Chapter 129: The Little Fairy Who Picks Up Bargains.

In truth, Shu Li desperately wanted to tell the Fairy teachers that there was a reason he worked so hard at his studies.

Unfortunately, he had no talent for languages. Learning them was so painfully difficult that he had no choice but to work himself half to death just to barely keep pace with the other Little Fairies.

And whenever the others saw him working hard, they followed suit.

As a result, his generation of Little Fairies had sparked a craze for studying that continued to this day and had even influenced the eight cubs born in the following generation.

Of course, Shu Li could never tell the Fairy teachers the truth. He could only swallow his misery and tearfully continue working himself to the bone.

Fortunately, aside from struggling a little with his academic subjects, he ranked among the best in magic, swordsmanship, archery, physical training, and combat.

His magical rank had advanced the fastest.

He owed that to the Elven King’s guidance and the enhancement provided by his little flower crown.

Awakening Seven-Element Magic might have made him a genius among geniuses, but without a renowned teacher to guide him, even he could have ended up a useless failure.

He had been lucky enough to be born into the resource-rich Fairy Clan and accepted as a student by the Elven King, who likewise possessed Seven-Element Magic. It had given him access to an elite education beyond compare.

The little flower crown symbolized the Elven King’s blessing and was essentially a cheat that allowed him to achieve twice the results with half the effort when learning magic.

During his first few years after birth, however, Shu Li had not noticed any of its cheat-like effects at all.

He still stumbled over his words, and he still failed to remember incantations.

It was not until he learned silent casting that the flower crown’s effects gradually became apparent. They had been particularly striking over the past few years. Before he even realized it, his magical rank had shot up like a rocket, taking him from Senior Mage all the way to Senior Archmage.

The number of ranks he had crossed was astonishing. Even the quiet top student, now twenty-five, had only advanced to Intermediate Archmage this year.

Shu Li had finally experienced the benefits reserved for the protagonist of a transmigration novel. At his current rate of advancement, he believed he could become a Saint Mage in less than a hundred years.

His path to becoming a hero was within sight.

As for how the Fairies and Elves reacted to his heaven-defying rate of advancement, they praised him—and then praised him some more. Not a single one of them expressed any suspicion.

Perhaps the Fairy Clan and the Elves were simply too naturally gifted. Countless geniuses had emerged among them over tens of thousands of years, and since Shu Li was being personally instructed by the Elven King, his achievements seemed perfectly ordinary compared with those of other prodigies.

That suited him just fine.

At least no one treated him like an anomaly.

Once again, he thanked the God of Transmigration for letting him be born into the Fairy Clan.

Today, he and his three companions had come out to complete a mission and gather herbs and minerals along the way. Without realizing it, they had drawn close to the edge of the forest and encountered this reckless band of adventurers.

There were ten adventurers in total: eight humans, one half-orc, and one dwarf.

The eight humans consisted of three swordsmen, four mages, and one alchemist.

It was a formidable adventuring party. They probably undertook missions regularly, judging by their clear division of responsibilities and seamless coordination.

Had they ventured elsewhere, they might have swept through every obstacle in their path. Inside the Faerie Forest, however, they ran into trouble at every turn.

The mist lingering along the forest’s edge stirred the fear and desire buried deep within them. Minor disagreements and petty grievances between companions became infinitely magnified, breeding resentment. They accused and cursed one another until the conflict finally escalated into open battle. Seeing their own companions as mortal enemies, they fought until only one side remained alive.

The Fairies were accustomed to such bloody scenes. Whenever they encountered one, it was best to keep their distance.

After spending so much time with Mr. Serpent, Shu Li had developed a fondness for scavenging the spoils.

“Is it almost over?” Budno rubbed his hands together expectantly.

“There’s still one mage and one alchemist alive,” Disio said with a frown.

“The mist isn’t affecting them as badly.” Angel raised a finger. “Maybe they aren’t terrible people. They might make it out of the forest alive.”

Budno sighed regretfully. “If they don’t die, how are we supposed to collect the spoils?”

“Be patient,” Shu Li said.

Mr. Serpent was a magical beast, and his methods had always been brutally straightforward. Any prey he set his sights on never lived to see the following day.

Adventurers who wandered into Mr. Serpent’s territory could only blame their bad luck.

