hotmtlnovel Page 47
Page 47
In addition to the merchant ships coming and going for loading and unloading, the open space at the dock was crowded with all sorts of itinerant vendors.
One of them had a particularly loud voice, shouting at the top of his lungs in an attempt to attract the attention of passing sailors and passengers:
"Top-quality fresh sea spirit beast meat! Nourishes soul power! Strengthens the body!"
Check out this accurate compass! It will help you navigate the seas without getting lost!
Exclusive nautical charts! Covering vast oceans! Hand-drawn sea spirit beast encyclopedia! Recording the habits of thirty-seven common sea spirit beasts! An essential item for sea spirit masters!
The sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air, creating a vibrant atmosphere and brimming with business opportunities.
Two people came to buy the picture.
"Dude, how much is this Pokédex entry?"
"Two gold soul coins per book."
"Holy crap, is this cardboard made of gold or is the ink made of gold?"
Instead of being angry, the vendor laughed: "Look at this! Who can provide a more detailed guide than me? Every single sea creature in it was personally investigated and sketched by me on the spot! You think it's too expensive? I think it's too expensive too!"
The boy nodded in acknowledgment: "Then give me one."
"Alright!" The vendor rummaged through his bag, pulled out a new book, dusted it off, and asked, "How about this one?"
"Huh? Are you sure this picture is authentic?"
The vendor seemed amused and retorted, "This is my line of work, why would I sell you fake images?"
"I'm asking you, is this picture authentic?"
Upon hearing this, the vendor suddenly shuddered, frowning as he looked at the boy: "Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble? Do you want to or not?"
The boy smiled and said, "If your encyclopedia is real, I definitely want it. But what if it's not real?"
"If it's not real, I'll go with you to that soul beast's lair. Are you satisfied now?"
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Dongfang Jing unfolded the newly acquired sea chart and sea spirit beast encyclopedia.
You know what, it's actually drawn in pretty much detail!
He knew very little about the ocean, so he hadn't yet decided what kind of sea spirit beast to hunt.
This illustrated guide really came in handy.
The boy then unfolded the nautical chart drawn on parchment, his gaze pausing slightly.
"What's wrong, brother?" Dongfang Yao asked, looking up beside him.
“Look,” he bent down and showed the sea chart to his sister, “there are two large islands to the west of Hanhai City. One is Pearl Island, and the other is called Sea God Island.”
Poseidon?
Dongfang Jing recalled the "Tang God King" mentioned by her roommate in her previous life.
'God King, Sea God... Could it be that gods truly exist in this world?'
“Let’s go,” he said, gathering up the scrolls. “We’ll go rent a boat.”
It's always better to have locals act as guides than to let them wander around aimlessly.
But as soon as Dongfang Jing finished speaking, a commotion broke out nearby.
Hanhai City Wharf.
The port, which was bustling with activity and brimming with business opportunities just a moment ago,
In the blink of an eye, they were plunged into extreme panic and chaos!
"Run!"
"Pirates are coming! It's the Sea Demon!"
Screams, cries, and the sounds of tables and chairs colliding and overturning suddenly erupted.
The vendors and tourists who were originally selecting goods all dropped their items and stalls and rushed towards the dock exit.
The scene instantly spiraled out of control, with goods scattered all over the ground and trampled by countless panicked footsteps.
Several passersby who had run towards Dongfang Jing and his sister were stunned to see that they were still just two children standing there.
Out of a sliver of kindness, he ran while urgently shouting, "Child! Stop daydreaming! Run! It's pirates!"
Before the words were even finished, the person had already been pushed away by the panicked crowd.
Dongfang Jing's gaze narrowed slightly.
He sensed that the vast majority of these people fleeing frantically were ordinary people without any fluctuations in soul power.
He looked up towards the dock.
Sure enough, a medium-sized pirate ship with an iron-gray armored hull had already docked.
