An Assassin Came from Afar

"Are you curious about how this Mechanical Arm works?"

Tusla caught Rein's gaze, seemed to see through his thoughts, and smiled slightly.

But that skinny, bony face always gave off a slightly creepy feeling when he smiled.

He didn't mind and explained directly, "Your teacher should have told you that the toxins destroyed most of the nerves and muscles in my body. Now I only have some sensation above my neck."

At this point, the old man pointed to his head with the Mechanical Arm and said, "So, your teacher came up with a solution for me: directly linking biological limbs to the neural pathways in my brain. That's how I avoided being paralyzed in bed and unable to care for myself for the rest of my life."

Upon hearing this, Rein realized that this tactic sounded familiar.

Isn't this just like Ilubeck's idea of attaching spider arms to himself?

"Yes, you read that right, it's the same kind of 'Swamp Wolf Spider' that your teacher transplanted."

Tusla raised an eyebrow. Paralysis had not broken his will; on the contrary, he remained optimistic and said, "However, biological limbs are too fragile for us mechanics, so I only took a small portion of the neural connection tissue as an external neural signal receiver and replaced the other joints with physically driven tentacle-shaped metal Mechanical Arm."

Then, he demonstrated a mechanical claw that moved as nimbly as an arm, banging it against the wall with a clanging sound, and said, "This is 'Black Titanium Alloy,' lightweight, high-strength, with low thermal conductivity, and even better than an arm."

"Oh, I see."

Rein understood the explanation.

However, he also gained an accurate understanding of Grandpa Karl's mechanical skills.

This "Tuster Forentus" is capable of designing such an exquisite Mechanical Skeleton, so he must be a legendary figure in the field of mechanics.

However, Rein was also somewhat puzzled. He had spent the past month or so in the library, where he had thoroughly studied the histories of the two great empires.

It can be said that he had heard of all the masters with a little fame, so why had he never seen any record of such a skilled mechanic as Grandpa Karl in any books?

In this world, mechanics also have the concept of "patents." Inventing a new patent immediately registers it with the Mechanist Association and is reported nationwide. A master mechanic capable of creating this octopus-shaped Mechanical Arm would need hundreds of patents.

However, the "Mind Core" searched for the names of almost all the famous mechanics with patents in the Mechanist Guild, but it couldn't find "Tuster Forentes".

This is very strange.

However, now is clearly not the time to be curious about this question.

When Karl saw that his grandfather's face turned pale after saying a few words, he quickly went up to him and asked with concern, "Grandpa, are you alright?"

While the Mechanical Arm allows him to move freely, the toxins have damaged his brain, causing him to frequently faint, which is very dangerous.

Tusla waved his Mechanical Arm to indicate that he was alright, then asked, "I was suddenly awakened by an alarm, and then I heard you say that old man Neto was captured. What exactly happened?"

"Is that so, Grandpa?"

Karl recounted what had happened before, and then said, "Unexpectedly, the City Lord's Mansion suddenly issued an 'S-Class War Conscription Order.' So things have become a bit complicated."

Upon hearing this, Tusla was not primarily worried about himself, but rather about his old friend.

His face turned ugly, and he cursed, "Damn it! Those guys from the Winst Family will destroy 'City of Radiance' sooner or later!"

Everyone understands that the City of Radiance's current glory is entirely due to its almost absolutely fair management system.

Now a privileged class has risen above this system, and a small leak in the anthill will sooner or later cause everything that Master Cavo has painstakingly built to collapse.

Despite his anger, after calming down and thinking it over, Tusla analyzed, "Even if the Winst Family is incredibly audacious, they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on Neto. It seems like it was someone from the Oma Royal Family who made the move. However, even if Nieto is captured and taken back to Omar, Neto shouldn't be in any danger."

Having known his old friend for decades, he knew his temperament all too well. His tone shifted, and he added with slight worry, "However, that old Neto is incredibly stubborn. Hopefully, he won't do anything rash."

Rein pursed his lips upon hearing this; it was something he was also worried about.

The three talked for a long time but couldn't come up with a good solution. The professional intelligence agents of "Blackwater Platform" were elusive, and with the cover of the Winst Family, it was very difficult for outsiders to find out their whereabouts.

Now that we don't even know where the people in Ilubeck are, there's no way to start a rescue operation.

On the contrary, the immediate problem is the most urgent.

The "S-level war conscription" has been issued, and they must accept the mission and leave the city to hunt in the wilderness as soon as possible.

Tusla's current condition requires a long-term supply of "Life Potion" to keep him alive.

This is also where Karl is in a difficult position.

There are quite a few people in the city who can refine [Golden Liquid], but most of them are Senior Doctor from the hospitals of the Five Great Families.

"Grandpa, how about I sell those patentable blueprints to the Soldo family? They should agree to let us accompany the medical team."

