Wilderness: I Tame Beasts to Survive

Chapter 464: Chapter 307: Solicitation and Commission (Part 2)

They weren’t very familiar with each other, so after a few pleasantries about their recent situations, the conversation died down. Only Shui Rui, who was skilled in social graces, kept up the awkward small talk.

"So, Miss Shui Rui, why don’t you just tell us what this is all about?" Han Ning said with a smile, interrupting Shui Rui’s stream of faint smiles and compliments.

"Sigh, it’s a long story..." Shui Rui let out a long sigh and stopped holding back, laying out the situation.

"Have any of you heard of the Deep Sea Race?"

"The Deep Sea Race? I know a little. What does this have to do with them?" Han Ning grew even more confused.

"..."

It turned out the Merfolk Sea Alliance was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.

Within the Merfolk Sea Alliance, Shui Rui was in the Spiritual Materials trade. This business involved purchasing Soul Beast Materials of varying value from Alien Races outside the alliance’s territory, then transporting, processing, and selling them internally.

Alternatively, she would transport processed Soul Beast Materials to the territories of the Alien Races to sell.

You couldn’t get by in this line of work without a powerful background. Shui Rui normally had to spend a great deal of money to grease the wheels with her superiors and subordinates.

"Don’t be fooled by the fact that I’m one of the 36 elders of the Merfolk Sea Alliance. My rank is in the low thirties at best... And I’m not even a pure-blooded Merfolk. I’m from the Illusion Sea Race, a subsidiary of the Merfolk, so I have even less say in the alliance," Shui Rui said, her tone full of grievance.

And this was where her problem began.

Originally, Shui Rui had already established a good relationship with one of the top ten elders of the Merfolk Sea Alliance. They had an internal agreement that her race would secure the acquisition rights for Spiritual Materials from a certain Alien Race’s territory for the next three years.

But unexpectedly, another elder in the Merfolk Sea Alliance who was in the same line of business somehow managed to hijack her slot.

With the deal suddenly canceled, Shui Rui was so upset she couldn’t sleep for days. She began using her connections to negotiate with other high-ranking members of the Merfolk Sea Alliance, and her race’s faction within the alliance also started to take action.

The final result of their negotiations was that both sides would take a step back. They decided to use a Soul Beast battle to determine who would get the slot.

Shui Rui was just a low-ranking elder. She couldn’t afford to hire a top-tier Beast Master, so she had no choice but to constantly use her connections to find a cost-effective Beast Master who met her requirements.

"And that’s the situation. The faction backing my rival is stronger than mine and might even involve the Deep Sea Race. Just getting the opportunity for a fair fight was the absolute most I could do..." Shui Rui took a sip of tea, her expression utterly miserable.

Anyone would be upset to have a prize snatched from their grasp like that.

After hearing this, Han Ning’s expression showed interest. He continued, "Tell me the rules. Also, you’re looking for someone for a duel, right? Why did you set your sights on me without knowing my strength?"

"Let me answer your second question first." Shui Rui personally refilled Han Ning’s "tea" and said with a wry smile, "Among your companions, there are two Upper Witch Spirit People, are there not? In recent years, with the war between the Witch Spirit and the Alataku People reaching a fever pitch, Upper Witch Spirit People are rarely seen anywhere but the battlefield..."

"The Witch Spirit Race is different from small clans like ours. When they come of age, nearly sixty percent of their people become true Beast Masters. The Upper Witch Spirit People are the nobility of their race. To be traveling with them means your own strength cannot be underestimated. So... I thought I’d take a chance on you."

"Besides, with Upper Witch Spirit People appearing in the Merfolk Sea Alliance, who’s to say it isn’t related to the war?"

"As for the rules."

"We’ve stipulated that each side will send out three Beast Masters. Each person can only use one Soul Beast, and their power is restricted to the Lord Level. A side loses only when their last Soul Beast is completely unable to battle."

"Thankfully, I had the foresight to limit the Soul Beasts’ power. If they could send out Soul Beasts above the Monarch Level, I might as well have just surrendered from the start." Shui Rui said, letting out a rush of words as if she’d finally found an outlet for her grievances.

"Lord Level? What’s the reward? And how many people have you found so far?"

