The next day, heavy rain fell on Skywater City, shrouding the entire city in a curtain of water.
"Traveler, look over there! Even in this rain, there are so many people gathered! Let's go take a look!"
Aether held an umbrella while Paimon sat on his shoulders, pointing toward a pavilion-like structure in the middle of the city where a notice board had been set up.
A crowd had gathered beneath the shelter. Some wore rain cloaks, others held umbrellas. The higher-ranked soul masters simply circulated their soul power to shield themselves, preventing even a drop of rain from touching them.
Aether made his way to the notice board with Paimon practically standing on his shoulder, stretching to read the notice posted there.
"They're recruiting several high-level soul masters… to help hunt soul rings… Traveler, raise the umbrella higher, I can't see properly."
"..."
Aether's mouth twitched. He simply raised his arm all the way up, leaving Paimon dangling in midair.
"Regardless of success or failure, the reward is 500 gold soul coins!"
Paimon read aloud the last line and instantly gaped.
She had a very clear understanding of what soul coins were worth—after all, unless someone else was paying, everything delicious had to come out of her own pocket.
Five hundred gold soul coins… Just imagine how much tasty food that could buy…
"Traveler, this is a bounty! How about we take it? We could make some easy soul coins!"
Paimon said enthusiastically.
Right now, they were still relying entirely on the soul coin card Qinghe had given them, but money wouldn't last forever, right?
As the Traveler's best partner, she wasn't just a guide—she also had to double as a housekeeper.
These kinds of bounties were one of the fastest ways to make money.
As long as the Traveler accepted enough of them, she could have an endless supply of food!
"..."
You really don't know how much is on that card, do you…
Aether inwardly sighed.
A typical soul coin card usually held several hundred thousand gold soul coins at minimum. And this one was gifted by Qian Renxue.
He had no Idea how much was actually on it, but considering her status, whatever she gave was likely far more generous than he could imagine.
Even if he let Paimon indulge in gourmet feasts every day, they'd probably be set for a very long time.
Still…
Five hundred gold soul coins?
Aether frowned slightly at the bounty notice.
Five hundred coins wasn't exactly a huge amount. Soul masters of a certain level received a monthly stipend from the Spirit Hall, the amount depending on their rank.
Moreover, high-level soul masters were usually affiliated with a sect or power, and got a regular salary.
So to them, this amount of money wasn't anything remarkable.
But to ordinary civilians, this was astronomical.
A typical family's monthly expenses only amounted to about a single gold soul coin.
And this mission was to hunt a soul ring…
From what Aether recalled, such tasks usually involved one or two soul masters accompanying the hunter—ones who were stronger than the target soul beast. That alone made for a standard team.
So the person who posted this notice… could they be a rogue cultivator?
Just then, voices from nearby caught Aether's attention.
"It's that same bounty again? Didn't a mercenary team already take this one a few days ago? Why's it back?"
"Maybe it's a different employer this time?"
"Pah, how could it be? Look at the contact address—it's exactly the same as before!"
"Damn, you're right! I remember—I went to sign up back then too. But that mercenary team was crazy aggressive. They hogged the whole job!"
"No kidding! They had a Soul King on their team—level 51! I just asked why we couldn't join and got my face beaten in. What a bunch of thugs!"
"And now you mention it, isn't it weird how we haven't seen that team around lately?"
"Hmm… Now that you say it, yeah. The team's gone and the bounty's back up again. Don't tell me they all died on the job?"
"Don't be stupid! If they're all dead, who the hell reposted the bounty?"
"…Fair point, I guess."
"Maybe they just went somewhere else to take up another bounty. With a Soul King on board, their safety should be just below that of academy-led high-level teams."
"Paimon, did you hear that? Maybe we shouldn't take this one after all? A whole merc team vanished—sounds dangerous."
Aether feigned a look of concern after hearing the crowd's gossip.
"Hmph! What's that supposed to mean?"
Paimon crossed her tiny arms in frustration.
The Traveler clearly just didn't want to spend money on her snacks!
Danger or no danger—he knew how strong he was, right?
"…Oh no, I just remembered—we left clothes out to dry at home! We should hurry back before they get soaked!"
Aether made up an excuse and turned to leave, but Paimon wouldn't have it. She climbed onto his head and hugged it tightly, shaking it back and forth while muttering incantations.
Ignoring her antics, Aether walked off with her still clinging to him.
Why take on something like this anyway?
Even if I starved today, or had to jump off a cliff, I still wouldn't take some gold-coin bounty mission!
Work? Absolutely not. No way I'm working. I'll survive off the money Qian Renxue gave me for the rest of my life…
"Hey! What's your problem?! Why'd you rip the notice down and take it?!"
"This guy must want to hog the entire reward! Let's follow him!"
"Damn, we're competing for bounties now?!"
Just as Aether was firmly committed to a life of leisure, a ragged, pale-faced young man suddenly broke from the crowd, clutching the now rain-soaked notice and hurrying off in a certain direction, ignoring the angry shouts behind him.
"Hm?"
Aether opened his Elemental Sight on instinct and immediately spotted a glowing blue point of light above the young man's head—bright and unmistakable even in the rainy streets.
Looks like something's about to happen.
Didn't I just swear off work?
He let out a silent sigh and began following the figure along with a few others who were still grumbling.
"Eh? Traveler, this isn't the way home."
Paimon looked around as they changed direction.
Didn't he say they were heading back? Where were they going now?
"Looks like we've stumbled onto a quest," Aether said.
"Really? Really?! Is there money involved?"
Paimon's eyes lit up as she scanned the surroundings, but for once, her uncanny quest-triggering instincts failed her—she didn't see anyone who looked like they had a commission.
"Maybe…"
Aether's mouth twitched. That guy had literally torn down the bounty notice—his commission probably had something to do with it.
_
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