"No, don't beg the 'Five Great Families'. Those greedy and short-sighted fellows don't deserve the 'God of Steam's' favor at all! Anyway, I'm only awake for a few hours each day, so I'll just live as long as I can."

"."

As Rein listened to the grandfather and grandson's increasingly pessimistic conversation, the old man still looked like he was utterly fearless.

Taking advantage of a lull in their conversation, he managed to interject, "Um... actually, if it's Life Potion, I can make it too."

Karl assumed that Rein was unaware that his grandfather needed a high-level Life Potion, and subtly hinted, "But... my grandfather needs the [Golden Liquid]."

Tuster, with an expression of nonchalance, said, "Oh, little Rein, I appreciate your kindness. But that old bastard Neto probably hasn't even started teaching you such a complicated formula yet."

Rein's expression was slightly strange as he said, "What I meant was, I actually learned that recipe too."

"Huh? Brother Rein, you... know how to concoct [Golden Liquid]?"

Karl and his grandfather both turned to look when they heard this.

Isn't this Grandpa Neto's newly accepted apprentice? He already knows how to refine high-level Life Potion.

Rein nodded. "Yes."

He didn't know how to explain it. But he had watched Ilubeck refine it so many times that he knew the process by heart.

Besides, after a month of intensive study in the fundamentals of pharmacy, he is no longer the clueless pharmacy apprentice he once was.

Upon hearing this, Karl excitedly shouted, "Grandpa, your medicine is secured!"

"Neto has indeed taken on a good apprentice."

Tuster looked at Rein, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, then muttered sourly, "No wonder that old guy came to chat with me the other day, always bragging about how he took on such an amazingly talented disciple."

Wow, that's really amazing.

Suddenly the immediate crisis was resolved, and the atmosphere in the shop immediately became much more relaxed.

Waaah... waaah... waaah.

But suddenly, the city's second round of urgent alarms sounded again.

They were urged to accept the mission and leave the city as soon as possible.

Rein suggested, "Karl, how about we form a small Scavenger Gang, take on a relatively easy mission, and go out with Grandpa Tulas?"

"Good."

Karl immediately agreed.

All three of them were the kind of people who didn't have an urgent need to hunt for resources to make money. They were thinking that they could just find an easy logistical task to get through this recruitment mission.

Meanwhile, in a high-class inn in the city.

First Prince Quentin Omar stood on the balcony, watching the bustling crowds on the street, a smug look of triumph spreading across his face.

Beside him, his aide Metternich, dressed in a black cloak, stood in a shady corner.

"I originally wanted to talk to Master Cavo, but it seems the old man has no intention of compromising. So, we can only proceed as planned."

"That's good. This collective hunt will allow the Empire to acquire another rich mine, and it's time for our 'Sunflower Merchant Guild' to make its debut. Let's also help those old fogies of the Five Great Families finally make up their minds. Not so many of the members from those Five Great Families who went on the expedition will return alive. Let's clean things up and arrange for some of our people to take their places."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Just as Rein and Karl went to the city hall to receive their mission.

Three guys who had come all the way from the Xid Empire also happened to enter the City of Radiance.

A pale-faced young man, a hooded assassin, and a dark sorcerer shrouded in the aura of death.

If Rein were here, he would immediately recognize the familiar-looking man with a dagger at his waist and a hood.

Because he is the leader of the "Weasel Bandit Group," Quinn the One-Eyed Wolf!

The dark sorcerer, holding some hair and clothing, cast a locator spell and said, "The divination has confirmed the target is in the city. Fifteen kilometers southwest, towards the city hall."

The pale-faced man said, "Quinn, you must find it this time. If you fail again, even if my grandfather doesn't kill you, I will!"

Quinn, standing to the side, replied respectfully, "Yes, Lord Qi Ming."

The pale-faced man said, "However, it's a bit strange that someone in Omar is offering a bounty on the black market for that kid."

Quinn: "It must have been Piscis who put up the bounty. He was the potion master in my old group. In the days after the incident, I felt that the guy and that newbie were acting strangely. Later I found out that he was actually Omar's mole. Now it seems that he was also eyeing the treasure's whereabouts."

The pale-faced man said, "Aren't you surprised that the Oma Royal Family's strategist killed tens of thousands of people with insects, yet one of the newcomers in your group survived? And how did he escape the heavily surrounded Storm Lake encirclement?"

Quinn: "This is something I find very puzzling as well."

The pale-faced man pondered for a moment and said, "Don't underestimate that kid. He probably has secrets too. When we meet, we'll just kill him, take the body, and have Mr. Hei perform a soul-searching ritual. It's better to avoid any unforeseen complications. After all, it wouldn't be good if things got too chaotic in 'City of Radiance'."

"Yes, sir."

I stood on the high ground at Pujieping and shouted, "Tickets, come!" That day, my brothers helped me enter the Three Rivers region.