"Is there really such a saying?"
Zheng Qing quietly asked the witch beside him.
He never knew that using second-hand goods could bring over the bad luck of the previous owner. Thinking of the second-hand law book he used, he couldn’t help but wonder if that was why he had been so unlucky before.
"Old-school wizards have their own mystical principles which often don’t seem logical," the witch whispered back. "Nowadays, many people selectively believe—believing what might bring good luck, and ignoring what might bring bad luck."
"There are also those who do the opposite, being especially wary of things that might bring bad luck," Xin Fat Man loudly interjected, interrupting the two warlocks’ whispered conversation.
Zheng Qing glanced at him disapprovingly.
Noticing the warlock’s gaze, the fat wizard pouted and looked away, "It’s none of my business... It’s so quiet here, your voices aren’t as low as you think."
The young cost student instinctively looked around, wanting to find a piece of sufficiently soft mud to shove into the fat man’s mouth to shut him up.
Opposite them, the captain of the Ouroboros Hunting Team didn’t tolerate these uninvited guests chatting any further.
"So, why are you all here?"
Andrew folded his arms, patiently repeating his earlier question. His fingers tapped rhythmically on his biceps, colorful gemstones casting an unsettling glow as they rose and fell with his tapping.
Zheng Qing glanced at those beautiful stones, estimating their worth in his mind.
Then he swallowed his envious desire.
He wasn’t worried that the seemingly crude but actually shrewd fat man would do anything irrational. If luck was on his side, he might just be able to use a Silence Contract to get a decent hush money out of it.
The reason he was dodging the question was partly because he didn’t want to show weakness in front of these Ouroboros hunters and the Lin Zhong Lake fishn, nor did he want to admit that the Absolution Hunting Team had been driven out of their hunting ground by a group of raging Getrassi, fleeing in embarrassnt; and partly because the team’s diviner needed so ti to untangle the current situation with those Getrassi.
A slight cough ca from behind.
Zheng Qing turned to look at Xiao Xiao.
The Absolution diviner shook his head slightly, showing a hint of confusion on his face, his lips moving silently as he reported his divination results to the captain—the enraged Getrassi for so reason hadn’t chased into this water bay. In fact, they might have disappeared quietly along the Silent River much earlier.
In this sense, Xiao Xiao’s previous claims of ’Great luck in the southwest’ were very accurate.
The young cost student quelled these thoughts slightly, feeling more certain in his heart.
"Ahem."
He turned back, coughing lightly, a fake smile appearing on his face, "We were just out for night training, running battle formations... But as you can see, our skills are lacking, and our battle formation needs improvent."
Andrew squinted his eyes slightly, not expressing an opinion on the warlock’s explanation.
But Zheng Qing quickly changed the subject, pointing at the fishn who had been quietly watching, "...But as for them, why are they here?"
No sooner had he spoken than Xiao Xiao’s voice echoed appropriately: "According to the ’Lin Zhong Lake Fishman Reservation Managent asures’ issued by the Mage Alliance, any fishman staying on shore for long must have a sufficient and reasonable reason, report in advance, then get permission from the First University, and be issued a ’Shore Visa’ by the School Works Committee... Unlawful landing is considered, in the Wizard’s Codex, the sa as the native inhabitants of the New World sneaking into the wizard world, all deed illegal."
In practice, such illegal actions are often deed as ’smuggling’ or ’illegal immigration,’ and for the Lin Zhong Lake fishn, being charged would an at best being banned from leaving the depths of the lake, forever stripped of tribal power; at worst, they might be exiled by the First University, becoming a pitiful nomadic fishman.
"How do you know these ’friends’ didn’t get visas?" Andrew also offered a fake smile.
"Then show us!" Zhang Ji Xin eagerly pressed.
"Of course, of course... This young man is Uncle Zhang Zhi’s nephew, right."
The captain of Ouroboros flattered as he reached into his pocket, fumbled a bit, then showed a finger in front of Zheng Qing, waving it, "First, I can take out the visa, don’t think Ouroboros can’t handle such trivial matters... But why should I show it to you? According to ’The Code,’ you need enforcent powers to inspect our docunts... Can you ignore the requirents of ’The Code’ simply because Lei Zhe’s younger brother is here?"
Zheng Qing chuckled in anger. This kind of nonsense was exactly what he’d expected from the person Sepulano arranged to replace him in trading with the fishn.
A low growl of anger ca from the red-faced warlock behind.
Zheng Qing moved to stand in front of Zhang Ji Xin, preventing him from acting impulsively and giving himself an unjust reputation.
"Second."
Andrew Taylor raised a second stout finger, forming a ’v’ shape, waving it again, "Buji Island is big, big enough to accommodate a legally registered hunting team for fair and reasonable friendly transactions among its mbers."
With that, he pointed towards the fishn at his side.
"You should still rember, Iseni is also a mber of the Ouroboros Hunting Team, approved by the school. This is an internal exchange and friendly communication within the team."
The stocky captain of the Ouroboros Hunting Team displayed a slickness that belied his outward appearance, smiling as he looked towards the Absolution Team’s captain, precious stones sparkling from his outstretched fingers, "Even if it doesn’t have a visa, it can land anyti under the na of hunting team training... Trust , this absolutely doesn’t violate the ’Lin Zhong Lake Fishman Reservation Managent asures,’ nor the ’First University Managent Regulations’... In this respect, Alpha is professional... As for its accompanying ’servants,’ this complies with the internal ethos of sorcery tribes and is flexibly handled within ’The Code.’"
After standing firm with two contradictory points, he deftly plugged a small gap and then shut his mouth, contentedly watching the stunned expressions on the faces opposite.
Zheng Qing instinctively glanced back at Xiao Xiao.
The Absolution diviner pondered with a frown for a mont, then nodded slightly, "Though it’s subtle, there’s no violation... Just one interesting point, didn’t your Alpha just issue an ’Oppose the Fishman Oppression Plan’ recently, and if I’m not mistaken, the plan bans any transactions between club mbers and the Lin Zhong Lake Fishman Tribe..."
"Unless the trader can prove the fishn providing goods have been treated fairly within the academy!" Andrew seed very pleased that the other ntioned this, eagerly adding before Xiao Xiao could finish.
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