Stinking Outsiders

"This is... the sky ship technique." "Only a tiny handful of Beast Masters with soul talents and certain avian spirits can pull this off..." "How do you know it?!" Shui Wuyue was questioning his entire life. "Maybe because I contracted an avian mutated beast, my soul unconsciously mimicked it?" Luo Yu asked. Yeah, how could he? At a glance, this technique seemed utterly unscientific. Even the ghost raft was floating into the air. What was this supposed to be—an airship? "Can that Ground Penguin of yours even be called a bird?!" Shui Wuyue shook his head. "Besides, it has nothing to do with form. Appearance is just on the surface. The essence lies in control over soul power. Using soul power to drive an object into flight is vastly more difficult than driving a vessel through water. "Maybe... you're just naturally gifted... Mimicking sea beasts is ultimately an introductory method to help novices better adapt to manipulating soul power... But if you already have powerful control over your soul power, staying in your original form works just the same... "This is the first time I've ever encountered someone like you—born with such incredible control over soul power." Luo Yu pondered. Could it be because he had lived two lives, giving him a unique talent when it came to manipulating soul power? Thinking it through carefully, that seemed to be the only plausible explanation. His soul had crossed hundreds of years to arrive in this era; it would be weirder if he were ordinary. "Senior Shui Wuyue, what's wrong?" Ever since Luo Yu successfully possessed the ghost raft and sent it briefly soaring through the air, Shui Wuyue had seemed downcast and dazed. Luo Yu's talent in manipulating soul power had genuinely exceeded his comprehension. He had stopped talking about continuing to teach Luo Yu how to pilot ghost ships altogether. "Nothing. Here are my training notes. Take them and read them yourself. I'm a bit tired from steering earlier... We'll continue the lessons... another day." He pulled out a notebook, handed it to Luo Yu, and retreated into his cabin. "..." Luo Yu was left speechless. At first, he had thought piloting a ghost ship sounded quite difficult, but after trying his hand at it, he realized it wasn't that hard at all. There was no need to mimic a sea beast. His original human form worked great—flying through the air or diving into the sea was easy either way. *** "This Luo Yu..." Once inside his cabin, Shui Wuyue muttered to himself. A talent freak—this Luo Yu was an absolute freak of talent. A soul talent was already one in a hundred thousand, yet among all Beast Masters gifted with soul talents, Luo Yu had to be one in a hundred. "Just like how Xiaowan is an exceptional genius among Beast Masters with spirit talents. "Luo Yu's soul control is beyond ordinary logic as well... All that teaching material I prepared went to waste." After a while, Shui Wuyue stepped back out of the room, only to find Yuwan outside as well. Pointing at the raft floating in midair and the little penguin riding atop it for a scenic spin, Yuwan asked, "...Did you teach him that?" "I..." What could Shui Wuyue even say? After bringing July back down, Luo Yu returned to his physical body. Rubbing his head, he remarked, "I'm really not cut out for ghost ships. "It's better to find a ghost pet beast for this kind of work..." Even though Luo Yu had discovered his knack for piloting, he had no desire to keep doing it. First, soul power had to leave the body, leaving the physical form slumbering aside—which was far too dangerous. Second, it was exhausting! As for the post of ghost ship helmsman... whoever wanted it could have it! Instead of exhausting himself steering ships, he figured his energy was better spent thinking of more ways to develop his soul power. Surely driving a ghost ship wasn't its only use? *Sigh...* Of course, Luo Yu was only grumbling for now. After all, he didn't own a ghost pet beast yet. Without one, mastering an extra skill gave him that much better a shot at survival when danger struck. Luo Yu had no choice but to study Shui Wuyue's training notes and keep practicing. He realized that while the sky ship looked cool, its practicality was fairly low, and it drained far more soul power. In comparison, the various techniques in Shui Wuyue's notes—accelerating, complex maneuvering, deep diving, and combat maneuvers for a ghost ship—were far more practical out on these waters. *** "Why didn't you keep teaching Luo Yu? He's practicing out there—don't you need to keep an eye on him?" "By the way, can ghost rafts actually fly?" Inside the meeting room aboard the Raging Blue. "Teach my ass," Shui Wuyue said. "Let him practice on his own. In any case, the Raging Blue emits Monarch Coercion, so weak mutated beasts won't dare approach. There's no danger. "Let's put the lessons aside and talk about the procurement. "This transaction involves an enormous sum. We absolutely cannot afford to fall into a trap. I'm worried Qianyan Island will try to pass off substandard stock as quality!" To rake in steep profits, merchants would disguise defective mutated beasts as healthy specimens to sell to buyers. Generally, such things didn't happen within an island