Chapter 101: The unreasonable three-headed water monster got tricked...

Shu Li mined with tremendous enthusiasm.

This was excellent practical training. Not only did it improve his proficiency with magic, but it also allowed him to develop ways of fighting underwater.

Some kinds of magic were unstoppable on land, but their effectiveness diminished drastically underwater.

Fire magic in particular was rendered almost completely useless.

Disio recited every fire spell he had learned, but they had little effect. He was so anxious that he scratched his head like a frantic monkey, staring enviously as Budno used water magic to cut through the crystal ore.

Seeing this, Shu Li tried fire magic as well. Predictably, he failed.

There were very few fire elements in the water. Even after gathering them together, all he could produce was a tiny flame. How could something like that possibly unleash any power?

Perhaps he should use the magical power he normally stored inside his body through meditation instead.

He closed his eyes slightly and mobilized the fire elements within him. Once he finished chanting, magical power flowed down his arm and into his magic staff, then passed through the sunstone at its tip and transformed into the desired magical effect.

A mass of blue flame instantly formed before the staff and shot toward the crystal ore. Not only did it remain alight, but it also made the surrounding water begin to boil.

Had he... succeeded?

Feeling the temperature of the water rising, Shu Li hurriedly retreated.

The blue flame lasted for more than ten seconds before gradually dying out, leaving scorch marks across the surface of the crystal ore.

Disio’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He swam over excitedly and rubbed his little head against Shu Li’s cheek.

Teach me, buddy! Teach me! Hurry up and teach me!

He was acting so spoiled that the only thing left for him to do was plaster his entire body against Shu Li’s face.

Shu Li squirmed at the ticklish rubbing. Just as he began considering how to teach him, a chill suddenly ran down his spine, and he sensed a terrifying pressure.

The other Little Fairies sensed it as well. They swiftly swam toward Shu Li and grabbed his hair, sash, and cloak. Clutching their magic staffs tightly, they scanned their surroundings with wary eyes.

As a Senior Mage, Shu Li possessed a wider range of perception. The moment he “saw” the enormous shadow a hundred meters away, he made an immediate decision and raced toward the surface with his four companions.

The four Little Fairies paled in alarm and clung tightly to him as he carried them out of the lake.

Shu Li’s wings snapped open, and he shot into the sky. At almost the same instant, the shadow at the bottom of the lake surged after them.

Splash—

Water sprayed everywhere as three ferocious heads abruptly burst from the lake. Their necks resembled enormous serpents, thick and long, their surfaces covered in hard scales. A row of blade-sharp fins ran along either side. Beneath the necks, each more than ten meters long, was a body as massive as a ship, covered by a turtle shell with several rows of spikes protruding from its surface. Its four limbs, still concealed beneath the water, were as thick as pillars. A long serpentine tail curved upward behind it, ending in a viciously sharp hook.

The sight of such a colossal aquatic monster emerging from the lake made Shu Li and his companions stare wide-eyed.

The four Little Fairies half flew, half scrambled onto Shu Li’s shoulders, clustering on either side of his head.

“Sperien, it’s one of the lake’s magical beasts!” Disio nervously clutched Shu Li’s hair. His grip was so strong that it made Shu Li’s scalp sting.

Shu Li could not help wondering whether he had used the same amount of force when he had clung to the Elven King’s hair before.

“Wow, it’s so, so, so huge!” Budno exclaimed several times. Then he wrinkled his little nose and said disdainfully, “It’s so ugly. It even has three heads.”

“All three heads are looking at us. Its eyes are so fierce!” Lois whispered.

“It’s angry. Why?” Angel looked utterly confused.

Shu Li did not know why it was angry either.

They had obediently remained in the shallows to mine. They had not ventured into deeper water and provoked any high-rank magical beasts!

Kumandi had said that the magical beasts in the lake were not very friendly toward Fairies, and he had been absolutely right. This was far beyond unfriendly. The creature looked vicious enough to swallow them whole.

Whatever the case, Shu Li believed in peaceful coexistence. Suppressing his fear and anxiety, he greeted the three-headed aquatic monster in the friendliest voice he could manage.

“Hello. I’m Sperien, a Fairy who lives at the divine tree. These are my companions. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

All six of the monster’s eyes moved simultaneously and fixed Shu Li with an icy stare. The terrifying pressure of a high-rank magical beast crashed over them.

Shu Li’s skin crawled. He involuntarily tightened his grip on his magic staff, every nerve pulled taut. The four Little Fairies instinctively pressed closer to his neck, their faces filled with horror.

They had been gathering materials in the Faerie Forest since they were young and had encountered thousands upon thousands of high-rank magical beasts. Which of those beasts had ever treated Fairies with anything but courtesy?

Yet this three-headed monster from the lake was staring at them as though they were prey.

How rude!

