Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Bess and the Journey Finally Begins

The fully transparent bubble was pierced from within, and the owl, having slumbered for quite some time, struggled to break free from the membrane enveloping it, slipping to the ground, shaking off the mucus and water droplets on its body, and spreading its wings to stretch its now slightly enlarged frame.

Hoo-hoo…

It turned its head and gave a couple of soft hoots, still looking adorably dazed, as if it had merely taken a nap and was completely unaware of the changes that had occurred within it.

Flapping its wings, it rose into the air and landed lightly on Aiven’s outstretched arm like a feather. Aside from its slightly oversized build, there appeared to be no abnormality in its appearance.

Although the owl still looked like its fellow species, its wingspan now exceeded two meters, not much different from that of a true eagle. If not for Aiven’s Extraordinary constitution, just one arm might not have been able to support its weight.

“So heavy!”

Grumbling about the weight, Aiven’s face was full of joy. Without needing to check, he knew that its interior had undergone a tremendous transformation; the second phase of the ritual had been successfully completed.

He closed his eyes.

The sea birds, now covering over half of the saltwater swamp, emitted invisible waves, which were automatically processed by the owl, functioning as the primary “base station,” and transmitted to Aiven’s mind.

Instantly, Aiven’s vision was elevated.

Each sea bird’s eyes served as pixel-high cameras, hundreds of staggered angles pieced together forming a vast complete image. Like a satellite map from a previous life, it could be controlled to zoom in and out, capturing every detail of the saltwater swamp.

In the sunset, the swamp, with leaves gnawed by insects, a gray rabbit hidden behind mottled shrubs, small black fish under the creek’s stones, several saltwater crocodiles basking in the day’s last sunlight… everything was vividly detailed.

Aiven clenched his right hand tightly, a god-like sense of control arising within him.

The witchcraft version of the holographic dynamic map was completed!

Thanks to the owl’s instinctive self-correction upon receiving information, the sense of imagery was even better than imagined.

At this moment, Aiven felt that all the effort and money spent recently had been worth it. Only someone like him, who had come from the Information Age as a transmigrator, could truly understand the importance of intelligence and information, regardless of the setting!

Happy in his heart, Aiven found the white owl perched on his arm more and more endearing with each look. Even as it twisted its head 180 degrees to foolishly stare at him, Aiven automatically perceived its expression as “adorably dazed.”

No longer just a negligible one percent, the owl rightfully deserved its own name.

Ahem, Aiven was just that realistic…

“Uh… ‘Base Station’, ‘Base Station’, let’s just call you Bess then.”

“Hoo-hoo…” After the ritual transformation, the owl, whose brain development had significantly advanced, was barely able to understand the meaning of Aiven’s mental transmission, hooting loudly in apparent delight.

Moreover, Aiven believed that with continued interaction, the owl — oh, Bess — would quickly increase in intelligence. With its current “hardware” foundation, reaching the level of a normal human should not be an issue.

It had been several days since departing Gabred, and after perfectly achieving his goal, Aiven didn’t plan to stay there overnight any longer. After packing his belongings, he headed back to Gabred in the dying light of the sunset.

Only this time, unlike when he came, there wasn’t a single sea bird to be seen behind him.

The “scouts” spread far and wide, all transforming into nodes on the reconnaissance network, becoming part of Aiven’s real-time intelligence system.

…

Whish, whish, whish—-

The sky was slightly gloomy, as if rain could fall at any moment. The damp sea breeze brushed against the face, while snow-white waves grazed the sides of the ship’s hull, swirling before disappearing at the stern.

In a Major’s uniform, standing tall on the bow of this naval supply ship, Aiven looked back at Gabred.

Undoubtedly, today was the day he set off to report to the Royal Navy Academy.

Destination: Phaletis Kingdom’s largest port city — New Inn Port.

After returning from the saltwater swamp, he spent a few days wrapping up all affairs in Gabred. This included the work handover aboard the “Silver Wings”, entrusting Uncle Gel to look after Gary, who had been impressively promoted to Sub-Lieutenant, and paying rent for the next half-year upfront.

Even before leaving, Aiven specially visited Major Eugene, his instructor when he first joined the army, gifting him a box of twenty bottles of Whale Potion that he personally concocted.

This kind of potion might not be effective for someone like Gel, a Peak Knight, but for someone like Eugene in the stage of bodily violent transformation as a Low-tier Knight, it was akin to a divine medicine.

After becoming an Official Knight, Aiven already knew that the fleet provided similar potion supplies to the Extraordinary Knights under its command. However, given Major Eugene’s status, the fleet’s quota was clearly unable to meet daily needs.

So when Aiven brought these potions to Eugene’s door, it was just what Eugene needed. After trying out the effects slightly, Eugene was very pleased with Aiven’s gift, saying it was even better than the potions distributed by the fleet!

