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墨書 Inktalez
On the yacht, Cui Ming had already detailed his plan to eliminate Jinjin within just a few minutes, explaining it point by point to the helmswoman, Miss Fortune. Jinjin was quite capable, but she was no match for cunning individuals like Vlad or Ye Xin. Her survival skills stemmed from having a good father; despite drifting in the underworld for a few years, she had never truly learned her lesson.
Cui Ming said, "The last extreme measure is that everyone has their own sense of justice, and many will exploit that justice to fulfill their personal desires and vent their frustrations. If the Golden Idol doesn't take the bait, you can create a story that makes her feel justified. For example, if a thief breaks in and harms her idol, she would have no reservations. She would definitely pursue the thief without hesitation. We can set up false evidence to frame someone; there are plenty of irredeemable people who can't be punished by law. We can use one of their lives to send a warrant for Jinjin. Of course, it's best not to carry out these plans in the Western Continent because even if a warrant is issued, Jinjin's influence there is too strong. It would be very easy for several families to shelter her."
Miss Fortune listened attentively without interrupting, nodding along until Cui Ming finished speaking. She looked at him and said, "Why do I feel a bit sympathetic towards Jinjin right now?"
"Hey," Cui Ming replied with dissatisfaction. "Are you saying I'm being cruel?"
"Probably," Miss Fortune answered honestly.
Cui Ming sighed with resignation and said, "Sometimes the law and rules can't punish bad people."
"That's why we have hunters," Miss Fortune gazed into the distance, lost in thought before continuing, "But hunters are also limited. In the early days of the Hunter Organization, they represented justice and neutrality. Now, however, hunters represent order and maintain the interests of the alliance; they have become akin to police."
This was a story from hundreds of years ago when hunters were entirely neutral. One day, hunters arrested six members of the alliance: the President of the Alliance, Ding Family Seat, and Ye Family representatives. They were accused of secretly reaching agreements that altered some alliance rules during council meetings. This incident caused quite an uproar. Practitioners from the Eastern Continent, York Clan, and Cao Liu Family collectively left the alliance, nearly leading to its collapse. Over time, the original intent of hunters changed; they no longer interfered with alliance operations but only dealt with wanted criminals designated by the alliance and investigated individuals deemed dangerous by it—shifting from neutrality to serving the alliance.
Due to this transformation among hunters, rules emerged allowing wanted criminals to temporarily avoid punishment by participating in assessments; passing these assessments would grant them complete immunity. This caused significant dissatisfaction among hunters at that time; seven out of nine hunters resigned because they felt they had become tools of the alliance—contrary to their initial intentions for joining. Eventually, negotiations led to an elevation in hunter status: any legitimate demands made during captures had to be met, and hunters gained privileges allowing them to search any practitioner's private space, including those belonging to noble families. The alliance understood that without the Hunter Organization, there would be no deterrent against unrestrained practitioners.
The two continued their conversation pleasantly before setting up a barbecue grill on deck as flames flickered and food sizzled—something that always attracted men. The wind blew gently as Cui Ming and Miss Fortune enjoyed the moonlight on deck while eating. Cui Ming did not forget about Miss Fortune and brought food over to her as she worked diligently.
The first day of sailing went quite well; however, on the second day, things took a turn for the worse as heavy rain began to pour down. The wind was manageable at first but intensified by afternoon along with rising waves. The yacht was not suited for open seas; it rocked violently enough that one misstep could send someone overboard. Yet it was a product of Nuo Duo—its quality was unquestionable and quite sturdy—so there was no worry about it breaking apart in rough waters; one only needed to be concerned about whether it would capsize.
"Crazy waves!" Miss Fortune shouted into the radio.
The wind surged toward Crazy Waves as she gripped her sword tightly and charged downwards to slash at the surface of the sea. A strong gust rebounded back toward her as it struck the water; waves surged back against Crazy Waves, diffusing the crisis. The wind returned to the boat and said, "You two, I suggest we pack up quickly—let's each grab a bag and run on foot!"
"No way," Cui Ming and Miss Fortune both rejected this idea outright. Miss Fortune added, "This is too much fun; it's not something we experience every day! We'll see what happens when the yacht capsizes."
Cui Ming's refusal stemmed purely from physical exhaustion; after rushing with Beiyue, he had vowed never again to engage in any physically taxing activities without good reason.
Wind smiled bitterly. "I'm tired." As a master of wind manipulation, creating waves of seven to eight meters was not a problem, but maintaining that for an extended period was quite another matter.
Miss Fortune scoffed, "Are you even a man? I've been awake for forty hours straight and I haven't complained about being tired!"
Wind had no response. Cui Ming stood at the bow of the boat, arms outstretched to embrace the oncoming sea waves and winds. It felt exhilarating. Facing the roar of nature with an immortal body... as long as there was no danger. If there were danger, one wouldn't be so calm. Even if the boat capsized now, dismantling the vessel and taking away the packed food and water would only be a bit of hard work; the threat of death was minimal.
