The two tokens in Li Yu's storage ring were a heavy, tangible representation of the new, invisible webs he had begun to weave in Sunken Treasure City. Brought about by his own skills and pure chance. Perhaps it was because he was such a young boy that these people were taking pity on him or perhaps it was something else.
The golden sea lion of the Guild and the fiery cauldron of the Alchemist were not just symbols of favor; they were keys to doors he had not even known existed. He knew that in a city of sleeping dragons, a small fish needed powerful friends and deep hidden currents to navigate.
Back at the inn, the atmosphere was one of quiet, focused energy. The four of them gathered around the main table, a map of the city spread between them. Marked on the map was the intelligence they had each gathered.
"Jin Ao's faction is staying at the Heavenly Jade Pavilion," Lin Tao reported, his voice a low, precise murmur. "It's one of the most expensive establishments in the city, owned by a clan that has business ties with Elder Jin's family.
They have a dozen disciples with them, all at the Qi Condensation Realm. Jin Ao himself has not left the pavilion but his followers have been active, visiting various shops and spreading their influence."
"Spreading their influence is a polite way to put it," Hu Jian grumbled, taking a large bite of a meat bun.
"Let them talk," Li Yu said calmly. "A barking dog is less dangerous than a silent one. Their arrogance makes them predictable." He looked at Brother Kai. "What have you learned?"
"The competition for the Heart of the Deep Sea will be fierce," the old steward said, his expression grim. "The Blackwater Demonic Clan has sent a delegation led by their Young Matriarch. The Myriad Beast Sect is here, led by their chief elder's son. I have heard rumors that a private room has been reserved for someone from the Royal Family of the Eastern Sea Dynasty."
He let out a long sigh. "Junior Steward, these are all factions with wealth that can rival our entire sect. One hundred thousand spirit stones… it will probably not be enough."
"We will have to see what happens when the day comes. If we aren't able to purchase it, we will need to think of a new plan but keep our safety at the forefront at all times. I do not believe my master sent us here to get hurt. If we aren't able to get it, she will at most be disappointed." Li Yu replied.
The next day, Li Yu did not visit the opulent Azure Pavilion district. Instead, he made his way back to the Fisherman's Wharf on his own. He found Old Man Feng skillfully mending a large net, his Spirit-Eyed Cormorant perched on his shoulder, its feathers a vibrant, healthy black.
"Young Master Li!" the old man exclaimed, his face breaking into a wide, joyful smile. He quickly stood and bowed, a gesture of deep, genuine respect. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"
"Please, Uncle Feng, there is no need for such formality," Li Yu said with a warm smile. "I was simply exploring the city and thought I would see how your companion was doing."
"He is better than ever!" the old man said, stroking the cormorant's head. "His spirit is strong and his eyes are sharp. My catch has doubled in the past week. My family… we are eating well, thanks to you." He looked at Li Yu, his expression sincere.
Li Yu sat with the old fisherman for over an hour, not as a powerful cultivator but as a young man listening to the stories of an elder. He learned about the best places to buy fresh, non-spiritual seafood.
He learned which of the city's canals were the cleanest and which were used as dumping grounds for alchemical waste. He learned about the subtle rivalries between the different fishing crews and about the strange phosphorescent shrimp that only appeared during a full moon.
Li Yu appreciated this time, he was able to learn more and more about this world of his. It was a place full of life and he wanted to be able to see every inch of it if possible.
Two days before the auction, as Li Yu was meditating in his room the blue communication stone given to him by Elder Quan grew warm. He infused it with a thread of his True Qi and the elder's low voice echoed in his mind.
"Junior Brother Li. I hope I am not disturbing your cultivation. We have… a small, delicate situation. I was wondering if we might borrow your unique expertise."
"Of course, Elder Quan," Li Yu replied. "I am at your service."
He arrived at the Golden Sea Guild's pavilion to find Elder Quan not in his opulent office but in a sealed high-security chamber in the building's lower levels. The room was dominated by a single massive tank but the water inside was not clear. It was instead a swirling, inky black.
"It is a Shadow-Ink Octopus," Elder Quan explained, his face a mask of frustration. "A rare variant Rank 5 beast. Its ink is a priceless ingredient for crafting high-grade invisibility and concealment talismans. We acquired it a month ago but it has not eaten. It simply remains in its cloud of ink and if any of our beast tamers try to approach it attacks with a powerful psychic assault."
Li Yu extended his spiritual sense towards the tank. He was immediately met with a wave of profound paranoid fear. The octopus's mind was a storm of anxiety, its thoughts a jumble of danger-threat-hide.
He listened deeper, sifting through the creature's terror and found the source. The tank was perfectly round. For a creature like a Shadow-Ink Octopus, whose primary survival instinct was to find a dark enclosed space to hide in. Being in a perfectly round tank with no corners, no crevices and no caves was a form of absolute torture. It was a prison of infinite, exposed space. It had surrounded itself with its own ink as a desperate, last-ditch effort to create a hiding place.
