Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Xilun quickly suppressed his thoughts.

He drew his dagger and cleaved open the sea dragon's chest.

The sea monster's heart was mostly shriveled, but fine thunder patterns still remained on its surface.

He removed the heart intact, wrapped it in a prepared waterproof leather bag, and then cut off the short horn on the forehead and the more than twenty scales with the densest thunder pattern on the back.

Finally, there was the fist-sized lightning crystal.

The lightning crystal has an irregular rhombus shape, and its interior seems to contain a miniature storm.

A light touch sent a sharp, needle-like pain through my fingertips.

This is the most precious material from a Tier 3 Extreme Thunderous Sea Beast.

Whether sold to the pharmacy or kept by Swain to refine medicines and weapons, it would be quite valuable.

Unfortunately, the sea dragon had been imprisoned for a long time, and its blood had accumulated a lot of filthy medicinal properties.

Xilun only collected the still-pure parts near the heart; the rest of the flesh and blood had to be discarded.

After dealing with the sea monster, Siren walked to Crove's corpse.

Crove's harpoon had been put away along with the chains.

He pulled a waterproof money bag from the corpse's chest, which contained more than seventy pounds of gold notes and more than ten gold pounds. He also found two bottles of medicine, a bronze plaque engraved with a fishbone pattern, and a thin book stained with blood.

The booklet records how to use the sea-binding lock.

This extraordinary equipment was not built by Krov himself, but rather obtained by him several years ago from a shipwreck site.

The Sea-Binding Lock has seven sub-chains and one main chain.

The main chain is connected to the harpoon, which can disperse water and lightning power, and can also stimulate sea monsters with black nails and issue simple commands with the bone whistle.

However, to truly control marine mammals, long-term torture and drug control are required.

The latter half of the book details how Crove captured the sea dragon.

Three months ago, the sea dragon was driven away by a more powerful member of its kind near Shenwan Lake and swam into the Baishi River after being seriously injured.

Taking advantage of its weakness, Croft used the Sea-Binding Chains to bind it, and then had dozens of his men besiege it day and night before finally dragging it into Blackwood Valley.

"An even more powerful kin..."

Xilun squinted.

This is consistent with his deduction.

The hissing sound deep within Shenwan Lake most likely came from an adult sea dragon, whose strength was at least above the third rank.

It may also reach the fourth order.

Siron closed the book and put it away with his money bag.

He then inspected the area around the water prison.

There are three stone houses on one side of the water prison.

The first room was filled with marine mammal feed and medicine, and the air was filled with the smells of blood, rotting wood, and strong herbs.

Several wooden boxes contained dried small fish and the internal organs of marine mammals.

There were a dozen or so pottery jars placed against the wall.

Xilun opened one of them; inside was a bluish-black medicinal paste that smelled faintly of lightning strikes.

He dipped a small amount into the water with his fingertip, and the Thunder Dragon Heart within his body immediately began to beat gently.

"Thunder-resistant material?"

Xilun searched carefully and soon found several bundles of dark purple spirit herbs in the corner of the stone house.

The leaves of the herb are narrow and long with silver-gray patterns on the surface, while the roots are charred black, as if they had been struck by lightning.

Each bundle of medicinal herbs had a wooden tag hanging next to it.

Thundergrass.

Silver algae.

Green vine.

These medicinal herbs were the food that Croft used to feed the sea dragon.

One part can replenish qi and blood, while the other part can warm and nourish the blood vessels of the thunder element, alleviating the damage caused by the black nails and the sea-binding lock.

If it weren't for the fact that Croft needed the sea dragons to maintain his fighting strength, he would never have been willing to feed them this kind of thing for a long time.

Xilun took stock of everything.

There were thirty-seven plants of Thunder Grass, twelve catties of Silver Electric Algae, and two wooden boxes filled with Green-veined Vine.

Most of them are only of average quality, but they are plentiful.

Thundergrass is especially suitable for assisting in the practice of the Great Thunder Breathing Method.

With Xilun's current Thunder Dragon Heart, if combined with these spiritual herbs to brew a medicinal soup, it can further accelerate the speed of tempering the Thunder Blood.

He accepted them all without hesitation.

Although the internal space of a deep-sea water tank cannot directly fit a wooden box, it can compress and store a large amount of liquid.

Xilun crushed the silver algae and some of the green-veined vine, mixed them with pure pool water, and put them into a water bag. The remaining spiritual herbs were wrapped in a waterproof cloth.

In the second stone house, the goods that the caravan had stolen were piled up.

Medicinal herbs, cloth, lightning-struck wood, sea monster blood, and several tin boxes bearing the logo of Silver Spike Pharmacy.

