novelraw Chapter 211: Hound’s Pace
Chapter 211: Hound’s Pace
However, this journey was fraught with danger... Chen Qi vaguely remembered that after the Flower Witch boarded the ship, the Blood Blade Pirates would embark on a perilous voyage.
Chen Qi stared at Fen’s face:
“By the way, Fen, how’s your injury?”
Fen moved the flower covering her right eye aside, revealing her eye.
Near that bloodshot eye, the skin still bore some red scars and traces of blood that hadn’t been properly cleaned.
The Flower Witch herself suffered from Blood Blossom Disease, and combined with the blood ailment caused by the trial, her entire body was extremely fragile.
Fen replied softly:
“Thanks to the potion made with the Dream Butterfly, my spirit is temporarily stable. I still have nightmares occasionally, but the blood disease remains a huge problem.”
We must get the Blood Source Crystal as soon as possible... Chen Qi thought.
By noon tomorrow, the news of his assassination of the Shadow of Crime should reach the Hunter Association’s ears.After receiving the mission, it would be about time to head to the Blood Blade Pirates’ base.
Chen Qi said:
“Fen, we’ll set off for the Blood Blade Pirates tomorrow night.”
Tomorrow? Isn’t that too soon? No, we have to finish this before the Smiling Moon arrives... Fen nodded seriously:
“Don’t worry, Qi! I’ve gotten stronger! With me around, if the Blood Blade Pirates dare make a move against us, I’ll show them the power of liberation!”
Fen clenched her little fist in the air.
Having participated in the trial, she already had mature combat experience!
Fen was confident that as long as she didn’t take on legendary beings or sea beasts, she was invincible at the third tier!
Meanwhile, Deepsea Water Spirit Number Two formed two small water fists, gesturing in the air.
The Blood Blade Pirates probably weren’t a concern, but this trip was still likely to be dangerous... Chen Qi ate a piece of cake.
Even the mighty Flower Witch couldn’t guarantee survival in the battle between the Blood Blade Pirates and the Blackfin Crew.
...
...
The next day at noon, Blackore City commercial street.
A sudden storm swept through Blackore City, scattering countless sheets of paper above the commercial street.
“One copy of today’s newspaper, please.”
Chen Qi, as usual, stopped at a newspaper stand on his way to the Hunter Association and bought a copy.
The headline was shocking news: the Blood Blade Pirates attacked the Blackfin Crew. Last night, the Blood Blade Pirates launched a surprise attack and severely damaged the island where the Blackfin Crew was based.
“Is this revenge for what happened yesterday?”
Chen Qi shook his head. The next moment, as he reached the Hunter Association headquarters, he felt a gaze upon him.
Three well-equipped hunters, like fierce beasts, fixed their wild, predatory stares on Chen Qi.
The three hunters discussed among themselves.
“Is this guy a newbie too? Could he be the assassin?”
“Is it him? What a joke. He finished that mission and still dares to come back?”
“That was an A-grade mission reward, enough to drive anyone mad. Besides, Black Glove wouldn’t dare show up in front of Gray Mouse, the leader.”
“That guy! How dare he storm into the Blood Blade Pirates’ base alone! He’s really bold!”
They were talking about yesterday’s events... Chen Qi frowned and looked down.
At his feet was a fresh bounty notice.
#Black Glove: Whoever captures the assassin who targeted my subordinates will receive one million Shell Coins and a C-tier dimensional rift skill card of any affinity from the Blackfin Crew!#
This was a mission issued by Black Glove... Chen Qi examined the notice carefully.
From the simple words, he could feel Black Glove’s hysterical anger.
Black Glove’s reaction was incredibly fast, issuing a bounty so quickly... Chen Qi thought, this is bad.
Operations in Blackore City were even more dangerous than he had imagined.
Chen Qi looked toward the hunters ahead.
One of them muttered:
“Newcomer? Do you have any leads on this guy?”
Chen Qi smiled:
“No, I don’t want to get involved in this. Besides, it looks pretty dangerous.”
The Hunter Association advocated freedom, so it was essentially a chaotic mix.
Although officially, the Hunter Association forbade issuing or accepting missions for pirate crews, in reality, quite a few hunters worked for pirates.
As long as the rewards were rich enough, these hunters could even become the pirates’ hunting dogs.
Even Gray Mouse, as the leader, sometimes turned a blind eye and accepted pirate missions.
One hunter smiled:
“Really? The rewards are pretty generous. Catching one person is easier than clearing a dimensional rift!”
