Shug came to the trough, and he bowed his head slightly, making eye contact with the strangely shaped fish. 0

Even without counting their sheer number of heads, these monster fish are already a whole circle larger than the average snapper.

Their mouths, which open and close, reveal unusually sharp, exaggerated teeth, which look very similar to those of large hounds, which are also characteristic of ordinary sea bream.

However, there are remnants of the pattern characteristic of the Burt snapper, and the banded silver stripes characteristic of the Burt snapper suggest that they were indeed members of the large sea bream population before they were twisted and distorted.

As Xiuge approached, the desire to attack of these strange fish also continued to rise, and those heads of various sizes kept twisting, and there seemed to be some kind of silver-white brilliance in their huge eyes, as if there was a large amount of mercury in them.

Naturally, Shuge was not afraid of these fish, and he stepped forward again, his face pressed directly in front of the sink, and at the same time, the dark and rich light and shadow of the abyss slowly diffused from the depths of his pupils.

As the hidden power of Xiuge began to radiate outward, the lighting magic ball floating in the basement began to be affected and disturbed, and in the flickering light, these strange fish, which were extremely fierce a second, actually swam in the opposite direction, as if they had encountered their own natural enemies.

Through the reactions of these strange fish, Xiuge had already gotten the answer he wanted, so he immediately stopped his deterrent actions and retreated back to his original place, and the strange color in his eye sockets disappeared again.

The old fisherman who was taken to the basement had already been frightened by the strange change just now, and he almost sat on the ground in the face of Xiuge returning to him, and thanks to Verin's mage hand dragging his body all the time, he could barely keep standing.

"So, you brought them back anyway......"

Xiuge stared at the old Glenn in front of him and sighed: "Mr. Glenn, this is completely different from what you said before?" ”

"I ...... I ......"

Old Glenn's voice trembled uncontrollably in the face of a mage's questioning, and he hesitated for a moment before stumbling back, "The income from our trip to sea this time is really ...... It's so little, just that little money, we can't even eat! ”

Wei Lin glanced at the sink, "So you want to bring them back and sell them?" ”

Old Glenn's lips twitched twice, but he finally nodded.

So Wei Lin then asked, "Interesting, so have you found a seller?" ”

"Also...... Not yet, no one wants to buy such a thing. ”

Hearing this, Wei Lin showed a subtle smile: "It seems that you still don't want to tell the truth. ”

She lifted her hand and pointed to the sink in the basement, "I'm afraid there's more to it than just seawater, right?" Would a fisherman like you mix alchemical potions into the seawater? Do you think we can't smell such a strong smell? ”

"Mr. Glenn, I suggest you tell the truth...... This young lady is not as patient as I am, and if you don't want to be turned into an idiot by magic, then you'd better not tell a lie, we have a way of telling. ”

Every word of Xiuge struck the old fisherman's psychological defense line with precision.

Old Glenn looked at Xiuge who was on a cane, and then at the young female mage with a cold face, as if she was about to start casting spells in the next second, he finally gave up the struggle completely, lowered his head weakly, and began to truthfully explain his experience these days.

"I've been raising these fish for three days...... When I first brought them back, they were even more ferocious than they are now, and they simply can't be fed, and no matter how much fish I throw in, they will eat them in the blink of an eye! ”

The fisherman pointed to the fish in the pile of broken ice: "Not only that, but they become very ...... when they see the light, or when they see me approaching Very manic, I was almost worried that they would break through the sink. ”

"I asked a few acquaintances, including the alchemist in town, but no one wanted these things, so I ended up making a trip to the Fisheries Association in order to find a seller......

"What else does your fishery association care about?"

Old Glenn smiled bitterly: "Generally speaking, the people in the association don't care about these things...... They were only responsible for transporting the fish, shrimp, and crabs further afield and selling them, after all, only vehicles equipped with mages and large alchemical instruments could really keep them fresh......"

"Occasionally, however, the Fisheries Association will issue odd and scattered lists, mostly by mages, alchemists, or collectors, and in most cases, they will need fishermen who are out to catch something unusual for them, and sometimes even ask for certain parts of the magical fish...... It's a lot of trouble, but the pay is also quite high. ”

Wei Lin nodded slightly, she herself had posted similar tasks in Merlin Le and Le before, which was very common among mages, especially when some special experiments were required.

"So, is anyone really willing to buy these fish at a high price?" she asked. ”

"Yes, ma'am."

Old Glenn hurriedly added: "The reason why I went to the association is also because some time ago someone posted a list in the association, saying that he wanted to buy all the strange-looking fish on a continuous basis, and the stranger and rarer it was, the higher his bid...... We all call these people 'fool collectors'. ”

"Anyway, I found the person who issued the mission through the guild, and he seems to be a mage, and after hearing that I had caught a fish with several heads at once, he came to my lodgings...... He was satisfied, but told me that he would need to come back in a few days to get the fish, and that he would give me a good reward at that time. ”

With that, the fisherman pointed to the other side of the basement, and Hug turned his head to see a wooden cabinet in the corner.

So Shuge opened the cupboard, and soon he found a large bottle of transparent alchemy solution inside, which had been used for a small time, and it was obvious that this was the source of the pungent smell of the potion.

