Chapter 110: Dwarves, Spammers, Alchemists!

The pattering rain curtain, plus the pitch-black night curtain.

Even assassins and thieves with night vision struggle to make out their surroundings.

On the muddy road, Ta Ke, having entered the Shadow State, floated half a meter above the ground, holding a nightmare horse lamp to push back the darkness and rain as he walked steadily.

Now, as Ta Ke gradually masters the Shadow State, let alone this muddy road.

Even a swiftly flowing river not far away, Ta Ke can drift across its surface.

That is……

As he gradually enters the Shadow State now,

Ta Ke begins to hear more and more, whispers and murmurs from the Shadow Dimension, along with some indistinct strange hisses and roars.

Occasionally, the world's view at the edge of Ta Ke's vision loses color, then turns into a twisted, writhing anomaly.

When Ta Ke looks directly at it, everything returns to normal.

It seems that what he sees in his peripheral vision is merely an illusion.

The Shadow Dimension begins to affect Ta Ke to a certain extent.

Before long, shadow creatures will launch a sneak attack on Ta Ke.

After slaying those shadow creatures, this peripheral shadow-corner anomaly will finally calm down for a while.

This is also the 'necessary price' of mastering the Shadow Rune Ring Staff.

This is far better than mastering the Dark Demon Rune Ring Staff.

After all, demon runes truly 'burn lifespan'.

Onward.

Ta Ke strains to keep his wizard robe's shield at maximum.

Although this reduces defensive power, it lets the horse lamp's light reach farther.

Ta Ke holds the horse lamp, on one hand to light his own path.

On the other hand, to give others a heads-up.

Otherwise, pitch black and alone, who knows what you're up to?

Not long after, Ta Ke stood at the spot indicated by the bartender: 'East 56th from the crossroads.'

This is an old terraced house with a backyard.

From the twisted ash-tinged gothic marks on the eaves and roof, one can see that this place has endured many bouts of the Ash Dark Tide.

The sign for the River Valley Town Alchemy Shop is also somewhat aged.

Below that are some small prints.

"Our shop deals in supernatural weapons, promotion materials, promotion elixirs, and the like, for sale and crafting."

"The business scope is quite broad."

Ta Ke muttered softly.

Generally speaking, an alchemy shop has a main line of business.

Other businesses also involve wholesaling corresponding resources, displayed on the counter.

Unless the main business is booming, the other aspects also need to be supplemented somewhat.

"Bang bang bang!"

Ta Ke pounded hard on the tightly shut door.

For half a day, no one answered.

Ta Ke narrowed his eyes slightly, and his precision vision unfolded.

Inside the dark storefront house, it was somewhat cluttered.

It clearly showed signs of having been rummaged through.

"This…… did they run away?"

Ta Ke originally intended to find an alchemist here, use the other's alchemy tools to refine the leader-grade material in his hand, so as to complete his advancement within this Ash Night Cycle.

The hope he had just picked up at the tavern has now been dashed.

"Well…… anyway, it's already been looted for free."

"I'll just go in and have a look; if there's a large source-energy steam engine device, using it wouldn't be a loss."

With a step, 【Phase Shift】 activated.

As his foot landed, Ta Ke had already entered the shop.

"Squeak..."

A few tiny water rats in the corner, startled by Ta Ke's light, scrambled away in panic.

Under the eaves of the backyard, a few river rock sparrows taking shelter from the rain began to chirp.

Ta Ke tapped the horse lamp twice, 'ding ding'.

The firelight of the nightmare fire oil bomb rapidly expanded.

The crimson light quickly filled every spot in the small shop that could be illuminated.

The Steam Talent 【Steam·Origin Spirit State】 boosted to 1650% let Ta Ke's control over source energy reach a terrifying level.

For those condensed-state spells,

Ta Ke can continue to pour source energy into already condensed spells to bolster them,

or draw away source energy to make them shrink and dissipate.

Moreover, the reclaimed source energy can be reused.

Normally, released source energy is like spilled water—irretrievable.

That's common sense.

