Chapter 18: A Lone Journey

In a private room on the third floor of the Starcom Consortium.

"Esteemed guest, these are the weapons you requested." A young man in a black robe sat in the lower chair, pointing to several weapons on the table with a professional smile. "Close-fitting soft armor, constructed with silver and fine steel wire as the core materials. It was meticulously crafted by specialist craftsmen into circles, and even an Adept will struggle to tear it apart. Completely intact, rated a sixth-grade weapon by our Starcom Consortium. It is priced at 100 silver taels."

"A fine steel long saber, three chi two cun in length [1]...rated sixth-grade, worth 60 silver taels." The young man in the black robe looked at Wu Yuan.

"Mm, I'll take both the soft armor and the long saber. Pack them up." Wu Yuan said, appearing as a tall and thin young man.

In the Middle Land, weapons were divided into different grades, similar in many ways to the nine grades of martial artists.

Ninth-grade, eighth-grade, and seventh-grade weapons are not significantly different. These belonged to the category of ordinary weapons. They were sold at very low prices, and often made in common blacksmith shops.

Weapons of the sixth, fifth, and fourth grades were primarily constructed of extraordinary materials. They were commonly known as superior weapons and were capable of withstanding the terrifying impact of powerful martial artists. Their prices were more than a hundred times higher than that of ordinary weapons.

As for the top three grades of weapons? Also known as divine weapons, they were extremely rare, with prices ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of silver taels. Some legendary divine weapons couldn't even be acquired with money. Most weapon refiners wouldn't be able to refine a divine weapon in their lifetime.

For Wu Yuan, superior weapons were sufficient in the short term.

"In addition to these, I'd like to purchase detailed information on the Northern Mountain Gang." Wu Yuan casually said. The Northern Mountain Gang was a large gang on the same scale as the Vicious Tiger Gang, but even stronger, and with an even longer history.

"Information on the Northern Mountain Gang?" The black-robed young man's pupils shrank slightly. After a little thought, he said, "The Starcom Consortium's information is divided into three levels: 'detailed', 'rough', and 'brief'. Which level of information do you need?"

"Price." Wu Yuan said bluntly. That was his real concern.

"180 taels, 10 taels, and 1 tael respectively," the young man in the black robe said. "However, it should be noted that detailed information cannot be taken out of the Starcom Consortium, it can only be read in the building. Once purchased, it can be viewed free of charge for fifteen days, including any updates during the viewing period."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly, the price difference between these three levels of information was not large. And with a little deduction, it was clear that for rough and brief information, the Starcom Consortium wasn’t too worried about leaks. However, Wu Yuan understood that a single silver tael, the price of the cheapest level of information, could still feed a family of three for quite some time.

"No matter, it was a casual inquiry," Wu Yuan said evenly.

"A casual inquiry?" the young man in black robes blinked in surprise.

Wu Yuan soon departed from the Starcom Consortium, his newly purchased long saber and soft armor in tow.

After storing his weapons in the martial academy, Wu Yuan once again Transfigured into a sturdy man and entered the Starcom Consortium. Once again, he climbed the stairs and ascended to the third floor.

He entered another private room.

Soon, a large pile of weapons was brought into the room by the guards.

"Twenty throwing knives. Short handles, small but sharp... rated as fifth-grade, each knife is priced at twenty silver taels."

"This is the Luminous Silverfrost Spear. The spearhead is made mainly of fine iron and mixed with a portion of Streamlight cold iron. Crafted by a master blacksmith, its sharpness is extraordinary. The shaft is crafted from the finest Starwillow wood. The combination of two, rated as fifth-grade, is worth 420 silver taels."

The silver spear could be split into two parts and placed into a portable weapon case that could be carried on one's back.

"The total comes to 820 silver taels," the middle-aged man in black robes respectfully informed Wu Yuan of the final tally.

"820 silver taels?" Wu Yuan, whose flesh and muscles were currently stretched and flexed to different proportions, furrowed his eyebrows slightly. He'd given away more than 800 taels in the ancestral mansion. After deducting the cost of the two weapons he'd previously purchased, he barely had enough to afford these as well.

"Reduce the number of throwing knives to ten," Wu Yuan pondered for a moment, then added, “Also, I need a detailed report on the Vicious Tiger Gang."

...

Within Wu Yuan's private practice room in the county martial academy.

The so-called superior weapons of this world are made rather crudely, yet they are immensely powerful.

Wu Yuan's gaze swept over the line of superior weapons arrayed before him. Soft armor, long saber, throwing knives, long spear. The most expensive of all was the Luminous Silverfrost Spear.