Having received Eugene’s gratitude, Aiven was also very happy. When he first joined the military, he received a lot of help from Instructor Eugene, who was a major contributor to his reunion with Uncle Gel.

Now able to provide some compensation, Aiven, who was deeply influenced by the idea of “repaying kindness” from his past life, felt greatly relieved in his heart.

Later, Aiven, free from any concerns, packed his luggage and boarded the supply ship heading to New Inn Port.

Because Aiven received a notice to enroll in the Royal Navy Academy, the Third Fleet had already processed the relevant paperwork for him, granting a period of leave. But his comrades on the Silver Wings did not receive such treatment; once the warship was repaired and the spoils of war taken care of, they were already busy with missions.

Thus today, when Aiven departed, there was not even a single person to bid him farewell, compounded by the gloomy weather, making the parting scene less than bright!

However, Aiven’s mindset was very good; or rather, since returning from the saltwater swamp, his mood had been pretty pleasant.

Significant progress had been made in his witchcraft research, and the spoils of war obtained from the unexpected encounter with the Shark Tooth pirates had already been settled.

The cost of an ordinary Level 5 battleship is around eight thousand Golden Lions, while the price of two specially modified pirate ships would be even higher, especially the flagship Shark Tooth, which would cost at least ten thousand Golden Lions.

Due to Aiven’s extraordinary contributions, after dealing with these spoils, he received a four thousand Golden Lions anonymous gold ticket. This was the largest sum of money he had received since setting sail, equivalent to four years of income from his Vanilla Plantation.

However, the most valuable thing Aiven obtained was not the financial aspect.

By saving the Vice Admiral, Aiven’s own strength also met the standard, making it natural and smooth for him to wear the School Officer uniform. And having gained the approval of Vice Admiral Snite, the “friendship” between Aiven and Milan became even more solid…

After returning to Gabred, whether actively or passively, Aiven had several meetings with Milan.

The camaraderie from fighting shoulder to shoulder was still simmering, making their interactions now much better than the initial curiosity, wariness, and constant mutual probing.

Given their mutual recognition and the foreseeable long-term collaboration ahead, the two of them had a frank private conversation, revealing some secrets to each other.

Milan confessed his identity as a Divination Master from the Prophetic School, while Aiven candidly admitted that he indeed gained a wizard’s legacy through that “Magic Potion” notebook, and expressed his gratitude to Milan.

Actually, even if Aiven did not admit it, during the battle that day, he had already exposed his ability to maneuver sea birds, which Milan had long noticed, so it was better to be open and honest.

The shared wizard identity instantly made two young people, who found it difficult to find peers, feel a mutual appreciation, and their relationship became more harmonious.

Additionally, Aiven learned from Milan about the upper-class nobility’s real views on wizards.

It was completely different from what he had heard and imagined before; decadence, loss of control, and risk were all excuses, driven by interests and maintaining rule was the fundamental!

Many great nobles have supported wizard organizations and secret societies behind the scenes, and even trained wizards themselves.

Creativity, productivity, and even the most coveted “longevity” of the noble class could possibly be obtained through the hands of wizards, which is something the ruling Church of the True God could never offer them!

Otherwise, how did the alchemists, who are a type of wizard, manage to develop? With the advancement of the steam industry, the branches of the Alchemist Guild “Light of Alchemy” exist openly in the capitals of many civilized nations.

Aiven also learned from him that as a member of the Pan Continent organization “Red Maple Academy Alliance,” the Royal Navy Academy itself possesses multiple Extraordinary Path inheritances besides the Knight path.

Especially prominent is the Alchemy School within the Wizard Path!

Although the Church of the True God stands at the pinnacle of the Extraordinary World, it does not mean their rule is all-encompassing. Even under the suppression of the True God’s radiance, those with ambition and ideas are far more than the rulers of one nation, and the “Red Maple Academy Alliance” is precisely the product of this kind of mutual game and probing.

At least according to Milan, within the Royal Navy Academy, Phaletis’ highest-grade military academy, there’s a hidden “Shadow Library” beneath the visible military academy, which houses various mystical knowledge and extraordinary insights.

However, everyone desires extraordinary knowledge, so Aiven still needs to make his own efforts to qualify for entry.

Aiven was greatly looking forward to this library and understood the vague opportunity Uncle Gel had mentioned. Whether in the scientific world or the witchcraft realm, besides talent and inspiration, solid foundational knowledge is the cornerstone of all achievements.

Aiven wants to go further on the wizard’s path, and this shortcoming is an obstacle he can never avoid.

Perhaps during the six months of study at the Royal Navy Academy, he might be able to unveil a little of this world’s mysterious veil for himself?

“Are wizards the only ones who can threaten divine rule?” Chewing on the words Milan had said, Aiven’s heart surged with emotion.