Chapter 1313 - 1004: Preparations

Chapter 1313: Chapter 1004: Preparations

"Hmm? You mean this?"

Huai Shi reached out and seemed to pull something from his pocket.

Raymond’s eyes reddened, and tears almost flowed out. It wasn’t fear, but rather irritation; the built-in probe in his pupils had already started overheating.

In Huai Shi’s hand were two magazines.

Inside the transparent, crystal-like magazines were two rows of bullets. Though forged from some kind of metal, they lacked any metallic sheen.

Instead, they were shrouded in darkness, absorbing all light completely.

Was it solid? Liquid? Or a wisp of ethereal mist? Or did it even truly have a physical form?

At mere sight, one could feel the tugging attraction on the soul.

"Ruins?" Raymond exclaimed. "Are you this ruthless? Using your own Ruins... Wait, could it be Lu Bai’s?"

"Something like that."

After tossing them twice, Huai Shi satisfied his petty desire to show off, and then sealed them again, tossing them back into his pocket.

Waste is shameful; resourcefulness is the true principle of household management.

Moreover, such a formidable Great Priestess, should it simply be wasted after being defeated?

Some warm-up usage should be made of it.

The main ingredient was sourced from the source crystals extracted from Lu BaiYan’s soul, forged by Sun-born.

Great Priestess’s Sun-born crafted Great Priestess, the most extravagant nested doll in the history of the Astral Path, yielding this bizarre existence, akin to an inkstick combining all Lu BaiYan’s lifetime grievances and condensing the Great Priestess’s distortions.

Under the triple blessings of Hand of Confinement, Alchemy Fire, and Casting Furnace, it was fully extracted without a shred of waste, even storing the final screams and agony perfectly within.

That inkstick itself contains all Lu BaiYan’s mass of souls and the Abyss Painter’s prowess, presenting a terrifying erosive capacity aside from carrying Great Priestess’s inherent deadly impact on Hell creatures. Huai Shi scraped off some fragments with the edge, drawing casually on the ground, destabilizing the depth of the entire space. The areas stained by ink began to rapidly undergo source assimilation.

If Huai Shi were an Abyss Painter, he could certainly utilize this gain more perfectly. Unfortunately, he’s just a broken violinist.

Cutting off one-fifth, he divided it into two portions: one sent as a charm object to Little Nineteen, the other to the Abyss Painter in the school’s oil painting department.

All remaining he used the Technique of Casting to forge into bullets.

Using the Casting Furnace under Tanbo Mining, it took him half a month to fully shape them. What resulted were eleven Disaster Crystals that could rival the Jurisdiction Bureau’s numbered curse bullets.

Taken from Hell, used in Hell.

Ideally, sending them back to those Golden Dawn second fifths couldn’t be better.

"Store such dangerous items safely in a bag!" Raymond shot him a look, realizing something amiss: "Wait, where’s your bag?"

The usual saddle bag Huai Shi always carried was mysteriously absent today.

"Mr. Sharma took it. He said it needed maintenance and modifications."

Though Huai Shi used the term ’said’, in actuality, yesterday there were suddenly two knocks at the door followed by a note at the door, instructing him to put the item on the ground. Then, with a swish, it vanished.

He didn’t even see the person.

No issue entrusting it to him. This backpack originally gifted by Ms. Cheshel, albeit from Hell creatures, was modified by him and other Alchemists over time. Requiring maintenance after such lengthy use was necessary.

Besides, for Sublimators like Huai Shi who’ve capped their survival stats after development, praying object effects every two weeks have little impact. A Creator willing to perform renovations is a welcome change.

"However, he said he’d return it today, yet I have no idea where to find him..."

Before Huai Shi finished the word ’return’, his neck abruptly sank.

Without any forewarning, a bag hung on!

In extended daze, Raymond and Huai Shi exchanged looks of astonishment: "How’d he do it?"

"Wait, let me check."

Huai Shi pulled out his phone, using his privileges to connect to the Ivory Tower framework and started searching for the internal probe records. Even at 200x slow-mo playback of the footage, there were no signs visible.

Only when Huai Shi adjusted the multiplier to 800 and reviewed frame-by-frame could he see a faint silhouette.

And only two frames!

One frame as he slowed the sequence, holding a headscarf and hung his bag on Huai Shi’s neck, another frame where he turned, pressing the scarf and posed like sprinting!

Then, he was gone...

Just goes to show that a Creator can truly do whatever they want.

Came at the speed of light, left at the speed of light.

Left Huai Shi questioning existence—just delivering things requires utilizing his framework to accelerate local time? How reluctant must he be to converse with others!

I dub thee the most powerful recluse!

Huai Shi mentally grumbled while dutifully raising his head to the sky, waving to express gratitude.

Truly, Sharma did put effort into this. After all, it was relic of his late ecology teacher, not a shred of perfunctoriness observed.

Now it looks as if meticulously cleaned inside and out with cotton swabs dipped in nourishing oil, spotless and refreshed, even repairing parts where the leather layer had fallen, utterly free of blemishes.

If it weren’t for the weight and feel being consistently familiar, he might not recognize it.

Also, the outer pocket contained a 200-page thick usage manual!

Huai Shi slapped it into his hand, triggering the Book of Fate to autocapture, excluding irrelevant information. It displayed two significant points.

