"Moon Fey?" After analyzing Carrie's blood, Lucian finally understood the origin of her exceptional archery talent.
Previously, he had remarked that Carrie's skill with a bow even surpassed the inherent abilities of the Forest Fey. But it turned out that Carrie's abilities were rooted in something far more profound. In essence, her abilities were akin to the bloodline powers of the fey, except that Carrie's talent surpassed theirs by far.
"Carrie, I think I've figured out why you're able to hear that mysterious language." After "examining" Carrie's blood, Lucian disposed of the sample carefully, then turned to her with a serious expression.
"Master Lucian?" Carrie looked up, a hint of unease flickering in her eyes.
"Because," Lucian said with a faint smile, "you possess an extremely faint trace of fey blood in you."
"Fey... blood?" Carrie's eyes widened as she gazed at her own hands, hardly able to believe it.
"No need to be so shocked." Lucian shook his head, seeing her stunned expression, and explained calmly. "Humans are highly adaptable beings, and, in ancient times, they often intermarried with other races. That means that countless people have faint traces of other bloodlines in them."
"For instance, you could find a perfectly ordinary person, someone who's never left their village or shown any signs of magical ability, who nonetheless carries a sliver of demonic blood," Lucian continued, tapping the Origin Bow slung across her back. "But you're special, Carrie. Because your blood has awakened a trace of Moonfey heritage, a gift that grants you a near-perfect archery instinct, that's why your shots are so uncannily accurate."
As Lucian spoke, he suddenly paused. An idea flashed through his mind.
What if Carrie's fey bloodline could be amplified?
While Carrie had shown promise, her magical abilities were limited by a naturally weak mental energy. Even though she was progressing with Lucian's modified meditation techniques, she was still far behind many other apprentices. Her strengths lay more in archery and her ingenuity with bow-based magic.
For any mage, however, mental energy was crucial. Without addressing that deficiency, Carrie might never progress beyond a middling apprentice, even with Lucian's help.
But if he could enhance her fey bloodline, that might change everything.
Lucian glanced around the ship's deck, where they were docked near Cossay Island—a place rumoured to be teeming with half-fey. Their blood could provide exactly what Carrie needed: the means to deepen her own Moonfey heritage.
Of course, there were risks. Using another's blood to amplify one's bloodline was a dangerous process, and if her fey blood exceeded ten percent, Carrie's path as a mage would be forever intertwined with her fey heritage, unable to be reversed. She would, in essence, become a half-fey.
Lucian weighed these thoughts. He couldn't decide for Carrie; she needed to choose for herself.
"Carrie," he said at last, voice solemn.
"Yes, Master Lucian?" She looked at him, clearly nervous.
"Do you seek strength?" he asked, his tone grave and penetrating.
"Huh?" Carrie looked at him, slightly dazed.
Lucian then began to explain his plan to deepen her Moonfey heritage and the risks that naturally came with it. Leaving her three days to consider her decision.
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Onboard the ferry, Lucian approached Lillia, who was standing at the bow, gazing toward Cossay Island in the distance.
"Lillia, I want to buy that forest fey. Name your price," Lucian said without preamble.
"That's a rare specimen," Lillia replied, her tone cold, clearly uninterested in parting with it.
"But you don't need it, do you?" Lucian countered.
"Two hundred magic stones," Lillia said after a pause, naming an exorbitant price.
Lucian's brow furrowed. Forest fey were indeed rare, but a fair price would be closer to one hundred magic stones. Lillia was gouging him.
"If this mission succeeds, I won't be lacking in magic stones. And if it fails, I won't need them anyway," Lillia replied dismissively. "Either take it or offer me something else of value."
"Perhaps a few ancient fey symbols?" Lucian suggested, feeling out her interest. "Specifically, symbols that can stimulate mental energy when spoken aloud. You know how rare such ancient words are—they might even prove useful for our mission."
Lillia's eyes gleamed at the offer, though she attempted to haggle further.
In the end, Lucian managed to secure the forest fey's body for just eight syllables of the ancient fey language and even gained an extra fifty magic stones from the deal.
Returning to his quarters with his prize, Lucian found Carrie already waiting for him.
"Master Lucian," Carrie said, looking up at him with determination. "I've thought this through, and I don't need three days to decide. I want the bloodline enhancement… I want to be able to truly help you in the future!"
As she spoke, her gaze was firm, with a hint of unshakable resolve. Lucian saw the spark of decisiveness in her eyes—she had made up her mind.