Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Some time later, the ice magic finally returned control of the place to the sea. The ice slowly melted. The snowy-white scenery extending all the way into the distance slowly reclaimed its usual blue appearance!

Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue were standing on the sunken reef. Both Mo Fan's Ultimate Lightning Conduct and Mu Ningxue's Ice Crystal Bow had drained all their energy.

If they actually tried to defeat the Black Sea Drake the normal way, they would only have a little hope of defeating it after fighting against it over a long period, and the creature might just escape in the middle of the fight.

Either way, Mo Fan was well aware of how important it was to improve his strength. Otherwise, he might actually die one day, especially considering how much of a busybody and righteous person he was…

---

Mo Fan and Mu Ningxue recovered some after resting for some time.

Unfortunately, the boat was destroyed. They had no choice but to make their way back on foot. They were incredibly far away from the city; it was impossible to tell how long the journey was going to take.

However, the group was relieved that they had successfully secured the immune cells from the Maggot Drake. Once they returned to Tinuoaya City, they should be able to resolve the Drowning Curse.

"Does that mean no one is going to die to the Drowning Curse again?" Bobby said.

Lingling shook her head and said in a serious voice, "Every living organism never stops evolving. Even if we came up with the vaccine to prevent these invisible maggots from living in human bodies, these parasitic creatures still exist in the ocean. It isn't like they have been wiped out. They can still live on in other creatures… and it's hard to tell how many powerful creatures are actually the final form of these maggots. Perhaps one day, a scarier species will show up that's invulnerable to the vaccine."

Mo Fan fell into deep thought upon hearing Lingling's words.

If he were to observe a living organism, most living things, including humans were gradually growing stronger.

Looking back at history and the passing down of civilization, all living things never stopped evolving.

The existence of the demon creatures had forced humanity to team up and grow stronger. Humans could not stop killing the demon creatures, they had to keep their numbers under control. In other words, both the humans and demon creatures would never be able to wipe out their natural foe. The only species that would go extinct were the ones that failed to move forward. They were the species or tribes that could not adapt to the ever-changing environment, eventually ended up as a page in history.

Perhaps many years ago, humans were like livestock in the eyes of demon creatures, an existence that they could butcher and feed on as they wished. However, the unyielding spirit of the human species eventually turned into magic technology, cities, and Mages, allowing humanity to defend itself from the demon creatures. However, if humans stopped improving, they would eventually be replaced by little demon creatures like the maggots, or be wiped out by some other powerful species of demon creatures!

Although Lingling's father was only determined to fulfill his sacred duty as a Hunter, it was also a way forward for mankind. The person making the step forward might die, but at least the step was helping to preserve mankind and push it forward!

If not a single person in this world was willing to sacrifice themselves to fulfill their duties and roles, perhaps humans and their Mages would soon become history easily flipped over to the next page by some other civilized species.

A species like the Drowning Curse Maggot would never go extinct, and the vaccine that Lingling had acquired would only protect humans from the Drowning Curse for a time.

However, it was the most they could do. They could only hope that a Hunter like Lingling, who was taught by her father to stay firm to their roles as Hunters, would be willing to step forward when a potential threat that could endanger mankind was discovered!

That being said, in Mo Fan's case, he was not really interested in being that person. He was only wondering if the reward pool of the Drowning Curse had increased by another ten million...

---

Mo Fan let Lingling handle the vaccine. He soon heard from the Hunter Union that his Hunter rank had been raised, meaning that he could acquire more information and had more privileges in the Hunter Union.

Not long after, Mo Fan saw a headline on some news articles describing the Drowning Curse.

The Clearsky Hunter Agency has solved the mysteries of a Curse that has been troubling the world, earning the huge reward pool of money!

Lingling purposely listed the Clearsky Hunter Agency as the contributor since she preferred to keep a low profile. It was mainly because she was worried that exposing her age would simply stir up problems among the Hunters.

Think about it: if the Hunter Masters in their fifties and sixties who had spent most their time trying to resolve the Drowning Curse discovered that the mystery was actually solved by a little girl around the age of ten and a young man in his twenties, wouldn't they feel utterly humiliated?

The Clearsky Hunter Agency was quite reputable, thus it was fine to put its name down as the group responsible for solving the mysteries.

As for the reward, Lingling did not really need the money. She asked Mo Fan to keep it on behalf of her, but normally, Mo Fan would simply use it all.

As a man with Double Innate Elements, he needed a huge investment to ensure that each of his Elements could come in handy. Luckily, the jobs he did as a Hunter were able to provide him some relief from the shocking expenses!

------

------

"Mo Fan, don't tell me that you two were away because you were busy resolving that Drowning Curse?" Zhao Manyan went up to Mo Fan and asked in a serious voice.

"You're pretty well-informed," Mo Fan raised his brows and said.