But, Take's SSS-rank 【Steam·Origin Spirit State】 had been boosted to 1650%.

It didn't really match this "common sense".

By the firelight, intertwining with the surrounding context.

Take meticulously examined every corner of the small shop.

However, Take did not find the origin-energy steam engine he wanted, or alchemical tools like smelting crucibles.

But, Take had other discoveries.

"Squeak!"

Take pushed open the door leading to the backyard.

Two sides were walls, and at the back was a storage room for miscellaneous items and a half-sized resting quarters.

But that place had also been ransacked.

Even the miscellaneous items had been thrown into the courtyard, where they were being washed away by the heavy rain.

After a moment's thought, Take looked at the ordinary-looking conifer in the courtyard and spoke slowly.

"Honored alchemist, for some reasons I need a leader-tier flame characteristic to forge items."

"Of course, if you had a flame characteristic like dragon breath, that would be even better."

"I don't know if you can provide that here, honored alchemist."

The heavy rain continued to pour down with a splashing sound.

Meanwhile, the "Magical Alchemy Cottage" inside the conifer gave no response.

"I know you, honored alchemist, are in the Magical Alchemy Cottage inside the small tree; I hope you can forge and also give me a reply."

Just as Take's words fell.

He faintly detected the smell of steel and gunpowder, as well as a dangerous aura.

Take immediately used a shadow step to leave the spot.

The next moment, a shadow that wasn't tall enough but was wide enough burst angrily from the tree trunk, which was just a bit thicker than Take's arm.

In its hand it also held a short-barreled steam shotgun with a shocking caliber.

"Boom!"

The enormous roar drowned out Take's hearing and drove away the rain sounds.

At the same time, the blunderbuss's pellets flooded the spot behind where Take had just been, striking the old door, which instantly turned into a plug and was blown far away.

This steam blunderbuss's power is astonishingly great.

Accompanied by rising steam haze.

That short, stout figure let out an angry roar.

"You damned bastard, aren't you eyeing this old man's dragon scales?"

"Take a shot from Grandpa Baggins."

"Once you taste the flavor of your dog's head being blown apart by bullets, you'll know Grandpa Baggins isn't to be messed with."

Having slipped into the shadowy corner, Take saw that the alchemist was actually an angry, irritable dwarf, and then connected it to the bartender's earlier explanation.

Take couldn't help but curse, "Damn shameless local."

The fact that he was a dwarf was such important news, yet that guy didn't tell me.

However, Take unexpectedly gained some information.

"Dragon scales?"

"This dwarf alchemist actually has dragon scales."

"No wonder this guy explodes at the slightest provocation; he even has such good stuff in his hands."

"It seems I just mentioned dragon breath; could that have stimulated him?"

Take's peripheral vision glanced over the not-so-thick tree trunk.

There lay the nearly perfect hidden "Magical Alchemy Cottage".

If it weren't for my Origin Spirit State that deeply perceives everything around me, and my precise vision that discerns the surrounding context...

... it would truly be hard to discover this Magical Alchemy Cottage.

Anyone capable of such craftsmanship is definitely an expert-level alchemist.

Even in Saint Rand City-State, such a being is rare.

Compared to someone like Tanilu, a half-baked apprentice alchemist, I don't know how many levels higher it is.

At that moment, the dwarf alchemist wielding the short-barreled large-caliber steam shotgun walked over, aiming at the door panel that had just been blown away.

Obviously, he had great faith in his marksmanship, or rather in that weapon he held, the enormously powerful "blunderbuss".

Take pondered whether to turn him into a sheep to calm him down.

But after thinking, Take shook his head.

Although my sheep-transformation technique could turn this third-rank dwarf alchemist into a sheep for a certain time,

... doing so would only double his fury!

By then, not to mention following him to learn alchemical knowledge and ability, even the chance of asking for his help would drop to zero.

"I mean no harm!"

Take in the corner tried to calm his tone as much as possible.

However, what answered Ta Ke was the thunderous roar of the immensely powerful 'sprayer' as its barrel swiveled to aim at him.