Chapter 61

Walking up to a rather inconspicuous little shop, Qianye stopped and looked up at the sign: "Ayi Firearms."

Back when he was in the Red Scorpion, Qianye remembered that the Empire had a chain of weapon stores called "Ayi Firearms," famous for specializing in high-end force guns. However, this "Ayi Firearms" in front of him, from the sign to the interior decor, clearly had nothing to do with the Empire's military supply chain. Perhaps the owner had heard the name somewhere and copied it onto the sign.

Qianye walked in.

The shop was not large, with walls on both sides hung with various guns. The designs were varied and the guns gleamed, looking powerful.

However, Qianye was an expert. With just one glance, he recognized that most of the guns on the wall were homemade, using force but only capable of providing some auxiliary effects, and might not even be able to form a force bullet. In that sense, they were far inferior to the Dawnlight.

But Qianye was not disappointed. This was the level of quality one should expect from a small shop in Darkblood City. If he wanted better goods, he would have to go to the weapon stores licensed by the Empire or to the auction house. However, the licensed weapon stores in the city all had ties to the Expeditionary Army, and Qianye did not want to reveal himself easily. As for the auction house, without sufficient strength, even if he managed to bid on good items in this chaotic city, there was no guarantee he would be able to take them away safely.

There were two genuine force guns on the counter, but unfortunately, they still did not match the Dawnlight. In other words, they did not even qualify as first-grade guns.

Behind the counter sat a thin, half-bald old man wearing reading glasses, meticulously cleaning gun parts with a disinterested look.

Qianye walked up to the counter and tapped on it.

Without lifting his head, the old man said, "Everything is on display. Look around yourself!"

"Show me something truly good. Don't try to fool me with this junk," Qianye said lazily.

The old man finally looked up at Qianye over his glasses, and for a moment, his cloudy eyes seemed to flash with a bright light. Qianye was startled, but when he looked closely, he found the old man's eyes were as cloudy as before, and the previous moment seemed like an illusion.

The old man finally spoke, his tone very calm, "What type do you want? Sniper, pistol, assault rifle, or something else?"

Qianye felt a small thrill of excitement. He had heard that Darkblood City was a place where dragons and tigers were hidden, and the best black market goods might be found in the most inconspicuous shops. He had not expected that the first shop he entered would have such a rich selection.

This luck was almost too good. Qianye couldn't help but ask, "What grade?"

If he could get a set of first-grade guns, that would be quite good. This was Qianye's hope.

To his surprise, the old man flipped his eyes and gave him a look of mild disdain, saying, "Of course, second-grade. If you want better, you'll have to wait."

Second-grade! This was more than just a small thrill for Qianye.

Actually, with his third-grade combatant strength, second to third-grade guns were very suitable for him. A fourth-grade Scorpion Needle would be a bit challenging to use, and he might not be able to handle it without his particularly condensed and thick force.

"Great! Show me the goods! I want an assault rifle, plus a short-barreled shotgun, or a pistol, but it has to be powerful. The rate of fire and range are not as important," Qianye stated his requirements.

The old man did not move, just pushed up his reading glasses and gave Qianye a once-over, then said, "Simple, direct, and brutal, with a military style. Not bad, kid!"

Qianye was taken aback. Although his appearance had changed, some things imprinted in his bones would never change. Anyone who had seen him in action, whether in ranged or close combat, would not find it surprising to draw such a conclusion. But for the old man to make this judgment based solely on his choice of weapons meant that his understanding of force and force guns was at a master level, comparable to the equipment specialists of the Red Scorpion Legion.

Qianye was deeply impressed.

The old man smiled slightly, saying, "Go close the shop door."

Qianye complied, closing the door and feeling even more anticipation.

The old man slowly stood up, walked into the back room, and after a moment, came out with a canvas bag that looked a bit faded from washing. He placed it on the counter. The size of the bag suggested it contained a rifle-type force gun.

Qianye opened the canvas bag and pulled out a force gun with the stock removed. He immediately recognized it as the 'Assaulter' series rifle.

This model was the standard issue for frontline officers of the Empire's Expeditionary Army, a second-grade force gun. As a standard rifle, it had the common characteristics of military force guns: stable, powerful, easy to repair, and resistant to damage. Relatively speaking, Qianye still preferred the various standard military guns.

This Assaulter looked well-maintained, about 60% new, which made Qianye quite satisfied. Although it wasn't a huge surprise, it was still a good choice. Many people in Darkblood City used Expeditionary Army standard weapons, and military quartermasters often sold large quantities of semi-new guns under the guise of being scrapped, a common practice.

"I'll take this! Do you have any pistols or shotguns?" Qianye asked.

"Do you have the money?" the old man countered.

Qianye was taken aback and asked, "How much for this Assaulter?"

"One hundred Imperial gold coins," the old man said without any emotion.

