Chapter 15: The Plan to Survive the Final Night.

Kaega didn't know how long it had been since he could rest comfortably without being on guard. In a bathroom, he soaked in a warm bath for the first time, his body relaxed, but his mind never stopped calculating the next steps.

"Although tonight will be safe thanks to Elina's guarantee, tomorrow I'll have to face the siege of the Silver Mask Guild again. The good news is that the Faith Guild and the Silver Masks have engaged in a large-scale battle. It seems the Faith Guild will soon retaliate for last night. But the bad news is that Lyne has provoked a holy knight named Crambell. He's quite strong, can easily kill the hunting dogs, and now he's paying attention to us, so we can't stay here anymore."

Kaega frowned as his initial plan was thrown off course by that fake Head Measurer.

"Head Measurer, how much must you hate me to break the rules and create a puppet with half your soul..."

Half a soul might sound trivial, but after reading the book on resurrection, Kaega knew well that a soul is formed by the world's mana, and a person's strength depends on the magnitude of their soul. Giving up half a soul could have cost him more than half of his original power.

"If I was lucky or he was unlucky during the soul transfer process, he could have lost even more. He's as crazy as I thought..."

Kaega never made a move that was too risky without being sure. But in contrast, the Head Measurer was willing to give up half his strength just to hunt down two people because of Kaega's provocations.

"What could be his reason for doing this? Is it related to Lyne?...."

Kaega tried to connect the clues but failed. Kaega didn't believe he did it just because of the provocations, but he couldn't figure out the reason either.

Lyne walked in while Kaega was lost in thought.

-Hey, I'm bathing. If you desire this body that much, can't you wait a bit?

Lyne's face was ice-cold, but her eyes held a hint of contempt as she spoke.

-I want to know your plans for tomorrow right away because tonight I want to rest with a clear mind.

-You don't even respond to my jokes? That's heartbreaking....

With that, Kaega stood up and put on a set of clothes Elina had prepared. Although not new, they were much sturdier and warmer than the rags he had been wearing.

-Alright, in a little while, you and I will go see Elina to talk about our intention to leave tomorrow.

-You're not planning to turn this place into a defensive position?

-Lyne, what are you expecting from this place? Besides a concealment ward that can hide our tracks for a day, what else is there? A bunch of kids and a kind priestess?

Kaega coldly stated that this place would not be safe tomorrow and that they would leave after tonight.

-Alright, so this place is useless to you, right? I get it.

Lyne once again smiled contemptuously at Kaega for his words.

-Hey, you said you would be absolutely loyal to me until we get his head, so could you show a little respect?

-Alright, I get it. Now I'm going to take a bath, could you please get out?

Kaega said nothing more and went outside to wait. Afterwards, the two went to find Elina to talk, and Kaega announced their intention to leave.

-Alright, I understand.

-You're not going to ask why?

-That's your choice.

-So you'll lead us out tomorrow?

-Yes, but you'll have to be blindfolded and carried by me to ensure the safety and secrecy of this place.

-I understand. Maintaining a place like this here is not an easy job.

Elina at this moment was different from the morning; no longer a chatty person, but a rational and cold individual, just like when Kaega first met her at Gray Dust.

-I plan to return here three days before the Blood Feast. If you welcome me, is there a way to contact you again?

-Of course, if you're still alive, I will welcome you. If you want to contact me again, just prepare 16 silver coins and go to any Gray Dust tavern in any Rat Alley in Aquila. Add White Camellia scent to the Mermaid's Tears.

-Thank you once again for everything you've done.

With that, Kaega placed a small bag on the table.

-This is....

-A few mana stones from the ruins east of the city. It's not much, but I hope you'll accept it.

-High-grade mana stones.... this....!

-It seems you know more about it than we do, but now we're going to rest and prepare for tomorrow.

With that, Kaega and Lyne left.

-Hey Kaega, that was the last bag of Mana stones you had....

