Ivan followed behind Mellie, his gaze unconsciously falling on the pair of straight legs in front of him. Looking more closely, he noticed that his senior sister was not much shorter than himself. In the past few months, he had grown two or three centimeters, and was now around 173 cm tall.
"This way."
Sensing something, Mellie turned her head for a glance.
Ivan looked as if nothing had happened.
The two of them arrived in a hall within the inner building.
Ivan saw Instructor Quincy was also present.
"Instructor Quincy."
"You're here. There's something about the Breathing Method that Miss Mellie and you need to discuss in detail."
Quincy nodded at him while sizing him up, as if he wanted to discern what was different about him.
Initially, Quincy's assessment of Ivan was that of a student with some understanding, but only average physical talent. He had not expected this student to grow so quickly; in a flash, his strength had reached around that of a squire. He had been mistaken.
Mellie got straight to the point, "Junior brother Ivan, do you need a better Breathing Method?"
"Of course, I do."
Hearing her words, Ivan brightened.
Cultivating the Breath of Life, progressing from a squire to Knight Class wasn't an easy task, as seen by the many people stuck at the threshold of squire.
The quality of the Knight Breathing Method was critical to the breakthrough probability. Good quality Breathing Methods helped to break through to Knight Class, and he was planning to exchange the basic level Gushing Breath Method for a higher quality one—even an elementary quality one would be significant.
Mellie continued, "Our Swordsmanship Hall does have an elementary quality Breathing Method, which follows the same lineage as the Gushing Breath Method, allowing for the easy completion of the blood energy conversion."
Compared to basic Breathing Methods, the life energy refined by the elementary Breathing Method was more efficient and pure, and it could also deposit blood energy in a specific part of the body, bringing greater combat strength, and aiding in breaking through to Knight Class.
Ivan understood the difference.
Mellie added, "In other words, the Gushing Breath Method is a simplified version of the Elementary Green Wave Breathing Method."
Ivan, knowing there was no such thing as a free lunch, asked calmly, "What do you need me to do?"
Mellie looked at him appreciatively, "Join Cassia, serve the Swordsmanship Hall, and after becoming a knight, stay on for ten more years."
Ivan pondered the implications. Basically, it meant that as a squire, he would have to keep serving them, and only after reaching Knight Class could he leave, and even then, he would still have to serve the Swordsmanship Hall for another ten years.
Regardless of what he was thinking, Mellie continued, "If you, junior brother, agree, we can go to Flying Fish Port Administration to sign a Golden Fire Flower Contract, after which all appropriate treatment will be given to you."
Joining Cassia Swordsmanship Hall, access to the elementary Breathing Method was one of the most important treatments offered, along with other remuneration, such as being able to purchase better Breathing Secret Medicine and enjoying the protection from the Swordsmanship Hall.
The Golden Fire Flower was a type of flower that appeared like a cluster of golden flames and represented the noble alliance comprised of nobles. The Golden Fire Flower Contract was witnessed by the noble alliance; once betrayed, one would inevitably become wanted by the alliance, becoming an outlaw in the eyes of the nobility, never able to enter any city again.
After listening to her description, Ivan said vaguely, "Sounds good."
Mellie then said, "In the future, there's also an opportunity to switch to an intermediate Breathing Method, which is also in the same lineage."
Instructor Quincy nodded in agreement, "Ivan, you may not know, but Cassia Swordsmanship Hall has always been prestigious, with a long history. Our place here is just a branch in Flying Fish Port. If by chance you go to the headquarters, you will gain more than just an intermediate Breathing Method."
This didn't seem to be just empty words, and only then did Ivan realize the unassuming Swordsmanship Hall had such depth.
After thinking for a while, he said, "Instructor Quincy, Sister Mellie, please give me some time to think about it and discuss it with my family."
Mellie was not surprised at this, "No problem, if you agree, you can always come to find the instructor and me."
After signaling to both of them, Ivan left the talk room.
Returning from the inner building to the martial arts arena, he was still pondering the previous discussion. Noticing quite a few gazes directed at him, he stopped his thoughts and followed the numerous glances only to see various friendly smiles and gestures.