"Elder Quan," Li Yu said, his expression thoughtful. "This beast is not aggressive. It is terrified. It is a creature of the deep, a creature of caves and crevices. It needs a place to hide."
"We have tried placing artificial caves and rocks in the tank," the elder replied with a sigh. "It destroys them. It seems to perceive any foreign object as a threat."
Li Yu looked at the inky water, his mind delving into the vast library of knowledge he had absorbed from the sect's archives. "Elder, I remember reading about this in some text. It said that Shadow-Ink Octopuses are extremely sensitive to spiritual energy. Any normal rock or ore radiates a faint aura that they perceive as a predator. The text mentioned they only make their lairs in a specific type of rock called 'Void-Veined Iron Ore'."
"Void-Veined Iron Ore?" Elder Quan's brow furrowed. "I have heard of it. It's a low-grade, porous ore, almost useless for forging. Why would it prefer that?"
"According to the text, the ore's unique porous structure causes it to absorb spiritual energy from its surroundings, making it a 'dead zone' to a beast's spiritual sense," Li Yu explained, his lie sounding like a passage from a scholarly journal.
"To the octopus, a cave made of this ore would not feel like a foreign object. It would feel like a natural, safe and completely empty hole in the world. A perfect hiding place."
Elder Quan had a flicker of understanding dawning on his face. The logic made sense. It explained why the beast destroyed every other type of shelter they had provided. They thought they were improving the home for the octopus but all it wanted was its normal home.
An hour later, after the guild's servants had scrambled to procure a large quantity of the common, almost worthless ore. The servants had hastily constructed a simple, cave-like structure from the dark, porous rock and lowered it into the tank.
The moment the ore cave settled on the bottom, the frantic, terrified energy within the tank ceased. The cloud of ink began to part and the Shadow-Ink Octopus sensing a safe, dark and spiritually silent space, immediately swam into the cave and settled down. Its paranoid aura replaced by a sense of relief and security.
Elder Quan stared onward, impressed that the boy was able to get it right again and so quickly. He had been trying to solve this problem with wealth, force and medicine. This boy had solved it with obscure knowledge and a deep empathetic understanding.
"Your debt earlier was just repaid and now I owe you another," the elder said, his voice filled with genuine respect.
"What do you mean Elder Quan, we are working together now. There is no debt between us, just payment…" Li Yu said cheekily as he chuckled. Elder Quan chuckled alongside him, his mood improving a lot now that the problem was solved.
"As a token of our gratitude, I will allow you to select a reward from this list of our Guild's surplus treasures, something of rough equivalent value to the services you helped us with today." Elder Quan said after settling down a bit.
He handed Li Yu a jade slip. Li Yu infused it with his spiritual sense and a list of several dozen valuable items appeared in his mind: rare spiritual herbs, high-grade ores and a few powerful defensive artifacts. He scanned the list until his eyes landed on one particular item near the bottom of the list. His heart skipped a beat but his expression did not change.
"Elder Quan," he said. "This item… the 'Heart of the Deep Sea'. The description says it is a heaven-grade treasure, yet it is on this list. Why is that?"
Elder Quan let out a long sigh, a pained expression on his face. "Ah, that. It is a long story. We acquired it a century ago but its energy is too pure and too profound. None of our guild's disciples have a foundation stable enough to absorb it."
"It is too powerful for the young and of little use to us elders who have already established our foundations. It is a valuable treasure that has been collecting dust in our vault. We thought it's too much of a shame to sell it and no one internally can use it. Just recently, we had planned to put it in the auction,but the patriarch is hesitant. It feels… wasteful."
"I would like to choose this as my reward," Li Yu said, his voice firm.
The elder chuckled, shaking his head. "Boy, your ambition is as great as your talent. The service you rendered was immense but the value of this pearl… is higher than the services you've rendered so far. I cannot simply give it to you as a reward."
"Then allow me to purchase it," Li Yu countered smoothly. "My master has entrusted me with one hundred thousand spirit stones for the auction. I will give you all of it now. As for the remainder… this one would be in your debt."
The elder stared at him, a slow, cunning smile spreading across his face. "You are a shrewd one. Very well. The pearl is of no use to my guild and your friendship has proven valuable already. Eighty-five thousand spirit stones. That is the cost of the materials we used to acquire it. Not a single stone more."
"Done," Li Yu said without a moment's hesitation, knowing that the Elder was giving him face and also investing in his skills for the future. He quickly transferred the spirit stones from his master's storage ring.
"Hahaha!" Elder Quan let out a great, booming laugh. "Excellent! A deal is struck!"
He handed the Heart of the Deep Sea to Li Yu. The mission his master had sent him on was now completed, two days before the auction had even begun. Things had gone much better than expected.
He left the pavilion, a new powerful piece of the puzzle falling into place. Back at the inn, he now held what he was sent here to get. He knew Jin Ao and his allies were preparing to wage a war of wealth over the Heart of the Deep Sea. They would be bidding furiously, driving the price to insane heights to get it, all for a treasure that was already resting safely in his storage ring. The auction was no longer a competition for him.