Chapter 226: The 9,000-Pound Revolver

Chapter 226: The 9,000-Pound Revolver

Death Knell? Every shot rings the death knell for the enemy? I like this name… Klein controlled his expression, showing no expectation or excitement as he moved closer and reached out to accept the iron-black revolver with the slightly longer barrel.

He had originally been very worried that if he showed how badly he wanted it, the seller might raise the price on the spot, which was common in transactions. But after thinking it over, Gehrman Sparrow’s reputation was already widespread, and Anderson, the Strongest Hunter of the Misty Sea, was there as witness. Although Olkfa Connacris might once have been a Sequence 5 powerhouse, he had already withdrawn from the adventurer circle and only wanted a peaceful life. He certainly would not dare offend Klein, for fear that the crazy adventurer might act calm in person, only to sneak into the manor at night afterward.

Therefore, his effort to maintain a flat attitude became purely a matter of preserving his persona.

Seeing Gehrman Sparrow seriously examine and study Death Knell, Olkfa gave a detailed introduction.

“Its abilities are actually quite singular: harvesting the lives of others. There are three methods in total.

“First is Weakness Attack. It requires no activation condition. Simply pour in spirituality and pull the trigger. From a mysticism perspective, it allows you to discover the target’s weakness—that is, the place where their defense is weakest—and provides corresponding precision, causing terrifying damage beyond the norm.

“Second is Fatal Attack. To use it, you must cock the hammer before firing. Its feature is that no matter where you hit the target, it is equivalent to striking a weakness. And if you truly hit an actual weakness, then against enemies whose defenses are not too strong, one shot can kill. Against targets skilled in defense, three shots can resolve them. That includes Guardians. Of course, the premise is that the interval between the three hits cannot be too long, preferably no more than five seconds.

“Third is Slaughter. On the foundation of Weakness Attack, if you additionally provide more than twice the normal amount of spirituality, it can make ordinary bullets produce a shotgun-like effect, attacking a large number of enemies in the direction the muzzle is aimed. It is an area-of-effect killing method. If you wish to enhance the damage, then on the foundation of Fatal Attack, you must additionally provide more than triple the normal amount of spirituality. That is no small burden on the user.

“It can also be paired with bullets of different characteristics to target different kinds of enemies.”

Sounds like it corresponds to Sequence 5 Reaper of the Hunter pathway… Klein glanced at Anderson beside him and thoughtfully asked, “If the target is a dragon whose physical strength has reached Sequence 4, how many Fatal Attacks would it take to kill it?”

Olkfa froze for one second, then shook his head somewhat blankly.

“I have never encountered a dragon.”

Much less a dragon whose body reached demigod level!

Is Gehrman Sparrow planning to use this gun to slay a dragon? And a demigod-level dragon at that? Isn’t that a little too insane? Olkfa suddenly felt that the adventurers of today were completely different from those active in his own time. They simply did not consider whether they might die!

Anderson coughed twice and cleared his throat.

“That depends on luck. Really. Believe me, luck is extremely important!

“If you encounter a dragon already beaten to the verge of death by someone else, then one shot will do. If not, my suggestion is to run immediately. Mm, staying alive matters more.

“Of course, if a demigod-level dragon doesn’t defend itself and just stands there for you to shoot, about five Fatal Attacks should be enough to kill it.”

Olkfa looked at Anderson, then at Gehrman Sparrow, and decided not to continue the topic. He changed the subject.

“Anderson should have told you about Death Knell’s negative effects, yes? After every use, you will gain a weakness you did not originally have, or an existing weakness will be strengthened, becoming more extreme. This effect lasts for six hours. Once, I became extremely afraid of cats. After having just hunted a famous pirate, I went weak in the legs before a newborn kitten, fell to my knees, shouted for help, and cried while begging for mercy.

“If you’re merely carrying it, the problem is not large. You only become more prone to thirst. Drinking more water and visiting the washroom more often solves that.”

I keep feeling that the negative effect of gaining an extra weakness will cause many accidents… But relatively speaking, it is still bearable… Klein considered for a moment, then said, “Name your price.”

“Nine thousand pounds. Anderson should have mentioned it. This is my lowest price,” Olkfa said, looking at Death Knell in Gehrman Sparrow’s hand. “This is already cheap enough. If I weren’t worried that getting to know more Beyonders and actively promoting it would negatively affect my current life, it would absolutely be able to sell for 12,000 pounds.”

Indeed. For a mystical item of this level, as long as the negative effects are not too severe, it is very likely to sell for a sky-high price if it meets the right buyer… Normally, 10,000 to 12,000 pounds would be reasonable… Although Klein wanted to bargain a bit more, the price was already so low that he felt somewhat embarrassed to take advantage of it further. He gave a “Mm” and said, “I will test it. If there are no issues, we have a deal.”

Of course, he was not truly going to test-fire it. That would give him a weakness out of nowhere. His method was to combine spiritual probing with divination-based lie detection. He did this quite openly, not caring at all about Olkfa and Anderson’s gazes.