The media had only just reported it, but Zhao Manyan already knew Mo Fan was behind it. Mo Fan was actually quite impressed.

"What nonsense! The only ones that are still active in the Clearsky Hunter Agency are Lingling and you; who else would it be if it weren't you two!?" Zhao Manyan said.

"Ugh… you're right about that," Mo Fan said.

It was true that the Clearsky Hunter Agency had been around for quite a long time. However, the only people that were fairly active at accepting jobs were Mo Fan and Lingling. The remaining Hunters were in a half-retired state. They were extremely picky with their jobs in terms of their difficulty, reward, and distance...

As a matter of fact, there were not many people left in the Clearsky Hunter Agency. The Eldest Senior Sister, Leng Qing was a Vice Head of the Magic Court. Old Bao was once a Senior Hunter, but Mo Fan had not heard of him accepting any job since Mo Fan had joined the agency. There was a bald Hunter Master too, but he rarely visited. They also had an Eldest Senior Brother, but Mo Fan had never met him before. He did not even know his name.

Therefore, it was just like Zhao Manyan had said: The only people that were active in the Clearsky Hunter Agency were Mo Fan and Lingling!

"I'm quite jealous of how much money you got as a reward!" Zhao Manyan sighed.

Zhao Manyan's family was insanely rich, but it was not like their family could make money like performing a magic trick. If he asked his family to give him three hundred million, it was very likely that the elders in the family would consider tossing him into the Huangpu River instead!

"You know how desperate I am when it comes to money. I can't even feed myself if I don't make money as a Hunter," Mo Fan was holding a piece of blazing red crystal and feeding it to Little Flame Belle on his shoulder as he was speaking.

Little Flame Belle munched happily. Her face was brimming with happiness.

Little Flame Belle was enjoying it, but Mo Fan actually felt his heart bleeding. He glanced at Zhao Manyan as if he was trying to say, See? Have you ever seen milk powder that cost millions!?

"But you will be glad that you've raised your daughter nice and well in the future!" Zhao Manyan replied.

Everyone was jealous of the strength that the teenager Flame Belle had displayed in New York's Training Hall. Zhao Manyan was willing to spend as much as he needed if he could actually get his hands on such a powerful Contracted Beast!

"There's an International Magic Marketplace close to our next destination. Since you have some money on your hands, are you interested in looking around there?" Zhao Manyan suggested.

It was rare for Mages to hold on to their money. Mo Fan did not have a habit of saving money, either. Only the money he spent on improving his strength was useful money!

"Will there be Soul-grade Seeds?" Mo Fan asked.

"There will be, but, do you have enough money?" Zhao Manyan said.

"I've sold the resources I received from the national team, which was around a hundred and fifty million, and together with the three hundred and fifty million I earned, that's a total of five hundred million. I believe it's enough to buy a Soul-grade Seed, right? If not, I'll just sell the Magic Accelerator Ring that you traded me. Don't tell me it's not enough to buy a Soul-grade Seed?" Mo Fan said.

"I suggest you keep the Magic Accelerator. The time you need to spend on practicing is a lot considering the number of Elements you have. We'll go and check the place first out. If you really are short on funds, we'll think of a way to get some money. It should be enough to buy a normal Soul-grade Seed, but if you want those that have a Domain… it's not going to happen," Zhao Manyan said.

When they received the reward, Mu Ningxue knew Mo Fan was desperate to get himself a Soul-grade Seed to improve his strength. As such, she decided to give Mo Fan all the money.

Mo Fan actually found it embarrassing, since it was Mu Ningxue's powerful arrow that had killed the Black Sea Drake. However, Mu Ningxue was not fussed about it at all. She told Mo Fan that he could repay her by helping her to get the thing she needed when the time came.

Mo Fan did agree with her point. If they were to split the reward in half, it was unlikely that he could get himself a good Soul-grade Seed with the money he had.

Mu Ningxue had already reached the Advanced Level, thus she was not in need of money for the time being. She was willing to let Mo Fan have it first, just so he could improve his strength. That way, if they managed to secure another difficult job, it would be easier for them to earn money!

Besides, it was unnecessary to be so fussy about splitting the money evenly when they were husband and wife. They would be together for their whole lives, why would they be concerned that there was no chance for the other person to repay the favor?

"Zhao Manyan, tell me about the price of the Soul-grade Seeds, so I can mentally prepare myself," Mo Fan said.

"First, artificial Soul-grade Seeds start at three hundred million. The price ranges from three hundred million to five hundred million depending on their Elements and their special effects. Second, the natural Soul-grade Seeds, the ones with Domains, normally start at six hundred million, but most of them are auctioned at around eight hundred million. In my opinion, you can barely afford a normal Soul-grade Seed with all you have. As for a Domain Soul-grade Seed, don't even think about getting one for now..." Zhao Manyan said.