Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 126 The Master of the Blue-Eyed Merchant Guild

"Have you found any trace of Ice Maiden Yesia from Ling Island?" Violet asked.

“Nothing was found at the site of your battle,” Charles shook his head. “But there are reports that she was seen in the northern Naga territory, and the Federation is still investigating.”

"They didn't die even after all that!" Su Ming exclaimed.

“After all, he is a Saint-level expert,” Zi Jin said. “The vitality of orcs is annoying.”

“There aren’t many strong members in the orcish forces. Bing Shuyeshia is the only Saint-level being openly recognized,” Charles said, placing the half-eaten sesame seed cake in his hand aside. “After being so badly injured by you, even if she recovers, she’ll be half-crippled.”

Su Ming looked at the nautical chart; the journey back to Ling Island from the Naga territory wasn't short. Considering the White Triangle's speed advantage, they did have ample time to search the surrounding islands.

"In addition, the Star Rain fleet has headed to Ling Island North Port to interrogate the Orc Kingdom by force, and the remaining high-end Orc combat forces have been tied down," Charles continued.

The white skull brought over a new sesame seed cake, which Charles set aside next to the other half.

"Except for a very few who might hinder you."

“So now is indeed a good opportunity to find this base,” Su Ming said.

"Regarding the reward, the Alliance is willing to pay 8 gold coins, and hopes that if you have the opportunity, you will destroy the base directly," Charles continued. "An additional 3 can be paid for this."

"Destroy?" Violet asked.

“Yes,” Charles replied. “I personally think this is the best way to eliminate the threat completely. As long as we can successfully destroy the zombie base, even if we don’t find the remaining three little sea monsters, the maritime trade crisis will naturally be resolved in two months.” As he spoke, he handed over another piece of paper.

"This is the settlement statement for the first phase of the mission. Please take a look."

The paper listed the rewards for the first phase of the sea monster quest: a base fee of 5 gold coins, a reward of 2 gold coins for killing the first giant octopus, 9 gold coins for the next two giant octopuses and one giant whale, a settlement fee of 1 gold coins, and 2 gold coins for zombie analysis data, totaling 19 gold coins.

Discovering the mastermind behind it all, Lingdao Bing Shu Yesiya, will earn an additional reward of 11 gold coins, along with a combat subsidy. A portion of this reward will go to Bei Anqi, who is also participating in the battle; the specific amount will be negotiated by Su Ming and his team.

The entry of the Five Teeth into the water was not part of a mission assigned by the Federation, and the ship was responsible for its own losses. However, considering the bravery and contributions of the crew, the Federation assumed responsibility for the compensation and benefits of the deceased crew members.

After deducting the materials requested by Violet during the subsequent supply mission and the 5 gold coins already paid, the total amount settled for the mission is 18 gold coins.

The ransom for the captain of the Ghost Ship, which had been overlooked before, was now dutifully paid up.

Judging from the organization of the list, the Federation is extremely trustworthy in keeping the contract, with a high level of integrity, and even honestly calculated the late payment fee of about 5000 gold coins.

Within the firing range of the Mk71 cannon, there truly lies the realm of truth and civilization!
“Sea Monster No. 4 was exhausted and hardened to death during the battle with us,” Violet told Charles. “This should be counted as a result of the battle.”

Charles glanced discreetly at the gatekeeper. “We can pay 1 gold coins at our discretion.”

"Please pay 3 as per the contract." Zijin's tone was firm. "You will bear all the consequences of breach of contract."

Charles argued for a few moments, then reluctantly increased the payment to $21.6.

Zijin and Su Ming didn't want to waste time on overly detailed matters, and seeing that there were no problems, Zijin signed her agreement.

Charles handed over the third document of the day. "We've prepared an agreement regarding the investigation of the zombie base. Please take a look; if you have no objections, we can sign it."

Su Ming flipped through the document, which stipulated the objectives of the investigation, the rights and obligations of both the Federation and the White Triangle, and the rules for cooperation.

This time it's written in great detail, more than double the length. It must be said that these businessmen are truly shrewd and pragmatic; no wonder they've been able to build such a large business.

