Dai Mubai looked at the magical scene and couldn't help but ask, "I've heard that Sea God Island only has over three thousand Sea Soul Masters. Your Seahorse City alone has over a thousand. What about the other cities?"
Seahorse Douluo smiled faintly and said, "Not quite. The so-called three thousand Sea Soul Masters are the thirty-five hundred Sea God Warriors who have passed the trials and been chosen to guard Sea God. Esteemed guests, please follow me into the City Lord's mansion."
As the saying goes, a sparrow may be small but it has all the vital organs. Although Seahorse City wasn't large in scale, it had everything it needed.
The wide streets were clean and tidy. The buildings on both sides, though not tall and mostly made of wood and stone, were bright and grand, never making one feel it was of low caliber.
After passing through the bustling market district where fish swam everywhere, they arrived in front of the City Lord's mansion.
At the corridor bridge of the City Lord's mansion stood two columns of three guards, dressed in yellow and white, who were Sea Soul Masters.
Upon seeing Seahorse Douluo, dressed in black, appear, they immediately bowed and saluted.
Leading them into the City Lord's mansion and to the VIP room, Seahorse Douluo looked at everyone as they took their seats and said, "You shall rest here for now. I need to return to the Sacred Pillar for cultivation. Our people are basically self-sufficient, surviving by cultivating simple crops and relying on the bounty of the sea. Therefore, Sea God Island does not require currency; trade is usually conducted through bartering."
"Of course, we also have specialized merchant fleets that go out to purchase goods. Once in a while, they set sail to trade with coastal cities nearby and buy some essential supplies."
Hearing this, Tang San's heart stirred and he said, "Senior, I heard that the Soul Masters on Sea God Island are not allowed to leave. Does going out to sea not count as leaving the island?"
Seahorse Douluo explained, "The fleets of Sea God Island are not composed of Sea God Island Soul Masters. Instead, they are spontaneously formed by Sea Soul Masters who do not belong to Sea God Island, or by Sea Soul Masters who failed their trials. Periodically, they deliver a batch of supplies to the island in exchange for some of the island's specialties. This has been the way for thousands of years."
Ma Hongjun exclaimed, "What if those Sea Soul Masters betray you?"
Seahorse Douluo glanced at him, but before he could speak, Tang Sui interjected, "Since they can survive on Sea God Island without being discouraged and leaving after failing their trials, their reasons for staying here must be more than just their homeland; it's because they are all believers of Sea God, isn't it?"
Seahorse Douluo's gaze towards Tang Sui held a hint of depth as he nodded, "You are correct. Both the Sea Soul Masters who leave Sea God Island and those who remain are children of the sea, and the most loyal believers of Sea God. No one would betray."
After speaking, Seahorse Douluo mentioned that dinner would be served soon and then left to convey the instructions of the Great Priestess, Bo Saixi.
Finally, when only their own group remained, Ma Hongjun's straight back immediately slumped. He collapsed onto the soft sofa cushions as if boneless, "Ah, this day has worn me out."
Bai Chenxiang retorted, "You've spent the whole day just stretching your muscles in the sea. If anyone's tired, it's Sui Sui who hasn't slept for days and nights and truly rested, not you!"
Ma Hongjun huffed, "This is called mental exhaustion! Although there wasn't any intense combat, after seeing that Sea God Douluo, I felt as exhausted as if I'd undergone Master's devilish training."
Bai Chenxiang rolled her eyes.
After everyone chatted for a while, a sumptuous dinner was served by the purple-clothed Sea Soul Masters from the City Lord's mansion.
After a whirlwind of eating, everyone's mood relaxed.
Tang San also let out a sigh and proactively steered the conversation to the main topic, "Dinner is almost done. Let's use this opportunity to discuss our future plans."
The others slowed down their chopsticks. Tang Sui, who had almost finished eating, simply put down her chopsticks, picked up a cup of sweet and sour berry juice, and took a sip, listening to her brother start to elaborate.
"Xiao San, do you have any ideas yet?" Dai Mubai asked, swirling and taking a sip from his goblet of red wine.
Tang San pondered for a moment, not giving a specific answer, but merely saying, "If you're asking generally, yes, I do, but it's not comprehensive. After all, even though we've successfully entered Sea God Island and received Sea God's trials, it's only the beginning. We need to plan everything carefully."
"Why don't we take advantage of everyone being here to see what each of our trial contents are?" Xiao Wu suggested.
The others thought it made sense.
They closed their eyes, concentrated their spiritual power on their brows, and a golden light materialized into a card that flew out from their brows. The Shrek's Eight Monsters, with their eyes open, held the cards in their hands.
The sole exception, Tang Sui, calmly picked up another piece of stir-fried rice cake with her chopsticks, showing no curiosity about her companions' trials.
Dai Mubai, with his eyes open, looked at the description on the golden card in his hand, his brow furrowed. "My first trial is called Crossing the Sea God's Light. It says I need to go to the core forbidden area of Sea God Island and ascend the first 108 steps. I can withdraw midway, and the time limit is one year."
Ning Rongrong and the others echoed similar sentiments.
Because their first trials were all related to crossing the Sea God's Light, with only differences in the number of steps to cross. Tang San, in particular, was to cross 333 steps, which was double the actual number of Sea God's Light steps.
Bai Chenxiang pursed her lips and looked at the content on the card in her hand, her gaze dimming slightly. "Mine is only a Yellow-tier trial, which is far behind all of yours."
Ma Hongjun felt a pang of discomfort seeing Bai Chenxiang's dejected expression.
He leaned closer to her, playfully bumping her shoulder. As Bai Chenxiang's attention was drawn to him, her moment of sadness temporarily dispelled, he slowly read out the contents of Bai Chenxiang's card: "Yellow-tier trial one: Accept the trial of the Sea Illusion Beast at the Seahorse Sacred Pillar, with a time limit of one month?"
Bai Chenxiang's face darkened, and she forcefully nudged Ma Hongjun away with her elbow.
"It's okay, Xiangxiang. Even if you only have one trial, it doesn't mean you can't join us in the other trials later," Ma Hongjun, now back in his seat, chuckled.
Hearing Ma Hongjun's words, Bai Chenxiang also remembered Tang Sui, who was the most special among them. She looked over with some concern and asked, "Sui Sui, your trial of proving the Way... how do you plan to prove the Way?"
"I'll climb the Sea God's Light with everyone first."
This was the first step of her plan, which she had decided on long ago.
"Xiangxiang, what's your trial? How about I accompany you to check out the Sea Illusion Beast trial first?" she tentatively asked.
Bai Chenxiang was taken aback, then waved her hand. "No, no need. My trial is for me alone. Sui Sui, you should stick with the main group."
On the other side, Tang San opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately closed it without making a sound.
Tang Sui, who caught this scene in her peripheral vision, her eyes flickered, but she didn't act on it immediately.
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See you tomorrow~