What's wrong with me, a mage, loving to farm?

Chapter 136. Just a Cup of Tea

The carriage was just forced to stop here.

Seleu certainly didn't want this to happen, but there was nothing he could do because something suddenly happened to the people inside the carriage!

After he met the young master of the Northern Region Traveler with the sunflower seeds given to him by Kroya, the young master was overjoyed and immediately gave him the remaining seventeen people.

To Olivier, these prisoners were no longer of any use; their greatest use was in obtaining so many magical sunflower seeds.

He had originally planned to hand over the tortured people to the mysterious mage if all Kroya gave him were a few sunflower seeds.

He knew very well that having a powerful mage as a friend would make his future path much smoother.

To everyone's surprise, Kroya actually gave him a hundred coins!

That's a hundred of them!

Overjoyed, he waved his hand and handed the people over to Seryu, along with their belongings.

They even thoughtfully provided a carriage enhanced with spatial magic.

Seryu was both happy and apprehensive about receiving seventeen people at once—happy because Lord Chloe should be satisfied, but apprehensive because she wondered if there would be any problems on the way.

Fortunately, the gods were on their side. After they told the people about Mir, they were filled with longing and anticipation for Han Reef Island, and there was no trouble on the way.

He made it to Hanjiao Island pier without incident, even amidst the terrifying and violent snowstorm.

However, problems arose after arriving at Han Reef Island.

Five people simultaneously fell ill, struggling and convulsing. The magic within the wounds on their backs was like boiling water, and terrifying magic surged out like steam.

These people who were perfectly fine on the road instantly transformed into mindless beasts. If At hadn't arrived with his knights, who knows what might have happened.

Seleu could only silently pray that Chloe would arrive in time.

Whether it was his prayers or not, a shimmering golden light suddenly appeared on the distant sea.

It was so conspicuous in the gray sky and snowstorm, moving so fast it was like teleportation; one second it was far away, the next it was already above the Hanjiao Island pier.

A golden halo fell.

It quickly illuminated the surroundings in a golden glow.

Being bathed in such radiance, Seryu felt her worries and anxieties vanish instantly, and she even felt a little eager to dance.

An indescribable joy filled his heart.

So much so that he didn't even realize the source of the radiance... which turned out to be a golden rat.

The poor magic crystal white mouse was carried so far by the olive elf; even a level three magical beast's body couldn't handle it.

If it hadn't been protected by the wind wings formed by the olive spirits, it would probably be dead by now.

Even so, the light it emits remains stable.

Its wings flapped gently on both sides, carrying it into the carriage.

Golden light naturally streamed in as well.

"what!"

"it hurts!"

"Ugh!!!"

The wounds on the backs of the people writhing in pain inside the carriage actually eased after they felt the golden light.

The surging magic within gradually calmed down under the emerald green light of the olive elf and the joyful starlight light of the magic crystal white mouse.

The tortured victims also drifted off to sleep.

The remaining prisoners who hadn't succumbed to their illness stared in astonishment at the white rat, feeling that the world was utterly absurd.

A sacred, winged golden mouse?

"Magic Crystal White Rats?"

"Can it fly?"

"Gods above, have I seen things wrong?"

The tall man at the head of the group seemed to be thinking to himself, "This must be someone sent by the mysterious Lord of Hanjiao Island. I didn't expect him to have discovered us from so far away."

He bowed slightly to the white mouse: "Respected Mage of Hanjiao Island, we will be on the island soon."

All of this was actually within Kroya's sight—the olive spirit had brought his consciousness here.

However, he was unable to respond.

After completing their task, the Olive Elf and the Magic Crystal Rat flew out again with a "whoosh" and disappeared into the heavy snow.

Only the people from the Stardust Circus remained, looking at each other blankly.

How did it fly away?

It was the man in the lead who spoke up: "Let's hurry up and go to the island to pay our respects to the lord. This is a great favor."

"Perhaps he really can help us solve the problem."

"Yes, boss."

However, before they could even begin to prepare, the Phantom Cloud Serpent sent by Kroya crawled into the carriage and shook off the snowflakes on its body.

Snakes should hibernate in such cold weather, even a magical beast like it.

Suddenly awakened, it was still trudging through the wind and snow, shivering from the cold.

"You, come with me quickly, Lord Chloe is waiting for you inside the castle!"

Its voice trembled, and after speaking, it immediately flew to one of the people's necks and naturally tucked its tail into the latter's clothes.

That made me feel a little more comfortable.

"Cloud Serpent, you..."

The woman, Oona, who had been burrowed inside his clothes, looked utterly exasperated: "Why are you still like this?!"

