"What are you still doing here?" Fiona raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that Xu Feng was still idling here.
"Didn't you tell me to rest properly?" Xu Feng twitched his brows.
"Yes, you can do so on the first floor." Fiona frankly said and continued, "I still need to do some dismantling here, so it'll take a while."
Baffled, Xu Feng seemed to realize Fiona was more eccentric than he had initially thought.
Nevertheless, he used a bit of mana that had been recovered somewhat and buffed himself, giving him enough strength to exit the room.
As he descended the stairs, Zhao Kai quickly spotted him.
"So what was the secrecy?" Zhao Kai dashed toward him and asked, offering a hand to assist Xu Feng. He might have been curious, but that didn't mean he had forgotten about Xu Feng, who was currently suffering from the side effects.
"Nothing much," Xu Feng explained, taking a seat. "It's just that I'm going to be making a deal with Fiona regarding our future equipment."
"I see… I thought as much." Nodding his head, Zhao Kai didn't find it much surprising that Xu Feng wanted Fiona to craft items or forge weapons for them.
"You were using me to leverage for your benefit." He added, albeit in a humorous tone, almost as if he wasn't even mad about being used.
"Hmm, good reaction, but bad decision." Xu Feng commented and crossed his legs. "Since you knew I was using you, you should have kept silent about it. After all, you benefited as well, but exposing it now made things very awkward."
"But you aren't going to be awkward." Zhao Kai scratched his head and clarified.
"That's because it's me." Xu Feng slammed his palm on the table and raised his tone.
"If you want a good simulation, then you should treat me as some stranger. That way you can prevent yourself from being at a disadvantage."
"Ugh, it's too much, Feng. Why can't we just play this game for fun and not implement any shrewd teaching?"
"I wouldn't have bothered either if time wasn't so tight for you. Your grandfather's birthday party is going to be a bloodbath between people your age who are filled with nefarious thoughts. Just one mistake of yours could spell disaster." Xu Feng warned sternly.
In the past timeline, things started to derail between them ever since Zhao Kai attended the birthday party alone while he went to the trial recruitment for the Reaver Guild.
And speaking of the trial recruitment, Xu Feng already heard some rumors of the Reaver Guild trying to establish their branch in the Apex Tower, as well as other districts nearby.
Even though in this timeline, Xu Feng would attend the birthday party, he would rather impart as much defensive knowledge as possible to Zhao Kai.
That way, he could at the very least deflect and defend against many people with hidden intentions.
"I got it, Feng." Zhao Kai suddenly changed his tone and smiled softly. "My mother didn't have a good ending because she was too kind, so I knew better than to show people kindness."
Silent, Xu Feng realized Zhao Kai was more prepared than he thought.
However, that didn't reassure him much.
In fact, it made Xu Feng even more wary than ever.
'If Kai is prepared, but still fallen deep into some traps. The opponent must not be simple.' He furrowed his brows, trying to figure out who had the capability to topple someone from the Zhao Family.
After all, it was still one of the top families with sufficient power and influence.
Sometime later, Fiona descended the stairs, her expression filled with a vibrant color.
"Oh, have you recovered well," Fiona turned her attention to Xu Feng and inquired.
Xu Feng stood up from the chair, smiled slightly, and responded, "Yes, I'm well enough for now."
Fiona didn't respond right away. Instead, she gave a quick scan of Xu Feng's condition.
Although she could still tell Xu Feng was suffering from some backlash, she had to commend him for being able to withstand the pain and act completely normal.
Such actions didn't just require strong determination but also control over one's body to remain standing proud.
As she inspected closer, Fiona was suddenly astonished.
She paused for a moment and said slyly, "Now I can subtly guess how you obtain those herbs."
Meanwhile, Xu Feng merely kept his smile up, unwilling to respond to that comment.
However, he guessed that she had already figured out some of his secrets, such as his body being baptized. Given that there was only one place that allowed baptism, Fiona was able to piece the puzzles together.
"What kind of customization do you want?" Fiona subsequently brought up that topic. "But remember, I charge very high, and depending on the complexity, it might bankrupt you."
To bring up the topic after shooting it down just a moment ago, Xu Feng added another trait to Fiona, slyness.
"You're going to get a customized weapon?" Zhao Kai exclaimed in shock and turned to him.
"What? Do you want one as well?" Xu Feng chuckled.
"Hmm, as tempting as it sounds, I'm content with the Ironbolt Rifle for now." Unlike Xu Feng who was still using the beginner staff, Zhao Kai was familiarized with the Ironbolt Rifle.
Its attribute was pretty decent, and he could subtly tell Fiona was going to charge an expensive fee. Since he wasn't in a rush to get an upgrade, he didn't want to impose on Xu Feng.
There was a common statement: biting more than you can chew.
Why bother suffocating himself if he was doing well at the moment?
"I see…" Xu Feng shrugged and turned to Fiona.
"I want a growth-type staff weapon that could adapt to my combat style." He requested, finally confessing his true goal for this entire ordeal.
Fiona's expression gradually turned to a solemn one as she gazed at him intensely. "Growth-type weapon huh? Aren't you one greedy, sly, and cunning four-eyes person?"