It was the time of twilight, and the grand vessel of Lilith's Cottage Wizard Academy sailed on the waves stirred by the sea breeze. On the deck, two or three hundred people were excitedly shouting and pointing towards a ship, about three hundred meters away.
"Look, it's really pirates! I've never seen pirates before."
"These pirates are so cowardly! Why aren't they coming closer?"
The wizard apprentices chattered among themselves, nonchalant, with even the sailors appearing unfazed. It was no wonder they were not afraid of the legendary pirates—this ship, which served as the transport for the academy's apprentices, was manned by over fifty sailors, all trained knights. There was also a captain and Baron, a servant of Dila, both of whom were legendary knights. Even the largest pirate ships would stand no chance against this wizard academy's vessel.
Should even a large pirate ship attempt to raid, with Dila the wizard stepping in, the pirates would not dare board, no matter how bold.
Green looked towards the pirate ship in the distance. It was slightly smaller, around seventy or eighty meters long, yet its deck, mast, and railings were crawling with pirates. A quick glance made it seem like there were at least a thousand of them.
All the pirates were men, ragged and torn, many of them missing limbs or eyes. They waved knives, bows, and anchor ropes, shouting and howling with excitement, as though filled with endless energy. There were no women aboard the ship, for pirates believed that women brought bad luck, summoning sea monsters that would overturn their vessels and sea demons that would feast on their flesh and bones.
This belief was steadfast among all pirates.
However, Green noticed that the pirate ship did not seem to be approaching the wizard ship immediately. The reason was simple—using a spyglass, the pirate captain had noticed something strange about the target ship: were those just excited children cheering?
Suddenly, the pirate leader seemed to realize something, and his face turned pale. A cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his remaining eye filled with deep fear. He roared at the pirate helmsman, "Turn around, quickly! Turn around now!"
The change in the pirate captain seemed to startle everyone around him, even his pet monkey on his shoulder. It screeched and leaped off, scurrying up the railing. The helmsman, utterly frightened, stammered, "Turn around?"
Clearly, the captain had a high level of authority.
With a metal hook, the captain shoved the helmsman aside and, without explanation, furiously spun the wheel with his remaining arm. The pirate ship, carrying over a thousand bewildered pirates, fled as fast as it could.
Meanwhile, on the wizard ship of Lilith's Cottage Academy, the door to a room reserved for the esteemed wizard Dila suddenly opened. A young man and woman walked out, curious. Many were shocked to see two apprentices, roughly their age, emerge from the wizard's quarters.
The wizard apprentices whispered in disbelief.
"Who are these two? How could they not be in the cramped cabins like the rest of us? The smell of mildew and the disgusting mushroom soup is making me nauseous!"
"Who knows? Maybe they're wizard descendants?"
"Don't talk nonsense! Didn't you hear? The wizard himself said these two are once-in-a-century geniuses of the wizarding world. We came early and heard it…"
The apprentices gossiped, pointing at the two newcomers, but the pair seemed unconcerned, their arrogant expressions reminiscent of Yorkris from Biser City, leaving many annoyed.
The girl wore a white dress with golden hair flowing like sunlight, and her amber-blue eyes radiated innocence and purity, accompanied by a charming smile. She appeared like a little princess, but her gaze, tinged with disdain, suggested she was not as innocent as she appeared.
The boy, on the other hand, seemed deeply engrossed with a white mouse in his hands, completely ignoring the crowd on deck. He treated the mouse with more attention than any of the people around him, exuding an air of contempt.
"Brother Yunli, look, the pirates have fled. How boring," the girl said, teasing, while shaking her golden hair so the sea breeze blew through it naturally.
The boy, without lifting his gaze, simply shrugged and muttered, "I told you, there are no pirates foolish enough to attack a wizard ship. You wouldn't listen, and now we're stuck out here with this stench. Let's go back inside."
"Fine, but it's so dull…" the girl replied.
Ignoring the stares of others, the boy and girl nonchalantly returned to the wizard-only room, leaving the apprentices fuming with anger. After all, what were they? To the apprentices, they were the chosen elite, destined to become great wizards. Their pride made it unbearable for them to watch the two newcomers act with such arrogance. How dare they disdain everyone? How could they complain about the deck's stench when they had been living in the foul-smelling cabins all this time?
To many, it seemed these two were merely riding on their wizard connections, probably with ties to Dila, their arrogance nothing but a show of power. Even Green found their attitude irritating.
Nonetheless, no one dared to challenge Dila, so the pirate incident was quickly forgotten.
Three days later, while Green was reading the "Odor Atlas" in his cabin, he heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was probably Benson again—he had been the only one to visit him regularly—Green opened the door, only to be surprised by the appearance of Yorkris and his sister, Yorkliana.
Though surprised, Green welcomed them in, offering the fruit juice he had been reluctant to drink himself. The juice, preserved by noble methods, could last for two months without spoiling.
It was clear that since the incident in the cabin, Yorkris had become much more composed and mature, no longer the arrogant figure he once was. Yorkliana, though still a bit shy, spoke up this time.
"Brother Green, thank you for your help before. My brother and I are deeply grateful," she said softly, almost embarrassed.
"Ah… it was nothing," Green replied, brushing it off. To be honest, though he had not liked Yorkris before, they were on the same side now, and at the time, it had been necessary to lend a hand. Besides, in the end, it was Lafi who had played the decisive role.
"No, no, we really do appreciate it, Brother Green," Yorkliana insisted, and then, seeming to want to be more serious, she carefully took two small stones from her clothes. "These are magical stones, a treasure my brother and I found when we were young. Later we discovered they were a form of currency among wizards. Over the years, we've used some, but we still have a few left. We'd like to give these two to you as a token of our gratitude."
Green stared in shock at the stones. They were magical stones, a form of currency among wizards—something few ordinary people ever even saw, and he had never even heard of them before. No wonder Yorkris had been so arrogant; these were rare and precious.
…
A little while later, Yorkris and Yorkliana got up to leave. Throughout their visit, it was Yorkliana who did most of the talking, while Yorkris had not spoken at all. It seemed the incident on the ship had made him uncomfortable around Green.
Just before they left, Yorkris suddenly clapped Green on the shoulder, saying seriously, "I was wrong before. From now on, you and Benson are my brothers. I, Yorkris, swear it." Then, without another word, he walked out.
Green, not quite used to Yorkris' sudden declaration of "brotherhood," gave an awkward nod, though he didn't respond directly.
Once they had gone, Green sat back down at the table, now with two thumb-sized stones before him. These were the legendary magical stones. Intrigued, he picked them up to examine them closely. After all, for a wizard apprentice, even a single magical stone was an extraordinary treasure.