Aileen escorted Jia Xi out, and what happened in that process, Rocky did not know. He returned to his laboratory after the two left.
Although he did not lose hope in negotiation, Rocky knew that he could not solely rely on it. He needed a backup plan, and that plan naturally relied on mana runes.
So, upon returning to the lab, he asked Liliya to bring his Void Magic Armor over!
"Do you really plan to do this? Isn't it too early..."
Liliya soon brought the Void Magic Armor to the lab, but she seemed uneasy when handing it over to Rocky.
Because Rocky already told her what he planned to do, he was going to draw runes on the Void Magic Armor!
This decision surprised Liliya, as Rocky had just learned the runes!
Although applying runes on the Void Magic Armor was an inevitable trend, wasn't Rocky acting too hastily now? He only had this one set of Void Magic Armor. If it got damaged, there would be nowhere to cry.
"I just want to experiment, besides, runes don't have any side effects even if they fail; at most they'll just consume some magic power, and the Void Magic Armor will definitely be fine."
Though Rocky spoke confidently, he was uncertain, but he knew he had to proceed.
Rocky understood more than anyone how important the Void Magic Armor was to him. It had always been his cherished possession, how could he not treasure it? Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, he had no choice but to risk it.
His only advantage now was the mana runes, but given Thunderhawk City's current power, they couldn't let outsiders know about the runes, leaving Rocky with few choices. He had only one real option: to use the runes to enhance his strength.
Either apply runes on ordinary equipment to turn it into rune equipment, or apply them on the Void Magic Armor to make it even stronger.
For Rocky, who already owned the Void Magic Armor, he naturally had to apply the runes on his armor. He couldn't just ignore a stronger Void Magic Armor and instead wear rune equipment, could he?
So, he had to take this risk.
Liliya thought Rocky's approach was not only reckless but completely useless. Even if Rocky's strength increased, what could it achieve?
But she noticed Rocky seemed to have his own plan, so she ultimately did not stop him and left quietly, fearing she would disturb his rune drawing.
Afterward, the lab was left with only Rocky, a pen, and a set of Void Magic Armor.
He placed the chest plate of the Void Magic Armor on the research table, but instead of starting to draw runes on it immediately, he carefully studied and contemplated it inside and out.
The Void Magic Armor was called the strongest single-soldier equipment not merely because it was embedded with magic stones. The technological complexity of a set exceeded imagination. Even though Rocky mastered first-level mana runes, he could not haphazardly apply runes on the armor.
If he wanted to use runes to enhance the Void Magic Armor, he first had to understand the armor's mana-driven system and then connect this system with the runes to enable the armor to use the mana provided by the runes.
The technology and technicalities involved were so complex and advanced that only a professional armor maker could understand it, much less Rocky.
Despite the difficulty, he wanted to give it a try.
Not out of overestimating his abilities, but because he had a different idea.
Rocky didn't aim to radically modify the Void Magic Armor. He knew he lacked the capability; even the most seasoned armor-making master couldn't do that. Mana runes were a new technology, and without research and experimentation, no one could replace the magic stones on a Void Magic Armor with runes due to the enormous technological intricacies involved.
So, his real idea was to treat the Void Magic Armor as ordinary equipment and convert it into rune equipment!
Simply put, he intended to draw runes on the Void Magic Armor, adding a layer of rune power while ensuring the original fighting power was unchanged. This method would enhance the armor indirectly!
This was a new approach only Rocky could conceive, no, only he could think of!
Before the invention of mana runes, neither Void Magic Armor nor mana equipment existed without relying on magic stones for mana. This made it impossible for equipment to be both a Void Magic Armor and mana equipment; they couldn't coexist.
But now, with the emergence of mana runes as a substitute for magic stones, the runes could coexist with the stones!
Thus, Rocky thought of this way to enhance his Void Magic Armor, to make it a rune equipment while retaining its original power.
This idea perfectly bypassed the high-end technology involved with the Void Magic Armor. He just needed to treat it as normal equipment and convert it into rune equipment.
Even though making rune equipment was not simple, Rocky had a research notebook in hand.
Wensel's initial goal for developing mana runes was to replace magic stones so that mana equipment could become rune equipment and greatly enhance its power. His notes meticulously detailed how to create equipment with runes.
With this notebook, Rocky could entirely make rune equipment!
If he succeeded, the enhanced Void Magic Armor would definitely elevate its combat power by a class! He would then proceed with his next plan!
"Let's begin..."
After examining the chest plate from the Void Magic Armor set, Rocky prepared to start.
He picked up the Magic Energy Pen and drew a rune on the interior of the chest plate liner.
To avoid raising suspicion, he fully utilized the convenience of runes and drew it inside the armor liner, ensuring neither the rune's effectiveness was compromised nor the armor appeared any different.
As the first stroke was completed, a rune emerged, faintly glowing.
This meant the rune was successfully drawn, and magic energy began to permeate the rune, but it wasn't finished. The mana contained in a first-level rune was meager, even less than a micro magic stone. To unleash its true power, quantity was needed.
According to Rocky's estimation, he needed to draw at least a hundred first-level runes on the chest plate to genuinely enhance its defensive power, which was a colossal task.
So, after successfully drawing one rune, he promptly drew a second, followed by a third...
Half a day passed that way. By evening, Rocky left the laboratory with his magic completely exhausted.
The next morning, Jia Xi came to meet Rocky, seemingly eager to finalize the thread transaction.
This came as a surprise to him, as he initially intended to drag it out, but didn't expect Jia Xi to be so proactive. So, he had no choice but to summon Aileen.
When Aileen arrived at the City Lord's Hall, a new round of negotiation began.
The morning flew by, and the result of this negotiation remained the same as the previous day; almost no agreement was reached. Jia Xi remained firm, refusing to lower the threefold price increase.
However, Aileen's performance today seemed somewhat off. The previous day, she matched Jia Xi's determination, but today, she appeared distracted—an important reason why nothing was accomplished.
Frustrated, Rocky found an excuse to forcefully halt the negotiation, intending to give Aileen some more time to come up with a solution. Unexpectedly, Jia Xi didn't give Rocky the chance.
"City Lord!"
"The Chamber of Commerce sent an urgent notice yesterday. The headquarters have instructed me to return for an important matter, so I can only stay here one more day. I hope the City Lord can provide a definite answer tomorrow and conclude this matter swiftly."
After saying this, Jia Xi turned and left...
His words were clear. He intended not to delay any further, forcing Rocky to make a quick decision!
"My Lord, I shall be off too..."
When Jia Xi left, Rocky thought of discussing the next steps with Aileen, as they couldn't keep delaying now that Jia Xi was leaving. But unexpectedly, Aileen also left without a word.
"Rocky, Aileen seemed strange today."
After Aileen left, Liliya remarked to Rocky, she also noticed something was off with Aileen today.
"Indeed, something isn't right..." Rocky nodded, equally puzzled about what was troubling Aileen.
"I'll go and ask."
With that, Liliya left the City Lord's Hall, chasing after Aileen without waiting for Rocky's response.