itself. For example, pet beast shops on Jingyue Island wouldn't dare sell heavily defective specimens for people to contract. For starters, Jingyue Island's Beast Management Bureau would never stand for it. After all, every novice Beast Master was a reserve asset for the island. Such unscrupulous behavior would be severely cracked down upon. However, in inter-island trade like this, one couldn't count on the other party having a conscience. At the same time, there was no regulatory authority to supervise it. Buyer and seller relied entirely on their own judgment. Although all the islands were members of the Ocean Guardians Alliance, they were essentially competitors for resources. On the surface, everyone maintained amicable relations and upheld a certain order and rules, but behind closed doors, everyone plotted how to fleece the other side. Conscientious merchants existed, but they were one in ten thousand; after all, there was no merchant without deceit. When the time came, it would hardly be surprising if Qianyan Island slipped a bunch of specimens into the flock that looked fine on the surface but were actually defective—or even diseased. In the breeding of pet beasts, defective offspring were commonplace. If an island culled them directly, it was pure waste and they had to swallow the breeding costs themselves; if they could unload them through sales, it was an undeniable windfall. Worst of all, if a buyer was stuck with defective stock, they could only suffer in silence. After all, transporting rock sheep back required days of sea travel. During that voyage, beasts failing to acclimatize and falling ill was entirely possible. Who could prove whether the buyer's poor care had caused the mutated beasts to fall ill or die, or whether the seller had pawned off sick specimens from the start? The seller would never admit to it. Besides, sellers typically allowed buyers to handpick the individuals from the herd to prevent disputes afterward. Therefore, the discerning eye of the breeder in charge of selecting the mutated beasts was paramount. Even if the Qianyan Island sellers acted in good faith and didn't peddle sick sheep, selecting prime specimens versus run-of-the-mill ones would yield vastly different returns for Jingyue Island. For a matter of such importance, Jingyue Island ought to have sent a far more experienced breeder. But the reality was that not a single researcher or breeder on Jingyue Island had ever studied or understood rock sheep. Since nobody knew anything about them, it hardly mattered whom they sent. Whoever went would have to rapidly learn about this local specialty creature from scratch upon landing, then comprehensively assess their condition based on the rock-type and sheep-type mutated beasts Jingyue Island already possessed. Thus, it was an exceptionally daunting task. "We can't rely on Luo Yu," Shui Wuyue said. "When the time comes to make the selection, it'll still come down to the two of us. "You'll coordinate with me then and assess high-quality specimens from the angle of their mental state. I'll release a faint trace of Monarch Coercion, and you observe the mental fluctuations of each rock sheep. Whichever has a relatively more stable mental state is the one we'll choose. While not guaranteed to be exact, a rock sheep with a stable mental state is bound to be healthier!" "Will that really work?" Yuwan asked. Shui Wuyue replied helplessly, "We have two or three days to prepare at most. We can't actually rely on two kids... All they passed was our internal Breeding Qualification Examination on Jingyue Island. Geniuses they may be, but they aren't gods. Of course, having multiple plans is good. Let them assist in the selection. After all, the other side isn't asking for cheap—they specifically demanded Jingyue Island's ice drool in exchange for the sheep. "If we trade the saliva our guardian deity drooled while sleeping only to get back a bunch of weak, elderly, and sick culls, the Director might just have a heart attack." With no heart left to teach Luo Yu, Shui Wuyue accelerated their speed. Before long, they reached their destination. Yuwan felt immense relief that no further complications had arisen along the way. Unlike Jingyue Island, Qianyan Island boasted a prime geographic location. It was a massive commercial hub bustling with visiting ships. The moment the Raging Blue docked at port, personnel from an agency subordinate to Qianyan Island's Beast Management Bureau came over to inspect their landing credentials. "Hello. Please follow me to handle the entry procedures and permits." Even upon seeing that the vessel was a ghost ship, the local staff showed little surprise. "We are a trade caravan from Jingyue Island and submitted our filing in advance." Yuwan handled these affairs on their behalf. After she followed a staff member to register, Luo Yu and the others stepped out onto the deck. *Phew...