I can return to the age of mysterious
Chapter 166 - 166 131 Sufficient Pre-war preparation (3100) _1

Chapter 166: 131 Sufficient Pre-war preparation (3100) _1 Chapter 166: 131 Sufficient Pre-war preparation (3100) _1 “A slight increase? How slight is it?”

Casio immediately commenced the test, curious to see how this first level skin hardening functioned. A dull thudding noise soon resonated within the secret room, lasting for a few minutes.

He drew an approximate conclusion.

In a normal state, when Casio did not intentionally exert force, the Stone Armor would amplify his defensive power four times. In a burst state, the Stone Armor could amplify Casio’s defense by eighty percent, almost doubling it!

This was no trivial matter.

Knowing that, previously, an untrained Casio could withstand small firearms that only broke the skin, this boost of eighty percent meant that those small firearms may not even pierce his skin, and light machine guns and automatic rifles would likely pose no problem.

It was as if Casio wore a bulletproof vest anywhere and anytime.

Of course, skin hardening did not only offer bullet resistance.

Against hacks and stabs from cold weapons and heavy blunt force, it could provide effective defense. It was essentially like wearing a protective layer of versatile leather armor.

Moreover, this only described the effects once Light Armor Mastery was achieved.

If he took it a step further to achieve Heavy Armor Mastery, Casio’s bodily defense could potentially leap to another level.

Without a doubt, certain skills were very effective.

When one focused on becoming formidable in one aspect, their skill development naturally accelerated, demonstrating unique advantages.

On an open field,

Casio adopted a fighting stance and launched into a basic routine of Wind Elephant Fist. With the roll and shift of his fist and footwork, the slight discomfort caused by his body’s transformation was completely dispelled. The side effects associated with the rapid improvement according to Eerie Night Guests were negligible in Casio’s case, almost nonexistent.

One reason was that Casio had been researching the Stone Armor skill for six months and was well-prepared. Another reason was that his second realm of Blood Acceleration, the Hard Qigong physical advancement, allowed him to master all skin and muscle mutations that occurred.

Five minutes later, on the gray road of Black Rain Villa.

A tall cloaked figure strode quickly, his cloak undulating lightly beneath him. Through the gap in his cloak, a peek at the robust muscles and a layer of grey stone-like skin was possible.

The next day,

Inside a dingy room in Black Rain Villa,

“How much do you need? The Fierce Oil Potion may not be very valuable, but each bottle costs at least a thousand federal coins. If you can buy more than five bottles, I can give them for ten percent off. What do you think?” a man’s slow voice echoed.

His hair was fluffy and disheveled, his appearance shabby. He looked about forty years old, a dark pipe clenched between his teeth.

“Give it to me for thirty percent off.”

“No, that wit..”

“I will take ten bottles, thirty percent off.”

“Deal!”

The man quickly extended his hand and shook hands with Casio.

Then, he brought out a small box. Inside the box were ten transparent bottles, each about the size of half a fist. They contained a thick, bluish-black liquid.

The bottles were all covered, but an unpleasant smell, like marsh gas, emanated from the box.

“Ten bottles of Fierce Oil Potion, for a total of seven thousand alliance coins!”

A cunning smile spread across the man’s face.

Among the Eerie Night Guests, very few regular transactions were made using Dark Source. It was extravagant to use the Dark Source to exchange for money or ordinary material enjoyment.

Ordinary Markers didn’t have the strength to complete extra tasks. For them, it was hard enough to complete their regular tasks every three months, barely escaping death each time. A low-level regular task granted only one or two Dark Sources, something pitifully scarce.

The Eerie Night Guests mostly used the Dark Source to enhance their own abilities, hoping it might preserve their lives for the next mission.

The common transactions among the Markers still involved money.

In this era, seven thousand federal coins were no small sum. The purchasing power was akin to the British pound during the industrial revolution. Seven thousand federal coins were enough to buy a small manor.

As for where Casio’s money came from?

Of course, it came from the rewards of his numerous hunts of dark creatures. Some dark creatures strove to assimilate into urban life for better human hunting, accumulating a large amount of money to blend into the upper society and camouflage their identities.

After Casio killed these creatures, he took what he wanted. After all, one must make a fortune in times of disaster.

He was very wealthy; seven thousand was nothing to him.

In the room, Casio reached into his coat and quickly brought out a stack of bills, handing them over to the man. After accepting the box from him, Casio proceeded to ask, “I heard that you also have…”

Twenty minutes later,

A cloaked figure carrying an umbrella in one hand and a large redwood box in the other, stepped into the rain.

From behind him,

A middle-aged man with a wide smile waved enthusiastically, “If you need anything just let me know! Remember to look for my sign, it’s called The Morose Rose…”

In the afternoon, at a shop in Black Rain Villa,

A Marker was hanging a sturdy shield on the wall, freshly forged in the style of the Middle Ages.

It had an inverted triangle shape, bulging out on both sides in an arc.

