Chapter 120 - 119: Maiden Clam

Chapter 120: Chapter 119: Maiden Clam

After hearing Instructor Sahu’s introduction of the Maiden Clam, Gaode realized he could use [Detect Magic+] to take a shortcut. And this wasn’t considered breaking the rules. During the admission task, they were already allowed to use the Magic they had mastered. It was just that among 0th Ring Magic, there were far too few that helped with mining and clam collecting—almost none—so everyone could only grit their teeth and endure the hardship.

But Gaode was different. He only needed to perfect his diving. Then, relying on the uniqueness of [Detect Magic+], he could complete the admission task at an extremely fast speed. He couldn’t speak for anything else, but it would at least be much faster than mining.

Gaode’s gaze swept back and forth across the riverbed until his chest started to feel increasingly tight. This was a sign that the breath he was holding was about to run out. Not daring to be too reckless, he prepared to surface. But at the exact moment he kicked his legs, a fairly bright Magic Spirit Light suddenly flashed in the corner of his eye.

"Is it a Maiden Clam?" Gaode wondered, though he wasn’t certain.

However, he was at his limit and couldn’t go verify it right then. He wasn’t in a hurry, either. He continued to float up, breached the surface of the water, and took two large, gasping breaths. Only after catching his breath did he have the time to glance at the shore.

He suddenly noticed that, at some point, the other five who had entered the mine had all come out. They were resting on the riverbank, looking at the newly surfaced Gaode with strange expressions. There was mockery, confusion, and disdain... The emotions in everyone’s eyes varied.

"Did you collect a Maiden Clam?" Luca, who was resting, couldn’t help but call out.

"Not yet," Gaode answered truthfully.

"It’s been an entire morning. We’ve all dug out a basket full of Water Gold Ore, yet you still have nothing to show for it. You’re even still learning how to dive," Luca said.

"At this rate, when will you ever finish the task? Why don’t you just give up?" Kaplan couldn’t resist chiming in.

Just earlier, Luca had already broadcasted Gaode’s "glorious achievements" to everyone. They all knew that Gaode, who vainly attempted the Clam Collection Stream, was even learning to dive on the spot. It was simply too absurd!

"It’s fine. Maybe I’ll harvest something on the next trip," Gaode laughed, speaking quite seriously. Having caught his breath, he finished speaking and plunged headfirst underwater again.

Watching Gaode disappear below the river’s surface once more, Kaplan—who had spoken up to urge Gaode to "abandon his misguided path"—was stunned for a few seconds before finally delivering his verdict: "Foolish!"

Jelica’s gaze also fell upon the river’s surface, her brows furrowing unconsciously. When Gaode had surfaced just now, compared to the negative emotions in the others’ eyes, she harbored more confusion in her heart. And that confusion was only growing. The doubts that had sprouted since seeing Gaode in the freshmen lineup that morning had now accumulated to their peak.

"Back to work, back to work. He’s wasting his time here, but I certainly won’t follow his example!" Luca, the first to leave the mine, stood up, clapped his hands, and hoisted his basket back onto his shoulders.

Digging up the Water Gold Ore wasn’t the end of it; they also had to transport it to the top of the cliff to complete the task. Carrying nearly thirty kilograms of Water Gold Ore on his back, the already steep mountain path suddenly became even more rugged, winding, and treacherous. After climbing merely a dozen or so steps, a fresh layer of sweat had already beaded on Luca’s forehead.

This mandatory admission task, aside from forcing the Mage Apprentices who wanted to enter the Cyrus Magic Academy to learn how to endure hardship and hone a resolute character, served another purpose: to train the new students’ physiques during the process. By the time the task of handing in 3,000 kilograms of Water Gold Ore was over, even those with the poorest constitutions would become robust.

Luca gritted his teeth and persevered. No matter how much he disapproved of this task in his heart or how meaningless he felt it was, after hearing that the record holder for the admission task was the former dean, Gavin Hogg, he understood that this admission task was absolutely inescapable. Even the academy’s dean had once poured sweat at the foot of Kuli Cliff; what right did he have to slack off?

