"I'm not a Smith, but even I can tell the difference," Francis muttered as he inspected himself wearing the new armor that Cedric made for him.
He doesn't know how Cedric managed to turn True Demon Bones into a set of flexible armor that felt just like his old cloth armor, and frankly, he doesn't care.
What's more important to him was the connection he felt with it. If Cedric put this on him and didn't tell him anything, he wouldn't have known that he's wearing it; that's how light it was and how perfectly it fits him. Currently, this armor offers less protection than his previous armor set, but that's just because he hasn't started nurturing this new armor of his.
The difference between true demon bone equipment and regular ones was that the owners could feel souls and/or energy in the former, effectively nurturing it and increasing its quality. In addition to their rarity, this is what makes them more expensive. Given that Francis only got this today, of course this new armor would be weaker than the previous one.
"This is awesome," Darwin commented as he inspected his new armor as well.
As the team's ranged magic user, Darwin was one of the more vulnerable members of the group. Even with high-tiered equipment, his physique was inherently weaker, even compared to that of Francis, who's their designated scout.
Low-tiered demons might be dumb, but there are a handful who have impressive instincts and intellect. There were a few occasions when Darwin was placed in a rather tight spot since he kept being targeted. That's why he always had to pay attention to his surroundings and his distance from the enemy.
For magic users like him, armor and defensive spells are their lifeline just as much as their offensive capabilities were.
Even if Darwin already became a Planar Traveler lifeform, he could still be killed.
He was already thinking about saving up for a True Demon Bone armor set. He initially thought that he'd have to save years worth of merit points before getting his hands on one, just like Elric, but the unexpected blessing surprised him. Now, he could save up for other things instead.
It wasn't just the two of them who were impressed. Everybody was.
"If you have enough Demon Souls with you, I suggest raising the quality of the armors up to Tier 9 right away. You can use Essence Souls using the altar; by the way, it'd be just as effective," Cedric told them.
"A Tier 9 True Demon Bone Armor set...that could defend against the attacks of Demon Lords, one that is around the level of a 2nd Change Planar Traveller Realm expert," Floyd commented.
"Hey, that's not bad," Erica exclaimed. "That's already much better than our old equipment."
"That's to be expected. This is a True Demon Bone Armor set, after all. Technically, we're not even worthy to have this yet. It's only thanks to Cedric that we do." Elric commented, then looked at Cedric and said, "Thanks, by the way. But, is it safe to assume that Tier 9 is the highest it could go?"
"Yes," Elric confirmed. "All 13 bases in the Black Lands that we own have. We're already done with one, so there's only 12 more."
"Like that makes it better," Darwin smiled wryly. "Those other 12 bases are scattered across the entire continent; even with the help of the Transmission Network, that's going to take us a while."
"Not to mention, the state of affairs is pretty sensitive nowadays." Floyd added solemnly, "We're on the cusp of war. All Demons are on the move, and that includes Demon Lords. Cedric mentioned that the formation hides us from low-tiered demons. How could we even be sure that, once we left, the bases would remain intact?"
"Nice of you to mention that. It just so happens that I was informed that Demon Lords and Demon Kings are occupied for some reason, making them less likely to be seen." Elric stated, "Why? I'm not sure; that wasn't included in the briefing I received. But since the HQ decided to make this move, it should be expected that they did so after taking that into consideration."
He then looked at Cedric and asked, "You should be able to modify the base pretty quickly, right? How swiftly can you do it?"
"Three hours at minimum," Cedric responded. "If there are nuisances around, it might take up to five, but definitely not more than that."
"I believe that if we keep a tight schedule, we can finish this mission within a month and a half," Elric estimated before telling his team. "It's long, but I believe we can make it. Besides, thanks to Cedric's invention, we wouldn't lack any resources, be it materials or food supply."
"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot about that." Francis chuckled mirthlessly. "I was treating this mission like our old ones; I even began rationing my remaining supplies for the mission in my mind. I forgot that we don't have to worry too much about that anymore."
"Yeah, we can't treat our future missions using the previous standards since our situations have changed now," Darwin stated.
"Don't relax too much, boys. Even though we can secure resources more easily thanks to Cedric, do remember that we will still be roaming the Black Lands," Chrissy reminded them.
"She's right," Elric said. "We can't be too confident about this. We must remain vigilant still and follow protocol. We can have rest afterwards though, because HQ said that as soon as we are done escorting Cedric to modify all the available bases in the Black Lands, we can return to civilization and have a vacation."
Everyone's eyes brightened upon hearing that. Well, all except Cedric. He didn't share their enthusiasm since he had been here for so long.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Francis excitedly stood up, armed and ready to leave right away.
"Oh, relax, will you?" Erica rolled her eyes at him. "Not everybody has their things ready like you do."
"Hurry it up, then!" Francis exclaimed at her. "The sooner we finish this mission, the sooner we can return home, and the sooner I can dispel my horniness. Not everybody is like you three; you must be really freakin' nice!"
"Must you be so fucking crass!?" Erica snarled before throwing rocks at him.