The lock on the box had been broken by the pirates.

Nearly half of the precious medicinal herbs inside were missing, but the remaining parts were still relatively intact.

Xilun did not touch these goods.

The contract stipulated that the caravan's goods belonged to the trading company, while the materials obtained from killing the sea monsters would belong to him.

He kept his promise not because he was pedantic.

Rather, credit itself has value.

As long as this batch of goods is returned intact, the Whale Trading Company, Blue Stone Trading Company, and Silver Spike Pharmacy will think of him first when they encounter danger in the future.

That means a continuous stream of tasks and income.

Compared to the few boxes of medicine in front of me, a long-term and stable way to make money is obviously more important.

The third stone house was Crove's private vault.

Xilun found the key on the corpse, opened the iron gate, and the first thing he saw was a neatly stacked musket and swords.

These weapons were of ordinary quality, but there were more than fifty of them.

Various marine animal materials were displayed on the wooden shelves against the wall.

Two pieces of third-tier sea beast bones, a dozen or so first- or second-tier water beast hides, and a water-attribute crystal core that has lost most of its activity.

In addition, there was a wad of cash in the iron box.

After counting, it weighed a total of 637 pounds.

Adding the money Croft had, it came to just over seven hundred pounds.

This doesn't even include the 800-pound bounty.

The direct gains from the battle exceeded 1,500 pounds.

No wonder countless people still flock to hunt bounty hunters despite knowing the dangers involved.

A single successful attempt is enough to equal the savings of an ordinary third-tier extraordinary individual over several years.

Xilun carefully put away the money and found five books at the bottom of the wooden shelf.

"An Initial Explanation of the Water Binding Talisman"

The Manual of Marine Mammal Domestication.

Map of the Baishi River Waterway.

Blackwood Valley Herbal Record.

And a tattered copy of "The Secret Formula for Forging the Body with Dragon Blood".

The first four books were of limited value, but the last secret recipe made Xilun stop what he was doing.

The secret recipe records a method of tempering the heart and lungs with the blood of a dragon.

Although it was severely damaged and had extremely serious side effects, some of the descriptions about the fusion of blood and qi were just enough to help him better understand the Thunder Dragon Heart.

Xilun glanced through it for a moment, then solemnly put it away.

After doing all this, he returned to the front village.

By this time, the fire had spread from the main hall to the two adjacent wooden buildings.

The heatwave, accompanied by billowing black smoke, illuminated half of the valley in a red glow.

The remaining pirates had mostly escaped, leaving behind only corpses and wounded men scattered everywhere.

The amputee guard who had been rescued earlier did not leave.

He and a few companions who were still able to move hid behind the western hillside to provide backup. When they saw Xilun emerge from the village, they immediately went to meet him.

"Mr. Siren, that monster..."

"He's dead."

Xilun tossed him a bundle of rope. "There are no pirates left in the stronghold who can stand up. Bring your men back to move the goods and put out the fires near the warehouse first."

The one-armed guard was stunned.

They could hear the thunder clearly from the direction of the water prison.

That terrifying sea monster is dead?

He looked at the scorch marks on Xilun's clothes and the bloodstains on his shoulder, and then at the still-dripping Cang Lei spear, and his throat bobbed involuntarily.

"Where's Krov?"

"The body is in the back village."

"What about the other two Tier 3 units?"

"He's dead too."

His two short answers silenced the surroundings completely.

The guards exchanged glances, each seeing undisguised shock in the other's eyes.

Xilun single-handedly stormed into the stronghold guarded by more than sixty pirates, rescued the prisoners, killed three third-tier extraordinary beings, and dealt with a powerful sea beast that could unleash lightning.

This is something that ordinary escorts and offerings cannot achieve.

The one-armed guard took a deep breath and solemnly bowed his head.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Celen, for saving my life."

The others also bowed.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Get things done first."

Siren remained calm. "The firelight in Blackwood Valley is too conspicuous; it might attract other people before dawn."

The group then snapped out of their daze and hurriedly returned to their mountain stronghold.

Siren cut off Crove's head as a bounty and also took valuables from the other two Tier 3 pirates.

After that, he carried the Canglei Spear and walked around the village.

With the Great Tendons Like Dragons and the Thunder Dragon Heart operating simultaneously, the body felt as light as if an invisible layer of heavy armor had been removed.

Xilun arrived at an open space and suddenly raised his gun.

prick!

The spearhead pierced the night wind.

Water vapor gathered into a thin river, silently winding around the gun barrel.

The next moment, the hidden lightning energy suddenly erupted.

Several meters away, a wooden stake as thick as a bowl was silently pierced through.

