Chapter 36: Florida Man Teaches Local Noblemen the Fine Art of Ceilings Shooting

Corrupted Mana Stalagmite

This stalagmite formed from condensed corrupted mana, created by a drop of a fifth-circle mage's condensed blood essence. Monster beasts covet these stalagmites for the nutritious gas they emit. To collect one, you must first defeat the monster beast guardian.

- Can be refined into anti-mage ammunition.

- Can be used as an upgrade material to improve modern firearms.

- Mana Conversion Value: 5 per unit.

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This item had been sitting in Felix's inventory since he first entered this world. He hadn't touched it because he didn't know how to use it.

Curious, Felix asked Robert, "May I look at it up close?"

"...Sure."

Robert passed the mana crystal to Sierra, who brought it to Felix. Felix picked it up and asked Jessica in his mind.

'I'll quickly deposit it in the inventory and bring it out. Can you save a screenshot of the item's description for me?'

<No problem.>

Felix grinned and flipped it around in his hand. Instantly, he stored it in his inventory and brought it out. Then, he returned it to Sierra. Jessica opened a new window, showing the screenshot image of the item's description.

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Third-Rated Mana Crystal

This mana crystal is a well-accepted international currency on the planet MIXA-7. One third-rated mana crystal is worth 50-100 gold coins, and 100 third-rated mana crystals have an equal value to one second-rated mana crystal. It also serves as a consumable item as it contains a small amount of mana inside. Aspiring mages and first-circle mages usually absorb its mana to grow stronger.

- Can be refined into explosive ammunition.

- Can be used as an upgrade material to improve modern ammunition.

- Mana Conversion Value: 1 per unit.

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This information was enough for Felix to make a decision, as he could potentially turn these into better ammunition for his personal use. He agreed to Robert's offer.

"Alright. 100 guns, 5,000 live rounds, and some blank rounds for training for 1,000 mana crystals of this quality."

"Great! We'll deliver the crystals to your house by the end of the day. Could you leave us with the artifacts and teach us how to use them?"

Felix saw no problem with that. He ejected 90 more rifles and a crate full of ammunition, placing them on the floor. Then, he picked one of the guns and demonstrated how to use it.

…

30 Minutes Later

Everyone in the room managed to learn how to reload the cartridges and eject them. As for the shooting practice, Felix didn't teach them since they lacked shooting targets. Moreover, these guys had accidentally shot random objects and the ceiling while practicing. If he let them play with guns longer, they would have shot somebody.

Not wanting to get himself killed by these rookies, Felix ended the demonstrations for now.

"Just teach the archers or the marksmen about the reloading and the shooting posture. They will know what to do with them."

Robert and Roland were relieved. They looked at each other and asked Felix for a second favor.

"Another thing, Sir Ariel. We would like to ask you to help us buy time for the reinforcement. We will surely encounter a few aura knights and mages from the Aero Academy. I hope you can lend us your power."

Felix had already guessed it. He had no issue with a small skirmish since he was confident in his superior firepower. Still, he had a small concern.

"How strong are they?" Felix probed for more information.

Robert pointed at the purple forest on the map. "From the clues and our investigation teams, a fifth-circle mage by the name Joxonu is lurking in the miasma forest and has been cooperating with the Turo House. He is likely to participate in the siege battle if their forces manage to reach our city.

Aside from him, we suspect they will bring 20 aura knights and a bunch of first-circle mages as support."

Felix scratched his head as the explanation didn't answer his question. He glanced at Jessica.

'…Can you elaborate?'

<From the information we have collected, aura knights are going to be your bane in combat. Your guns are less effective against them due to their natural aura and sturdy physiques. On the other hand, mages are as fragile as regular people, so you can snipe them to your heart's content, including whatever mage they referred to.>

<I suggest you stay at the back line and support the front lines like other mages. In case aura knights show up, let our aura knight allies tank them and you snipe them from the back.>

'Okay? So, are aura knights really a threat?'

<As long as you don't fight them in close combat, you'll be fine as long as you hide behind your allies.>

'Sounds like a pussy middle-school fight tactic. I like it.'

Felix smirked and gazed at Robert. "I see no issue."

"Excellent!" Robert was delighted. "Sir Sinnet, I'll leave the ambush unit to you. Sir Ariel, please cooperate with Sir Sinnet's unit. We have already given him the details. You can ask him on the way."