Streamlight cold iron? Starwillow wood? These were materials Wu Yuan had never heard of in his previous life. He was no scientist to judge them either.

But he tested the hardness of the spearhead, and indeed, it was extraordinary. As for the shaft? Its flexibility was astounding. A brief test confirmed its ability to withstand his Threefold Power Surge.

In open field group battles, it’s best to rely on a mighty axe or a long spear! Regrettably, even a sixth-grade superior axe comes at a price of thousands of silver taels.

The prices of weapons were intimately linked to the materials and metals it was crafted with. As for the Luminous Silverfrost Spear, the priciest part was the short spearhead.

In close quarters, one favors the long saber.

Wu Yuan picked up the long saber, an ordinary one made of fine steel, yet sharp as could be.

Throwing knives were long-range weapons, highly effective in both ambush and pursuit. The price of each knife was low, corresponding to its small size.

I wonder if the Starcom Consortium saw through my tactic of splitting my purchases into two separate trips.

Transfiguration was essentially a technique of disguise. It was difficult for ordinary people to detect, as it could alter one's outward appearance via the reshaping of flesh and bone. However, the bulk of one’s musculoskeletal structure and essence could not be changed.

The core of an individual, even when deliberately camouflaged, was difficult to truly alter. Moreover, the gap between the two weapon purchases was too short. On top of that, he had entered the Starcom Consortium several times previously under Transfiguration to purchase low-grade body tempering pills.

Given his cautious character, Wu Yuan would have preferred to disguise himself under three identities, staying as inconspicuous as possible.

However, time waited for no man. Wu Yuan was worried that if he waited any longer, Chieftain Wu Qiming might not make it out alive. The audacious attack by the Vicious Tiger Gang showed their complete disregard for the Wu Clan.

Every year, within Li City's borders, numerous martial artists fell at the hands of the Vicious Tiger Gang, including members of major clans and formidable martial artists.

Thus, he decided only to split his purchases into two.

For 160 silver taels, the information on the Vicious Tiger Gang is rather clear.

Various details about the Vicious Tiger Gang surfaced in his mind. He had spent around an hour in the Starcom Consortium committing the most important information to memory.

The gang leader, Raging Tiger Yang Long, is a fourth-grade martial artist. He is known for his extreme ferocity and maintains a constant presence year-round at...

Division Head Evil Tiger Li Ye, a fifth-grade martial artist, is the right-hand man of the gang leader...

The appearances of all six Adept experts in the Vicious Tiger Gang were ingrained deeply in Wu Yuan's brain.

As for those dozens of martial virtuosos and thousands of ordinary gang members, there were no individual mentions. The Starcom Consortium didn't go into much detail, only providing a rough number. The Starcom Consortium, despite its vast information network, could only keep tabs on the Adept experts.

Likewise, Wu Yuan also had a clear idea about the locations of the Vicious Tiger Gang's headquarters and the two sub-branches mentioned in the intelligence. This intelligence was updated by the Starcom Consortium ten days ago.

In a large gang of this size, significant changes within just ten days are unlikely.

With money, even gods can be bribed. The ancestors of old did not deceive me.

Large clans with manpower could also collect such intelligence as long as they had the patience, such as the Luo family. Unfortunately, a small clan like Wu Clan did not have that level of resources.

Was 160 silver taels expensive? Yes! But Wu Yuan felt it was worth it. At least, it allowed him to understand the strength of the opponent he was about to face.

The chieftain went to the headquarters of the Vicious Tiger Gang. It is about 130 li from Li City, located deep within Ninecloud Mountain.

Wu Yuan was familiar with the entire map of Li County. However, he had never actually left the city. The terrain of Li County was mostly flat, with a few rolling hills at most. Ninecloud Mountain was a famous mountain within a few hundred li of the city.

Gangsters were divided into two types, land bandits and water thieves. The bandits that roamed Li County and most of Southdream Province were mainly water thieves. The Vicious Tiger Gang was the largest group of land bandits in Li County.

It's about time.

Wu Yuan stood up, donned his soft body armor, and carefully wrapped his weapon case, strapping it tightly to his back to avoid any noticeable irregularities. He then placed the throwing knives one by one into suitable positions. With the long saber in hand, he left the martial academy through a side door.

Weapons were not forbidden in the Middle Land, but in general, most county cities and provincial cities still conducted checks. However, with Wu Yuan carrying the martial academy's token, he encountered little resistance. Swiftly, he disappeared into the vast wilderness.

This was the first time Wu Yuan had left the county city since transmigrating here.

To slaughter!

1. 1 chi = 1/3 meter, 1 cun = 3.33 cm ?