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

Chapter 183. Expanding Sea Areas, Greedy Desires

"This tree."

Kroya stared intently at the large tree in the distance.

"It looks a lot like the Void Moon Divine Tree."

He was quite certain that its appearance was basically the same as the tree inside his bottle, but unfortunately the distance was too great for him to detect the tree's condition using the Astral Imprint Technique.

He could only vaguely see countless sea creatures leaping high and swimming within the azure particles emitted by the great tree.

They were overjoyed, and even Kroya found it a little overwhelming with such intense emotions.

"Hmm, it's like I've been under a mental spell."

He withdrew his gaze, rubbing his temples wearily. Suddenly sensing something, he looked down at the Holy Spring Crystal Card in his hand.

The light on the surface of the crystal card was flickering intermittently, and Estner's voice, which had been so close to his ear, gradually faded away.

Instead, the Holy Spring Chamber of Commerce offered a slightly apologetic response:

"Dear Celestial, your environment has been affected by known factors. Our communication with the Chamber of Commerce will be temporarily suspended. You can continue to check existing messages."

We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Once contact is restored, we will send a small gift as a token of our apology.

A moment later, the Holy Spring Crystal Card was enveloped in a silvery moonlight, as if it had been isolated, and completely lost its mysterious deep blue radiance.

"..."

"It's disappeared."

To be honest, it's really unbelievable that there is a force in this world that can make the Holy Spring Chamber of Commerce back down, and it's obvious that it made the concession on its own initiative, rather than being unable to resist.

Because the information is still viewable.

The Holy Spring Merchant Guild, which had dominated many worlds, had to retreat under the power of the Merfolk. It's really hard to imagine what kind of power the Merfolk have.

He immediately tried to communicate with the outside world, and also asked the Woody Vine King to communicate with the outside world, but without exception, they all failed.

The thin veil of light between the ocean and the land outside isolated everything.

Just as he was pondering, the distant trees... no, to be precise, the mermaid song echoing throughout the entire sea.

A voice spoke to him:

"What favor do you desire?"

"Make a wish in the ocean."

"He will grant you what you desire, what you expect, what you dream of..."

The voice was filled with an indescribable sense of majesty, as if it came from the distant horizon, echoing in Kroya's ears, and it seemed as if a gentle moonlight was shining on him.

Kroya felt a little disoriented.

He looked up at the sky, where the dark clouds had long since dispersed, replaced by the bright moonlight that gently bathed the entire sea.

In the depths of the moonlight, there seemed to be a shimmering orb.

It resembled an eyeball with countless pairs of wings, the moonlight gently fluttering around it. Though its eyes were not open, the light emanating from them was the moonlight that now permeated the entire sea.

"I think..." He opened his mouth.

"Wait, don't make a wish!"

Suddenly, a portal of light appeared to the side, and an angel hurriedly flew out from it, interrupting Kroya's wish with a serious expression: "Lucky friend, this is the blessing of the ocean and moon goddess summoned by the mermaids."

Once you make a wish, it's equivalent to accepting His grace and being illuminated by His light. His moonlight and your light cannot coexist!

His voice instantly startled Chloe awake.

The latter suddenly took a step back, and the magic around him surged rapidly. Crimson, orange, and golden magic intertwined nearby, forming an exquisite and magnificent symphony.

The symphony created a three-colored band of light around the castle, and combined with the iris ring on Kroa's finger, this magic enveloped the castle, making it virtually invisible in terms of magic.

The moonlight could not find the castle or the people inside, yet it did not dissipate, still lingering on the island.

After completing this protective measure, Kroya finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked the angel, "Is this the ritual you spoke of?"

"Yes, it's a miracle from the sea."

"This is the most powerful force of the merfolk."

The angel's eyes reflected the colossal tree that stretched to the sky, and it sighed softly, "God said that because they assisted in the great work of creation, the miracle of illusion will last forever, until the last mermaid departs."

"God..." It was just one word, but when it came from the mouth of an angel, it made Chloe feel a tremor in her heart.

"What is it actually used for?"

After calming down a bit, Kroya's curiosity was reignited. What exactly was that tree?

"Lucky friend, you're too curious."

This time the angel did not answer, but reminded him: "Their madness is certainly not just for blessings, my friend, you were originally on their invitation list."

I will help you create a false version of yourself, and then pray to the gods that only those whose wishes are granted by Him can enter the Mermaid Kingdom.

He stared intently at Chloe, hesitated for a moment, and then uttered a sentence that shocked Chloe: "Your soul does not belong to this world."

"Past emotions still linger in your body; they are uncontrollable desires, the truest version of yourself."

"Let him go, so that you may be whole."

After he said these words, the surrounding magic remained unchanged. Kroa simply stared at him silently for a long time before sighing:

"...You really dare to say that."

