Gu Tian led the women to a small tavern around the corner. It was in a remote location, and although the furnishings were simple, it was kept very clean. The warm fire in the fireplace emitted the fragrance of pine wood, instantly dispelling the cold outside.
The shop wasn't busy at the moment, with only a few tables of regular customers. As Gu Tian and his group walked in with an air of importance, a waiter wearing a thick cotton-padded coat and speaking with a heavy Northeastern accent immediately greeted them cheerfully.
"Oh my goodness, gentlemen, please come in! It's freezing cold, hurry up and get on the kang... I mean, take a seat! How about we bring you a few cups of strong liquor to warm you up? It'll be really good!"
As the waiter spoke, he deftly brought over several steaming cups of warm wine, exuding a strong aroma. Gu Tian took a sip and felt a warm current flow down his throat and into his lower abdomen, which indeed made him feel much better.
"Brother Gu, I have a question for you." Gu Tian casually tossed a Silver Soul Coin and asked with a smile, "We're from Heaven Dou City, and we're not very familiar with Snow Spirit Province and Dragon City. Could you tell us about this place?"
The waiter took the money, his eyes lighting up. He immediately launched into a conversation. "Oh my, judging from your accent, you're a wealthy gentleman from the capital! Our Snow Spirit Province is the northern gateway to the Heaven Dou Empire, a specially established province! The capital is Snow Spirit City, and then there's our Dragon City. Don't let the cold weather fool you; Dragon City is the last pass into the Extreme North, built specifically to defend against those crazed Soul Beast. It's almost as important as the Spirit Hall —a buffer zone between humans and animals!"
Zhu Zhuqing adjusted her fox fur coat and asked curiously, "So, who usually takes care of the security and defense of Dragon City?"
The waiter slapped his thigh and said with a face full of admiration, "It has to be our City Lord Yu Sanjin! City Lord Yu is a genuine Soul Douluo powerhouse. It is said that he is a trusted confidant personally sent by Xue Ye. His Martial Soul is absolutely amazing, called ' Northeast Rain '! As long as he wants, even if it is snowing here, he can instantly turn it into a torrential downpour! That rain is his domain, and in that rain, no Soul Beast can stay still."
" Northeast Rain?" Gu Tian was taken aback; the name of this Martial Soul did sound quite down-to-earth.
"Absolutely!" The waiter got more and more excited as he spoke. "Lord Yu's eight Soul Skill are truly domineering. When she activates her first Soul Skill, she can control rainwater to form a humanoid Martial Soul that looks just like a real person. We people in Dragon City call her 'Sister Northeast Rain,' she's so impressive! The rest are things like Rain Water, Rain Blessing, Big Sweat Big Sweaty Feet, Big Smothered Fart, Great Joy, Rain Wrinkle... and finally, she can even summon Old Kuai! Once, there was a riot of Soul Beast in the Extreme North, with tens of thousands of wolf cubs charging over. Lord Yu stood alone on the city wall and used ' Northeast Rain Sister Descends to Earth' to suppress the beast tide! So here, he's a god!"
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu both showed expressions of admiration. After all, being able to protect the peace of this area in such a harsh environment, this Lord of Yu Sanjin was indeed worthy of respect.
In the Douluo Continent, besides the various forests scattered throughout the continent, there are only two gathering places for Soul Beast: the Star Dou Great Forest and the Extreme North. In order to prevent Soul Beast from entering the world of Soul Master Soul Master and posing a threat to them or ordinary people, the Spirit Hall was established at the largest exit of the Star Dou Great Forest, while Dragon City is a fortress guarding the Extreme North. In this respect, Dragon City and the Spirit Hall are equally important.
The waiter glanced at Gu Tian and the women around him, then suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Since you gentlemen dare to go to the Extreme North to hunt for Soul Masters at this time of year, you must have some truly skilled experts under your command. To be honest, Yu Sanjin is currently recruiting powerful Soul Master at high prices! He predicts that due to the southward movement of cold air, the Soul Beast in the Extreme North will likely experience another major uprising in a few days. If you gentlemen could lend a hand, the reward... oh my god, it's incredibly generous!"
