Ten days quickly flew by, and Eric and the others were only three to four days away from Batley City.
It was a gloomy night and the surroundings were very dark; the moon was also hiding behind the clouds. Because of this, they set up their camp early and sat around a small campfire.
After dinner, they casually chatted while watching Elianor sing and dance.
Eric feared drinking alcohol, so he skipped it. Lyria and Livy were even less interested as they hadn't even tasted it before, and with Eric avoiding it, they also rejected it without hesitation.
The three of them sat on a log; opposite them sat Caius, Brunhild, and Thorne on the ground.
Garrick and Eilif were drunk and applauding Elianor's dancing and singing.
Although Eric didn't know if the song was supposed to be good or bad by this world's standards, Elianor's singing and dancing were not bad. It was gentle and not too "bang bang," something he appreciated in the dark, quiet environment with only the little light from the campfire.
Caius looked at Brunhild and laughed, "Brunhild, you also know how to sing and dance; why don't you join Elianor?"
Brunhild blushed, then glared at Caius while rebuking, "You also know how to dance and sing, so why don't you?"
Garrick and Eilif laughed and cheered for Caius.
Caius coughed awkwardly, "Never mind. I am too old to dance as beautifully as Elianor."
Brunhild snorted, pulled something out from her space pouch, and started cleaning it with a white cloth.
Eric casually glanced at the object in Brunhild's hand, and then his eyes slowly widened.
Thorne didn't notice the change in Eric and asked Brunhild in a strange tone, "Why didn't you use that Tier 1 weapon that night?"
"You mean our battle against the necromancers? It was pointless as our battle was against numbers. This weapon takes too much Mana to fire; I would have drained myself just fighting the zombies." In fact, she had planned to surprise the necromancers and kill one or two with it, but that wasn't so easy with them being so cautious.
Thorne had also tried that weapon and knew that it took a good chunk of Mana to fire even once and had a very limited range, but its firepower was commendable. Even Caius wasn't willing to take a hit from it without guarding.
At this moment, Caius noticed the amazed look on Eric and asked curiously, "Little brother Eric?"
Lyria and Livy also turned to look at Eric, whose focus was entirely on the strange object in Brunhild's hands. They also found the Tier 1 weapon strange, but it shouldn't be that amazing.
Brunhild and Thorne turned to look at Eric as well.
Brunhild found it unusual and asked curiously, "Is little brother Eric interested in this weapon?"
Eric nodded rapidly. He was just one step away from grabbing it himself.
Brunhild didn't say anything else; she stood up and passed the weapon to Eric.
Eric took it. Although the design was old-school, how could he not recognize it!
It was a Colt Peacemaker revolver!
It had a barrel, cylinder, handle, trigger, and even a hammer! It was metallic black in color and had a beautiful classic design.
He unhooked the cylinder, then rolled the tiny bullets out onto his other palm to check them. It was pure metal with no gunpowder. So, what was the point of having a hammer?
He then turned to check the revolver again and noticed that it was quite different from his old world's revolvers.
There were many arrays all over the weapon; the hammer also had a unique array inscribed on it.
The arrays were hidden subtly. A person who didn't understand arrays wouldn't recognize them, but he, as a 'theory master,' could grasp it—though he still needed to observe deeply to understand exactly how it worked. Sadly, Riya was still in a coma; otherwise, she could have used his Mana to quickly figure out how these arrays functioned.
Brunhild was a bit surprised by how easily Eric handled the gun, but not too much, as all three of them were complete enigmas anyway. How much they truly knew or had seen would remain a mystery to her forever.
She offered, "If little brother Eric is interested in this weapon, you can take it." She didn't mind, as she still needed to thank Eric, Lyria, and Livy for rescuing them back in Maplemurk Village.
Eric didn't answer right away. He put the bullets back and loaded the revolver. He then pointed toward the empty field and fired.
He already understood how it worked and how he needed to send his Mana to activate the arrays.
BANG!
A reasonably loud noise echoed, but not too much, as there was no gunpowder in it.
The metal-striking-metal noise silenced the singing and pulled everyone's attention to Eric.
With Eric's sharp vision, he had no problem seeing in the dark and tracking how far the tiny bullet went.
Although the revolver was nothing amazing—and even his Tier 1 Shadow Dart was far more impressive, since it was silent, required no bullets, and had greater accuracy and distance—he still couldn't help but fall in love with it.
How could he not? It reminded him of Earth, and as an ex-21st-century corrupted human, how could he not appreciate a gun? He suddenly felt an extreme interest in creating more gun models with the help of Riya later on.
Though their firepower probably couldn't compare to what his spells or abilities could do, it was just fun and exciting. What other reason did he need? He was even cursing himself for not thinking of this sooner.
Eric turned toward Brunhild and asked, "What is this weapon called? And where did you find it?"
