9. Storm Convergence

Having made up her mind anew, Angel did not take the public carriage to the steam train station in Tingen as originally planned, but directly approached a hired carriage stopped at the street corner.

"Take me to the Evil Dragon Bar in the Dock Area," she said to the coachman, who was waiting for work with his legs crossed, sitting in the driver's seat. The suburban docks housed Tingen's largest underground market, and she needed to make ample preparations before confronting Mrs. Sharon.

"It's 12 pence from here to the Dock Area. If you plan to take the carriage back as well, you might as well hire the carriage for the entire journey, 2 Soli per hour. You can go wherever you like," the coachman quoted.

Without hesitation, Angel hired the carriage. Time was of the essence now; she couldn't afford to look for another carriage to return.

Looking at the streets swiftly moving past the window, Angel closed her eyes, planning her next moves.

Originally, her plan to deal with Mrs. Sharon required at least two weeks of preparation. Not only did she need to transform her otherworldly knowledge and technology into combat power, but she also needed the cooperation of several official Beyonders for a surprise attack to stand a chance of success. If it came to a direct confrontation, with her current Sequence 9 ability, injury or even death was a very real possibility.

Now, with preparation time reduced to 24 hours, the success rate had undoubtedly plummeted.

Angel was unsure when her message at the Saint Selena Church would reach the ears of the official Beyonders. Perhaps they had already begun their operation, and she would be subdued by a group of strong men the moment she opened her door on Daffodil Street. Or, perhaps by the time she kept her appointment and went to Mrs. Sharon's residence, those slow responders would not have reacted at all.

All she could do was to strengthen her abilities as quickly as possible.

Improving her rank was definitely out of the question. Perhaps after advancing, a Sequence 7 like Cole Granger could take down a higher-level Mrs. Sharon in a surprise attack, but for now, she was just a Sequence 9 "assassin."

Moreover, Angel did not plan to take the lives of ordinary people as her upgrade experience, following the name of the "assassin" potion like Cole did.

In that case, she could only arm herself with external means to enhance her combat abilities.

…

Crossing the entire Tingen City, from the church in the north district to the dock area in the south, the stream of people on the streets gradually thinned, and the gas lamps lit along the streets became fewer and fewer.

If it weren't for the memory of Cole Granger coming to buy Beyonder materials a few times, Angel would almost think the coachman had some strange thoughts in mind, taking her somewhere else.

It wasn't until the low and cramped buildings disappeared from view outside the window, and the Tussock River, reflecting the crimson moonlight, appeared that she confirmed she had arrived at the dock area.

The coachman stopped the carriage beside a small path by the river, at the end of which were vast dock working areas and goods warehouses. During the day, this place buzzed with the loading and unloading of goods and the vending of merchandise, presenting a busy scene, but at night it was exceptionally quiet.

"Madam, the public security here is not very good at night. If you are going to that tavern... well, forget I said anything." He kindly warned Angel, who had just stepped down from the carriage and readjusted her hood, only to see her pat the gun holster tied to her leg, promptly causing him to wisely shut his mouth.

"The Wicked Dragon Tavern" is the only entertainment facility in the Tingen city dock area. During the day, it is crowded with workers taking a drink in their leisure time, and at night, it is lingered by drunks unwilling to leave. Inside, there are betting games like "Catch the Rat" similar to "Wild Heart," but the rough men of the docks prefer the bare-knuckle fighting competitions.

Pushing open the heavy door, a roaring sound mixed with a strong smell of alcohol came forth. On the boxing ring, two bare-chested men were energetically swinging their fists at each other, the collision of fists and flesh eliciting waves of cheers, with over a dozen patrons waving their glasses to cheer on the fighter they supported, no one noticing Angel's arrival.

She bypassed the boxing ring and went to the billiard room at the back of the bar, where two people were playing pool, and a few others were standing around the table, making comments. Upon her entrance, the room suddenly fell silent.

Angel stated her purpose, and the people looked at each other, then quietly made way to a position deeper in the room, where there was a secret door.

She pulled the candlestick beside the window to open the secret door, then passed through several empty rooms to arrive at a spacious area.

