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墨書 Inktalez
The head of the fish suddenly resembled a face twisted to the extreme out of fear. At that moment, the strange fish was still alive out of water, gasping with its mouth opening and closing as if calling for help.
"What is that thing?" Freya frowned as she looked at the sailors who were dancing around as if they had found a fortune, and asked the nearby Middle-Aged Man.
"That’s a Ghostface Fish, which can only be caught in the deep sea. It's a relatively rare species. Although it resembles the common Human-Faced Fish found in the market, its price and nutritional value are many times higher than that of the Human-Faced Fish. I can't believe we got lucky enough to catch one this time; ordinary people can't taste it!" The Middle-Aged Man said happily upon seeing the Ghostface Fish.
"Uh... ordinary people can't taste it." Freya looked at the terrifying silver fish with a strange expression, goosebumps rising on her skin. She found it hard to believe that someone would actually eat a fish that looked like a distorted face.
Perhaps the commotion from the sailors disturbed Baron in the cabin. He stepped out, somewhat displeased, but upon seeing the Ghostface Fish in the sailors' hands, he paused for a moment and showed a relieved expression, indicating that he recognized this type of fish as well.
"Father." Seeing Baron come out, Freya waved to greet him.
Hearing Freya's voice, Baron turned his head and smiled, walking over.
"How is your recovery?" His deep voice carried concern.
Freya nodded. "I'm almost better."
Baron seemed unconvinced and squeezed her arm. After confirming that she had indeed fully recovered, his expression relaxed slightly.
Since Freya was promoted to Knight Level, Baron's attitude towards her had become less strict than before, much like how parents would not be overly controlling once their child grows up.
Regarding Daqier's matter, which was perilous enough to nearly cost her life, Baron had solemnly shared some words with her in a secluded place—words that were usually hard to express.
Three days later.
On the calm sea surface, a black sailboat sailed at a steady pace.
The vessel was not large and appeared quite ordinary, but at the top of the lookout tower fluttered a flag adorned with a black eagle emblem.
That was the flag of Daqier City.
Freya, dressed in a white long dress, stood quietly by the gunwale, her hair tousled by the salty sea breeze. Not far away, the sailors were engaged in a chaotic chatter, while the waves crashed against the hull, creating a rhythmic sound.
Although the events in Daqier City had passed, aside from Damsdin and Nick along with two others being injured, there were no significant damages.
Freya had unexpectedly broken through to peak Knight Intermediate strength due to this misfortune, and most importantly, she now wore a mysterious pair of earrings.
This mysterious power was something she had only vaguely mentioned in books; it was the power of a Transcendent Sorcerer.
"I wonder if it's real."
As she stood there quietly, she instinctively touched the earrings. The cold sensation jolted her senses, and within her previously clear vision, colorful particles seemed to float aimlessly in the air. Soon after, her sight returned to normal.
This strange phenomenon made her frown slightly. With the appearance of this oddity, the energy in her chest seemed to become restless as well, but it quickly calmed down again.
Since the first night after leaving Daqier City, she had experienced this phenomenon repeatedly.
Initially, she thought that the restless emotions driven by her energy were simply due to her rapid increase in strength. However, reflecting on it now, it seemed to be related to those earrings…
The colorful particles in her vision resembled the scene when she first activated the mysterious power of the earrings.
Although there are currently no significant negative effects on her body, who knows if any problems will arise in the future?
Moreover, Freya discovered that even if she removed the Earrings, this phenomenon would still occur.
"Is it a side effect caused by the Earrings?"
She speculated in her heart that if it were a side effect, things might become a bit complicated.
Although the restless feeling in her chest could be suppressed with a little control, what troubled her was that she had no understanding of this similar side effect and did not know whether it would worsen or dissipate over time, which left her feeling uneasy.
Baron and the others were busy with some tasks in the cabin and had not come out. After standing for a while, Freya was thinking about returning to the cabin when the conversation of a group of Sailors nearby caught her attention.
"Dragon Harbor, ah! You young folks have never been there; you don't know how beautiful that place is! The streets are all paved with marble, and there are shops everywhere. You can meet all kinds of people; it's one of the top cities in the Rudin Kingdom."
The speaker was a middle-aged man with two mustaches, his face darkened from frequent exposure to the sun. He wore a white shirt, and his right foot was supported by a black wooden stick. At that moment, he was animatedly boasting to the new Sailors who had gathered around him.
"...The sea is filled with Merchant Ships, and Dragon Harbor is said to be a place where you can buy anything. Once you go there, you'll understand its charm!"
Seeing the newcomers around him showing expressions of longing, the middle-aged man displayed a proud expression. After pausing for a moment, he continued.
"However, it takes at least half a month to get from Daqier City to Dragon Harbor if you have favorable winds. If you encounter headwinds, it becomes difficult. And out at sea, aside from storms, we need to be most wary of those scummy pirates from the Sea Tribe. You see this foot of mine? It was once cut off by a group of pirates during an attack. Don't underestimate..."
Freya looked at the man's raised right foot with some exasperation as her lips twitched slightly.
Although the scar had aged and the tissue had fused with the wooden stick, she could still vaguely discern that this was clearly not a wound from a sharp weapon, but rather seemed to have been bitten off by some kind of animal.
However, she did not take the time to expose this; instead, she walked over to the position of the Sailors and asked curiously, "The pirates of the Sea Tribe? Aren't we humans allied with them? How could we still be attacked?"
Her clear voice caught the attention of the Middle-Aged Man, who had been boasting about past events. He paused for a moment and then, upon seeing Freya across from him, his tone became much more respectful as he replied, "It's like this, miss. Although we have a pact with the Sea Tribe, it only restrains most of them. Some exiled members of the Sea Tribe are not bound by the pact and behave just like human pirates, so they often attack human Merchant Ships."
