Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Mrs. Maeve nodded slightly.

Even if a deal falls through, goodwill remains.

"Even if Mr. Xilun fails, it's because he lacks the strength. He didn't intend to harm the three businesses. There's no need for him to offend a disciple of an abbot just to shirk some responsibility."

She paused for a moment and looked at the clerk.

"Forget what you just said, and don't write it in the record."

"Yes."

The clerk immediately closed the ledger.

Matthew refilled the pot of tobacco, his tone softening somewhat.

"In that case, prepare for both outcomes."

"If Mr. Siren succeeds, that would be the best outcome."

"If he fails, immediately fund a second rescue operation. Blackwood Valley is such a large village, it's difficult to transport all the goods at once. Croft can't just take our food for nothing."

"I will lead the guards of Bluestone Trading Company to seal off the mountain, White Whale Trading Company will be responsible for contacting the monastery, and Silverstalk Pharmacy will prepare the ransom."

Several managers nodded in agreement.

Debate aside.

When it comes to actually getting things done, the three businesses still need to cooperate with each other.

Just as Bourne was about to instruct his men to send a message to town, a rapid bell suddenly rang from the high point of the dock.

Everyone looked up at the same time.

The young lookout stood atop the wooden tower, waving a small white flag vigorously.

"A caravan!"

"A convoy is coming from the north!"

Bourne strode out of the camp.

On the trade route on the north bank of the Baishi River, a line of black dots is slowly emerging from the thin mist.

At the very front were two brown draft horses.

Seven trucks followed behind.

The number of vehicles was exactly the same as that of the hijacked caravan.

Bourne was taken aback at first, then, as if he couldn't believe it, he pulled out a monocular telescope from his pocket.

Through the lens, the logos of three trading companies—White Whale, Blue Stone, and Silver Harvest—were printed on the outside of the truck.

A young man dressed in black was sitting in the car at the very front.

The Thunder Spear was coiled at his waist, and his body remained motionless despite the swaying.

It was Xilun.

"I'm back!"

Bourne put down his binoculars, and for the first time, his voice showed a noticeable fluctuation.

"They're back!"

The camp, which had been quiet for half a day, instantly erupted in excitement.

The shop assistants, guards, and stewards all rushed onto the trade route.

Matthew didn't even notice his pipe had fallen to the ground; he squeezed to the front and squinted to look around.

Mrs. Maeve also stood up.

As the caravan drew closer, the group realized that not only had the goods returned, but most of the kidnapped caravan guards and pharmacy workers were also alive.

Although many of them were injured and looked exhausted, the team showed no signs of defeat.

The one-armed guard saw his companion and raised his remaining arm from a distance.

"Open the door!"

"We brought back every single item, not a single box missing!"

A huge cheer erupted from the shore.

Several relatives and friends of the missing guard rushed into the convoy, hugging the injured man and crying and laughing at the same time.

The girls from Yinsui Pharmacy surrounded their companion who had been kidnapped the day before, asking her all sorts of questions.

The young girl who had narrowly escaped being humiliated by the second chieftain saw Lady Maeve, her eyes reddened, and she threw herself into her arms and cried.

Mrs. Maeve patted her back gently.

After listening to a few whispered words, when she looked up at Xilun again, her expression was completely different.

Bourne came to the car.

"Mr. Celen."

His gaze swept over the wagons laden with goods, then fell on the congealed bloodstains on Xilun's shoulder.

All the words I wanted to say came out, but in the end, they all boiled down to one sentence:

"Thanks for your hard work."

Xilun jumped off the chariot shaft.

"Let's take inventory of the goods first."

"Three of the wounded are in critical condition; have the pharmacist treat them immediately."

Byrne nodded and immediately arranged for his men to move the goods.

Matthew walked to the back of the convoy and checked the seals on each vehicle.

Although the pirates opened the chests, they didn't have time to move most of the cargo.

Aside from the small amount of food that was eaten and a few broken bottles of medicine, the actual loss was less than fifty pounds.

This is almost negligible compared to the total annihilation that everyone had previously anticipated.

"Where's Krov?"

Matthew returned to Celen's side and couldn't help but ask.

Xilun pointed to the last car.

The one-armed guard lifted the waterproof tarpaulin.

A head, simply treated with lime, rolled out.

Light yellow left eye, scar on forehead.

Even after death, his identity on the wanted poster can still be recognized.

The surrounding noise suddenly subsided.

"That's really Krov..."

An elderly guard knelt down to examine the body, his expression one of shock.

"The beast tamer for whom a bounty has been placed for almost two years."

"How did he die?"

"He was shot through the throat by Mr. Celen."

The one-armed guard answered voluntarily.

He then pointed to two wrapped bodies in another vehicle.

"The two third-tier stronghold chiefs of Blackwood Valley are also dead."

