Odysseus had thought about Bernadette's conclusion, but he shook his head and smiled.
"I don't think so," he said.
As he spoke, he skillfully assembled the parts in the wooden box and continued,
"The magical array inside this extraordinary weapon must be engraved using a bone knife made from the leg bones of a mutated flamingo.
Each weapon consumes three flamingo leg bones, each weighing around 25 pounds.
The engraved grooves are filled with a mixture of magma feldspar powder and red crown herb powder, costing around 50 pounds."
Under Odysseus's description, the previously scattered parts in the wooden box were assembled into the shape of a revolver.
Its use was simple yet extraordinary. By pulling the trigger while infusing spiritual energy, each bullet fired became a fist-sized fireball. Upon hitting a target, in addition to the bullet damage, it caused extensive burns.
Even if it didn't hit directly, the residual flames could still burn the target.
He picked up the revolver and continued,
"These parts also need to be custom-made. Thanks to Beckland's advanced industry, any moderately skilled foundry can handle such an order.
But because the parts are tiny and only a few are needed, the cost is quite high. Each revolver's parts cost around 10 pounds.
The bullets also require special treatment: the metal must be soaked in mutated flamingo blood, and the gunpowder mixed with magma sprite bone powder. Each bullet costs 12 soules and becomes unusable if unused for two months."
"Adding it all up, the initial cost of this gun is 135 pounds, not including my design and research costs. Spiritual energy in the materials dissipates after about a year, and maintenance costs about 80 pounds per year."
He paused and added seriously,
"The townhouse I currently live in rents for only 35 pounds every six months.
A regular revolver in Beckland's black market costs about 3 pounds in the city, and around 1 pound 15 soules in the suburbs."
Odysseus shook his head.
"Compared to that, this extraordinary weapon is extremely expensive.
Yes, even the costs I mentioned are discounted because I run an herbal shop and can acquire high-quality spiritual materials cheaply.
On the open market, a weapon like this would sell for at least 500 pounds!"
He concluded,
"I don't think every Level 9 has the financial ability for this. If it weren't for my research, I'd rather buy a good revolver and practice shooting seriously."
Bernadette suddenly asked,
"What if someone invested in them? For example, if I commissioned you to make ten of these weapons for ten Level 9s who are poor at direct combat.
This would instantly give them a very practical offensive tool. If ten—or no, three—of them fired together, I believe they could easily take down a Level 8."
Odysseus opened his mouth.
"You're really wealthy."
"And the price?"
Odysseus raised three fingers.
"300 pounds per gun. No lower."
The beautiful-eyed "Mysterious Queen" stared at him.
"But you just said the cost is only 135 pounds."
"I also said before, that didn't include design and labor costs," Odysseus shrugged. "No matter where you go, you won't find this price."
Technically, it wasn't that the price couldn't be found, but that a similar weapon couldn't be found at all.
Bernadette nodded.
"Fine. But one condition: you must teach my people how to maintain the revolvers and how to make the bullets."
Then she pointed at Odysseus's coat worn inside-out.
"And what about that?"
"That's also an application of the array," Odysseus explained. "Only this one uses higher-value extraordinary materials at the center.
It has usage limits. For example, this coat can only be used once a week. If used a second time, I would directly become a spiritual creature. Far less convenient than a sealed item, but most of the negative effects are absorbed by the array."
Bernadette hummed. For her, the coat was useless.
"Three days from now, I'll send someone to learn revolver maintenance from you."
As she walked away, she added,
"As for the ten revolvers, delivering them within a month is fine, right?"
"No problem. But those learning must also bring a 1000-pound deposit," Odysseus quickly added. "What if I encounter danger?"
"Don't worry about those two black-clad men," Bernadette said. "And before the trade, I'll ensure your safety. After the trade… I'm not your bodyguard."
With that, wings made of illusory feathers surrounded her. When they faded, the "Mysterious Queen" disappeared.
Odysseus sat behind the counter for a few seconds, then sighed.
"Tonight was truly thrilling!"
Although Bernadette had targeted the extraordinary organization that had come for him, they most likely wouldn't trouble him again. Yet he remained vigilant.
After turning off the herbal shop's gas lamp, Odysseus exited through the back door, crossed a dim alley, and arrived at a pre-prepared secret hideout.
It was an old apartment in the northwestern district. Odysseus rented a second-floor room with a bedroom, a separate bathroom, and a semi-open kitchen facing the balcony.
The rent was only 18 soules per month—less than one pound.
After setting warning bells at the balcony and door, he lay down on the slightly damp bed and rested.
Replaying today's events in his mind, he fell asleep.
In his dream, Odysseus walked through a grayish-white mist, and ahead appeared a towering, mysterious castle.
His experience of conducting research in dreams helped him regain some clarity of thought.
He wondered: what is this castle? Judging by its appearance, it was no ordinary castle, giving off a sense of horror and strangeness.
The two massive doors were tightly closed, seemingly untouched for a long time.
Suddenly, growls echoed through the mist. Odysseus looked around cautiously; the swirling fog obscured the beasts.
He instinctively reached for a gun but realized he was thinly clothed and unarmed.
Growing more alert, he began moving toward the castle, searching for areas unguarded by beasts.
After a few steps, a vicious dog appeared. Covered in short hair, long and thin, its mouth stretching back to its head, eyes burning with dark red flames, staring intently at him.
Odysseus immediately realized where he was and knocked frantically.
"Open the door! Your dog is going to bite! Open up!"
More growls arose; the mist seemed full of Fierce Dogs.
Indeed, these were Fierce Dogs, and this castle was the "Source Castle"!
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