Old Mo frowned as though he was in deep thought while staring at the aeth engine.
There was only one key stage left. If he could solve it, a newly transformed aeth engine would be completed and the Violet Hero Battleship would be reborn.
However, this last stage was also the most difficult. Old Mo estimated he had less than a ten percent chance of succeeding.
He was troubled about how to guarantee the greatest rate of success.
Old Mo looked a little irritated when Lin Xun came to look for him. Just like other rune masters, Old Mo hated being disturbed the most when he was focused on work.
Fortunately, Lin Xun was the one who came. If it were anyone else, Old Mo would have driven them away already.
“You want me to help you make a crossbow?”
Lin Xun’s purpose of coming surprised Old Mo but his eyes suddenly gleamed with interest. He patted his small chest and said confidently, “This is a simple matter, leave it to me! I owe you a huge favor from last time. I haven’t had the time to properly thank you yet. I have always felt bad. Let me compensate you this time. I will make the finest crossbow for you!”
Lin Xun cast a glance at Xiaoman as if he was saying, ‘See, I’m not cunning! Old Mo wants to return my favor.’
Xiaoman pursed her lips and ignored him.
“What kind of crossbow do you want? Seven Star Crossbow? Divine Arm Crossbow? Chain Crossbow? Or is it an Armor-Piercing Blood Crossbow?” Old Mo rapidly threw out many options.
All the crossbows he mentioned were standard crossbows in the empire that were considered lower human-grade aeth tools. They all had tremendous power and were suitable for Lin Xun, who was only at the True Martial Stage.
Lin Xun thought for a moment and then spread out a piece of paper. He dipped a rune brush in ink and quickly drew a complicated rune pattern.
Then, he sketched a short crossbow with a circular body and a sophisticated hand rest at the end of the bow. It seemed to be a very ordinary design.
“I want to make this. I think it’s called Flying Star Crossbow.” Lin Xun said in an unsure tone.
Before Lin Xun had left the mine prison, Mister Lu had given him an ancient animal skin book and a dark gray brush. Later on, the two items coincidentally merged into one and became the Omega Door floating in his sea of consciousness.
The ancient animal book contained the records of many rune patterns. It was similar to the handwritten notes of a rune master. Mister Lu had always treated it as a treasure.
Lin Xun had been following Mister Lu since he was a child and so he had long memorized the contents of the book. The rune pattern to create a Flying Star Crossbow was also recorded in the book.
Of course, Lin Xun not only memorized the rune pattern. He had watched Mister Lu make the Flying Star Crossbow based on the rune pattern and, of course, he had learned it from him. However, he lacked the skills and abilities to create an aeth tool right now.
It was one thing to know how to make it, but it was another to actually make it.
For example, he could only advise Old Mo on how to transform the aeth engine of the Violet Hero Battleship but it was impossible for him to engrave the runes because it involved far too many rune arrays.
This was the difference between a rune apprentice and rune master.
It was not easy to know but difficult to do.
Lin Xun, who was casting his mind back to the past, didn’t realize that Old Mo was staring intently at the rune diagram on the piece of paper like it was a peerless treasure. His wrinkled face was crossed with shock, surprise, bewilderment, and joy.
Lin Xun didn’t notice but Xiaoman was sharply aware that something was wrong, but she didn't know much about runes and could only watch helplessly to avoid disturbing Old Mo.
She could tell that Old Mo was already absorbed in the runes. It would be worse than death for him if he was disturbed.
Xiaoman was just curious about what kind of crossbow Lin Xun wanted to make that could make Old Mo so excited.
……
Three days passed by in the blink of an eye, and the curtains to the quarterly assessment would be lifted tomorrow.
The students in all twenty campgrounds were stepping up their preparations. By now, the supply warehouse had become the most popular place in every campground.
Everyone knew that, without any powerful equipment, it was impossible for them to kill a brute warrior, who had a strength comparable to a Spirit Dipper cultivator.
In order to not be eliminated, none of the students held back from spending their points. The supply warehouses were quickly emptied.
They scrambled for all kinds of armor, inner armor, wrist guards, shoulder pads, combat boots, battle shields, crossbows, aeth bows…
Out of all the weapons they could choose, the short crossbow was the most popular weapon among the students.
This was understandable. The short crossbow had destructive power and could shoot across a long-range without consuming much aeth power. It could inflict huge damage to brute warriors with proper usage.
Unfortunately, there was only a small stock of short crossbows in each campground and it cost a huge amount of points. Therefore, only a small number of students could own a crossbow.
Ye Xiaoqi, who already possessed an Armor-Piercing Blood Crossbow, rejoiced inwardly. He had exchanged his points for the crossbow before the first monthly assessment and so he didn’t need to compete with the others.
However, Ye Xiaoqi and all the other students were aware that it was impossible to kill a brute warrior with a standard crossbow in one blow.
