Kill one monster, stack one poison, and I alone will poison my way across the world!

Su Chen sighed. It seems that money is necessary no matter where you are!

He looked at Linglong and asked, "How much longer will you stay in Gaoshan City?"

"It's hard to say, it depends on Master's mood."

Linglong pulled a uniquely shaped metal nameplate from her pocket and casually tossed it to Su Chen. "Don't lose this nameplate. Keep it with you, and we can find you anytime."

"If you find any strange or unusual materials in the future, you can use them to pay off your debts, or come to us anytime once you've raised enough money."

"..."

Su Chen's eyes lit up.

Come anytime?

He asked, "If I want to get the equipment later, can I cut in line?"

"Pay back the money first!"

Linglong laughed in exasperation.

Owes a billion gold coins, and still wants to cut in line to get equipment?!

I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone this shameless!

"..."

Su Chen coughed lightly and put the nameplate away.

He didn't leave immediately, but stood there pondering for a moment.

"By the way, I have a question I'd like to ask."

Su Chen looked at Linglong and asked, "I wonder if you could... fuse several different pieces of equipment into one?"

He was silently making plans in his mind.

Undeniably, the set bonuses of the four-piece Abyss set he was wearing were simply incredible, especially Abyss Rift and Abyss Awakening. Although he hadn't used them for a long time, they were undoubtedly his trump cards.

The problem is that the basic panel of this thing is gradually becoming inadequate.

As his level increases, Su Chen will definitely need to upgrade to higher-level equipment.

Only some epic-level equipment with percentage-based bonuses can be temporarily kept.

But if you change it, the abnormal set bonus will be gone.

If we could directly fuse the set bonuses of these equipment pieces onto high-level individual pieces, wouldn't that be a game-changer?

"Equipment fusion?"

Linglong stood with her hands on her hips and her chin slightly raised. "This job would be an insurmountable challenge for those mediocre blacksmiths out there; they could easily blow their equipment to smithereens if they weren't careful. But! For my master, it's a piece of cake!"

"real?"

Su Chen's eyes lit up again.

This trip was definitely the right one!

"However..."

Linglong changed the subject, her big eyes darting around as she looked Su Chen up and down. "Fusing equipment isn't just about skill; it requires a very special medium—equipment fusion stones. These are extremely rare, like ancient dragon bones. You can't buy them on the market; you can only try your luck in certain secret realms."

She stretched out her fair finger and waved it in front of Su Chen: "Come back to us when you get your hands on the equipment fusion stone and prepare a hefty handling fee."

"Equipment Fusion Stone..."

Su Chen kept the name in his heart.

It seems we won't be able to solve the Abyss four-piece set problem anytime soon.

"Okay, I understand."

Su Chen nodded, turned around and pushed open the heavy door of the blacksmith shop.

"I'm gone."

"No need to see me out."

Su Chen stepped into the street outside.

The blacksmith shop door behind me made a dull thud as it slowly closed, shutting out the intense heat and the sound of hammering once again.

……

Sky Academy, Mage Academy.

Chu Tianxing's office was still ridiculously large.

Several magical crystals emitting a soft glow floated slowly, illuminating an entire wall of ancient books and magic scrolls.

The air was filled with a faint sandalwood scent, as well as the faint magical fluctuations generated by the operation of some high-level magic array.

Su Chen stood in front of his desk and gave a brief report on his encounter with the Falcon Squad.

"...That's basically the situation."

Su Chen didn't waste his breath.

Presumably, Chu Tianxing has also been informed by the military.

Behind his desk, Chu Tianxing leaned back in his chair, his knuckles rhythmically tapping the surface.

He pondered for a moment, staring at the documents on the table, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long while, he finally let out a cold snort.

"These rats in the gutter are getting more and more arrogant."

Chu Tianxing casually tossed the document back onto the table. "After being well-behaved for over a decade, did you really think those old fogies up there couldn't wield their knives anymore? They actually dared to extend their reach into our city and create this disgusting mess."

Su Chen stood still, ignoring the oppressive aura.

He asked, "How are those cities?"

He was asking about the city where the Doomsday Cult had successfully carried out the ritual, transforming all its inhabitants into Chimeras.

"That's not good."

Chu Tianxing hesitated for a moment before saying, "Those cities have become giant nests for Chimera Beasts, their numbers have reached an astonishing level, and they are still multiplying."

"The professionals in those cities are struggling, but two days ago, we submitted some data on the chimeras to the Human Alliance. Various countries have formulated corresponding tactics, and the scales of victory have tipped in our favor."

"but."

"The Doomsday Cult has reappeared in the city, along with new Chimera Beast variants, which cannot be completely eradicated in a short time."

"..."

Su Chen pondered for a moment.

It seems the Doomsday Cult's influence extends all over the world.

"In short, Su Chen, you did very well this time."

Chu Tianxing concealed his aura.

He looked at Su Chen, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. "Not only did you find out the source, but you also turned the tide and stopped the Doomsday Cult's ritual. It can be said that without you, Gaoshan City would have become a nest of chimeras, just like those cities in other countries."

"Just lucky."

Su Chen casually made a modest remark.

"In the world of professionals, luck is itself a part of ability."

Chu Tianxing took out a black card with a magical glow flowing across its surface from the drawer and pushed it in front of Su Chen. "This is your reward for this mission. The academy has always been fair in its rewards and punishments. Since you have completed such a high-risk investigation mission, the reward will naturally be substantial."

Su Chen reached out and picked up the card.

[System notification: You have earned 1000000 Sky Academy credits.]

Upon hearing the system's crisp notification sound, Su Chen's eye twitched slightly.

One million credits?

"Besides academic credits, there's this too."

Chu Tianxing then took out a magnetic card with an antique design.

On the front of the magnetic card, a mysterious tower that pierces the clouds and disappears into the sky is outlined in dark gold patterns.

Upon seeing the card, Su Chen's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

He recognized the card; it was the qualification for entering the Tower of Babel!

"Thank you, Dean."

Su Chen put it into his backpack without any hesitation.

The rewards for clearing the Tower of Babel are incredibly generous. He can use it 20 times before reaching level 40, so naturally he won't miss it.

"Go back and get some rest for a few days."

"clear."

Su Chen nodded, turned around and walked out of the office.