Bai Ye’s initial intention towards Li Jia Yi was to kill him, but the fellow was as slippery as an eel and truly difficult to eliminate.
Now, Bai Ye no longer had much desire to kill Li Jia Yi. He wanted Li Jia Yi to reveal what he knew.
Bai Ye was very interested in the Shen Tu.
This was another avenue of thought.
The most direct method, as in his previous life, was to wait for the central region war to begin, fight his way to the central tower, and ascend to the final level of the Tower of God to uncover the truth.
However, if a plan existed to directly converse with the divine, Bai Ye naturally wouldn’t reject it.
The Shen Tu presented such an opportunity.
Frankly, this was an endeavor where both approaches could be pursued simultaneously.
And Li Jia Yi clearly knew a lot about the Shen Tu.
But the problem was how to make Li Jia Yi divulge what he knew?
There were only two ways to make someone speak: either through a deal, or through threats.
Deals were not very reliable. Bai Ye possessed nothing that Li Jia Yi desired. Thus, the only way was through threats – by preventing Li Jia Yi from obtaining what he wanted.
However…
“It seems I’ve already let slip.”
Bai Ye scratched his head. He shouldn’t have directly stated he was just passing by. Perhaps he could have extracted more information from Li Jia Yi. But Bai Ye hadn’t overthought it; after all, this was another coincidence.
Bai Ye picked up the Den Den Mushi and called Gao Ming. "This Beast Taming area where I am now might see some events unfolding. Find some people to keep an eye on things for me."
"Hmm?" Gao Ming was taken aback but didn't ask further, readily agreeing, "Alright, I have people there."
After Gao Ming reported the incident at the virtual game forbidden zone to Stanzen, Stanzen's only reply was: "Maintain a friendly relationship with Bai Ye as much as possible."
This directive wasn’t unexpected by Gao Ming. Possessing strength and a large amount of valuable intelligence from forbidden zones, Bai Ye’s value to the Evil Spirit Group was immeasurable. Of course, they had to maintain a good relationship.
Most importantly, previous concerns were now gone.
Bai Ye’s true stance had always been a source of doubt for Gao Ming.
Gao Ming had even suspected if Bai Ye was a member of the Hidden Dragon Society, providing information about forbidden zones to gain trust, only to deliver a fatal blow to the Evil Spirit Group at a crucial moment.
For instance, if the intelligence Bai Ye provided, which had always been accurate, suddenly contained errors for a large forbidden zone requiring a massive deployment of personnel, the Evil Spirit Group would likely suffer heavy casualties, a significant blow.
Now, Gao Ming no longer worried. Bai Ye had eliminated numerous experts from the Hidden Dragon Society, including two elite team captains. This was a considerable loss. No matter what, the Hidden Dragon Society wouldn't resort to such extreme measures as a "self-inflicted" plan.
Therefore, the doubt of "trustworthiness" was no longer an issue.
Stanzen's words implied a willingness for deeper cooperation with Bai Ye.
On the other end, after receiving Gao Ming's reply, Bai Ye hung up the phone. He didn't alter his plan, but instead directly threw out the Beast Taming Orb and summoned his Sea-Soaring Dragon.
Li Jia Yi had already discovered him and was likely waiting.
Bai Ye felt that if he stayed, the two might end up in a stalemate.
Why bother?
Both had plenty of other matters to attend to.
Bai Ye wasn’t in a hurry. Li Jia Yi was still quite formidable. Although there had been many coincidences between them, it was normal for top-tier experts to encounter each other.
This was because the areas they frequented were clearly a level above others.
Therefore, Bai Ye believed there would be ample opportunities, and no need to fixate on this particular encounter. Having Gao Ming keep an eye on things was simply because Bai Ye wanted to know Li Jia Yi's intentions.
Secondly, there was the matter of Fang Hu.
Setting aside their strengths, the information they currently possessed was unequal, placing the initiative outside of Bai Ye's control.
Bai Ye felt that to engage in a "fair" conversation with Li Jia Yi, a trip to Fang Hu was imperative. He needed to understand the true meaning behind Li Jia Yi's previous words.
As Bai Ye was lost in thought, he suddenly felt an itch on the back of his hand. Glancing down, he saw his Sea-Soaring Dragon had crawled closer and was licking his hand.
Although recently acquired beasts might not have high loyalty, gentle beasts like the Sea-Soaring Dragon were an exception. Even with not-so-high loyalty, it was very docile.
The Sea-Soaring Dragon resembled a cross between a plesiosaur and a turtle, entirely blue. It had a gray shell on its back with protrusions that could serve as handholds for riders.
Bai Ye patted the Sea-Soaring Dragon's head and smiled, "Let's go!"
Bai Ye mounted the Sea-Soaring Dragon, which then began to crawl towards the sea. Its speed was somewhat slow, and its gait was wobbly and unsteady.
However, once it entered the water, the Sea-Soaring Dragon's speed immediately increased, and it moved very smoothly. Sitting on its back, Bai Ye didn't even feel significant jolts.
Bai Ye stroked the Sea-Soaring Dragon's head, sensing its joy and contentment. Even…
Its loyalty was beginning to rise!
This surprised Bai Ye. There were many ways to increase loyalty, but the fact that it became happy simply by being ridden and consequently increased its loyalty…
Bai Ye found the Sea-Soaring Dragon’s peculiar fondness for being ridden quite astonishing!
While pondering this, Bai Ye took out the sea chart provided by Gao Ming and began to study it.
The regions at sea were rather peculiar.
On land, after crossing a boundary, everything could be completely different.
For instance, one area might be a barren wasteland with no inhabitants, while the next could be a futuristic city of steel, and another yet, a mountain pavilion nestled amidst verdant peaks.
But the sea remained the sea. Although there were many regions at sea, it was still the sea regardless of how many areas one traversed.
The difference lay in whether the current region was part of an ability-user zone, the next a fantasy zone, and another perhaps a supernatural zone.
Visually, one couldn't discern any difference, as it was all just vast ocean.
Bai Ye traced a finger across the sea chart.
The sea area where Liu Shiyue resided was part of an ability-user zone. The world to which that region belonged had vast oceans, leading to the emergence of many pirates and, consequently, the birth of the navy.
Especially the former Pirate King Roger, who roamed the Seven Seas and possessed countless treasures. As he was apprehended and executed, he uttered a phrase.
"You want my treasure? If you do, go find it at sea! I've hidden it all there!"
This declaration drew countless people like moths to a flame, ushering in the Great Pirate Era worldwide. Countless individuals set sail, becoming pirates with a single goal:
The legendary treasure!
…