Steam Age: I Fight Against Divine Authority with Otherworldly Tales

Chapter 51 Preparations Before the Hunt

Looking at the professor in front of her, Suren felt that there were some things the professor hadn't said.

Professor Derwent pushed up his glasses and abruptly changed the subject: "As for why I have so much confidence in you... you left a deep impression on me during that battle in the wilderness."

Suren recalled her first encounter with the professor; the battle with Cole was indeed quite dangerous.

Thinking about it this way, Suren and Professor De Went had only known each other for two weeks, during which Suren was wary of the professor. Now, however, their situations were very similar, both of them heading down the path of escape.

Suren nodded without saying anything more. He put away the stack of pages and prepared to leave.

Unlike usual, the professor also stood up this time, and together with Suren, the two walked through the living room and corridor to the door.

Suren stood at the bottom of the steps. He looked up at the professor, whose face was half-hidden in the shadows behind the door. Suren opened his mouth, but in the end, he only managed to utter one sentence: "I hope you have a safe journey, Professor."

Listening to Suren's very ordinary words, the professor looked at her quietly, with his usual calm gaze, and said in a gentle tone, "Even though I've only known you for such a short time, the impression you give me is that you're always busy and hardly ever rest."

Suren did not respond.

"Sometimes putting too much pressure on yourself isn't good, Suren," Professor Derwent paused. "I hope you can find a true friend—the kind you can confide in."

After saying this, the professor said no more and closed the door.

Suren stood at the bottom of the steps, looking at the tightly closed door. The sunlight shone on him, but he felt no warmth.

"A friend I can confide in..." Suren murmured to herself.

He looked at the Book of Secrets in his consciousness, then at his left hand—where the "Evil Spirit in the Mirror" was parasitizing.

He shook his head with a wry smile, turned around, and his footsteps echoed on the stone pavement. At the end of the street, his figure grew smaller and smaller.

After walking through several streets, Suren changed into his disguised work clothes in an empty alley. His next stop was the "Mist Exchange." After all, the professor's information might be incomplete, so going to the "Mist Exchange" to gather some intelligence and replenish some consumables was definitely a better choice.

Moreover, they might be able to find some targeted items that would make it easier for Suren to hunt certain demons.

Soon Suren arrived at the "Mist Exchange," handed a gold pound to the old man guarding the door, and stepped into that familiar hall once again.

Under the glowing stone lights, the exchange was as bustling as ever, seemingly never lacking in people who needed to trade.

Suren walked through the crowd to the bounty board, where the same bounties were still posted, unchanged.

There are still many bounties for "Dominating Demons" on the papers, with eye-catching markings and the rewards clearly written, some even with the text bolded in red ink.

Suren's gaze swept over the quests without lingering. He had no intention of accepting such tasks; they were too attention-grabbing. What he needed to do now was to hunt quietly, gather the materials he wanted, and not disturb anyone.

What he needs more are simple missions that allow him permission to enter and leave the wilderness.

His gaze swept across the bounty board, but he didn't find anything. He shook his head and walked towards the trading area on the far left of the room.

Suren walked through the crowd in the trading area, passing one stall after another. The stalls displayed all sorts of items, but unfortunately, none of them could help Suren.

Sometimes, people would approach Suren and try to sell her their so-called magical items.

For example, right now, a woman with a headscarf covering her head, only revealing her eyes, is pulling Suren aside and trying to sell her antidote.

Suren frowned impatiently, but the woman's hand was still gripping his sleeve tightly.

He reached out his right hand, grabbed the bottle of dark green potion, and then activated [Revelation].

This is a new application he has developed recently: for existing objects, simple "revelation" can be performed directly by simply touching them, without needing a particularly quiet environment.

Of course, Suren's ability is not a true appraisal and is not very accurate. In essence, it still relies on the fragmented text and images of the "Revelation" itself for interpretation.

Sometimes, there will be text or images that are difficult to judge. In such cases, Suren usually assumes that the item is fake and just assumes that he is not lucky.

Coincidentally, the footage obtained this time was relatively useful. Suren saw a crucial scene—a hand mixing paint and water together and putting it into a small bottle.

"Madam, this bottle of paint is just watered-down paint. Please stop selling counterfeit goods everywhere, okay?" Suren bluntly exposed her.

The woman's expression stiffened for a moment, and the customers who had been picking through her items at her stall all put down their things and left, grumbling as they heard what Suren said.

Suren shrugged, ignoring what was about to happen, and turned to leave.

After browsing around for a while, Suren stopped in front of a stall in a corner.

This stall was very peculiar; it had no other items on it, only boxes and boxes of bullets.

The stall owner was a bald man, burly with many scars on his face, who looked like a retired soldier. Seeing Suren stop, the bald man didn't even bother to greet her, sitting down on the ground and preoccupied with cleaning the bullets in his hands.

At the stall, each type of bullet was labeled with its function and price. Unlike the two common enchanted bullets that Suren already had, the bullets at this stall were relatively rare and therefore more expensive.

However, most of the bullets are unnecessary for Suren. After all, in terms of damage output alone, the "Explosive" bullets are sufficient. Moreover, these bullets can be exchanged for in large quantities with contribution points, which is much more cost-effective than purchasing them directly.

However, a small box of special bullets caught Suren's attention. At first glance, the bullets looked no different from ordinary silver bullets. But upon closer inspection, one could see that their surfaces were engraved with fine lines, two to three times the number of normal bullets.

The label simply reads "split bullets, 20 pounds for 20 bullets," and its effect is: upon impact, it explodes from the inside, resulting in a large kill radius but low power.

These bullets are not commonly purchased by ordinary people; they are expensive and only slightly more powerful than regular bullets.

However, for Suren, this type of bullet is quite suitable for the "Eye of Wither". Basically, one bullet can disable the enemy's low-to-mid-level healing abilities.

Suren counted out 20 pounds from his wallet, placed it on the stall, and took the box of bullets—he had already verified it with [Revelation].

The bald man glanced at the bullets that had been taken away, paused slightly, and looked up at Suren, grinning as he said, "Friend, looks like your gun's pretty good?"

Suren was also taken aback. The stall owner seemed very experienced, knowing that people who bought these bullets usually did so to trigger the effects of enchanted firearms.

Suren smiled, nodded to the bald man, and then, making conversation, asked, "Sir, do you know anyone who has information about demons? I mean, the real kind, of course."

"Who do you mean 'Mr.'? Just call me Bald Toby." The bald man laughed, patting his chest. "As for information, I do have it, but the price is a bit high. As for its authenticity..."

He stretched out his right hand, pulled out a small metal plaque the size of a palm from his pocket, and tossed it to Suren.

Suren caught it and looked down. It depicted a night owl with wide-open eyes and folded wings. The lines were simple yet exuded a cold and aloof air.

Bald Toby's voice came from the other end, tinged with a smug smile: "You can rest assured about our Night Owl Brotherhood's intelligence."