Chapter 14: The Mysterious Seed

Ian wasn't sure if the news of his death was truly confirmed by the astrologer or if it was just a smokescreen put up by the second prince. Based on the intelligence he gathered, he leaned towards the first option. After all, his predecessor was indeed dead.

However, he still decided to continue using a fake name, grow out a short beard, and change his appearance.

The second prince had crushed them like ants, but if he discovered that any surviving ants dared to bite back, he wouldn't hesitate to stamp them out. The odds were high that he would squash them without a second thought.

But to take revenge and rescue his sister, Ian needed money, ships, and people. Otherwise, even with specific intelligence, finding and reaching her in the vast ocean would be impossible.

The first step was to get money and buy a ship, then maybe rob a few others to get more. Who would be the targets? Pirates, the scattered second fleet, royal merchant ships—the list was long.

But it was too soon to steal a ship. Though Heaven's Port was chaotic, there was still basic order and law. There were guards and stationed troops.

Besides, sailing a ship required many sailors. A level-six ship usually required 180 crew members, at a minimum about 100 to keep the vessel operational.

Right now, Ian had no crew, and the idea of raiding a ship and then recruiting sailors sounded absurd.

For now, he would focus on earning money and recruiting a few core people.

...

But what he was really excited about was the birth of the second derived card.

At 10 PM on the 17th, a peculiar rhythm in the spiritual world woke Ian from his deep meditation. Another star lit up in the vast fate tapestry that covered the spiritual heavens.

Ian felt a surge of excitement. Though it was a little later than expected, it had finally arrived.

A spiritual fluctuation followed, and the "star" streaked toward him like a shooting star, appearing right in front of him in the blink of an eye.

It was a yellow card, semi-transparent with strange patterns. In the center was a green substance shaped like a droplet of water.

[Card: Magical Seed]

Magical Seed: A rare item. The seed of a "Magical Cottage," a special spatial attribute spiritual plant. After signing a soul contract, it can be awakened by the owner's spiritual energy.

Once awakened, it enters its growth phase, mainly consuming the owner's spiritual energy and mana. Materials from the side of Order or Life can speed up its growth and enhance some of its potential.

The shape and internal structure of the "Magical Cottage" will depend on continuous interaction and guidance from the owner.

Is this... the legendary Magical Cottage?

Ian couldn't help but think, what exactly does the Fate deck contain?

This is great, but it doesn't seem all that useful right now. I'm not even settled anywhere.

Wait a minute! Can this thing be trained into a warship?!

Although the essence of the "Magical Cottage" wouldn't change no matter how much it was cultivated, and it wouldn't gain abilities outside its natural talents, its shape and layout could be adjusted. There was a lot of room for manipulation.

Ian suddenly realized that all the derived cards in the Fate deck seemed to be related to his current situation. In theory, it wouldn't generate a card he couldn't use or wouldn't need.

He decided to give it a try. If he succeeded in cultivating it, the benefits would be unimaginable.

He withdrew from the spiritual world, and in a wave of spiritual energy, the yellow card appeared in his hand.

The Magical Seed was still sealed in card form, and could only be used after the seal was broken. Of course, once broken, the card could never be resealed, and this process was irreversible.

With his intention, the card gently floated in the air, slowly revealing a web-like pattern. Ian felt a sound like shattering glass in his spiritual sense, and the card gently exploded, turning into sparkling light that scattered into the air.

A green, droplet-shaped seed fell from the void, and Ian gently caught it with his hand.

He probed the seed with his spiritual energy, and a rhythmic pulse like a heartbeat resonated from it. A special spiritual presence was growing inside, responding enthusiastically to his touch.

Following the instructions on the card, Ian used his spiritual energy to create a soul contract. The contract's imprint was transferred into the seed, and the small spiritual presence immediately latched onto it, everything falling into place.

The contract was formed, and the imprint became two streams of light. One stayed inside the seed, while the other flew into Ian's spiritual world, attaching itself to the crown of the Original Tree.

Ian sat on the floor, gently cradling the Magical Seed in his hands. He continuously fed it spiritual energy and mana.

Crack… crack…

The droplet-shaped seed tilted, and several roots slowly broke through its tip, growing rapidly. Within moments, it transformed into a plant that was about 15 centimeters tall, with an oversized "head" that seemed out of proportion to its body.

This strange, green plant had a round head much larger than its body, with two blinking eyes that didn't seem very intelligent. It also had a mouth that occupied at least half of its head.

Below the head was a thin "stem," with long tendrils growing from its upper half, swaying like arms. At the bottom, three pairs of long roots grew, resembling six legs.

It was adorably awkward.

After Ian had used about half of his spiritual energy and mana, the little creature seemed satisfied and cut off the supply.

Waa waa, waa waa…

The little thing chirped while climbing up Ian's arm with its long legs, eventually settling on his shoulder and gently rubbing its large head against his face.

Ian tilted his head, curiously watching it.

So amazing! Since your head is so big, I'll call you... "Wawa."

The little creature chirped twice more. Ian wasn't sure if it understood, but it didn't seem to mind.

Using his spiritual energy, Ian "communicated" with the creature for a while. It turned out that it could only transmit simple thoughts like "hungry," "full," "no, no," and "want food."

Ian felt a bit disappointed. He wasn't sure how long it would take for it to grow into something useful. If it took too long, it might disrupt his plans.

...

The next morning, Ian placed the still-sleeping Wawa in the pocket of his jacket. He smiled as he watched it cling to him with its tendrils even in its sleep, then made his way to the Bounty Hunter Guild.

He had already registered with both the Adventurers' House and the Bounty Hunter Guild when he was gathering intelligence.

The Bounty Hunter Guild didn't restrict identities—anyone could register, and they were ranked based on points.

For the right price, they would do anything: hunting supernatural creatures, killing pirates, tracking people, searching for rare materials. Their presence was ubiquitous in the Sea of Miracles.

The guild even had its own marketplace, where resources were plentiful.

Ian entered the Bounty Hunter Guild, located on the north side of Central Avenue, bypassing the noisy crowd in the main hall. He headed straight for the second-floor marketplace via the stairs.

The second floor primarily dealt with regular materials, while the third floor was dedicated to rare or extraordinary materials.

The second floor was a spacious hall divided into small, semi-enclosed counter areas. Most of these counters were rented out to bounty hunters or merchants, mainly selling materials.

The guild also operated its own shops, selling finished products such as weapons, equipment, and potions.

However, the guild provided identification services and guaranteed the authenticity of most known materials, for a 5% commission on each transaction.