Bai Ye asked curiously, "Is there a problem?"
Seth replied, "My identity as a proxy Shinigami only proves I'm not an infiltrator, but how do I explain planting the mark? So, revealing myself as a proxy Shinigami does me no good. On the contrary, if I can maintain my proxy Shinigami identity and escape successfully, I might still have a chance to complete the mission later."
Bai Ye nodded and asked, "So, is the mission still ongoing?"
Seth nodded.
Bai Ye said, "Alright then, let's talk about our issue. If I help you escape from here, what benefits do you plan to give me?"
Seth was angry about being tricked by Bai Ye earlier, but he wasn't angered by this question.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world.
If Bai Ye had directly offered help, Seth would have suspected Bai Ye was planning to trick him again.
Seth asked, "What do you want?"
Bai Ye replied, "That depends on what you have."
Seth began to think. He did have some good items, but this wasn't a simple item exchange. The ultimate goal of completing a mission was a reward, and there was only one reward; it couldn't be split in half. Moreover, Seth couldn't offer something better than the reward, or it would mean he was foolish.
This was the core of the problem…
Seth didn't know how powerful Kidō #63 was.
Kidō was a type of magic mastered by Shinigami, varying in strength. To know its power, one had to obtain it or witness it firsthand. Kūkaku had never demonstrated Kidō #63 to Seth.
After thinking for a while, Seth said, "I have a Zanpakutō."
Bai Ye asked, "What quality is it?"
Seth replied, "White."
"Isn't that trash?" Bai Ye rolled his eyes. "This is a hidden mission, and you're offering me trash for help? Does that make any sense?"
Seth asked, "How do you know it's a hidden mission?"
Wasn't that obvious?
Seireitei was a forbidden zone, but now that he had entered Seireitei, it had nothing to do with forbidden zones, nor were there any forbidden zone missions. It was clearly a hidden mission.
Bai Ye asked, "Just tell me, is it or not?"
Seth nodded helplessly, "It's a hidden mission, but what does a hidden mission mean? No one knows what the reward will be until they get it..."
Bai Ye interrupted, "Do you believe that yourself? It's a hidden mission! Except for the lack of Divine Stone fragments, the rewards for many hidden missions are better than forbidden zone missions."
Seth hesitated for a moment, then said, "Give me a definite answer, what kind of benefits do you want?"
Bai Ye stated, "No lower than blue quality. The type of item doesn't matter, whether I can use it or not doesn't matter. In short, the minimum quality cannot be lower than blue. How about that?"
Seth looked at Bai Ye strangely and asked, "You don't want to take the Golden Robe back and get my Black Order uniform for free, do you?"
Bai Ye replied, "Trading the Golden Robe is also an option, but I don't really want the Golden Robe right now. I can't wear a Taoist robe over my uniform, can I? Do you think I'm wearing silk pants!"
Seth shook his head, "Your requirements are too high. My reward might only be blue quality as well."
"But that's a Shinigami's Kidō, a technique, not an item," Bai Ye said with a smile. "You seem to have some strength and possess many good items. You should know that in the World Battlefield, directly enhancing oneself is the top priority. Weapons, items, and equipment are secondary because they can be accidentally damaged or lost. There are various possibilities for items to suddenly disappear or cease to be yours. Therefore, only things that directly affect oneself can permanently strengthen you and are truly yours."
Seth thought for a moment and asked, "Are you sure you can really help me complete the mission?"
Bai Ye affirmed, "I am sure."
Seth asked, "You'll give me the item afterward?"
"That won't do," Bai Ye said. "What if you run away?"
"And what if you run away?" Seth looked at Bai Ye with disdain. "Besides, you ran away once before."
Bai Ye explained, "The situation is different. We are imprisoned together now. How could I take the item and run? Besides, if I were to run, you could just run with me, wouldn't that be bringing you out as well?"
As Bai Ye spoke, he walked to the cell door and looked outside. "You have twenty-four hours to consider. It's almost dawn now, and we can't break out during the day. We have to wait until nightfall again."
Seth didn't reply but truly fell into thought. After about half an hour, Seth seemed to have made up his mind and took out a Zanpakutō.
"A blue-quality Zanpakutō!" Seth said. "But just escaping here isn't enough; you must ensure I complete the mission."
Bai Ye replied, "Sure, it's just a small matter!"
Seth was also straightforward. Since he had made up his mind, he no longer hesitated and directly threw the Zanpakutō in his hand to Bai Ye.
Bai Ye casually took the Zanpakutō, and a light screen appeared before his eyes.
Zabimaru (Zanpakutō) (Blue): A broad-bladed assault type Zanpakutō. Depending on the strength of spiritual power, it can achieve Shikai, incomplete Bankai, and Bankai. Effects: Shikai (Transforms into a snake-like segmented broad blade with a narrow edge, which can extend and retract freely to attack enemies). Incomplete Bankai (Known as Hanzō Kōra, a colossal viper blade shaped like a baboon's head, with a body composed of over a hundred segments that can be freely detached and reconnected). Bankai (Known as Sōō Zabimaru, the right hand transforms into a snake-head bone blade, and a giant snake tail wraps around the waist, while the left arm can transform into the colossal left arm of a baboon king).
Bai Ye glanced at the description of the Zanpakutō and exclaimed inwardly: A good item!
After his admiration, Bai Ye looked at Seth again, thinking this guy didn't know its true value!
However, Bai Ye soon felt that the word "doesn't know its value" wasn't entirely accurate.
The correct way to put it was that many things were understood gradually over time. The World Battlefield had only been open for about two months at most, so even those who had spent a long time in the Rukongai were not sufficiently knowledgeable about Zanpakutō.
But Bai Ye knew very well that within this area, the most valuable items were Zanpakutō.
The way to distinguish the quality of a Zanpakutō was, firstly, by its grade, and secondly, by its Shikai and Bankai.
Trash Zanpakutō only had Shikai, and the power and effects after liberation were poor. Powerful Zanpakutō possessed Bankai, and the power and effects after liberation were exceptionally strong.
This Zanpakutō, although only blue quality, possessed an incomplete Bankai and a complete Bankai, clearly belonging to the top tier of blue quality Zanpakutō, an advanced item that could infinitely approach black quality!
But Seth clearly didn't know these details.
Therefore, if it were an ordinary blue quality item in exchange for a hidden mission reward that could enhance one's own strength, it would definitely be a profitable trade.
However, exchanging this Zanpakutō, it was hard to say whether Seth had made a profit or not.
But…
What did that have to do with Bai Ye?
...