Han Ning’s interest piqued even more when he heard "Lord Level."

"At the moment, including you, that makes two. I’m still one short. Do you happen to know any suitable candidates?"

"A suitable candidate..." Han Ning turned his head to look at Lin Tianhe. "Bro, you interested?"

Han Ning wasn’t interested in a fight with no reward, but if the other party was paying, and he happened to be short on cash, that was a different story.

"Me... If the opponent is about the same level as that Shui Yun girl, I could give it a try. But only on the condition that I can use Spiritual Secret Techniques," Lin Tianhe said, sounding a little unconfident.

"Take a look at this first." Shui Rui gestured to her sister.

The young woman understood. She picked up a thin wooden box from the adjacent seat, opened it, and pushed it in front of them.

Inside the wooden box, which was thirty centimeters long and nearly a meter wide, lay five objects of different shapes.

"Jade Moon Grass, Void Spirit Stone, Geomagnetic Elemental Crystal, Monarch Soul Crystal..."

Han Ning’s gaze swept over them, and information about the several materials instantly appeared on his panel.

Their value wasn’t exceptionally high, but it wasn’t low either. For a Lord Level Soul Beast, they were extremely precious. But for a Monarch Level one, aside from the Monarch Crystal Stone, the effects of these materials were rather lackluster.

’A Geomagnetic Elemental Crystal of such high quality would be very useful for Egg Pancake. This commission might be worth taking...’

Considering Egg Pancake was close to a breakthrough evolution, not to mention the reward of the Geomagnetic Elemental Crystal, establishing a relationship with an elder from the Alien Race Alliance would also be helpful for collecting various materials in the future.

"This is just a greeting gift... one for each of you. In addition, I can give you that Fire Dragon Heart you wanted for free. And the Divine Intent Seed from the Red Lotus Mountain Beast—I will do everything in my power to get it for you!" Shui Rui said, gritting her teeth.

Materials of this caliber were extremely precious, even to an elder like her.

"If young man Tianhe can demonstrate the strength to defeat Shui Yun, I have a generous gift for him as well!"

"Also... Shuili will act as your guide and accompany you for several days. During this time, she will satisfy all of your needs." As she said this last part, a faint blush crept onto Shui Rui’s cheeks.

The young woman beside her kept her head down and said nothing.

’So she’s a paid escort. No wonder she’s dressed so revealingly...’ Lin Tianhe bared his teeth and couldn’t help but send Han Ning a private message.

"I have a question. If we fight for you, will we face retaliation from the other party? I heard you say they have a Deep Sea Race background. Aren’t you and the Deep Sea Race enemies?" Han Ning didn’t agree right away, instead continuing to ask questions.

"The Deep Sea Race is also divided into multiple factions. We are indeed hostile to one of their clans, but we maintain relatively friendly relations with the vast majority of the Deep Sea People. Besides, they occupy almost the entire Celestial Sea. A small internal squabble within our Merfolk Sea Alliance won’t attract their attention."

"This is only part of the reward. If we succeed, you will each receive an identical set of materials, and I will gift you other materials as well." Shui Rui chuckled and emphasized it again, her words tinged with confidence.

"Haha, you’re too kind, Miss Shui Rui. First, tell us about the opponent’s specific strength. When does the battle begin?" Han Ning was quite satisfied with the reward, but he maintained a calm expression.

"The one competing against me is one of the elders of the Merfolk Sea Alliance, the Vice Clan Leader of the Quicksand Race—Sha Lei. From the information I’ve gathered, they have currently found a Beast Master from the Quicksand Race with Tier Three Spiritual Power and an Upper Lord Level Wind Elemental Elf."

"And a Merfolk Beast Master, also with Tier Three Spiritual Power, whose Soul Beast is a B-Grade Storm Thunder Eagle."

"As for the third person, I don’t know yet."

As Shui Rui spoke, her smiling gaze landed on Han Ning again as she asked,

"You’re asking for so many details, Han Ning. Does that mean you’re preparing to accept this big sister’s commission?"

"I need some time to think it over. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow." After a moment of thought, Han Ning felt he could take the commission, but to be on the safe side, he didn’t reply immediately. He planned to go back and consult with the others.

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