At the break of dawn, just as the first light tinged the horizon with the pale hue of a fish’s belly, Renith set out.
Her original plan was to go alone to the hidden base of the Martel gang. She hoped to negotiate a mutually satisfactory outcome with them.
Now that she had firmly decided to plunge into this brutal struggle, she had to choose a side to join.
Leaving aside the mysterious “Transcenders” and the privileged nobles, for Renith, the only viable faction was that of the rebels. And the gang was undoubtedly the best choice she could make within that faction.
Manville offered to accompany Renith, and she didn’t stop him. The previous night, she had quietly listened to their discussion, respecting the choices they both made.
So, regarding Manville, Renith already had a plan: she would find a way for the gang to take him in. As for Limpton, she intended to simply “dump” him with Lance’s group.
Although Renith wasn’t sure how effective Lance and Schubert’s training had been recently, it was likely that only one or two of them had made significant progress.
However, Renith felt that handing Limpton over to them could greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of Lance’s group. After all, Limpton was clever, understood how to navigate the world, and knew how to adapt to circumstances.
Of course, this was in comparison to Lance and Schubert.
Renith didn’t see the same resolute determination in Limpton’s eyes as she did in Lance and Schubert’s, nor did she detect any deep-seated desire for rebellion within him. Yet, Renith firmly believed that when a person is pushed to their absolute limit, they will eventually find the strength to resist.
But truly keeping Limpton in line would depend on Lance and Schubert’s abilities.
“Let’s go.”
Renith gently pulled on her hat, cleverly concealing her face within the shadow cast by its brim.
Following the winding, deep alleyways, Renith and Manville made their way toward the train station. Then, they walked along the railway tracks for over half an hour until finally, a factory came into view.
Outside the factory, two gang members stood guard, holding old rifles, their eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.
“Good day, ma’am.”
One of the gang members gave a slight bow and gestured for her to enter. Seeing this, Manville tried to follow Renith but was stopped by the gang member’s outstretched arm.
“The Second-in-Command only invited this lady. You wait outside, right here.”
The gang member’s tone was firm.
Anger welled up in Manville, but given the circumstances, he couldn’t make a scene. He could only huff and puff as he found a spot on the gravelly ground and plopped down.
“You stay put here…”
Renith turned to the gang member at the door and pointed at Manville sitting on the ground.
“I expect him not to be harmed.”
“At your service, ma’am.”
The gang member gave a slight nod in response.
The factory was filled with a pungent smell of rust, heavy with the weight of passing years. Inside, dim lights flickered unsteadily, and the peeling paint and mottled rust on the walls spoke of its long history.
The roar of machinery was deafening, echoing through the empty workshop like the defiant cry of this abandoned factory refusing to fall silent. Yet, despite its dilapidated, forgotten-by-the-world appearance, everything inside was operating in an orderly manner.
A group of gang members skillfully operated the machines. The molding mechanism precisely poured molten metal into tubular molds. The metal flowed within the molds but quickly solidified under water-cooling.
Another group, after the metal tubes were formed, carefully hand-carved the internal structures. They worked with intense focus, beads of sweat on their foreheads, yet the success rate was pitifully low—the finished products filled less than a single crate, while the discarded failures piled up like a small hill.
“Hello, respected Miss Mage.”
Before Renith could even reach the door, someone from inside hurried out to meet her. It seemed someone had walked ahead to inform the gang’s second-in-command of her arrival.
The door slowly opened from the other side. Standing before Renith wasn’t the burly, fierce-looking brute she might have imagined, but rather a thin and short man. He was slender, as if a strong wind could blow him over, even thinner than a half-starved Limpton.
“Anna. Hello, may I ask your name?”
Renith extended her hand, magic flowing at her fingertips.
“Senava.”
He gave a slight bow and made a gesture of invitation. Following Senava’s direction, Renith saw that coffee from the distant southern islands had already been prepared inside, its rich aroma filling the air.
Renith slowly sat down, but she didn’t immediately reach for the coffee. Instead, she asked sharply:
“You’re manufacturing firearms?”
Senava laughed heartily, not hiding anything, and replied frankly:
“This place was originally an abandoned firearms parts factory. You probably know, Miss, that there’s a famous firearms manufacturer in Mobius City. This factory is actually the predecessor of that renowned one.”
“Bolan Firearms Manufacturing.”