Reckless to the extreme... Chen Qi said:
“Not necessarily. You might die even faster. Even if you catch him, are you sure the Blood Blade Pirates will spare you?”
“...”
Everyone swallowed hard. The Blood Blade Pirates’ influence in Blackore City was considerable.
These thuggish hunters posed no threat to him. Hopefully, Black Glove’s bounty wouldn’t attract powerful bounty hunters... Chen Qi ignored them and walked into the Hunter Association.
He climbed the spiral staircase to the top floor.
The mission he accepted was directly under Gray Mouse, and he would have to go to Gray Mouse’s office to claim the reward.
Due to Gray Mouse’s personal style, this did not require notifying anyone.
“Gray Mouse, I’ve completed the mission.”
Chen Qi walked down the corridor, knocked on the door, pushed open the thick oak door carved with a golden blade, and entered the room.
Gray Mouse’s office was quite large. In the center stood a wide solid wood desk scattered with heavy history books, some documents, and a detailed map of the Blackore City sea area. The map was marked with different colors to indicate various information, showing the leader’s familiarity and control over Blackore City.
“Gray Mouse!”
Chen Qi called again.
No response.
White Pigeon Perception!
Chen Qi was about to retreat, but the next moment, his spiritual energy sensed something amiss behind him.
Behind me...
Chen Qi turned toward a glass cabinet.
Through the glass reflection, a figure slowly appeared from the gray mist behind him, biting on a cigarette, placing a mouse in his hat, then elegantly putting on his gray hat.
Mistwalking Technique, Rat Taming Technique—both high-level skills... Chen Qi thought silently:
“Gray Mouse, I’m here to complete the mission.”
Gray Mouse tilted his head and looked toward the cabinet in front of Chen Qi:
“Indeed, your perception is quite good. I completely silenced my voice, yet you still easily found me.”
Gray Mouse walked to Chen Qi’s front:
“You finished the mission too quickly and even managed to find that group of stealthy shadows. I thought you hired someone from the White Pigeon Press to complete the task for you, since those people are obsessed with news.”
A trace of disbelief shone in Gray Mouse’s eyes. Although he never considered his mission difficult, this was the first time a newcomer completed it so fast.
The speed was comparable to a seasoned third-tier transcendent!
Chen Qi replied quietly:
“Not bad. Those shadows weren’t strong, their power was even less than wild dogs on the roadside.”
Gray Mouse lightly opened his Backpack Card and took out nearly a hundred skill cards:
“Indeed, because those guys’ stealth power was bought with their lives and strength... Finding them was the challenge of this mission.”
“Newcomer, your background seems complicated. Are you from the White Pigeon Press? Or another organization?”
I’m just an ordinary hunter... Chen Qi looked at Gray Mouse speechlessly.
A newcomer completing a mission brought Gray Mouse great joy:
“Forget it. As long as you’re not a cultist under some evil god or from a pirate crew, we welcome you... Let me think, the reward is a bottle of strength potion, five hundred thousand Shell Coins, and a skill card...”
Swipe—
Like a professional card magician, Gray Mouse swiftly pulled dozens of Lamp and Shadow affinity skill cards from his hand and spread them on the desk.
No wonder he was a Shell affinity transcendent; this was basically a big skill card dealer... Chen Qi looked over the skill cards.
Though plentiful, most Lamp affinity skill cards were perception-related or illumination spells to dispel Shadow Demons.
Gray Mouse’s faction was the Sewer controlling the Shadow affinity; their Lamp skill card reserves were poor.
These skill cards didn’t suit Chen Qi’s current strength much.
The Shadow affinity skills had many good ones...
Breath Concealment, Shadow Cloak, Shadow Flow Stab...
Which one to pick? Chen Qi pondered.
At this moment, Gray Mouse suddenly spoke:
“Newcomer, by the way, do you know who commissioned your mission?”
“Commissioned?”
Chen Qi showed a puzzled expression.
The mission said that the Shadow of Crime was hunting because it saw something it shouldn’t have.
But who could provoke the Shadow of Crime’s pursuit?
Gray Mouse lowered his head and whispered:
“I’ll tell you secretly; don’t tell anyone. Actually, this mission was commissioned by someone from the Steam Hand Workshop, but if you trace it back, the other party might be from the Ice Demon Pirates...”
“Ice Demon Pirates!”
Chen Qi couldn’t help but exclaim.
Gray Mouse stroked his chin and muttered:
“Yes, that’s right. The Ice Demon Pirates are different from the other three pirate crews. They are an elite crew without an army or enough underlings. Because of this, many things they want done, they hand over to us ‘hunters’.”
