Coming to the Hagendas Kingdom, Black Rock City is a medium-sized city named after the production of a special kind of black Rock. The city walls are high and thick, the streets are wide, and the air is filled with the rough smell of ore, metal and sweat. It is an important stopping point for caravans, and it is also one of the gathering places for nearby Soul Master to obtain resources and exchange information.
Kraken was wrapped in that wide black cloak, and the shadow of the hood completely concealed his face and the unusually ferocious Scorpion Tail left arm. He was walking on a street that was not densely populated, and his ice-blue eyes calmly scanned everything around him through the gaps in the hood.
Shops, taverns, blacksmith shops, Soul Master supplies stores... all kinds of human beings turned into strong or weak beings and Soul Power light spots in his "eyes". Soul Power Level analyzed them.
Roadside vendors and ordinary pedestrians: Level 0-20, Soul Warrior to Soul Grandmaster.
Patrol guards, low-level mercenaries: levels 21-40, Soul Elder to Soul Ancestor.
The noisy Soul Master team in the tavern: generally level 41-50, mainly Soul Ancestor, with a few Soul King.
In the central area of the city, in the direction of the City Lord's Mansion and Soul Masters Guild: there are several Soul Power waves of levels 51-60, which should be high-level officials or guild deacons in the city. The highest one is about level 58.
Is this the power of this city? Kraken's steps did not pause at all, but there was an extremely subtle, almost "absurd" emotion in his heart.
In his perception, the Soul Power fluctuations of the strongest people in the city are not even as good as the energy aftermath of a 50,000-year-old head. And those "Soul Ancestor" and "Soul King" who walk proudly and self-righteously on the street, the pitiful energy in their bodies is, to him, at best... a roadside.
He didn't even need to use any abilities. He just walked through the crowd, and his presence inadvertently emanated, causing several nearby Soul Master who were slightly more sensitive to shiver subconsciously. They looked around in confusion, but only saw an inconspicuous black-robed figure in the crowd.
"Novice Village..." He was like a max-level being who mistakenly entered a map with monsters of no more than ten levels at most. Taking action? Not only would there be no gain, but he might get his "hands" dirty by crushing the ants and exposing himself.
He needs a more efficient method. Directly looking for those rare "high-level targets"? It's too inefficient, and it's easy to be like a headless fly.
Kraken's eyes fell on a relatively neat building next to the street with a sword and shield cross sign hanging at the door - Adventurers Guild Hagendas Kingdom Black Rock City branch. This is a place where low- and middle-level Soul Master and mercenaries receive tasks, exchange information, and obtain rewards. The flow of people is mixed, and information flows frequently.
He turned around and walked into the guild hall.
The hall was even more noisy than the streets. Rugged men, capable mercenaries, and Soul Master with various weapons gathered together in twos and threes, talking loudly about tasks, rewards, women, and wine. The bulletin board was covered with various parchment tasks: clean up the ten years of harm in a certain place, Hundred-Year Soul Beast, escort the caravan to a certain place, collect specific medicinal materials or minerals... The rewards were mostly Gold Soul Coin.
The appearance of Kraken did not attract much attention. His attire was not particularly unusual among adventurers, and there were always some people who were unwilling to show their true colors. He went straight to the relatively quiet mission release counter on one side of the hall.
The receptionist behind the counter was a middle-aged man who looked quite shrewd. The Soul Power fluctuation was about the Soul Elder level. He raised his head and looked at the tightly wrapped and obscure guest in front of him. A professional smile appeared on his face, "Sir, welcome to Black Rock City Adventurers Guild. Do you want to release the task or accept the task?"
Kraken did not answer immediately. He seemed to be "looking" at the wall behind the counter, or perhaps not looking at anything at all. A few seconds of silence made the smile on the receptionist's face stiffen. Just when he was about to speak again, a low, steady, and strangely magnetic voice came from under the hood:
"Release mission."
"Okay, sir. What type of tasks do you want to release? The content of the task, the time limit, the remuneration, and... Do you need to set the Soul Master level limit for accepting tasks?" The receptionist skillfully picked up the quill and task register.
"Intelligence mission." Kraken's voice did not fluctuate at all, "Collect information on the whereabouts and recent activities of specific powerful people."
"Strong?" The receptionist paused with her pen and asked cautiously, "Excuse me, what do you specifically mean...?"
"Titled Douluo."
These four simple words made the area around the counter instantly quiet. A few Soul Masters with sharp ears turned their heads in surprise and looked at the man in black robes who spoke astonishingly. Titled Douluo? That is a being who stands at the top of the mainland! Inquire about their whereabouts? What does this man want to do?
The professional smile on the receptionist's face completely disappeared, replaced by solemnity and a trace of imperceptible vigilance. He put down his quill, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice. "Sir, you should know that inquiring about your whereabouts is a very sensitive matter. Although our guild undertakes various commissions, there are some red lines..."
