Witch, I Swear I’m Not a Deep Sea Ancient God!

Chapter 240: White Tower Hunters

Blank card... Chen Qi's eyes lit up instantly.

Blank cards were special drops from Phantom, Shadow, and Book affinity dimensional rifts, serving as templates for skill cards, profession cards, disposable cards, and backpack cards.

For card makers, blank cards were absolutely essential materials.

Ordinary card maker apprentices could mass-produce blank cards, but cards imbued with affinity powers required specific monster drops.

As for this blank card emitting black mist, there were two possibilities: first, it could be a Shadow affinity blank card; second, it might be a Phantom affinity card.

Of course, there was another possibility...

Chen Qi widened his eyes.

With his heightened spiritual perception, he could sense two distinct energies intertwining within - the oppressive spiritual energy of Shadow affinity and an eerily calm energy radiating continuously.

This blank card possessed dual affinities.

Though it only had one additional affinity, the rarity of a Phantom-Shadow blank card was fifty times that of a single-affinity skill card.Phantom-Shadow blank cards possessed powerful spatial properties. When combined with Wriggling Shadows harvested from the Witch Sea, even an ordinary Book-Hammer affinity card maker apprentice could craft formidable field weapon cards like "Forest of Wriggling Shadow Tentacles."

With further Shadow affinity research, one could even develop Shadow Release techniques like "Tentacle Tsunami."

Third-tier Book, Hammer, and Mind affinity Transcendents had already begun adopting mass-production strategies - Hammer affinity's miniature steam mecha soldiers, Mind affinity beastmasters' animal hordes, and Book affinity Transcendents' field tactics.

Among these, "Tentacle Tsunami" was an exceptionally powerful field card skill. A single card could defend against Shadow beast attacks during Smiling Moon events.

Phantom-Shadow blank cards were special post-Smiling Moon drops with only a 1% drop rate from third-tier Book-Shadow monsters.

To find one here... Most people probably didn't realize its true value yet... Chen Qi rested his chin on his hand and asked excitedly:

"What level mission do I need to complete for that blank card?"

Captain Sea Serpent narrowed his eyes in thought:

"A Shadow affinity blank card... With the Shadow Tide approaching soon... Considering you're new, you could either maintain tentacle grass fields or help our Sea God Pirates build defensive structures against the Shadow Tide."

The captain smirked and pointed to another reward:

"Why not pick Muddy instead? It's our specialty - a mud-like creature that can coat your entire body. Long-term baths with Muddy provide unprecedented comfort and leave you with a special scent that repels sea beasts."

As he spoke, Captain Sea Serpent hugged himself, his face turning red as he made an expression of ecstasy!

"???"

You can explain without the weird gestures... Chen Qi side-eyed the captain.

Besides the Sea Goddess tattoo on his back, the captain's clothes were covered in patterns of water spirits, tentacle grass, sea serpents, and tiny seahorses - clearly a marine pet enthusiast.

And he completely missed the blank card's special nature.

Hmm, doesn't even seem interested... Chen Qi thought for a moment before saying:

"I'll take the tentacle grass maintenance job. Two fields to start."

Tentacle grass was notoriously temperamental sea flora. To most, this was extremely dangerous work - one misstep and you'd find yourself bound head-to-toe in tentacles.

It was backbreaking labor requiring real skill.

But for Chen Qi? Easier than harvesting medicinal ingredients from sea beasts with Little Crow.

Wait - he wouldn't even need to do it himself!

With six water spirits under his command, each could maintain an entire tentacle grass field.

Alone, he could manage six fields simultaneously!

No, considering water spirits only needed four hours of rest per day...

If he pushed their rest time down to two hours, his water spirits could handle all tentacle grass fields around Sea God Island!

Without hesitation, Chen Qi declared:

"I'll take two fields!"

"Two fields? That's at least twelve hours of work - nobody wants this grueling job..."

Captain Sea Serpent looked impressed by the backbreaking offer:

"Alright! Brother, seeing how you bear Sea Beast Disease yet work so hard, I'll give you the reward in advance."

"???"

Chen Qi's eyes widened.

