Chapter 256: Chapter 250: Hot Commodity
Renn sat there like a silent iron mountain.
Intricate Runes were tattooed across his bare scalp, while the lower half of his face was completely encased in a cold, metal prosthesis, betraying no expression.
He was clearly uninterested in the surrounding social scene and had gained nothing at the trade fair. He impatiently tapped a finger on the tabletop. The heavy, deliberate rhythm made the water glass in front of him tremble with each tap.
Allen moved through the crowd and sat down in the empty seat opposite him.
Renn looked up, his eyes glinting with scrutiny as his gaze lingered for a moment on Allen’s young face.
"Mr. Renn," Allen said calmly, getting straight to the point. "I’m interested in the Composite Magic Power scanning technology you have listed."
Renn’s tapping finger stilled. He looked Allen up and down.
"A First-level Wizard I don’t recognize."
Renn’s voice was deep. "The requirements I listed are very clear: high-explosive Alchemy Weapons of equivalent value. I want the real deal—something that can break through the defense of a Heavy-Armored Magical Beast in one hit, not some firework toy made in an academy. What do you have?"
Allen didn’t answer directly. "I have a special type of bomb that might be just what you’re looking for."
With a light tap of his finger, Allen unfolded a screen of light between them.
The screen showed a dusky, yellow wasteland.
The perspective was extremely high, an aerial view looking down from the sky.
On the screen, four blue-and-white Humanoid Golems were locked in combat with a colossal beast: none other than the mighty Rock Armor Earth Dragon.
The beast’s every tail-swipe and attack put the four Golems, despite their special shield technology, on the back foot. They were nearly overwhelmed, pushed into a perilous, defensive position.
Renn watched, unimpressed at first, but his brow quickly furrowed.
As a fellow warzone pioneer, he recognized at a glance just how formidable the dragon was.
That level of defense and that wide-ranging gravity field were not something an ordinary boss-level monster could possess.
On screen, the dragon lord unleashed its might, completely pinning down the four Golems before turning to charge into the distance.
"This is your weapon?" A cold edge entered Renn’s voice. He assumed Allen was trying to sell him the flashy-looking Golems.
Allen said nothing, merely adjusting the viewpoint to pull back slightly.
An inconspicuous metal cylinder fell from the clouds, landing in the path of the charging dragon lord.
There was no violent explosion, no flash of fire.
A rainbow-colored ring of light spread silently across the ground.
Wherever the ring of light passed, it was as if time itself had frozen.
The charging dragon lord, its roaring posture, the flying grit—everything solidified in a way that defied all logic.
Then, in an instant, its indestructible, dark-gold scales and the very flesh surging with immense Magic Power lost their luster, transforming into a white, crystalline substance.
Renn’s pupils contracted sharply.
A string of data scrolled across the corner of the light screen.
[TARGET: ROCK ARMOR EARTH DRAGON (VETERAN SECOND-LEVEL WIZARD CLASS)]
[VITAL SIGNS: INSTANTLY ZEROED]
[EFFECTIVE KILL RADIUS: 1.1 KILOMETERS]
Renn could no longer sit still. He shot a glance at Allen, who just nodded his chin toward the screen, indicating there was more to see.
On the screen, a gust of wind blew past.
The thirty-meter-tall crystal statue could no longer support its own weight. Amidst a high-pitched splintering sound, it spectacularly collapsed, turning into a cloud of glittering dust that filled the air.
Absolute annihilation.
Not a single complete bone remained.
Renn’s breath caught in his throat. His metal-covered jaw hung open, emitting a faint CLICK.
Several nearby Wizards, who had been watching out of the corners of their eyes, now turned their heads completely, their expressions filled with utter shock.
Allen ended the projection Witchcraft, as if the destructive scene just witnessed had never occurred.
"This weapon... I call it the Crystal Bomb. It has an absolute kill radius of one kilometer. It ignores physical defense, forcibly rewriting a target’s material form. It doesn’t matter if it’s the carapace or the flesh of a Magical Beast—as long as it’s within range, it all turns into this crystal."
Allen’s tone was nonchalant, as if he were describing a common alchemical trinket. "One bomb. In exchange for the design schematics for your Composite Magic Power scanner, along with all the associated Rune technology."
The look Renn gave Allen was no longer one of mere scrutiny. It was now a mixture of distinct wariness and intense craving.
"...This level of power," Renn’s voice dropped an octave, "is not something a First-level Wizard should be able to produce."
"You don’t have to believe me." Allen leaned back in his chair. "But from what I hear, Warzone 11 has been trying to crack an ant nest lately, haven’t they? I’ve heard the ants there are adept at building special hives... something about them being incredibly hard."
Renn’s expression soured instantly.
This was his sore spot. His Golem Legion had been stuck at the perimeter of the ant nest for a full six months, suffering heavy losses, precisely because they couldn’t effectively breach the hive to get to the queen.
The weapon this young man had produced was a tailor-made coffin for that very ant nest.
"Good... I’ll take it!"
Renn swiftly retrieved a memory crystal packed with data from his Storage Ring and slapped it on the table, as if afraid Allen would change his mind.
Allen smiled faintly and produced a large alchemical container. Inside was a metal cylinder identical to the one from the projection.
"Don’t open this container lightly. If it blows up in your workshop, I can’t help you."
The deal was done.
Renn circled the container, inspecting it twice. After sensing a faint Force Field, he left in a hurry without another word, showing no further interest in trading.
He looked as if he wanted to fly back to Warzone 11 that very instant and wipe the ant nest off the map.
Allen watched his back disappear into the crowd, then picked up his tea and took a sip.
The memory crystal lay quietly in his palm, cool to the touch.
’Got it.’
The moment the deal was concluded, the nearby Wizards who had been watching could no longer contain themselves.
A shrewd-looking Wizard was the first to approach. His face was wreathed in an enthusiastic smile, but he couldn’t hide the urgency in his eyes.
"Excuse me... Mr. Weisren," he ventured. "Pardon the intrusion, but that bomb you just traded... do you happen to have any more?"
Allen turned and looked at him calmly.
"’Big Boy’ is a strategic-level deterrent. I have one more, reserved for trade in exchange for technology I urgently need."
The smile on the Wizard’s face froze, his disappointment palpable.
But then Allen’s tone shifted, his voice carrying clearly to the surrounding Wizards.
"However, I do have other specialized munitions for different targets, all utilizing the same technology. For example..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the handful of Wizards who now clearly showed their interest in buying.
"I have a Crystal Armor-Piercing Bullet that is especially effective against heavily armored targets. It can instantly disintegrate a target’s physical defenses. For sale now, in limited quantities."
Before he had even finished speaking, the other three Wizards moved almost in unison, striding toward him. One of them called out directly, "What’s the price? I’ll take them all!"
Allen stood his ground, watching these pioneer Wizards who had been stirred into a frenzy by a simple video. ’It seems everyone has similar problems,’ he thought.
’Looks like I won’t have any trouble selling my Crystal Armor-Piercing Bullets and Micro-Dust Bombs.’
He maintained a perfectly composed expression, sighing inwardly.
’An arms trade show really is the fastest way to build a reputation.’