-Alright, to make them explode, you need to detonate Thunder Powder next to them. If we don't throw them far enough, we could take unnecessary damage. They're useless now....

-I trust your plan....

With that, the two went to their room and slept.

Elina, still in her private room, was pondering the day's events.

"Kaega... you're too cold.... can't you even say one sincere word...."

Kaega and Lyne got a deep sleep without being disturbed by any hunting dogs, at least for tonight....

The next morning, the two stood outside the house. Elina came out, then tied a blindfold on both of them. Then, she carried them on her shoulders, just like how she brought them in.

-Wow.. this feeling is strange. You're quite the support, aren't you?

-Sometimes I have to go to the front lines to carry the wounded back to the rear, so this is nothing new.

-But I bet if you went on the battlefield to fight, you'd definitely punch to death those guys hiding behind their armor.

-Haha, thank you for the high praise.

Lyne was silent while Kaega and Elina talked as she carried them out. About an hour later, she put them down outside the border of the Faith Guild's territory and took off their blindfolds.

-In the end, I wish you both peace. May you receive the protection of the supreme beings.

Elina performed one last blessing before bidding them farewell. Then she quickly left.

-Lyne, are you good at stealing?

-I know a little.

-Then we need to steal a little from the rats around here. Let's split up. I'll go into the sewers to gather materials, you go steal a little from the rats. Then we'll meet at the same forge as before. You and I will return to the secret cave in the Morgan Guild's territory.

-I thought you didn't need to go back there.

-Many things have gone off track. The remaining Thunder Powder isn't enough to use.

-Alright, see you later then.

-Yeah.....

The two split up and went their separate ways.....

Lyne walked alone in the Rat Alley of the Blood Wolf Guild's territory. For the Blood Wolves, the lawless who live and die by the dust here are a potential source of manpower. The outstanding ones would be recruited into the guild as henchmen. That's why the Rat Alley here is the worst in Aquila. But in return, the amount of money robbed from merchants here is also large.

Lyne heard a loud noise on the main street. She quickly went there and saw a carriage being ambushed by the rats of this place.

"Here's my chance...."

But the merchant's guards were fighting against the robbers. The merchant was hiding in the carriage. Lyne used her speed to gently and quickly approach the merchant's carriage.

-Aaa... who are you, how did you get in here. GUARDS, WHERE ARE THE GUARDS!!!

-Shut up, or I'll slit that noisy throat of yours.

-Aaaa, please, anything, just don't kill me. I have everything....!

-Give me your money pouch.

-Okay, I'll give it.

He reached into his coat pocket. Suddenly, he quickly pulled out a small object with a wooden handle and an iron tube and aimed it at her.

"This thing... it's like his!!!"

Lyne immediately reacted, using her dagger to sever the merchant's arm before the object could be pointed at her. The object fell to the ground, and the merchant immediately fell down in pain.

-Aghhhhhhh! My arm!! Aghhh!

-Shut up and give me the money pouch before I lose my patience.

The merchant, this time, obediently took a small money pouch from his pocket. Lyne took the pouch and picked up the weapon he had just pulled out. Then she assessed the situation outside and quickly left without a trace.

Arriving at Kaega's location, he was entering a filthy sewer tunnel. This place hadn't been cleaned for nearly 100 years. The bats here thrived without being driven away.

"The last time I came here was over a year ago..."

Since the last time he made Thunder Powder, Kaega hadn't been here again. But after that day of mass-producing Thunder Powder, Kaega had used up all the substance extracted from the bat guano.

"Hmm, who's that?"

In front of Kaega was a pale-skinned, blonde-haired woman wearing a noble dress that contrasted with the filth of this place. Then she turned her head towards Kaega, revealing a pair of mesmerizing red eyes.

-Ah, what bad luck. I didn't expect some fool to be wandering around here....

"A vampire?!"

-Yo, hello there miss. It seems you have business here too, huh?