The captain puffed his chest, spoke to an attendant, then handed over the blank card:

"This thing's useless to us anyway. Take it! Work hard! Stick with us and you're family - we'll get you to third-tier!"

Captain Sea Serpent smiled inwardly.

His spiritual energy perception clearly sensed Chen Qi's aura.

For a second-tier Transcendent, Chen Qi's energy field was remarkably strong.

Normally, a Shadow affinity blank card might fetch 100,000 Shell Coins at most.

Using 100,000 Shell Coins to dangle a carrot before a capable second-tier Transcendent and boost his loyalty? A fantastic deal.

More importantly, maintaining one tentacle grass field was actually worth about 100,000 Shell Coins in difficulty.

By that math, he was profiting an extra 100,000 Shell Coins.

[You obtained Phantom-Shadow Blank Card.]

Just like that... Chen Qi accepted the card in disbelief.

The Sea God Pirates truly had no idea of their merchandise's real value.

What an amateur operation... Chen Qi pocketed the card and got straight to the point:

"By the way, Captain, truth be told - I want to become a third-tier Lamp Keeper. Any pathways?"

"Lamp Keeper... Let me think... Huh?"

The captain's eyes bulged.

This hunter wanted to become a Lamp Keeper!

Every Lamp Keeper was crucial to an island's security forces.

Especially post-Smiling Moon, with Shadow Tides bringing dangerous whispers in the night.

Lamp Keepers' status had skyrocketed - their strength determined Sea God Island's nighttime safety!

One could say Lamp Keepers were the island's very gates!

Their position ranked higher than even pirate captains!

Captain Sea Serpent dropped his jovial expression:

"You're not some other pirate crew's spy, are you?"

Without Lamp Keepers monitoring, their carefully laid tentacle grass formations, Black Sludge traps, and sea vortex traps could all be dismantled by enemies.

Handing the Lamp Keeper position to an outsider was like giving your house keys to a stranger!

Ultimately, Chen Qi was just some newcomer of unknown origins!

Chen Qi said earnestly:

"Of course not. I follow the Lantern's Code. I don't want the Lamp Keeper position itself, but their Profession Card. Truthfully, I've been stuck at second-tier too long - I need a path forward."

"A path forward..."

The captain pondered before saying:

"Distant hunter, post-Smiling Moon, a third-tier Lamp affinity Profession Card's value exceeds your imagination!

Unless you have connections, you'll have to earn it yourself. The only method I know is defeating the madman - the Lantern's Shadow. But the odds are slim, and you lack the strength..."

In current circumstances, without third-tier backing, a second-tier Transcendent could never obtain a third-tier Profession Card... The captain added:

"Of course, there's another option - formally join the Sea God Pirates for three months. Based on your performance, the High Priest might bestow a Lamp Keeper Profession Card."

Chen Qi asked:

"A madman? Lantern's Shadow?"

Undoubtedly, this Lantern's Shadow was his long-sought target! A deranged Lamp Keeper!

At the mention, Captain Sea Serpent frowned:

"He was originally our Stone Lighthouse's keeper. But twenty days ago, after prophesying Smiling Moon's arrival, he went mad. He abandoned faith in the Sea Goddess to worship the Lantern Reaper."

"Before leaving, he swore to slaughter everyone on Sea God Island post-Smiling Moon. Just yesterday, he and Shadow beasts ambushed a merchant ship, costing us 50 million Shell Coins, thirty crew, and five second-tier Transcendents like you..."

"Furthermore, he vowed that when the Shadow Tide comes, he'd make Sea God Island experience its terror!"

Here, the captain's pupils contracted into snake-like slits, trying to dissuade Chen Qi.

The Shadow Tide's boss, huh... Chen Qi pondered.

The Shadow Tide was a post-Smiling Moon natural disaster.

Simply put, light-fearing Shadow beasts unable to hunt would mass together for one terrifying assault!

These Shadow beast hordes reached unimaginable scales.

They targeted populated, well-lit areas - making sea islands prime targets.

Powerful Shadow Tides could obliterate cities - truly horrifying disasters.

Sea God Island's Shadow Tide combined with a Class C Shadow affinity rift, making it the largest Shadow beast horde within a month post-Smiling Moon!