Shu Li was the most psychologically mature of the five Little Fairies. He was also a Senior Mage personally instructed by the Elven King and had learned all kinds of formidable magic. He did not panic when trouble arose, nor would he ever cower or retreat.

Seeing the three-headed monster eyeing them ravenously, he steadied himself, fluttered his wings, and moved several meters backward. He landed lightly on a branch extending horizontally over the lake, then placed one hand before him and °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° performed an elegant bow.

“My companions and I accepted a task to gather crystal ore from Lake Pojaman. This is our first time mining, so there is much we do not understand. If we disturbed you, please forgive us.”

No wonder this task offered such a generous reward. A troublesome high-rank magical beast lived in the lake.

If this had been a magical beast on land, it would already have tried to ingratiate itself with him after hearing who he was. This three-headed monster, however, had regarded them coldly from beginning to end.

Shu Li was not particularly afraid that it would truly dare to open its mouth and devour them.

This was the Faerie Forest. If a magical beast dared attack a Fairy, forget continuing to live in the lake—there probably would not even be a corpse left afterward!

Once Shu Li finished speaking, he patiently waited for its answer.

The wind rustled through the leaves. One leaf drifted onto the lake, sending a ring of ripples across its surface.

After quite some time, the three-headed monster finally reacted. Its middle head leaned forward, approaching the young Fairy standing on the branch.

“And what are you going to do if I don’t forgive you?”

Its coarse, raspy voice was deafening.

Shu Li and his companions rubbed their ears in unison.

The three-headed monster clearly understood Elven, yet it had answered them in vulgar Dwarven.

It had done that deliberately, hadn’t it? Hadn’t it? Hadn’t it?

Shu Li had his suspicions.

Fortunately, he had crammed Dwarven for an entire week and could just barely understand what the monster had said.

Even if he could not, it would not matter. His companions on his shoulders had a gift for languages and could translate for him.

“Sperien, did it say it won’t forgive us?” Budno asked in astonishment. “Why? What did we do wrong?”

“We only mined in the shallows. We never entered the deeper water.” Disio frowned deeply.

“Could it be... that the fluctuations from our magic disturbed it?” Angel guessed.

“We did make a little bit of a commotion,” Lois said, holding up one tiny finger.

Sperien was a Senior Mage, while the four of them were Intermediate Mages. When all five cast magic underwater together, the lake churned, and the water throughout the shallows became cloudy.

Shu Li was still considering how to answer the three-headed monster and had no time to respond to his companions for the moment.

What would they do if it refused to forgive them?

Fight?

There were two ways to judge a high-rank magical beast.

For some, the uglier they were, the higher their rank.

For others, the more beautiful they were, the higher their rank.

The three-headed aquatic monster before him clearly belonged to the ugly variety. It even had two more heads than other magical beasts. It had to be either eighth or ninth rank, with strength comparable to a Saint Mage. Even combining the power of all five Mages would not make them its match.

After hesitating for a long while, Shu Li took three tiny red crystal flower seeds from his storage ring.

“These are red crystal flower seeds I brought from the Fairy Nursery when I was little. I only have three left, and I’ll give them all to you as an apology.”

Shu Li lowered his eyes and stared at the three sesame-sized crystals in his palm. Reluctance appeared on his exquisite face, and his ears drooped slightly. Of course, these were not his last three seeds, but to emphasize how precious they were, he deliberately made himself look conflicted.

After dealing with so many magical beasts, he knew just how important red crystal flower seeds were to them.

Something capable of raising their rank was exceedingly rare and could not be obtained merely by seeking it.

Even if the three-headed monster before him was a ninth-rank magical beast, Shu Li believed it would be unable to resist the temptation of red crystal flower seeds.

Sure enough, the head on the monster’s left swayed several times, its pupils narrowing into vertical slits.

“You think you can fob me off with three measly seeds, little one? Do you take me for one of those undiscerning beasts on land?”

Its thunderous voice reverberated across the lake, startling the birds in the forest into flight.

Shu Li frowned slightly.

What a greedy monster!

He had originally intended to offer only one seed, but after deciding that one would be too little, he had taken out three. He never imagined that the three-headed monster would still consider it insufficient.

“I have one!” Angel swiftly pulled out a red crystal flower seed and called out loudly.

A thought struck Lois, and she took a seed from her storage ring. “I... I only have one left too.”

Budno grew a little anxious.

He had brought very little property with him from the Fairy Nursery. He had scrimped and saved throughout the years, but he had few red crystal flower seeds remaining and genuinely could not bear to give one away.

Disio knew the state of his finances. He took two seeds from his own storage ring and secretly passed one to Budno.

Feeling a seed appear in his palm, Budno turned to him in surprise.

Disio nudged him in the waist with his elbow, signaling him to keep his expression natural. Then he took Budno’s hand and raised it together with his own.

“We each have one seed.”

Three plus four made seven.

Seven red crystal flower seeds were quite a considerable offering—enough to make any ordinary magical beast drool.

