Chapter 17: The Sea Beast Tamers of This World — Ranch Masters
Only now did Chen Sui learn the full story. It turned out that after those few players left, they had spread word of Hai Linlin's situation far and wide. A group of players then banded together and came to rob her. The recycling shop was located in a rather secluded area, and on top of that, the other NPCs in the village had long been bullying this little girl — so these players acted with complete impunity.
After Hu Chao had lured several players away, two more had slipped in unnoticed.
That was what had led to the scene just moments ago.
"Tsk, I don't know what this child did to deserve it — why does everyone seem to have it out for her wherever she goes?"
Chen Sui glanced down at the well-behaved Hai Linlin and couldn't help but sigh.
Hu Chao looked troubled as well:
"Your Chosen Ones can respawn after all, so they might keep coming back. We need to think of a good solution."
Hai Linlin was such a sweet and sensible child — he truly couldn't stand by and let anything happen to her.
Chosen Ones — that was what the native NPCs called the players. Many virtual games used the same term, so Chen Sui wasn't surprised by it.
Chen Sui patted Hai Linlin on the head:
"It's fine, Uncle. Don't worry about it — I'll find someone to keep watch."
He'd put up a little money, or maybe give away a decent pet, and ask someone in the group chat who pulled all-nighters to keep an eye on things.
And nothing would go wrong — if anything came up that they couldn't handle, he'd just ring the whole studio crew online at once.
Having brothers like that was reliable.
Hu Chao nodded:
"That works. Since you have a plan, I won't worry further. But you should also think of other options — see if Linlin has any talent for taming sea beasts. Getting her one to stay by her side for protection wouldn't be a bad idea."
Hearing this, Chen Sui paused for a moment. "She… can tame sea beasts too?"
Since entering the game, he had never seen a native NPC tame a sea beast. He had assumed it was a game mechanic that prevented NPCs from capturing them.
"How could that be? While it's true that unlike you Chosen Ones — where every single one of you is born with the innate ability to tame — the art of controlling sea beasts actually originated from our world."
Hu Chao gave him a look. "It's just that, compared to you Chosen Ones who are born blessed by the Ancestral God, not everyone in our Azure world can become one of the chosen. One in a hundred, or even one in a thousand — that's the reality for our native people when it comes to becoming a Ranch Master."
This was the first time Chen Sui had ever learned anything about the native sea beast tamers. The title of Ranch Master was also something he was hearing for the first time.
Among players, the more common terms were "player" and "Beast Tamer."
"So how does one become… a Ranch Master?"
Chen Sui pressed on.
"No idea." The uncle shrugged. "Normally, they say you have to go to Grand Sea Island for a talent test. Beyond that, it's all rather vague — apparently, if you touch a sea beast, you'll just feel it."
"Is that so?"
Chen Sui's eyelid twitched. It sounded casual, yet somehow made sense — talent was innate, after all. Someone with the gift should feel something the moment they made contact.
He glanced over at Hai Linlin beside him, pondered for a moment, then asked: "Linlin, would you like to find a sea beast friend to protect you?"
Hai Linlin looked up, her eyes shining with a bright, eager light, and nodded.
She agreed so readily — as if she had been looking forward to it for a long time.
Then again, it made sense. A child like her, unable to protect herself, would naturally crave strength.
"Perfect timing, then — the rising tide is tonight. I'll take Linlin to go have a look."
"Oh right, Uncle — the materials you wanted, I brought them back. See if they'll do."
As Chen Sui spoke, he swept his hand, and the bisected body of a Tyrant Squid dropped to the ground with a wet splat, rolling once across the slick floor.
"Oh?"
Hu Chao's eyes lit up at the sight of the Tyrant Squid carcass on the ground. He reached out and grabbed one of its tentacles, examining it carefully. "This is a Tyrant Squid — clever creatures, these. You managed to catch one?"
Chen Sui smiled:
"It was the easiest one to catch. The less intelligent ones bolted the moment things looked bad, but this thing actually doubled back to attack me."
"Now that you put it that way, it does sound like the style of that cunning creature."
Hu Chao chuckled. "This Tyrant Squid is excellent — when the next merchant ship comes through, it should fetch quite a few Fish Coins."
As he said this, he flipped the Tyrant Squid's body over and began picking at something on its head with his fingers. A moment later, with a soft pop, Hu Chao pulled out a white, translucent bone plate. Held up to the lamplight, one could see strange patterns etched across its surface.
The patterns seemed to be some kind of fusion between ancient mysterious script and pictographic imagery, yet bore no trace of human craftsmanship — they were entirely natural formations.
"Oh my! There really is one! There really is!"
Hu Chao's face lit up with delight.
Chen Sui was curious.
"Uncle, what is that?"
"This is the Tyrant Squid Wisdom Bone. Legend has it that this very bone is what grants the creature its remarkable intelligence."
Hu Chao's smile faded as he pressed the bone into Chen Sui's arms. "I'm not entirely sure of its specific use, but I've heard it has great significance for sea beasts. Keep it safe, and don't let anyone know you have it."
Chen Sui was still a little bewildered, but seeing how cautious Hu Chao was being, he played along and accepted it properly.
The next second.
The item's information appeared before Chen Sui.
[Tyrant Squid Wisdom Bone (Wavecrest Rank)]
Quality: Superior
A required item for a sea beast to advance from Wavecrest Rank to Maelstrom Rank.
An advancement item?!
Chen Sui's heart lurched.
On the current official website and forums, there was no known method for advancing sea beasts in rank — and yet here he was, stumbling right into one.
That said, none of the sea beasts he currently had were anywhere close to reaching the ninth tier, so there was no rush for now.
Chen Sui recalled what Hu Chao had mentioned earlier about the merchant ship. His mind stirred — if the opportunity arose… perhaps someone aboard might know something useful.
Hu Chao then handed over the Fish Coins for the recycled materials. Chen Sui said his goodbyes, took Hai Linlin with him, and left the recycling shop.
Eight o'clock in the evening.
Chen Sui met up with Lu Chengzhi and the others at the village entrance.
At this hour, there weren't many players nearby — it seemed the studio crews had handed out a few Fish Coins to disperse the crowd.
"Oh? Boss, where'd this little kid come from?"
Someone noticed the timid child beside Chen Sui and asked curiously.
"Could she be the boss's secret kid?"
"This child… she looks familiar. Oh — I remember now! This little girl was begging by the roadside before."
"Now that you mention it, I think I remember too. Poor little thing."
"……"
Lu Chengzhi came forward, glanced at the girl beside Chen Sui, and didn't ask about her background. He just smiled broadly and said:
"Brother Chen, you should've told me earlier — if you were bringing your little sister along, I would've prepared a gift."
"It's fine, it's fine."
Chen Sui thought to himself that Lu Chengzhi really knew how to talk, and waved it off. "Tonight won't get in your way. I'll take her to the other side and see if we can catch a sea beast for her."
"No problem, Brother Chen — what's this talk about getting in the way? You're being too formal."
Lu Chengzhi laughed. "Then we'll stay on this side and not disturb you two over there."
"Sounds good."
Chen Sui had come partly to let these people get a look at Hai Linlin — in case she turned out to have no talent for taming sea beasts, at least the groundwork would be laid.
He then exchanged a few more jokes with the group before leading Hai Linlin toward the other side of the beach.
An hour passed. It was around nine o'clock.
Whoosh, whoosh — the glittering stars in the sky seemed to tumble into the sea. The distant horizon shimmered with a brilliant, crystalline glow. The waves suddenly grew restless, the water level began to rise, and as the surf washed over the beach and receded, it began to leave things behind.