This was a warehouse backed by the Wicked Dragon Tavern, rented out as an underground market. Now was the peak time for transactions, with people setting up stalls all around, either standing or sitting, waiting for customers. More people were moving between the stalls, exchanging and comparing prices.

Most of the items sold here actually didn't possess Beyonder properties, but were merely ordinary items of mysticism, such as candles for prayers, various real or fake spices used in rituals, crystals, and ores more decorative than material. The buyers were mainly enthusiasts of mysticism, purchasing these items to meet their own or their small circle's needs, not involving Beyonder events.

Of course, Beyonder individuals like Cole Granger also mingled among the buyers, finding auxiliary materials needed for various potions, materials for divination or curse rituals, and base materials for making Beyonder items.

After walking around the market and overhearing a few transactions, Angel selected the items she needed.

She first bought most of her required reagents from a vendor selling pre-mixed chemical concoctions, also purchasing the wooden box with a lined interior and handle that he used to store the reagents.

Then, carrying the wooden box, she wandered among the various stalls, quickly filling it with materials like glowing lizard scales and screaming grass. Lastly, a ten-gram piece of star crystal was separately wrapped in a cloth bag and placed in her jacket pocket.

Refusing the offer from the market guards to help carry her items, Angel carried the wooden box back the way she came, through the bustling boxing ring, to the hired carriage waiting for her by the roadside.

"Let's go to Daffodil Street... no, first to Iron Cross Lower Street," she instructed the driver, intending to retrieve the ladies' pistol she had lost there a few days ago. Any weapon was precious now.

Ignoring the dirtiness of the wooden box, Angel carefully placed it on her lap, tiptoeing to avoid the carriage's jolts. This was a crucial guarantee of her survival for the coming night.

…

Pushing open the door of No. 6 Daffodil Street, the slip of paper intended to warn of any intruders fluttered down, leaving Angel momentarily unsure whether to feel regret or relief.

She had carelessly thrown down a paper bag containing bread, potatoes, and celery on the living room table when she came back in the afternoon. Now, she had neither the mood nor the time to cook, simply grabbing a piece of bread, tearing off a half, and biting into it as she carried a wooden box down to the basement.

The mutton thrown down two days ago had begun to emit a foul smell, successfully masking the faint scent of blood, but now she regretted doing so, as she would have to spend the night in the basement accompanied by this unpleasant odor.

"If it weren't for the study being full of flammable materials, I wouldn't have come here to work."

Holding her nose as she entered the basement, Angel lit a candle and looked around, ultimately deciding to endure the discomfort. Once the fire was started, the temperature in the basement would rise, and the chimney effect would extract most of the smell.

She neatly arranged the purchased materials on the stone table, ignited the stove beside her, preheated the crucible she had picked up from the kitchen, and then proceeded to process the materials using the alchemical tools left by Cole.

Lizard scales were scraped off with a knife and soaked in nitric acid in a test tube, the essence of Screaming Grass was extracted with alcohol, calcium carbonate was ground into powder, tree resin was melted and kept warm beside the crucible, and Star Crystals were cut into equal pieces...

As her movements transitioned from awkward to skilled, Angel felt as though she was back to the times when she was crafting her own battle gear with the Knights Templar, reminiscing about past memories, her eyes became sore and almost teared up.

Ah, it was just the steam from the etching solution, nothing to worry about.

Heating up the brand-new 0.45-inch pistol bullets slightly to melt the adhesive, she removed the bullet heads and poured out the propellant. Angel picked up an engraving knife, concentrated her focus, and channeled her spiritual energy into the tip of the knife, bursting forth.

She engraved the first rune with mechanical precision.

"Storm Convergence," one of the five special ammunitions originally mastered by the Church of Light on Earth, which could inflict increasingly higher damage by repeatedly hitting the same spot. Even when used alone, its penetration power was far superior to regular bullets.

Due to its ability to stack damage with repeated hits, "Storm Convergence" was typically used in automatic weapons. However, in the Loen Kingdom, automatic and semi-automatic weapons, including burst rifles and six-barrel machine guns, were military-controlled equipment, which Angel could not possibly acquire. Therefore, she could only make it into revolver bullets, aiming to target the same spot as much as possible by leveraging the "assassin's" coordination ability to trigger the bullet's characteristic.