After some haggling, the price was raised to 13 gold coins, and the two signed the contract immediately.

"The Federation thanks you both for your great help!" Charles then pulled out another letter. "This is entrusted to me by the Temple of Light to be delivered. It must be opened by the Owl Scholar himself."

The envelope is made of the finest magical materials and is covered with intricate runes that cannot be seen through. It will self-destruct immediately if opened by someone other than the person who opened it.

"He's really willing to spend that much!" Zijin exclaimed.

She opened the envelope and pulled out a card. Su Ming leaned over to glance at it; it only had one line written on it: "The counterfeit Gospel is useless to you. Three hundred thousand gold coins. You decide the method of transaction!"

In just one second, the words on the card disappeared, leaving only a blank card in Violet's hand.

“Scholar Chestnut Owl, the Church of Light requests that you write your reply on a card, put it in an envelope, and seal it as is,” Charles said. “I will deliver it on your behalf.”

A mocking smile played on Zi Jin's lips. She put the envelope and letter away, tucking them into a book on the table. This letter was clearly unusual; it could be broken down into decent magical materials. Why return it?
"What letter did you just say?" she asked, smiling at Charles.

Charles rose calmly, bowed respectfully, and said, "The matter is settled; please allow me to take my leave."

He then packed up his briefcase and left.

Su Ming watched with great interest as Charles walked out of the cabin and, with his guards, returned to the Little Coat without looking back.

"This guy was too pretentious today," Su Ming said.

“Not surprising, he made it clear that the guards weren’t his own people.” Zijin yawned.

It seems quite a lot has happened within the Federation this time; Charles himself appears to be under surveillance and investigation. However, Su Ming and Zi Jin are not concerned about such matters.

“Does Charles really need to act like this?” Su Ming was very dissatisfied. “Is he deliberately implying that we have a problem? What kind of guessing game is this?”

Zijin thought for a moment, "Actually, it's quite easy to answer. His statement, 'Even if the remaining three little sea monsters are not found,' is a reminder that once we find the zombie breeding base, we will immediately be disposed of."

Su Ming originally thought that the Temple of Light would only turn against him after the sea monster incident was completely resolved, but it seems that they are much more impatient than he imagined.

This also demonstrates the extreme confidence of the Council of Light in this joint dragon attack. How exactly did they resolve the issue of the dragons settling on the ocean? Su Ming pondered.

"Why is that guy suddenly eating a pancake for no reason?" Zijin suddenly asked. "This guy is so picky. The first time he came, he wouldn't eat it even when we offered him such fragrant instant noodles."

“That’s not instant noodles,” Su Ming corrected. “It’s just leftover instant noodle crumbs, and you burned them.”

“Cooking human food is such a hassle.” Violet loosened her hair, smoothed the strands, and began to recall Charles’s actions. “He took a bite of the first one, asked for the second, but then deliberately pushed it aside—I understand, he’s reminding us that there might be a problem with the supplies. This one works, but the next one won’t!”

The next supply is scheduled after the storm area is surveyed, but the enemy has already begun planning.

"It could be poison, a bomb, or some other weird scheme." Violet's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "Too lazy to guess. We'll just blow up the supply ship too!"

“…I always feel like I’m too innocent, out of place in this world.” Su Ming sighed. “By the way, we need to thoroughly check the supplies this time.”

“I would have done it even if you hadn’t said anything,” Violet said, standing up. “So we need to hurry and finish this quickly so we can get away and disappear from their sight.”

“I still don’t quite understand,” Su Ming said. “Charles doesn’t seem to be under any restrictions. He can easily pass on this information by simply slipping a note into his hand.”

“It’s just a way to avoid liability—to avoid giving us any grounds for complaint or leaving any evidence, so that whatever we’re talking about is just our own speculation,” Violet replied. “But this guy is good enough; he did remind us.”

She yawned as she spoke.

"Why are you even more sleepy than me?" Su Ming asked curiously.

Zijin rolled her eyes at him. "You slept so comfortably. I was dragged by Bei Anqi to read the documentation on the anti-roll gyroscope and assemble it with her. We didn't get to sleep until four in the morning!" "You really spoil her."

