While Black Spider was busy searching for Maktru and the original body was working with Emma to create a plant creature, the second clone remained in Hell perfecting the Invisible Demon's body, but it was the third clone who was occupied again.
Carrying a stash of various metals and materials he had acquired himself, such as dragon bones, he embarked on a journey of his own.
His destination? Austin.
The fact is that to acquire high-level weapons or armor there were only 2 reliable professions: Mechanics and Mages. But while mechanics used technology and science, mages used runes and alchemy.
Now, who was the best mage in the Shattered Star Ring? It's clearly Austin and his Hidden Red Robe Abbey. Even though hiring Austin to create something for him was very difficult, he didn't think about asking Austin for help in the first place.
If he had already reached Grade S, he could try, but he was still far from it, besides, it would be a waste to ask a Grade S mage to create a Grade A item, it was better to wait.
Instead, he brought more than half of his available storage to create some weapons with one of the mages focused on alchemy and forging.
Generally speaking, the best professionals from each Super system gather in two places.
The first is that with strong civilizations. The stronger a civilization, the more knowledge and resources they can obtain, that's a fact.
The second is about finding someone stronger from the same Super system. Just as Pugilists would prefer the Tyrant, mages prefer Austin.
Of course, this isn't 100% accurate, there are several related factors, such as Ames' laziness preventing her from recruiting Espers, or the fact that Psyker is very partisan with his own race, a clear case of nepotism, so he hardly has subordinates of other races, if any at all.
In the future, Han Xiao was also clearly a careerist. Even though he attracted mechanics, his actions clearly pointed towards expansion, so other classes were also tempted. To better illustrate, in the minds of the Supers, Han Xiao is more like a high-level civilization than a Grade S Mechanic, even if he were a mechanic, the benefits gained from him would not be less.
The only reason Ringo went after Austin is because his abbey is open for business, there are many magicians who have side jobs and the best alchemists are under his care.
With Ames as "manager", even if Black Spider didn't receive any special treatment, at the very least he wouldn't be deceived.
The Hidden Red Robe Abbey was divided into outer and inner members. The outer members were all free individuals who wouldn't have to bear much responsibility, if any. If someone wanted to learn deeper magic, they would have to pass tests and sign a magical contract to become an inner member of the Hidden Red Robe Abbey, following orders.
Only the inner circle members were considered to be under Austin's command. The Forbidden Sorcerers were the elites of the Hidden Red Robe Abbey. Due to different organizational structures, their military power was not as strong as that of the Bloodshed Land, but if the outer circle members were included, their numbers would likely be much greater than those of the Bloodshed Land.
Besides, the Hidden Red Robe Abbey has the character of a guild, meaning it has the best magic markets, with all kinds of unique items from the universe and secondary dimensions. Even if he needs to buy more materials, he could easily get them with Enas or magic crystals.
Of course, many mages preferred bartering, after all, money was very easy for them to obtain. Instead, rare materials were much more popular. Ringo was willing to use some of the materials he had acquired as payment if Enas or magic crystals were not accepted.
The method of travel he chose was also simple: teleportation.
Of course, a mage who could send someone directly between star systems had to be at least a Grade A mage, so he could only use magical matrices to reach Austin's territory.
But while the clone was traveling to Austin's territory, on the other side Carroll was in full pursuit.
Days earlier his savings had been stolen and he was furious at the time, using every means possible to find the culprit, unfortunately he found nothing.
But that changed a few days ago, he encountered a strange creature. It was bipedal and small, like a cat and moved easily on all fours. It had thin arms, relatively wide legs, small feet and a thick and long tail that tapered at the tip.
Its head had rounded ears, similar to those of a cat and large, round, black eyes. it possess a smooth white coat or a layer of mucus that allows it to glide quickly across rainy terrain and squeeze into tight spaces.
Carroll struggled greatly but was unable to capture the creature, not only because of the damp, rainy environment but also because the creature could become invisible, constantly escaping him.
The reason he was after the creature? He saw the creature "swallowing" a piece of Maktru. He wasn't sure if the creature actually ate it, but knowing it could easily sneak around and become invisible enough to escape his sensors, Carroll quickly concluded that it was very likely this creature was responsible for plundering his reserves!
At the very least, it was someone of its race.
Of course, Carroll's search wasn't silent, since he wasn't raiding any tribe, just looking for a creature in the forest. He saw no need to hide, instead, he acted openly to hunt the creature, even placing a bounty on the head of that strange cat.
The reward was sent to the communication device of every "mercenary" on the planet, but not many still had functional devices, Black Spider was one of them and soon found the reward.
One hundred thousand Enas Bounty for a cat was very high. The reason for the capture was not given, but there were specific details about the creature, which looked like a cross between a slug and a cat.
Intrigued, Black Spider began to visualize the future, specifically searching for the cat.
Ironically, it wasn't difficult for him to find it.
Black Spider's eyes darted in a distant direction, a light rain falling on his body. Behind him, Rick and Trax followed, clearly unhappy with the climate, but Black Spider paid no attention to the pair's complaints.
-Come on, I found something interesting.- He smiled, moving forward quickly.
Trax, his fur completely soaked, groaned irritably, hating this terribly planet. Rick hated it just as much as Trax did, his boots were stuck in mud and he hated the feeling of being wet. Besides, his drink was gone and Black Spider wasn't going to help him get more.
They could use their pugilistic flames to protect themselves, but that would be a huge waste of energy, especially since there were beasts in this place that could even fight against a Grade A Supers. Rick almost died to a Grade B beast after moving away a bit and after that he never left Trax and Black Spider's side again.