Chapter 274 - 247: The Price of Red Bull

Chapter 274: Chapter 247: The Price of Red Bull

"But what happened to you...?" Musa’s tone was sorrowful as he sized up the goblin before him. The goblin’s smile was confident and radiant, making it impossible to equate him with the ferocious little monsters of popular legend. But that smile also created an illusion for Uncle Musa—it was as if he were seeing that confident, radiant, and sometimes mischievous young man sitting before him once again.

"It’s just a small problem." Shire waved his hand dismissively. "I’m sure it can be handled in the future. Besides, doesn’t Vivian have a Magic teacher?"

"Speaking of which," Musa quickly shed his sorrowful expression, "Miss Vivian is in Plantagenet City right now."

Shire frowned. "What’s she doing there? Isn’t that silly girl wanted, too?"

Uncle Musa gave a warm smile, recalling Vivian’s letters and his recent conversations with her. "Miss Vivian has grown up. She’s not the same girl you used to tease all the time."

"So she can finally tell the difference between a live crab and a dead one?" A corner of Shire’s mouth quirked up. The memory of his past antics with his sister made Uncle Musa laugh heartily, and he became even more certain that the goblin before him was indeed the young master, Shire.

"She went to the Royal City for you, Master Shire." After he finished laughing, Uncle Musa leaned forward. "Miss Vivian mentioned in her letter that she was venturing to Plantagenet City to find an Arcane Grandmaster. She wanted to use Divination and the Prophetic Technique to confirm your status, and possibly even find you."

"Well, it sounds like that Great Mage is pretty impressive," Shire said with a laugh, spreading his hands. ’After all, they found me, didn’t they?’

"No," Musa said, laughing and waving his hand. "The Great Mage only confirmed that you were in the forest and predicted that you wouldn’t be in any mortal danger for the foreseeable future. They couldn’t determine your specific circumstances, though. The letter said that some powerful force seemed to be blocking their attempts to see you."

"A powerful force?" Shire pursed his lips. The answer was a bit unexpected, but it reminded him of how Sofia had mentioned discovering Divinity when she used Mind Peeping on him. ’What kind of powerful force is preventing others from probing me?’

"But I won’t be in any mortal danger for a while, is that right?" He didn’t dwell on the "Divinity" that seemed to surround him. Instead, he found himself quite interested in the Prophetic Technique. ’Does this mean I can lead my men on campaigns all over the forest without any issues?’

"Well, Master Shire, you know I don’t understand much about Magic," Musa said with an apologetic smile. "As for the specifics, I think you’d have to ask someone who knows Magic, or just ask Vivian directly."

After speaking, he glanced at Shire again.

Shire knew Musa wanted to ask if Vivian might have a way to solve his transformation into a goblin, but Uncle Musa held his tongue, not wanting to upset him. Shire smiled and said, "It’s fine. Don’t worry too much about my current situation. I’d like to ask Vivian about the prophecy, but let’s not tell her that I’ve become a goblin just yet. For one thing, even if we told her, she probably couldn’t do much about it. For another, this goblin identity is actually a great help to me right now."

’Agatha had mentioned before that breaking an evil Transformation Curse was extremely difficult. Telling Vivian would just be pushing her into a dangerous situation. It’s better for me to lie low and build up my strength for now. Once my sister’s own power has grown steadily, we can contact those powerful Great Mages and solve this problem once and for all.’

"We shouldn’t tell Miss Vivian?" Uncle Musa frowned. "But won’t that..."

"It’s fine, Uncle. She’s studying Magic right now and needs a stable environment. I’ve heard that Mages can sometimes suffer from something called a Demon Plague, which can even be fatal if it happens too often. I’m alive and well, and I’ll be safe for the foreseeable future, so there’s no need to bring any danger to her."

"You two siblings..." Musa sighed softly. "You used to argue so loud the whole castle could hear you. Now that there’s trouble, you can’t stop talking about each other."

Shire looked at Uncle Musa, listening to him talk about his sister. Although he had yet to meet her in person since transmigrating—having only seen her portrait in a locket—the merged memories filled his heart with warmth for the sister who worried so much about him. "Looks like bringing her all those pretty seashells every time I came back to the castle paid off after all," he murmured.

Musa smiled and shook his head, looking at him as if he were just a child. But then he immediately remembered something. "Oh, right! Vivian’s letter also specifically mentioned Red Bull."

"Red Bull?" Shire paused, surprised. "You gave her some when you went back?"

"Mhm. Not only did she drink it, but so did her teacher and that Arcane Grandmaster from the Royal City," Musa said, a hint of excitement in his voice. "I’m sorry, I burned the letter after I read it. I really wish I still had it."

"Don’t worry about it, safety is more important," Shire said, waving his hand immediately. He knew how to prioritize. "What did the letter say about Red Bull?"

"Er, the letter said," Musa recalled for a few seconds, "that it’s a shockingly effective... virility drink."

Shire was completely dumbfounded. He leaned back slightly, never expecting to hear a review like that coming out of Uncle Musa’s mouth.

"I’ve had it a few times myself, and aside from feeling energized, I didn’t notice any... major effects," he muttered, then glanced down at himself.

"Miss Vivian said Red Bull quickly restores one’s mind, which is very beneficial for a Mage’s Spiritual Power. As for the virility part," Musa recalled the contents of the letter and shook his head with a smile, "that was from the Arcane Grandmaster. He said that Red Bull improves blood circulation and effectively relieves fatigue. If you mix it with some deer blood, it can have a potent virility effect with no side effects."

"Well..." Shire was speechless. He never imagined that the drink he’d created just to turn his subordinates into tireless workhorses would lead to such a bizarre plot twist.

"The letter also said that a blue, star-shaped Alchemy Medicine is popular in Plantagenet City right now. It’s supposed to be for virility, but it has significant side effects." Musa’s smile vanished. He held two fingers close together. "It’s only about this big, but a single pill costs Two Gold Coins."

"Two Gold Coins?" Shire’s eyebrows shot up. Then, a name came to mind. "That Arcane Grandmaster... his name isn’t Affif, is it?"

"Yes, that’s what the letter said," Uncle Musa confirmed after a moment’s thought, nodding.

The corner of Shire’s mouth twitched. He said at once, "When you get back, write a letter immediately. Tell Vivian to stay away from that old lecher. No, on second thought, I’ll write it myself."