Thus, the three of them weathered the stormy night. The next day, the sun emerged, and the sea calmed. Miss Fortune was exhausted; as soon as they stopped the boat, she lay down on the deck and fell asleep. After a while, she woke up lazily, gazing at the sky. "I haven't had such a leisurely and happy life in years."
Cui Ming, lounging on a beach chair, asked, "Is being a hunter tiring?"
"Yes," she replied. "Hunters have two responsibilities: capturing wanted criminals and assessing potential fugitives. I've long given up on the second one; capturing wanted criminals isn't that simple either. We only have six people, plus Beiyue makes seven now. The main issue is still the indifference of cultivators. Although they all have access to the wanted list, most don't take it seriously. Even if they happen to encounter someone on it, they might not act. Moreover, it's too easy to hide; with Eternal Sphere being so vast, it's incredibly difficult to dig someone out. They say we have privileges to investigate anyone, but is that really true? No, noble families are untouchable; they can be quite soft in their approach towards you. Many cultivators only care about their own relationships with wanted criminals before considering whether to help us."
Cui Ming suggested, "Then we could resort to blackmail."
"Yes," she acknowledged. "For over twenty years, we've mostly relied on enemies of wanted criminals to help us capture them because those enemies have ample time, energy, and manpower to pursue them. However, regardless of everything else, Hunter Organization still holds a significant sense of honor; for cultivators who lack ambition or feel somewhat lost, it's a decent profession."
Wind added thoughtfully, "I can't help but feel that this batch of hunters is connected to the older generation like Wandering and Bufon. Nowadays, who would even apply to be a hunter if they were just an ordinary cultivator?"
This was true; Beiyue sought privileges to track down her father's whereabouts. Li Qing had previously committed wrongdoings and wanted to repay his debts.
"Get away from me," Miss Fortune retorted irritably as she stood up and took control of the boat again. Although lacking a compass, her sailing experience was quite good; she used the sun and island vegetation for navigation to determine their course. However, Miss Fortune felt uncertain; she knew that while her general direction might be correct, even a slight error could lead them far off course.
On the morning of the third day, no ships were visible on the sea anymore; there were many small deserted islands around. When they encountered an island with trees and jungles, Cui Ming and Wind would go ashore to gather fresh water and some food.
The quality of this yacht was quite good; it hadn't had any issues over these days except for one day when conditions were favorable. Finally, on the sixth day at noon, they discovered Devil's Delta.
As they entered Devil's Delta, although it was still seawater, even Cui Ming could sense something different. First off, there was little wind and the surface of the sea was calm. Secondly, the waves were small—almost like stagnant water. While they were looking around, suddenly the yacht sped up. Miss Fortune immediately exclaimed, "A current!" The yacht spun around as Miss Fortune struggled against it.
Wind expertly jumped into the water; what they referred to as a current was when the direction of water flow beneath differed from that on the surface. With Wind's assistance and her own good power management skills, Miss Fortune stabilized the yacht. At that moment, Cui Ming stood in the captain's cabin and lowered his binoculars. "There are wrecked ships ahead."
Not just one wrecked ship but several—small fishing boats scattered about. The wrecks were located near a small island covering several hundred square meters; some boats were broken with their bows resting on land while others leaned precariously against the beach.
The wind broke through the water's surface. "We can't go any further; the underwater reefs are as dense as a minefield."
Miss Fortune turned the direction. "It seems we're getting close to Silent City."
The three of them took ropes, and the wind cut through the reefs to create a safe area. Then they entered the water and used triangulation to secure the boat on the sea surface. Once back on board, they organized their gear and began to row manually. Indeed, there were countless reefs and undercurrents along the way, with some areas shrouded in thick white smoke. Upon inspection, they discovered toxic gases produced by the continuous contact between lava from a volcanic island and the ocean.
...
Cui Ming flew out a card, and nearby winds gathered as Miss Fortune approached. Looking through binoculars, they spotted a Cargo Ship far off in the eastern direction. The Cargo Ship was moving slowly, with a rope in front being pulled by someone in the water to guide its progress.
"Silent City is just ahead," Cui Ming said. This Cargo Ship was likely transporting goods to Silent City.
"Feng Dao: There are envoys on board; we must not be discovered."
As the leader, Miss Fortune said, "Let's go around."
The three of them took a detour and after about two hours of travel, they saw a massive island. A prominent mountain range stood out on the island, and through the binoculars, they could vaguely see some man-made structures at the mountain's peak.
Upon reaching Silent City, their moods immediately shifted to tension; they put away their playful attitudes and submerged themselves in the water to wait until nightfall before heading toward Silent City. As they approached, Miss Fortune led them in a wide arc until they entered the southern part of the Rainforest. In the early morning, they quietly came ashore into the Rainforest.
As the sun rose, the Rainforest was exceptionally humid and hot, with the sky obscured by trees, making it difficult to discern direction. Even with Force, it felt hard to breathe. At this moment, Miss Fortune was truly an indispensable leader; she had spent her childhood being raised by Monkeys in the Rainforest, frequently returning to visit them as she grew up. She was particularly familiar with and fond of the Rainforest. (To be continued.)
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