Fairies possessed exceptionally high moral standards and would never kill anyone without provocation. If they encountered adventurers who were not quite dead, they knocked them unconscious instead.

The fight beneath the tree finally drew to a close. The alchemist, the weakest fighter in the group, was fortunate enough to survive. He had suffered serious injuries and was drenched in blood. If no one intervened, he would eventually bleed to death.

Shu Li did not want to wait any longer. He decided to finish things quickly.

He extended a hand toward the alchemist beneath the tree and recited a brief dark magic incantation.

The stun spell instantly plunged its target into unconsciousness.

The alchemist pitched forward onto the grass.

One benefit of becoming an Archmage was that he no longer had to recite lengthy incantations to cast low-level magic.

“Come on. Let’s go collect everything.” With a grand sweep of his hand, Shu Li flew down from the branch first.

His three companions followed excitedly.

Soon, the four adolescent Fairies were hovering above the adventurers’ corpses. The stench of blood assaulted their noses, and they fanned the air in disgust.

“Hurry. The patrolling Elves will be here soon,” Shu Li warned them.

They were far too close to the edge of the forest. If the patrolling Elves discovered them, their backsides were certain to suffer.

“Got it!” Disio expertly removed the adventurers’ storage items.

Angel and Budno were equally busy, deftly stripping the valuable equipment from their bodies.

“Should we take this alchemist’s things too?” Angel asked Shu Li.

Shu Li studied the alchemist’s young face, then shook his head. “Forget it. Let him keep them.”

The alchemist looked very young, and he carried none of the hostility or stench of blood clinging to the other adventurers. He had probably joined the party only recently and was still an inexperienced novice.

He had been injured simply because he had been too frightened to flee. Caught in the fighting between his companions, he had suffered several unlucky sword wounds.

According to Aisha, alchemists were highly sought-after throughout the continent. They possessed powerful support abilities, so adventuring parties and mercenary companies generally brought one or two along to improve their members’ combat capabilities.

Once they had gathered the spoils, Shu Li drew his magic staff and aimed it at the nine corpses and one living survivor on the ground, then recited an advanced wind magic incantation.

When the incantation ended, he swept his magic staff through the air. A tornado instantly appeared, precisely sweeping up the adventurers and swiftly carrying them out of the forest.

Budno cast water magic and washed every trace of blood from the grass.

“Let’s go! I can hear a unicorn’s wings,” Angel whispered urgently.

When the unicorn carrying the patrolling Elf landed on the grass, the Elf looked over the spotless clearing and smiled helplessly.

These adolescent Fairies were becoming more audacious by the day. Did they honestly think erasing their tracks would stop him from finding them?

The patrolling Elf lightly patted the unicorn’s neck, directing it to fly after the young Fairies.

Once he caught them, he would give their backsides a sound beating and see whether they still dared approach the forest’s edge so often.

Shu Li and his companions hurried through the dense forest.

Of course they knew they could not truly deceive a patrolling Elf. Although they had not deliberately approached the forest’s edge today, they had still broken the rules and would inevitably receive a beating.

To save their backsides, they did their utmost to escape the patrolling Elf’s tracking range.

Shu Li had already planned their route. He led them northwest toward Lake Bogaman.

“Who’s patrolling today?” Angel asked as they flew.

“Daigemon,” Shu Li replied. He spent half of every year studying in the Elven Kingdom, and after ten years, he could name every Elf there.

“Whoa! We need to fly faster!” Budno covered his backside.

Daigemon was notoriously strict. If he caught them, their backsides would be beaten raw!

“Stop covering your backside and fly faster.” Disio grabbed him and pulled him along.

Shu Li tightened his grip on his magic staff and cast a light-element acceleration spell on everyone.

They were instantly enveloped in light and shot forward like bolts of lightning.

Half an hour later, the four adolescent Fairies successfully reached Lake Bogaman.

At the sight of the mirrorlike lake, none of them had the leisure to admire the beautiful scenery. They took out the water-breathing magic pearls gifted to them by the Mermaid King and put them on. Then, with several splashes, they dove into the water in perfect form.

They barely disturbed the surface.

Once underwater, the four adolescent Fairies descended with practiced ease. When they reached the lakebed more than four hundred meters below, they encountered a colossal creature.

