"You're saying the Spirit Hall branch here has rebelled and no longer follows Spirit Hall's orders?"
Qian Renxue's expression shifted slightly as she asked in a low voice.
"Either they defected completely to the Sea God's forces, or someone gutted the branch and stripped it of power long ago. This place has become a faction unto itself."
Jiang Ming shook his head.
"What are you dawdling for? Are you paying or not?"
"If you don't have the money, get lost! Stop blocking the city gate!"
While the two spoke in low voices, the captain of the gate guards lost the last of his patience, his expression growing fiercer.
"Ten Gold Soul Coins to buy a life. That's rather cheap."
Jiang Ming looked at the soldier and slowly raised his hand.
Just then, a slender figure squeezed out of the crowd.
"I'll pay their share."
It was a young man with short red hair.
He wore a purple outfit. The fabric wasn't luxurious, but it was well tailored.
The red-haired young man casually tossed two bags of coins into the soldier's arms. The coins clinked dully against one another.
"Go on in."
The soldier took the bags and hefted them, his expression easing somewhat.
The red-haired young man turned, gave Jiang Ming a meaningful look, then headed into the city.
As Jiang Ming looked at the face before him, something about its features seemed vaguely familiar.
But he couldn't recall where he had seen it.
The three entered the city.
The streets of Vast Sea City were livelier than they had expected.
Vendors lined the roads, their cries rising one after another.
People came and went, and everything seemed prosperous.
Yet Jiang Ming noticed that every vendor had a small statue of the Sea God on their stall.
Some were carved