Build an ancient-level power in the nightmare world

Vivian did not stop immediately despite Nick's pleas for mercy.

Noble bloodlines have many collateral branches, and her family is no exception.

Nick is three years younger than her, and strictly speaking, he is her distant cousin.

Vivian only learned that her youngest colleague was related to Nick by chance when she bumped into him on her uncle, the Marquis of Holmes' 60th birthday.

Since then, Vivian has felt entitled and compelled to order Nick around, especially when it comes to logistical support and reimbursement matters, and she always likes to put pressure on Nick.

But she wasn't targeting him intentionally. Prior to this, Nick's work attitude had been somewhat negative.

As her older cousin, she always felt that it was her duty to teach the other person how to work responsibly and diligently.

A moment later.

Vivian led Chris through the rightmost of the two innermost doors.

The door looked tightly closed, but it wasn't actually locked. Vivian gently turned the doorknob and opened the door.

As Chris followed Vivian into the room, his eyes were immediately drawn to a rifle hanging on the wall.

The silver barrel of the rifle was engraved with a series of intricate and exquisite patterns, making it hard not to take a second look.

Chris also noticed that there was a scope-like accessory on the rifle.

This is actually a sniper rifle?!

Chris was taken aback.

He had been in this world for over a month, and this was the first time he had seen such a firearm at such close range.

The last time he saw a firearm was when he was in a ghost-like state, looking at the revolver that Jack had used.

The other person's revolver also seemed to have some exquisite patterns on it.

I don't know if it's a coincidence, or if people in this world are used to engraving patterns on gun bodies.

The original owner's memories contained absolutely no information related to guns.

Chris knew almost nothing about this either.

"That's Sean's treasure."

Chris's gaze was still fixed on the rifle on the wall when Vivian's voice suddenly rang out beside him.

He snapped out of his reverie and looked at Vivian, his curiosity undisguised.

Seeing this, Vivian explained, "Sean's path of walking the Iron Anvil is perfectly suited for using these firearms that require precise handling."

"He set all sorts of strict rules for himself, which allowed him to maintain absolute focus when aiming and ensured that his movements would not be disrupted by external interference."

With that, Vivian withdrew her gaze from the rifle, walked to the only desk in the room, stood against the corner of the desk, and skillfully reached under the desk to grope around.

A moment later, she found a brass-colored key and held it in her hand.

Having received the key, Vivian's smile widened. She looked at Chris and asked, "You've never handled firearms before, have you?"

Chris shook his head; he had never touched that thing in either of his two lifetimes combined.

At the same time, he also noticed that there were some special patterns faintly engraved on the key in Vivian's hand.

Before Chris could even see the pattern on the key, Vivian had already turned around and walked to the bookshelf next to her.

She gently pushed aside a row of books on the fourth shelf, revealing a keyhole on the inside of the shelf.

Vivian inserted the key into the keyhole and gently turned her wrist.

After turning halfway around, Vivian released the key, placed one hand on the bookshelf, and gently pushed it to the side.

She pushed the bookshelf aside, revealing a hidden space.

After doing all this, Vivian turned to look at Chris, a hint of helplessness in her eyes, and said, "This was designed by Sean. He likes this kind of secret room vibe. We all think it's completely unnecessary."

"Surely no one would run into the Torchbearers' stronghold to steal weapons," Vivian said as she walked inside.

Seeing this, Chris followed.

At the same time, his gaze followed and peered inside.

The secret room behind the bookshelf was even larger than the outer room.

The walls around the room were covered with all sorts of weapons.

The main items are various types of firearms.

There are also a small number of cold weapons.

Chris noticed that most of the melee weapons here were various kinds of daggers and short swords.

Whether it's cold weapons or firearms, most of them are engraved with various kinds of exquisite patterns.

He began to suspect that these patterns were probably not just for decoration.

It should have other uses as well.

For example, these patterns can create an enchantment-like effect on weapons?

This was completely beyond his knowledge.

The patterns engraved on these weapons and guns didn't look like runes to him at all.

If these patterns are indeed some kind of mystical creation, then it is likely another field of study besides runic literature.

While Chris was examining the various weapons in the room, Vivian was already standing in front of a display case full of firearms and picked up a finely crafted revolver.

The gun body is also engraved with exquisite patterns.

Seeing this, Chris asked curiously, "Miss Vivian, what's the special purpose of the patterns engraved on these weapons?"

If you don't know, you should ask more questions.

His asking this question is very much in line with his persona, which is quite reasonable.

Upon hearing this, Vivian looked at Chris, sighed softly, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Sean likes it this way..."

Here we go again...

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Chris's eyes.

His heart skipped a beat. Could all the exquisite patterns on all these weapons in the room have been engraved by that colleague named Sean?

