Martial Era: Starting With The Strongest Talent-Chapter 176: Buying Conduits(Fixed)

With that, Adam collected his things and stepped away from the counter.

His business at the Mission Hall was finished.

Submitting the mission had been the important part and the money was just secondary.

After all, failing to report a completed run could result in penalties.

Three strikes...

And a martial artist’s license could be revoked.

Adam had no intention of leaving stains on his record.

So he would behave like a proper, diligent martial artist.

Well, at least as diligent as John Doe.

Adam walked toward the stairwell.

Time for the next step.

Buying conduits.

****

Back at the manor...

Remedy slowly opened her eyes, as she sat up on the couch, the blanket Adam had wrapped around her still draped over her shoulders. Sleep clung stubbornly to her eyes as she stretched slightly.

Her gaze drifted to the other side of the couch to find it empty.

Remedy blinked.

Then she pouted.

"No morning cuddle..."

But before she could complain further—

A chill ran down her spine.

Someone was staring at her.

Remedy slowly turned toward the kitchen.

Felecia was leaning against the counter.

Arms folded.

Watching her.

The look in her eyes...

It was the same look a predator gave its prey.

Remedy immediately scooted back on the couch.

"L-Licia... what’s wrong?"

Felecia didn’t answer.

She just kept staring, as silence filled the room.

Right then—

The front door opened.

Scott walked in, completely drenched in sweat from early morning training.

The moment he stepped inside, he froze.

His eyes flicked between the two women.

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Scott didn’t say a word.

He quietly walked to the fridge.

Opened it.

Grabbed a bottle of water.

Then calmly walked back out.

He had no intention of getting involved in whatever had made the drunkard upset this early in the morning.

Behind him, the silent standoff continued.

Finally—

Felecia sighed.

"Angel."

Her voice was calm.

Too calm.

"So this is why you brought the kid here."

Remedy blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Felecia slowly lifted something from the counter.

An empty bottle.

The very same one Adam and Remedy had finished last night.

She lightly shook it.

The hollow sound echoed in the kitchen.

"You brought him here to rob me of my happiness."

Remedy froze.

Then realization hit.

"Oh..."

She scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"I’m... sorry about that."

Felecia narrowed her eyes.

"Do you know how hard it is to get a bottle like this?"

Remedy didn’t respond.

Because she knew.

She might have gotten a little carried away last night just to spend more time with Adam.

Felecia watched her quietly for a moment.

Then Remedy sighed.

"...How do I make it up to you?"

Felecia smiled.

A very dangerous smile.

"It’s simple."

"Since you two finished my last bottle..."

"You’re helping me get a new batch."

Remedy’s expression immediately turned tired.

Because she knew exactly how Felecia obtained those drinks.

And it was anything but easy.

"...Okay."

She rubbed her temples.

"We’ll head out when Adam gets back."

Remedy instantly shook her head to Felecia’s offer.

"Let’s leave Adam out of this."

Felecia paused; she thought Remedy would have been more enthusiastic to have Adam tag along, but it seemed she thought wrong.

"Ok it will be us girls."

Remedy agreed to that.

The truth was that Adam wouldn’t technically be suitable for this mission so Remedy was opposed to him tagging along.

"...Alright."

"Just the two of us."

Felecia’s smile widened.

"It’s a date."

****

Adam stepped into the martial market.

Immediately, he could tell the difference.

Compared to the markets in the low-tier sectors, this place felt... refined. Cleaner aisles. Better lighting. Displays arranged with almost obsessive precision.

Even the energy in the air felt denser.

He had barely taken a few steps inside when a sales attendant approached him.

She had long, elegant ears and smooth pale skin.

An elf.

One of the Essential Races.

For a brief moment, the sight reminded Adam of someone.

The fox-kin girl from his old sector.

Juli.

He hadn’t seen her before leaving. The last thing he’d heard was that she had quit.

Adam didn’t dwell on it.

The past was the past.

He turned his attention to the elf.

"Direct me to the conduits."

The elf nodded politely.

"Of course, sir. Please follow me."

She led him deeper into the store.

Soon, they arrived at a long aisle.

Shelves stretched across both walls.

And every single one of them was filled with conduits.

Adam’s eyes swept across them.

So... how exactly do I do this?

He needed to find conduits that could fuse with Judgement and trigger its next stage of growth.

But with this many options...

Where was he supposed to start?

Beside him, the elf patiently waited.

Then she asked,

"Sir, which type of conduit are you looking for?"

Adam stared at the endless shelves.

Good question.

Adam stared at the endless shelves.

Good question.

What kind of conduit was he looking for?

Conduits were divided into eight grades.

Dirty Bronze.

Black Iron.

Pure Silver.

Champion Gold.

Royal Purple.

Rare Platinum.

Epic Diamond.

Mythical.

Each grade provided increasing amounts of Star Power.

And the higher the grade, the more categories the conduit possessed.

For example, Felicia’s Gauntlet was a Champion Gold conduit.

Champion Gold conduits usually had two categories.

Category One: A general boost of 3 Star Power.

Category Two: A general boost of 4 Star Power.

For most martial artists, that kind of boost was enormous.

Star Power was notoriously difficult to increase.

Adam had made it look easy lately, but that was misleading.

Normally, improving Star Power required an exhausting grind.

Even when Adam equipped higher-grade talents, gaining a single point increase was what he got sometimes.

And the higher someone’s Star Power climbed...

The harder it became to push it further.

But none of that was the main issue right now.

Adam needed to figure out what grade of conduit could trigger Judgement’s evolution.

He considered his options for a moment.

Then decided,

No point holding back.

Adam looked at the elf.

"I’d like to see your Royal Purple conduits."

The sales attendant blinked.

For the first time since meeting him, she hesitated.

"Sir... may I ask your rank?"

Adam already knew why she asked.

Higher-grade conduits required higher cultivation levels to wield.

Someone below the appropriate rank could suffer severe backlash or simply be unable to activate the conduit at all.

And Royal Purple conduits were no ordinary items.

They could only be wielded by Lord-ranked martial artists... or higher.