Asking Professor Garcia to keep an eye out for black sheep near Linzhong Lake was not difficult. The old merfolk was very willing to do a small favor for one of the school's publicly funded students.
Zheng Qing breathed a huge sigh of relief.
He had originally wanted to ask Professor Garcia what he had meant by his final remark after class, but a group of witches passed by, laughing and chatting. The young wizard immediately fell silent, respectfully bowed to the professor, and prepared to take his leave.
"I'm glad you came to this old man for help. As it happens, I have an event here that would suit young people. I wonder if you'd be interested in joining it."
Before they parted, Professor Garcia invited the young publicly funded student to attend Quankelai, which would be held at the mouth of the Silent River next Wednesday. At the same time, he said pointedly, "I think different races need to interact more, so they can deepen their understanding of one another and avoid so many misunderstandings. Young people especially. What do you think?"
According to the professor, Quankelai was a small market held by aquatic magical races. Its participants included not only the Merfolk Tribe of Linzhong Lake, but also overseas mermen, sirens, Jiji, and other half-merfolk. Most of the goods traded were magic materials unique to the sea. Many professors, researchers, and upperclassmen at the school received similar invitations.
Zheng Qing readily agreed.
Professor Garcia's intention was nothing more than to have him interact more with the young people of the Merfolk Tribe and make some contribution toward easing the tensions between Linzhong Lake and the academy.
Within the limits of his ability, Zheng Qing did not mind dealing with merfolk. He did not possess the strange pride