Nascent Soul Rebirth: Starting as a Wizard

He cast his gaze at the night sky outside the shed, fragmented by smoke and low-rise buildings, and continued:

"Use the methods you're already using to streamline the 'businesses' on the surrounding streets—protection fees, smuggling, information gathering, and even mediating some shady disputes."

"You have to collect money. That's the lifeblood that feeds your men, buys them equipment, and helps them get things done. It's the foundation of the 'Dragon and Tiger Society'."

But more important than money is having sharp, long-lasting ears, able to hear even the slightest whisper, especially the winds brought from the docks and the sea.

Newly discovered islands, changing shipping lanes, strange weather, underwater legends, ancient tales from sailors' mouths, and more...

Any word or phrase about plants that look unusual, stones, or places that feel off.

"Remember, take root, grow."

First, we need to firmly establish our foothold in this territory, making the name "Dragon and Tiger Society" truly stand out on these streets, inspiring fear and making people rely on us.

But don't stretch out too ostentatiously, don't rush to touch the fat meat that has already been marked by the big gangs, and don't attract the special attention of the city's sheriff or any official figures.

Like moss, it first silently spreads across damp corners.

"Yes! I understand!" White's eyes gleamed. Half a month of actual fighting and territorial disputes had given him a direct understanding of how to operate in this quagmire.

The Lord's request coincided with the direction he was heading, only the goal was clearer and the vision suddenly broadened, extending from a few blocks to the boundless sea.

He felt the weight on his shoulders increase, but that weight also made him more stable.

"Secondly," Solo said crisply and without any hesitation, "you need a ship and men."

"Go to the dock area and find an old captain named 'Barton.' Mention my name, and he'll know what to do."

White had the name and location etched into his mind without a doubt.

Finding and gaining Patton's trust is both a task and a test.

This will test not only his current skills, but also his ability to deal with people and understand situations.

The dock area is another jungle, with different rules, and dangers lurk deeper underwater.

"Third," Solo's voice suddenly became deep and solemn. Through the Blood Soul Pact, a cold and heavy will pressed directly into the depths of White's soul, causing his muscles to tense up instantly and even his breathing to catch in place.

"It is the only meaning of your existence from now on."

Solo's gaze was like a tangible chain, binding White's vision: "Sensitize carefully the intuition about 'abnormalities' that I left in your consciousness."

The stagnation or sudden burst of the earth's airflow, the flourishing and withering of plants against the natural order, and the unpredictable and erratic weather in a small area.

The instinctive avoidance or unusual gathering of birds, beasts, insects, and fish; subtle differences in the color, smell, and texture of the water and soil… anything that makes you feel ‘it shouldn’t be like this’ could be a target.

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle completely: "'Dragon Tiger Society' is your root, and Patton's ship is your oar."

Your sole mission is to use every means possible to search the entire Emerald Sea, find and record all possible locations where special energies converge or where rare and precious materials are nurtured.

No matter the slightest disturbance, no matter the most absurd rumor, even the most unbelievable drunken ramblings, we must not let any possibility slip by.

Solo's gaze seemed to have transcended the present moment, turning towards the distant future: "Once this matter is settled, I will enter the Cloud Academy. Once that door closes, my return will be uncertain."

The Blood Soul Pact allows me to know your life or death and your approximate location, but it cannot overcome the vast distances that separate us to transmit detailed information.

The next time we meet might be in a few years, or even longer.

He looked at White, his words carrying an unshakeable demand: "I hope that when I find you again, what you present to me will no longer be a blank or scattered rumors."

I need to see at least a hundred nautical charts of spiritual sites that have been preliminarily explored, clearly marked, and deemed worthy of exploration.

That is proof of your worth, and the foundation you've earned for yourself.

The final words carried a chilling glint in their eyes:

"This matter is top secret! No one else in the world should know the full story except you, including Amy."

If necessary, and to maintain secrecy, you know what to do.

Solo said nothing more, but gave him a deep look, a gaze as cold and sharp as the final tempering, as if to completely forge and remove the last trace of doubt and distraction from his soul.

Under that gaze, White felt all the turmoil in his heart—

The relief of surviving a disaster, the awe of witnessing a miracle, the fear of the unknown forces, and the uncertainty about the future—all these are like thin ice thrown into a raging fire, quickly melting and evaporating.

What ultimately settles out is a kind of cognition stripped down to its most essential, almost naked form.

He saw clearly his destiny, which had been reshaped, and he also saw clearly the only promised path.

On this journey, he will bid farewell to the familiar land and tranquility, facing the unpredictable ocean and the long passage of time alone.

Fear still exists, but it is suppressed by something more powerful—a responsibility stemming from the new life itself, and the only way to repay the Lord who gave it all.

He met Solo's gaze and nodded slowly and heavily. His voice was not loud, but it carried a clear and resolute tone, as if the dust had settled and there was no turning back.

"Then there's only one answer."

He paused for an extremely brief moment, his gaze seemingly turning inward as he examined his shattered soul and the new life he had just gained.

Then he looked up again, his eyes now filled with a calm that seemed to have been stripped of all worldly cares, as if all the chips had been placed on the gambling table.

"I will be loyal to you."

There were no elaborate vows, no flowery words, only these six simple, direct, and weighty words.

It defines the future relationship more thoroughly than any rousing rhetoric, turning it into an unquestionable and unalterable statement of fact.

As he finished speaking, his posture of kneeling on the ground, the lines of his neck revealed when he lowered his head, and his body, taut like a crossbow ready to be released, waiting for a single command to tear apart all obstacles, all became the most powerful annotation of this simple oath.

A barely perceptible flicker seemed to cross Solo's eyes, perhaps the indifference of having achieved his goal, or perhaps a brief examination of this "purity".

He made no verbal response to this pledge of loyalty, nor did he require any further confirmation.

The soul-level connection established by the Blood Soul Pact is far more solid and profound than any language.

Solo's figure vanished into the deeper darkness of the rusty area outside the door. His faint footsteps were almost instantly swallowed up by the hissing of steam pipes in the distance, the faint curses, and the heavy breathing of the land itself.

Decisive and efficient, as if he had never stayed there, leaving behind only a promise to be fulfilled and a brand new beginning quietly taking root in the mud.