The Record of Unusual Creatures

Running out of the mage tower was a young man. He was about 20 years of age, dressed in a simple magician’s robe. However, the thick and beautiful magic book hanging around his waist told something about the young man’s unusual background. At first, Hao Ren thought that he was an elf. After all, the place was near the Elven Royal City. But after careful observation, he found that the young man, who did not have the elves’ signature long ears, was a human.

Of course, another giveaway was that an elf would not have been so ugly.

When the young man ran out of the mage tower, it looked like a beast was chasing him, and he had almost broken down as if he had suffered days of torture. He called the person in the tower “teacher.” Obviously, the teacher was none other than the master of the mage tower, Anthony Alfonso.

Stunned, Hao Ren could not help but think of the quirky person Galazur had mentioned. Lily, with her sharp mind and a tendency to talk faster than she could think, mumbled to Nangong Wuyue, “What has Anthony Alfonso done to this young man? Do you think I’m going about it wrong?”

Still burping bubbles, Nangong Wuyue said, “Probably.”

*Burp*

“In fact, I have the same thought too. Maybe we’re not wrong.”

Hao Ren shot the siren maiden a look. “Looks like the four liters of detergent aren’t strong enough to cleanse your dirty mind.”

In fact, he was thinking the same thing too.

Galazur listened to their strange conversations, baffled. Just when she was about to say something, a figure shrouded in lightning storm jumped down from the balcony on the upper level of the mage tower. When the lightning storm dissipated, Hao Ren saw that it was an old man wearing a black starry magician gown, hair white with a majestic face landing in front of the young man, blocking his way. The old man beat the ground with his magic staff. Hao Ren swore in the name of Raven 12345 that the staff weighed at least 30 lbs. The old man roared, “You have to go through the mill to obtain the power. Didn’t you know from day one? You jumped down from the green cliff without blinking an eye. Why are you giving up now?”

The young man was almost tearful. “I said I fell accidentally!”

“Oh, then I must have remembered it wrong. That one jumped off the cliff on his own was my previous apprentice.” The majesty old man stroke his beard. His face turned stern again. “But you said you wanted power!”

“I didn’t know what I was doing at that time!” Tears began to roll down his cheeks. “Falling off the cliff, meeting with a hermit grandmaster who offered to teach me his ancient magic, anyone who had ever read a couple of knight novels would have done the same thing as me—”

Galazur suddenly interrupted. “After bowing on your knee, he threw you two hundred textbooks and ten years’ worth of exercises—if I’m not mistaken. Another poor kid was fooled into this trick. Don’t be so naive to believe that there is a crash course to become a hero.”

The young man was only now noticing the group of strangers.

“Ahh, Galazur, Hao Ren, I have seen you in the hologram,” the majestic old man said with a broad smile. Lifting his heavy staff and swinging it. “The other must be your assistants. You have a famous team.”

It was his first time meeting the old magician face-to-face. “Ahh, no. They are not my assistants. They are my friends. Yes, they are friends.”

The others still in confusion, greeted the old magician. Galazur waved her hand. “That’s enough. Now since they have come, you should give yourself time off from your little hobby. Just let the poor kid go.”

The young people looked at the strangers in strange attire. Though he did not know who these people were, they all seemed acquaintances of the old magician. He was hopeful when he heard what Galazur said.

“Okay, go!” Anthony Alfonso waved is hand at the young man impatiently. “But you are going to regret it. With the 30 sessions of lessons you have finished, you should be able to secure for yourself a magician position in the royal court. But don’t dream of coming back for the rest of the lessons!”

The young man could not care less. As if Lily breaking free the leash, he disappeared before them in an instant. It was a miracle that the young man could run so fast in his heavy robe; he might be somebody if he gave himself a little more training.

After the young man left, Anthony Alfonso let out a sigh. “Is this white-bearded grandmaster at the bottom of the cliff no longer popular now?”

“Can’t you think of a proper way to recruit your apprentice if you’re really serious?” Galazur arched her eyebrows. “From what I’ve seen, you’re just doing it for fun.”

Anthony Alfonso spread out his hand. “I really like the fun of it. But at the same time, I am serious in wanting an apprentice. I am short of people here.”

While he spoke, he stroked his beard. “What say if I ask someone to make me a divine bracelet so that I can go into the bracelet which would then be thrown on the street? Do you think I would meet someone by chance?”

Being the one having the weirdest brain in the team, Lily said, “Old master! White-bearded grandmaster in a bracelet is no longer the in thing now!”

Surprised, Anthony Alfonso asked, “Then what is the in thing?”

“Now cute maiden lives in ring and bracelet.” Lily raised her fingers. “After jumping down from the cliff, they would not see an old grandpa but his grave. They would extract the power from the grave without the hassle of serving their grand master. It is more cost-effective this way.”

Anthony Alfonso thought for a moment as if he really believed it. “The second idea sounds no good. I just want to find an apprentice. How about the first idea? Hmmm, Galazur, are you free recently? Maybe if you can put up some makeups…”

Galazur snorted in the face of the Great Sage. “Are you done yet?”

Eyes out on stalks the whole time, Hao Ren finally figured out what was so quirky about this Inspector Alfonso.

This old man’s hobby was to be an old grandmaster under the cliff, living in a ring or bracelet and such so that he could pass down his ability to others.

Relating to what Galazur had said earlier, Hao Ren had finally understood why the young man was so desperate to leave. Unsuspecting people like the young man would usually buy into the crappy story of a grandmaster living at the bottom of the cliff, especially when they learned that the grandmaster was actually the famous Great Sage Anthony Alfonso. What was more so when they were offered the chance to learn his ability, no one would have given it a second thought.

Reality only sank in when the horror of endless workbook exercises and lessons fell upon them.

They were all speechless when they learned about what happened. But Y’zaks had an opinion. “How can one be successful if one gives up so easily in the face of difficulty? It was just some exercises. At least we demons would have taken up the challenge. Don’t you think, my dear daughter?”

He glanced down at Y’lisabet, whose face suddenly turned pale, hid behind Hao Ren.s

Galazur shook her head. “In fact, it is not just about exercise. Anthony Alfonso also emphasizes on practice; he says practice makes perfect. That is what he asks of his apprentices.”

Anthony Alfonso stroked his beard and said, “It was just a few experiments, and he was not going to get hurt, let alone die. Even if people really die, I can resurrect them. It was not dangerous at all; they just couldn’t endure hardships.”

Cold sweat trickled down Hao Ren’s forehead; it sounded dangerous enough already in his ear.

“Let’s not talk about this first,” Anthony Alfonso said. He smiled and waved at Hao Ren. “Follow me, and I will tell you about Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil has caused a lot of troubles to us, but fortunately, it has stopped. I covered it with an astral barrier to prevent it from being discovered. But I have to say, that thing is huge.”

“It is not ‘it’ but ‘he,’” Galazur corrected him. The translation plug-in Galazur used was based on the language of the dragon, and she could hear the mistake in Anthony Alfonso’s words. “According to Hao Ren, it is a kind of super life called the First Born, highly intelligent with a demigod soul. We can’t treat it like any other magical monster.”

“All right, it is a ‘he.’” Anthony Alfonso smiled and pointed to his mage tower. “Welcome to my home.”