One was internal space expansion and weight reduction, enlarged to twenty cubic meters, yet usable space remained the same. The rest was packed with a complete set of simplified Alchemy Matrix and Casting Furnace external equipment by Sharma. Convenient for Huai Shi to maintain his gear in Hell at any time or prepare based on circumstances.

The effect of the praying object has been revised; time remains the original time, but the unnecessary wide range has been eliminated, limited to the Hell Explorer Equipment Handbook.

Everything useful in Hell is there, and anything useless in Hell is of no use. Additionally, the quality is much better than ordinary civilian items.

The equipment is completely strengthened for Hell exploration.

The most considerate detail... is the inside of the strap—Ms. Cheshel’s name, which was almost rubbed away, has been re-gold-embossed and outlined, strengthened and protected through a principle.

Ensuring her name never fades.

"It’s practically like a medal, isn’t it?"

Huai Shi grinned, not a trace of displeasure, solemnly hanging it on his shoulder before waving goodbye to the sky.

"Thanks a lot."

"Oh."

It felt as if a distant response came on the wind, but it was quite faint.

Almost like an illusion.

.

.

Two hours later, after handling the last tasks swiftly.

Huai Shi followed Vice Principal Isaac’s notification and headed to the bottom of the Ivory Tower, which used to be a station, but now it was empty.

Only a few people sitting on boxes were chatting and waved at Huai Shi as he appeared.

They were the headquarters members accompanying Huai Shi to Hell this time.

Aside from Raymond, this experienced toolman and driver, the others almost made Huai Shi’s eyes pop out.

"Professor Anton?"

Huai Shi barely managed to greet the others and looked at the elderly scholar with white hair: "You’re going too?"

"With these old bones, I thought I’d warm up a bit."

The senior scholar from the Russian Federation removed his pipe and greeted Huai Shi, still so cheerful and talkative: "I’m counting on you to protect me for the upcoming journey."

Huai Shi instinctively found it hard to accept.

Professor Anton is Huai Shi’s first friend and supporter at the academy besides Ms. Olivia. Huai Shi managed to establish himself at the Ivory Tower quickly, much due to his help and support.

Though Huai Shi never inquired about his age, his granddaughter is older than Huai Shi and just married last year!

The old professor chooses not to retire, continuing to work out of devotion; after all, teaching and nurturing students for a lifetime is commendable, covering most of the Current Circumstances.

What if something happens?

"Relax, Huai Shi, it’s just a trip to Hell, it’s not my first time. I participated in the design of most outposts back then; it’s no big deal."

Professor Anton gave Huai Shi’s shoulder a pat and smiled slightly: "Without me, who will help drive ’it’ back for you?"

"Since it’s your request, I won’t oppose."

Huai Shi reluctantly nodded.

Indeed, Professor Anton is one of the most suitable members. While he doesn’t possess Vice Principal Isaac’s breadth of knowledge, Anton has spent his life immersed in the mechanical field, earning degrees in nearly every related subject. He’s practically a one-man, fully-automatic large-scale mechanical processing plant.

The Parrot Conch has been sealed for so many years; without his inspection and maintenance, it might not function even if handed to Huai Shi.

The next two companions were also familiar faces to Huai Shi.

"Long time no see, Mr. Foster, Mr. Gregory." Huai Shi bowed with a hand on his chest, displaying no conceit among elders aside from Raymond.

Foster is the Captain from the Iron Crystal Throne, specially reassigned from the Great Grandmaster for this mission.

As a veteran Fourth Stage Sublimator, Foster possesses terrifying combat strength capable of intimidating a Great Asura, and has the richest experience in Hell exploration and survival among those present.

The Iron Crystal Throne is now fully integrated into the Heavenly Prison Fortress, no longer capable of independent navigation, and the Great Grandmaster could not spare time; otherwise, they would simply send a submarine over and have two return.

Foster’s appointment was highly fitting since he’s responsible for the Iron Crystal Throne’s electromechanical and propulsion equipment for so many years.

The Iron Crystal Throne was reconstructed by Mikhail using Luo Su’s prototype records, limited by material resources, but its structure and general operation are akin to a mobile research center, with no difficulty in becoming familiar with it.

The old cowboy puffing on a cigarette gestured his fingers at Huai Shi in greeting, "I’ll follow your commands from now on."

As for Gregory.

He was the Alchemist who had recently traveled with Luo Su on a road trip, pasturing sheep in the Russian Federation wilderness... still cloaked in a fur robe, a mess of hair, and scattering shells everywhere, albeit without the bleating sheep nearby.

The moment Huai Shi spotted him, he subconsciously tugged his pants, haunted by his fears.

When initially engaging for less than half an hour, all his modern tech devices malfunctioned, even his pants’ fibers decomposed, reverting him to a primitive state.

It should be said, returning to the most ancient era.

The essence of Chaos magic is the oldest prototype of Alchemy, incredibly destructive and closest to the essence of gods among Mystic Rituals.

As this type of Alchemical study deepens, the Alchemist’s constitution increasingly ascends, reverting to the legendary state of humanity in the Golden Age. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

While embodying many miracles, he concurrently rejects and suppresses anything non-alchemical. The end result is that everything modern rapidly malfunctions around him, pants included.

He’s simply a mobile civilization EMP.

And the key is, this state has a terrifyingly high priority in both the Current Circumstances and Hell, leaving no way to suppress it.

His presence here is downright absurd!