piratefiction Chapter 196 Summary and Future Direction
Chapter 196 Summary and Future Direction
Chapter 196 Summary and Future Direction
Seeing that Geb was angry, little Tani ran over and pleaded for him.
"—Fina is a good cat. When you're not around, Fina is very well-behaved. She plays with me, lets me pet her, and even sleeps with me—"
Gebu turned to the child and gave him a dressing down: "She's a dangerous person. Have you forgotten how she took you hostage when we first met? Even disregarding that, how can you let go of such a unruly person so easily? Even if she doesn't hurt you, what if she injures the caravan members? Can you take responsibility for that?"
The halfling gave the little ticket a severe beating, making her sob and tears welling up in her eyes.
After Gebu had finished scolding her, he let the little girl go.
Before leaving the room, Tani glanced at the catwoman, her eyes filled with reluctance. Geb used the Wizard's Hand to push the child out, then closed the door. Before the paralysis wore off, he locked the catwoman at a safe distance and then confronted her.
"That Dulin guy, he's out of his mind too, the little girl doesn't know any better. How could he let you out like that?"
"————" Fina had just recovered from the effects of the immobilization spell, and her tongue was still a bit slurred. She spat a few times and said with a thick tongue, "Fera wasn't released. Fera untied the ropes herself and ran out."
After exchanging a few words with the catwoman, Gebu learned the whole story. It turned out that the catwoman had broken free of her chains and run away, but because she was unfamiliar with the area and couldn't find any food, she ended up coming back and refusing to leave the little meat ticket's side.
The halfling was both amused and exasperated. This calico cat really did have a cat's personality.
"You're a beastman, the emphasis is on being human." Since you're human, you should act like one. I spared your life, and you're still eating my food, living in my house, and even clinging to my assistant—I don't expect you to repay the favor, but at least don't cause me trouble, can you do that?"
"snort."
Catwoman snorted disdainfully, her eyes darting off somewhere. Gebu snapped his fingers, drawing Catwoman's attention back to himself.
"So what exactly do you want to do? Do you have anywhere to go?"
Fina didn't speak. The answer was obvious: she was all alone and had nowhere to go.
Since the stray cat and her hostage were doing well, and nothing had happened while he was away, Gebu had no intention of killing her. As a fellow humanoid who had lost her tribe, Gebu still felt some sympathy for her (though not much).
"Don't cause me any trouble. You're quite skilled, and I might need your help someday," Gebu said to the catwoman. "Let's keep to ourselves. Okay, I'm willing to give you a chance."
Fina looked at Gebu, tilted her head, and was somewhat surprised by his reaction.
"Goblins don't mess with Fina, and Fina doesn't mess with goblins."
"That's what I mean." Geb used his wizard's hand to grab the chain around Catwoman's neck. "If you agree, I can let you go, but from now on, if you make any aggressive move towards me or my friends, I will kill you without hesitation."
Catwoman wrinkled her nose and tacitly agreed to Geb's conditions.
Geb unhooked the catwoman's collar from a distance. She scratched her neck a few times with her foot, then slipped out of the room like a puff of smoke, jumped onto the roof, and disappeared in an instant.
Hey, you little bastard.
After dealing with the catwoman's matter, Geb finally had some time to himself. He first opened the ledger and did some accounting.
After a series of purchases and sales, Gebu Company's initial capital of 5,000 gold coins was reduced to just over 1,000 in cash. The rest was inventory, half of which was raw materials and half of which was liquor.
Dulin did a good job in terms of management; his bills were very detailed, with details down to a single rope and a box of nails, and Gebu couldn't find any flaws.
This guy has been consistent and trustworthy all along, and doesn't play tricks. Gebu plans to hand over the day-to-day operations of the business to the dwarves so that he can have more time to focus on his wizarding training.
Speaking of wizarding practice:
In the past two weeks, Gebu has broken through two nodes, node 3/6.
As a reward for breaking through the node, the Goblin Wizard received four additional second-circle spells.
[Shrinking/Enlarging Surgery]
Touching a willing creature will increase or decrease its size (double/halve its height, multiply or divide its weight by 8) for ten minutes.
Simply put, the effect of the old shaman's Giant Potion, when applied to humans, is like turning a female knight into a giant troll, or shrinking her to a half-human. The larger the size, the greater the strength; the smaller the size, the more agile the body.