The beast was lying on an enormous rock, apparently dozing. Suddenly sensing familiar presences, it raised its three massive heads.

When it saw four little bubbles swimming toward it, the colossal creature felt an impulse to flee.

Why were those Little Fairies here again?

Upon seeing his “old friend,” Shu Li waved enthusiastically and called, “Hi, Niledi! We came to play with you!”

One benefit of knowing magic was that he could make sure the magical beast at the bottom of the lake heard his voice.

Niledi narrowed all six of its eyes.

The sight of Little Fairies now made it want to tremble.

If anyone asked why, it was because Niledi regretted everything.

It regretted it very, very much.

Had it known what would happen, it never would have coveted those red crystal flower seeds. Who could have imagined that a treasure chest casually salvaged from the sea would contain a curse?

And of all the Little Fairies it could have struck, the curse had happened to afflict Sperien, the most famous among them.

Because of that, Niledi had not only been beaten by several adult Fairies but also sternly warned by the patrolling Elves.

If it wanted to continue living in Lake Bogaman within the Faerie Forest, it had better behave itself. Whenever it saw a Little Fairy, it should stay as far away as possible.

Unfortunately, things had not gone as it wished.

Niledi wanted nothing to do with the Little Fairies, but they repeatedly disturbed its peace.

Every so often, Little Fairies who had accepted mining missions came to Lake Bogaman. They clanged away at the rocks, making enough piercing noise to deliberately lure Niledi to the surface, whereupon they subjected it to merciless scrutiny.

“Wow, it really does have three heads!”

“Every one of them is so ugly!”

“It likes speaking crude Dwarven.”

“Sperien said it has a terrible temper, so we need to keep a safe distance.”

With every remark the Little Fairies made, another vein bulged on Niledi’s forehead.

In the past, it would have taught those Fairies a lesson long ago.

But when faced with Little Fairies, it had no choice but to endure them. Worse, it had to pretend to be friendly and help them mine minerals from the lakebed.

Over time, the Little Fairies came to believe that they and Niledi were “good friends.”

To hell with being good friends!

After a while, no matter how loudly the Little Fairies mined, Niledi stopped surfacing to meet them.

Never in its wildest dreams had it imagined that all those Little Fairies possessed water-breathing magic pearls from the merfolk.

When Niledi refused to surface, they boldly dove to the bottom of the lake themselves and happily came looking for it.

Tears of bitter regret streamed from Niledi’s six eyes. To escape those infuriating Little Fairies, it had stayed away from Lake Bogaman for half a month. It had swum through the underwater passage into the Danaga Sea, fought a series of vicious battles with the magical beasts there, seized a pile of treasure, and returned to the lakebed to recuperate.

It had only been resting for two days when four more Little Fairies appeared.

And they were led by Sperien, the very source of all its troubles!

Niledi was irritable by nature and slaughtered everything around it whenever something displeased it. As the magical beast at the top of the lake’s food chain, it had once been awe-inspiring. But ever since it began dealing with the Little Fairies, its temper had nearly been worn smooth.

“There’s nothing fun to do with me!” Its three heads drooped listlessly back onto the boulder, and it ignored the four Little Fairies.

Shu Li had come here to hide from Daigemon. There was no chance he would leave the lakebed easily.

He familiarly swam over to one of Niledi’s heads and said, “Niledi, take us to your treasury! We want to trade for a few things.”

A vast cavern lay at the bottom of the lake, stuffed with items Niledi had recovered from the sea. Most were things it considered worthless and had casually thrown inside. Over time, the treasures had accumulated into enormous piles.

Ever since Shu Li’s first visit to the treasury, he had been unable to stop thinking about it.

The treasury contained all kinds of strange and fascinating objects. If the Little Fairies found something they liked, they could offer Niledi one of their own possessions in exchange.

As a result, they had begun treating the treasury like a “store” and frequently came here to shop.

Niledi swished its tail. “Go by yourselves and stop bothering me!”

Crude Dwarven always expressed its irritation remarkably well.

Shu Li and his companions were long accustomed to its impatient attitude. They politely said goodbye, then happily swam toward the underwater cavern.

“The three-headed water monster is still as irritable as ever,” Budno said.

