Leaving the edge of the water pool and stepping into the forest, Baron Darius turned to his companions and asked, "Do you feel it?"
"Yes, Lord Darius," one of the great soul masters behind him replied. "There's a fluctuation of soul energy coming from that boy's backpack. That can only be a soul bone!"
Because Zhou Qing didn't want to reveal the existence of the storage soul device in front of Romantina and Xiao Wu, he hadn't placed the soul bone directly into the gray pouch—
Storage soul devices were extremely precious, and Xiao Wu's impulsive and talkative nature made it risky; she might accidentally reveal it to someone suspicious.
In the original story, Tang San dared to use the "Night of the Twenty-Four Bridges and the Bright Moon" technique at Notting Academy because his teacher was Yu Xiaogang. Although scorned by nearly all soul masters across the continent, the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus family was his faction, which protected Tang San during his early growth, helping him avoid unnecessary troubles.
As for being cautious around Romantina
Zhou Qing had known her for less than forty-eight hours. Although he hoped to bring her into their circle, he still needed more time to observe her. There was no way he'd show off such a valuable storage soul device to her just yet.
The soul energy fluctuation coming from the soul bone, and that alluring aura, were noticeable even to ordinary people—let alone Darius and his group.
"Lord Darius, that soul bone should have come from the Mou Chun Ox they hunted. Their luck is unbelievable," another great soul master said. "Why don't we turn back now and kill them?"
Romantina was the daughter of Notting City's deputy mayor, which made things complicated. Though soul beasts over a thousand years old had been hunted to near extinction centuries ago, she wasn't even a soul master. Even if she had polished her body to the level of a great soul master, accidents were still possible.
In other words, dying in the soul hunting forest was a real risk. And since the forest was vast, they could easily claim never to have met them.
"No, I have a better idea," Darius said firmly.
He wanted to get the third soul ring first before taking further action. "Those kids don't look very old. Except for that little girl with the braid—her skin is too delicate, probably a child from a noble family or a major sect. The other two look like simple commoners, dressed in coarse cloth."
"The two boys don't matter much, but if we target the girl, something might go wrong. If she really comes from a powerful family or sect, then hidden guardians will come out."
Immediately, the faces of the four great soul masters changed. They had to suppress their greed.
If what the baron said was true, then anyone daring to attack would be killed by at least soul ancestor-level hidden guardians.
If that happened, none of them—including Baron Darius—would have anyone to seek justice for them. Neither the Tiandu Empire nor the Martial Soul Hall would intervene for four great soul masters, a quasi-soul lord, or the lord of a small city.
Besides, if they forcibly took the soul bone, they wouldn't be in the right even if they survived.
"Judging by the fact that the boy is holding that soul bone, the little girl probably doesn't care much for a hundred-year-old soul bone. Still, it's safer not to resort to violence. But I'm sure Romantina will take it eventually; for now, the boy is just keeping it," Darius continued.
"If the girl doesn't want it, and the boy can't protect it, the soul bone will inevitably end up in Romantina's hands."
"But even a hundred-year soul bone, once the news leaks, will attract soul masters from other cities to Notting City. Some may even take reckless risks."
Using others to do their dirty work.
That was Darius's plan.
By exposing the fact that Romantina obtained a soul bone, he could lure great soul masters from other cities to Notting City, stirring up chaos.
Then he would 'collaborate' with Notting City to quell the unrest—secretly allowing the instability to persist.
As Baron of the Xingluo Empire and lord of Falling Star City, Darius's position was far more substantial than the countless barons in the Tiandu Empire who had no official duties or salary.
He even had his own fiefdom—not exactly Falling Star City, which was a backwater where he had been exiled after backing the wrong faction in Xingluo City.
Still, his actual status as baron was roughly equivalent to some landless viscounts in the Tiandu Empire.
His reason for wanting to stir trouble in Notting City was simple—
The Tiandu Empire was already in decline. If not for the Martial Soul Hall's interference, the Xingluo Empire, with its strong military might, would have long since conquered Tiandu and unified Douluo Continent.
There was no current reason to fight, but that didn't mean a reason couldn't be manufactured.
Notting City in the Tiandu Empire and Xingluo City in the Xingluo Empire were insignificant small cities within their respective empires. Neither was a strategic military location, and even the high-ranking officials of both empires probably hadn't heard of them.
But small cities could still cause big trouble!
Darius didn't want to remain a mere baron; he aimed to climb higher—to become a viscount, count, marquis, or even a duke.
To do so, he needed to find the Xingluo Empire's leaders a reason to attack the Tiandu Empire. Without exceptional talent in cultivation, this was his only path to promotion...
"That fat pig's expression is so sleazy," Xiao Wu sneered, glancing at the direction Darius and his group had left. "You can tell he's no good just by looking."
Romantina didn't respond, instead looking behind Zhou Qing. "You're not absorbing the soul bone, just carrying it in the pack. The soul energy fluctuation is obvious; Darius and the others have noticed."
"I totally forgot about that!" Zhou Qing slapped his forehead, cursing his own carelessness. But there was no choice—the storage soul device was far too precious to reveal to anyone who hadn't earned their complete trust, like Tang San.
Still, carrying the soul bone like this would definitely attract attention from most soul masters along the way.
After exchanging a glance with Tang San, Zhou Qing finally took out the gray pouch and placed the soul bone inside.
"What's that?" Xiao Wu asked in surprise. "How did you make the soul bone disappear?"
"A storage soul device."
Romantina's mouth formed a perfect "o." "You actually have one! Unlike other soul devices on the market, storage soul devices are priceless antiques—impossible to buy with money. The only person in Notting City known to have one might be that 'master' who just loafs around Notting Academy."
"There was a soul saint who appeared in Saint Soul Village. Tang San and I inherited this storage soul device from him."
Compared to the covetousness a soul bone would attract, it was better to expose the storage soul device. At least this way, fewer soul masters would covet them.
If word got out that they had a soul bone in Notting City, many soul masters would be tempted to take reckless risks.
Exposing the storage soul device might still tempt some, but most soul masters would hesitate, wondering what forces were backing them.
Plus, Zhou Qing and Tang San had both obtained yellow hundred-year soul rings at age six, with soul power levels around fourteen or fifteen enough to intimidate many petty troublemakers.
But a soul bone was different its allure was something ordinary people couldn't resist!
The only remaining concern was whether Darius would return secretly to try to take the soul bone by force.