A rift-combined Shadow Tide was essentially a special dimensional rift type!

"Massive Shadow Tide..."

Chen Qi frowned.

The captain crossed his arms:

"Exactly. Why else would we recruit so many mercenaries? That madman will appear during the Tide. If you're lucky...

No, just give up! Brother, you're only second-tier - no match against the hundred third-tier hunters we hired!"

"Stealing kills..."

Chen Qi closed his eyes.

A deranged Lamp Keeper - defeating him wasn't the issue at his current strength.

The real problem was during the Shadow Tide, as the boss, other hunters might kill him first.

Then it becomes a kill-stealing competition!

Any solutions... Chen Qi thought.

Simple - just kill this boss before the Tide arrives.

Chen Qi said quietly:

"Captain, you seem worried about the Shadow Tide. I'd like to request a scouting mission into its origin point."

The moment these words left his mouth, surrounding hunters and pirates all turned shocked gazes his way.

"Huh?"

Captain Sea Serpent looked utterly incredulous.

Scouting the Shadow Tide's origin was extremely dangerous yet vital - like a foot soldier charging straight into enemy headquarters.

But this mission's importance couldn't be overstated. Intelligence on the Tide's scale and attack routes beforehand would drastically reduce defensive difficulty.

While assigning dangerous grunt work to clueless newcomers was the captain's style, this time he couldn't help asking:

"Why? Have you gone mad?"

"I'm Lamp affinity - skilled against Shadow beasts. Plus I need bulk Wriggling Shadow materials."

Chen Qi said expressionlessly:

"If I want to become a true Lantern Bearer, I must brave the darkness fearlessly."

Then he theatrically added:

"Besides, if Sea God Island becomes my home someday, I should have the courage to protect it."

Home... The captain didn't know how to react.

He'd planned to exploit this no-background fool with dangerous missions to squeeze out his value.

Yet before even beginning indoctrination, Chen Qi already considered Sea God Island his home!

And was willing to venture into the Shadow Tide's origin to scout for its sake!

What a saint! I misjudged him... The captain felt deeply moved.

Nearby hunters also showed admiration, whispering:

"A second-tier daring such dangerous work?"

"Who is he? A defector from Beiguo Meteorological Bureau?"

"Some chef newcomer apparently..."

"A second-tier rookie entering the Shadow Tide? Suicide! The origin point has at least 100,000 Shadow beasts! Maybe millions!"

"Must be new. Brainwashed by those pirates. That High Priest ruins lives."

"Keep it down."

Most hunters shook heads but feigned support.

After all, more Shadow Tide intelligence meant safer conditions for everyone!

Captain Sea Serpent placed solemn hands on Chen Qi's shoulders:

"Brother, your name?"

"Qi."

The captain spoke gratefully:

"Qi, my brother! What guts! I'll mark the Shadow Tide's origin immediately. Truthfully, our weather tower shows the Tide will assault Sea God Island within three days!"

"Only five scouts have volunteered! Your intel could save thousands!"

"Mm, the rewards..."

Chen Qi inquired.

The captain grew animated:

"Three million Shell Coins! Plus exclusive forbidden knowledge from our pirate archives!"

Three million - not bad... Chen Qi was pleased with his current financial state.

The captain sweetened the deal:

"Oh, and if you succeed, I'll give you my personal bathing Muddy!"

You can give pets as gifts?... Chen Qi declined:

"No need."

"Then how about our High Priestess's bathing Muddy..."

"That's... also unnecessary..."

What's with your Muddy obsession?... Chen Qi looked exasperated.

Without hesitation, the captain handed over the origin-point marked sea chart.

Slightly dangerous... Wonder if Fen left yet... Chen Qi planned his route.

Then a playful female voice interrupted:

"Little brother, if you truly provide Shadow Tide intelligence, our Book Tower would gladly craft cards for you free of charge."

That voice... Chen Qi looked toward its source.

A silver-haired woman sat on a barstool, swirling her drink while smiling at him.

Her long white eyebrows arched elegantly above a straight nose bridge. Though wearing standard white hunter garb, she exuded noble grace.

Beside her sat five equally white-uniformed hunters, expressions icy.

White Tower Federation - Book Tower hunters.