The people of Fireplace Bay finally welcomed the long-awaited Heisenberg, but instead of the eagerly awaited Ice Arrow Scrolls, what was being sold in large quantities this time were Lightning Chain Scrolls.
To this, the store clerks explained, "Although it’s been replaced with Lightning Chain Scrolls, the purity is still as consistent as ever."
In reality, customers didn’t care about the magic within the scrolls, expressing, "Fireball Skill, Ice Arrow, Lightning Chain... it doesn’t matter what magic it is, they just want good stuff of this purity."
In the blink of an eye, all the Lightning Chain Scrolls were sold out, and those who missed out could only beat their chests in regret.
Heisenberg’s goods are addictive, everyone says so. Once they’ve gotten used to the magical scrolls produced by Heisenberg, using other magical scrolls just doesn’t feel right. Critics point out this is a sign of the users’ intelligence gradually declining. Typically, magic scrolls are auxiliary tools that require a reasonable combat strategy based on the situation and the dark creatures faced.
Every battle requires exquisite design and even excellent team cooperation.
However, the arrival of Heisenberg destroyed all of this.
People who have used the high-purity Ice Arrow Scrolls often displayed the same symptom—whatever the task, one Ice Arrow solves it all!
This brainless, teamwork-free life, where they just tear open an Ice Arrow Scroll and then collect the bounty, had them hooked.
After all the Lightning Chain Scrolls were sold out, the guests gathered on the deck didn’t disperse; instead, they formed layers upon layers around a circle.
"What are you all doing here?"
The questioner was shrouded entirely in a black cloak, as if merging with the shadows, but being too short, he couldn’t see why people were gathered there, wearing a wolf head on his face as if chopped from a real wolf.
Black Wolf, that was his name on the streets.
He was a member of the Brotherhood and recently received a major assignment targeting a Count. The Brotherhood members all said it was a suicidal job with not much of a reward, making it a losing deal. Yet, Black Wolf took on the commission; he had reasons he couldn’t avoid.
At least in his view, not every commission has to adhere to the "cost-performance" concept.
To ensure the kill of the target, he needed a scroll of particularly high purity.
But today, some matters delayed him, and by the time he fought his way through the crowd, the Lightning Chain Scrolls were long sold out, leaving him to join those empty-handed customers in sighing.
If luck was on his side, he could spend several times more to buy one or two scrolls from other customers, but before that, he stumbled upon this strange scene.
He spoke to a tall and burly man, who looked like a mercenary, who glanced back at Black Wolf, "Hmm? You don’t know? Old Sen Magic Technology Store has a newcomer today!"
"A blonde, blue-eyed beauty, like a noble lady. I guess she’s bored with her life and specifically came to Fireplace Bay for some thrill. But reportedly, she’s the newly contracted weapon craftsman at Old Sen Magic Technology Store; the purity, though, remains unknown."
Replied a helpful person, who, tall and lofty, stood on his tiptoes at the back row to barely catch a glimpse of the situation inside.
Purity has become recent black jargon in Fireplace Bay. Ever since Heisenberg’s arrival, it seems to have become the benchmark for assessing mystical items, and Old Sen Magic Technology Store is synonymous with high purity.
Black Wolf further asked, "This new weapon craftsman you mentioned, what’s she selling?"
"A crossbow, seems to be called an electromagnetic crossbow or something."
"Electromagnetic crossbow?"
"80 Gold Lions; that’s no small number. I’m still observing."
The respondent was somewhat hesitant.
After all, it’s the age of firearms, and the electromagnetic crossbow is priced much higher than the guns circulating on the black market, creating quite a retro vibe. Someone inquired about the arrows used by the electromagnetic crossbow from the weapon craftsman, only to be told they are universal arrows available in any city.
The respondent mumbled to himself, "If it were crafted by Heisenberg himself, I’d grittingly buy it, but a noble lady? Can she make high-purity stuff?"
Amid the commotion, the weapon craftsman stood up, intending to demonstrate the power of the electromagnetic crossbow by the seaside.
Black Wolf asked, "How many of these electromagnetic crossbows is she planning to sell?"
"Just one, stated to be a test sale; if the feedback is good, it will become a regular item in the store."
"Don’t test it, I’ll buy it!"
Upon hearing this, Black Wolf raised his voice and moved to the front of the crowd.
All at once, all eyes turned to him, with some guests who had been watching in the crowd for a long time spat in annoyance. They initially wanted to broaden their horizons but were disrupted by this somewhat short fellow coming out of nowhere.
Black Wolf ignored the murmur in the crowd and proceeded straight to the weapon craftsman’s side. His sixth sense told him that after the demonstration, it would be tough to buy this crossbow.
He is a traditional assassin, finding a crossbow more handy than magic scrolls.
The weapon craftsman, though wearing a mask, still appeared to be a noble lady with exquisite demeanor.
She gazed down at the short figure suddenly emerging from the crowd, recognizing his background at a glance—a Brotherhood assassin, an organization causing headaches for the Empire’s nobility. For the Empire, they were like a double-edged sword, followers of the Shadow God, proficient in assassination techniques.
They would reach out with daggers to the nobility and also aid the Empire in assassinating their foes.
"Are you sure? The price is 80 Gold Lions."
Black Wolf, before her, produced a bag filled with Gold Lions, catching the eyes of the other customers. They didn’t expect that this short fellow was a man of wealth.
Counting the Gold Lions amidst the discussion, he placed them into another bag and handed it over to her.
Straightforward transaction, Black Wolf slung the crossbow over his shoulder, testing its weight.
It felt heavier than a typical long crossbow, both in craftsmanship and texture, it was much more superior.
"Here’s the usage guide."
The transaction concluded, she was well aware that it wouldn’t be long before someone somewhere in the Empire would come to harm.
Black Wolf nodded and, disregarding the crowd’s coaxing and requests to showcase the weapon’s power, turned and left the deck.
The Brotherhood called this a suicide mission. Since there was a possibility of not returning again, he decided to spend the money he had saved up. It was his first purchase at Old Sen Magic Technology Store. He only heard before of Heisenberg’s items being of high purity and absolutely worth the money.
He didn’t linger much in Fireplace Bay.
He was racing against time, paving the way before the people of Dark Furnace City fired the first shot!
In the Fireplace Bay bar, the Shepherd continued working diligently, carrying a thick stack of flyers. Although these flyers were no longer needed, as most people knew about the store Mr. Heisenberg had opened, he still routinely placed the advertisement cards on the guests’ trays.
"How’s business lately?"
A familiar voice caused the Shepherd to pause for a moment, nearly blurting out, "Mr. Heisenberg!"
Ethan signaled him to keep quiet, discreetly slipping a money pouch to the Shepherd, "I’ve been gone from Fireplace Bay for a while, here’s the distribution I promised you."
He didn’t want to be recognized in the tavern, as the scrolls were usually sold by people from the store. Although his name was well-known in Fireplace Bay, few had actually seen him in person.
As per usual, Ethan ordered a cold beer and a slice of bacon bread.
"I, I don’t know if this counts."
The Shepherd hesitated, then lowered his voice, "It’s about Dark Furnace City, sir. I live there."
By rights, he shouldn’t disclose which city he resided in to anyone, but the news he knew was closely related to Heisenberg.
"I know some people got hold of a few Ice Arrow Scrolls made by you and are planning to start a riot."