Only after the gun was withdrawn did a series of explosions sound from inside the wooden stake, which then shattered into dozens of pieces.

Xilun did not stop.

The Cang Lei Spear swept backward, and before the spear tip even landed, the large tendons in the waist and back had already changed direction.

The heavy gun barrel traced an almost inertial arc in mid-air, transforming from a sweeping motion into a barb.

In the past, such a forced change of tactics would put enormous pressure on his muscles.

Now it goes smoothly and naturally.

The spearhead changes with the mind, like river water encountering a stone, naturally branching into new tributaries.

The Thunder Dragon's Heart allows Thunder Force to no longer undergo a long period of accumulation.

Each heartbeat adds a layer of lightning to the gun's momentum.

The gunshots were getting faster and faster.

The water vapor from Houzhai was drawn in and formed a flowing water belt around Xilun.

Blue and white lightning was hidden within, occasionally flashing by and emitting a low, long hum.

Thirty breaths later, Xilun put away his gun and stood up.

Dozens of gunshot wounds of uniform depth appeared on the ground.

"The power has increased by nearly 30%."

"The speed of changing moves is faster, and the consumption of lightning energy is less."

The real change is not simply an increase in power.

Instead, the body, marksmanship, and lightning energy became more harmonious.

In the past, Xilun was like someone wielding a spear with overwhelming force.

Now, the Thunder Spear seems to have become an extension of the body and tendons.

Where the mind goes, the spearhead follows.

Xilun looked down at his chest.

Beneath the blood-stained cotton coat, his heart beat steadily and powerfully.

The Stormblood is still slowly awakening.

He could sense that the talent he had gained this time was far from completing the full transformation.

As the Thunder Dragon Heart continues to refine the blood, its effects on the body will gradually deepen.

Perhaps when his bloodline truly awakens, he will be able to find a path to advance to the fourth rank.

Dawn is approaching.

The first bird song came from outside the valley.

The fire has been extinguished, and the merchant guild's guards have reloaded the goods onto the wagons.

Xilun took one last look at the ravaged quarry.

This action not only recovered the merchant's goods.

The bounty on Croves, over seven hundred pounds of cash, sea-binding chains, sea beast materials, five ancient books, and spiritual herbs sufficient to assist in the cultivation of lightning-type energy for several months.

Most importantly, it is the Heart of the Thunder Dragon.

He walked to the truck at the front and threw Crove's head into a waterproof wooden crate.

"Set off."

The wheels rolled over the muddy ground stained with blood.

In the morning mist, Blackwood Valley and the burned-out Quarry Village gradually receded into the distance.

With each step forward, Xilun could feel the thunder dragon in his chest slowly opening its eyes.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

10:00 AM.

On the banks of the White Stone River, the White Whale Trading Company's temporary camp was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

Three gray and white tents were set up next to the dock.

A river breeze blows across the water, carrying the damp chill characteristic of early winter.

The wooden planks on the dock were soaked by last night's light rain, and they made a dull creaking sound when stepped on.

Byrne had been walking back and forth on the shore for half the morning.

He wore a thick woolen coat and held a brass pocket watch in his hand, checking it every fifteen minutes.

The sound of the watch case opening and closing, which was originally subtle, was now unusually jarring.

The shop assistants dared not approach.

It was obvious to everyone that this usually composed manager was about to lose his patience.

Not far away, Matthew, the head of the Blue Stone Trading Company's escort team, squatted on a wooden crate, silently smoking his pipe.

One pot of tobacco after another burned out, and the ground around his feet was covered with gray-white ash.

Mrs. Maeve sat at the entrance of the tent.

She wasn't wearing her usual elegant long dress today, but only a dark robe that allowed her to move around easily.

The clerk of Yinsui Pharmacy stood behind her, his account book open for a long time, but he didn't write a single word.

Merchant ships occasionally pass by on the river.

Whenever a whistle sounds in the distance, everyone in the camp instinctively looks up.

After seeing the flags on the ship, they fell silent again.

"It's been a whole night."

Matthew knocked off his cigarette ash and finally couldn't help but speak up, "It only takes a little over three hours to get from here to Blackwood Valley by fast horse. If he succeeded, he should have sent word back before dawn."

Bourne did not stop.

"The terrain in Blackwood Valley is complex, which may cause delays."

"delay?"

Matthew frowned. "Those are over sixty pirates, not sixty chickens. Crovet has an eight hundred-pound bounty, and he has two Tier 3s with him. No matter how powerful Mr. Hillen is, he's just one person."

Bourne paused.

He did try to dissuade Xilun when he pursued him alone yesterday.