Later, I’ll do another confirmation above the gray fog… But Olkfa shouldn’t dare deceive me. He must be very afraid of the crazy adventurer’s revenge afterward. After all, he has already returned to a stable, peaceful life with a wife and child… Klein placed Death Knell on the desk, lifted his suitcase, and took from it the enormous 9,000-pound sum he had earlier brought from above the gray fog into the real world to “air out.”

Olkfa accepted the money and quickly counted it, making an initial confirmation of authenticity and total amount.

“As expected of the most famous adventurer recently. There aren’t many people who can take out 9,000 pounds in cash at once. Even some wealthy men don’t have that much liquid money,” he said with sincere emotion while putting away the stacks of banknotes one by one.

I also spent 5,000 pounds on a key earlier… Klein watched as the 9,000 pounds entered Olkfa’s drawer, and his heart suddenly felt empty.

I’ve struggled at sea for so long and saved up so much money, and in a short time, it’s all gone… Now I only have 2,683 pounds in banknotes plus six gold coins left. I can’t even buy a slightly decent manor… Klein inexplicably sighed. He took the ordinary revolver from his shoulder holster, removed the bullets inside, and loaded them one by one into Death Knell.

Having watched the entire transaction, Anderson clicked his tongue and said, “Olkfa, you’ve changed. In the past, you would have checked every banknote one by one. If you find it troublesome, I can help!”

“That would be perfectly fine, but I’m worried Gehrman will shoot you,” Olkfa said, clearly understanding the Strongest Hunter’s talent for provocation.

Counting each note one by one, verifying authenticity against the light, moving slowly, and looking insufferably punchable—that was the picture he could imagine.

Exactly right! Klein silently agreed, then placed the iron-black long-barreled revolver into his shoulder holster.

The original one was tossed into his suitcase.

“Thank you for your generosity. Now I no longer need to trouble myself over this matter.” Olkfa smiled and pointed toward the door. “I’ll have my male servant see you out.”

Anderson opened his mouth, then gave a hey.

“Olkfa, you’re not even keeping us for dinner?”

“When you marry and have children, I’ll invite you to the most luxurious restaurant for a meal,” Olkfa replied with a smile, not bothered at all by his companion’s accusation.

After leaving the manor, Anderson narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sun that was soon to set. With a light laugh, he said, “When I first met Olkfa, he was still just a physician skilled at growing strange plants aboard ship to improve everyone’s lives. I thought he would die very early in some adventure, but unexpectedly, his luck was always good. Later, he even became a Druid.”

Why do even your emotional reflections sound so annoying… Klein deliberately said, “Indeed.

“As your companion, surviving requires enough luck.”

Anderson turned his head in mild surprise, studying Gehrman Sparrow for a few moments.

“You know how to mock people now? Did I infect you?”

He did not pay too much attention to the matter. He adjusted his clothes, removed his hat, and said with a smile, “All right. The mystical item you needed is in hand. If there’s nothing else, it’s time for me to start my own journey too.”

“Do not forget that demigod’s mission.” With a single sentence, Klein successfully made Anderson’s expression turn bitter.

“I already feel an impulse inside me, urging me to complete that matter as soon as possible. All right. No need to say goodbye. Perhaps one day, we really will meet again.” Anderson laughed at himself, shook the hand holding his hat, and turned onto another road leading to Bayam.

Calmly watching the Strongest Hunter walk away, Klein slowly exhaled. Carrying his suitcase, he followed the original road step by step toward Bayam beneath the fiery-red evening clouds, under the shade of distinctive palm-like trees.

…

Inside Bayam.

After finding an ordinary inn to stay at, Klein began considering what he should do next.

“I finally have some free time. I can attempt to act as a Marionettist and refine the corresponding rules. To me, that is currently one of the most important things.

“Mm, Marionettist. The focus should be on marionettes. I haven’t truly created a puppet and controlled it in battle yet. I’ll start from that.

“This has to be completed before I return to Backlund. There, not only do Beyonders all hide themselves and become difficult to encounter, but no matter what I do, I might draw in the Churches or some major figure. I have to be sufficiently cautious and careful. It’s not a good place to choose and make marionettes. The sea is better. Later, I’ll go around a bar and find a pirate whose crimes are enough to hang him, then use him for an experiment.”

With a plan in mind, Klein immediately stood up and left the room. Like someone taking a deposit slip to the bank to withdraw money, he headed straight for the nearby Seaweed Bar, where famous pirates often appeared.

Soon, he arrived outside the bar. After straightening his clothes, he pushed open the heavy wooden door.

Gazes instinctively swept over his face, first moving away naturally without anything unusual. Then someone suddenly shouted in a low voice, “Gehrman Sparrow!”

In a flash, several figures inside the bar swiftly ran toward the back door. Before Klein could even react to what was happening, the place had already become noticeably emptier.