-I do? So you came here with a purpose too? Then spit it out, let's hear it!

-Why would a lady like you want to know the business of a lowly person like me?

-I don't like that attitude of yours one bit.

-Don't worry, I'm just here to collect a substance from bat guano, not looking for the 100-year-old Demon Bat, so I won't conflict with your interests...

-An alchemist, huh... you know my purpose?

-What would an arrogant Vampire be looking for in a sewer full of bat guano?

-Interesting. The blood of an intelligent person is also a delicacy, but I don't want to piss off the ones who put an imprint on you, so I'll spare you this time.

-Ah, thank you for your generosity.

With that, Kaega quickly left, not staying in another area for even a second.

"That person is definitely stronger than the Head Measurer, I shouldn't mess with her."

Reaching an area where water dripped from the bat guano, Kaega intended to take it, but then he saw a milky-white solid substance formed from that water.

"What is this?"

After collecting the water dripping from the guano, Kaega used his knife to chisel out a fairly large piece of the white substance and left....

Around noon, the two regrouped. Lyne handed over the pouch. Kaega opened it and was astonished.

-In this bag is... 15 gold coins!

The currency of this world is divided as follows: 1 gold coin is worth 100 silver coins, and 1 silver coin is worth 100 copper coins. 10 copper coins can buy a loaf of bread, and an ordinary laborer earns an average of 100 copper coins for a productive day. 15 gold coins are like several years' savings for an ordinary person.

-Lyne, I told you to steal a little money from the rats. Whose fortune did you take?

Although Kaega's face remained cold, his voice couldn't hide his surprise.

-Ah, I also picked up this thing, it looks like the one you used.

Lyne handed over the object the merchant had intended to use to Kaega. When he saw it, Kaega immediately took it.

-This thing.... it really looks like it, but it's so much more compact... it seems to be a rare product not sold openly but imported from the southern or eastern continents.

Kaega immediately speculated about the weapon in his hand. He saw that it had a trigger and realized that if he squeezed it, it would fire, just like when he lit the fuse of his bone cannon.

-It seems he was going to shoot you with this. Are you okay?

-I managed to chop off his hand when he pulled it out.

-Lucky, huh.

-Yeah.

With that, Kaega, as if for the first time, asked Lyne to stand guard outside while he went into the forge to buy sulfur and some necessary items. Then the two went to the pharmacy. Kaega bought some stamina potions for himself, and then they went back to the Morgan ruins.

After going down into the secret cave again, Kaega and Lyne went into a previously prepared trap room and took down the charcoal from it.

-Hey, how much are you planning to make?

-Initially, I was planning quite a lot, but thanks to your surprise, I can save a lot of effort now.

-What do you mean?

Kaega turned his back to her, then poured out the standard-grade Thunder Powder from the weapon Lyne had given him.

-Although I'm not sure I can make something exactly like this, with my experience, I can make something almost as powerful.

Lyne realized she had brought back not just a weapon, but a life-saving treasure for the two of them.

-So now I just have to wait for you to make it?

-No, I need you to pull me out if something goes wrong. I can't withstand an explosion from it now.

-Alright....

With that, Kaega began to concoct, this time trying various methods with three substances: charcoal, sulfur, and a substance from bat guano.

-Hey Lyne, guess how many guys the Silver Masks will send for the final night after everything we've done?

Boom!

An explosion occurred, but Lyne pulled Kaega out of the blast in time.

-Do you really not want to focus on your work at all?

Kaega continued to try concocting and said.

-If I focus too much on concocting, it might be safe, but there won't be time to prepare to face the enemy.

-Alright. Then I'll tell you, although I don't know how many they'll send, there will definitely be Wrath Masks among them.

-Wrath Masks, what are those??

Fizzle fizzle

Once again, the substance reacted when Kaega tried to light it, but it only burned without exploding.

-Lyne, try grinding this into a powder for me.