“Maybe it’s too lonely,” Angel said sympathetically. “It’s the only high-rank magical beast at the bottom of the lake.”

“No, I think it’s grown old and no longer wants to move,” Disio said solemnly. “Aisha said that a magical beast’s lifespan doesn’t necessarily increase with its rank. Some magical beasts are limited by their species and can live for only a little over a thousand years even after reaching the ninth rank.”

Shu Li looked back at the motionless three-headed water monster sprawled across the boulder and sighed. “It seems not every race possesses eternal life like the Fairies and Elves.”

“Of course not. We are the children of the Light God,” Disio declared proudly.

The four adolescent Fairies chatted as they swam and soon found the cavern entrance.

Niledi, still lying on the boulder and hearing every word of their conversation perfectly clearly, nearly flew into a rage.

Who had grown old?

Who was about to die?

It was perfectly healthy and could live for another ten thousand years!

When were these Little Fairies going to grow up?

They needed to hurry off and train on the continent—and preferably not return for three hundred years!

On the shore of Lake Bogaman, a unicorn gracefully lowered its head to drink. Daigemon stood beside it, his handsome face stern as he stared impassively at the shimmering lake.

Did those Little Fairies honestly think that hiding in the lake would spare them from punishment?

How naïve.

He had plenty of time. He could wait here all day.

Still, the Little Fairies had become increasingly difficult to catch as their ranks rose.

That was especially true of Sperien. He possessed the highest rank among them and was the Elven King’s personally trained young student. His command of magic was already masterful, and when he cast light magic on himself while fleeing, his speed multiplied.

As a Saint Mage, Daigemon could easily have caught a few little fellows. He simply refused to suppress them with his superior rank, choosing instead to restrict himself to an Archmage’s power when racing them.

He had reached Lake Bogaman almost directly behind them, arriving only a few minutes after the Little Fairies jumped into the lake.

Why had he not used magic to pull them out one by one?

Because the irritable three-headed water monster on the lakebed was not to be provoked.

It tolerated the Little Fairies disturbing it every day, but it would never allow an adult Fairy or Elf to challenge it.

It was not that Daigemon could not defeat it. However, a battle between a high-rank magical beast and a Saint Mage-level Elf would overturn the waters, shatter the mountains, and devastate the forest. The damage would far outweigh any benefit.

Daigemon took out a brush, preparing to give the unicorn a thorough grooming.

Suddenly, he raised his head toward the east and frowned deeply.

The wind carried word that a tremendously powerful human was approaching the Faerie Forest.

Daigemon put away the brush, leaped onto the unicorn’s back, and commanded, “Go!”

Understanding at once, the unicorn beat its broad wings and surged into the sky, flying toward the eastern edge of the forest.

Inside the three-headed water monster’s treasury, the four adolescent Fairies continued selecting items, entirely unaware that they had escaped disaster and saved their tender backsides.

The mountain of treasures dazzled Shu Li.

The cavern was half the size of a soccer field and crammed with all manner of peculiar objects. Some were so ancient that prolonged immersion in the lake had corroded their surfaces.

The four adolescent Fairies bustled around like diligent little bees, carefully inspecting and selecting items.

“Isn’t this human porcelain?” Angel asked, pointing at an exquisitely crafted plate.

Shu Li moved closer and examined it. “This plate looks new. I’ve never seen it here before.”

Disio folded his arms. “The three-headed water monster must have recovered it from the sea recently.”

Budno said without interest, “It isn’t even as beautiful as porcelain made by the Elves.”

Reaching through his bubble, Shu Li turned the plate over and saw a seal on the bottom.

[Safir City, Serix Empire

That was where the porcelain plate had been made.

The Serix Empire was one of the great empires of the Austin Continent. Rich in resources and blessed with a pleasant climate, it was a peaceful and prosperous land renowned for its tea, porcelain, and silk.

When Siet first told him about the country, Shu Li had nearly mistaken it for the great eastern nation from his original world.

The instant he learned that its inhabitants also had Western features, his excitement withered.

Because the Serix Empire was separated from other nations by grasslands, mountain ranges, marshes, and canyons, overland travel was dangerous and difficult. Goods were generally transported by sea.

Although maritime transport was convenient, it also carried considerable risk. Once disaster struck at sea, there was almost no chance of survival.