* Looking at Qianyan Island, where overlapping peaks rose into the sky across a landmass several times larger than Jingyue Island, Luo Yu let out a long breath. After transmigrating for so long, he had finally arrived somewhere new. "We're finally here." Chen Bo had also gradually adjusted to the ghost ship, regaining his confidence. He intended to show his stuff in this rock sheep selection and display his true professional caliber! "Let's go. Registration is complete, let's head onto the island." Moments later, Yuwan returned, accompanied by a woman with a single ponytail wearing a light yellow uniform. She smiled faintly. "Greetings. My name is Shi Ning, a deacon of the Liuli Merchant Guild. I will be handling the arrangements for your trading itinerary on the island." The three major organizations of Qianyan Island: The Liuli Merchant Guild, the Qianyan Armed Fleet, and the Beast Management Bureau. Among them, the Liuli Merchant Guild was the body responsible for liaising with foreign merchant ships. Subsequently, the merchant guild deacon settled Luo Yu and the others into a local hotel and finalized the upcoming transaction schedule: the rock sheep selection was set for the day after tomorrow. That meant Luo Yu and the rest had less than two days to get up to speed on this creature. "There are plenty of rock sheep on Qianyan Island. In any case, let's take a stroll around the island and learn more about this mutated beast from the locals," Yuwan suggested. "I have an idea," Chen Bo volunteered. "Find a Beast Master with a rock sheep and let me spar with them. Nothing teaches you about a mutated beast faster than combat." Luo Yu agreed, "Yeah, that works. Even though I haven't seen a rock sheep before, as long as I watch it fight, I should be able to get a read on what kind of physiological data a healthy, normal, well-developed rock sheep ought to have. That's worth more than reading paper records." "That impressive?" Shui Wuyue blinked in surprise. He looked at the two of them. "...Fine. You two are novice Beast Masters, so go ahead. Go check out Qianyan Island's beast-fighting arena. It's not quite suitable for Yuwan and me." After the two left, Shui Wuyue turned to Yuwan. "Luo Yu sure talks big. Even Chen Bo's father probably couldn't pull that off, could he?" *** "Miss Shi Ning, two people from Jingyue Island have gone out." "It's those two Trainee Beast Masters. Should we have someone trail them?" Wearing sunglasses, Shi Ning gazed out the window. "Leave them be. Just two accompanying rookies. Where would we find the manpower to watch everyone? Mainly keep an eye on Shui Wuyue and Yuwan. One is a ghost-type King-rank Beast Master, and the other is the secretary to Jingyue Island's Beast Management Bureau Director..." Even though this was an ordinary commercial visit, Qianyan Island kept close tabs on the group's movements—or rather, they paid exceptional attention to the movements of all outsiders. After all, while Jingyue Island might appear to be here for purchases, they could just as easily be here to steal critical commercial intelligence. Before long, Luo Yu and Chen Bo strolled along the bustling streets, asking for directions until they arrived at Qianyan Island's beast-fighting arena. Since most Beast Masters on this island contracted rock-type and water beasts—largely amphibians—they preferred keeping their pet beasts outside, walking alongside them. This gave Luo Yu and Chen Bo a prime opportunity to spot someone whose pet beast was a rock sheep. Though Luo Yu possessed the Data Eye and could easily pick out rock sheep, others didn't know that. He had to go through the motions and act as if he had diligently studied the rock sheep data upon arriving on the island. Otherwise, when encountering a creature he had never seen before, if he strode in and immediately picked out a bunch of specimens harboring top-tier hidden talents, he wouldn't even be pretending anymore. Chen Bo's suggestion was solid. Understanding the basic profile of a mutated beast through combat was a fundamental skill for a biologist. Finding a rock sheep to battle would at least give Luo Yu a plausible pretext. "Found one!!!" A moment later, on the lawn outside the arena, they spotted a girl with pigtails accompanied by a rock sheep. Seeing her, Chen Bo smoothed his hair and walked over. "Hello! I'm a Trainee Beast Master visiting from Jingyue Island. Would you be open to a friendly sparring match?" Chen Bo flashed a charming smile. "Sparring is fine. One thousand," the girl replied, looking up from grooming the rock sheep's fleece. "Why don't you just go rob someone?!" Chen Bo thought to himself. *What kind of person is this? Are the people of Qianyan Island obsessed with money or what?!* Luo Yu said, "Who charges money before the fight even starts? If you beat the two of us, we'll pay you five times that. If you lose, you cover the arena fee." "Let me see your pet beasts first." Hearing five thousand Alliance coins, the pigtail-braided girl felt an eager thrill, but she prudently asked to see her opponents first. Even though her rock sheep was level 10 and well nurtured, what if they had High-Rank Species? Chen Bo summoned his Great General, and Luo Yu summoned July. The girl pulled out a gemstone and held it before her eye. Looking through the stone, the ripples of life emanating from Great General and July were plain as day. "A level 8 life level Thunderbolt Shrimp and a level 7 Ground Penguin?" The girl paused, thinking to herself, *Stinking outsiders came to give away free money.*