"Different paths lead to the same end."

For the "standard answer" he got from Wei Lin's mouth, Xiuge was not so satisfied.

After experiencing the horrific catastrophe and escape, Shug has a new quest and perspective on those forces that can be freely manipulated.

Whether it's the ancient creations that originated from the Dream Sanctuary or the learning of his own magic, Shuge wants to further improve his efficiency and move on to the next stage faster.

And his thoughts were not hidden from the female mage in front of him.

"Don't go too far."

Wei Lin shook her head helplessly: "Even in the entire history of Vann, an example like yours is enough to be called a 'miracle'...... You've only been learning magic for less than half a year, but you've already completed more than a decade of being a mage, don't you realize how exaggerated this is? ”

Hearing this, Xiuge had no choice but to smile and pick up the water glass.

He also knew that his thoughts and biases were indeed exaggerated, but whenever he thought of the black sun in the sky and the ancient gods and goddesses who were growing at an astonishing rate, he would unconsciously feel a serious sense of crisis.

Wei Lin picked up the cutlery, and she slowly cut a small piece of the fish from the plate in front of her, and with this action, the soup immediately slowly flowed from under the fish.

This is a sea bream, which is extremely common in the waters of the Duchy of Boult, and its meat is delicate and delicious, and it is a common delicacy in the Duchy.

However, instead of immediately putting the fish in her mouth, Wei Lin said to Shug, "I can understand your thoughts...... But the accumulation of magic and magic power takes time after all, and of course, you are special enough, otherwise the Black Sun Society would not pay that attention to you like that. ”

"So, what do you suggest when it comes to this choice?"

"Of course, I would suggest that you go in a direction that is more about magic and knowledge accumulation."

Seeing Xiuge staring at herself, Wei Lin paused for a moment, and then said with a smile: "I gave such a suggestion, not because I chose this path myself, but because, in the history of Van Eng, the mages who have successfully advanced to the deep sea are indeed mostly lake-level scholars...... The accumulation of magic and theoretical knowledge is often the foundation of a mage's strength. ”

"Of course, I don't mean to disparage the other option, after all, learning and honing skills often means more practical and practical value, and the mage Clautz you have seen and the royal butler of Wattle are representatives of this."

"But...... Mr. Shug, you're completely different from a regular spellcaster. ”

Wei Lin changed her words: "Although I don't know the specific reason for this, and I don't want to get into your secrets, I know that you must have your own way of solving the problem of spell-casting skills, and your efficiency must be much higher than that of ordinary valley-level mages, right?" ”

Hearing this, Xiuge laughed: "Okay, I see what you mean. ”

Seeing that Xiuge seemed to accept her suggestion, Wei Lin lowered her head, and she slowly sent the cut of fish into her mouth, probably a little salty, and she couldn't help frowning.

After swallowing the food in her mouth, Wei Lin added, "Our current situation is quite special, but I think that both the Council and the Law Committee will agree to issue you an official lake-level mage certificate...... As for the magic inscription, you just have to look at it and make a choice. ”

Xiuge nodded repeatedly, being able to have a professional to guide him in this area would indeed solve a lot of trouble.

It was already past noon, and there were not many customers dining, and the few who were sporadic were mostly local fishermen.

They did not choose to go to sea, but gathered around the table worriedly to drink, drinking mostly home-brewed beer that was native to the Duchy of Boult.

These fishermen are the most ordinary people, they have a low perception of the situation in Vanenne, and they don't care about the horrific events that are happening in the Far North, but they are full of worries about the black sun overhead, and the plans for fishing in the near future.

Shug and Verin looked at each other, then stopped their small talk very tacitly, and as the two little tricks were performed, the conversation on the other end of the tavern immediately became clear.

From the mouths of these fishermen, the two learned that since the black sun began to appear in the sky, the lives of the fishermen have been affected.

The Duchy of Boult has a very developed fishing industry along the sea, thanks to the extremely rich fishery resources.

In winter and spring, there are always large schools of "Boult snapper" along the coast of the Duchy of Boult, which are the main economic pillar of the fishermen of the Duchy of Boult.

Now, however, fishermen are finding that the numbers of the common fish that used to congregate inshore are declining at an alarming rate, or that they are trying to move away from their original areas, which is a major headache for fishermen who specialize in Boult snapper.

In addition, Xiuge and the others also heard a story from their mouths that seemed a little grotesque, but it had just happened.

"Old Glenn has two old fellows who don't plan to continue working, they want to go back to their hometown and become farmers in the future."

"Ah, I've heard that...... They had a strange encounter two days ago, right? ”

A fisherman, who was already a little drunk, put down his glass, he hiccuped, and then frowned and said: "I heard my brother-in-law say, they went down the net, and there were not a few normal fish, but they caught some strange things, but he didn't tell me what happened. ”

Then the other fisherman lowered his voice, and he licked his lips: "I heard old Glenn tell me directly, and he saw the contents of the nets at that time...... Well, according to him, it was several fish that he had never seen before...... Or the monster is deformed or something, one of them even has a big snapper in his mouth after being fished up, and he has eaten half of it! ”

For this kind of story, naturally everyone will not easily believe it, and a young man sneered: "Glenn is too old, he is too timid, he feels strange when he sees everything, and I only believe half of what comes out of his mouth!" ”

"Fart, that old guy still had the strength and guts to fight the sharks a few years ago, and he even dealt with two of those blue-bladed sharks with magic in their bodies, I believe his words!"