To be honest, Cloa was already mentally prepared that her soul might be seen through.

After all, a soul from another world will always feel out of place.

For special mages or powerful beings, this is easily discernible; otherwise, wouldn't beings from other worlds be able to come and go as they please?

He was simply surprised...

Does the original owner's consciousness, or rather, soul, still exist in his body?

If that's really the case, then it's the worst news imaginable.

"So you mean... he's still with me?" Chloe asked, her expression somewhat serious.

"No, your soul shines as brightly as the sun."

"But the brighter the light, the easier it is for shadows to lurk, and those are traces of the power from the devil."

As it had happened many times before, the angel flew over and gently kissed Kroa's forehead.

"Lucky friend, may your greed surface under the sun and vanish in the moonlight."

His voice carried a very powerful and special magic.

This time, an extremely complex magical rune suddenly lit up on Kroya's forehead; it was a circular shape.

Within the circle, a figure remarkably similar to Kroya's, yet lacking his confidence and even appearing somewhat frail, emerged and detached from the circle.

The brighter the light emanating from Kroya, the deeper the shadow appeared. He stood there quietly, as if he could swallow the light whole.

"What terrifying desires."

After sensing it for a moment, Kroya clicked her tongue in amazement: "Such a powerful desire, is it really born of itself? Or is someone interfering?"

Back then, Kroya had sensed the desire within him that came from the original owner of the body, but he never expected it to be so powerful.

This desire can even materialize!

The angel replied, "I don't know, but my friend, since it is your desire, it also means that you... Gods are required to respond to desires."

If you make a wish to Him for a territory, even merfolk cannot arbitrarily invade your territory, and may even offer you some assistance.

Your soul will also be truly perfect.

"Is that so?" Chloe nodded, trying to control the shadows formed by these desires, and surprisingly, she controlled them very easily.

He controlled his shadow and left the castle, and was immediately discovered by the omnipresent moonlight, which rushed toward "him".

The majestic voice inside repeated: "A wish..."

This time, Kroya answered directly: "I want to truly possess the land and sea beneath my feet, and all the land and seas that my magical plants and beasts can conquer in the future!"

The sound paused for a moment.

But in just a moment, He replied, "If that is your wish..."

As He responded, particles of light scattered from the azure tree surged toward them, forming a ribbon of azure light above the island of Hanjiao.

It shimmered in the sky like the aurora borealis, and Hanjiao Island seemed to be marked by some force.

"As you wish, this place will belong to you forever."

His voice became cheerful.

"I will rejoice at the birth of the mermaid and spread miracles across this sea."

"Within twenty-one days, the seas will receive my blessing, islands will emerge, and magic will shape everything."

"Rejoice in the birth of the mermaid."

"Like the moment of His joy in creating the mermaids after the third week."

Kroya raised an eyebrow.

He immediately looked outside.

"Tsk."

His eyes revealed undisguised surprise, because he saw that the sea outside... had grown larger.

……

High in the distant sky.

In a small town built on top of the clouds.

The mage Dantalian, who was waiting for a reply from the Astral Council, saw the changes on the Curtain of Stars.

The map of the sea area in the northern border of the Kingdom of Norland suddenly grew larger, as if it were being pulled by an invisible hand and unfolded like kneading clay, expanding at least tenfold!

As it expanded, a silvery power enveloped the sea area, making it difficult even for the power of the Star Veil to perceive.

Strangely, although the area of ​​the sea has expanded, the terrain of the northern border of the Kingdom of Norland and its surroundings remains unchanged on the map of the Starry Curtain.

This means that its expansion is simply an expansion of the sea area, or that the sea area has formed a new space.

The legendary mage was quite knowledgeable; to be honest, she herself owned several smaller planes, some of which were no smaller than this sea.

However, the expansion of minor planes and the expansion of major planes cannot be generalized.

The former is like a world that can be freely created, with many ways to expand. But the latter is already fixed, making expansion virtually impossible.

Unless it involves the consciousness of creation.

"It seems that the illusory gods of the merfolk really do exist."

"I told you those people were idiots."

Dantalian shook her head helplessly and complained, "Both Lady Ilister and I have reminded them to be careful of the Atlantis Sea in the northern border of the Kingdom of Norland."

But they just don't care.

"Tell me, how dare they ignore the legendary mage's prophecy? Just because of that treasure kept in the association?"

She was asking a tall man who was wearing armor made of crystal, which was both simple and exquisite, like an ancient work of art.

The man didn't answer, but only reminded him:

"Legendary mage Dantalian, your application to leave the continent of Zemuria has been approved by the Astral Council. You are required to remain within the range of the Star Canopy for forty-eight standard astral hours."

"..." Dantalian sighed softly.

