For some reason, the content of Chapter 28, "Polymorph," displayed only one character per line, so Kushou had no choice but to replace it with Chapter 29. The content is actually the same.
I don't know what's going on either. Could it be a problem with the website? Please understand, readers. Thank you!
==========The main text begins below==========
Aige's clarification, however, did not seem to have much effect. Ordinary people knew and had access to very little. Mages were rare to begin with, and people hardly ever encountered them. In their minds, mage was synonymous with power. How could they tell an apprentice from a junior mage? Did it make any difference to them?
"See? Mages are always so modest! Come, come, please come inside!"
The woman, who was probably just under forty and past her prime, warmly ushered the honored guest inside.
There was a reason for her enthusiasm! Although Hall Farm had hosted quite a few adventurers, it rarely encountered a real mage. Most were mercenaries with a little fighting ability, and nobody paid much attention to people as common as that. Thanks to its favorable location, Hall Farm also effectively ran a small inn where passing adventurers could rest and eat... Although the farm mainly lived off its agricultural produce and did not rely on the inn for profit, quite a few adventurers came and went. Surely the farm couldn't cover their expenses every time? Once or twice was fine, but too many times would be a problem.
"Please, you don't need to go to any trouble. I'm already grateful to have a safe place to rest. Your hospitality is more than I deserve!" Aige knew nothing happened without a reason. If anyone claimed their sudden enthusiasm meant nothing at all, he wouldn't believe it. Better to make things clear first, lest he unwittingly end up being used as someone else's weapon...
This was actually a basic rule for protecting oneself that everyone had to observe in the morally bankrupt age of later generations. But the Azeroth Continent had not sunk that low. This family really had no ulterior motives; they simply admired powerful mages, nothing more...
The more he said that, the more extraordinary he seemed to others. Only someone truly confident would remain unaffected by other people's attitudes. As the true owner of Hall Farm, Shate's mother was clearly a woman of some experience. "There's no need to be so polite, Lord Mage. Now that you're here, please make yourself at home at Hall Farm. Mother, please bring some pies from the kitchen. Shate, fetch a bottle of fine grain liquor from the cellar. My lord, please sit over here!"
Watching the old woman and the boy hurry off to fetch food, Young Master Ai felt a little embarrassed instead. "I'm really just passing through and stopping for a rest. I won't be staying long. If I'd known I'd cause your family so much trouble, I might as well have found somewhere outside to curl up for the night..."
The woman farmer hastily waved her hands. "If others found out that Hall Farm had neglected an honored guest, our reputation would be as good as ruined. You mages are as elusive as divine dragons, but you've always fought to protect us common folk. Now that we've finally had the chance to meet one, how could we not give you a proper welcome?"
It had to be said that, while the human race was beset by disasters, its people were also more united than ever, each fulfilling their own duties. At this time, the vast majority of mages were good. Many served in the army and fought to protect civilians. Though there were certainly bad ones, their overall reputation was still good. This was especially true near Stormwind City, where the authorities actively promoted the profession and encouraged gifted commoners to train as mages. Becoming a mage, however, really did require considerable talent.
Before long, the food served to Young Master Ai arrived. With good food in front of him, he stopped worrying about being polite. He had been leveling rather hard today, and at Milly's Grape Estate, it was rare for him to work so hard. He really was a little tired, so he would eat first...
The pork pies were excellent. The meat was savory and tender, and paired with the farm's special sauce, their flavor lingered in his mouth. Aige polished off four in one go... But when his host asked if he wanted more, he politely declined. People's living conditions were still quite hard, and the four pies they had served him were probably the farm's last remaining portion for the day. If he inconsiderately asked for more, they might have to go to the trouble of steaming another batch, and that wouldn't be right!
The liquor was good too. It was no famous vintage, but the farm produced fine grain, so the liquor brewed from it was bound to be good. It was very refreshing. Master Ai was no heavy drinker, but he did enjoy a tipple. It had been the same before: although he couldn't hold much liquor, he would occasionally have a few drinks by himself...
As the saying went, accepting someone's gifts made it hard to refuse them, and eating their food made it hard to speak against them. Since he had received such warm hospitality, shouldn't he at least do something in return?
"I'm an adventurer, and I have some fighting ability. If any of you have a problem, you can tell me. If it's a task within my abilities, I won't refuse!" Young Master Ai wiped the greasy crumbs from the corner of his mouth and made his offer.
"Hehe, you're a straightforward man, Lord Aige. Adventurers often pass through Hall Farm, and we've already entrusted the usual tasks to them. For the moment, there isn't anything..."