"Oh? They frequently attack Merchant Ships?" Freya frowned slightly, her eyes scanning the Azure Sea as she pondered something.
Seeing Freya's expression, the Middle-Aged Man quickly added, "But you don't need to worry, miss. Our ship is flying the flag of Daqier City's lord's office, which provides a strong deterrent against ordinary Sea Tribe pirates. So please rest assured that we will safely escort you to Dragon Harbor!"
The Middle-Aged Man even patted his chest in a gesture of assurance.
Hearing his words, Freya's eyes flickered for a moment before she smiled and nodded. "Well then, I can relax."
'The influence of Daqier City extends this far; it seems that Murphy, that young lord, indeed possesses considerable strength. However, it doesn't hold much significance for me now since that place is merely a stopover...'
As she contemplated some matters regarding Daqier City, shouts from the Sailors suddenly came from the stern of the ship.
"Come on! Put in some effort, and we can have extra food tonight!"
"Ryan! What are you doing? Hurry up and help pull that rope!"
"Everyone, give it your all!!"
Five or six Sailors were straining their upper bodies, skillfully dragging a fishing net slowly onto the deck.
With a splash, a net full of live fish and shrimp was suddenly thrown onto the deck, and seawater flowed out through the drainage.
"What a big haul! What a big haul!"
Looking at the large quantity of fish and shrimp, several Sailors hurriedly packed them into prepared buckets.
The net had been cast earlier and was only now being pulled in.
This made Freya show a curious expression.
"Haha, look at what we've caught!" A young Sailor, who was busy packing fish, suddenly shouted, holding up a silver fish nearly half a meter long.
This unexpected shout attracted the attention of the nearby chatting Sailors.
Standing in place, Freya could vaguely see the appearance of the silver fish with her keen eyesight.
The fish's body, aside from its scales being pure silver and slightly more delicate than ordinary fish, didn't seem too different. However, as Freya looked towards the fish's head, her expression changed slightly.
She still clearly remembered the moment when Baron faced her, his bloodshot eyes reflecting her face.
"Freya, you have grown up. Whatever decisions you make, I will fully support you, but this time, I cannot agree... In the future, no matter what happens, the only way to become stronger is to survive. As your father, I hope you can always live on... Do you understand?"
His deep words made her aware of Baron's genuine feelings as a father; it was unique.
Perhaps she could spend a lifetime acting on Baron's words.
"Tonight, let's make that Ghostface Fish soup to nourish you and those few."
In a daze, Baron's words jolted her from her memories. She looked at the sailors in the distance who were still showing off, her expression still strange.
"Uh... does Father know about that kind of fish?"
"Yes, I once had it at a banquet in the Byron Empire. This fish has excellent healing properties and is very nourishing. In Byron, even some lower nobles have never seen it."
When Baron was young, he had experienced grand occasions in Byron, but later he became more open-minded and returned home to become a local lord.
This was evident from his conversations with Philip in the past.
"Oh." Freya nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly said, "By the way, Father, have you ever encountered anything with Magical Power?"
"Something with Magical Power?" Baron furrowed his brows and looked at her with some confusion. "Why do you ask this question?"
"I..." Just as she was about to explain with something fabricated, Baron thought for a moment and spoke directly.
"Things related to Magical Power... it's actually not much of a secret. With your current strength, you may have already encountered those things."
Without responding, Freya's eyes flickered as she nodded lightly. It seemed that Baron indeed knew about these matters.
"We call these things Cursed Items. Transcendence is something passed down by wizards. Most of these items cannot be used, and even the intact ones are easily damaged. However, without exception, they all possess astonishing mysterious powers, but using them often comes with serious side effects. Those who possess them are mostly Noble, and ordinary people may never see them in their lifetime."
'Wizards...' Freya silently noted these two words in her mind before continuing to ask.
"Father, do you know what the side effects of using them are?"
"After use, the good ones will gradually lead to a frail body or paralysis, while the bad ones can result in immediate death, leaving no chance for rescue!" Baron replied carefully. He then furrowed his brow and looked up and down at Freya, questioning her tone. "Do you...?"
"I haven't used such items!" Seeing the look from Baron, Freya quickly clarified. "I just saw a few people using them during a fight while wandering around Daqier City, so I was curious and asked."
Listening to Freya's words, Baron seemed to scrutinize her for authenticity.
After a long pause, he turned his gaze back and said seriously, "You are indeed lucky not to have been affected. The abilities of Cursed Items are very varied, but they are all powerful. If you encounter them again in the future, turn around and run without hesitation! Even a Great Knight level expert can be instantly killed by such things!"
"Yes, I understand!"
Noticing that Baron showed no signs of suspicion, Freya secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart also grew heavy.
'Although the side effects have not yet reached a severe level, it seems that the situation is not optimistic. My knowledge is ultimately too narrow; I know nothing about many things... The Dragon Harbor in the Rudin Kingdom, one of the top places... I wonder if there are any clues there.'
While pondering her own matters, she shifted the conversation with Baron to other topics.
As she spoke, her originally clear vision suddenly blurred again... This time, the frequency was ten minutes earlier than the previous two.
This made Freya instinctively touch the slightly fluctuating aura around her, a faint sense of urgency causing her mind to feel somewhat suppressed.
...
Five Hours. It felt like an endless sea.
Among countless merchant ships, a regular black medium-sized sailboat slowly approached a city called Dragon Harbor.
On the deck, Freya, dressed in a sharp swordsman's outfit with a Cross Sword hanging at her waist, looked coldly at the massive harbor not far away.
In her line of sight, the floating colorful particles were no longer disappearing; instead, they were constantly present before her eyes. The aura in her chest was also being continuously suppressed by her, fearing it would explode at any moment.
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