That's what she said, but she didn't chase the cloud snake away. It was a rare opportunity for friends to meet, and her feelings were complicated.

She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but all she could do was choke up and had no idea what to ask.

The cloud snake didn't say a word. It wrapped its body around the woman's neck, then rested its head limply against her body, pretending to be dead without moving.

Her eyes were also filled with tears.

Everyone could only laugh at its appearance.

It seems I can't ask in advance.

Finally, it was the man who spoke:

"Hasn't the Cloud Serpent always been like this?"

"Let's not waste any more time, let's go."

After he said that, they immediately got busy and carried their sleeping friend away from the carriage.

Then, led by Knight At, they arrived directly inside Kroya's castle via a spatial teleportation array.

Seleu was taken away and treated well.

The castle has changed dramatically from its previous dark and gloomy style. Not only have the walls been repainted, but the floors have also been covered with exquisite and gorgeous floor tiles.

The magical lamps floated in mid-air, illuminating the surrounding environment.

Led by Rob, they went up the stairs and soon arrived at Chloe's private reception room.

The castle's owner is waiting for them here.

……

Seventeen ones, that's quite a lot.

It's a pity that those who are asleep can't drink tea.

Kroya glanced at them, then clapped her hands: "Pour the tea."

The Woody Teng King immediately served a cup of calming lily of the valley tea infused with sunflower honey.

This tea was specially made by collecting petals from fallen lilies of the valley and stir-frying them with magical fire, as Kroya had instructed. It's a pity that they haven't found a tea tree yet, otherwise he could brew a cup of tea and try it.

This is more like a beverage now.

The sweet aroma instantly brought life back to those who had been cooped up in the carriage for days and were feeling extremely stifled and bored.

But none of them dared to drink it.

Faced with such a mysterious and powerful mage, they dared not make any moves; in fact, they were extremely cautious.

He was afraid that his loud breathing would offend Kroya.

Kroya was, of course, aware of the reasons for their restraint and caution.

He shook his head and said, "Once you're on my turf, you have to listen to me. Drink up."

The prisoners looked at each other, then one after another picked up their cups and took a sip.

The slightly hot tea, with its sweet honey and lingering lily of the valley fragrance, flowed down their throats. The magic of the sunshine warmed their bodies, and the delicate floral scent soothed their unease.

Just a simple sip of tea made them feel warm all over, and their expressions relaxed. Some of the women even had tears glistening in their eyes.

It was just a cup of tea that made them lower most of their guard against Kroya.

Imagine this: you've escaped your prison and are traveling through a blizzard, utterly exhausted, when suddenly you find yourself in a safe, warm place, enjoying a cup of hot honey tea.

That feeling is truly enough to bring tears to your eyes; even the most determined soldier would be disoriented in such an environment.

Not to mention those who are homeless, wandering, and have just escaped from prison.

After finishing his tea, the tall man left his seat and knelt down in front of Chloe.

"Master, we are willing to serve you as our master!"

His voice was strong and powerful, not like that of a circus performer, but rather like that of a battle-hardened warrior.

This was something he had planned before he came. He figured he was just doing his job no matter who he worked for, and since Mir was doing alright here...

He might as well acknowledge Kroya as his master. After all, he had nowhere else to go. Where else could he go if he left Hanjiao Island?

If they take the initiative, perhaps Cloa's opinion of them will improve.

But to everyone's surprise, Kroya just glanced at him and shook her head.

"I don't need your loyalty yet. I have serious doubts about how much of your loyalty is genuine."

The monk's clear and extremely deep eyes stared at him, as if they could see through everything.

Otto felt immense pressure.

This was a pressure he had never experienced before, not even that of the Duke.

Sweat immediately beaded on his forehead.

With so many strange magics on him, Kroya could certainly sense the "dissonance" emanating from these people.

Honestly, even if one pledges allegiance temporarily in this situation, there's no telling what might happen.

Seeing is believing. Let them see for themselves what Hanjiao Island is like now, and then we'll talk.

He was willing to be lenient and wait for these useful people, since he had his eyes and ears everywhere on Hanjiao Island anyway.

The sea area is dominated by sea dolphins; they absolutely cannot escape Hanjiao Island, not even by a single step.

This is his confidence.

So he waved his hand decisively: "You're here to work. Jamie will arrange accommodations for you."

After saying that, he immediately told them to leave.

Jamie, who had been waiting, immediately led them away.

The prisoners entered in a daze and left looking completely bewildered, utterly clueless as to what Kroya was doing.

(End of this chapter)