Ice Wolf Castle.
The first-floor dining hall.
Tony and Erin had already finished lunch.
He didn’t know exactly when Roy would return, so he had the chef prepare a lavish lunch for him.
After the maids brought out the steaming dishes, Tony waved them out of the dining hall.
Once he and Roy were the only ones left, Tony didn’t hesitate and immediately asked, "How did you convince the Dark Night Knight?"
"Nothing special."
"First, I briefly explained what Baron Red Eagle and Baron Giant Dog had done, then I brought up the matter of assassinating them."
"He didn’t agree right away, but he didn’t refuse either. He just told me to come back to the tavern tomorrow night."
"When I saw him again, he accepted the job and took the deposit."
Roy looked at Tony with a calm expression, replying without so much as a blink.
If his acting skills were unrefined when he first arrived in this world, then by now, he could tell a lie with the sincerity of truth, leaving no one the wiser.
’If the Skill Proficiency Panel could display an acting skill level,’ he mused, ’I’d estimate my current acting is at the Tier One Limit, just like Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Fighting, and Archery.’
After hearing his account, Tony fell silent for a few seconds. He picked up his wine, took a sip, and then continued, "Did he say when the final payment is due?"
"Yes!"
"The final payment must be made within seven days of the job’s completion."
"Otherwise, he said he’ll come to Ice Wolf Castle to collect it himself."
"He also demanded I make the final payment at the tavern, so I’ll have to make another trip to Redwood City in a few days."
Roy said unhurriedly.
’Final payment within seven days?’
Tony’s brow furrowed slightly.
He had expected the Dark Night Knight to demand the final payment today.
He never imagined the Dark Night Knight would actually grant a seven-day window.
He hadn’t dealt with many bounty hunters, it was true, but he still felt the Dark Night Knight was being a little too agreeable—completely different from the rumors.
Although it was unexpected, he didn’t dwell on it. He immediately said, "Since he gave you seven days, there’s no need to rush back to Redwood City. Stay here at the castle and rest for a few days."
"Before you leave for Redwood City, I’ll give you the remaining 400 gold coins."
"Alright."
Roy nodded.
After eating and drinking his fill, he returned to his bedroom, sat down in the high-backed chair behind his desk, and picked up the forging book he had just bought today to browse through it.
Forging Art: Flame and Metal
Author: Hawkins Ramage.
Roy had chosen to buy this forging book for two reasons.
First, the bookstore owner said it was the most popular book among blacksmiths in the Laine Kingdom.
It was said that every Advanced Blacksmith in the Laine Kingdom praised this book endlessly.
Second, the author was Hawkins Ramage.
The Hunter Knife Set he had spent 5 gold coins on was a Lamoge creation.
He had never met Lamoge in person.
But the knife set had left a very good impression on him.
After reading Forging Art: Flame and Metal in his bedroom for over ten minutes, Roy sighed helplessly and lamented to himself.
’Studying in the outside world really can’t compare to Chaos Square!’
When he read in Chaos Square, his memory and comprehension improved significantly, allowing him to achieve near-photographic memory and grasp concepts without a teacher.
Closing his bedroom door, Roy didn’t hesitate. With a mere thought, he took the pile of newly purchased books and entered Chaos Square.
With the mysterious boost from Chaos Square, he finished Forging Art: Flame and Metal in less than an hour, memorizing its entire contents word for word.
Setting the book aside, he picked up one about Beast Taming.
「Time flew by.」
Before he knew it, he had spent over six hours in Chaos Square and finished reading all the books he had bought that day.
He had finished the books, but the Skill Proficiency Panel still didn’t display Life Skills like Forging, Tailoring, Beast Taming, Brewing, or Jewelcrafting.
Roy wasn’t surprised by this.
Chaos Square could enhance his memory and comprehension, but it couldn’t turn these books into game-like skill books.
To master skills like Forging and Tailoring, just reading books was far from enough. He had to personally begin cultivation of the relevant skills for them to appear on the Skill Proficiency Panel.
He stood up and stretched his limbs, then returned to his bedroom with the books and placed them on the bookshelf.
「That evening.」
After dinner, he entered Chaos Square once more and began his nightly cultivation.
He started by cultivating the Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique for several hours.
Then, he began his cultivation of the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method.
Meditation not only increased his Spiritual Power but also had a better restorative effect than sleep, making it a perfect substitute.
...
「Four days later.」
「Late at night.」
The backyard of the "Blood and Flames" tavern.
Roy, dressed in the Dark Night Knight Armor, approached Sonia and handed her a piece of parchment.
"Procure the materials on this list. I’ll be back in five days to pick them up."
Roy said to Sonia.
Sonia didn’t hesitate, immediately taking the parchment and scanning it quickly.
"Alright."
Seeing that Roy wanted to buy the same materials as before, just several times the quantity, she replied instantly without a second thought.
Upon hearing her answer, Roy took out a coin pouch and handed it to Sonia, paying for the materials in advance.
Sonia didn’t refuse, accepting the pouch from Roy.
Although she came here every night, Roy was still the only person willing to trade with her.
After paying, Roy left the tavern without delay and returned to the "Cuckoo" inn where he was staying.
This morning, under the pretext of paying the Dark Night Knight’s final fee, he had taken the 400 gold coins from Tony, left Ice Wolf Castle, and traveled to Redwood City.
He had originally planned to come a few days later, but plans can’t always keep up with changes.
He had already used up the alchemy materials from his last purchase.
As his Alchemy Skill Level continued to rise, his success rate and efficiency also grew higher and higher.
Not only that, but he had pushed through and ground his Alchemy skill to Tier Two.
He had now successfully crafted 7 Basic Healing Potions and 5 Basic Vitality Potions.
Back at the inn, Roy opened his Skill Proficiency Panel and glanced at the Skill Levels for his Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique, Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method, and Alchemy.
[Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique: Tier Two (127/2000)]
[Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method (Incomplete): Tier Five (1863/10,000)]
[Alchemy: Tier Two (41/2000)]
Four days of relentless grinding had brought both his Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique and his Alchemy skill to Tier Two.
Closing the Skill Proficiency Panel, Roy took off his armor and mask, changing into a set of plain Hunter’s Clothing and tying a black cloth over his face.
He then went to the window and, without a word, leaped out, leaving the inn and heading toward Rock Lion Castle outside the city.
In five more days, he was scheduled to hand Jeremy over to John as they had agreed.
To ensure the operation went off without a hitch, he decided to scout Rock Lion Castle by night.
...