Chapter 4420 — No One Takes Up the Challenge
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
For in this second round of perilous-sea navigation, the reefs and whirlpools lurking beneath the sea fog were far deadlier than a handful of Golden Core foes. The crux was that you could not even see them—in the end you would not know how you died, to say nothing of the pirates thrown into the bargain.
Utterly unfamiliar, utterly random. In such circumstances, even the most seasoned veteran escort had not the slightest assurance. Once out to sea, whether a man lived to return depended on but two things: first, seamanship; second, luck. And I may say in all seriousness that the latter mattered far more than the former.
This was no longer risking one's life—it was flatly gambling it. Men may, in many a situation, throw themselves into peril with fiery ardor, but those who dare to gamble their lives outright are very few indeed.
First, a veteran seafaring escort of ripe experience; and at the same time, a gambler of the highest order willing to stake his life—a man combining both traits simply did not exist in this world, for out on the vast ocean, any gambler whatsoever would not long survive.
"Same as before: whoever is willing to volunteer, no matter the outcome, the agency will reward him with fifty thousand spirit jades. Anyone signing up?" Qi Wenmo still plied his spirit-jade offensive—for the same old reason: behind a heavy reward there is always sure to be a brave man.
This time, however, no one responded with the eagerness of before. The escorts of the Qingtian Escort Agency exchanged glances, every one of them drawing in his neck, not daring to meet Qi Wenmo's eye, for fear the young master would call him out by name before all present.
Besides, there truly were among them men unafraid of risking their lives—trading blows with a foe at least left some chance of survival. But to sail an utterly strange and perilous sea—anyone with the least bit of sense knew that was no different from courting death.
Sea fog, hidden reefs, whirlpools, and pirates—any one of these alone would not be enough to make men shrink back, but put them all together and it was truly a matter of one's very life. However confident a man might be in his seamanship, none dared take on a task so nearly certain to end in death.
Only heaven-defying luck, paired with consummate seamanship, could leave even the slimmest chance of survival. But who present would be willing to stake his life wholly upon luck?
Fifty thousand spirit jades were fine enough—but everyone feared he might earn them with his life and have none left to spend them.
Seeing that no one stepped forward for so long, Qi Wenmo found himself caught in a dilemma. If it came to the worst, the only course left was to exercise his authority as the agency's young master and conscript men by force—after all, he could hardly just forfeit outright.
Yet that was the very last resort, the worst of all choices. Once he truly did so, never mind whether the men chosen would genuinely cooperate—at the very least it would be an incalculably crushing blow to morale. (Happy May Day! Don't forget to go to mobile QQ and join the events in the School Beauty's Close Bodyguard tribe—plenty of gifts to be had... This tribe is the official fan community for us School Beauty readers.) (To be continued...)