Chapter 457 - 304: Battle in the Exotic Realm

Chapter 457: Chapter 304: Battle in the Exotic Realm

Obviously, these diving devices, modified from Soul Beast organs, were meant for Beast Masters who had just started out and weren’t very skilled yet.

For Han Ning and the others, they were more or less optional.

But... since the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm liked them, he bought them.

The little one’s intelligence was now about the same as a human child’s, and it was curious about everything.

The slightly older two, Yin Yi and Egg Pancake, had no interest in these somewhat cartoonish "hats."

Fei Lin, on the other hand, who appeared to be the oldest, cast an interested glance their way.

"Gumi~~"

The All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm stretched out its little claws and pointed to five or six cute diving caps in a row. It seemed the merchants here really understood what kids liked, having sewn unremarkable fish gills into the shapes of little deer, bunnies, octopuses, and sea lions to catch the eye.

The enthusiastic merchant even gave Han Ning a small wicker basket to put the hats in, making them easy to carry.

"Hey, Little Fatty Silkworm, don’t wiggle your ears. Let me put this on you."

"Gu~"

Han Ning took a little sea lion hat from the basket and plopped it onto its little head. The hat was still a bit too big, just barely covering the Little Fatty Silkworm’s eyes.

The All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm used its claws to nudge the hat upward, then, face full of joy, it wore the sea lion hat while shaking its head back and forth. It squatted on Han Ning’s head, tilted its own head up, and made a strange sound: "Hiss hiss~"

"..."

"You’re a little sea lion, not a little Sea Serpent."

"Gu?"

"Next time I have a chance, I’ll take you to see one... This world should have relatives of sea lions, too..."

While he was joking around with the Soul Beasts, Hailian led them to a place to eat.

Lin Tianhe looked at the three indecipherable Merfolk characters shimmering with an oceanic luster on the sign above. He sounded them out one by one, "Buh... glo... feh?"

"Lord Tianhe, it’s the Tingchao Pavilion," Hailian explained with a laugh, covering her mouth.

The walls were covered in iridescent white and warm yellow Clam Pearls, and at the entrance stood six scantily clad young women, each with a different appearance.

Some had the heads of fish, others the heads of deer. Some had the appearance of Merfolk, while others looked similar to Han Ning’s group, catering to the tastes of all races.

Seeing Han Ning’s group stop, the young women’s eyes lit up. They greeted them with beaming smiles, "Welcome, our three honored guests~"

Hailian, who had the features of the Merfolk Race, was naturally ignored by them.

When the fish-headed girl bowed, the sliver of plump, pale flesh revealed on her chest made Han Ning unable to resist taking a second look.

’Wow, that’s some bizarre stuff!’

"Ahem, Xiaolian, is this a respectable place to eat?" Lin Tianhe asked in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the scantily clad girls.

"Lord Tianhe, of course it is. Um... what do you mean?"

Hailian blinked in confusion before a look of realization dawned on her face. "Oh! You want to go to *that*... that kind of place?"

"No, no, no, as long as it’s a respectable place, it’s fine," Lin Tianhe said, his expression calming down a bit.

One of the attendants led the four of them into Tingchao Pavilion, saying respectfully, "This way, please. Upstairs."

As he followed the attendant, Han Ning took the opportunity to look around at the island-themed architecture.

On the north side of the first-floor hall was an enormous stage. Above the center of the hall, the ceilings of all seven stories had been opened up, creating a direct view to the dome at the very top of Tingchao Pavilion. Strips of sea-blue, seaweed-like ribbons hung down from the dome, along with models of oceanic Soul Beasts that swayed with the breeze. The side walls were inlaid with Clam Pearls of various sizes for illumination.

These Clam Pearls were different from the ones outside; they emitted a halo of light like seawater. A breeze from an unknown source stirred the hanging Soul Beast models, making the central area of Tingchao Pavilion feel like an underwater world.

In contrast, in the areas outside the central atrium, the light from the Clam Pearls was a warmer, bright yellow. The dim, warm rays gave guests a cozy feeling, as if they had returned home.

Standing in the hall below and looking up at the higher floors, one could see guests coming and going, standing by the railings to toast one another.

"Hmm... What’s that?" Lin Tianhe stopped in his tracks, looking at a misty, hallucinatory orb hovering over a dining table.

In the center of the pale white mist, images flickered continuously, like a television.

"To answer your question, guest, that is an illusion projected by a Sea Sound Shell. It can simultaneously display what’s happening above the Tingchao Pavilion’s battle stage," the attendant replied.

Lin Tianhe raised an eyebrow. "And what is the Tingchao Pavilion’s battle stage?"

"Soul Beast battling... is an activity that’s all the rage in the Purple Crystal World. It involves two Beast Masters sending out a number of Soul Beasts to fight in a designated area. We call that place a battle stage," the attendant said with a smile.

"If you participate in a Soul Beast battle at Tingchao Pavilion, you can get a discount on your meal. Would you guests like to give it a try?"

"Oh? We can join the battles? What kind of discount are we talking about?" Lin Tianhe’s interest was piqued.

The attendant explained patiently, "You guests would need to provide some information, and our staff will select a suitable opponent for you. Both sides will send out one to three Beast Masters, each with one Soul Beast, to engage in one-on-one, two-on-two, and three-on-three battles in turn... The winner of a one-on-one match gets a 10% discount on their meal, the winner of a two-on-two gets 20% off, and for three-on-three... 30% off."

"Sounds pretty interesting. Han Ning, you interested in a match?" Lin Tianhe asked, looking at Han Ning excitedly.

"I don’t mind. It’ll be a good chance to test the skill of Shuixiu City’s Beast Masters," Han Ning said with a nod.

’Fei Lin just broke through to the Lord level, too. This is a good chance to let the little one experience the atmosphere of battle in an Otherworld.’