Renith gently took out her small revolver and glanced at it. The unique mark of the Bolan Manufacturing Plant was stamped on the gun, as if telling of its former glory.
“Oh, this is an old model discontinued over a decade ago. I didn’t expect you to have one. This little thing is quite well-made, but it’s a shame how fast firearms technology advances nowadays, changing with each passing day.”
As he spoke, Senava pulled out a small revolver from a drawer, identical in model to the one Renith held.
“Taken from a ‘Chosen One’ I killed.”
Renith said flatly.
“Hahaha.”
Hearing this, Senava became even more delighted. He had probably guessed Renith’s character by now, and his admiration for her grew. He was practically itching to recruit her into the gang right away.
“Those damn outsider pigs, good riddance they’re dead.”
Senava said through gritted teeth, a flash of ferocity in his eyes.
Renith merely smiled slightly, offering no further response.
“Well, let’s get down to business first… Mobius City hasn’t been peaceful lately, the situation is quite complex.”
“These are ready as well.”
Senava said, pulling a thick stack of documents from a drawer and sliding them toward Renith. This dossier detailed most of the deployments of the Mobius City police department and garrison. At the bottom of the final report was the signature of Coles.
Noticing Renith’s attention to the signature at the end of the document, Senava said with a smile:
“He’s a new recruit for our Martel gang. That guy is very sharp, always manages to scout out things others easily overlook.”
Besides the defense layouts, Renith also saw information about telegraph machines—such as which gangs messages were sent to, what weapons and equipment the garrison was equipped with, and so on. The content was extremely detailed.
“You’re showing me such detailed information before we’ve even cooperated? Aren’t you afraid I’m a spy sent by the ‘Chosen Ones’?”
Renith fixed her gaze on Senava, trying to read his expression.
“You really do love to joke. Anyone else could be a spy, but you absolutely couldn’t be. Even if you ultimately don’t assist us, this information would still be beneficial to you. It might even allow you to display your skills and make a name for yourself in Mobius City.”
Senava spoke with great confidence, his eyes showing trust in Renith, as if he was certain she wouldn’t do such a thing.
“Enough, I really wouldn’t do that. What you say is true, you are a trustworthy partner.”
Renith gave a slight wave of her hand and returned the documents to Senava.
“So, does this mean our cooperation is finalized?”
Senava was full of surprise. He hadn’t expected that his display of sincerity would so easily win the favor of such a remarkably powerful mage.
“What are your plans next? From what I see, you’ve already done quite a bit of preparatory work.”
Renith looked calmly at Senava.
Senava frowned slightly and sighed helplessly:
“To be honest, our preparations are far from sufficient. Although our gang has a large number of people, probably several thousand, only a few dozen are truly proficient with firearms. And the number of firearms is also inadequate.”
“In contrast, the garrison and police combined have over a hundred personnel, and they are certainly all equipped with good firearms. With our gang’s current outdated equipment, if it came to a direct confrontation, we would be no match for the well-equipped police and military police.”
“Even if we work day and night manufacturing firearms, as you can see, the number of usable finished products is pitifully small—just a few pieces. After all that effort, the failure rate is alarmingly high…”
Senava shook his head. With their current firepower, the odds against Mobius City’s security forces were low.
“So, your next target is…”
As Renith spoke, her gaze went past Senava and landed on the map of Mobius City behind him. In this city, there were very few places to obtain firearms.
Aside from places like the police department and garrison, which were completely out of reach, there was only one other option left—
“Bolan Firearms Manufacturing Factory.”
“Although this factory’s main business is producing firearm parts, it has produced firearms itself in the past. The quantity might not be huge, but it should be enough for our emergency needs.”
“And we have indeed formulated a plan to attack the Bolan Firearms Manufacturing Factory… The night after tomorrow, we will mobilize all our forces and take the Bolan factory.”
“Using the Bolan Firearms Manufacturing Factory as a base, we’ll produce firearms, and with them, overcome Mobius City’s security forces. When the time comes, we ask for your assistance, Miss. We can discuss the compensation.”
Renith nodded.
“It’s good to have a plan. Besides that, you must ensure your people keep the secret and don’t let the plan leak out prematurely. As for my side, I have no special demands. A few gold coins as a token of appreciation will suffice. Also, Manville is quite interested in your work here and wants to join you. Give him tasks he can handle, something appropriate for his abilities.”
