Mysterious Seed

Ian was not sure whether the astrologer had truly confirmed news of his death, or whether the Second Prince had released this smokescreen. From the information he had gathered through various channels, he leaned toward the former. After all, the previous owner of this body really was dead.

But he still decided to keep using a false name, grow a short beard, and change his appearance.

The Second Prince had crushed them as easily as ants, but if he discovered that a surviving ant wanted to bite him, he definitely would not let it go. Most likely, he would crush it with one stomp.

However, if he wanted revenge and to bring his sister back, Ian needed money, ships, and people. Otherwise, even with specific information, he would not be able to reach them across the vast sea.

The first step was definitely making money to buy a ship, then robbing ships to get more ships. Who would he rob? Pirates, isolated ships from the Second Fleet, royal merchant vessels—there were plenty of targets.

Directly seizing a ship was definitely impossible right now. Paradise Port was chaotic, but it still had basic order and laws, guards and garrison troops.

Besides, sailing ships required a great many sailors. A Sixth-rate Ship had a full complement of around 180 men and needed at least a hundred just to keep a warship sailing normally.

He did not have a single person under his command right now. Stealing a ship first and recruiting sailors afterward sounded absurd.

So for now, he could only make money while recruiting a few core members in preparation.

For now, though, what he anticipated most was the birth of the second derived card.

At ten o'clock on the evening of the seventeenth, a strange rhythm in the Spiritual World awakened Ian from deep meditation. Another star lit up within the Veil of Fate that covered the heavens of the Spiritual World.

Ian was thrilled. It was a little later than expected, but at least it had come.

Amid a ripple of spirituality, the "star" streaked toward him like a meteor and appeared before him in an instant.

It was a yellow card. At the center of its translucent surface, patterned with strange designs, was a green substance shaped like a water droplet.

[Card: Mysterious Seed]

Mysterious Seed: Extraordinary item, the seed of the "Mysterious Shack," a spiritual plant with special spatial attributes.

After forming a Soul Contract, it could be awakened with its master's spirituality.

Once awakened, it would enter its growth stage, feeding primarily on its master's spirituality and Mana. Spiritual materials of the order or life aspect could accelerate its growth and enhance some of its potential.

The appearance and internal spatial layout of the "Mysterious Shack" required its master's continued communication and guidance.

"This... the legendary Mysterious Shack?!"

Just what was inside the Fate Deck?

"It's a good thing, but it seems I can't use it right now. I'm not settling down anywhere."

"No! Could I raise it into a warship?!"

No matter how he cultivated it, the essence of the "Mysterious Shack" would not change, and it could not gain abilities beyond its innate talents. But its appearance and layout could be adjusted, leaving plenty of room to work with.

Ian suddenly remembered that every derived card from the Fate Card was related to his current circumstances. In theory, it would not produce a card he could not use or had no use for.

Ian decided to give it a try. If he succeeded in cultivating it, the help it would give him would be unimaginable.

He withdrew from the Spiritual World, and amid a ripple of spirituality, the yellow card appeared in his hand.

The Mysterious Seed was still sealed inside the card and could only be used after being unsealed. Of course, once unsealed, it could not be sealed again. The process was irreversible.

At Ian's command, the card slowly floated into the air. Web-like patterns gradually emerged over its surface. A sound like shattering glass echoed through his spirituality, then the card burst gently apart, turning into specks of spiritual light that dissipated into the air.

A green, water-drop-shaped seed fell from the void, and Ian gently caught it.

Ian drew on his spirituality and carefully probed inside the seed. A pulse like a heartbeat came from within. A special spirituality was being nurtured there, responding with growing excitement to the "touch" of his spirituality.

Following the card's instructions, Ian used spirituality to construct a Soul Contract. His spirituality pushed the contract mark into the seed, and the young spirituality immediately "wrapped" itself around it. Everything fell naturally into place.

The contract was formed. The contract mark became two streams of light. One remained inside the seed, while the other flew into Ian's Spiritual World and hung among the branches and leaves of the Original Tree's crown.

Ian sat on the floor, gently cradling the Mysterious Seed in both hands as he continuously fed it spirituality and Mana.

"Crack, crack..."

The "water droplet" turned over. Several roots slowly broke through the shell at its pointed end and kept growing. Before long, it had become a "big-headed" plant more than ten centimeters tall.

This strange, entirely green plant had a round head larger than its body. Two little blinking eyes peeked out from its head, making it look none too intelligent.

It also had a huge mouth that occupied at least half of its head.

Below its head was a very thin "trunk." The upper half of the trunk had a pair of long feelers that waved like arms. Three pairs of long roots grew from the bottom, making it look as though it had six legs.

It was adorably dumb.

Only after Ian had used up about half his spirituality and Mana did the little fellow, apparently satisfied, take the initiative to cut off the flow.

"Wawa, wawa..."

Calling out as it went, the little fellow used its "long legs" to run up Ian's arm and onto his shoulder, rubbing its big head gently against his cheek.

Ian tilted his head, watching it with curiosity.

"How strange. Since your head is so big, I'll call you... Wawa."

The little fellow called out "Wawa" twice more. Ian had no idea whether it understood.

Ian used spirituality to "communicate" with the little fellow for a while and discovered that it could currently only convey simple thoughts like "hungry," "full," "don't eat," and "want to eat."

Ian was somewhat disappointed. He did not know how long it would take for it to grow to a useful stage. If it took too long, his plans would be disrupted.

Early the next morning, Ian tucked the soundly sleeping Wawa into the pocket of his inner lining. Seeing that it was still tightly clutching him with its feelers even in its sleep, he smiled faintly and headed straight for the Bounty Hunter Guild.

While gathering information earlier, he had already registered with both Adventurer's House and the Bounty Hunter Guild.

Bounty Hunters had no identity restrictions; anyone could register, and ranks were determined by points.

For gold coins, they did anything—hunting Extraordinary creatures, killing pirates, finding people, searching for Extraordinary materials. Their presence could be found throughout the Sea of Miracles.

The Bounty Hunter Guild had its own marketplace and abundant resources.

Furthermore, the guild guaranteed the safety of traders within the marketplace, and fighting was prohibited inside the guild. Of course, once one left, it was none of the guild's business.

Ian entered the Bounty Hunter Guild on the north side of Central Avenue, avoided the noisy crowd in the main hall, and went straight up the stairs to the marketplace on the second floor.

The second floor of the Bounty Hunter Guild mainly traded ordinary materials, while the third floor specialized in Extraordinary or rare materials.

The second floor was a hall divided into semi-enclosed counter areas. These counters were mostly rented out to Bounty Hunters or merchants and primarily sold materials.

The Bounty Hunter Guild also had independently operated shops, but they sold finished products such as weapons, equipment, and potions.

However, the guild provided appraisal services and guaranteed the authenticity of most known materials on the market, in exchange for a five percent commission on every transaction.

For those who trusted their own abilities more, the Bounty Hunter Guild did not restrict buyers from using spells or spirituality to appraise materials, provided they did not damage them.