I'm Just a Beast Tamer

Chapter 119: Chapter 117: The Bountied Item

The sight of ships lifted Jiang Zuo’s spirits.

It meant he was very close to the lands of humanity.

After confirming with the Seated Mountain Eagle that Fire Mist Island lay straight ahead, Jiang Zuo had it make a sharp right turn.

As expected, flying in this direction would quickly lead him back to the continent of humanity.

The two first-generation Seated Mountain Eagles, who were preparing to return to Fire Mist Island, followed him reluctantly for a while. They finally bid Jiang Zuo farewell and continued on their way toward the island.

Two days later, from high up in the sky, Jiang Zuo spotted a lush, green coastline in the distance.

More than half a day later, Jiang Zuo landed in the wilderness outside a town. He changed into a clean set of clothes from his storage bag that he hadn’t worn in a long time and walked into the small seaside town.

After asking around a bit, Jiang Zuo discovered he was in a coastal nation called the Dongyang Kingdom.

The Cyan Seagull Kingdom and the Flying Eagle Kingdom were a considerable distance from the Dongyang Kingdom, separated by several other nations.

Knowing the locations of the Cyan Seagull Kingdom and the Flying Eagle Kingdom, Jiang Zuo now had a rough idea of his own position on the continent.

It had been seventy-six years since Jiang Zuo left Fire Mist Island.

In over seventy years, the towns of humanity hadn’t changed much from when he had left.

After more than seventy years away from the world of humanity, the cooking spices and seasonings he had stored in his bag were long gone.

He hadn’t eaten a properly seasoned meal in a very long time.

Upon arriving in the seaside town, Jiang Zuo’s first order of business was to sample all of its delicacies and treat his poor stomach.

"Sir, would you care to come in for a drink?"

Before he knew it, Jiang Zuo had been eating from afternoon until evening.

As the lanterns were lit, it became clear that while the town was small, it lacked none of the usual establishments.

As he passed a brightly lit, debaucherous-looking building, a lavishly dressed woman called out to him in a flirtatious voice.

’Sir?’

Jiang Zuo froze for a moment before realizing she was speaking to him.

’Sir... right.’ He was, in the eyes of others, an old man now.

He had arrived at Fire Mist Island at around sixteen, was forced to leave at thirty-six, and had lived in seclusion on the Nameless Island for seventy-six years.

His age on his status panel now read one hundred and twelve.

With his Grandmaster Cultivation, his theoretical lifespan was one hundred and fifty years.

Although his actual lifespan was much longer, he couldn’t stop the signs of aging.

To any outsider, Jiang Zuo was unmistakably an old man.

However, Jiang Zuo had never been in the habit of growing a beard. On the Nameless Island, he would periodically use a dagger to shave it off before it got too long.

If his hair grew too long, he would cut it short with a single clean stroke.

So, despite not having seen another person for decades, Jiang Zuo was far from unkempt or slovenly.

And though Jiang Zuo did his best to restrain himself, his Grandmaster Cultivation and long years of experience gave him an inexplicable, faint aura.

He wore only a simple green robe, but upon seeing him, the woman from the brothel couldn’t help but feel he was no ordinary old man, which was why she had called out to him.

However, Jiang Zuo had no interest in visiting a brothel.

It wasn’t that he had no interest in beautiful women. Rather, he once had a classmate he was on good terms with who went into gynecology, which led to Jiang Zuo developing severe mysophobia. He was thus quite averse to places like brothels.

In his past life, when colleagues had invited him for massages or foot soaks, Jiang Zuo had always refused.

In truth, with the amount of silver taels he had now—more than he knew what to do with—it would be no problem at all to keep a beautiful mistress.

But Jiang Zuo was the type of person who, if he decided to do something, had to see it through and take full responsibility.

If he were to take a mistress, it would have to be for life.

But beauty fades. The thought that in just twenty or thirty years, a woman who fascinated him would grow old and lose her looks right before his eyes instantly extinguished any such desire.

’So, even immortality comes with its own set of troubles.’

"Hey, sir, don’t go! Tonight, our Yanchun Building’s top courtesan, Miss Hong Shang, is auctioning her maidenhood! It’s starting soon, and it’ll be a lively event. You should come in just to watch the spectacle!"

Seeing Jiang Zuo about to leave, the woman from the brothel quickly called out again.

’An auction for her maidenhood?’

Jiang Zuo had lived for more than two hundred years, yet he had never witnessed such an event.

He thought for a moment. ’Perhaps it would be interesting to go in and see it for myself.’

"This way, sir!"

Seeing that Jiang Zuo was interested, the woman quickly led him in with a beaming smile.

When Jiang Zuo entered, two young men who looked like scholars were already in the main hall, bidding fiercely for the top courtesan’s first night.

In this day and age, top courtesans generally sold their talents, not their bodies. They usually only started selling themselves once they were a bit older and their careers were on the decline.

This Hong Shang was about twenty-five or twenty-six. In this era, that was certainly not considered young, and she was likely on the verge of losing her title as top courtesan.

To Jiang Zuo, however, her age was just right. As a top courtesan, Hong Shang’s beauty was naturally exceptional and quite in line with his own tastes.

In the end, however, Jiang Zuo only had a few drinks, satisfied his curiosity, and left.

While drinking, he overheard that one of the two scholars and Hong Shang were in love. The plan was for him to buy out her contract from the Yanchun Building’s madam the day after her first night.

