The Sea Clan is an alliance consisting of Sea Elves, also known as the Nagas, and some other sea Spirits. In the Middle Ages, humans and the Sea Clan fought fiercely against each other, until after the fourth great destruction when the heavily damaged Sea Clan also chose to sign a treaty with humans. Nowadays, the two sides have commercial exchanges. The Spirits in the sea aren’t too bright, and even the Nagas may not be able to fully control them, so the treaty stipulates that if these mindless creatures come ashore and harm humans, humans have the right to hunt them down as retaliation.
Since the treaty was witnessed by the Deities of both sides, there’s little chance of it being reversed. You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours—it’s just how life goes.
"Doesn’t that mean your cousin has a seafood feast?" Everyone in the rest area perked up.
"It’s just some octopus, not really a feast, and besides, if it doesn’t get transported back in time and goes bad, the smell could knock you over," the young man named Gao Gen was sceptical, "I’d rather have dried rat meat. Although tough as hell, when shredded and thrown into the soup, it at least adds some flavor."
Malin was sprawled on the sofa, listening to these apprentices his own age brag was when he was the happiest because it made him genuinely feel young—which was something considering his body had already de-aged a lot, but that still couldn’t compete with the aging of his spirit.
A new squad walked into the lobby, joining the conversation and showing off their prey—some small birds, including a few that were still alive: "Look, these are the Grain-Eating Birds we caught. We took down their leader Spirit, and although they’re a bit small, the soup cooked with them is delicious. We’ve kept these few pairs as breeding stock; if we can successfully breed them, from now on we’ll have tasty bird soup every day."
So there was a chorus of praise in the rest area.
At this moment, Milani, munching on half an eaten fruit, jumped onto Malin’s head, as usual attracting a round of attention,
"Lads, good afternoon. I’m glad to see you all back safe," a tutor passing by greeted the apprentices, looking at Milani on top of Malin’s head and smiled, "Is this your new pet, Malin?"
"Yes, Tutor Kaynz," Malin got up and gave a bow.
"A nice little thing, but make sure you teach it well," the tutor smiled and nodded, then pushed open the side door leading to the back hall, "By the way, since the snow won’t stop, the fourth-grade class will proceed as usual this afternoon. All you fourth-graders, remember to notify your classmates, it’s time to learn Spell Formations from your beloved Tutor Kaynz."
"Oh, my goodness, Tutor Kaynz is at it again. The last time he said that, he covered three classes’ worth of material in one. I asked my brother to teach me for seven nights before I could understand all the stuff he talked about," one of the fourth-graders lamented.
"But then again, Tutor Kaynz is quite a good person, even though he’s bald," a fifth-grader reflected.
Right at this moment, Tutor Kaynz came back through the door, "I heard what you said. Just now your fifth-grade tutor asked me to pass on a message, he has something at home this afternoon, so I’ll take over the class. It’s a practice session with your adorable Mr. Malin. Shelham, thank you for praising my head. You’ve shot to the top of my list, be grateful to me..." he said with an appealing smile, "And then, wail for your fate, Scholar Shelham!"
"You’re so doomed," as the door closed again, Shelham’s classmates smirked with schadenfreude.
"Yes, you’re doomed. The higher up on the list you are, the more capable you are considered, and the more Malin will focus on you," his friend added.
But Malin felt it was necessary to clarify, "Don’t worry, I’ll use a little stick to lash you, it won’t kill anyone."
At that, the fifth-graders laughed uproariously.
Just then, the main door opened again, and the apprentices in the rest area saw the injured being brought in; without needing to be told, those proficient in Blessing Spells immediately rushed to help.
"What happened?" Malin followed the crowd over to where more and more injured were being carried in.
"Three squads from the third grade teamed up to attack a goblin settlement, but they miscalculated the enemy’s numbers and the battle went badly. If it weren’t for the Light Cavalry who went to find them, who knows how many would have died," the guard carrying the injured explained, "So far five are dead, everyone is wounded."
With that being the case, Malin, along with Faye and the others, began treating the injured.
The first injured person had his leg pierced by a short spear that was chopped off but not removed—which was the right decision. Who knows what might happen if you removed it, better to leave it in there. If the wound could be kept at a low temperature, at least it wouldn’t cause death through massive blood loss right away.
Malin first used a dagger to cut open the trouser leg, while Faye prepared ointments and tools on her side, "Did you receive any Healing Spells on the way back?"
"Underwent one for minor injuries, my wound’s not too bad," the injured soldier laughed—although his face looked better when he wasn’t laughing because grinning with pain made it even uglier.
Then Malin used a warming Spell to thaw the injury before he jerked the short spear, while Faye immediately poured medicine and powder into the wound.
This time, the poor fellow couldn’t keep laughing; he howled and grasped at the carpet—though at least he could control his own leg, otherwise if he dared to kick around, Malin would not hesitate to knock him out cold with a punch.