Chapter 23: Death of the Ancient

Placing the crushed breadcrumbs in front of the seabird, Angell fully expected the creature to feast on them with delight; to his surprise, he received only a disdainful sidelong glance.

Thinking the bird didn't want the crumbs, Angell switched to fruit and dried meat. The seabird simply turned its head away, refusing to spare them a single look.

"Is it thirsty?" No sooner had the words left Angell's mouth than the seabird began pecking at the ground again.

"Haha, it really is thirsty." Without a second thought, Angell poured a cup of cold water and placed it before the bird.

Then, he received a slap—

The seabird extended its wing, gave a sudden flap, and swiped the water cup away, sending it tumbling into the vast, boundless ocean.

Then, something unexpected happened. The seabird flew directly into the room, hovered within the cramped space, and finally perched in front of his teacup.

The teacup still contained the tea leaves he had previously steeped in "After-Rain Morning Dew."

"Oh—" Angell had a sudden realization; it was the After-Rain Morning Dew that had attracted the seabird.

What were the properties of After-Rain Morning Dew? Angell hadn't known before, but now he knew that After-Rain Morning Dew was a magical plant. If this seabird was attracted to a magical plant, could it be considered a transcendent lifeform?

Angell speculated that this seabird might actually be raised by a top-tier transcendent figure. Only a Wizard with incredible power could raise a pet with such an eccentric temperament, right?

The seabird flapped its wings, pointing at the teacup and then at Angell.

Understanding the hint, Angell refilled the cup with warm water. Tea, coming from the ancient land of Huaxia in another world, followed the principle of "one pour for the water, a second for the tea." The flavor of the second infusion was even richer than the first. The seabird had initially looked down upon the "second-hand" tea in the cup, but as the aroma filled the room, it was instantly transported to a state of bliss, its wings fluttering in intoxicated succession.

Once the tea overflowed, the seabird didn't even wait for the temperature to drop. It thrust its sharp beak into the cup, and with a series of slurping sounds, the water level dropped until the tea leaves at the very bottom were exposed.

Not satisfied after finishing the tea, the seabird prompted Angell to refill it again. He had plenty of this tea left anyway; besides, he had already finished his own cup and was planning to discard the remaining leaves. Since the bird wanted more, there was no harm in waiting a while to pour them out.

What Angell did not expect, however, was that after drinking several cups, the seabird proceeded to eat the tea leaf dregs at the bottom, saving him the trouble of cleaning up the trash.

"I might as well rename you 'The Scavenger' since you won't even leave the dregs," Angell said, speechless.

The seabird looked very satisfied after its tea, its eyes curving into crescents. Ignoring the fact that it had been "renamed" again, it nodded solemnly at Angell, as if expressing gratitude for the cup of tea. Then, right before Angell's eyes, it tilted its head, plucked a small golden card from its side pouch, and placed it in front of him.

Seeing that Angell hadn't reacted, the seabird even gave the card a little nudge toward him.

"Eh, is this for me?" Only then did Angell realize the bird's intention, and he picked up the thin golden card.

Seeing him take the card, the seabird let out a soft chirp, as if saying something, and before Angell could respond, it darted out the window in a sudden burst of speed.

When Angell looked outside, there were only blue skies and white clouds; there was no sign of the seabird anywhere.

"How interesting, it actually knows how to repay a kindness." Angell shook his head and let out a low chuckle. "My mentor once said that a drop of water should be repaid with a spring. Today, was it a drop of water repaid with a card?"

Ignoring the vanished bird, Angell focused on the card in his hand. The golden card was blank on one side and featured an illustration on the other. The pattern depicted the seabird's bib and the voluptuous, purple-haired lady on its pouch.

As he ran his finger over it, he felt a slight protrusion, suggesting the image had been engraved.

There was surely a reason for such exquisite craftsmanship on such a thin card.

However, Angell knew nothing about the pattern, and even if the card held a deeper meaning, he wouldn't understand it. He didn't want to waste mental energy on things he couldn't figure out. He simply tucked the card into his pocket and continued his relaxing journey.