Although Jiang Zuo had more money than he knew what to do with, he had no interest in breaking up a happy couple.

In the end, the scholar successfully won his beloved and generously bought a round of drinks for everyone present.

Jiang Zuo got to watch the show and even scored a few free drinks. All in all, he felt it was a pretty good deal.

「The night passed.」

Early the next morning, Jiang Zuo began to get down to business.

When he went to the Bu Family, he planned to make himself look younger and play the part of a young man who had received their family token from an old man.

But before that, he needed to make use of his current identity as an old man to take care of a few things.

After gathering some supplies in town during the day, Jiang Zuo brazenly walked out of the city gates and headed toward the next town in the Dongyang Kingdom, with no intention of returning.

Once night fell, Jiang Zuo mounted his Seated Mountain Eagle and, in a short time, flew back to the town from partway down the road.

The town was deep in the quiet of the night. Jiang Zuo appeared alone behind the local branch of the Worldwide Bank.

With a flick of his hand, Jiang Zuo silently broke open a window and slipped inside the Worldwide Bank.

The interior of the Worldwide Bank was laid out in a complex manner to deter thieves, with many areas appearing to have traps.

Jiang Zuo summoned Great Black and had it find the room with the strongest scent of silver banknotes and silver taels.

Great Black’s sense of smell was far more powerful now than it used to be. It led Jiang Zuo to a room without any trouble.

Jiang Zuo recalled Great Black, then circulated his Inner Breath. He shattered the wooden bar securing the door from behind and walked in with ease.

"Hah! What thief is this? To dare target the Worldwide Bank... you’ve got some nerve!"

"I haven’t seen a thief this foolish in years!"

But Jiang Zuo had only just stepped inside when he was detected by someone in the room.

The person inside was, of course, the manager of this bank branch—a thin old man.

The thin old man sneered at the sight of Jiang Zuo, who was masked and dressed in black from head to toe.

"Go to sleep!"

He didn’t wait for Jiang Zuo to react before letting out a low shout.

As the sound hit him, Jiang Zuo felt a faint ripple in his mind. He glanced at the old man in surprise, his eyes drawn to a Jade Pendant in his hand.

’The Worldwide Bank truly is formidable,’ Jiang Zuo thought. ’Their branches are spread throughout the lands of humanity, yet even the manager of a small branch like this possesses such a tool.’

Anyone else, even a Meridian Passage expert, would have likely been knocked unconscious by that shout.

However, while the Jade Pendant might work on ordinary people, it was useless against Jiang Zuo.

His Spiritual Power had long surpassed what any ordinary person could match.

"Who... who are you? How are you unaffected?!"

The old man was stunned to see Jiang Zuo completely unfazed.

"Relax," Jiang Zuo said, his voice raspy. "I’m only here to ask about something. Cooperate, and I won’t harm you or take any of the bank’s money."

"What is it you wish to know?"

The old man was a man of the world. While he didn’t fully trust Jiang Zuo’s words, there was no harm in testing the waters.

"I know your bank has bounties out for certain items and information," Jiang Zuo stated. "I’d like to see the records. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done."

"That’s all?"

The old man was taken aback.

If that was all, he could certainly cooperate.

While that information was kept from the general public, it was completely open to people of a certain standing.

How else could they post bounties for treasures and information?

"That’s all. I possess a treasure I suspect you’re looking for, but I don’t want you to know about it. This was my only option."

Jiang Zuo nodded.

"One moment, esteemed guest."

The old man sensed that Jiang Zuo was telling the truth. He immediately went to a drawer by his bed and took out a small booklet.

"Everything the Worldwide Bank has a bounty on, items and information, is listed here. The list is updated from time to time when items are no longer sought, but that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. You may take this booklet, esteemed guest. See if it contains what you’re looking for."

The old man tossed the booklet over.

Jiang Zuo caught it with one hand and flipped it open, glancing through it.

"My apologies for the intrusion."

Leaving those words behind, Jiang Zuo vanished from the room without a trace.

Only after confirming that Jiang Zuo was gone did the old man hurriedly wake the bank’s guards to take inventory and see if anything had been stolen.

Outside the town walls, Jiang Zuo carefully read the booklet’s contents by the faint moonlight.

"Various objects from beyond the heavens, including meteorites."

"Thousand-Year Cold Iron Ore: Cold Iron that has gestated in polar ice for over a millennium."

"Earth Core Crimson Iron Ore: A fiery-red iron ore found deep within the earth’s fires."

"Heaven and Earth Primordial Power Ore: A special, rare mineral. Characteristics as follows..."

"Land of Supreme Bliss: Individuals born therein possess immense strength from childhood and develop abnormally. The simultaneous appearance of many such individuals may indicate the emergence of a Land of Supreme Bliss."

"Land of Extreme Evil: Inhabitants of a Land of Extreme Evil will become irascible and vicious, ultimately leading to large numbers of mortals dying violently in the streets."

...

"Life Essence Returning Skill Cultivation Jade Stone. Characteristics of the Jade Stone and Cultivation Technique are as follows..."

The booklet didn’t contain many entries, only twenty-some in total. Jiang Zuo quickly found the one for the Life Essence Returning Skill.

Having found his answer, Jiang Zuo nodded and prepared to burn the booklet.

But then he casually flipped to the last page. His eyes narrowed at what he saw there.

"Mysterious Stele: Not heavy, but Indestructible. Cannot be destroyed by any means."

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