Lyne quickly ground it up, and Kaega then took it to mix with the other three substances.

-Back to the previous question. Wrath Masks are living dead who can use both magic and high-level swordsmanship, and also have the ability to command operations.

-In short, they're all-rounders, huh.

-Yeah, they're the most annoying type of enemy, although they don't have the regenerative abilities of those stupid living dead.

-It's because they don't have regeneration that they're smart. If they were arrogant and unafraid of death like the living dead, it would be much easier.

-I agree.

-It seems traps will be less effective against them. cough... cough...

A puff of smoke rose, but that was it, no other reaction. Kaega quickly extinguished it and continued.

-You came back here not just to defend, right?

-Yeah, from the story you told, I'm planning to get the Blood Wolves involved too.

-How?

-The Blood Wolves have had an underlying feud with the Silver Masks for a while now. If the Faith Guild secretly proposes an alliance, although they won't accept immediately, they will send support because of the feud from 7 years ago.

-So you're also planning to stir up trouble in this area so they'll accept an alliance with the Faith Guild?

-Yeah, that's right. We'll lure a few Blood Wolves and Silver Masks to fight each other.

-For what reason?.

-Lure some Silver Masks to the guild's headquarters, then we kill a few Blood Wolves to make them conflict with each other, and it's done...

With that, Kaega continued to create for another 3 hours, then the product was finished: a type of Thunder Powder almost similar to the standard type, but its danger level was even higher than the old Thunder Powder that Kaega had created from scratch.

-Haa.... finally done.

-How are you so sure?

Kaega at this time tied a bag of Thunder Powder very tightly, then lit the fuse and threw it far away.

BOOM!

The explosion echoed throughout the entire maze like thunder in the sky... Lyne covered her ears in admiration.

-That sound is just like when you blew that guy's head off.

-That's right, this thing is about 2/3 as powerful, but in return, just one mistake in temperature can make it explode. If I had time, I think I could do better, but now I have to mass-produce it and make it usable.

With that, Kaega handed her some ingredients and said.

-Lyne, now you do as I do.

-Aren't you afraid of revealing the formula?

-The alchemists are afraid, what am I afraid of? I have nothing to do with them. Now you do it to save time.

Lyne joined Kaega, and she quickly memorized the formula and method, and did it even faster than Kaega. The two of them quickly finished the required large quantity in just 2 hours.

-Phew, you're really smart, Lyne...

Lyne didn't respond to the compliment but looked at Kaega and asked.

-Aren't you going to try that thing...

-To be honest, the impression of the thing I made makes me a bit hesitant to use that.

-But I think that thing from the merchant seems a bit safer. If you're scared, let me help you.

-My body still hasn't fully recovered, so I'm really scared. I'll have to ask you to test it for me.

After that, Kaega tried putting the standard Thunder Powder in, then put in a lead or iron-like ball, poured it out, put it back in, and then used a long stick to pack it tightly.

-Hey Lyne, hold it and squeeze the thing under the handle, it seems to be what makes the Thunder Powder inside explode.

Bang, a loud explosion, but not as loud as before. Lyne didn't move an inch, but her hand rose slightly.

-The recoil isn't too strong.

-As expected, this thing is weaker than what I used, but it can still be used again, not a one-time thing like mine.

-Are you going to try it?

Kaega shook his head and threw her a bag of Thunder Powder.

-I'm not recovered yet, so I can't use this conveniently. You've seen how to use it, just pour in a little gunpowder and something hard like that round thing, then pack it tightly.

-I don't really like using it, this thing is too loud, not suitable for me.

-Oh well. It'll take some time for me to get better. Tonight I'll still have to rely on you to drag me all over this Blood Wolf territory...

-I guess so...

After that, Kaega found small stones and ground them to be small and stable to make bullets for Lyne to use with the weapon... and as darkness gradually fell, the final night of the hunt was about to begin, and the final plan was deployed.....