He also saw Donnie looking hesitant and motioned him over without a word, "Donnie."
Donnie was sensitive and suffered from low self-esteem, and he was somewhat at a loss on how to interact with his friend who had suddenly become powerful. It was only after getting a cue that he approached and said, "Ivan—Ivan, senior brother."
Ivan wrapped an arm around his shoulder, joking, "Haha, that 'senior brother' has a nice ring to it. You should call me that more often."
The familiar attitude and tone eased Donnie's mind as he said, "That's just the way it is. The strong are revered. Whoever is strong is the senior brother. Even that annoying Henge had to admit it."
Ivan let go of his shoulder and asked, "What were you going to say earlier? Do you have news?" He remembered Donnie wanted to tell him something before.
"I have good news," Donnie replied emphatically, nodding vigorously. He pulled Ivan aside to a less crowded spot and whispered, "I can also take that test in two days."
Ivan realized he was referring to the Sorcerer Qualification Test, which meant Donnie must have gathered the necessary funds.
Donnie, with a touch of pride, said, "I found someone to help me, so it only costs half as much. It's too bad you took the test too early, otherwise, you could have saved some too."
A discount? That was something Ivan hadn't considered. He didn't feel any regret, though; as he stood there now, he no longer had to worry over the loss or gain of a few Gold Coins.
Nevertheless, he casually asked, "That's a shame. Let me ask you something, do you know if Cassia Swordsmanship Hall has a headquarters?"
Donnie looked at him with surprise, "You don't know?"
Ivan shook his head with a wry smile; his predecessor had never considered learning the Gushing Breath Method, and he himself had been too busy, wishing he could split his time in two, never thinking about this issue.
"Tell me about it."
"There is. It's located in Giant Waves City, within the territory of the Giant Waves Marquisdom. Our Cassia is a prestigious family; people come to learn because of this fact," Donnie said, implying mysteriously that there was definitely a significant connection between Cassia and the Giant Waves Marquis.
Suddenly, Ivan wondered if his father had seen this as an important factor, which was why he insisted on sending him there despite his predecessor's objections.
The martial arts arena was not a place for idle chit-chat. Soon both of them resumed their training, and by noon, Donnie insisted on treating Ivan to a meal as a way to thank him for helping to get an apology out of Henge. Ivan agreed.
...
Flying Fish Port harbor.
As evening approached, a mysterious, black ship with patterns all around emerged from the waves and rapidly neared the dock.
"Aow."
Accompanied by a deep roar, a huge turtle head suddenly protruded from the front of the black ship, followed swiftly by the emergence of the rest of the beast.
This caught the attention of people near the docks. Many, thinking a sea beast was attacking, panicked and ran, but fortunately, someone loudly clarified it was a sorcerer's ship, which calmed the frightened onlookers.
Before the ship had even docked, the harbor guards began to disperse the crowd, lest someone inadvertently disturb these important figures.
The vast eastern side of the dock quieted down.
The black ship slowly approached the dock, and a figure could be seen standing behind the railing on the second floor of the ship's cabin, wearing a gray robe with a hood so swollen that it obscured the individual's face from onlookers.
"Eckerz, what do you think we should do about this matter?"
A figure flew out from the cabin behind him—it was a little green winged snake whose voice emanated from its mouth.
Clearly, the little green winged snake was either an intelligent creature or the sorcerer's magic pet.
The hooded figure replied, "Lahr, such trivialities can be left to the nobles of the city. Let's go find something more interesting."
The little green winged snake looked at him doubtfully, "What interesting thing could there possibly be in this small place?"
The swollen hood shook, and the hooded figure laughed, "I once explored the dwelling of an ancient sorcerer and found this." He pulled out a piece of beast hide from his pocket, which bore a badge-like mark with an aged, bloody handprint at its center.
The little green winged snake glanced at it with indifference, "A thing to bind servants, how dull."
The hooded man continued, "Funny thing is, right before we left here last time, I managed to peel off some of the blood. I used it to practice a tracking spell, and surprisingly, it seems the owner of the blood is right here at Flying Fish Port."
"Oh? Such a thing," With renewed interest, the little green winged snake responded, "Alright, let's catch this little bug. We might find even more amusing things."