Back at the Iron Tavern, Caius found Raymond. As expected, Raymond didn’t disappoint him—he bought Caius’s gear at market price, and Caius’s little treasury returned to around sixty thousand coins.

  Caius had held onto some potions, though. He still had use for them, along with that magic book and the magic stone.

  The magic stone’s spell, Cleanse, could rid him of negative conditions—extremely practical.

  As for the magic book, Caius gave it to Kiki, letting her try to learn the spells recorded inside.

  “I heard you took on a big job with the Wargs Gang?” Raymond asked.

  Caius nodded. Raymond didn’t press for details and simply said, “If you need help, just say the word. I can pull some strings for you in the Inner City.”

  “Now that’s what I like to hear,” Caius grinned. “Do you know where I can get my hands on a map of Baron Zachary’s estate?”

  “You planning to go after Baron Zachary?” Raymond raised an eyebrow.

  “No, but my target’s inside his estate. I need to get familiar with the layout,” Caius said casually.

  This kind of thing wasn’t best said aloud—definitely not the most honorable business. Leaking it would bring trouble.

  At the same time, it was also a way for Caius to test Raymond—see just how much influence he really had in the Inner City.

  Once again, Raymond didn’t let him down. He nodded and told Caius, “The estates of Inner City nobles were mostly designed by the Trevor Architectural Academy. They should have backup copies of the blueprints.”

  “This is the address of the Trevor Architectural Academy.” Raymond scribbled an address and handed it over.

  Caius took it with a nod.

  From Raymond’s attitude, it was clear he had no particular ties with Baron Zachary, which meant Caius could carry out his mission with peace of mind.

  “But I’ll give you a piece of advice. There’s a Mithril-tier archer guarding Zachary’s estate—his personal hired muscle. If your target’s really inside, you’d better be prepared.”

  “Also, Zachary may only be a baron, but in Ocean City, he still has some political clout. Best not to leave behind any incriminating evidence.”

  “Not long ago, his daughter was kidnapped and harmed by enemies. He’s been in a foul mood since and is preparing to go to war with the rival Dino Chamber of Commerce. His estate is full of bounty hunters and mercenaries—you’ll want to tread carefully.”

  “Oh?” Caius raised a brow in surprise. “Is his daughter’s name Manasa?”

  “You know her?” Raymond was caught off guard.

  Caius simply smiled.

  Ocean City was vast, yet somehow very small.

  So Manasa’s father was Baron Zachary. Now it made sense—his disguise back then had worked perfectly, successfully leading Zachary to believe his enemies were behind it.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Chances were, the Dino Chamber of Commerce was cursing up a storm right about now. Heh heh heh.

  But Caius felt no guilt about it. That’s just how the world worked. Even if he hadn’t done anything, with the whole Manasa incident as a fuse, Zachary and his enemies would’ve clashed sooner or later. He just sped things up a bit.

  And honestly, that was good news for him.

  “When are they planning to strike?” Caius asked.

  “Tomorrow,” Raymond said. “The Dino Chamber of Commerce mainly trades in grain and rum. Their base is the Dino Grand Farm, about eighty miles outside Ocean City. It'll probably be a small-scale battle.”

  “I see...” Caius fell into thought.

  Raymond looked at him and instantly knew what he was thinking.

  “You’re planning to fish in troubled waters—make your move amid the chaos?”

  “Pretty much. My target’s likely to be involved. I can use the confusion to get close and take him out,” Caius said.

  “But with your build, it’s hard not to stand out,” Raymond said as he took a drag from his cigarette.

  “I know. That’s why I’ll have to ‘create’ a little accident,” Caius grinned, totally unbothered.

  “Heh heh heh, bold one, aren’t you?” Raymond laughed.

  “All right, I’ll be off then. Still need to make that lighter for you.”

  “Then hurry the hell up,” Raymond waved him off.

  “Damn, how pragmatic!” Caius grumbled as he left.

  “Bwahahaha!”

  That afternoon, Caius took Kiki to the Oern Smithy. This time, he needed some metal to make a lighter for Raymond.

  He’d already made several lighter cores before arriving in Ocean City, so all he needed now was an armored casing.

  Engraving required precision, but for someone as strong and dexterous as Caius, it was no big deal.

  His control over strength was impeccable, and his smithing skills rock solid. Crafting intricate parts by hand? Easy. Making a decorative lighter shell? A walk in the park.

  Soon, a sleek lighter casing was complete—subtle and subdued in tone, matching Raymond’s aesthetic. It had a dense metallic feel, heavy in the hand, and bore a recessed fist imprint—simple yet bold.

  Oern eyed the little contraption curiously. “This little box… what’s it for? Holding rings?”

  “Heh, watch this.” Caius took out a lighter core, dripped in some flammable oil, and slotted it into the case. It fit perfectly.

  He snapped it shut, then flipped it open with a click, turned the wheel, and a spark burst forth—followed by a rising flame. Oern’s eyes lit up. “Now that’s something!”

  “This thing’s a business opportunity. If it can be mass-produced, it’ll totally replace Firewatch devices,” Caius said confidently.

  Oern looked surprised. As a dwarf, he loved gold. Hearing this thing could rake in profit immediately piqued his interest. “So what’s your plan?”

  “I’m not doing it,” Caius chuckled. “I’m no merchant.”

  Oern: “…”

  “You’re turning down profit?” Oern raised an eyebrow.

  “I want the money, but I still don’t want to be a merchant,” Caius replied.

  “You’re one strange kid,” Oern muttered.

  “Thanks for the compliment. But if you want to cash in, I can teach you how to make the lighter. As for mass production—that’s on you.”

  “Pfft, like I need your help?” Oern scoffed. “Just a glance and I’ve got the gist. I’ll figure the rest out.”

  Caius chuckled but didn’t argue. After all, the man was a skilled dwarven smith—this kind of low-tech gadget really was beneath him.

  “But I’m not chasing the money either,” Oern added. “I just want to earn a living forging. Don’t want to be a merchant—too much thinking.”

  Caius burst into laughter. “You’re just like me, then—a bit of a weirdo.”

  “Likewise.”

  “Much obliged.”

  “All right, quit your grinning. If you’ve got nothing else to do, scram. I’ve got forging to do.”

  “You got it!”

  After stepping out of the Oern Smithy, the day was still young—just around 2 PM. Caius figured he hadn’t checked in on Silly Mushroom for days now.

  Since he had a Teleportation Magic Circle that connected to Hydis Academy, and there was another in the Inner City, he just needed to bind Ocean City’s Teleportation Circle to travel freely between the two without wasting much time.

  With that in mind, Caius took Kiki to the teleportation plaza.

  There were three fixed Teleportation Magic Circles in the plaza. He only needed to bind to one.

  The binding process was simple—inject magic power, place the Magic Array Plate on the Teleportation Circle, let them resonate, and once the third crystal on the plate lit up, the binding was done.

  “Let’s go, little kitty. Let’s have some fun at Hydis Academy,” Caius said, channeling magic into the plate, selecting the first crystal—destination: Hydis Academy.

  As for why he wasn’t using Ocean City’s official teleportation service... it was expensive.

  A single use cost 1,500 gold coins. Ridiculously overpriced—totally out of reach for ordinary folks.