, Gauss felt he could never again endure the rough feel of casting spells barehanded.
A wave of magical energy surged from the wand’s tip.
The surrounding magical energy immediately responded to the pulse and began to converge.
An invisible Mage Hand quickly materialized in the air before him.
The formation speed of the Mage Hand was incredibly fast!
It took only about half the time it normally would.
Moreover, Gauss noticed that controlling the Mage Hand’s movement with the wand was about 20% faster than before.
“It actually... works!”
Even more excited than Gauss was Andini, who had just confirmed that he successfully cast the spell using the wand.
She rushed forward excitedly and punched him twice hard in the stomach, face full of exhilaration.
“Gauss, you freak!”