The Ice Demon Pirates were involved too... Chen Qi had to think hard as he looked at Gray Mouse’s face.
Gray Mouse continued:
“The Ice Demon Pirates don’t want to get involved in the ocean’s disputes. You should know the meaning behind their name.
Every place where a Witch Card is located hides a fallen treasure site. With the arrival of the Dimensional Tide, these lost relics will resurface. The Ice Demon Pirates are a crew constantly pursuing these relics.
Therefore, I think the Ice Demon Pirates came to Blackore City to track the witches. As for the Blood Blade Pirates, rumors say the Blood Lady has become the Blade Witch. But that’s still just a rumor; we don’t know the truth yet.”
“???”
Chen Qi looked at Gray Mouse in confusion:
“Gray Mouse, what do you want me to do?”
Hunter Association intelligence was not free.
For example, although he had obtained a lot of information during this operation, if the mission failed, he would have to compensate Gray Mouse with a large amount of Shell Coins.
Now, Gray Mouse had already revealed a lot of information to him.
Gray Mouse muttered:
“My informant told me that you not only killed the Shadow of Crime but also helped the Blood Blade Pirates solve a big problem. So, I guess the Blood Blade Pirates might not kill you easily...
Maybe, I mean maybe, you’ll gain more secrets about the Blood Blade Pirates later! Can you tell me something?”
Gray Mouse added:
“As a reward, I’m willing to make an exception and give you a rare Shadow affinity skill card—Hound’s Pace. I just used this skill a moment ago.”
“Hound’s Pace?”
“Yes... This is a special reward given only to veterans, and only I can provide it.”
Gray Mouse lightly rubbed his hand and shot out a gray skill card.
Chen Qi took the skill card.
On the front was a ragged man under the moonlight, mimicking the posture of a hound, evading the pursuit of a giant tomb hand.
On the back was a mouse wearing a monocle, and at the bottom, a G signature. This special card back indicated the card was crafted by a card maker.
[Hound’s Pace
Affinity: Shadow
Learning Conditions: Master Qi Force, master a movement skill, minor Shadow affinity comprehension
Description: Like a hound, tear into your opponent!
Effect: Practicing this skill grants a large agility boost; activating it grants a significant movement boost, greatly increasing speed and reducing one’s spiritual energy field.
Note: Upon upgrading, you gain the ‘Blink Step’ skill, which can be used with Qi Force to achieve high-speed movement in a short time toward a direction.]
An agility-based Hound’s Pace... Chen Qi looked at this skill.
The burst speed increase, spiritual energy concealment, and the highly operable Blink Step made this a very comprehensive agility skill.
It could definitely be considered a graduation skill card for second-tier agility.
This was absolutely a must-have skill card from Gray Mouse!
Chen Qi scanned the other skill cards again and replied:
“No problem.”
Gray Mouse handed over the remaining five hundred thousand Shell Coins and the strength potion:
“To be honest, our association and the White Pigeon Press have long cooperated. If you get information, I’ll try to sell it to the White Pigeon Press at a high price, and we’ll split the profits.”
“...”
Mr. Gray Mouse, your business really is widespread... Chen Qi couldn’t help but comment.
From what he knew, Gray Mouse had dealings with both the Blood Blade Pirates and the Ice Demon Pirates!
As a half-official organization, Gray Mouse clearly didn’t care about the Hunter Association’s rules.
After receiving the affirmative response, Gray Mouse extended his hand and shook Chen Qi’s:
“Then it’s up to you! Levin!”
“???”
Levin? Chen Qi looked at Gray Mouse in confusion.
Had this chairman really checked my profile? Why call me Levin?
Wait, could it be because when I went to the distillery, I called myself Levin?
Chen Qi had specially told the distillery staff not to leak his information.
But unexpectedly, this information still reached the chairman’s ears.
He got the info but didn’t look at my profile... Chen Qi didn’t know how to respond.
Also, had I screwed up by using the name Levin...?
At this moment, Gray Mouse handed Chen Qi the second-tier Hunter License:
“As for the Black Hunter mission, you can take your time. Anyway, newcomer! Welcome to the Hunter Association! The freest organization on the Witch Sea!”
Chen Qi took the license and opened it; his name on the license was correct.
Finally got this Hunter License!
As for the Black Hunter mission... Chen Qi thought about it; the mission’s time frame was long. He couldn’t complete it directly or he might expose his identity.
Chen Qi nodded, gave a few perfunctory words, then left the Hunter Association to head to the dock and meet Fen, ready to start their maritime journey together.