Brunhild calmly answered, "It is called a 'hand-gun'. As for where..." She continued, sounding a bit unsure, "I am not certain, but my family bought it from outside the Silvia Kingdom. I will have to ask them for the exact details. Does little brother want to know?"
Eric nodded without hesitation. He needed to check that place to see if there were any other ready-made models available. If there were, he could study and modify them with the help of Riya, creating more cool designs using his past world's knowledge. Lyria and Livy could also help build them.
Brunhild smiled, "If little brother Eric likes the gun, then keep it. You don't need to pay anything. I am an archer, so using a gun doesn't really suit my fighting style anyway. It was just staying with me as a decoration."
Eric hesitated a little. In the end, he just nodded and accepted Brunhild's gift.
Brunhild smiled happily and went back to her previous seat beside Caius.
Meanwhile, Elianor was filled with jealousy. She quickly thought of what she could give Eric, but other than her 'first time,' there was nothing else worthwhile on her. She blushed like a tomato and quietly sat down, no longer in the mood to sing or dance.
Eric pondered a little and then asked, "How much did it cost your family?"
Brunhild shook her head, "I don't know. If I have to guess, since this is a mid-grade Tier 1 weapon, according to market prices it should be around 150 Mana Stones."
Due to its rarity, the price could easily be twice or thrice that, but she didn't mention it.
Eric turned toward Caius and asked, "Brother Caius, I forgot to ask, but how much do Tier 1 and Tier 2 weapons usually cost?"
Caius smiled lightly and answered, "Perhaps you guys already know, but I will briefly explain. Weapon and armor Tiers are further categorized into four grades: Low, Mid, High, and Peak. Tier 1 items are still easily found in the market, but Tier 2 items are usually only found in Guild Shops or other large establishments. A few, which are unique or have runes inscribed, are even sold in auctions and cost a fortune."
"Weapons cost a lot less than armor, as a full set of armor requires a massive amount of materials. In fact, even simple Tier 1 robes cost almost the same as armor, depending on the enchantments and materials used—though powerful or unique weapons can also cost much more than normal armor sets."
Before Caius could continue, Lyria asked curiously, "What of Tier 3 weapons and armor?" Caius had only talked about Tier 1 and 2, so she was curious about where she could find Tier 3 and their usual costs.
Caius and the others were startled. Tier 3 was a dream for everyone, even for Master Ranks. It was as rare as a Rank 3 Mana Beast—no, far rarer—as there were rarely blacksmiths skilled enough to work on them. At least, Batley City didn't have anything close to that.
Suddenly, they all recalled something and started perspiring heavily. They glanced at each other with trepidation and began wiping their sweaty foreheads.
Eric, Lyria, and Livy were confused by everyone's sudden change, as if they had just remembered something horrifying.
"What's wrong with you all? Is Tier 3 that expensive?" Livy asked, perplexed.
Caius shook his head and smiled bitterly, "No, that's not it. We suddenly recalled that we are still traveling through the border of the southern plains and remembered a recent horrifying event." He paused and suddenly asked with wide eyes, "Now that I think about it, were you all traveling through these plains before we met?"
Eric, Lyria, and Livy tilted their heads in confusion and nodded to confirm.
Once again, all six of the Eclipse members wiped their sweaty foreheads and exhaled deep breaths.
Brunhild said with a shaky voice, "Y-you guys are extremely lucky... It was too dangerous! If not for Sir Stormborne of the Celestial Maelstrom, you all might have already died by now." She paused, took a deep breath, and continued with a solemn tone, "A Newborn stage Rank 3 was spotted in these plains! Can you imagine? The entire Batley City might have been wiped out by now. Even City Lord Gideon wouldn't be able to defeat such a monster all alone. Even if reinforcements arrived, by the time they got here, the entire city might have just been reduced to rubble."
Eric, Lyria, and Livy were startled, but soon their expressions turned strange.
They wanted to laugh, but looking at Caius and the others' constipated expressions, they held back.
Livy asked, though her voice shook a little due to holding her laughter back, "I-is a Rank 3 Mana Beast that dangerous? It was just a Newborn, though..." She stopped in her tracks before she could mock the Rank 3 Crimson Tide Spider further, as Caius and the others' faces had turned extremely nasty. It seemed it was a complete nightmare for them.
Caius sighed. He could see the three were suppressing their laughter. He couldn't understand why, but guessed that they were simply unaware of the horror of a Rank 3.
He briefly explained, "A Rank 3 is a completely different entity than any Rank 2; even an Elder stage Rank 2 is nothing compared to it. It is similar to Tier 3 and above weapons and armor; they are not easily found anywhere. According to my knowledge, maybe if our grades in the guild were as high as B or C, then we might be able to gaze upon Tier 3 blacksmith products in the Guild Stores of larger cities. Otherwise, they can only be custom-made by some Master Blacksmith. Perhaps in Sildargrade you might find them, but Batley City doesn't have anything close to Tier 3—or even anything above a low-grade Tier 2."
