Arriving at Mao City

Thanks to the tireless efforts of the construction workers at Moonwhite Shoal, the dock was patched up and eventually became usable.

However, judging from the current situation, it's likely that the business will be completely shut down for a period of time after these merchant ships leave.

Shisui walked on the smooth yet still cracked Moonwhite Rock, surrounded by towering load-bearing pillars.

On the outside, most of the pillars supporting the glazed tile roof are still the original ones.

However, apart from the intact Moonwhite Rock on the outside, the more severely damaged areas have been replaced with tall wooden pillars and ordinary metal supports.

The morning light shone on the still-glorious glazed tiles, but no one was in the mood to appreciate them anymore.

Freight workers bustled through the eclectic dock, hurriedly pushing the surviving containers onto different merchant ships.

Everyone values their life, and no one wants to stay any longer in this half-finished, shoddy construction project.

As Shisui passed by some cargo boxes, he also saw some small traveling merchants personally supervising the work.

Most of them came by pooling their resources from several Caravans, and they were running small businesses.

The merchants all had gloomy faces, with expressions that said, "I never want to come here again."

Judging from the damaged cargo boxes they had, they were probably caught in the crossfire of the Kagune's attack and suffered heavy losses.

The road to future commercial development for Moonwhite Shoal is going to be even more difficult.

Shisui thought to himself, not caring much, and continued walking, swaying as he approached the cargo ship of the Wealth-Bringing Caravan.

He glanced at the stern of the ship, but only for a moment before looking away.

He entered the cabin nonchalantly, his mind replaying the memories of last night.

While watching the workers count the goods at the dock, he happened to notice the stern of Fortune-Bringing Merchant Ship.

At that time, he wasn't actually too far from the cargo ship that brought him wealth.

His excellent eyesight allowed him to easily spot even the smallest scratches on the hull.

While idly observing the ship's hull, Shisui noticed something at the stern that he hadn't noticed before.

At this moment, the ship was not carrying any cargo, and its hull was floating, with a shallow waterline, revealing a small portion of the outer shell of the Psychic Energy Thruster.

The thruster casing is a slightly lighter blue than the ship's hull, and is decorated with hollow, diamond-shaped patterns resembling scales.

Among these grayish-white "scale" patterns, some exhibit a subtle metallic sheen under the dim light emanating from the Moonwhite Rock.

Shisui felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if he had seen it not long ago.

So, he quietly moved closer to the riverbank and looked down through the clear waters of the Wunu River.

On the sleek exterior of the actuator, amidst numerous gray and white patterns, some striking silver-white anomalies stood out abruptly.

They are arranged in a regular pattern, together forming a snowflake with distinct edges and corners.

The moment he saw that snowflake, another one that looked exactly the same appeared in Shisui's mind.

He clearly remembered the location of the other piece.

It's located on the equipment used to create Coagulated Blood Crystals, and right next to the name "Xu Xing".

Bo Xiwan had business dealings with Xu Xing.

Shisui immediately realized this; he could contact the developer of the Coagulated Blood Crystal device through Bo Xiwan.

He immediately abandoned the idea of eliminating Bo Xiwan as well, which led to the previous cooperation.

However, it's hard to say how long this "cooperation" can last.

Shisui quickly arrived at his room on the ship, opening the door and entering with practiced ease.

Then, with the door closed, everything was shut out.

Although Wealth-Bringing Caravan a large quantity of goods, it also employed far more workers than other smaller Caravans.

Therefore, their goods handling speed is naturally much faster than other companies.

The merchant ship weighed anchor and slowly moved away from the dock, gradually entering the Wunu River channel.

Because the route ahead is lined with layers of mountains and there are no other settlements, the ship will be able to reach Mao City without any obstruction.

Even so, it took the merchant ships two full days to navigate around the winding Wunu River, which was made meandering by the mountains.

Shisui stood on the deck; it was afternoon, and he had just finished his [Metamorphosis], which had been forcibly terminated.

The reason is simple: he lacks sufficient Flesh Crystals, and he doesn't want to waste Snow Spirit's energy on advancing to a minor realm.

As they were approaching Mao City, Shisui left his room, intending to take a look at this famous city from the deck.

As the merchant ship rounded the last bend, the mountains in front of it could no longer obstruct the view.

The first thing that catches the eye is the vast expanse of blue water stretching to the horizon.

The afternoon sun sprinkled fine gold dust on the waves surging on the sea, slowly reaching the southernmost part of the Moonfall Continent.

Then, people will unconsciously notice the city lying on the seashore— Mao City.

Mao City is built along the south bank of the Moonfall Continent and the north side of Tianpiao Ocean, at the mouth of the Wunu River and the Turbid Water River.

As a large settlement situated along the coast and spanning two major rivers, Mao City boasts convenient transportation and is therefore a thriving commercial center.

For the Human Race, it is an important seaport and commercial center, as well as a tempting target for various powers.

The fierce competition among the Human Race's high-ranking officials led to the city secretly changing hands countless times.

Only in recent years, as the battle situation in the Huaihuang Continent has become increasingly tense, has the situation in Mao City become much more stable.

Currently, the force that has seized this "lucrative prize" is the Academic Clique, which has been quietly making a fortune in parliament without making a sound.

One of Shisui's goals for this trip was Shengtian Public School, one of the largest breeding grounds for the Academic Clique.

The public library there was a repository of all kinds of knowledge collected and monopolized by academic cliques.

Among them are records concerning the study of the soul.

The warm sunlight shone into Shisui's eyes, causing a greedy glint to flash in those dark eyes.

Meanwhile, a cargo ship quietly docked five kilometers from Mao City.

A moment later, the boat started up again as if nothing had happened and headed towards Mao City as normal.

During the short stop, quite a few people disembarked from the boat.

They were all dressed so well that their identities were impossible to discern.

Among these secretive individuals, one stood out remarkably.

He made no attempt to conceal his appearance, swaggered off the boat, and then headed straight for Mao City.

The person had long, silver-white hair, with a single braid hanging down their back, and a striking black highlight on their right forehead.

If you look closely, you'll see that his face is covered in thick layers of paint.

His distorted, meandering, and grotesque facial makeup obscured his true appearance.

If the investigators from the Moonwhite Shoal Public Security Management Brigade were here at this moment, they would recognize him.

This is the Beastfolk professional assassin codenamed White Owl, the most wanted person on the Human Race's highest warrant.