But the other party only left the merchant guild with the words "prepare to meet them" before disappearing into the rain overnight.

Bourne had witnessed Siron kill the sea dragon with his own eyes, so he naturally knew his strength.

However, fighting in the water is completely different from attacking a mountain stronghold.

Although sea monsters are powerful, their methods are relatively simple.

Pirates would set traps, use muskets, secretly poison, and know how to concentrate their forces to kill extraordinary individuals.

One person charging head-on into a village of over sixty people—it seemed like suicide.

Mrs. Maeve rubbed her temples.

"There's still no news about the kidnapped guards and pharmacy staff?"

"no."

The clerk replied in a low voice, "The two groups of scouts sent out last night only reached the outer perimeter of Blackwood Valley. There are pirate sentries hidden inside the valley, so they didn't dare to go deeper."

"Didn't dare to go deeper?"

Matthew sneered, "The firm spends so much money on them every month, but when it comes to actually needing their manpower, they're all incredibly afraid of losing their lives."

The two spies standing nearby looked embarrassed but dared not refute.

They only have Tier 1 strength.

If you enter Blackwood Valley and are discovered by pirates, you might not even have a chance to send a signal.

Bourne reopened the pocket watch.

"Wait another half hour."

"Still waiting?"

Matthew stood up. "I think we should go back to town immediately to organize manpower, call all the guards that the three merchant guilds can mobilize, and spend money to hire two more Tier 3 Extraordinary individuals. With more people, we can at least block the exit of Blackwood Valley."

An old manager of the White Whale Trading Company sighed.

"It might not be enough time to organize manpower now. If Crove knows that Mr. Hillen is after him, he may have already moved the goods or even killed the prisoners."

"We can't just keep waiting like this."

Matthew raised his voice, "The goods were worth over three thousand pounds, and there are more than thirty lives involved. If the higher-ups investigate, who will take responsibility?"

It was quieter around the tent.

The return cargo convoy was nominally managed by Whale Trading Company, but the goods belonged to three different trading companies.

If the entire shipment is hijacked, all the people in charge will be held accountable.

In particular, among the medicinal materials lost by Yinshui Pharmacy, a batch had been ordered in advance by a certain important figure.

That's why Mrs. Maeve personally stood guard on the shore.

"If we had known this would happen, we should have spent a lot of money from the beginning and hired a complete escort team."

A middle-aged manager at Bluestone Trading Company complained in a low voice.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

"What's the use of hiring someone, no matter how powerful? Even a third-tier extraordinary being is still made of flesh and blood. Can they really take on a hundred opponents single-handedly?"

Bourne looked at him.

The middle-aged manager shrank back, but still gritted his teeth and continued.

"Am I wrong? How old is that Xilun? He looks to be only in his early twenties."

Even if such a young person has some talent, how many truly significant events has he handled?

"What the business needs are people who can take responsibility, not reckless brutes who only know how to fight sea monsters on the water."

Matthew frowned.

"Mr. Siren is trying to get goods for the trading company, so don't say it too harshly."

"I don't blame him."

The middle-aged manager quickly changed his tune, "But neither the people nor the goods have returned yet; we have to find a way, right?"

Another manager whispered:

"It is said that he was a direct disciple of Elder Swain of the Holy Light Monastery."

"If the mission fails, it will be difficult for us to hold him accountable."

"Why can't we hold those responsible accountable?"

"The contract clearly states that once the merchant has paid, he is obligated to guarantee the safety of the goods."

If his misjudgment led to the prisoners being killed, he would have to give an explanation to his superiors.

Someone hesitated for a moment, then whispered:

"If all else fails, shift the blame to the protectors."

He said that after discovering the pirates, he failed to report it in time and acted on his own, thus missing the opportunity to rescue them.

Bourne's face darkened.

"Shut up."

The man's expression froze.

Bourne put the pocket watch back into his pocket, his voice cold and hard.

"If Mr. Hillen hadn't made his move yesterday, we wouldn't have even been able to track down Crove."

"He was willing to chase after them into Blackwood Valley alone, risking his own life to save the people of the trading company."

Whether it works out or not is another matter, but anyone who dares to tamper with the contract afterward and shift the blame to him can get out of the White Whale Trading Company first.

The old steward whispered a reminder:

"Bourne, what if the higher-ups investigate..."

"It is my responsibility, and I will take it."

Bourne gazed at the greyish river surface.

There's nothing wrong with businessmen pursuing profit.

But if you abandon even the most basic credibility, your business won't last long.

Before setting off, Xilun made it clear that he was only responsible for trying his best to retrieve the goods, and could not guarantee success.

The business had no objection at the time, and therefore could not back out later due to the loss.