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

  The bination of rain and freezing had created the perfebat enviro for him, allowing him to glide on the ice as if skating on bdes.

  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 ditions, uo 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 fsh of his curved bdes brought forth a spray of blood, whistantly solidified into crimson ice crystals.

  It was like watg red petals bloom. The rain tio 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 fun, their bodies immobilized, and the frozen blood in their veieowards 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 withe death of his subordinates, watg them bee sculptures ed 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 tio rain ice crystals.

  Amidst the frost flowers and ice sculptures, he sheathed his twin bdes 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 iion of killing you, but I couldn't stop myself. I'm soodbye! You don't have what I need."

  Ron wao 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 thiing icased 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 arm sounded ihe warehouse.

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

  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 ?

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

  So, the moored in the bank probably wouldn't be worth cheg 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 sciousness, searg for anything valuable in the Seawall District from the early days of "Epoch."

  Hmm?

  The Heart of Red Dragon Niele.

  It wasn't actually a drago but a summoning artifact created by the Alchemists' Guild of Storm City. It could summon Niele, 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 pyers.

  Pyers were judged by levels. Heroes were judged by stars.

  From oo six stars represehe six tiers of a hero's power, with each star corresponding to twenty pyer 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 reag oar.

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

  The Red Dragon Niele 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 siderable destru.

  However, the Heart of the Red Dragon Niele 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 instrus on obtaining the Heart of the Red Dragon Niele.

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

  Depending on the pyer's choices, the story could branto over a dozen different outes.

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

  Summoning Niele and killing it would yield the real heart of the Red Dragon Niele. 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 arget, The Heart of the Red Dragon Niele.

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

  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 Niele.

  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 pyers could visit the Seawall City Assassins' Tavern to take on the bounty task for Jumu.

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

  However, the Mad Axe Gang owerful fa 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 ht wouldn't be easy.

  But usi 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 virtual teleport anchor, all teleport anchors in the Seawall District were activated for use.

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

  The unfortuhief killed by Shelley had hidden 15 gold s in a bird's oatue at the east end of the square.

  15 gold s could be exged fold the Imperial Bank.

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

  One silver note could be exged for 100 Imperial Marks.

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

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

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

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

  "Damn thief, you deserved to be killed by the boss for trig 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 circution but were not allowed to flow out of the try.)

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