"Of the more than sixty pirates in the stronghold, most of them were killed. The rest either fled or knelt down and begged for mercy."

"Mr. Siron stormed into the Quarry Village all by himself, rescued us from the water dungeon and the wooden huts, and even killed a giant sea monster that could unleash thunder."

As he spoke, the area around the dock gradually quieted down.

All eyes were on Xilun.

The middle-aged manager who had previously complained that Xilun was young and incapable of taking responsibility stood at the back of the crowd, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

More than sixty pirates.

Three people, third rank.

A powerful sea monster that can unleash thunder.

With such a lineup, even if the merchant guild really spent a lot of money to hire an escort team, they might not be able to conquer Blackwood Valley.

Xilun, however, did it all by himself.

This can no longer be explained by luck.

Matthew remained silent for a few moments, then suddenly grinned.

"I give up."

"Bourne, the White Whale Trading Company has not brought in a worshipper this time, but a god of death."

Bourne did not respond to the joke.

He straightened his collar and bowed to Xilun in front of everyone.

"Mr. Siren, if it weren't for you, the three trading companies would not only have lost their goods, but also more than thirty guards and employees."

"In addition to the original payment, Whale Trading Company is willing to add another two hundred pounds as a token of our appreciation."

Mrs. Maeve also spoke up:

"Yin Sui Pharmacy will pay an additional two hundred pounds."

"Most of the girls who were rescued were apprentices in the pharmacy. This debt of gratitude cannot be measured by just a few lines in the contract."

Matthew felt his pockets and realized his pipe was gone, so he simply waved it away.

"Bluestone Trading Company will also contribute two hundred pounds."

"In future escort missions, Mr. Celen will have the right of first refusal, with equal compensation."

An extra 600 pounds.

Including the income from this escort mission and the bounty on Croves, the trading company alone can bring in about 1,500 pounds.

Xilun did not refuse.

"Can."

The simple two words made Matthew's smile freeze for a moment.

He had prepared some words of persuasion, but they turned out to be completely useless.

A hint of a smile appeared in Mrs. Maeve's eyes.

She has figured out Xilun's personality.

This person is neither greedy nor thieving, but he will never be stingy with the rewards that are rightfully his.

These kinds of people are actually the best suited for long-term collaborations.

Bourne had the contracts and ledgers brought to him.

The counting process lasted for nearly an hour.

After confirming that the goods were correct, Xilun separated the items he had brought back.

The sea dragon's thunder crystal, short horn, and scales were his spoils.

The banknotes, books, and materials in Crovet's private vault were also obtained from killing pirates.

As for the Sea-Binding Lock, the merchants only glanced at it and then paid no further attention.

The extraordinary equipment capable of controlling third-tier sea beasts is of inestimable value.

Since Siron killed Croves alone, this item naturally belongs to him.

The only thing Byrne offered to buy was a portion of the sea dragon's remaining blood.

Siren kept the two purest bottles and sold the rest to the White Whale Trading Company for 120 pounds.

Silver Harvest Pharmacy spent another sixty pounds to buy several pieces of sea monster bones that were less contaminated by the Breath of the Styx.

After completing the transaction, Byrne looked at the numbers in the ledger and couldn't help but sigh.

"Mr. Siren, your earnings from this trip are probably equivalent to half a year's profit for an ordinary trading company."

"You only have one life."

Xilun put away the gold notes. "This kind of money isn't something you can earn every time."

Bourne paused for a moment, then nodded.

He didn't see any smugness in Xilen.

The other party seemed to have simply completed a routine task.

But the more so, the more unfathomable it seems.

In the afternoon, the merchant guild booked the second floor of the largest tavern in Yinsui Town to welcome back the guards who had returned alive.

Roasted meat, rye bread, and mulled wine filled the long table.

The guards with minor injuries took turns toasting Siron.

Xilun only drank one cup, then switched to hot water, citing the need to suppress his injuries.

No one thought he was a spoilsport.

On the contrary, the one-armed guard vividly recounted the battle of Caishi Village, eliciting gasps of surprise from the crowd.

"With a flick of the spear, the chests of three pirates exploded simultaneously!"

"Krove tried to beg for mercy, saying he was willing to give up all his money, but Mr. Hillen didn't say a word and shot him through the neck."

"That monster was two stories tall when it stood up, and the lightning it spewed out blasted down the stone walls..."

When he got excited, he swung the wooden spoon with one hand, almost sweeping the soup bowl to the ground.

The surrounding area erupted in laughter.

Xilun sat by the window, quietly eating a piece of roasted beef that was charred and fragrant.

Outside the window are the wet streets of Yinshui Town.

Trucks come and go, their chimneys spewing grayish-white steam, and people on the street hawking silverfish they've just caught from the river.

