Trade Permit (Combined Chapters)

Bai Xiaowen shook his head and said, "The Kusanagi-Style Ancient Martial Arts should not belong to fire-based magic."

"Have you looked up information on this?" Li Shuyi asked, puzzled.

"I guessed," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile. "Actually, it's a very simple logic. If the Kusanagi-Style Ancient Martial Arts belong to fire magic, then why haven't I unlocked the 'basic' level fire magic proficiency in all the time I've used it in practice and actual combat? And why have I never gained any proficiency in fire magic?"

Li Shuyi suddenly realized, feeling a pang of regret.

"We don't need these magical special items for now, but we can still exchange for a few to prepare for any eventuality," Bai Xiaowen said.

There are generally two ways for an awakened individual to acquire magical specializations.

The first method is self-study. For example, an awakened individual can first learn a combat skill called "Fireball" through Skill Book. Through continuous use, they can unlock the fire spell mastery specialization (basic level). If used in actual combat, they can quickly practice to the advanced level and then gradually increase their proficiency to level up.

Secondly, one can be taught by the Spirit Realm mentors. For example, by entering the Aaron World, the mage academy in the Northern Frontier of the Lionheart Empire, one can learn different specializations of magic as long as one passes the entrance test.

Few awakened individuals actively choose the path of instruction from the Spirit Realm mentors, because magical specialties serve the corresponding spells in the combat skill bar. As long as the corresponding spell is in the combat skill bar, one can unlock the corresponding magical specialty by practicing diligently, without needing to spend precious time and energy in the Spirit Realm to be taught by a Spirit Realm mentor.

This method, taught by the Spirit Realm mentors, is generally used when "Quasi-Awakened with Mental Specialty undertake Class Change quests.

Of course, the teachings from the Spirit Realm mentors also have their advantages, namely, fast leveling up and no proficiency requirements, directly boosting spell proficiency levels. However, Spirit Realm mentors are not charitable; to receive their teachings, you must first complete the corresponding tasks.

When Bai Xiaowen spoke of "unexpected needs," he meant that he might obtain summoned creatures that could use fire, frost, or arcane spells from the Black Soul Stone in the future.

Turning this page, we've reached the last page of the redemption list.

"Hiss... this thing..."

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi both widened their eyes.

[Red Dragon Blood: Special material. Drinking it grants a permanent increase to armor and fire resistance, with a small chance of obtaining unknown enhancement effects.]

[Green Dragon Blood: A special material. Drinking it grants a permanent boost to armor and poison resistance, with a small chance of obtaining unknown enhancement effects.]

[Blue Dragon Blood: A special material. Drinking it grants a permanent increase to armor and frost resistance, with a small chance of obtaining unknown enhancement effects.]

There are three types of dragon blood in total, and each type has an additional line of smaller print following its description:

"Only an ignorant fool would drink it directly."

"This stuff... is different from the Earthwalker Dragon blood you've gotten before. Earthwalker Dragon are just sub-dragons. Red dragons, green dragons, and blue dragons are pure-blooded dragons..." Bai Xiaowen said, clicking his tongue. "I didn't expect the Resistance Army to even have something like this."

"Since it's dragon blood, it should be much more effective than Earthwalker Dragon blood. When Han Xu drank Earthwalker Dragon blood, he only gained a little over twenty points of Life Value," Li Shuyi said.

"This stuff is probably not meant to be drunk. Look at the instructions; it not only states it's a special material, but it also adds a special note..." Bai Xiaowen said, "I've researched Western Qihuan backgrounds, and dragon blood is a precious material that alchemists dream of. It can be used to craft many powerful items, and its effects are much better than simply drinking it. Of course, if you urgently need to increase your strength, drinking dragon blood can provide an immediate boost, so it's not impossible."

Dragon Blood is also quite expensive to exchange for, costing 10,000 Merit Points per bottle, and requires a reputation of Revered or higher.

After reviewing the redemption list, Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi were filled with fighting spirit.

"The Resistance Army have really become incredibly wealthy since they became a major force. They have magical special items and even dragon blood. I want them all..." Bai Xiaowen waved his hand and said, "Let's go. Let's do the Trade Permit quest first. Once we complete it, we'll have a reason to participate in the follow-up quests of the raid on Northshire. This is the 'main storyline,' and the reward of Merit Points will definitely be very generous."