There was a terrifying axe emblem in the middle of the shield.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from outside.

A burly man walked in.

“How may I assist you, sir?”

The Marker put down his cloth and quickly approached.

“Iron scale armor, spiked hammer, combat battle ax, chain shackles, large curved knife, Tulak Chopping Sword, Swift Sword… never mind, give me a portion of each of these cold weapons. Please have them delivered to Crossbow…”

Listening to the customer’s request, the Marker’s eyes lit up.

A large order had arrived.

Two days later, in the largest training room of Crossbow Tower,

There was a constant sound of weapon clashes.

A large curved knife sliced diagonally in mid-air.

A flash of silver.

Clang!

Two thick fingers caught the knife blade.

The man wielding the knife tugged back forcefully, but no matter what, he couldn’t retrieve his curved knife, so he had to unwillingly give up.

He released the hilt with a bitter smile shaking his head.

“Dusk, this is the entirety of the Koyu Wood Curved Knife Technique I’ve been practicing. As for more, sorry that my skills fall short…”

“No worries, thanks for your help, Mr. Tuss.”

Casio let go of his fingers and handed the curved knife back.

He then removed a small stack of bills from his chest: “This is the remaining one thousand Federal Coins, take them, Mr. Tuss.”

“Many thanks.”

Tuss sheathed the curved knife, nodding in thanks. Markers weren’t short of money, but it depended on the situation. A simple demonstration of martial arts for an hour could easily earn fifteen hundred federal coins, this was certainly a profitable deal.

He stuffed the money into his chest and exited the room.

Outside, four or five markers holding different weapons were sitting in chairs waiting, while chatting leisurely amongst themselves.

As soon as Tuss appeared, their gazes all shifted to him.

He smiled, patted his slightly bulging left chest, and nodded, before making his way to the corridors.

The few people sitting also chuckled and continued their conversation.

After a moment, a voice came from inside the training room.

“Next up Mr. Bartley, the weapon is Chain Shackles…”

“It’s my turn.”

A robust man stood up.

Two days later, in the suburbs of Nington City, Joachim Manor.

This place was situated in isolation, the closest settlement being a small town half a kilometer away. The city center was at least five or six kilometers from there.

At the manor gate.

Two figures in suits embraced.

“Mr. Dusk, Joachim Manor now belongs entirely to you. Use it however you like and moreover, thank you for your generosity, which has granted me a small profit. Goodbye, I shall take my leave.”

The middle-aged man took his stride towards the horse carriage parked by the side.

The black carriage began to move, the curtain at the carriage window was lifted towards the left. The man vigorously waved his right hand with a smile on his face.

The entrance of the manor.

A tall figure in a suit stood silently.

The man held a blueprint of Joachim Manor. Apart from the manor’s specific structure, there were various additional designs or rather traps inside the manor that didn’t exist in reality. Spikes, pits, wooden stakes, explosives, landmines, etc…

That night, in the village near the Manor.

Many young and strong farmers received news that a generous master had arrived at Joachim Manor.

He planned to hire a large number of workers to renovate Joachim Manor, with a high hourly wage. The quicker the work, the higher the wage.

Instantly, the entire village became agitated.

Several days passed.

Nington City, at night, in an abandoned warehouse.

Two vans parked on the decayed floor. In the dim moonlight, two groups were dealing with each other.

“Inspect the goods first?”

“Sure.”

One of the vans opened, revealing a large amount of smuggled weaponry. Landmines, grenades, submachine guns, heavy machine guns…

“Hmm, not bad.” The tall silhouette nodded.

“And the money?” The slightly shorter figure asked.

“Here it is.” The taller man handed the suitcase straight away.

Ten minutes later.

“Pleasure doing business.”

“Pleasure doing business!”

Both parties took their desired items, got into the vans, and went their separate ways under the dim moonlight.

Late at night, Joachim Manor.

A vehicle drove into the nearby warehouse.

Half an hour later, the second floor of the Villa.

Casio was sitting on the sofa, sipping freshly brewed black tea. He pondered for a moment and took off his cloak.

Under his cloak was a set of rigid silvery body armor that covered his entire body. The armor was not only strong in defense but also highly elastic. Even in Casio’s full effort, the muscle expansion barely caused it to burst open. He picked up the teacup and took another large sip of the hot tea.

Casio glanced at the handgun on the table, stood up, and walked over to a decorative stand behind him that housed a variety of brand-new cold weapons and a can armor suit.

He walked through the living room to the balcony.

Surveying the vast space inside the Manor.

On the surface, it seemed calm, but danger lurked within. Various traps were hidden inside. Right, there were a few landmines he had not yet buried.

Preparations had reached this point, but Casio was still somewhat dissatisfied. Due to time constraints, many of his plans had been left unimplemented.

However, it should be enough to deal with the first round of assassination attempts.

He planned to present a big surprise to his beloved Decayed Knight…