The manufacturing of "Storm Convergence" involved engraving complex patterns on the bullet casing and filling it with materials rich in spiritual energy. The bullet heads were made of mithril mixed with crystal powder, and soft bullet heads could reduce ricochets, making the hit more focused. Moreover, bullets treated this way would shatter upon hitting the target, releasing a powerful energy. After being blessed by the goddess in prayer, these characteristics would become even more pronounced.

Although the engraved patterns representing various bullet characteristics belong to physical principles and should be universally applicable in this world, being in a completely different world means that prayers obviously cannot receive the blessing of the Goddess of Light. Angel is not certain to what extent the engravings can be effective.

Materials cannot use the original formula either, but instead, through the scant mystical knowledge of Cole Granger, a degraded substitute of the same type from this world is used. The bullet heads could only use lead with a lower melting point, but fortunately, star crystals, rich in spirituality, elevate the grade of the bullets somewhat.

Angel filled the bullet casings with engravings, further processed them with resin and etching fluid, and then filled them with the essence of Screaming Grass. After melting the lead block in the crucible and adding star crystals, it was poured into an iron mold to create new bullet heads. Once cooled and reassembled, a "Storm Convergence" bullet was completed.

Her craftsmanship had not grown rusty. After calculating the time spent, Angel estimated that she could finish processing all the bullets at hand before dawn. But before that, she intended to test whether the prayer blessing was effective.

Holding the bullet casing tightly in her hand, she drew a circle with one finger in front of her chest while silently reciting a prayer, asking for the Goddess of Light's blessing.

As expected, the bullet showed no response.

With a sigh, Angel opened her palm, and the brass casing reflected the dim light of the candle, unchanged from before.

Such an incomplete "Storm Convergence" bullet, with only the materials and the characteristics of the engravings themselves, would significantly reduce its lethality against extraordinary beings.

Although disappointed, this was within Angel's expectations; she did not harbor the extravagant hope of receiving the aid of gods from Earth through prayer in another world. Picking up another bullet casing, she prepared to replace the part of the engraving that represented the power of the gods with ordinary engravings, to at least increase its physical lethality.

Just as she was about to complete the engraving on this bullet, she suddenly remembered the strange event that happened tonight at the Saint Selena Church and the words spoken by that mysterious voice.

"Those who dare to advance, will be rewarded."

After all, Cole was a follower of the Evernight Goddess... With a try-and-see attitude, Angel replaced the part of the engraving that was originally for praying to the gods for divine power, with the holy emblem of the Evernight Goddess she had seen before in the church—stars adorning, surrounding a half crimson moon. After processing the second bullet casing in the same manner, she followed the previous prayer ritual, holding the bullet casing in her hand, drawing the crimson moon in front of her chest, and prayed to the goddess:

"More exalted than the starry sky, more eternal than eternity, Evernight Goddess.

"You are the Lord of Crimson, the Mother of Secrets, and the Queen of Calamity and Fear.

"Lord of Sleep and Silence..."

This was the prayer of the Church of the Evernight Goddess from Cole Granger's memory. He was once a not-so-devout follower of the Evernight Goddess, but since becoming an "assassin" and staining his hands with the blood of the innocent, he dared not step into the church again.

"I pray to You...

"Pray that You bless this item...

"Grant it the power to fight against evil and injustice..."

The body of a betrayer, the soul of a heretic, can such a prayer truly be effective?

After silently reciting the prayer, Angel opened her eyes, and a bit of crimson leaked from the tightly clenched fingers of her right hand.

She opened her palm in surprise, and within the originally dim engraving, red electricity danced and flowed. The brass bullet casing emitted a dazzling crimson light as if it had been ignited, which took a long time to dissipate.

Without a doubt, this was already a complete "Storm Convergence" bullet, imbued with the power of prayer, and it was certain to be no less effective than the standard ammunition mass-produced in her original world without even needing to test it.

The prayer... worked?

Angel took a deep breath, unsure if this was truly the favor of the gods or if the method of making it coincidentally complied with the rules of this world, hence successfully replicating the complete bullet effect.

But this did not hinder her gratitude towards the Evernight Goddess.

She made a gesture in front of her chest, outlining the crimson moon, which, compared to the ritualistic performance at the Saint Selena Church, was somewhat more heartfelt this time.