The burly knight saluted again and beamed at Felix with his yellow smile. "We will show them the might of Lundop House! Let us go, Sir Ariel!"

Felix wanted to stay and listen to the other plans. Though unhappy, he stood up and followed Sinnet to rendezvous with the task force.

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After Felix had left, everyone continued to admire the M1903 Springfield rifles. The nobleman who sat next to Felix enjoyed playing with it the most.

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Once again, he accidentally dropped the rifle and shot the ceiling. Fortunately, everyone had been careful as they only played with the rifles when the guns were empty. Only that guy kept causing a commotion.

"This is magnificent, Lord Robert! It has the firepower of a third or a fourth circle mage! With these, we might even be able to hunt monster beasts in the forest!"

Roland frowned at the nobleman, but his son smiled at the guy. Robert tried to get on his good side. "As you can see, Lord Brill. Sir Ariel is not someone suspicious. As long as you sponsor us with mana crystals, we can request Sir Ariel to sell you some of these."

Brill Swan was a representative from a neighboring province, the Swan House. Moreover, this man was a third-circle water mage. As someone from a Viscount family, Roland and Robert had no choice but to show respect to the delegate.

"To be honest, 1,000 third-rated mana crystals for 100 of these is too cheap! That mage must either be an idiot or a country bumpkin when it comes to negotiation!" Brill laughed.

Robert and Roland's expressions were solemn, disagreeing with Brill. However, they couldn't voice their thoughts as they couldn't afford to offend another noble house.

"I'll give you 2,000 third-rated mana crystals. I want these artifacts and the ammunition!"

Roland couldn't keep quiet anymore. He controlled his voice. "Lord Brill, we need them for the upcoming battle with the Turo House."

Brill shrugged. "You will probably lose anyway. That side has Joxonu and several strong aura knights. Your side only has a few mages and that muscle-head. Just give them to me, and I'll give my lord some good words so that your family can migrate to our territory. How about it?"

"I'm afraid we can't establish another trade agreement at the moment. For now, we will give you the artifact in your hands so that you can present it to your lord. In exchange, we hope you can hasten the provision and ore convoys. We urgently need supplies for the prolonged war." Roland's voice was stern.

Brill smirked and put the gun on the table. He glanced at the door, thinking of Felix and his strange demeanor. Testing the Lundop family, Brill teased them, "That man is not a mage, is he?"

"..."

Robert and Roland flinched. Still, they disagreed with Brill as they had rescanned Felix earlier, and they noticed faint fire mana from him. From their perspective, Felix might be a real fire mage.

"I can barely sense his mana. He must have used a spatial storage artifact to hide his items. I think he's not a mage but an alchemist or a tinkerer, is he not?" Brill taunted them.

Roland and Robert raised their eyebrows, but they didn't answer. They already knew the answer.

Noticing their reactions, Brill scoffed and made his ultimatum. "Give me all these artifacts, and I'll make sure to deliver the provision and iron ores to your city before sunrise."

"...5,000 third-rated mana crystals," Roland grudgingly bargained.

"Deal!" Brill laughed and snatched the deal. He pulled out a paper and began drafting a magic contract.

However, Roland was not stupid enough to hand over the rifles without a condition. He raised his voice. "We'll deliver these artifacts to you after the war between us and the Turo House is over."

"...You." Brill paused and glared at Roland. The latter also stared down at the nobleman.

After a minute of staring contest, Brill snorted and proceeded with the contract.

"Fine. I guess I'll wait and see how that fake mage fares against Joxonu. I hope he doesn't die too quickly or I'll be disappointed."

"..."

Roland glared at Brill, wanting to tear this cocky delegate to shreds. However, Robert grabbed his father's shoulder and shook his head. He whispered.

"We need extra provisions and resources from the south for this winter. If we make the Swan House our enemy, we will be isolated and starved to death. For now, let's play along and be patient."

"...Only this once. When we manage to befriend the Black Forest's queen and acquire another supply route, we'll cut ties with this arrogant family!"

"...If you keep this up, you'll ruin your house again like how you did in Aero Academy City. Calm down, father."

"..."

"Let me handle this. You should concentrate on watching over Valley and Felix Ariel for now."

"…Fine."