Samo Port, located on the southeastern coast of Samo Territory, is an important port on the Boguayas Strait, a vital waterway in the Northern Frontier.

Samo Territory, a peninsula extending from the Lionheart Continent into the Beihai, faces Silverstar Island across the Boguayas Strait.

Every day, fleets of ships of varying sizes set sail from Samo Port, carrying loads of rice to Silverstar Territory in exchange for silver ore, or seafood to Northshire Territory in exchange for fine ironware from Northshire, and so on.

"What a prosperous place."

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi listened to the dockworkers' chants and saw large ships docking or heading out to sea.

"How can we obtain Trade Permit from Samo Port to North Sea Port? Our time is very limited... The round trip will take more than ten hours, leaving us with less than ten hours of actual time," Li Shuyi said.

"No rush," Bai Xiaowen said, leaning against a corner of the outer city wall of Samo Port with her eyes slightly closed.

Not long after, Bai Xiaowen opened her eyes and flicked her finger lightly. "I have news of Kitz... I'll call him back later."

Li Shuyi knew that Bai Xiaowen would first use Reverse Summoning to recall Kitz, and then summon him back in front of her. This method would save a lot of time.

A flash of white light, Kitz was summoned again, appearing before Bai Xiaowen.

"How is it?" Bai Xiaowen asked.

Kitz grunted, "Boss, I've already inquired. Trade Permit is only valid if it's stamped by the lords of both Samo Territory and Northshire Territory. To get those stamps, besides paying the necessary gold and silver, each lord must provide a noble of high standing as a guarantor..."

"In other words, Trade Permit cannot be obtained through normal channels."

Bai Xiaowen said softly, "It would take two or three days just to get to Northshire City from here, not to mention the time it would take to return to Spiked Helm Territory after getting the stamp. It's simply impossible to do it within 24 hours."

"What should we do then?" Li Shuyi asked.

"Fortunately, I made more than one preparation. While Kitz was gathering information in the city, I also controlled the Shadow Assassin to board a ship..." Bai Xiaowen gestured with his lips, indicating a large ship moored in a corner of Samo Port.

Several medium-sized ships were moored beside the large ship, all bearing the same insignia, suggesting they were a fleet.

"What kind of ship is that? Which family's emblem is it?"

"I don't know either."

Bai Xiaowen stood up with a smile. "However, it just docked, and it came from the northwest—meaning this fleet must have Trade Permit."

"Should we snatch it?" Li Shuyi rubbed her hands together, glancing up at the sky. "We'll have to wait until night to make our move. It's daytime now, and there are too many people around."

"Robbing it by force isn't a wise choice... Stealing it would be best, but of course, an A-Tier mission might not be so lucky as to avoid a fight. Let's go ahead; the Shadow Assassin has already scouted the ship's layout. Let's find someone on board first."

Bafur was squatting on the boat, covering his nose, and diligently washing a pair of leather boots.

"Ugh, this stinks! As a nobleman, Captain Deke looks handsome and exudes the fragrance of flower petals, so why do his feet smell so bad?"

Bafur muttered to himself, "The captain's gone to a party in Samo Port. I wonder which lady he'll end up in bed with tonight... By the Lord of Light, I hope that beauty won't be overwhelmed by the smell."

"It's never a good thing to talk badly about the captain behind his back, Mr. Bafur."

Bafur looked up in alarm, only to find a man and a woman standing in front of him, who looked like complete strangers.

"Who... who are you? How did you get on the ship? This is the private property of the Deck Family. Get off immediately!"

"One of us." Bai Xiaowen smiled. The Shadow Assassin who had been hiding behind Bafur suddenly appeared, grabbed Bafur's neck, and covered his mouth. The cold, menacing dagger lightly traced a line across Bafur's Adam's apple.

Bafur was filled with fear and could not speak. He could only watch helplessly as the man opposite him, who was completely shrouded in a cloak, extended a long, slender, and fair hand from within the cloak.

The light of the Four-Color Talisman flickered in Bai Xiaowen's palm.

"Talisman Switching - Heart-Confounding Talisman!"

With a Pure Note "ding, "Bafur felt a wave of confusion wash over him. When he regained Clarity, he had already accepted Bai Xiaowen as his master from the bottom of his heart.