Gu Tian stroked his chin and exchanged a glance with Gu Yue.
A beast tide in the Extreme North? This is an excellent opportunity to take Shui Bing'er hunting for Soul Ring. Not only can she hone her skills in actual combat, but she can also get to know this highly individualistic Lord Yu.
"Interesting." Gu Tian's lips curled up slightly. "Since City Lord Yu is so eager to find talented people, let's go to the City Lord's Mansion tomorrow."
Leaving the small tavern with its strong Northeastern flavor, the biting cold wind, mixed with fine ice crystals, hit them in the face, causing the women to instinctively tighten their cloaks. Although the streets of Dragon City were wide, they were no longer as bustling as they had been at midday. Only patrols of city guards, their armor covered with a thin layer of frost, walked solemnly along the city's main thoroughfares.
Gu Tian led the women straight into the largest clothing store in the city center. The store had an extremely complete selection of goods, from warm sun stones mined from the depths of the Extreme North to linings woven from ten-thousand-year-old cold silkworm silk.
"Boss, give us two sets of these ancient silkworm inner armor, each one made to fit their figures." Gu Tian pointed to Shui Bing'er, Ning Rongrong, and the others behind him, his tone revealing an air of extravagance that showed he wasn't short of money. "Also, the high-energy fuel and polar tents must be top-of-the-line. I don't want my women to freeze during the holiday."
While selecting hair ornaments inlaid with cold-resistant beads, Ning Rongrong pointed to a huge notice posted at the entrance of the shop and asked curiously, " Gu Tian, look at the reward written on that recruitment notice! There's even a clue to Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone as a reward! Should we really go and apply?"
Gu Tian took the specially made winter cloak handed to him by the shopkeeper, helped Shui Bing'er put it on, and nodded seriously.
"Of course we should go. First, this old city lord Yu Sanjin, has guarded the north for many years and is a respectable and valiant man. If Dragon City falls, millions of civilians in the rear will suffer. Since we've encountered him, we should lend a hand if we can."
Gu Tian paused, his gaze lingering on the endless glaciers to the north. "Secondly, I also want to witness firsthand the true power of that expert who can summon the Northeast Rain; it will benefit my understanding of elemental domains. Most importantly... Bing'er, you're already level 30. If this beast tide is large enough, there might be top-tier ice-attribute Soul Beast squeezed out from the core area of Far North. Killing them there is much safer than venturing deep into that forbidden zone of death."
A flicker of emotion crossed Shui Bing'er's icy blue eyes. She gently took Gu Tian's hand and nodded, replying, "Yes, I'll listen to you. As long as you're here, I'm safe everywhere."
Meanwhile, on the other side of Dragon City.
Inside the private room on the second floor of the tavern, Tang San sat at the table, his face ashen. Ma Hongjun and Tai Long were excitedly recounting the information they had just gleaned from the city guards.
"Third Brother, this is a huge opportunity!" Ma Hongjun's small eyes gleamed with greed. "I heard that when the beast tide breaks out, the city lord will activate the city's defense array, trapping the Soul Beast in the trap zone below the city walls. Then we won't have to search all over the mountains and fields; we can just order them from the city walls!"
Flender sat to the side, a smug smile spreading across his stiff face. He took a sip of hot tea and said, "Third Brother, this news is truly a godsend for the five of you who have just broken through to level twenty. According to the Grandmaster's theory of the core competitiveness of Martial Soul, the limit for the age of the Second Soul Ring is around 764 years. To be on the safe side, you should choose Soul Beast that is around 800 years old, so that you can maximize your potential and physical endurance."
Tang San gripped the teacup tightly, the image of Gu Tian's three purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring flashing through his mind, and he sneered inwardly:
"This beast tide is truly a godsend! I'll head over now! The number of Soul Beast brought by this tide is limited, and top-tier seedlings are even scarcer. As long as we secure our positions in advance, the best Soul Ring belong to my Tang Sect!"
Thinking of this, Tang San suddenly stood up, eagerly awaiting departure. " Teacher Zhao, Dean Flender, let's set off now to the City Lord's Mansion to collect the token."