Laughter, the clinking of glasses, and the scraping of cutlery mingled together, washing away the lingering stench of blood from the previous night.

He suddenly understood why the old monk from the Sea of ​​the Dead had instructed him to have more contact with living people.

After the fighting, people need some real and mundane sounds.

Otherwise, death will remain deep within one's consciousness.

The celebrations continued until evening.

Xilun did not stay overnight.

He handed over most of the materials to the White Whale Trading Company, entrusting them to transport them back to Star Ring City by steamship, while he himself only took the Thunder Crystals, Spirit Herbs, Books, and Money Notes and returned first.

Before leaving, Byrne handed him a silver business card.

"This is a certificate jointly offered by the three merchant houses."

"From now on, as long as you are within the Star Ring Island area, you can use this business card to withdraw up to five hundred pounds in emergency funds from the branches of three trading companies, and you can also mobilize a regular guard team."

Xilun accepted the business card.

This is not an unconditional gift.

The business guild wanted to use personal relationships and mutual benefits to bind him to the three forces in the long term.

But this is beneficial to both sides.

"For the next escort mission, send the message to Thunderclap Cliff."

Bourne smiled.

"it is good."

Half an hour later, the sound of a ship's horn rang out from the Baishi River.

The steamship departed the dock and sailed along the gentle river toward Star Ring City.

Siren stood at the stern.

The houses and docks of Silvershoe Town gradually shrink, eventually disappearing into the pale golden twilight.

Inside his chest cavity, the Thunder Dragon's heart beat rhythmically.

The aura of the spiritual herbs emanated from the package, and with each breath, the lightning energy within the body became active.

Xilun looked down at his reflection in the river.

This harvest is enough to support his cultivation for a long time.

Elena's debt can finally be repaid.

However, when he returned to Thunder Cliff, the familiar figure was not waiting for him.

In front of the cave entrance, there was only a letter that had already been covered with a thin layer of dust.

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.

Xilun opened the envelope.

There was only a blank sheet of paper inside.

The handwriting was sharp and elegant, with the last stroke drawn out slightly longer, which was Elena's writing habit.

In her letter, she said that she had received a temporary assignment to work on Star Ring Island and needed to leave for a period of time.

The specific destination was not specified.

The return date is also uncertain.

Only at the end is it mentioned that there's no need to worry about the debt; she will naturally return when the Star Ring Ranking Competition begins.

Xilun turned the letter over to the other side.

A blank space.

"They've been gone for ten days?"

He looked at the date on the envelope.

At that time, I happened to have taken on the escort mission for the White Whale Trading Company.

Elena probably went to the cave to look for him, but found he wasn't there, so she left this letter.

Siren was originally prepared to contribute 800 pounds.

Of the six hundred pounds, it was a loan to purchase the "Thunder Spear Technique," and the remaining two hundred pounds was an extra gift he had prepared as a token of his gratitude.

Although Elena said she wouldn't charge interest, without that money, he wouldn't have been able to buy the gun manual in time, and he might not have attracted Swain's attention because of the Cang Lei Gun Technique.

Two hundred pounds is not enough to fully repay this favor.

But that is the compensation he is currently willing to offer.

"Star Ring Ranking Competition..."

Xilun folded the letter and put it in the drawer.

As far as he knows, the qualifying rounds are less than a month away.

This period of time is not very long.

Since Elena said she would come back, then she can return the favor then.

Xilun didn't dwell on it any longer and turned to enter the quiet room.

He first washed the wound with hot water, and then placed the Sea Dragon Thunder Crystal and several Thunder Beard Grass on the stone platform.

Leixu grass cannot be taken directly.

According to the "Black Cedar Valley Herbal Records", its roots need to be crushed, soaked in hot water at around 70 degrees Celsius, and then a small amount of sea salt and sea animal blood are added to make its pungent properties milder.

Xilun followed the steps outlined in the scriptures.

Half an hour later, the medicinal soup in the earthenware pot turned light purple.

Tiny electric arcs danced along the surface of the liquid, and the air was filled with the smell of mud and burnt wood after the rain.

He only drank half a bowl.

The medicinal soup entered the stomach, and initially there was no obvious reaction.

After a dozen or so breaths, Lei Jiao's heart suddenly began to beat faster.

The medicinal power was absorbed by the heart and transformed into a purer form of lightning energy, which flowed throughout the body along the bloodstream.

Xilun immediately activated the Great Thunder Breathing Technique.

The sound of breathing echoed in the quiet room.

When you inhale, your chest cavity expands.

When exhaling, a flash of bluish-white lightning appears between the mouth and nose.

The Thunder Dragon's Heart seemed to be in perfect harmony with the breathing technique. The thunderous power that used to require mental effort to guide now vibrated in the internal organs on its own with each breath.

