"I'm not upset that you fought," Theo opened, voice dropping, full of disappointment. "I'm upset because you were too reckless. Did you see how dangerous Vesper was? He's a Three-Star mercenary—you could've been killed in just one careless moment!"
Liam smiled lightly, expression showing no remorse.
"Only through fighting can we progress rapidly."
"We're still young," Theo responded, decisively. "We can progress steadily and surely. You're too impulsive, Liam."
Liam didn't argue back. He knew Theo was right—but he also understood that he and Theo had two completely different developmental tendencies, formed since childhood.
Liam was passionate about adventure, seeking victory in danger, driven by instinct and adrenaline.
While Theo always had clear plans, calculating every step no matter how small—from learning, hunting to lifestyle.
Arguments over different perspectives were never lacking, but Liam knew only one person could stand behind him with bow in hand—that was Theo.
And that was also the implicit commitment between them from the beginning: Liam would always execute any plan Theo proposed, but if anything unexpected happened, Liam would resolve it by instinct—and Theo would coordinate with full force.
Liam knew it was time to change the subject. He swung the money pouch just collected from Vesper:
"Come on, set that aside. The bigger issue is this!" Liam smiled brightly. "We earned 45,000 Copper from Vesper. What's next with it?"
Theo was immediately drawn into the strategic problem. His face softened as he analyzed:
"This money is very important. We'll use it to buy the remaining Strider."
Liam looked at Theo in amazement.
"Exactly," Theo continued. "Striders are trained to be very loyal to their masters. Getting it familiar with us early will make it easier to command later. Moreover, we're not yet proficient at riding them, so we need practice time. Having a pair will be better for both travel speed and transport capacity."
"Our money is now abundant," Theo continued. "We can upgrade weapons or magical potions. I personally need money to buy some books and materials. Our understanding of the outside world is too limited."
Theo concluded, eyes brightening at the rare opportunity:
"There are two merchant caravans here. This is truly a heaven-sent opportunity to gather information and purchase additional necessities."
At the bustling Oakhaven Market, Liam quickly completed his tasks. He checked progress on the Cyclops leather armor being processed—they needed more time to complete, but the hide quality had been confirmed.
Then, Liam used remaining funds to buy the second Strider. Now they owned a pair of healthy, agile Striders.
While Liam busied himself with material matters, Theo focused on knowledge. He wandered around Horizon Guild, going deep into the most secluded corner, seeking a place that sold books.
In a narrow corner, Theo found a shop unlike any other.
It was a massive wheeled cargo container, pulled by a large Rockback. Its skin was thick and hard as slate, standing silent as an ancient statue.
The owner was an old woman.
She wore a wide-brimmed hat, dressed in dark rough cloth with distinctive nomadic embroidery. On her eyes were round bronze-framed glasses.
She was reading, soft light from a small magical lantern shining down.
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Inside the cargo container had been transformed into a small room—cozy and clean, probably also where she lived.
Theo, attracted by the book in her hands, approached. His eyes brightened.
"Greetings, ma'am. May I ask about books?"
The old woman smiled kindly:
"You're a stranger. I am Elysia—a Wandering Mage. I specialize in copying magical scrolls, of course not overly powerful ones. Mostly daily life magic or emergency warning spells."
Theo asked where he could buy books.
Lady Elysia shook her head:
"They don't sell books here, young man. You must go to libraries in large cities to buy them. Not to mention, each region sometimes uses different languages. You'll need Language Comprehension magic to read or copy."
Theo felt a flash of disappointment. Lack of knowledge was restraining his development.
Seeing his dejection, Lady Elysia smiled softly, eyes shrewd:
"But I don't mind. During the time here, you can come read."
Theo was delighted:
"Thank you so much, ma'am!"
G immediately contributed in Theo's mind:
Theo thanked Lady Elysia and asked to borrow "Continental Memories" on the table.
G immediately handled translation, helping him understand more clearly.
It took about ten minutes for G to scan the entire book into the database.
After that, Theo asked permission to exchange books. The old woman cheerfully agreed.