Brute warriors were not arrow targets. They possessed strength, combat skills, and experience comparable to Spirit Dipper cultivators. Standard crossbows could, at most, inflict a certain amount of damage.
In other words, students had to depend on their own strength to win.
……
Old Mo’s warehouse.
Old Mo caressed the newly made Flying Star Crossbow. His face lit up with indescribable excitement, as his fingertips ran down the cold surface of the crossbow.
He couldn’t imagine how such a short crossbow could have so many complicated runes and such an exquisite structure.
He had never seen a Flying Star Crossbow before in the empire. It was only a crossbow at the lower human grade but it had such a complicated rune structure.
Its power was no doubt extraordinary!
Matched with the Flying Star Crossbow were twenty-four starry frost rune arrows. The arrows were six inches long and were razor sharp. Detailed rune patterns ran down their surfaces like flowing water and they glowed with a heart-chilling cold light.
Although Old Mo hadn’t tested the power of the Flying Star Crossbow combined with the starry frost rune arrows, he could already imagine the astonishing power.
Perhaps the only drawback of the Flying Star Crossbow was its high cost. The rune materials and rune ink alone could cost at least eight hundred silver coins!
The price would be even higher if the labor of a rune master was factored in!
“It’s a pity that ordinary rune masters can’t make this sort of weapon. Also, the cost to make them is too high. Otherwise, they could be mass-produced and every army in the empire could be equipped with them. If that happened, the empire’s strength could be upgraded to another level!”
Old Mo sighed regretfully.
Xiaoman couldn’t help but tremble with shock when she heard about how amazing the Flying Star Crossbow was from Old Mo. That thing is a huge killing weapon!
The look in her eyes turned a little strange when she glanced at Lin Xun again. How many secrets is that boy hiding in his brain? How can he always inadvertently bring out such earthshaking treasures?
Lin Xun didn’t try to explain. He just took the Flying Star Crossbow from Old Mo’s hand and left. The quarterly assessment was tomorrow and so he had to make some preparations.
“The boy’s master is a remarkable rune master. At the very least, he must be at the level of rune founder in the art of runes. No, even rune master isn’t enough. After all, I suspect that even the damn old thing in Qinglu Academy can’t develop such a unique crossbow!” Old Mo sighed.
“Where do you think his master comes from? One of the four rune families? Or a secret sect or clan?” Xiaoman asked curiously.
She knew that the ‘damn old thing’ whom Old Mo spoke of was the culprit who forced Old Mo to escape to Blood Kill Camp.
He was one of the most well-known rune founders in the empire. The fact that Old Mo actually said that Lin Xun’s master was even more powerful than him was enough to show how remarkable Lin Xun's master was.
“I don’t know. At least I have never seen anyone who can make a Flying Star Crossbow and I’ve never seen anyone who can improve the aeth engine of the Violet Hero Battleship.”
Old Mo scrunched his brows and pondered bitterly for a long while. He still couldn’t think of anyone who could do the things he mentioned.
“I’m going to find Chief Xu.”
Suddenly, Xiaoman suddenly thought of something and left.
“Where are you going?” Old Mo asked in puzzlement.
“I’m going to make a bet with him!”
Her slender and graceful figure had already vanished from the warehouse before the last sounds of her voice disappeared.
……
Blood Kill Camp, the central campground.
The quarterly assessment was being held tomorrow. Consequently, the instructors and experts of the twenty campgrounds were all summoned to gather in the central campground.
Xu Sanqi was sitting in the center. He swept his razor-sharp gaze across the surrounding people and said, “Forty-nine, have all the brute warriors been selected?”
A burly middle-aged man with a tower-like figure said in a low muffled voice. “I just caught them from the front line. I guarantee they are all first-level brute warriors.”
Xu Sanqi nodded. “In order to prevent any accidents from happening, everyone must be prepared for the quarterly assessment tomorrow. We have to ensure that the students won’t die in the hands of brute warriors.”
Everyone nodded.
After a thought, Xu Sanqi suddenly asked, “Everyone, who do you think is the most likely to kill a brute warrior first among the six hundred students in the twenty campgrounds?”
His one sentence made the gazes of many instructors and experts turn contemplative.
“Of course it’s our Bai Lingxi from the 7th Campground!” A bearded man said without hesitation and many people nodded in assent.
Indeed, Bai Lingxi had the innate talent of Eternal Shining Stars and was the most remarkable girl in the entire Blood Kill Camp.
However, the instructors of the other campgrounds looked unconvinced.
“Bai Lingxi is pretty good, but when it comes to combat strength, she isn’t as good as our Zhao Yin from the 15th Campground.”
"Zhao Yin? Hmph, the Violet Sun Body is powerful, but Zhangsun Hen from the 22nd Campground won’t lose to him!”
The central campground broke out in a clamor. Everyone was unwilling to concede and they argued until their faces turned crimson.
What would their students think if they saw their usually dignified instructors quarreling like common women on the streets?
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