****
After Charles left, another ship, the Mimosa, arrived. This time it was from a large fleet, and the trader brought settlements including escort fees and proceeds from the spoils auction, totaling around 27 gold coins.

After calculating, the majority of the revenue still came from auctioning off pirate ships captured during battles. Escort services only accounted for a small portion, and the remaining 55% was deducted from the losses of the cargo ship that boarded the ship.

The speed at which wealth is accumulated through robbery and plunder is undeniable.

Both transactions used gold coins that had been melted down into magic crystals, with a unit weight of approximately 1 gram. Therefore, the total of over 400,000 gold coins, when piled up on the white triangle, amounted to about the volume of two chests.

"You dare to come here on the Blue-Eyed Merchant Guild's ship?" Violet said calmly, noticing the markings on the ship.

Previously, at a meeting of the Federation, the Blue-Eyed Merchants Association proposed that everyone make things difficult for Su Ming and his group. As a warning, Violet forcibly dismantled the supply ship that they had brought to deliver supplies and burned it as firewood.

“Scholar Chestnut Owl, if smashing the ship makes you feel better, please do so!” The captain of the Mimosa immediately bowed and said, “What happened before was all the fault of our merchant guild!”

They were quick to understand the situation. The scholar was in a good mood, so he didn't make a fuss and even gave the sailors a large sum of copper coins as a reward.

However, after the ship was sent away, Su Ming discovered that the two large boxes containing gold coins in the workshop were gone.

"You put it away so quickly?" Su Ming said. "I wanted to take one more look, but I couldn't resist."

Upon seeing the stacks of gold bricks, Su Ming wondered if his aesthetic sense had been downgraded: Why would he think that something with such a tacky and unartistic design was the most beautiful thing in the world?

“I’ve sent them off,” Violet replied, already sitting at the table, having opened a pile of books and notes.

"Send away?"

“I’ll say it again, money is useless to us,” Violet replied. “It should be in the market and trading houses, entering the circulation process and being exchanged for resources.”

Su Ming didn't quite understand. But as he looked back at the Mimosa ship that had already sailed away, he realized something. "Wait, that's the ship!"

"There's a hidden compartment in the lower deck of the Mimosa, and I had two skeletons stuff them in there."

“No, let me sort this out.” Su Ming raised his hand, many things flowing through his mind. “The Azure-Eyed Merchant Guild—” He pointed at the girl, “is yours!”

“Not entirely. Michaele Booker, the president of the Blue-Eyed Merchant Guild, was my apprentice seventy years ago,” Violet replied. “He had limited talent, so he dropped out of school to go into business after twenty years. I provided him with tremendous support at the time. I hold 70% of the guild’s shares through secret ownership.”

Very well, from the questioning to the smashing of the ship, everything has been staged! The price of just a small boat has left no room for doubt that the Blue-Eyed Merchant Guild belongs to Violet!

The girl in front of me, the Owl Scholar, truly lives up to her reputation as someone standing at the top of this world!
Su Ming was a little annoyed by this high-level game.

"You should have told me sooner!" he said, sounding very reproachful.

I thought you would enjoy this kind of riddle.

Su Ming glanced at the scholar but said nothing more.

Zijin put down her book and looked at Su Ming. "You're angry."

Su Ming took a deep breath and composed himself.

“Because decision-making is exhausting. I’m always dealing with all sorts of things, a whole host of situations to resolve—so you shouldn’t hide such an important matter from me.” He told the scholar frankly, “I’ve already expressed what I wanted to say. And then, I’m fine, just give me a break.”

Most of the time, Su Ming maintains his rationality, keeping his emotions on the outside. But so many things have happened in quick succession lately that even with his personality, he can't always calmly cope with wave after wave of pressure.

However, for office workers, EMO is nothing new, and adjusting oneself is a daily routine.

Instead of wasting his time, he picked up a whip, made a meter-long spinning top out of bones, and ran to the deck to whip it.