"It's not a specific whereabouts." Kraken interrupted him, his voice still calm, "Only public or semi-public information is needed. For example, whether a certain Titled Douluo has appeared in public in a certain place recently, no precise location is required, only credible clues."
He paused and added, "There is no limit to the target. Any relevant information about Titled Douluo is acceptable. Every verified and valuable clue can be rewarded."
The receptionist breathed a sigh of relief, but still frowned. This kind of task sounds less taboo, but it involves Titled Douluo, which is not a trivial matter after all. "So, in terms of remuneration...?"
Kraken's right hand stretched out from under the cloak and turned his wrist.
"Crack."
A piece of bone, about the size of a palm, with a deep blue color throughout, as if there were stars flowing inside, exuding soft and pure energy fluctuations, was gently placed on the counter.
In an instant, with the counter as the center, a cool and majestic energy breath filled the air. Although it was weak, it made all the Soul Powers in the nearby Soul Masters subconsciously agitated and eager.
"Soul...Soul Bone?!" Someone called out in a low voice.
The entire guild hall fell silent for an instant. All eyes, regardless of whether they had paid attention here before, were now firmly fixed on the blue bone, full of disbelief, greed, and deep shock.
Soul Bone! That is the treasure that Soul Master dreams of! Even the lowest-level Soul Bone is priceless! And the energy aura exuded by this Soul Bone is obviously of extremely high quality!
The receptionist's eyes widened and his breathing became rapid. He stared at the piece of Soul Bone, his voice trembling. "This... this gentleman... you... you want to use this as reward?"
"This is just a deposit." Kraken's voice was calm. His ice-blue eyes swept across the shocked people under the shadow of the hood, and he said slowly, "The mission is valid for a long time. Every time you provide a valid clue about any Titled Douluo, you can get at least one thousand to ten thousand Gold Soul Coin, or the equivalent of rare materials, depending on the value of the clue."
There was a burst of suppressed exclamations and heavy breathing in the hall. One thousand to ten thousand Gold Soul Coin! This is already the income of many middle and low-level Soul Master for several years or even more than ten years! And this is just the reward for a clue!
Kraken's finger gently tapped the piece of blue Soul Bone, and continued to say in that steady and heart-stopping voice:
"If the clues provided can directly help me...'encounter' a certain Titled Douluo, and the other person is... relatively 'leisure' and 'alone'..."
His voice paused, as if he was considering his words, and then he threw the bomb that really set off the whole audience:
"... Then, in addition to the due reward for clues, there is also a fifty-thousand-year-old Head Soul Bone, which is his."
"Hiss--!"
"Fifty thousand years! Head!"
"Still intact!"
"Oh my god... really?!"
"Who can confirm that Soul Bone is real?!"
After a brief period of dead silence, the entire hall was boiling like a volcano erupting! The exclamations, questions, and greedy discussions almost broke the roof. Countless eyes instantly turned red and locked on the blue bone. If it weren't for the guild's rules and the aura of the black-robed man, someone might have pounced on him.
Using a 50,000-year-old Head Soul Bone in exchange for a chance to "encounter" Titled Douluo?! This person... Who is this person? What does he want to do? Flatter? Ask for help? Or...
No one could guess the expression under the hood. Kraken just calmly retracted his hand, and the blue piece of Soul Bone was still lying quietly on the counter, exuding an alluring and dangerous halo.
"I will leave my contact information." He said to the receptionist who was still in a daze, and then his eyes seemed to sweep across the frantic lobby again, "Remember, I only want results. The information can come from any channel. But if it is false or outdated information..."
He didn't finish speaking, but the sudden icy aura that seemed to come from the abyss made the nearest Soul Master feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, and most of their boiling greed was extinguished in an instant.
After saying that, he ignored the more intense discussions behind him that were almost out of control, as well as the countless scorching gazes that almost pierced his back. He turned around, his black cloak swayed slightly, and disappeared at the door of the guild hall, as if he had never appeared before.
Only the piece of Soul Bone lying quietly on the counter, and the extremely simple and crude long-term sky-high price bounty that was enough to drive the entire Black Rock City, and even Soul Master and intelligence dealers further afield completely crazy, proved that he had just arrived.
Use a piece of "junk Soul Bone" that is not too rare in the deep sea to cast a net covering the vast number of middle and low-level Soul Master and intelligence dealers, allowing them to actively collect information on those targets...
This is far more efficient and more concealed than running around like a headless fly.
As for the origin of Soul Bone? Under the deep sea, endless years have buried countless strong men and Soul Beast. Picking up a few complete pieces of Soul Bone is very reasonable, isn't it?
Black Rock City's sky, because of a reward, began to have undercurrents.