Theo seized the opportunity, gradually scanning six other books that interested him, including:
- Mercenary Compendium and Border Region Laws
- Continental Races and Cultural Identity (Vol. I & II)
- Unwritten Laws of Border Territories
- Magic and Important Considerations
- Classification and Distribution of Current Magical Beast Species
In any case, scanning books also consumed quite a lot of G's storage and processing time, so he only stopped at six books then bid her farewell.
Lady Elysia just smiled kindly, not showing any anger that he only fiddled with books without actually reading a single one.
Theo found Liam leading the newly purchased Strider around the market. This second Strider seemed slightly more timid than Swift.
Theo ran over to call Liam back, but Liam had already pulled him over, eyes blazing bright.
"Look at this!"
Liam dragged Theo to a stall located at the market's edge.
The owner was an old man with a rugged appearance, sun-darkened skin and cold sharp eyes—he belonged to the Rune-Carver Clans, from the frigid Vaeland region north of Aethelgard.
His stall was quite rudimentary, just an old wooden table, some crude carving tools and several test hide pieces stained with mud.
"This is a heaven-sent opportunity," Liam said quietly. "He can carve Runes onto beast hide. And Sub-Magical Beast hide like Cyclops is very suitable. It can add some special functions to our armor, enhancing survival capability."
Theo frowned, somewhat skeptical.
"The problem is this carving is cheaper than the alchemy market," Liam explained, "but there's risk of ruining the armor, because he uses ancient magic—somewhat primitive and quality isn't fully guaranteed. Basically, it also depends on our luck."
Theo stared at the old Rune-Carver. He only silently sharpened a small chisel, seemingly unconcerned with their conversation.
Theo asked about cost.
Liam answered, voice full of excitement:
"He says the cost to carve Runes on one armor set (including chest and leg armor) is 12,000 Copper. Total for two sets is 24,000 Copper. Much cheaper than ready-made alchemy Runes, but still a large sum!"
Liam pulled Theo close to the stall, voice full of excitement:
"This is exactly what we need to turn this armor into legend!"
Theo frowned, looking at the old man indifferently sharpening his carving tool.
"What's its function? Spending 24,000 Copper on something not guaranteed is too risky."
Liam responded, eyes sparkling with fighting spirit:
"Not much, but very practical. I already asked thoroughly, and I think you should choose Blood-Burn Speed carving."
Theo jerked, immediately understanding. Blood-Burn Speed would require him to burn a small amount of blood (about 50ml) to activate 20% movement speed increase. Duration was 5 minutes, and to extend longer, he'd have to continue burning blood. Theo was already not slow—adding this Rune would make him nearly impossible to catch, a true phantom on the battlefield.
"As for me," Liam continued, pointing at his chest, "I'll carve Blood-Burn Strength. It also burns a bit (about 50ml) of my blood, but can enhance muscle strength by 20%."
Theo was somewhat moved.
Though this carving wasn't strong defensively or offensively, it was extremely practical. With Liam's explosive fighting style and speed, reducing 20% total weight would massively improve his safety, reaction speed and endurance in prolonged battles—like the recent one with Vesper.
These two Runes weren't just powerful, but perfectly complemented the hunting pair.
However, Theo quickly regained composure. He calculated quickly in his head:
- Current capital: ~64,000 Copper
- Newly purchased Strider: lost 35,000 Copper → remaining ~29,000 Copper
- Rune carving cost: 24,000 Copper → remaining ~5,000 Copper
- Operating expenses: need money for miscellaneous and caring for two new Striders
"Can't do it, Liam," Theo shook his head. "Money isn't enough. We still have to spend on many other things. If we use all money here, only about 5,000 Copper remains."
Theo looked at the old Rune-Carver's stall.
"We can't risk all our working capital. This Rune is very important, but let's wait until next week—after the third transaction."
Liam was momentarily disappointed, but he knew Theo calculated accurately. He nodded.
The two turned and left, leaving the old Rune-Carver still absorbed with his chisel, seemingly unconcerned about two customers who'd just passed up the opportunity.