After a complete breathing exercise, the thunderous energy first tempers the heart and lungs, then flows into the large tendons, and finally merges into the tidal energy of the Overturning Sea Skill.

[Skill: Overturning the Sea Technique (Third Level)]

[Progress: 1557/5000]

The line between water and thunder seems to be blurred.

The power of the Overturning Sea Technique encompasses the Thunder Force, which in turn repeatedly cleanses and refines the body in a tidal cycle.

A realization dawned on Xilun's mind.

The combination of water and mines in the Cang Lei Spear Technique should perhaps not be used only in combat.

The Overturning Sea Technique can also become a river channel that carries the power of lightning.

However, doing so would make the cultivation system more complicated.

His teacher had warned him that he should not attempt to construct an inner world before reaching the third stage of mastery.

There was no risk in Siren.

He simply recorded this feeling, and then deliberately separated the Thunder Force and the Overturning Sea Technique's power, allowing them to return to their original trajectory.

The night's meditation ended.

As dawn broke, Xilun arrived at the training ground at Thunder Cliff.

The morning mist flowed along the cliff face.

In the distance, a waterfall plunges into a deep pool, its roar echoing back and forth among the mountains.

Xilun unbuckled his gun belt.

The Thunder Spear suddenly straightened under the infusion of energy.

He did not immediately practice the complete spear technique, but started with the most basic horizontal thrust.

Power comes from the balls of your feet.

The major tendons in the calves, waist, abdomen, spine, and arms are all tensed simultaneously.

The gun shot out like lightning.

A short, sharp crackling sound rang out in the air.

An inch-deep dent appeared on the surface of the iron stone spear post.

Xilun kept moving.

My heart pounded as the second shot was thrust out.

The lightning energy surged from his blood into his arm, then flowed along his palm into the gun barrel.

The water glistens in front of me.

Lei Yin hid behind.

The tip of the gun was in the center of the first indentation.

boom!

Dense cracks extended outwards from the dent, eventually bursting open a fist-sized fragment.

[Skill: Thunderclap Spear Technique (Proficient)]

[Progress: 1209/4000]

Xilun put away his gun and retreated.

These two shots, though seemingly simple, were far more powerful than before they obtained the Thunder Dragon Heart.

More importantly, he did not deliberately build up his momentum.

The lightning energy and qi and blood erupt simultaneously.

As long as the heart beats, one can unleash the power of the Azure Thunder Spear Technique in a very short time.

If used in a life-or-death battle, it would be enough to make the enemy misjudge his attack interval.

Xiren raised his gun again.

Thrust, block, seize, stab, collapse, sweep.

The entire set of basic spear techniques was performed continuously on the training ground.

The spearhead was sometimes as heavy as a wave, and sometimes as light as water.

Moisture gathered from the edge of the cliff, leaving faint white marks on the tip of the spear, which was occasionally torn into fine mist droplets by the lightning.

After acquiring the massive tendons that resemble a dragon, the changes in his body have become extremely noticeable.

With the Thunder Dragon Heart providing a continuous stream of thunderous energy, the spear technique no longer felt as overly heavy as before.

Being burdened is simply a choice.

Flexibility is also a choice.

The force of a spear can be as powerful as a landslide or as gentle as a drizzle.

On the third repetition, Xilun suddenly changed his steps.

The Thunder Spear thrust out from the front, but before it even reached the spear post, the body had already shifted half a step to the side due to the pull of the tendons.

The spearhead deflected accordingly.

This strike, which should have dispersed the force, instead regrouped with the help of the water.

The lightning only burst forth suddenly at the very last inch.

Boom!

The upper half of the iron stone spearhead flew horizontally out.

The break is not smooth.

The inside was charred black, but the outer layer still bore spiral marks left by water vapor.

"The water's force guides the way, and the thunder's power defeats the enemy."

"It's faster than before."

Xilun summarized in a low voice.

"However, it still relies too much on internal energy."

What Swain taught him was to use his own energy to detonate external mines.

The training ground is now surrounded by thick moisture, and he actually draws less than 10% of it into the gun.

The remaining 90% of the power comes from within.

This means that while his marksmanship is powerful in a short period of time, his stamina will still be a problem once he gets into a prolonged battle.

As Xilun was preparing for his fourth rehearsal, he heard footsteps behind him.

Swain, dressed in a gray training suit, emerged from behind the stone gate.

He glanced at the broken gun post.

"Another step forward."

For Swain to utter those four words on his own initiative is already an extremely rare compliment.

Xilun holstered his gun and saluted.

"teacher."

"I've heard about what happened in Blackwood Valley."

Swain walked up to the broken stake and reached out to touch the charred marks.

"He attacked the stronghold alone, killed three third-tier monsters, and even fought a direct battle with a third-tier extreme-realm sea beast."

"You've got guts."

His tone revealed neither joy nor anger.