Zijin sat at the table and pondered for a while. She felt that she should probably take some time to improve her emotional intelligence. She picked up her pen and continued writing, but found that she couldn't concentrate and the manuscript she wrote was a mess.

A glint of light shone from the scholar's fingertips as he erased the newly written text from the notebook, restoring the paper to its pristine white. At the same time, a question arose in his mind: what was the problem on his end?
Zijin wanted to ask Bei Anqi for advice, but she was sure Bei Anqi was in the lower deck at the moment. However, the scholar didn't waste her time either, so she put down her books and went to the deck as well.

****
The supply ship had already sailed far away, and none of the other ships dared to approach. The waters around the White Triangle were crystal clear. On the deck, whips cracked back and forth, and the huge solid spinning top was whipped by Su Ming, changing position and posture at will.

Before Zi Jin noticed, Su Ming had already used his whip quite well.

She pondered that it was time to conclude this phase of his training.

As Zijin approached, Su Ming instinctively lashed out at the scholar with his whip, creating distance and casting a shield on himself.

"No fighting now." Violet gripped the whip, making no other move.

This is strange, Su Ming said, puzzled. "Did I affect your mood... I told you I'm fine."

“There’s something I’d like to discuss.” The scholar tossed aside her whip. “In my experience, backstabbing and scheming have always been the norm. Even with my longtime apprentice, Michelle Booker, I don’t completely trust him.” She walked to the railing at the edge of the stern deck, gazing at the sea. “Besides the interdependence of interests in the Blue-Eyed Merchant Guild, the reason he doesn’t dare betray me is that I have too much dirt on him. Once exposed, he’ll be brought down from his pedestal in no time and devoured by those around him.”

"So?" Su Ming flicked his wrist, the whip folding back into a W shape. He fastened the rope, hung it around his waist, and walked to the railing. Before them stretched the beautiful V-shaped trail of the white triangle towards the distant horizon.

A white seagull swooped down and plunged into the waves. Then it grabbed a fish that had been stunned by the propeller, broke out of the water, and flapped its wings, leaving behind a spray of glistening water droplets.

“I hope you can understand. In my past experiences, I have never met anyone like you.” Violet looked at the bird and said frankly, “What I want to say is that although I sometimes find you soft-hearted, your moral standards are far higher than those of the world I live in.”

“This isn’t exactly a good thing,” Su Ming replied. “It’s just a difference caused by different upbringing. Morality won’t help this sheltered baby like me live even one more second in this world.”

“No, it’s actually quite good,” Violet said. “You don’t understand how much you’ve benefited from it—your mental strength has improved rapidly during this period without encountering any obstacles, precisely because you are extremely resilient in your self-awareness.”

"Self-awareness? Delusion?" Su Ming heard words he didn't understand again.

"It can be understood as a code of conduct, or as a belief. The stronger one's spiritual power, the easier it is to lose one's way of thinking."

Su Ming focused his mind. "The consequences will be severe?"

“Of course. In our world, almost all power is determined by the will of the mind. Once you lose control, you will become addicted to it. At best, you will stop cultivating; at worst, you will have to stop cultivating altogether.” Zi Jin’s tone became more relaxed. “I use the practice of the doctrines of the Light to solidify my consciousness and break through my own level in order to meet the needs of improving my spiritual power.”

Wielding a giant weapon tests one's physical weight, and wielding complex and vast spiritual power also tests one's mental world.

Whether one can sway power or be swayed by it is not a choice for high-ranking combatants, but a fatal question that will come at a huge cost if they make a mistake. If they cannot do this, they are better off staying in the lower ranks.

“Su Ming, among the Atheists, there is no one who can reach your level before,” Zi Jin continued. “In the future, you will definitely go further than me.”

"...I really like being praised by you, although I can't quite appreciate it yet," Su Ming said.

“You still have some time to grow before you can truly master these skills,” Violet explained. “You’ll understand them deeply when the time comes.”

The two were silent for a while, looking at the sea and sky. Zi Jin continued, "In this world, the only people I can face without scheming are three of my relatives."

In the sea breeze, the girl's tone was particularly earnest, "So please give me time to learn how to get along with you."

(End of this chapter)