Accompanied by the rustling of the rising waves and the low hum of the undersea currents, Angell pulled out a book and began to read.

Title: *Thoughts of Antiquity*

He had found this book in a bookstore in Moonsea City. Most of the content consisted of mythological data collected by the author from various regions. Simply put, it was a compendium of myths and legends, but with a touch of the author's own perspective, hence the title.

It wasn't until the sunset bathed the sky that Angell finally put the book down.

Having finished it, Angell felt quite sentimental. Rather than *Thoughts of Antiquity*, it might have been better titled *The Death of Antiquity*. The end for every deity in the book was downfall. Whether they fell to save humanity, fought against demons, or simply died of old age or illness, none met a good end. Whether the myths of the ancient era were true or false was now impossible to say. Perhaps those so-called gods were merely powerful Wizards.

Most ordinary people harbored an unknown fear and a silent resistance toward transcendent powers. The "fall of the gods" might just be a mortal's way of rationalizing the departure of Wizards from the Old Continent; given the lack of visible transcendent activity, inventing the "fall of the gods" to fill the void was entirely possible.

Stretching his limbs, Angell set the book aside and checked the time, deciding to head to the dining hall for a meal.

After nearly a month of living on board, Angell had gained a general understanding of the *Bauhinia*. There were several dining halls on the ship, with almost every deck having one. One could discern the social hierarchy of the *Bauhinia* by the decor and the refinement of the food.

The Bauhinia Restaurant on the top deck was the most exquisite and luxurious, accessible only to Wizard Apprentices. It was rumored that a formal Wizard resided on this ship, though whether that rumor was true remained unknown.

There were a few gifted individuals like him on the *Bauhinia*, numbering about several dozen; they had been scouted in various continents by the leaders of the three major Wizard organizations: the White Coral Floating Island Academy, the Gravity Forest, and the Hurricane Tower. Gifted individuals like them belonged to the middle class of the ship and used the White Fu Restaurant on the middle deck.

As for the sailors and laborers, they ate in the Alfalfa Canteen on the lower decks.

When Angell arrived at the White Fu Restaurant, it was exactly mealtime, and the place was bustling with people. At this hour, even the gifted individuals set aside their pride; they simply took their trays and sat down obediently, eating whatever the chefs prepared. Regardless of whether you were a former noble or a tycoon, here you were merely a rookie on the verge of entering the path of Wizardry.

A rookie should act like a rookie; unnecessary pride could be saved for when one's wings were fully grown.

Adhering to the "Middle Way" taught by his mentor, Angell avoided standing out. Like everyone else, he kept his head down and respectfully accepted a tray containing grilled fish and bread from the chef. He picked up some lettuce and winter fruit slices from the vegetable station, added a bowl of garlic mussel potato soup, and sat down near a window.

Having eaten grilled fish for half a month straight, Angell was now incredibly homesick for the Chinese cuisine his mentor used to make. The thought that he wouldn't be able to eat anything to his taste for the next few years made his face immediately fall.

"If I had known I'd be living alone, I should have learned to cook from my mentor," Angell lamented inwardly, though he maintained his polite demeanor on the surface.

The half-door creaked open and shut. People were coming and going. Angell's seat happened to offer a clear view of the restaurant entrance. A young man wearing a silver-grey checkered lace shirt pushed through the door, walking in with slow, irritatingly arrogant strides.

Since boarding the ship, Angell had maintained a low profile. In the cruel world of Wizards, there was no overprotective older brother to spoil him; one could only live peacefully by not standing out from the crowd.

Consequently, during this month, he had had no social contact with anyone other than the Allen siblings. Even though Irene and the others were trying their best to expand their social circles, Angell had never dealt with anyone else; his life consisted of nothing but studying and solving problems.

Even with such reclusive tendencies, Angell still recognized this man with the aristocratic, effeminate air—which served as proof of just how famous he was on the ship.

The third-in-line heir to the Silver Egret Royalty of the Central Empire of the Revelation Continent—Dev Silver Egret.

***

*The collection has been stuck at chapter 14 for so long, so frustrating!*

(End of Chapter)