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

Chapter 29. Monitoring the Demonic Vine

"How many unknown treasures are still hidden in this sea?"

Holding the Crescent Moon Fruit in his hand, he finally suppressed his restless thoughts. This method of draining and then restoring mental energy might be a way to advance quickly.

However, mental strength is a very difficult thing to define, and if something goes wrong, it can be extremely unlucky.

He already has a smooth enough path to advancement, with the Thirsty Sea Glowing Algae and the "Poem of Rainbow Light," so he doesn't need this almost self-torturing method to strengthen himself.

However, the environment for astral beings inside this thing is indeed very peculiar; if arranged properly and used to train one's mental strength, it is possible.

Then let's go back first.

Thinking of this, he bent down and patted the two dolphins circling around him: "You two just stay in the sea and help me collect more Sea Spirit Pearls."

I'll come see you again in a couple of days.

His response was a gentle headbutt from the dolphins, followed by several soft chirps, their eyes filled with obvious reluctance. They watched Kroya's figure disappear before slowly diving to the bottom of the water and vanishing from sight.

After being taught a lesson by Kroya, they certainly wouldn't go looking for treasures that were far from the coastline anymore.

However, it's still advisable to stock up on more seafood.

Their owner seems to really enjoy eating seafood.

As level two marine magical beasts, they naturally possess the ability to suppress lower-level magical beasts. They could easily gather more of them and wait for Kroya to arrive so they could enjoy them.

The dolphins enthusiastically dived into the water, exuding a mermaid-like aura, making them the absolute rulers of the area.

The poor sea fish are in big trouble.

……

While Kroya returned to the castle and the dolphins were enthusiastically raising fish, in a deep trench far and wide off the coast of Han Reef.

The deep sea should be a place where even light cannot penetrate.

We passed through a pale silver mist.

It is a city entirely composed of marine products such as coral, shells, crystals, and pearls.

Here grow countless strange, pale silver shrubs with lush foliage, their branches adorned with all sorts of tiny fruits, some crescent-shaped, others full-shaped.

Mermaids swam around the pale silver saplings, enjoying a rare moment of entertainment and the joy of singing loudly.

The beautiful songs, unimaginable to humans, echoed through the trench, and the moon-shaped fruits seemed to resonate with the mermaids' songs.

A pale silver curtain of light enveloped the entire trench, making it impossible for anyone looking from the outside to discover that there was actually a mermaid kingdom here.

In the very center of this city stands a sacred statue, and beneath the statue is a burly man with a bare chest and long, golden hair flowing like seaweed.

The rhythm of the sea seemed to surround him, with him at the center, and the gentle flow of water spread throughout the entire mermaid city, containing the magic he provided.

He alone, a mermaid, could sustain the entire mermaid city's magical energy consumption.

"King Mihai, I have brought the essence of the Water Spirit." The mermaid Aria swam slowly over.

"Thanks a lot."

He accepted a clam shell respectfully offered to him by the mermaid Aria.

That container holds the essence of water obtained from Kroa, a total of forty-six drops, not a drop more or less.

"The Mage Association has finally sent a suitable person, but I heard that this child seems to have been ostracized?"

The male mermaid gazed at the essence of water within the clam shell, then asked with interest, "Do you think it's a coincidence, or... did they arrange it this way on purpose?"

"I think you're overthinking it." Arya pouted. "The original contract has always been with us. The Mage Association has been in decline ever since Lady Ilster left."

I don't think they're that smart.

Besides, if someone were truly intelligent, would they banish such a clever young mage from the capital? That would be utterly short-sighted and foolish.

She then gave a sly smile: "There's probably something wrong with that contract, but compared to the fact that we can increase our tribesmen, it doesn't matter if we give him some benefits."

Aren't humans all driven by profit?

"You did the right thing. As long as we can get the Essence of Water, nothing else matters."

The Dharma Masters Association, haha.

How can stolen goods be considered one's own? They probably still can't activate the Astral Council's teleportation array.

After saying this, the male mermaid Mihai put away his disdainful expression, his platinum fish tail transformed into straight, long legs, and then he knelt on one knee before the statue.

The essence of water flew drop by drop into the crystal sculpture shaped like a large tree held in the statue's hand.

Immediately afterwards, a wisp of the same azure light shimmered on the tree, and under the eager gaze of the two mermaids, it slowly multiplied into forty-six wisps.

"Not a single drop is flawless?"

"By the goddess above, I have finally found a suitable mage!"

The two of them shouted excitedly.

The azure light from the tree shot out and entered the body of the female mermaid who was trying to conceive.

"Alright!" Mihai nodded with a pleased expression. "If the little mermaids are born safely, you can continue to have that little mage help refine them."

You can agree to whatever he wants, as long as it's not too outrageous.

"As you wish."

"By the way, sir, his little pet picked a Void Moon Fruit."

Arya suddenly remembered this.

As a result, the Mermaid King, who usually valued the Moon Fruit highly, simply nodded casually.

"Let's pick it then, it's that tree outside, right... It might even be of some benefit to the mage."

"Helping him advance faster will also benefit us, so we don't need to worry about it."

Aria nodded: "Okay."

These mermaids, who guard the ocean for the goddess, need extremely pure water essence to reproduce, but according to an ancient covenant, only those refined from human magic can do so.

When the legendary mage Illist was in charge of the Mage Guild, things were alright, but after she left, there were no suitable mages left.

In order to obtain the essence of the Water element, they captured quite a few wild mages, but the refined versions of them were simply unusable.

I don't know if there's something wrong with the magic array.

They waited three hundred years for Kroa to arrive.

To be honest, in a sense, it really was treated like a treasure.

……

On the other side, inside the castle.

Kroa was stroking the Woody Vine King with her hand outstretched, holding crystals shaped like eyeballs between her fingers.

In his other hand, he held a magic pen and drew some tiny runes on it.

Once it's finished, place it on the Woody Wisteria King.

Those crystals shouldn't be able to enter the monster's body.

But what's amazing is that they immediately melted into the King of Woody Wisteria when they came into contact with it.

It's like water seeping into the earth.

Tiny, eyeball-shaped marks were left on the vines of the Woody Curved Vine King, and they seemed to sway with the changes in magic.

Upon closer inspection, it does indeed look a little bit like a loss of sanity.

"This Celestial Spirit Imprint Technique... it can even transform a physical object into a phantom. Tsk, that's pretty impressive."

As he inlaid the inlay, Kroya marveled inwardly.

He never expected that after he imprinted the "Monitoring Demon Eye" spell on the Woody Vine King, the Eye Crystal would actually be able to merge into its body.

The notification also made Chloe a little happy—

[Successful engraving, Mu Yaoqu Vine King (Monitoring Demonic Eye)]

This monster can integrate the eye crystals needed to monitor the demonic eye into its body without causing any rejection reaction.

[When it expands or contracts, the Eye Crystal can appear anywhere on the body. What the Eye Crystal captures can be recalled through its mental memory and recreated within a magic circle.]

[Further modifications to the Surveillance Eye can continue.]

(End of this chapter)