Bai Xiaowen turned to Li Shuyi and said, "This man named Bafur isn't very strong, but he's a trusted squire of the ship's captain, Bergani Deke, so there's a high chance he knows about the Trade Permit. Let me check his memory fragments first."

Under Bai Xiaowen's Divine Might connection, it was like a giant hand, flipping through Bafur's memories.

After being successfully bewitched by the Heart-Confounding Talisman, Bafur's memories became a jumbled mess, with most of them lost, leaving only scattered fragments—the more vivid ones, of course.

Finding the Trade Permit among these fragments requires a lot of luck.

After flipping through it once, Bai Xiaowen shook her head slightly.

"Didn't find it?" Li Shuyi asked.

"No, that's not it... The Trade Permit Sealing in a safe in Captain Deke's cabin. And the key to the safe is something Captain Deke always carries on his person."

"We still need to find Captain Deke, kill him, and then we can get the key."

"It might not be that complicated. Let's go check out the captain's cabin first."

Led by Bafur, Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi entered the captain's cabin with practiced ease. The crew members along the way didn't even bother to ask Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi's identities when they saw Bafur.

"Master, it's this safe." Bafur said somewhat mechanically.

The safe is actually a wall cabinet, completely embedded inside the compartment.

"The chest door, including the built-in safe, is entirely crafted from extremely hard Phoebe zhennan wood, an excellent material for guiding magic. See the engraved runes? That's a magic seal."

Bai Xiaowen's fingers gently traced the keyhole of the safe. "According to Bafur's fragmented memories, if you use violence against the treasure chest, it will trigger the magic seal alarm."

Li Shuyi: "Xiao Wen, stop keeping me in suspense... Besides fighting Captain Deke, is there any other way?"

Bai Xiaowen chuckled and asked Bafur, "Do you know where the ammunition depot is?"

Bafur nodded. "In the lower deck."

"Take the Shadow Assassin to the ammunition depot, then detonate the powder kegs." After Bai Xiaowen gave this order, Bafur turned and left without hesitation, with the Shadow Assassin following behind invisibly.

Only Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi remained in the captain's cabin.

Bai Xiaowen extended one index finger and drew a square around the safe on the cabin wall, thus encircling the entire safe.

"Shu Yi, cut open this wall."

"You're going to take the whole safe?" Li Shuyi drew the Redleaf Lord's Glory Sword, forcefully plunging it into the wooden cabin wall, and then began cutting along the marks Bai Xiaowen had made.

"Yes. Just in case, I also need to sink this ship!" Bai Xiaowen said. "From the Resistance Army ' perspective, they certainly don't want the news of obtaining the Trade Permit to leak out before launching a surprise attack on Northshire. So the later the news of the stolen Trade Permit is exposed, the higher our success rate should be!"

Of course, even if the Trade Permit were stolen, the nobles of Samo Port might not suspect the Resistance Army, and even if they did, they might not be able to warn them before the Resistance Army reached the Northshire City.

In other words, it's feasible to use violence to kill Captain Deke and seize the Trade Permit for this A-Tier mission, as long as it's not done too blatantly and exposes the Resistance Army ' identity.

Of course, the aforementioned violent route is definitely more difficult than the route Bai Xiaowen chose, and the success rate will actually be lower.

Li Shuyi swiftly slashed four times with her sword, Piercing the cabin wall and removing the safe embedded within it. Because the safe was not damaged, the magical alarm seal was not triggered.

"What should we do now? Taking the safe is no problem, but how can we break the seal and get the Trade Permit without triggering an alarm?" Li Shuyi asked.

Bai Xiaowen chuckled and placed the safe into the Storage Space: "This is the problem that Usok needs to solve."

"Ah?"

Before Li Shuyi could react, she received the mission notification.

"A-Tier Side Quest: Trade Permit Completed. Please find Resistance Army Boss Tier Usok to submit the quest."

"Is that all?" Li Shuyi exclaimed in astonishment.

"Of course it counts. The mission objective is for us to obtain the Trade Permit and hand it over to Usok. Do you think handing over this safe, along with the license inside, to Usok counts as completing the mission?" Bai Xiaowen gently flicked Li Shuyi's fair forehead. "Alright, get ready to jump ship and set off the fireworks."