Shu Li gathered all the seeds into his own hand and asked pitifully, “Will these... be enough as an apology?”

The three-headed monster withdrew its oppressive presence and replied impatiently, “Fine. They’ll barely do. I forgive you.”

Shu Li quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He murmured a wind spell, enveloping the seven red crystal flower seeds in a current of air and sending them toward the monster.

The middle head opened its mouth and instantly sucked in the seeds.

Now that it had obtained what it wanted, the monster leisurely began sinking beneath the lake. When only its three heads remained above the surface, it spoke again.

“How much crystal ore did you gather?”

Embarrassed, Shu Li held up three fingers. “Three pieces.”

He had extracted two large pieces with earth magic, and Budno had cut out one small piece with water magic. Angel, Disio, and Lois had not obtained so much as a single fragment.

The three-headed monster scoffed. “Tch. You made such a racket that I thought you’d carried off every piece of ore in the shallows!”

The five Little Fairies lowered their heads in shame.

The monster scoffed twice more and swam several meters forward. Stretching out the neck on its right, it brought its ferocious head close to the lakeshore and opened its enormous, blood-red maw.

A series of loud clatters rang out as it spat a pile of crystal ore from its mouth. The heap was as large as a small hill.

“Take these and leave. Don’t disturb my sleep again,” it said disdainfully.

Shu Li had not expected the seemingly greedy monster to be kind enough to give them crystal ore.

The ores came in various colors and types. Some were from the shallows, while others could only be found in deeper water.

“Thank you!” Shu Li said brightly. “May we know your name?”

“I’m Niledi. A pleasure to meet you, Sperien—the Little Fairy under Bazien Bulgareth’s protection.”

The three-headed monster slowly sank. When only one head remained above the water, it opened its mouth and spat out one more object, tossing it beside the pile of ore on the lakeshore.

“I found this thing in the Danaga Sea half a month ago. It’s useless to me, so you can have it.”

“The Danaga Sea?” Shu Li asked in confusion.

The Danaga Sea lay north of the Faerie Forest. It was not connected to Lake Pojaman!

“Hmph—there’s an underground waterway.”

Leaving those words behind, the monster submerged completely.

The lake returned to calm, and the five Little Fairies’ tense bodies finally relaxed.

“Aaah! That scared me to death!” Budno patted his tiny chest.

“Thank goodness Sperien is clever.” Angel gazed at Shu Li adoringly.

“Exactly!” Disio and Lois nodded vigorously.

Using a few red crystal flower seeds to send away a high-rank magical beast had been truly brilliant.

Shu Li wiped the cold sweat from his face and sighed. “That aquatic monster called Nileda was deliberately acting so fierce!”

“His name is Niledi,” Angel corrected him.

Shu Li’s eyebrow twitched. “He knows about my relationship with Mr. Serpent.”

Mr. Serpent was a famous magical serpent in the Faerie Forest. Once other magical beasts heard his name, none dared confront him directly. The three-headed monster had clearly known that Shu Li shared a close relationship with Mr. Serpent, yet it had still dared frighten him. Evidently, it was no weaker than Mr. Serpent.

“He’s awful!” Budno exclaimed indignantly. “He deliberately tricked us out of our red crystal flower seeds!”

Shu Li flapped his wings and flew beneath the tree. “We didn’t exactly lose out either.”

The pile of crystal ore on the lakeshore was extremely valuable. They were all high-grade materials used to forge weapons.

It had spared them the trouble of mining and allowed them to finish their task early.

Shu Li flew to the mound of ore and used wind magic to divide it into five equal portions.

The Little Fairies happily put away their respective shares.

As for the object the monster had tossed onto the lakeshore at the end, it was a golden treasure chest the size of an adult’s palm.

“What should we do with this?” Disio circled the treasure chest.

Shu Li sat cross-legged on the grass and stared at the exquisitely crafted chest. “Shall we open it and take a look?”

“Yes!” the other Fairies agreed.

Shu Li tried to open the treasure chest, only to discover that a magical seal had been engraved into its lid.

The chest could not be opened until the seal was broken.

He rubbed his hands together and said eagerly, “The king recently taught me how to dispel magical seals. Now I’ll show you what I can do.”

“Yay!” The four Little Fairies clapped in agreement.

“Move back a little.” Shu Li placed both hands on the treasure chest and chanted the spell to break the seal.

“Great Moon God Moter Lena, you who govern weapons and tools, please help me break every seal and open this treasure chest—”

The treasure chest activated a magical array, and a magnificent halo of light spun above it.

The four Little Fairies watched expectantly with wide eyes, exclaiming in wonder.

Completely confident, Shu Li happily watched the seal disappear. There was a click, and the treasure chest opened.

“It worked—ah!”

Before he could celebrate, a cloud of black energy suddenly erupted from the treasure chest and lunged at him.

“Sperien!”