The Dinglan Field, the ship anchorage of the Twelve Stars.
A vast expanse of the sea had been designated as the Twelve Stars’ mooring field. A King-level Wandering Ship controlled everything here with its imnse power; the cannons and lasers on its hull would make anyone or any ship that broke the rules pay the price.
Shi Ming paid a mooring fee of one High-Level Sea Crystal Stone and stood at the bow, guarding the B-rank Dream Jellyfish.
He was waiting for his Employer to arrive.
At the sa ti, to sell the other Sea Beast corpses as quickly as possible, he ordered his crew to hang a sign written in seven languages from the mast: "Clearance Sale on Sea Beast Corpses (Blood not included)." The Dinglan Field was a major transportation hub for the King-level Wandering Ship, so advertising like this was highly efficient—far better than the three-hour delay on the Hunter terminal.
Although Sea Beast corpses weren’t as sought-after as their blood, they were still rare and valuable materials.
Especially those of B-rank Sea Beasts.
Shi Ming waited for about thirty minutes. It was almost the appointed ti, but no new ships had docked nearby.
’Huh? Don’t tell I’m being stood up.’
’Don’t the people of the Twelve Stars consider punctuality a virtue? Is being fifteen minutes late the new trend now?’
Just as Shi Ming was grumbling to himself, he suddenly noticed sothing unusual in the distant waters. As he prepared to investigate, a wandering ship sketched itself into existence on the sea’s surface, like a pencil drawing. A young woman in a red robe and a tall, armored warrior stood at its bow, steering toward him to dock.
’Her?’
’The blonde, hooded woman who used B-rank Sea Beast Blood for dicine and was subject to beastification?’
Shi Ming checked the ti.
Not a minute off.
’Right on ti, as expected.’
...
"We et again, Mr. Stone."
The hooded woman, Yize, looked excitedly at the five or six Sea Beast corpses lying on Shi Ming’s deck, her heart filled with relief.
’I can’t believe the last Sea Beast was found so quickly. With all twelve types of blood collected, the dicine can be formulated successfully. I’ll be able to solve my beastification problem in no ti and beco a true A-rank Awakened. Then I can finally do my part in the S-rank Sea Beast hunt my teacher is planning.’
’At the very least, I won’t be holding everyone back.’
"What a coincidence. Miss Yize, and Mr. Wright, I didn’t expect the Employers for this mission to be you two again."
Shi Ming replied.
The armored Wright de Albert, standing tall like a knight, glanced at the "advertisent" on Shi Ming’s mast and the "cargo" on the deck.
Two B-rank Sea Beasts, four D-rank Sea Beasts.
’I just saw him not long ago. In just two days, he’s hunted this many Sea Beasts?’
’Are there other high-level Awakened on his ship?’
’No, judging by the wounds on the Sea Beasts, they were likely killed by a single person.’
’You can’t judge a book by its cover. The strength of today’s youth truly can’t be underestimated.’
"Young man, are all of these your trophies?"
"That’s right."
"Let’s reintroduce ourselves. I am Wright de Albert, Yize’s teacher. You’re very impressive. To be able to kill these Sea Beasts makes you one of the best among the young people I know."
"You flatter , Mr. Wright. I’m Stone, a Hunter and a captain."
’A captain?’
Wright looked at the wandering ship.
’Standard-issue design, looks like a Silver-class ship on the outside...’
’Hmm, the design seems familiar... I can’t quite place it.’
’This kind of wandering ship structure is common among the Silver class, so it’s not surprising it gives a sense of déjà vu. It looks like an Eastern design. The bow has been reinforced with strong, sharp tal, making it look very aggressive. That part must be this young man’s handiwork...’
’A Silver-class ship...’
’A young man who can hunt B-rank Sea Beasts shouldn’t be stuck on a Silver-class ship.’
’Maybe I could try to recruit him?’
’But bringing this up on our first—oh, no, second eting... isn’t that a little too abrupt?’
’I should complete the transaction at hand first.’
After getting Shi Ming’s permission, he stepped aboard the Great Fortune.
He was also quite interested in the other Sea Beast corpses.
Yize followed behind him.
Ordinary Awakened wouldn’t so easily board another person’s—or at least, a stranger’s—wandering ship.
But Wright, as a veteran A-rank Awakened who had survived the cataclysmic Celestial Calamity in his youth and weathered thirty years of endless hardships, had slain countless Sea Beasts and enemies. With his supre confidence, and especially since this was the Twelve Stars’ Dinglan Field—practically his own territory—he wasn’t concerned about such things.
He carefully observed the Sea Beast corpses on the deck.
Moonfall Stingray, Dream Jellyfish, Armor Shell, Great Swordfish...
Aside from the Dream Jellyfish, all the other Sea Beasts had been drained of their blood. Even if a little remained, its power was negligible.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
’There isn’t even half a liter of blood in these Sea Beast corpses. This guy really doesn’t let anyone get a freebie, does he!’
’And drained so cleanly... did this guy use a juicer or sothing?’
’However, more Awakenings isn’t necessarily better.’
"Young man, skill redundancy will burden your body. You might be too young to have experienced this yet, but please rember this piece of advice: when choosing which Sea Beast to Awaken with, you must be more selective and restrained."
Shi Ming was inwardly noncommittal.
’Of course he understood the principle, but he couldn’t control the devouring of his Right Arm Red Pattern. Besides, he didn’t have any skill redundancy to speak of—’
’He had two skills at the absolute most, and one of them was a passive!’
’Even if he wanted more skills, there was no way to get them.’
’How infuriating is that?’
But as the seller, he had to agree with his high-paying custor, show that he "got" the good intention, and provide so emotional validation.
...
The transaction was a pleasant one.
As his financial backers, Wright and Yize were quite wealthy.
They not only spent 30 Sky Crystals to buy the entire Dream Jellyfish but also bought the Moonfall Stingray and Armor Shell as a package deal for 5 Sky Crystals.
"As a B-rank Sea Beast, the Moonfall Stingray’s body has so value."
"The at of the Armor Shell has an excellent texture. This one died less than six hours ago, so the at is exceptionally fresh. It would be uniquely flavorful paired with a Montrachet Grand Cru from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti."
Those were Wright’s exact words.
’Who would’ve thought he was such a gourmand.’
"Alright, the transaction is complete. Let’s head back."
Wright looked at Yize.
Yize looked at Wright.
The two paused for two seconds.
"Oh, I almost forgot, young man."
"You are very skilled. Are you interested in joining my Hunter team? We will soon be heading to a certain sea region to kill an A-rank giant Sea Beast. Perhaps its blood could also help you obtain an even more powerful skill?"
Shi Ming was taken aback for a mont.
He hadn’t expected Wright to try and recruit him so directly.
’Too bad. I’ve seen your bounty posting, and I’m not really interested in that sort of thing.’
’Joining your team would an several days of intensive training.’
’Besides, when the ti cos, if I really kill that A-rank Sea Beast and drain its blood, you won’t be happy. You’d probably even fly into a rage.’
"I’m sorry, Mr. Wright."
Shi Ming politely refused.
"I’m not just a Hunter, I’m also a captain."
Wright nodded, said no more, and turned to leave.
Yize tugged on Wright’s armor, giving it a little pull.
Wright’s body stiffened. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he turned his head back again.
"Let’s exchange contact information. Fighting alone on the ocean is certainly liberating, but sotis you need a friend’s help."
"Besides, we might do business again."
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