Navigator and Mercenaries
"No. 38 Sea Hare Road, Coastal City, that's right."
Xu Mingxi held the information about the Soul Grandmaster and compared it to the nameplate hanging outside—or rather, not even a nameplate, just a number written on the wall.
The brick and stone house, with its severely faded and even dilapidated wooden door, made it hard for Xu Mingxi to believe that this was the home of a Soul Grandmaster.
Although Soul Grandmaster is just the lowest level among many Soul Masters, as long as one successfully awakens a Martial Soul and possesses Innate Soul Power to become Soul Master, even if one only obtains a Ten-Year Soul Ring, one has already surpassed a large number of ordinary people. They shouldn't be living like this.
Since we're already here, let's meet this Soul Grandmaster named Miao Nong first. Xu Mingxi hesitated for a moment, but still gently knocked on the dilapidated door. If she used any more force, it might just collapse.
With a series of hurried footsteps, the door creaked open and slowly opened from the inside. Before Xu Mingxi stood an old man with dark skin, a hunched back, a full head of white hair, and a face covered with small scars.
"Old man, I'm here to find Miao Nong. He's here."
"That's me. And who are you?"
Xu Mingxi was stunned. The intelligence report clearly stated that Miao Nong was only in his forties, so how could he look so old? That's right, if something hadn't happened, he wouldn't have risked his life for money.
"I saw in your intelligence report that you are an old navigator and willing to go to the open sea, is that right?"
Upon hearing this, Miao Nong straightened up considerably, a glimmer of light flashing in his cloudy and dull eyes. He quickly invited Xu Mingxi into the house.
As soon as he stepped inside, Xu Mingxi instinctively tried to cover his nose with his hand, as a strong smell of herbs filled his nostrils.
Looking around, it would be no exaggeration to describe the Miao Nong's home as bare. Apart from a bed, the only other thing in the house was a pot of herbs being boiled in the center.
When Xu Mingxi saw a boy who looked to be about ten years old lying on the bed, and an old woman taking care of him, he roughly knew what this family had gone through. No wonder Miao Nong was prematurely aged, and no wonder he would risk his life to exchange for Gold Soul Coin.
When the woman saw Xu Mingxi come in, she even stood somewhat awkwardly in the corner at the foot of the bed. Miao Nong wanted to find a chair for Xu Mingxi to sit down, but embarrassingly found that there wasn't even a chair left in the house.
"You're welcome. I'm here today just to find out if you can actually go out to sea and what level your navigation skills have reached."
Miao Nong suddenly seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, finally arriving in his familiar territory. He vividly described his experiences over the past few decades, hoping that the seemingly noble man in front of him would agree to his request, which was his last hope.
Xu Mingxi listened to Miao Nong's experiences in general and was surprised to find that he had actually worked on a pirate ship. Although he was not strong enough, his navigation skills should be decent.
The main problem is that they can't find anyone willing to go to the open sea. Anyway, all he wants is a Gold Soul Coin, so they might as well lose.
"Okay, I agree to your conditions, and I can give you the money first. However, even I don't know if I will come back alive from this trip, so you should be mentally prepared."
The Miao Nong was overjoyed as he saw Xu Mingxi off. "It's good that I have money. It's good that I have money. My son's illness can finally be cured. As long as my son is alright, I don't care if I die."
Xu Mingxi gave a bag of Gold Soul Coin to Miao Nong, told him to wait for further notice, and then returned to the hotel to wait for news from the Elder.
A simple reminder would be enough; Xu Mingxi didn't care about the Miao Nong's situation, his son's illness, or how the Gold Soul Coin were used.
As soon as I returned to the hotel, the Three Elders arrived one after another. Judging from their smiling faces, it seems they had a very fruitful day.
"Mingxi, we haven't found the crew, but we have found a Mercenary Group. They are willing to go to the open sea, and they are all Sea Soul Master with barely passable strength."
Xu Mingxi's eyes lit up. Mercenary Group would be great! Before he left today, he had already asked Miao Nong to use his network to find some people who knew about navigation.
What they lack now is a powerful Soul Master to defend against the Sea Soul Beast, and this Mercenary Group has arrived at just the right time.
"Elder, what is their strength, and what do we need to contribute?"
"Their leader is Soul Emperor, and the deputy leader is Soul King. They are a married couple, and they are the ones who made the promise to us. As for how many members they can bring, it is still unclear."
In addition to the Gold Soul Coin, we gave away the Soul Bone we obtained from the Speed Clan.
"Okay, then all we're missing is a good ship."
Xu Mingxi couldn't wait to get to the auction. The Speed Clan's Soul Bone was only eight thousand years old. If he could give it up, so be it. As long as he could sail smoothly to his destination, he would give up even a ten-thousand -Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone.
The next day, Miao Nong brought him good news: several navigators and sailors at the second or third ring level were willing to go to the open sea, and Xu Mingxi offered them 800 Gold Soul Coin.
To his surprise, one of them was even a talented person who could draw nautical charts. This time, he no longer had to worry about knowing how to get there but not being able to find his way back.
Xu Mingxi watched as the Gold Soul Coin in his Storage Soul Tool dwindled, wiping away imaginary sweat from his forehead. Luckily, they had brought a lot of Gold Soul Coin from the sect this time, otherwise they might have ended up playing the role of some unknown bandits, robbing the rich to help the poor.
On the other side of Vast Sea City, a fierce argument was breaking out in a house that could barely be considered luxurious.
The Seal Mercenary Group, led by Song Jiang, is Level 69 Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor with the Martial Soul Sharp Tooth Seal. The entire mercenary group is considered to be of average strength in Vast Sea City.
Their argument stemmed from the fact that the entire mercenary group was on the verge of collapse. In order to break through to the Soul Saint, the leader had been tempted to join a deep-sea sailing team—and that was the open ocean!
"Brothers and sisters, I won't say much more. I'll give a sum of Gold Soul Coin to those who want to leave. Let's part ways amicably."
How could the people who make a living in Vast Sea City not know the dangers of the ocean? The near sea is like a Ferocious Beast that devours people, not to mention the open sea. They become mercenaries to make money, not to seek death.
Song Jiang watched coldly as the group members left one by one, without stopping them at all. Survival was the most genuine wish in everyone's heart. Even he, if it weren't for that Soul Bone, would never have gone to the distant sea.
In the end, apart from the regimental commander and his wife and their adopted son, only two people remained in the entire house, and they were brothers.
"Xu Jiang, Xu He, have you two thought this through? I can't guarantee your safety this time."
The two brothers exchanged a glance and nodded. Their lives had been saved by the regimental commander and his wife, so what difference would it make if they returned the favor?