"Huh?"
A soft exclamation came from beside them. [ Epic-Level Giant ] and the old man Balund turned to the side with stern faces, and sure enough, they saw Aiboke's fishing float bobbing up and down once again.
The middle-aged man, who had disguised himself in long sleeves, trousers, and gloves, beamed with delight and immediately began wrestling with the fish in the river.
Fish the size of Soul Returner's thigh are rare, and Aiboke caught a palm-sized fish with little effort.
This is already the eighth one today, and their fishing activity has only been going on for less than two hours.
In contrast, [ Epic-Level Giant ] hasn't caught many fish since the two helped him, and Balund hasn't seen a single one; his fishing float seems to be nailed to the surface of the water.
"Is this the legendary 'newbie protection period'?"
[ Epic-Level Giant ] muttered to himself, somewhat resentfully.
"'New player protection period'? What's that?"
Balund ignored his brother, who was showing off his catch, and turned to look at the Soul Returner.
[ Epic-Level Giant ] pondered how to explain the vocabulary of another world to the NPC, and tentatively said:
"Ah, you could say that people who are just starting out in something always receive blessings like the protection of fate... I wonder if you understand?"
"Oh, I see."
Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man who claimed to be a blacksmith immediately understood what the Soul Returner meant:
"When I was young, I worked as a miner for a long time. Because I was unfamiliar with the rules, I did many dangerous operations, and each time I almost killed myself."
"At the time, I didn't realize how dangerous those actions were, but later I learned how dangerous they were. I think what you're describing is roughly the same..."
"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant."
[ Epic-Level Giant ] I never expected this local to be so familiar with the "newbie protection period," making me realize even more that the people around me are not so ordinary.
But at least for now, we can still enjoy fishing together. Fishing doesn't lie...
Is that right?
Seeing small fish constantly being caught at the [ Epic-Level Giant ] on the left, and a large one being caught every now and then at the Aiboke on the right, Balund felt a growing itch to join in.
After putting down the heavy burden of his work Grand Foundry Master and using the exclusive beauty secret given to him by the Short-Eared Elf Nuowa, Balund has actually started to show signs of aging recently.
While High Tier humans cannot achieve immortality, they can easily live to be several times longer than ordinary people.
Without the pressures of life, Balund's complexion did indeed improve day by day.
He originally looked to be in his sixties or seventies, but after a vacation in the Wilderness of Chaos, Balund's appearance had miraculously returned to that of someone in his forties.
Along with her outward appearance, Balund's mental state has also become younger.
When he was young, especially when he worked in the mines, he was a hot-tempered young man. Watching his companions catch fish one after another, Balund's competitive spirit began to surge.
After confirming that neither of the two people on his left nor right were looking at him, the former Grand Foundry Master gripped the fishing rod tightly, raising his thumb and pointing his fingernail at the handle of the rod.
"Click, click, click..."
With a series of faint scraping sounds, Balund began to carve tiny Psionic Energy Circuit on the handle of the fishing rod with his fingernails.
Although I didn't have a professional seal carving knife, fortunately, this fishing rod wasn't made of any expensive material.
After a brief, perfunctory effort, Balund had already sculpted a Psionic Energy Circuit.
He carefully adjusted the position of the fishing rod, placing the rod tip on the water's surface.
Then, his fingers gently traced the Psionic Energy Circuit, and the magic circle immediately began to activate, starting at the tip of the rod on the water's surface...
Discharge.
Just as the fish in the water unknowingly entered the "electrocution" zone, Balund suddenly felt a slight pressure on his shoulder.
The middle-aged man, who was already feeling guilty, trembled and immediately lifted his fishing rod.
Turning around, I saw Nuowa, the Short-Eared Elf I had just been talking about, rubbing my shoulder with a cryptic smile.
Long time no see, it seems you've already started your retirement life.
"Wow, you've gotten a lot younger, I almost didn't recognize you. Luckily, your aura and Psionic Energy haven't changed much."
"Um."
Balund nodded in response, subtly erasing the cheating marks from the fishing rod.
"I've been wandering around for a long time, and I've only been here for less than half a day. This period has definitely been the most relaxing time I've had, and it even makes me feel a little guilty."
"That's quite a coincidence."
The Short-Eared Elf sat casually on the mound behind Balund:
I wonder when I'll be able to live a life like that.
"You?"
Balund raised an eyebrow at Nuowa, who still looked like a young man:
"At least wait until you look a bit older."
"That will take some time."
Nuowa smiled and patted him on the shoulder:
"Have a great holiday, I have to get back to work now."
Take care.
Balund turned his head and continued to stare at the water, completely unaware that his anger towards the fish was beginning to scare them away, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Behind him, Nuowa stood up and said to the elven assassin Liya:
"Let's go see that Son of God."
"Yes, you've certainly caught a good time."
In the castle's study, Ed, now in a human form, looked at the two Short-Eared Elf before him and said with a smile:
"If you had come two days later, you probably would have missed it."
Nuowa shook his head upon hearing this:
"Your aura—no, your presence is quite unique. As High Tier- level Psionic Energy, I can sense it very easily."
"Is that so? You know quite a lot."
Ed joked, then became serious and composed:
"So, tell me, what exactly do you want with me?"
Seeing this, Nuowa also adopted a serious expression, and then, together with the elven assassin behind him, bowed to Ed.
First, please allow me to apologize to you...
"For what?"
"For the purpose of... the dissemination of certain techniques."
Nuowa spoke seriously, while Ed seemed lost in thought:
"You mean the ' Soul Returner can't tell anyone else what happened that day in the Great Labyrinth City '?"
The two Short-Eared Elf nodded in unison:
"Yes."
"About this..."
Ed, realizing he had guessed correctly, also became interested:
"Since they promised you, they have no reason to go back on their word, so what you did wasn't wrong."
"But more than that, what I'm more concerned about is, how exactly did you manage to do something like this?"
"I don't care about apologizing afterwards anyway, so why not just explain?"