To be honest, Qianye was shocked by the price.

In the military, a brand new second-grade force gun was priced at no more than 100 gold coins. The Assaulter, being a rather ordinary second-grade gun, was priced at around 90 gold coins for the basic model. A 60% new one should be worth no more than 50 gold coins. He didn't expect the old man to quote the price of a new gun.

Seeing Qianye's expression, the old man did not mock him but said calmly, "Kid, you haven't been to Bronze Copper Street much, have you? Here, you can't get this kind of goods at the regular price. You can try other shops if you want, no problem."

Qianye thought about it carefully and realized the old man was right. He had also encountered some underground stores dealing in black market guns during his missions, and the prices were indeed very different from those supplied to the military.

However, at this price, Qianye's original plan to equip himself was no longer feasible. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Do you buy guns?"

After a moment, the transaction was completed.

Qianye sold the Hornet, a first-grade rifle, and the Dawnlight, plus 10 gold coins, and finally got the Assaulter. As a bonus, the old man gave him three blank force bullets that could be infused with force.

Qianye packed up his things. The canvas bag for the Assaulter was quite satisfactory. It was neither too new nor too old, and the lining was made of semi-rigid material, so it did not reveal the shape of the contents, a thoughtful design for adventurers.

The closed shop door was reopened, and Qianye saw a young boy with a hint of naivety in his features, examining the shop sign.

He was very young, about the same age as Qianye, dressed as a hunter, and had already reached the first-grade combatant level.

Seeing Qianye come out, the boy stepped over the threshold.

Qianye had only taken a few steps when he heard the old man's voice faintly from behind, "Simple, brutal, direct, with a military style! Not bad, kid!"

For some reason, Qianye suddenly felt a slight sinking feeling in his heart.

He quickly returned to the inn, opened the canvas bag, and took out the Assaulter, disassembling it piece by piece for a thorough inspection. When he opened it to check the internal parts, Qianye almost cursed.

Many of the small internal parts of the force gun were quite worn, but the visible parts had been specially polished and repaired, making the gun look much newer overall.

The gun was not 60% new but only 40% new! Several small parts were severely worn and needed to be replaced.

The only thing that gave Qianye some comfort was that the parts related to the force array were relatively well-maintained, about 50% new. Some core components showed signs of re-calibration and optimization, and the overall performance was slightly better than the original version. After testing, Qianye found the force conversion rate was around 33%, which was still quite good.

However, no matter how you looked at it, this gun was not worth 100 gold coins. Even at black market prices, it would be hard to sell for more than 60 gold coins.

The old man was not a gun master but an acting master. From the beginning, he had created the impression of a hidden expert, and the phrase "military style" had completely fooled Qianye.

Qianye, being from the military, was so shocked that he believed the old man's words without question. If not for his good hearing, he would not have known that the phrase "military style" was something the old man used on everyone.

Those hunters, adventurers, and mercenaries, especially the rookies, probably loved hearing that they had a "military style." Qianye was unlucky to fall for it.

Darkblood City indeed had its share of hidden experts, but it seemed to have even more scammers.

Now, Qianye recalled that he had even suspected for a moment that this shop had some connection to the Ayi Firearms in the upper continent of the Empire. Thinking about it now, he could only laugh bitterly.

As for going back to Ayi Firearms to settle the score, that was not something Qianye would consider. Despite the old man's small shop, every scammer who had a foothold on Bronze Copper Street was not to be underestimated. Qianye, as an outsider, could not match these local snakes and could only admit his bad luck.

Qianye glanced at the scattered parts on the table and shook his head even more helplessly.

The techniques used to refurbish these parts were quite sophisticated. Even if Qianye had opened the gun on the spot, he would have seen a relatively new interior. He would only have discovered the problems if he had thoroughly disassembled each part.

This level of skill was already that of a master. If the old man had put this much effort into making a new gun, he would have made a decent profit. So, Qianye felt both angry and amused, thinking that being scammed was not entirely unjustified.

These days, nothing was easy, and the old man had clearly put in a lot of effort.

Qianye slowly reassembled the Assaulter and then went out to a nearby parts store to buy some small tools and materials.

Back in his room, he re-coated the Assaulter and applied an aged finish to the surface. An hour later, the originally well-presented Assaulter had turned into a rusty, old gun that should have been thrown into the trash long ago.

Qianye then took out the problematic small parts, set up his repair tools, and spent two hours fixing the parts that could be repaired. For the two parts that could not be fixed, he went out again to buy replacements.

By the time Qianye finished, it was past dinner time. However, after the modifications, the Assaulter had fully recovered to about 50% new, and could be used for some time.

Looking at the Assaulter, Qianye was quite satisfied and then took out the blank force bullets to study them.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and the inn maid's voice sounded from outside, "Handsome, do you need any service?"

Qianye immediately opened the door and said, "Yes!"

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