This spell adjusts the target's body proportions, making their movements more coordinated, rather than simply enlarging their size.
If used on oneself, goblins would become bear goblins, halflings would become normal humans, and they wouldn't be afraid when enemies got close, at least they wouldn't be at a disadvantage in terms of strength.
[Human Freezing Technique]
Paralyzes a humanoid creature (including humans and humanoid beings in a broad sense) within ten meters with magic for one minute. The effect of the spell depends on the mental strength of both the caster and the target.
This is a hard crowd control spell with a simple and direct effect; it was the same spell used on the catwoman earlier.
【Stealing Steps】
The spell I encountered before could instantly teleport me ten meters, making it excellent for escaping; [eloquent and persuasive].
When a wizard casts this spell, he can skillfully manipulate the memories of those around you, causing those within five meters of the caster's chosen group to forget what you said within six seconds. This missing memory will be replaced by the caster's next words, as if he had said the latter from the beginning.
This spell is quite interesting; simply put, it gives the caster an opportunity to change their own words.
He misspoke, so he used magic to fix it.
Gebu hadn't originally planned to choose this seemingly silly spell, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it was quite versatile.
The simplest application is to elicit information; when you don't know whether the other party is friend or foe, you can directly reveal your identity.
"I am Goblin Goblin."
"I killed Goblin Goblin!"
"Eloquent as a tongue—actually, I hate goblins the most."
"—Yeah, goblins are the worst—but you're someone I can befriend. I'll ask you to be my godfather."
Of course, worshipping a godfather is going too far. That's the gist of it. If a second-circle spell can be used to obtain crucial information or avoid a fatal conflict, then this spell slot is well worth it.
In addition to the four spells, Geb's "shadow" has also gained an extra skill: it can now interact with objects weighing less than 10 kilograms according to Geb's will, as if it has the ability of a wizard's hand.
The goblin wizard's abilities have improved considerably, and it seems that reaching the third ring is just around the corner. However, the problem that has troubled Gob for so long has resurfaced:
Without the necessary metal-refining materials, the ring-raising ceremony cannot be completed.
The third ring is a significant fork in the road: according to the Book of Sand, the vast majority of wizards reach their final destination at the third ring.
Third-circle spells represent a qualitative leap, far more powerful than first- or second-circle spells. Fireball, Flight, Haste—these spells grant wizards the ability to turn the tide of battle and alter outcomes in adventures.
Effort and diligence can elevate an average wizard to the third ring, but beyond that, talent becomes a necessity.
Gebu firmly believed that he possessed more than just the strength of a third-ring cultivator, but the [Cocooning Ritual] required for advancement required "Dream Cicada Egg Sheaths" as seeds. Gebu had never even heard of such a thing. It was said that only the elves of the Old Realms knew how to obtain this rare material, and even in the Imperial Magic Academy, this alchemical material was an absolute treasure.
Where can I find it?!
This is just the seed. The alchemical medium for the cocooning ceremony is diamond dust, which is extremely expensive. The amount required for the ceremony, according to caravan prices, would be at least two thousand gold coins.
"I really want ether crystals!" Geb cried out longingly.
One sip of crystal, and you're instantly upgraded to the third ring without any ceremony.
Dear traveler, how about a taste of crystal? Crow Queen? Oppak would be fine too!
Dreaming is one thing, but the path to wisdom ultimately depends on one's own diligent study.
Once we reach Shanhaiguan, I'll deliver the things from the man with the golden mask. Maybe he can help me upgrade my ring. Gebu thought that guy's identity was a mystery, but he was definitely high-class, so he should have some resources.
So, the next step of the plan has been preliminarily determined.
Go to Shanhaiguan to deliver medicine to the man with the golden mask.
Then we'll stop by the San Vandu Abbey on the way to see if there's a place to buy wine.
While I'm at it, I'll also go to Port Queen to meet the "Rat King" and negotiate on behalf of Peacock's old subordinates to try and get some benefits for myself.
The Golden Mask is number one; the monastery is just a favor to the woman selling knives along the way, so it's number two; the Rat King is dispensable, so if we can't reach an agreement, we can forget about it, so it's number three.
After thinking for a while, Gebu felt that the road ahead became clear again.
If all goes well, this winter will end, and next spring I will be able to breathe the air of freedom on the soil of the empire.
The wizarding journey continues!