Tarthocas: Chronicles of the Transmigrating Scribe Chapter 42: Chapter 41

Read chapter 42 of Tarthocas: Chronicles of the Transmigrating Scribe by Bigmachine on NovelPedia.

The sun was shining brightly as Ling Xuan and Xia Longwei boarded the ship bound for Kundang Ling Island, the farthest point a normal civilian could reach, as Chenrezig Ling was strictly off-limits. The ship's wooden deck creaked underfoot, and the salty breeze carried the scent of the sea. "Hah, what are we even going to do? It's so boring. I mean, I could just fly, and you could’ve held onto me, and we would’ve already reached the island by now," Xia Longwei sighed, reclining against the ship's railing. His black robes fluttered slightly in the breeze, and his usually sharp eyes seemed dulled by the monotony of the voyage. "There’s a reason for that," Ling Xuan replied, taking a seat beside Xia Longwei. He gazed out at the endless expanse of blue, watching the waves rise and fall rhythmically against the hull of the ship. The water sparkled under the sunlight, creating a mesmerising dance of light and shadow. The ship set sail, and as the hours passed, the gentle rocking of the vessel and the monotonous sound of the waves began to wear on Xia Longwei's patience. He tapped his foot restlessly and drummed his fingers on the railing. The sun climbed higher in the sky, casting sparkling reflections on the water's surface. The crew bustled about, adjusting the sails and maintaining the ship, their movements practised and efficient. "You know," Xia Longwei finally broke the silence, "in the last five years, I've made another development in the field of Mythical Beasts." His eyes gleamed with a mixture of pride and curiosity. His tone, usually so commanding, held a note of excitement that caught Ling Xuan's attention. "Oh, what is it? Pray tell," Ling Xuan asked, turning to face him, his interest piqued. The sun's rays highlighted the determination in his eyes, and he leaned forward slightly, eager to hear more. Xia Longwei smirked. "Wait a minute. Is this why you said no to flying? Because you wanted to syphon more information from me?" "You finally got it," Ling Xuan calmly nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips as he gestured for Xia Longwei to continue. The ship's movement seemed to slow, as if even the vessel itself was keen to listen in on their conversation. Xia Longwei chuckled and leaned back, taking a deep breath of the salty air. "Well, it’s quite fascinating, really. I’ve discovered that Mythical Beasts' power can be divided into five levels." "Five levels?" Ling Xuan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Indeed, and surprisingly, they correspond to the numerical five ranks of us humans," Xia Longwei explained, his voice carrying a note of scholarly enthusiasm. "That is not even coincidental. I am pretty sure you warped the system in a way that it has five, right?" Ling Xuan accused, though his tone was light-hearted. "Let’s not talk about that. So imagine a triangle for starters, alright? Now, imagine it having five divisions with the higher it gets, the narrower it becomes. So firstly, at the bottom of the triangle, we have the Lesser Mythical Beasts like the Ever Winter Sparrow and the Core Burrowing Mole. At the peak of this level stands The Dragon of Far Reaching Floods , whose corpse was discovered in the now dried-up previously underwater cave system of the Amethyst Lake. Thus, we also refer to this stage as the Hills and Lakes Stage." Ling Xuan nodded, absorbing the information. Xia Longwei continued, "Then we move a bit higher to the Mid Mythical Stage. This is called the Valleys and Rivers Category. Here you find beasts like the Thunderclap Wolf and the Celestial Prowler, The Dragon of Ever Present Mortality used to be at this level. The ship creaked as it cut through the waves, a gentle reminder of their journey. Xia Longwei's voice grew more animated as he described the next stage. "Higher still, we reach the High Mythicals, known as the Mountain and Sea Beasts. These creatures, like The Thunder Qilin and The Frost Phoenix, possess power that can shape the very landscape. The Dragon of Earthly Attachments was thoug