Dozens of scantily clad, muscular, and menacing pirates skillfully jumped off the ship.
They had a clear division of labor and moved the various supplies that the vendors didn't have time to take away quickly and efficiently.
A middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties or forties, wearing a sailor's hat and a curved knife at his waist, was clearly the captain.
He stood on the ship's railing, watching his men loot, and let out a wild laugh: "Hahaha! Brothers, hurry up! Those city garrison cowards will take some time to arrive. Take as much as you can! It's all money!"
His gaze swept across the dock.
They soon spotted Dongfang Jing and Dongfang Yao, who stood quietly in place, completely out of place with the flow of fleeing people.
"Hmm? Two little kids?" A hint of doubt flashed in Captain Haider's eyes.
It was then replaced by greed and cruelty.
He casually pointed to one of his men beside him: "You, go! Grab those two brats! They're so tender and soft, they could be used as laborers or sold to slave traders for a good amount of soul coins!"
"Alright, boss!" The pirate grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and charged forward with a sinister smile, knife in hand.
However, just as he rushed to the siblings,
The arm hadn't even had a chance to extend—
Swish!
A cold, crystalline light swept through the air!
The pirate's sinister smile froze instantly, and his charge came to an abrupt halt.
The next moment, his head slid off his neck without warning, scalding blood gushed into the air, the headless corpse swayed, and then fell heavily to the ground.
Dongfang Yao's face turned pale, and she felt her stomach churning.
This time, Dongfang Jing didn't cover his sister's eyes.
Since one is destined to become a Soul Master, bloodshed is unavoidable.
Haider's smile froze on his face as he prepared to admire his subordinates' "harvest".
It immediately transformed into boundless rage!
"A Soul Master?! You little bastard! You dare kill my men!"
Haider flew into a rage, three yellow spirit rings suddenly rose from his feet, and he drew his scimitar, ready to personally charge forward!
But at this moment,
Woo——!
A deep, resonant horn sounded from the sea.
Another, larger pirate ship, with a strange purple pearl pattern painted on its sails, was slowly approaching with an imposing manner, forcefully docking at the shore!
The crew of the Sea Demon, who were unloading cargo below, looked up and were immediately terrified, their voices trembling as they cried out, "It's the Purple Pearl Pirate Crew!"
"What?!" Haider's forward steps came to an abrupt halt.
He glared fiercely at Dongfang Jing, as if trying to etch his image into his mind.
But now there is clearly a bigger problem.
Without hesitation, he roared at his men, "Stop moving! Come back! Quick! Set sail! We're retreating!"
On the deck of the Purple Pearl, a tall woman with neat short purple hair stood there with her arms crossed, looking dashing and spirited.
She watched Haider flee in panic, a disdainful sneer curling at the corner of her lips.
His clear yet domineering voice echoed throughout the dock.
"Haidel! You're a coward who only knows how to bully civilians! If you don't want to die a horrible death, you'd better leave the Sea Demon to me!"
Chapter 48 The Purple Pearl Pirates
The woman with short purple hair suddenly waved her hand, giving an order to the eager crew behind her:
"Brothers! Charge! Wipe out these bastards!"
"Ouch-ouch—!"
The pirates on the Purple Pearl immediately let out wild howls, slapping their mouths and emitting provocative "ooh ooh ooh" battle cries.
They jumped off the boat like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
Those who were Soul Masters activated their Martial Souls, while those who weren't Soul Masters brandished their weapons and charged towards the Sea Demon together.
Captain Haider of the Sea Demon
He was aware of the formidable reputation of the Purple Pearl Pirates, which had risen to prominence in recent years.
Therefore, they had no will to fight and only wanted to escape as soon as possible.
Urged on by him, the Sea Demon began to move slowly.
however--
call out!
A sharp whistling sound came from behind!
A gleaming, mirror-bladed throwing knife flew almost past his scalp, ripping off his sailor's hat!