Chapter 151 - Deep Sea Embers

Two months had passed since Cale’s arrival in Asper.

The place was exactly as he had expected — a sprawling coastal metropolis teeming with merchants, adventurers, beast hunters, and fortune seekers from across multiple continents.

The seafood trade made it wealthy, but the proximity to unexplored sea regions made it a hub for treasure hunters and explorers seeking their next great discovery.

Cale had located Sesrir Arnhem within the first week and spent considerable time studying his daily patterns. The man was an adventurer, a mid Emperor stage cultivator with a reputation as one of the greatest treasure hunters of the current decade.

He regularly ventured into dangerous territories seeking lost inheritances and hidden treasures.

It was his team that had discovered the Nine-Headed Sea Serpent Inheritance.

According to the records, the inheritance contained multiple rewards — a powerful cultivation technique, a formidable fighting art, and several other treasures left behind by the ancient Sea Serpent.

However, despite its impressive name, the inheritance was considered relatively mediocre.

The reason was because its true value could only be unlocked by someone possessing both Water and Wind Spiritual Roots. For anyone lacking either one, most of the inheritance’s treasures would be nearly useless.

But for Cale, things were different. He possessed both.

Which meant that what others regarded as a mediocre inheritance could potentially become an inheritance perfectly suited for him.

Cale’s approach had been quite patient.

He slowly made acquaintance, meeting Sesrir every two to three days at night when the man got off work. They drank together at taverns, shared stories, and even visited brothels on several occasions.

By the end of three weeks, Sesrir had begun to genuinely trust Cale’s words and intentions.

The membership card from the Soaring Crane Sect had been instrumental in establishing Cale’s credibility — it marked him as someone with significant backing and resources.

Tonight, Cale made his move.

"Hey, are you sure you want to hire me?" Sesrir asked while taking a long sip of wine, his expression serious beneath the alcohol-flushed cheeks. "I’m a mid-stage Emperor and my fees are quite high, you know. Not to mention I will leave you if you can’t handle your own weight."

Cale smiled, with the perfect salesman’s expression.

"Don’t worry, I just want to join a few adventurer expeditions with you. And despite me being Master Stage, I can still hold my weight," he replied.

Sesrir, believing he had the upper hand over someone significantly weaker, was far more relaxed and open.

"Sigh... alright, alright. I will agree, since you’ve been seriously begging me for the past few weeks. Just know that the fees will be quite high."

Cale took a sip of wine as well, playing the role of an eager patron.

"So, how about you tell me what this time’s expedition is about? Maybe I too can prepare something."

Sesrir leaned forward with a light grin spreading across his face.

"Just so you know, I’ve found this map of a deep sea treasure, and it’s said to be left by a high-ranking cultivator. I’m planning to explore that in a week."

Cale arranged his expression into one of shock and surprise.

"A-a deep sea treasure! That is quite a finding! With just this alone you would easily get items worth millions. I see, that’s why they call you one of the greatest treasure hunters of this decade," he said with flattery.

"Hahah, stop your flattery~" Sesrir laughed, though his pleased grin betrayed how much he enjoyed the praise.

Sesrir reached into his storage bag and withdrew a worn, aged map. He laid it on the table, pushing aside food plates to make space.

"Here, look," he said, pointing at a location marked with an "X."

But as Cale’s eyes scanned the map, something else caught his attention — written next to the X in faded script.

His fake shock transformed into real astonishment.

"Abyssal Soulflower! That’s there too?!"

Sesrir was taken aback by the intensity of Cale’s reaction.

"Ah... well yes. But it’s just some soul flower. I know it’s rare, but nobody uses stuff like that these days. Sigh, are you one of those orthodox cultivators whose clan has people from a thousand years ago?" he asked misinterpreting Cale’s surprise.

"Ah, no... no, I just have heard of it."

’Phew... I almost lost my composure there. If there’s an Abyssal Soulflower field, I can seriously increase my demonic qi, chaos flames, and soul cultivation all three at once!’

The truth was that Abyssal Soulflowers were extraordinarily rare and valuable to cultivators with demonic paths. They contained traces of pure demonic qi — something even other demonic cultivators struggled to find and utilize properly. Only high-stage cultivators could use them effectively without the raw energy overwhelming their core.

For someone like Cale, with his demonic cultivation foundation and chaos flames already integrated into his body, an entire field of Abyssal Soulflowers would be a treasure beyond measure.

Sesrir laughed.

"Haha, looks like you do some alchemy too."

"Right, I do dabble in that once in a while. It’s fun," Cale replied casually.

He studied the map more carefully. It only showed a section of the main continent, not the entire expanse, so only two to three locations were marked.

’This is the last one. After this, I have no other inheritances or opportunities in mind. These were the only ones I could remember from my previous life,’ Cale thought, reviewing his knowledge. ’To be honest, people normally get such opportunities once in a decade or so. Me getting more than one in under a year is already crazy enough.’

He looked back at Sesrir with renewed focus.

"By the looks of this map, it’s at least a few hundred kilometers from the coast, and we’ll be attacked by sea monsters... and they’re quite tough in their domain. I hope you have a good plan for this."

"Don’t worry, the coast is covered by two small kingdoms, and we will be going through one of them called Norksyre. Many merchant organizations are there and many adventurers guilds too. I’m also registered as an adventurer there, so we will likely get a team easily to go with us anyway," Sesrir replied confidently. "Also, I have got this another map for the same location, but I don’t know what it is or where it leads to. If you agree to help me make a few pills later on after we come back, we both can go to that location too. Just so you know, I want pills of tier 4."

Cale smiled, "Don’t worry, I can easily make pills of tier 5, so it won’t be a problem as long as you have the items. And that second map, I’m getting quite interested in it, you see."

He wasn’t lying, at that exact moment, a system notification appeared:

[Quest: Reach the designated area of the second map.]

[Rewards: Nine Nether Frostflame.]

Cale’s internal excitement spiked.