The cargo naturally sank to the ocean floor, where underwater magical beasts fought over it.

The presence of this porcelain plate meant that a ship from the Serix Empire had been wrecked.

Shu Li observed a moment of silence for the humans who had died aboard it.

“Sperien, come look. What do you think is inside this?” Budno called beside him.

Shu Li returned to his senses and looked at what Budno was pointing toward—a treasure chest.

He immediately retreated a step and stared fixedly at it, warning the other Little Fairies not to approach.

“Don’t touch it! It might be cursed!”

Once bitten, twice shy.

Treasure chests gave him post-traumatic stress now.

His three companions retreated to his side.

“This treasure chest is huge,” one of them said nervously.

It was large enough to hold a fully grown human.

“There’s a magic array drawn on the lid!” Angel exclaimed softly. “This belonged to a mage!”

“I knew there was something wrong with it.” Disio frowned deeply.

“Should we take it outside and find a powerful adult Fairy to break the seal?” Budno asked.

Shu Li circled the treasure chest and said gravely, “There’s something strange inside it. We can’t leave it here.”

The chest looked brand-new and had clearly come from the same place as the porcelain plate.

“Then let’s hurry and take it outside. We can trade with the three-headed water monster for it!” Budno was consumed with curiosity.

Shu Li cautiously placed the treasure chest in his storage ring, then left the underwater cavern with his companions.

At the edge of the Faerie Forest, a mage dressed in high-ranking robes stood quietly with his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes closed.

The lower-rank magical beasts felt the terrifying pressure radiating from him. Their fur stood on end, and they fled in horror.

The high-rank magical beasts reacted as though facing a mortal enemy, hiding in the shadows with every sense on alert.

The mage possessed an extensive range of perception. Every movement within a hundred meters was perfectly clear to him.

He knew how formidable the mist within the Faerie Forest was and did not dare enter rashly. Without the forest’s masters granting permission, any outsider who entered was considered an invader.

After he had stood there for an unknown length of time, he sensed someone even more powerful rapidly approaching.

The mage slowly opened his eyes, revealing a wise blue gaze.

Riding a unicorn, Daigemon hovered above the forest and studied the uninvited human from a hundred meters away.

A Saint Mage!

Human Saint Mages could be counted on one hand. Most remained stationed at the Magic Tower in the Central Court and rarely traveled far unless they had a special reason.

The Saint Mage standing outside the Faerie Forest looked vaguely familiar.

Daigemon lightly patted his unicorn, directing it to descend.

Although Elves had little contact with humans, they did maintain relations with high-ranking practitioners of white magic.

The snow-white unicorn descended from the sky and landed lightly on the grass. The silver-haired, golden-eyed Elf gracefully dismounted and regarded the brown-haired, blue-eyed human Saint Mage with cool indifference.

The mage gave him a charming smile. “My dear Daigemon, it has been far too long. You’re still as young and handsome as ever.”

Daigemon frowned and looked him up and down. After a long moment, he replied unhurriedly, “Danlov, we did not send you an invitation.”

“That’s true. I have no invitation,” Danlov said good-naturedly. “But as the Elven King’s eldest disciple, I’m permitted to visit without one.”

Daigemon knew he was telling the truth. After exchanging the necessary courtesies, he did not drive Danlov away. Instead, he used a telepathic spell to inform the Elven King of Danlov’s arrival from afar.

After receiving the Elven King’s permission, Daigemon bowed slightly to Danlov. His earlier coldness vanished as he said, “The Elven King invites you to visit the Crystal Castle.”

“Thank you.” Danlov returned the bow.

Daigemon whistled, summoning another unicorn to carry the human Saint Mage. Together, they flew above the Faerie Forest toward the Elven Kingdom.

At Lake Bogaman, Shu Li and his three companions successfully traded with the three-headed water monster for the treasure chest. They quietly rose toward the surface and extended their perception. When they detected no sign of the patrolling Elf, they broke through the water in delight.

“Daigemon’s gone! Let’s hurry back to the divine tree!” Shu Li urged.

The four adolescent Fairies shot away from the lake. As the bubbles created by their water-breathing magic pearls disappeared, they unfurled the wings on their backs and raced toward the divine tree.