Before the hostess could finish, her son cut in. "Mother, didn't you lose a necklace last time? It was a precious thing Father left you. Couldn't you ask Lord Aige to help look for it?"
The woman shook her head. "Although that necklace is important to me, there are no clues at all, and it's very possible the Kobolds over by the mine picked it up. It's far too dangerous there. I can't put you in harm's way over an inanimate object, my lord!"
Danger? The mine? Heh. Master Ai smiled. This was clearly a quest; even the dullest person could tell... Better to kill by mistake than let one slip away!
But he had to choose his words carefully! Otherwise, unsolicited favors meant treachery or theft!
"There's no need to worry, Mrs. Stonefield. As it happens, I've accepted a task from Lord Paul, Goldshire's marshal, to investigate the mine, so it's on my way. Could you describe the necklace's design and features?"
"Really? Then you truly are my benefactor, my lord. Shate's father gave me that necklace when we married. It's a gold necklace with an antique design, two concentric hearts. You'll recognize it at a glance. But for now, I'm only guessing that the necklace may have fallen into the Kobolds' hands. I don't have any definite proof. I've only heard that the child at Beech Farm to the east may know some details. But because it might involve those dangerous Kobolds, I've never been willing to give the task to ordinary adventurers, for fear of getting them hurt. A powerful mage like you is different, though!"
"If you can help me find it, my lord, you will forever be a friend of Hall Farm, and the farm's door will always be open to you. Also, an adventurer once left a pair of linen gloves as collateral. They aren't very good, but they're cloth armor equipment, at least. If you think they're worth having, please accept them as your reward for this task!"
Notification: Accepted the quest to find the gold necklace. Upon completing the quest, you will receive linen gloves, and one card will be randomly drawn from the Priest class's one-star cards and placed in your card pack.
As the farm's most honored guest, Young Master Ai was respectfully given the best room on the farm, and he would not be charged for lodging or meals... If he successfully completed the quest to find the gold necklace, this treatment might continue until Hall Farm went out of business! (The humans of the Azeroth Continent took their promises seriously. Since the landlady had personally said that he would forever be a friend of Hall Farm and that its doors would always be open to him, this really could happen.) Although he did not want to take advantage of free food and lodging, Aige did accept the sentiment...
Now that his Warcraft mage level had reached eight, he had just learned a new spell, and this spell would surely stay with him for the rest of his life, never to leave him...
Polymorph: Cast time of 1.5 seconds. It can turn one enemy into a sheep that has essentially lost its ability to fight. The duration depends on the difference between the mage's level and the opponent's, lasting up to 50 seconds. If cast on the same target again within a short time, its effect is immediately halved.
Polymorph? Polymorph!
This was a mage's signature skill. In Warcraft III, sorceresses could only use it after reaching the highest tech level, while in Hearthstone, it was one of only two hard removal cards in the entire game. Hard removal meant that once this Polymorph card was played, any opposing minion was guaranteed to go down. Whether it was Ragnaros or Ysera, even if Deathwing himself showed up, he would drop all the same. The other card was the Shaman's Hex... All the other classes could go cry their eyes out.
Of course, the Polymorph Aige had learned at level eight here was not so exaggerated. It required a comparison of the enemy's strength against his own. If Deathwing really showed up, Master Ai would definitely be the one to drop before this feeble Polymorph could do anything.
That said, Polymorph gave Aige the ability to fight multiple enemy targets at once. In classic tactics, turning one into a sheep, using Sap on another, and trapping yet another was no joke. Among crowd-control skills under equal conditions, turning an enemy into a sheep was the most reliable and convenient, making mages very popular in group combat!
In fact, Aige had long been capable of taking on multiple opponents at once, thanks to the high-quality minions provided by the Book of Hearthstone, which could help share the pressure. Otherwise, given an apprentice mage's combat ability, it was best to stick to fighting one-on-one. After all, at this stage, there were no area-of-effect skills...
This was an awkward stage for mages, and their lack of area attacks was a painful weakness. But once they learned several area-of-effect skills, such as Blizzard and Flamestrike, those trump cards would be enough for them to dominate the world. For now, though, that was getting ahead of things. For young mages who only had single-target spells like Fireball and Frostbolt, the standard way to fight was to turn one enemy into a sheep, take out another first, and then turn back to deal with the one they had polymorphed... Their combat style meant that these mages were relatively safe only when facing no more than two monsters.
Aige had Hearthstone card packs and numerous minions, but Polymorph would still be his first choice. It was a signature skill, and one that many low-level mages didn't have!