Over the course of the afternoon, Li Chen not only tried refining Floating Gold but also processed the magnetic ore he had bought. His body began to feel light and buoyant, as though his entire being had been magnetized.
He knew this sensation came from the influence of magnetic force.
Vast and boundless, as though riding the wind through the void, knowing not where one might come to rest; drifting free, as though standing apart from the mortal world, sprouting wings and ascending to immortality.
The Other Continent's descriptions of attaining the Dao and becoming an immortal were beautiful, but to a Puppet Master, that was all there was to it.
"When the transformation of my magical power reaches its limit and I undergo a true magnetic metamorphosis, I'll be able to refine Floating Gold at will and make a Floating Ball that meets the accepted standards."
"Before that, it's like trying to melt something without enough heat to reach its melting point. All my efforts will be wasted."
"Fortunately, the spirit materials used in this process can be reused many times. Otherwise, researching this craft alone would bankrupt me on the spot!"
Mastering Magnetic Origin was not the work of a single day. Li Chen glanced out the window and saw that it was almost dark, so he set aside his work and began tidying up.
He reckoned Old Hou and You An would be back soon. He planned to have dinner with them and discuss their plans for tomorrow.
After he waited in his room for a while, the two indeed returned. They invited Li Chen to eat in the main hall and showed him something.
"What's this?" Li Chen examined the sheet of white paper Old Hou had spread on the table, its scarlet lettering conspicuous. "A bounty notice issued by the city?"
Old Hou said, "Yes. On our way back, we happened to see runners handing out the latest Red List notices, so we took one. But these aren't just bounties from the Yong Kingdom's Commandery Seat. They're bounties for the entire Eastern Victory Continent."
The land they were in was called Great Xuan, also known as the Former Great Xuan Lands. In ancient times, it had been the territory of a feudal empire called the Great Xuan Dynasty.
The Yong Kingdom retained its ancient name, referring to one of its vassal kingdoms, a domain spanning a thousand li. This Commandery Seat was the only principal city within the Yong Kingdom.
Now, times had changed. No secular dynasties remained anywhere on the Eastern Victory Continent. Its city-states and Market Districts had all joined the City-State Alliance, competing for living space with the demons, monsters, and nature spirits found throughout Eastern Victory.
Whenever a new Demon Beast began wreaking havoc and was added to the hunting list, the entire continent jointly offered a bounty. Demon Hunters could collect the reward in any city-state on the Eastern Victory Continent.
Old Hou continued, "We also bought some related information from the local power brokers. It seems the Demon Tide has been receding lately, but a new beast herd has appeared along the Yong Kingdom's eastern border. Perhaps we should consider leaving here and going somewhere else."
As partners, the three put twenty percent of their earnings into a shared fund to purchase necessities.
Everyday food and drink, treatment for injuries, and Mechanism Puppet repairs all came out of that fund, as did payments to local power brokers for information.
This time, they had learned about the migration of beast herds in the mountain forests. Although these were merely the movements of ordinary wild beasts, they were bound to trigger a chain reaction among the demons, monsters, and nature spirits.
Since bounties were honored throughout the Eastern Victory Continent, perhaps they could seize this opportunity to hunt Demon Beasts along the way.
In that case, they might as well not return at all. It would be best to collect their rewards in a new city, then decide whether to stay or leave depending on the circumstances.
Li Chen had not expected his opportunity to leave the Commandery Seat to arrive so suddenly.
But he had no particular attachment to the place, so he nodded and said, "All right."
Old Hou said, "Brother Li, we discussed this before. Hunting ordinary wild beasts only earns us money through hard toil. You and Brother You are still young. You can't squander all those years and prospects on this sort of thing. We need to find more valuable prey."
Li Chen said, "I've always felt it would be best if we could hunt High Rank Demon Beasts. Although the earnings wouldn't be enough for advancement, they could still feed us for two or three months, perhaps close to half a year."
"Even a low-tier Demon Beast should at least let us work one day and rest for three, right?"
"If we keep focusing on ordinary wild beasts, the moment our hands stop, our mouths go hungry. We won't be able to rest for even a moment. That really isn't a long-term solution."
Old Hou said, "Exactly. We need to tackle real demons, monsters, and nature spirits. Ideally, vicious beasts named on a Red List like this, the sort that terrorize an entire area. Killing them would earn us a bounty, and we could sell their carcasses too, making thousands or even tens of thousands in one go."
Li Chen said, "The first time I saw you, brother, was at the Market Fair, when you were parading through the streets with that Red-Eyed Boar Demon."
Old Hou smiled and said, "There were six of us then. After setting aside the share for the common fund, each of us received over four thousand."
You An exclaimed, "That's far more than we usually make from over a month of hard work."
Old Hou said, "Of course, dealing with Demon Beasts like that isn't easy. If you two weren't so capable, I wouldn't even dare bring it up."
Old Hou paused, then continued, "Choosing suitable targets is a skill in itself. I wouldn't boast about much else, but I do have some experience in that regard. As it happens, apart from a few I don't know much about, I recognize all the Demon Beasts on this Red List. How about we start with these?"
As he spoke, he dipped a finger in his tea and began marking the Red List.
"Red-Eyed Boar Demon, Redfire Fox, Crimson-Striped Tiger, Fierce Wolf, Demon Wolf, Raging Bear..."
Li Chen and You An looked over his choices. They were all harmful beasts with bounties ranging from one thousand to five thousand, generally of middle or high grade, roughly equivalent to the fourth through seventh or eighth levels of Qi Refining on the Other Continent.
"Given our strength, they'll pose some danger, but as long as we take them seriously, we can certainly defeat them. I also know something of their habits, which should make them easier to handle than other Demon Beasts."
"Another point is that the places where they were last spotted all lie along the route east from the Commandery Seat. If everything goes smoothly, we can cross over a thousand li of mountains and reach Maple Grove Market to the east."
"Maple Grove Market is already within the Clear Spring Commandery region. Once we get there, we can head north, south, or keep going east and leave Great Xuan whenever we like."
Li Chen said, "All right, brother. We'll follow your lead."
You An had no objections either and readily agreed.
The next day, Old Hou led Li Chen and You An out of the Commandery Seat. They headed east into the mountain forests and began making their way through the wilderness.
They tracked Demon Beasts and hunted middle- and High Rank targets. Although they encountered several twists and turns along the way, most involved the time spent searching for their quarry.
Whenever they fought, Li Chen's unexpected opening ambushes and You An's overwhelming strength allowed them to succeed with ease time after time. In one stretch, they bagged a High Rank Raging Bear and three middle-rank Demon Beasts.
In late May, when they emerged from the vast sea of forest and reached the small city called Maple Grove Market, they caused a modest stir among the locals.
They sold all their quarry in one go. After setting aside twenty percent for the shared fund, which Old Hou would hold for the time being, each of them received over ten thousand talisman coins.