Eric understood that Tier 3 blacksmith products were probably as rare as Rank 4 or 5 Mana Wielders. Rather than that, there was something else he wanted to know, so he narrowed his eyes and asked with genuine curiosity, "I heard Sister Brunhild mention 'Sir Stormborne of the Celestial Maelstrom'; what exactly happened?"
Hearing this, Caius exhaled deeply and explained, "I am not entirely sure when, but our Batley City's Catastrophic Beast Sensor suddenly detected a Rank 3 nearby. Thankfully, Sir Stormborne of our Adventurers Guild had just arrived in our city and was immediately dispatched to take care of it."
"After a few days, the Guild Master received information directly from Sir Stormborne that the Beast was slain, and our Catastrophic Beast Sensor confirmed that fact. Otherwise, a Rank 3, even if it was just a Newborn, is not something a single Rank 4 can defeat; maybe two or three are required. And it was a Mystical type, so perhaps even two early-stage Rank 4s wouldn't have been enough to handle it."
Eric, Lyria, and Livy exchanged glances in amazement. They had just missed each other? Good thing they did. Though, just how did this 'Sir Stormborne' arrive at that location in just a few days? It was a month-long distance from Batley City; even a Rank 4 should take a week or more, and they surely wouldn't rush so quickly just to fight a Rank 3 Beast while panting and tired.
"What can you tell us about this Sir Stormborne of the Celestial Maelstrom? Also, what is that Beast Sensor you mentioned?" Eric asked. Lyria and Livy also focused on hearing the answer.
Caius and the others found it strange that the three were so interested in Stormborne rather than the Beast itself, despite the fact they had just survived by not encountering it.
"A Catastrophic Beast Sensor is an artifact or perhaps an array that can detect Rank 3 and above threats within a set distance," Caius explained. "As far as I am aware, it cannot be moved around. It can also approximately detect the direction and distance toward the threat."
"About the Celestial Maelstrom, it is a powerful Adventurers Guild Team. I am not sure how big it is, but I recently heard that they are divided into multiple divisions; all divisions or teams have at least one Master Rank, if not more. Sir Stormborne himself is a very powerful Rank 4; how powerful exactly, I am not sure. Other than him, there are a few other Apprentice Ranks in his group, and all of them belong to the fifth division of the Celestial Maelstrom. They seem to have arrived in Batley City for some unknown reason and provided us with much-needed, timely protection. Otherwise, maybe you three and our Batley City would have long disappeared by now."
Eric nodded, feeling very grateful to Sir Stormborne for covering up their past dirty deeds. He also understood that Caius wouldn't be able to tell them more about the Celestial Maelstrom Team, so he asked the next important question, "Is Sir Stormborne still within Batley City?"
Eric wanted to be cautious and avoid encountering Stormborne anytime soon. If necessary, they should even avoid entering Batley City if he was still around.
Caius hesitated a little, then thought that Eric and both girls were trustworthy enough that it should be fine for them to know. So, he truthfully informed him, "No, he already left. I don't know the details, but he seems to have some mission in Sildargrade."
Eric nodded again. Now they could enter Batley City without worrying about meeting this powerful Rank 4, who didn't even hesitate to go alone with some Apprentice Ranks to fight a Rank 3 Beast.
After all, there was a chance that, as a Master Rank who had been to the scene, he might somehow recognize that they were the ones who had fought the Crimson Tide Spider.
Caius smiled and resumed the previous topic, "About Tier 1 weapons, from low to peak grade, their prices are 50, 150, 300, and 500 Mana Stones; this is the base price. For Tier 2, the prices are 600, 800, 1,000, and 5,000 Mana Stones. All these are not fixed; for example, a spear or longsword might cost more than a dagger and so on. Then there is how well they are made, the design, looks, and so forth—all these further increase the price."
Lyria was relieved. She had made plenty of weapons up to high-grade Tier 2; though many were destroyed, they still had a reasonable stock of earlier grades remaining, including her masterpieces—though two were still stuck within the Rank 3 Spider's corpse, maybe destroyed. For now, if they could sell some of those weapons and armor pieces, they should easily be able to afford the space gateway price to travel.
She asked after some thought, "What if they have runes inscribed?"
"Any successful rune inscription can increase the price of a weapon or armor by at least 50 to 100% of its base price," Caius answered with deep longing. Any warrior, or even a mage, longs to have rune artifacts or weapons. Unfortunately, rune masters are even rarer than blacksmiths.
While Lyria and Livy became excited, Eric thought a little and pulled a high-grade Tier 1 bow out from his pocket watch, gently throwing it toward Brunhild while saying, "It's yours, as thanks for the hand-gun."
Brunhild caught the bow with a blank expression, and the others looked just as stunned.