Xiuge brought the potion bottle to Wei Lin, and the latter quickly identified it: "Well, it's an inferior 'White Lake', but with such a large amount, I'm afraid that ordinary alchemists can't take it out casually." ”

Xiug nodded, and he looked at old Glenn, "So, this is also what the 'collector' gave you?" ”

"Yes, yes...... He also told me that I had to mix some of these potions into the water of these strange fish, or they would never have enough to eat, and would even destroy the tank and use me as food. ”

At this, old Glenn sat down on the ground in a dejected manner: "You two, I know so much, and the 'collector' who was willing to buy these strange fish warned me not to reveal these things to anyone else, otherwise he would not only not come to buy them again, but even make me 'regret it'." ”

"Makes you regret it? You mean, he's going to take revenge on you for it? ”

"Or else! Sir, Madam! I'm just an ordinary fisherman, let alone a mage, an ordinary official and a soldier can make me disappear from this world! ”

Having obtained the information he needed, Hug immediately stepped forward and lifted the fisherman from the ground, and then said, "You ought to be lucky, Mr. Glenn...... You may not know that the 'collector' who bought these strange fish everywhere is most likely a wanted wild mage, and even if you don't tell us about it, that person will definitely choose to kill you. ”

"Huh?"

Seeing the old fisherman's eyes widen, Xiuge sneered: "What, don't you believe it? Then I'm going to ask you, after so many years of living, have you ever seen a mage with a legal committee openly buy these deformed monsters? ”

"Of course there is no ......"

"That's it, because these deformed monsters are the material for some forbidden experiments...... Hey, maybe you're one of those experiments, and think about it, Mr. Glenn, you might be able to merge with a few other unlucky guys, just like these fish, sharing a body! ”

The old fisherman was completely frightened, he carefully recalled his previous experience, looked at the incomparably hideous strange fish in the sink in the distance, and then looked at the two young men with the temperament of scholars and aristocrats in front of him, and he had already believed in these words that Xiuge had casually made up.

Wei Lin, who had already seen Xiuge's ability to "make things up", also stepped forward at this time, she stared at old Glenn and said, "So you were lucky to meet us...... Choose to cooperate with us, and the goddess of magic will take refuge in you. ”

"Of course...... Of course! I am a believer in the goddess, and I am willing to cooperate with the two ......"

At this point, the two of them didn't need to say anything more, and after Xiuge carefully inspected the basement again, the three of them returned to the house, and then Wei Lin made a very detailed account of the whole thing.

……

In the afternoon, the two left the old fisherman's quarters, having been in the town for a long time, and it was time to return to the port where the Dawn Society was stationed.

On the way back to port, the two continued to discuss the unexpected discovery.

"So, you think those freak fish are connected to those ancient magical creatures? And the people who want to buy those deformed fish are actually members of the Black Sun Society? ”

Under the protection of the soundproofing magic, Wei Lin finally threw out the question she had been holding back for a long time.

Xiuge nodded, "Probably yes, there is a very familiar feeling on the bodies of these mutant snappers, although it is very faint, but I am basically sure that the distortions they have occurred are similar to those ancient creations. ”

"As for the acquirer...... Even if he is not an official member of the Black Sun Society, I am afraid that he will not be able to get out of the relationship, and at worst, some believers or eyeliners who serve the Black Sun Society. ”

Wei Lin didn't have any opinion on Shuge's judgment, she thought for two seconds, and then said, "The situation of those fish is indeed bizarre enough, not only is it seriously deformed, but it is not an isolated case...... Unfortunately, we can't touch these fish for the time being, so it would be best if we could get two of them and study them. ”

"Don't worry, I don't think it won't be long before any fisherman can catch this kind of fish."

"Huh?"

"Their appearance is no accident...... Do you remember what the fisherman said, not only did the fish start to decline, but the crab pots that sank to the bottom of the sea were also severely damaged, which means that the anomaly in the ocean is spreading and will soon become a common phenomenon. ”

As he spoke, Xiuge's eyes fell on a shop selling aquatic products and dried fish on the side of the street, and he said helplessly: "I wonder if people still had the courage to continue eating these things at that time...... When the time comes, they will probably not be faced with a three-headed snapper, but perhaps a shark with a hundred eyes, or a crab covered in pus. ”

Wei Lin couldn't help but frown, she had just imagined it according to Xiuge's words, and felt that such a scene was indeed very, very disgusting, and when she thought that she had been eating those fish all these days, she felt a slight feeling of disgust.

Verin's mental state was still very resilient after all, and she quickly overcame her discomfort and turned her attention to the matter at hand: "In that case, wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to let the fisherman stay at home like this, after all, the person we want to capture may come to the door at any time." ”

Shug shook his head, "If we stay around there, we might be able to bring some anomalies to our target's attention...... They knew that the Dawn Society was nearby, and they would definitely be extremely careful about these things. ”

As he spoke, he raised his palm, and then Wei Lin saw a small black magic mouse emerge from Xiuge's palm, it spun happily in the palm of Xiuge's palm, and then turned in the direction of Wei Lin, and tried to lift his upper body, as if to say hello.

Wei Lin raised her eyebrows in surprise: "This is ......"

"This is Countess Alexandra, and she's saying hello to you."

"Long time no see, ma'am!"

The countess of the Ernst family was so impressed that she immediately greeted the furry shadow.

Probably because she heard her favorite title from Vilene's mouth, the countess in the palm of Shugg's hand nodded very happily, and then disappeared into a shadow.

Sugg smiled helplessly, and then he explained, "Before we left, I had left General Bernhardt at Old Glenn's house, and he would notify me immediately if our target appeared, or if any other unusual event occurred, and we could come at any time." ”

Hearing that Xiuge had made a very detailed arrangement, Wei Lin's expression immediately relaxed, and as a scholar with an extremely rigorous style, she felt very satisfied with the feeling of mastering all the details.

(End of chapter)