Luca staggered forward with the basket on his back, stopping to rest every few steps, his expression slowly becoming contorted. He could feel that the hemp ropes of the basket had already chafed a layer of skin off his shoulders, which were now burning with pain. How was this "studying to gild one’s resume"? It was clearly pure torture! Fortunately, the basket was woven from special vines. Let alone a thirty-kilogram load, even if the weight were doubled, it would hold up without issue.

"If I had known, I wouldn’t have come... No, wait. If I’m struggling this much, that little girl Jelica must be having an even worse time..." Luca thought.

Initially feeling some regret, Luca suddenly stopped regretting it at all when he thought of how Jelica—being a girl and younger than him—also had to carry 3,000 kilograms of Water Gold Ore up the mountain without any special treatment. He even felt that the Water Gold Ore on his back had become a bit lighter.

After Luca shouldered the Water Gold Ore he had mined and began ascending the mountain, the remaining four followed suit one after another. Everyone had their own tasks to attend to, leaving them no time to worry about Gaode, who was still "wasting" his time underwater. The four of them carried their baskets on their backs and successively embarked on the path up the mountain.

Candice, whose physique was the weakest, chose to walk at the very back. She knew that she was the thinnest and frailest, possessed the least strength, and walked the slowest. She feared she would hinder the others’ cliff-climbing efficiency. Among the five, the amount of Water Gold Ore on her back was naturally the least. While the others carried roughly twenty or thirty kilograms of Water Gold Ore, she only had about fifteen.

Even so, halfway up the stairs of the cliff path, her legs suddenly gave out, and she was about to fall straight backward. On such a rugged and steep cliff path, one could only imagine the consequences of tumbling backward. This scare completely drained the color from Candice’s face, turning it deathly pale.

Fortunately, a sudden force from behind propped her up, preventing her from falling.

"Rest if you’re tired. Don’t push yourself too hard. It’s fine if the task takes a little longer to complete, but falling down would be disastrous," a gentle voice followed from behind her.

Candice turned her head. She had already been the last one in line. Under these circumstances, the only person who could support her from behind was Gaode, who had just left the water and begun climbing the cliff even later. Although he had been diving all morning and had expended a lot of Physical Strength, he ultimately didn’t have to carry a heavy load up the mountain. Thus, he had quickly caught up to the main group that had set off earlier, trailing behind Candice and timely lending a helping hand when she was in danger.

"Th-thank you." Tears were almost falling, but Candice held them back.

"We’re almost there. Keep it up," Gaode offered another word of comfort.

"I know..." Candice said softly, but before she could finish speaking, she suddenly froze, her eyes unconsciously widening as she stared blankly at Gaode’s basket.

The stone steps of the cliff were steep, so Jelica, who was walking ahead of Gaode, turned around at this moment. Looking down from her vantage point, she could clearly see the item in Gaode’s basket. Compared to the large and small chunks of Water Gold Ore packed in everyone else’s baskets, Gaode’s basket was much emptier. But it wasn’t completely empty. There was only one item inside.

A clam.

It was a clam with an unusually broad and elegantly streamlined shell. It was about a foot long, and its width was nearly equal to its length. The surface of the clam shell was covered in a silky, delicate pearlescent sheen, looking as if it were formed from condensed moonlight. Both sides of the shell curved slightly upward, resembling a maiden gently lifting the hem of her skirt—elegant yet dignified. The most peculiar aspect was the fine, complex patterns that were formed by Nature on the shell’s surface. Under the changing light, these patterns made it seem as though one could vaguely see the faint silhouettes of maidens dancing lightly upon the shell.

"Is... is this a Maiden Clam?!" Candice asked in disbelief.

"It should be," Gaode replied.

"Y-you actually collected a Maiden Clam?!" Candice exclaimed.

"Didn’t I tell you that I might harvest something on my next trip?" Gaode laughed.

"You have such good luck," Candice, having recovered from her shock, said enviously.

Even though Gaode’s basket only held this single clam weighing less than five kilograms, it was equivalent in value to fifty kilograms of Water Gold Ore. Meanwhile, she had worked herself half to death all morning and even nearly tumbled down the stairs just now, only to harvest less than fifteen kilograms of Water Gold Ore. Comparing oneself to others was truly maddening.

It was just a pity that she not only didn’t know how to dive, but she couldn’t even swim; she was a total landlubber. Otherwise, Candice would really have wanted to follow Gaode’s example and go into the water to "try her luck."