"So these patterns themselves aren't really that..." Before Chris could finish speaking, Vivian interrupted, "Yes, they're basically useless, they just look nice."

Chris was speechless after receiving Vivian's clear answer.

However, he suddenly thought of something.

Could this colleague named Sean be walking the sacred path of the Craftsman's Forge?

If that's the case, the skill the other party has been honing might be engraving these exquisite patterns.

"Of course, Sean's skills are pretty good. If you want to learn how to draw rune arrays, you can ask him for advice. He's the most professional in our Torchbearer team," Vivian added.

"Of course, he might charge a fee, and it won't be cheap," Vivian added as a reminder.

With that, Vivian tossed the revolver in her hand directly to Chris.

Chris was startled and quickly stepped forward, carefully catching it with his hands outstretched.

A heavy, icy sensation immediately came from my hands.

Chris stared at the revolver in his hand and inexplicably became nervous.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time I had ever personally touched such a powerful weapon, and it was inevitable that I would feel a mix of emotions.

He recalled Jack's movements in his dream, and tried to imitate them by gently raising his hand. With a sudden burst of strength in his wrist, he flicked the gun to one side, and with a soft bang, the magazine popped out.

Chris looked up at Vivian in surprise at the magazine full of bullets.

His heart tightened instantly when he recalled how the other person had just thrown him a loaded revolver.

That's way too dangerous.

Only now did he realize that Nick's reminder wasn't meant for Vivian at all, but for him.

After several encounters with this young lady from an extraordinary background, he discovered that her personality was completely different from what he had imagined a noble lady to be.

Vivian noticed the surprise in Chris's eyes and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.

"Generally speaking, we need to carry guns when we go on missions. After all, in many situations, whether it's dealing with extraordinary creatures or people, guns are much more effective than the extraordinary methods we have," Vivian said, taking out a pure silver handgun from the display case next to her.

"That makes sense..." Chris nodded, completely agreeing with Vivian's statement.

At least, that's true most of the time in reality.

After embarking on the holy path, he gained an even deeper understanding of this point.

Most mystical practices rely on spirituality, rituals, and various props.

The Holy Path power wielded by Holy Path practitioners is rarely able to be activated instantly.

If you encounter a sudden skirmish, by the time you've made all the preparations and are ready to activate your abilities, the enemy may have already emptied an entire magazine.

"Familiarizing yourself with these weapons beforehand and learning how to use them as quickly as possible is a very important lesson for a newcomer to the Torchbearers," Vivian said, looking at Chris with interest, and suddenly asked, "Who do you think will be your mentor in firearms?"

"You?" Chris answered tentatively.

He figured that since the other person had asked that question, his firearms mentor must be Vivian.

"You guessed wrong, it's Sean." Vivian's face revealed a meaningful smile.

Seeing this, Chris's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "This... Sean won't charge you, will he?"

"Don't worry, there's a bonus for mentoring new recruits. It's part of the Torchbearers' regular duties, Sean won't do anything reckless," Vivian said, while simultaneously checking the magazine of the silver pistol in her hand, continuing:

"In reality, the Empire's control over firearms is far stricter than its control over mystical knowledge."

"After all, there's a barrier to entry when it comes to knowledge of the occult, and low-level occult enthusiasts generally don't do anything particularly dangerous. But if guns become rampant, that's a completely different story."

"So, can the torchbearer carry a gun?" Chris, who had been studying the revolver in his hand, asked the question that had been on his mind the most.

He vaguely remembered that not many police officers in this world seemed to be armed.

"In theory, we can possess any type of weapon, but anything taken from here needs to be registered and returned within a specified time."

As Vivian spoke, she picked up the silver pistol and walked up to Chris, continuing, "Furthermore, if the weapon is stained with blood, shows signs of wear, or is missing bullets, a report must be written explaining the cause."

"What if the gun is lost?" Chris asked Vivian curiously.

Upon hearing this, Vivian's smile widened, and she said casually, "Find it back, what else can we do?"

Looking at Vivian's smile, Chris instinctively felt that if the gun really was lost, the outcome would probably not be as easy as she had said.

"By the way, Morphy said that you guys had a lot to gain from this mission, and the higher-ups might reward me with a whole set of materials for the Holy Wedge. Is that true?" Chris looked at Vivian with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

After talking with Vivian for so long, he felt the time was about right and he could try to sound out her intentions.

Before Vivian could speak, he continued, "Actually, I don't think I deserve that much credit."

After he finished speaking, a faint look of insecurity appeared on Chris's face again.

Upon hearing this, a look of confusion suddenly flashed in Vivian's eyes.

Unlike before, she didn't answer Chris's question immediately, but waited a few seconds before speaking slowly.

"Oh, I guess so. It's just a Holy Wedge, your contribution..." Vivian paused abruptly when she mentioned Chris's contribution, as if she had suddenly lost her train of thought.