Bai Ye's initial intention towards Li Jiayi was to kill him, but the fellow was slippery as an eel, truly difficult to eliminate.
Now, Bai Ye didn't particularly want to kill Li Jiayi anymore. He was more inclined to make Li Jiayi reveal what he knew.
Bai Ye was quite interested in the God Followers.
This was because it represented another avenue of approach.
The most direct method, as in his previous life, was to wait for the war in the central region to begin, fight his way to the central tower, and upon reaching the final level of that divine tower, he should be able to uncover the truth.
However, if there was a plan to directly converse with the gods, Bai Ye wouldn't reject it.
The God Followers presented an opportunity.
Simply put, this was a matter that could be pursued from two angles simultaneously.
And Li Jiayi clearly knew a lot about the God Followers.
But the problem was how to get Li Jiayi to divulge what he knew.
There were only two ways to make someone speak: either through a deal or by threatening him.
A deal wasn't very reliable. Bai Ye didn't possess anything that Li Jiayi desired, so it had to be through threats, by preventing Li Jiayi from obtaining what he wanted.
However...
"It seems I've already let it slip."
Bai Ye scratched his head. He shouldn't have directly stated he was just passing by. Perhaps he could have extracted information from Li Jiayi. But Bai Ye hadn't thought too much about it; after all, this was another coincidence.
Bai Ye picked up his Den Den Mushi and called Gao Ming, saying, "There might be something happening in this beast-taming region where I am. Find some people to help me keep an eye on it."
"Hmm?" Gao Ming was momentarily taken aback but didn't ask further, readily agreeing, "Alright, I have people over there."
After Gao Ming reported the matter to Stanson following their trip to the virtual game forbidden zone, Stanson's only reply was: Maintain a friendly relationship with Bai Ye as much as possible.
This order wasn't surprising to Gao Ming. With his strength and the vast amount of beneficial intelligence about forbidden zones he provided, Bai Ye's value to the Evil Spirit Gang was immense. Of course, they had to foster a good relationship.
The most crucial point was that previous concerns had vanished.
Bai Ye's true stance had always been a source of confusion for Gao Ming.
Gao Ming had even suspected if Bai Ye was a member of the Hidden Dragon Society, using the provision of forbidden zone information to gain trust, and then delivering a fatal blow to the Evil Spirit Gang at a critical moment.
For instance, Bai Ye's intelligence had always been accurate. Then, one day, Bai Ye might provide information about a large forbidden zone requiring a significant manpower investment, but the intelligence could be flawed. The Evil Spirit Gang would likely suffer heavy losses, being severely crippled.
Now, Gao Ming wasn't worried. Bai Ye had eliminated a host of experts from the Hidden Dragon Society, including two elite team captains. Such losses were no small matter. No matter how powerful the Hidden Dragon Society was, they wouldn't go to such lengths for a self-inflicted injury.
Therefore, the doubt of "trustworthiness" was no longer an issue.
Stanson's words implied a desire for deeper cooperation with Bai Ye.
On the other side, after receiving Gao Ming's reply, Bai Ye hung up the phone. He didn't alter his plans but directly threw out the beast-taming ball and summoned his Sea-Riding Dragon.
Li Jiayi had already discovered him and was likely to remain stationary.
Bai Ye felt that if he stayed, it was highly probable that both sides would end up in a stalemate.
What was the point of that?
Everyone had plenty of things to attend to.
Bai Ye wasn't in a hurry. Li Jiayi's strength was still considerable. Although there were many coincidences between them, as top-tier experts, it was normal for them to encounter each other.
This was because the regions they operated in were clearly a level higher than others.
Therefore, Bai Ye believed there would be plenty of opportunities, and there was no need to dwell on this particular encounter. Having Gao Ming keep watch was simply because Bai Ye wanted to know what Li Jiayi intended to do.
Secondly, it was about Fang Hu.
Setting aside their respective strengths, the information they currently possessed was unequal, placing the initiative outside of Bai Ye's control.
Bai Ye felt that to have a "fair" conversation with Li Jiayi, a trip to Fang Hu was imperative. He needed to understand the true meaning behind Li Jiayi's earlier words.
As Bai Ye was contemplating, he suddenly felt a tickle on the back of his hand. He looked down to find his Sea-Riding Dragon had crawled over and was licking his hand.
Although a recently acquired beast wouldn't have high loyalty, a gentle beast like the Sea-Riding Dragon was an exception. Even with lower loyalty, it was very well-behaved.
The Sea-Riding Dragon resembled a plesiosaur combined with a sea turtle. Its entire body was blue, with a gray shell on its back. The shell had protrusions that could serve as handholds for stability for the rider.
Bai Ye patted the Sea-Riding Dragon's head and smiled, "Let's go!"
Bai Ye climbed onto the Sea-Riding Dragon, and it began to crawl towards the sea. Its pace was somewhat slow, and its gait was unsteady, appearing a bit wobbly.
However, once it entered the water, the Sea-Riding Dragon's speed immediately increased, and it moved very smoothly. Sitting on its back, Bai Ye didn't even feel significant jolts.
Bai Ye stroked the Sea-Riding Dragon's head, sensing its joy and pleasure. It even...
Its loyalty began to rise!
This surprised Bai Ye. There were many ways to increase loyalty, but to become happier simply because it was being ridden, thus increasing its loyalty...
Bai Ye found the Sea-Riding Dragon's preference quite peculiar – it enjoyed being ridden!
While pondering, Bai Ye took out the sea chart provided by Gao Ming and began to study it.
The regions on the sea were somewhat peculiar.
On land, after crossing a regional boundary, things could change drastically.
For example, one region might be a desolate wasteland with no inhabitants, while the next could be a futuristic city with imposing steel structures, and another might be mountain pavilions surrounded by lush greenery.
But the sea was just the sea. Although there were many regions on the sea, no matter how many regions one traversed, it remained the sea.
The difference was that one region might be a sea area of the ability-user domain, the next might become a sea area of the xianxia domain, and the subsequent one could be a sea area of the supernatural domain.
Visually, there was no discernible difference, as it was all just vast ocean.
Bai Ye traced his finger across the sea chart.
The sea area where Liu Shiyue was located was part of the ability-user domain. The world to which that region belonged had vast oceans, which gave rise to many pirates, and consequently, the navy was born.
Especially the former Pirate King, Roger, who roamed the seven seas, possessed countless treasures. As he was captured and executed, he uttered a sentence.
"You want my treasure? If you want it, go find it on the sea! I've put it all there!"
This declaration drew countless people. The world thus entered the Great Pirate Era, with countless individuals setting sail to become pirates, their goal singular...
The legendary treasure!
...