Chapter 7: Ice Dance Garden

The passive effect of Ice Dance Garden increased Lucas's movement speed on ice by 50%.

The combination of rain and freezing had created the perfect combat environment for him, allowing him to glide on the ice as if skating on blades.

However, with his current level of 60, he couldn't fully unleash the power of Ice Dance Garden; otherwise, he could have frozen these people into ice sculptures instantly.

On the ice, Lucas moved with incredible speed, while the warehouse guards were severely hampered by the freezing conditions, unable to make any effective offensive or defensive moves.

They could only watch helplessly as the elf elegantly darted past them, like a dancer on ice. Each flash of his curved blades brought forth a spray of blood, which instantly solidified into crimson ice crystals.

It was like watching red petals bloom. The rain continued to fall, and misty frost flowers kept blooming.

The freezing temperatures made the guards unaware of their injuries. They struggled to move but couldn't break free from the icy water binding them.

The frost crept into their wounds, freezing their blood and spreading through their bodies. Numb limbs lost function, their bodies immobilized, and the frozen blood in their veins extended towards their hearts.

Until their hearts froze.

Ron turned slowly to follow Lucas's movements, each step a struggle to pull his legs free from the ice.

As he turned, he witnessed the death of his subordinates, watching them become sculptures wrapped in ice, frozen in the midst of spraying blood.

White, red, and the ever-blooming misty frost flowers.

Ron turned around to find the elf had stopped moving. Lucas stood there, as the sky continued to rain ice crystals.

Amidst the frost flowers and ice sculptures, he sheathed his twin blades behind his back, appearing so beautiful it felt like something was striking at Ron's heart.

The elf's voice came through.

"I had no intention of killing you, but I couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry! Goodbye! You don't have what I need."

Ron wanted to shout at the elf's silhouette as it faded into the darkness, but he found he couldn't make any sound.

His limbs were numb.

Looking down, he saw over a dozen blood-colored ice crystals blooming from his body, like scarlet petals...

Then darkness engulfed his vision.

The thickening ice encased his corpse, standing among the other human-shaped ice sculptures at the warehouse entrance.

But within a thirty-meter radius around them, there was no ice or water. An alarm sounded inside the warehouse.

A large number of warehouse guards, armed, rushed out, stunned by the bloody yet beautiful scene.

Lucas left Windshield Alley, using parkour to swiftly return to the virtual anchor point he had started from.

Sitting on the edge of a building, he gazed at the sleeping city.

What next?

The items in the warehouse were definitely gone or hadn't come into this world with his character.

So, the money stored in the bank probably wouldn't be worth checking either.

Now, aside from the clothes on his back, the accessories he wore, and the items in his backpack, he had nothing.

How could he acquire the ritual and sacrificial items needed for Secret Arts for his real body?

Lucas rummaged through the guides on his phone in his consciousness, searching for anything valuable in the Seawall District from the early days of "Epoch."

Hmm?

The Heart of Red Dragon Nielcolone.

It wasn't actually a dragon heart but a summoning artifact created by the Alchemists' Guild of Storm City. It could summon Nielcolone, the Red Dragon from the Dragon Kingdom, to fight for ten minutes.

In "Epoch," NPCs with extraordinary powers were called heroes.

Heroes were rated differently from players.

Players were judged by levels. Heroes were judged by stars.

From one to six stars represented the six tiers of a hero's power, with each star corresponding to twenty player levels.

For example, Ron and his subordinates in the Windshield Alley warehouse district had a strength rating of at most three stars, with some possibly not even reaching one star.

A level 60 Ela was equivalent to a three-star hero. With buffs from bloodline, modifications, Star's Seat, and exclusive combat skills, it was a massacre against Ron and his gang.

The Red Dragon Nielcolone was a five-star super hero, colloquially known as a five-and-a-half star.

Releasing a five-and-a-half-star hero, even for just ten minutes, would cause considerable destruction.

However, the Heart of the Red Dragon Nielcolone had been stolen from the Alchemists' Guild of Storm City just yesterday.

And now, it was in the Seawall District.

The strategy guide had detailed instructions on obtaining the Heart of the Red Dragon Nielcolone.

If players chose not to take the "heart" but followed the plot instead, they could trigger the Clover Armed Airship Heist.

Depending on the player's choices, the story could branch into over a dozen different outcomes.

Of course, chasing the storyline wasn't Lucas's objective. He just wanted the Heart of the Red Dragon Nielcolone.

Summoning Nielcolone and killing it would yield the real heart of the Red Dragon Nielcolone. Not only would he obtain the heart, but the entire body of a top-tier extraordinary creature like a dragon was a treasure trove.

Many materials needed for top-tier Secret Arts involved dragons.

So… the next target, The Heart of the Red Dragon Nielcolone.

Lucas used the strategy guide to locate the current position of the Heart of the Red Dragon Nielcolone.

It was in the hands of the Great Boss of the Mad Axe Gang, Horned Demonkin Jumu. In two days, this heart would be sold to pirates.

The guide provided several methods to obtain the Heart of the Red Dragon Nielcolone.

He could steal it, deceive it… or simply take it by force.

As long as he was strong enough, he could storm the Mad Axe Gang's headquarters.

The guide also suggested that players could visit the Seawall City Assassins' Tavern to take on the bounty task for Jumu.

Killing two birds with one stone. 5000 gold notes would be a massive fortune.

However, the Mad Axe Gang was a powerful faction in the Seawall District, and their headquarters was certainly filled with strong heroes.

Moreover, Jumu, being a Horned Demonkin, had a four-star strength level.

He was hiding within the Mad Axe Gang's headquarters, heavily guarded by his gang members.

Killing him outright wouldn't be easy.

But using Ela… it was worth a try.

A five-and-a-half-star Red Dragon on its own was too tempting for Lucas to resist.

The decision was made.

First, head to the Assassins' Tavern to accept the bounty mission; 5000 gold notes could buy many ordinary materials needed for the Secret Arts rituals.

Accessing the nearest virtual teleport anchor, all teleport anchors in the Seawall District were activated for use.

Locate the teleport anchor near the Assassins' Tavern. Albian Square!

The unfortunate thief killed by Shelley had hidden 15 gold coins in a bird's nest on the statue at the east end of the square.

15 gold coins could be exchanged for 3 gold notes at the Imperial Bank.

Even a small amount of meat is still meat, and this was not a small amount. One gold coin could be exchanged for 10 silver notes.

One silver note could be exchanged for 100 Imperial Marks.

Arriving at Albian Square, Lucas easily retrieved the 15 gold coins hidden by the thief.

After he left, Zane, having finished dealing with the bodies in the interrogation room, wandered into Albian Square.

He found the statue on the east side of the square and climbed up to search the bird's nest.

After rummaging for a long time, he found nothing but bird droppings.

"Damn thief, you deserved to be killed by the boss for tricking me."

(Gold notes and silver notes are universal currencies; Imperial Marks are the currency of the Argent Empire. During the Argent Empire's paper currency reform, metal currencies remained in domestic circulation but were not allowed to flow out of the country.)