"I'll keep an eye out for leads." Odis handed Max a cup of hot coffee. "I remember you said you knew someone at the Backlund Fight Club?"
Max immediately understood that Odis intended to practice fighting and combat at the club: "Leave this to me."
The members of the "Mechanical Heart" team also needed to learn and practice combat sports, so they partnered with a combat sports club.
Odis nodded, then took her cup of coffee, sat behind the counter, and enjoyed her breakfast.
After seeing off his friend Max, Odis planned to rest for lunch, but as soon as his friend Kena arrived, the image of the Fool and the image of "the world" reappeared in his mind.
"…Great Fool," the World said devoutly, "Please, 'Hermit,' prepare the ceremony to receive the weapons and rent rented yesterday."
"I'd also like to ask if he's willing to sell 'Flaming Arrow'?"
Odis had no choice but to hurry to the laboratory, take out two candles and place them on either side of the table, draw the corresponding symbols, and build the "spiritual wall".
He lit the candles, dripped homemade essential oil on them, and Oedipus began to whisper the name of "Fool" in the ritual of bestowal.
Soon, the candle representing Mr. Fool suddenly swelled up, forming two illusory, mysterious doors above the flame.
The door opened slightly, and a dazzling light suddenly appeared on the altar. As the light faded, two extraordinary weapons and 100 pounds in cash were revealed.
The scepter costs £50 to rent, the "Flaming Arrow" costs £20, and yesterday "The World" also ordered 30 bullets, which cannot be returned.
That adds up to exactly 100 pounds.
Odis thought to himself, "The rental business is pretty good!"
Then Odis was somewhat surprised: I remember Klein has the ability of "air bullets", why does he still need "flaming arrows"?
But then he remembered that even though Klein had the ability to use "air bullets," he still bought "enchanted bullets."
The power of "Flaming Arrow" is far less than that of "Enchanted Bullet," and it has no extraordinary effects. It can be used against "low-sequence" extraordinary beings, but against a Sequence 7, it can only have a surprise effect and cannot be expected to cause much damage.
However, this weapon is well-suited for use in ambushes or skirmishes, which fits Klein's tactics quite well.
He pondered for a moment, then told the "Fool" in a prayerful manner: "Fool who does not belong to this age... please tell Mr. 'World' that it is worth trading, a 'Flaming Arrow' for 500 pounds."
"It needs to be maintained once a year and can last for five or six years. Each maintenance costs £100. Without maintenance, it will only last for about one year."
"Yes, but it will take more than ten days before the goods can be delivered."
"Alternatively, you can choose to order bullets from me, which will still cost £1 per bullet."
"I can also provide the method for making bullets, but it will cost an extra 100 pounds."
The bullets used in "Flaming Arrows" are not "enchanted bullets" and do not require carving or other processing; they can be made using readily available bullets.
The only technical steps involved reformulating the gunpowder formula and the herbal formula for soaking the bullets.
However, both recipes are relatively simple. If the price is too high, Odis estimates that Klein will choose to try to divination the recipe himself, so it's better to sell them cheaper.
In addition, Odis believed that the weapons he created based on his research results were not unsellable, but he was not entirely comfortable selling them to ordinary extraordinary individuals.
He was at ease selling to Klein, since the other party couldn't possibly die mysteriously in some corner of the city like those wild extraordinary individuals. His weapons would be confiscated by others, and he would be completely out of Odis's sight.
Odis soon received a reply from "the world": "I'll think about it."
Odis smiled and assumed that Klein felt it needed maintenance and was a bit troublesome, which was why he was considering it.
He had considered solving the maintenance problem, but after researching for a while, he couldn't find a reasonable solution.
Theoretically speaking, it's not necessary to disassemble and maintain it. If an extraordinary being in the "middle sequence" continuously replenishes the "Flaming Arrow" with spiritual energy, the magic array can be restored to its function.
The problem is that it's impossible to control the amount of spiritual energy replenished. Those magic arrays are like precision instruments; too much or too little spiritual energy won't work.
In fact, spiritual materials can maintain their effectiveness for one or two years when stored in a box that prevents the spiritual energy from dissipating. However, if there is no such arrangement to prevent dissipation and the materials are in use, the spiritual energy will dissipate very quickly.
Therefore, after creating extraordinary weapons and completing their maintenance, Odis would perform rituals to pray to the god of steam and machinery to suppress the dissipation of spiritual energy.
As an informant for the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery, Odis's prayers were usually answered by the gods. Even if they were not answered, performing another ritual would usually bring a response.
After crafting extraordinary weapons, artisans also perform the step of praying to the gods to ensure the "expiration date" of the extraordinary weapon.
When Odis's research yielded little result, and considering that the one-year usage period was acceptable most of the time, he eventually stopped his research in this area.
Selling extraordinary weapons was not Odis's main source of income, so after "The World" said it would take some time to consider, Odis did not continue to pay attention to the matter.
After lunch, Odis took a public carriage to the "Backland Fight Club" in the Hilton district.
With Max's letter of recommendation, Odis successfully met Federer, the head coach of Fight Club.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
The head coach, who appeared to be at least 1.9 meters tall but was somewhat thin and not particularly strong, personally explained to Odis the two ways to join the club:
"The first way is to pay an annual fee of £20 to become a member of the club."
"You are free to use the club's facilities, find suitable sparring partners, and communicate with other members."
"The second option is to pay a £10 tuition fee to temporarily join the club as a student."
"After completing a series of lessons, they will no longer be eligible to join the club."
Odis thought to himself: Clearly, the first way to join is prepared for someone like me who has a fighting background and wants to exchange ideas and practice.
He said, "I choose the first way to join."
Federer nodded, not surprised: "Mr. Max mentioned your situation in his letter, that you have received rigorous combat training but lack practical experience, right?"
"Yes."
"Please go and pay your membership fee first, and I will find you a sparring partner."
Guided by a waiter, Odis paid her membership fee, received the club's badge, and then entered the indoor venue.
Federer's sparring partner was already waiting at the door. As he led Odis to the practice area, he asked, "What level of practice do you need?"
"I'm not quite sure either." Odis scratched his head. "This is my first time at a fight club."
The sparring partner paused for a moment, then said, "I understand. I'll be careful."
Upon arriving at the practice area, the sparring partner said, "Let's begin."
In a flash, he found himself flying away.