章節 62: Chapter 62: The Debate Between Alchemists and Blacksmiths

In his youth, Angni enjoyed traveling far and wide. During one of his returns, he found that his family had been wiped out by enemies he had provoked during his journeys. The ones who destroyed Angni's family were a group of pirates.

Actually, Angni's dream had always been to become a navigator. His youthful travels mostly involved sailing to distant islands or foreign lands, often conducting small trade deals. However, the letter did not mention how he had provoked the pirates. Rhett wasn't particularly curious about the details once he knew the outcome.

After that incident, Angni fled inland, guided by hints from a family will to locate his family's hidden treasure. This served as his initial capital to start his life as a traveling merchant.

"Some people just never change, do they?" Rhett mused with a wry smile. Angni's reckless actions had brought disaster upon his family, and now, for similar reasons, he had met his end.

"By the way, where is the seashell mentioned in the letter?" Rhett suddenly recalled the family heirloom—the mysterious seashell that Angni's father had mentioned in the will. But why hadn't he noticed it earlier?

Rhett rummaged through the various flaxen bags and carefully searched through the pile of items on the floor, but the seashell was nowhere to be found.

"Strange, where could it have gone?" Rhett scratched his head, intrigued by the letter's description of the seashell's origins.

It was said to be a gift from a merman from the depths of the sea!

Rhett had heard such fairy tales as a child. According to legend, a mysterious world existed deep beneath the sea, inhabited by merfolk and fishmen. Long ago, Angni's ancestors had made a living as fishermen, and one day, an ancestor had rescued an injured fishman from the ocean.

The fishman, claiming to be a prince from the Fishman Kingdom, had presented a magical seashell as a token of gratitude. However, the letter did not mention what magical powers the shell held, leading Rhett to suspect that the tale was likely embellished.

Moreover, there were no further mentions of the fishman in the story. Given that Rhett had never encountered or heard of such creatures, even in the annals of the Kingdom of Jinlun's history, he had always considered the tale to be a fantastical fabrication.

Thus, Rhett became even more skeptical of the seashell's true origin.

"Ah, here it is!" Rhett's eyes lit up as he finally spotted the colorful seashell tucked away at the far end of the fireplace, near the wall.

He walked over and picked it up, a hint of surprise in his eyes. How had the shell ended up there? Glancing back, he saw that the pile of flaxen bags was about ten meters away from where the shell was found.

Had he accidentally kicked it over there while moving things around? That seemed to be the only plausible explanation.

It couldn't possibly have walked there on its own.

As he examined the vibrant seashell more closely, Rhett noticed that it appeared almost brand new, without any signs of aging.

Disappointed, he realized that it was likely just an ordinary shell. He could detect no elemental energy or aura of magic coming from it. Shaking his head, Rhett placed the shell on a table in the room.

Its colorful exterior would at least make for a decent decoration. In a landlocked area like the southwestern border, seashells were a rare sight.

With the miscellaneous tasks out of the way, Rhett glanced at his mental panel. The pitiful [Fate Points: 7] displayed at the bottom of the screen reminded him of the 8 points he had expended dealing with the traveling merchant.

With only 7 points left, Rhett realized he could only afford one [Text Simulation] and two [Real Simulations]. This brought a sense of urgency to his mind.

He lifted his blueberry juice to his lips, noting, "Hmm? It's already gotten warm..."

Rhett turned his gaze back to the window. The bare trees lining the gray stone avenue were budding with new growth, and high in the sky, migrating birds chirped as they flew by.

With a thought, Rhett chilled the crystal cup in his hand with a wisp of icy magic, cooling the drink once more.

"Hmm, the weather's warming up—time to set off."

That evening, Rhett called a brief family meeting in the hall on the fifth floor.

The next morning, just as dawn began to break, the group embarked on their journey.

"Father, look at my arm! Isn't it bigger than it was a week ago?" Tyles boasted, rolling up his sleeve to reveal his pale, slender arm. He wore a light-colored coat and seemed eager to show off.

But when Tuck leaned in with his large eyes wide open, Tyles flinched. "Tuck, what are you doing?"

"I'm just checking," Tuck chuckled mischievously as he pinched Tyles' bicep, nodding in mock seriousness. "Hmm, not bad! You've made noticeable progress in a week. My coaching wasn't in vain!"

Sitting atop Grayrock, Rhett smiled faintly. "Tyles, if you had to choose, would you rather be a knight or a mage?"

Without hesitation, Tyles replied, "Of course, a mage! Only mages have the privilege of pursuing the truths of alchemy. Knights are just blacksmiths, spending their days at hot forges."

"Hey, don't belittle knights!" Tuck retorted, lightly tousling Tyles' hair. "Don't forget, the most famous legendary weapons were forged by blacksmiths. No matter how powerful a mage is, can he wield a hammer? Ha! He probably can't even lift one!"

"Hmph! Alchemy is just more interesting than forging!" Tyles shrugged off Tuck's hand, unconcerned.

Tuck let it slide. Compared to these trivial arguments, what really bothered him was that, due to Blackrock's pregnancy, he had to ride a regular gray horse on this trip—something he just couldn't get used to.

Four days later, after a long journey, they finally stood before towering peaks and a mountain range clad in vibrant greenery.

Rhett knew they had reached their destination—the Dark Patterned Eagle's branch of the mountain range.

A large flaxen bag hung from Rhett's waist, though it was mostly empty, save for a few solid objects clinking at the bottom.

These were the magic crystals harvested from the beasts they had slain along the way.

In a series of encounters that mirrored his simulations, Rhett had effortlessly subdued and severely injured a Flame Lion, a Blazing Rhino, and two Wind Wolves. As usual, he had Tyles deliver the final blows.

By now, Tyles had taken the lives of many magical beasts. When Rhett gave the order for him to finish off another beast, Tyles no longer hesitated. He had developed the mental fortitude needed to act without fear.

"We've finally arrived at the Dark Patterned Eagle's branch!" Reilly exclaimed as he gazed up at the towering peaks.

"Father, should we stay near the outskirts?" Reilly asked, looking over at his father. "I've heard that the deeper areas are often home to third-tier magical beasts, and there's even a fourth-tier Dark Patterned Eagle that rules over this region!"

"Yes, there likely is a fourth-tier Dark Patterned Eagle deeper within," Rhett replied, narrowing his eyes as if peering through the gaps in the mountain forests.

He speculated that this eagle might even be behind the upcoming beast tide.

A fourth-tier magical beast was already considered a mid-tier creature, with intelligence far surpassing that of low-tier beasts. It wouldn't be difficult for it to incite a wave of low-tier beasts.

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