"You're a puppet created by the Titans, made from the bark of a 100,000-year-old simulated demonic tree. You already possess intelligence, so why are you still so rigid?"

The man remained silent, answering only with his actions—the surrounding starlight intertwined to form a curtain, enveloping Dantalian within it.

It flashed, as if responding to signals from a distant region.

Dantalian looked around at the starlight that had trapped her, a look of realization dawning on her face, and she smiled:

"Okay, I take back your blunt statement."

"You're actually connected to the merfolk? You rejected all my previous requests, didn't you?"

You were just waiting for this moment, so that I wouldn't be able to intervene.

The man remained silent, not uttering a single word.

……

Royal Capital, Dharma Masters Association.

Estner stared blankly at the crystal card in his hand—

"The person you are trying to contact has lost contact for known reasons. The estimated recovery time is 21 days. Please wait for recovery..."

The light on the surface of the Holy Spring Crystal Card was like a faulty magic circuit; it flickered a few times and then went out completely.

This was the first time he had ever seen the Holy Spring Merchant Guild in such a situation, and he was at a loss for what to do, so he could only ask his mentor for advice.

However, his mentor actually left the Mage Association.

Not only his mentor, but all the mages of level four and above in the association actually left.

The entire Mage Association is now only left with a few mages of around level three, making it weaker than ever before.

"What exactly is going on?"

Estner was at a loss for what to do and could only temporarily stop all actions and wait for the situation to return to normal.

……

In the sea of ​​Atlantis.

Kroya had left the castle and arrived at the seaside. Looking at the azure sea before him, he could sense... an extremely exaggerated magical power within it.

A band of light from a symphony surrounded him and the angel, who was sitting on his left shoulder, while his right shoulder was crowded with sunflower fairies, lotus fairies, olive fairies, and ghost owls.

The little ones, who usually bickered and were jealous of each other, didn't dare to have any thoughts of rebelling against the angel and could only obediently huddle together.

In other words, Kroa's shoulder width is quite good, which is enough to barely accommodate them squeezing together, otherwise they would have fallen off long ago.

As for the Clockwork Golem... it could only float pitifully to one side, with no way to find a place to sit down.

"Lucky friends, during the twenty-one days of the Mermaid Clan's initiation ceremony, the power from the Void God will permeate the sea, and some special minerals and magical plants will appear in the sea now."

This was no longer a hint, but a blatant declaration from the angel.

Kroa immediately understood what He meant.

Immediately, he ordered all his men to enter the ocean and begin exploring the coral base to see if any mineral deposits could be found.

As soon as he gave the order, he saw a huge, crystal-clear gem coral grow in the seawater around him at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It is over ten meters tall, and its enormous branches are adorned with seventeen or eighteen sea-blue, prismatic gems that look like they were cut from the sea.

"!!!"

"what?"

He swallowed hard and immediately recognized that all the gems on the gem coral were level three magical minerals called aquamarine.

Because this aquamarine is filled with the magic of the ocean, it is often used by mages to artificially construct ocean spaces. It is said that the price of top-grade aquamarine can even exceed that of a level three magic crystal.

"Wow!"

Before he could even speak, the lotus fairy flew over and picked all the aquamarine stones, presenting them to Kroya like a precious treasure.

"Master! Look!"

As a lotus spirit driven by a voracious appetite, it could certainly sense that Kroya desired these aquamarine stones. Everything else can be faked, but desire is the most genuine thought.

So it immediately went and removed the gem.

"Great, thank you."

Kroya took the gem, examined it carefully, and praised the little lotus fairy with great satisfaction.

This caused considerable dissatisfaction among the other elves, who felt that this guy had stolen Kroa's favor.

They flew directly to the surrounding area, and after a short while, they flew back one by one, carrying different things, and piled all those shiny objects in front of Kroya.

"Splash..."

Don't let their small size fool you; elves are actually incredibly strong, not to mention they possess some innate magical abilities.

That was a huge pile of things, all kinds of gemstones, including aquamarine, Atlantean sapphires, Best Diamonds...

This pile of magical materials alone is worth thousands of magic crystals.

Kroya looked at the huge pile of gems and felt her eyes were dazzled. This... this happiness came too suddenly.

For a moment, he was even a little worried about how to use these things.

Fortunately, the angel spoke up in time: "Lucky friend, if you collect more gems, I will help you unlock the Ark Garden and give you a special magical plant."

"A magical plant grown with gemstones?" Kroya's imagination ran wild.

"Yes……"

As soon as the angel finished speaking, Kroya suddenly sensed a huge surge of magical power in the distant sea, which swept countless glittering stones onto the sea, scattering them like flowers from a fairy's shower.

He was extremely familiar with the appearance of those stones.

That's clearly a magic crystal mine, and it seems to contain some level-two magic crystals and... blue moss?

(End of this chapter)