The rain seemed to be falling even harder now. After weaving through a few more turns, the two finally spotted the figure they had been following, now standing at the gate of an extravagant-looking residence.
The youth unfolded the notice once more to confirm the address, then walked up to the gate to speak with the house guards.
Seeing this, the other soul masters who had been tailing him quickly converged at the gate as well.
Aether glanced over and followed suit. He wanted to see what exactly that youth with the bounty posting was after.
"You're all here to sign up for the soul ring hunting party, right? Wait here, I'll call the steward."
After chatting with the youth, the guard glanced at the growing crowd behind him, gave a simple explanation, and then turned to head inside.
Another guard remained at the gate, standing watch with a wary gaze directed at the group of bounty-hunting soul masters.
Before long, a hunched middle-aged man appeared at the door. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his beady little eyes swept over the gathered crowd.
He gave a barely noticeable nod, then spoke in a nasally duck-like voice:
"I am the steward of the employer. The target this time is a soul beast around two thousand years old. That said… anyone at or above Rank 30 may register."
As soon as the steward finished speaking, the crowd erupted into chatter.
"What? A two-thousand-year-old soul beast? And they're letting in Rank 30s? That's a death sentence!"
"He said 'above Rank 30', not just 30, alright? Why are you panicking?"
"All of you step aside. I'm Rank 42—I can kill that soul beast myself!"
"Hah! Bragging at just Rank 42?"
A burly man in the crowd scoffed and activated his martial soul. A sickle-shaped weapon appeared in his hand, while beneath him, four soul rings lit up—white, yellow, yellow, and purple. Judging by the soul power surging from him, he had to be at least Rank 45.
"You… The more people, the more secure the operation. The notice said they were recruiting multiple soul masters—you can't hog it all for yourself."
The guy who had loudly proclaimed he could do it solo now looked embarrassed, his face darkening after being publicly put in his place.
"Silence!"
The steward barked impatiently. Once the commotion died down, he continued:
"The more soul masters, the better. Anyone above Rank 30 can register."
He pulled out a pen and paper in a symbolic gesture, ready to jot down names.
At those words, soul masters with lower ranks had stars in their eyes and rushed forward to sign up.
Still, a few hesitated and voiced concerns.
"Above Rank 30? We've got at least twenty or thirty people here. How's the reward going to be split?"
"Yeah, how are we dividing it?"
"Hmph, how? Whoever contributes the most gets the biggest share! You weaklings, be happy with a single coin—that's your courier fee!"
The soul master still holding his martial soul sneered in disdain.
"…"
No one seemed to have a higher soul power level than him, and faced with his contempt, the crowd fell silent.
"Eh? Isn't this the same bounty I saw earlier? Traveler, didn't you say you weren't taking it?"
Hearing the word "reward," Paimon suddenly connected the dots and whispered suspiciously.
"…"
Aether subtly gestured toward the youth in the crowd and murmured:
"I'm not here for the bounty. It's that guy I'm interested in…"
"Ooh~"
Paimon tapped her chin thoughtfully.
That kid looked anxious and pale in his tattered clothes, his hands clenched tight like he was bracing himself…
Yep! Classic case of someone with a request! But why isn't the Traveler just walking up and asking?
Meanwhile, the steward at the gate ignored the rising noise and started taking names.
"Name?"
"Zhang Dali."
"Activate your martial soul. I need to check your rank."
The burly, honest-looking man scratched his head sheepishly before summoning his martial soul.
A large nail-like weapon appeared in his hand, and below him, three soul rings lit up—white, yellow, and yellow.
"Rank 32… barely qualifies. Step to the side. We'll leave once we have enough."
The steward waved him through.
"Yes, sir!"
Zhang Dali had thought he wouldn't be accepted due to his low rank. Who would've thought the employer was so lenient? Overjoyed, he stood off to the side. Even if this mission only earned him a few soul coins, it would be enough to get by for a while.
"Next."
"Rank 39? Not bad. Go stand over there."
"Next."
Almost everyone who showed up was above Rank 30. The steward accepted them all without hesitation, taking names and sending them to wait nearby.
"Name."
At last, it was the youth's turn. Aether stood at the back, listening carefully.
"Xu Lai."
"Activate your martial soul."
Xu Lai nodded. A long blade materialized in his hand, and beneath him, two soul rings glowed—yellow and yellow.
"Whoa~ This kid's got guts."
"Tsk tsk, decent martial soul and soul rings, but not even Rank 30 and he wants a piece of the action?"
"Where'd this little punk come from? Go home before you get yourself killed."
As soon as Xu Lai's soul rings lit up, jeers came from all around.
But he didn't respond. He just stared intensely at the steward and said firmly:
"I may only be Rank 29, but my martial soul is very powerful."
With that, he lifted the blade, and a wave of destructive energy rippled out from his body. The nearby soul masters instinctively stepped back.
Even the Rank 46 Soul Ancestor narrowed his eyes at the boy, clearly intrigued.
"Hmm~ Impressive power. Alright, I'll make an exception. Step to the side."
The steward hesitated, then marked a check next to Xu Lai's name—and even added a special dot beside it.
Aether watched as Xu Lai passed the test, face still stoic, ignoring the derisive glances around him.
After a moment of thought, Aether decided to keep following the boy and find a better time to ask about the request.
And since Paimon wanted to make money anyway… might as well take both paths, right?
But there were only a few people left in front. What should he say when it's his turn?
Aether glanced at Paimon. A mischievous idea struck him. He leaned over and whispered:
"Paimon, wanna make some money?"
"Eh? Of course I do!"
Paimon's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Then listen to me. In a minute—"
"Mhm! As long as you buy me something tasty later, I'll do whatever you say!"
"You two in the back, are you signing up or not?"
As the two whispered, the last of the recruits had been processed. Now all eyes—those of the steward and the twenty-something registered soul masters—turned to Aether and Paimon.
_
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