"Then you can tell me clearly, what did they catch?"

"I'm not on his ship, you want to know, go find him yourself!"

While the fishermen were arguing, they suddenly heard footsteps, and they turned their heads to see that the young man who had been sitting at another table had come to their table.

A fisherman, who had not drunk much, carefully observed Shuge, and then asked in a trembling voice, "First...... Sir, is there anything you can help with? ”

He didn't know Shoge, but he noticed the weapon he wore around his waist and the magic book that hung from it.

It made him very nervous.

The young girl who served as a waitress in the tavern also noticed Shuge's actions, and she was more nervous than the fishermen, for fear of a quarrel or a fight between the two sides, which had happened in the past, but often by ordinary drinkers and without the caster.

"He's not going to burn this place down with a single spell, is he?"

The girl's legs trembled, and she wanted to step forward, but she couldn't muster the courage.

Luckily, the young man, who had a bit of an aristocratic and scholarly temperament, did not behave against his appearance, and after a few brief inquiries, he left with the female mage.

At checkout, he even left a small tip and a few comments about the taste of the meal.

The attitude was so gentle that the girl thought she was dreaming.

……

After leaving the restaurant and returning to the street, Wei Lin finally couldn't help but ask, "Did you treat Sally in this tone and voice when you were still in Salem City?" ”

"Ahem, of course not, haven't you seen us chat before?"

Shuge shrugged: "I just think that girl is too nervous, and this kind of words can comfort her." ”

"Oh."

Verin replied dryly, then she restrained her expression and asked instead, "You seem to care about the 'strange things' that the fishermen talk about?" ”

"To be precise, I'm focusing on the fish that 'Old Glenn' caught."

Xiuge raised his hand, looked at the address he had copied, and then looked at the street sign on the side: "Very good, old Glenn's home is not far from us, let's stop by and take a look, just take a walk after dinner." ”

"Hmm."

Verin did not object to Shoge's proposal, and after all that she had experienced, she had already been convinced that Shoge did possess an extraordinary sense of smell in certain "specific areas", and that these things were often related to the Black Sun or those ancient beings.

And that's exactly what she's extremely interested in.

Even though there may be some new troubles, it is definitely a "fun trouble" for Viline.

So, of course, Wei Lin's eyes began to glow, and her pace involuntarily quickened a little, and after dealing with various issues related to the Dawn Society for a period of time, she finally had the opportunity to return to the field she was more familiar with.

"Well, what a funny girl, completely different from what I've met before."

In the depths of Xiuge's heart, a few rare words of small talk from the will of the Ernst family floated out, and it was the "grandfather's grandfather" of Xiuge's body who just expressed his opinion, that is, Jacob.

This old fellow, like the countess, would always unconsciously care for these aliens around Xiuge, and this wonderful attitude and focus made Xiuge feel a little subtle and funny.

"What did you encounter?"

Jacob recalled, then said, "Ah...... Well, in the aristocratic circle, although those young ladies will also be interested in some strange things, but this interest is superficial most of the time, and if they are really about to meet, they can run fast. ”

"Ahem!"

Countess Alexandra duly expressed her displeasure at Jacob's words, but then she chimed in: "Miss Verin's attention to these matters comes more from her own ability and knowledge, and there are probably not many scholars like her who can maintain their concentration after witnessing those terrible things with their own eyes, right?" ”

Xiuge smiled and shook his head: "If you praise this kind of compliment, it's better for you to tell her personally, I'm not suitable." ”

"What's wrong with it? She's not your teacher anymore, what are you worried about? ”

Shug choked on the countess's words, and then he decisively changed the subject: "As for the strange fish in the fisherman's mouth, I think of what I saw in that dream. ”

"You mean the 'monsters' who came out of the ocean?"

"Yes, there were probably a lot of strange beings in the ocean at that time, and most of them should have been the family of some ancient sea god...... Now, now that the black sun is revived, there is a new chance that the effects will spread to the oceans as well. ”

Shuge spoke to the will of the family as he struggled to recall the hideous sea beasts he had glimpsed in his dreams.

The thought of a future when there was a high chance that there would be many similar beings in the ocean of Vane's ocean, his mood became gloomy.

As if sensing Xiuge's thoughts, Wei Lin, who was walking next to her, suddenly spoke, "We'd better pray that those fishermen haven't caught anything, or that the so-called strange fish is just some rare magical creature...... Goddess Mel is also the god of the sea, and if there is an incomprehensible abnormality even within the ocean, then more ordinary people will begin to waver. ”

The two of them came to the end of the street, and after asking for directions twice, they turned into a small road, and after walking a hundred meters or so, a two-story building that looked a little older came into view.

"It looks like this old Glenn is doing okay."

"As the owner of a fishing boat, he is always better off than the average fisherman...... Let's go, let's go knock on the door. ”

In this way, the two of them came to the door of the house, where a lot of tools were placed, and on the high shelves beside it were a large number of dried fish, which made the smell of the house particularly strong.

The two Xiuge, who were standing in front of the door, frowned in unison.

It wasn't that the dried fish were too unpleasant, but that they had both caught a hint of something strange in their scent—not the smell of seafood, nor the smell of rot, but more like the heavy, pungent smell of some inferior alchemical medicine.

(End of chapter)