Chapter 230: Farewell, Kui Xi

"Since you've been in Asshai for eight years, there's no reason you wouldn't know the basic knowledge of the supernatural world, right?" Dany glanced at the dark-skinned woman. "The levels of meditation techniques are such fundamental knowledge, yet a mage who has learned meditation somehow doesn't know them?"

Hmm, someone had been pretending to be an expert for so long that they almost believed it themselves, completely forgetting that she had only just learned this information herself.

"I only know that she can ignite glass candles, but I'm not familiar with her meditation techniques. Besides, what's the use of knowing the levels? She's already learned it, and it's set in stone." Dr. Bull-Neck smiled wryly.

That made sense. For these unaffiliated "rogue cultivators," just getting their hands on a single meditation technique was a stroke of luck—there was no room for being picky.

"Your name is Marwyn?" Suddenly, Dany found the name somewhat familiar, and distant memories began to resurface in her mind.

In just a moment, she recalled where she had heard the name "Archmaester Marwyn" before.

"Do you know a sorceress named Mirri Maz Duur?"

"Mirri?" Marwyn, the bull-necked scholar, showed a look of recollection, a trace of nostalgia rising in his eyes. "She must have been a priestess, right? A sweet and diligent little priestess."

Wait a minute—was that plump old witch, who looked the same whether laid horizontally or vertically, really the same "sweet little one" he was talking about?

"Yes, she was primarily a priestess, but she also studied medicine and sacrificial rituals," Dany said with a blank expression.

"Twenty years ago, I studied with her in Asshai… cough, as classmates. We spent a few years learning together. I even taught her corpse dissection techniques. Why? You know her too?"

Dany was at a loss for words. But looking at this archmaester… well, he wasn't much to look at either—barrel-chested, short and stocky, with tufts of white hair growing from his nostrils and ears. His forehead protruded, his nose had clearly been broken more than once, and his teeth were stained with mottled brown-red patches from years of chewing sourleaf.

Honestly, he and that "sweet little one" of an old witch seemed like a match made in heaven—perfectly suited for each other.

"She's dead. She was caught using curses to harm people and was ultimately burned alive."

After saying this, Dany watched Marwyn intently, not missing a single change in his expression.

But he only responded with a simple "Oh," and said nothing more.

"Wasn't she your lover?" Dany couldn't help but ask.

"We had academic exchanges, but she was not my lover. After all, I am an archmaester! And since she used curses to harm others, her death was well deserved." Marwyn, the bull-necked scholar, said solemnly.

Academic exchanges? Studying the seven techniques of moaning, perhaps?

As Dany fell into silence, Marwyn curiously asked, "Mage Rhaella, may I ask where you are now?"

"I'm in Oldtown, not far from the Citadel. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to pick up your signal."

Perhaps the great Valyrian sorcerers could use glass candles to spy on the Citadel from thousands of miles away, but Dany was just a novice in sorcery. She only knew a handful of spells, and the fact that she had detected the dark-skinned woman's mental presence was purely a stroke of luck and proximity.

"Then… would it be possible for us to meet in person?" The stocky scholar rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat embarrassed. "There are almost no true supernatural practitioners in Oldtown. Most of our knowledge comes from our own exploration. Would you consider hosting a supernatural gathering in Oldtown?"

Did he want her, a true expert, to give a lecture for a bunch of clueless novices?

"Have you ever attended a supernatural gathering before?"

"I've heard of them, but they never accept archmaesters. By the time I returned to Oldtown, no one was organizing them anymore," Marwyn admitted awkwardly.

Supernatural gatherings: no archmaesters, no followers of the Seven allowed!

"If you know the rules, then you should understand that mages don't do things for free," Dany reminded him.

Why did Shadowbinder Stannis host supernatural gatherings in Volantis?

Because she wanted to train Lisbon while also scouting potential recruits.

Hadn't the esteemed Moon Singer and 'Rhaella' the priestess become her new followers?

But what reason did 'Rhaella' the fire mage have to hold a supernatural gathering in Oldtown?

What could she gain from it?

Nothing.

Dany's words made Marwyn's thick face flush red. After a long pause, he fiddled with the long chain hanging down to his navel and stammered, "I am an archmaester of the Citadel, proficient in medicine, anatomy, ravenry, metallurgy, history, economics, geography, astronomy, advanced Valyrian mathematics, optical principles, and some knowledge of alchemy and prophecy. You may choose one or several of these subjects in exchange for your teachings."

Dany's eyes flickered, and she nodded. "That works. How many of you are there?"

"Just me."

"What?" Dany raised her voice. "How do you expect to hold a gathering with just one person?"

"But the Citadel, Oldtown…" Marwyn was equally embarrassed.

So, he was the only true practitioner of mysticism in all of Oldtown? That was tragic!

Yes, the Valyrian steel link in an archmaester's chain represented magic and mysticism, and many archmaesters wore one.

But that didn't mean they had any actual magic.

Take the famous Maester Luwin of Winterfell, for example. He had studied magic and even had a Valyrian steel link in his chain.

Yet he had always taught Jon, Bran, and the others:

"I swear by my mastery of magic, children, that magic does not exist in this world. The Children of the Forest, wargs, White Walkers, and other supernatural beings are just stories made up by adults to scare children. You should focus on training to be knights instead."

Even when Bran confided in him about his dreams of the three-eyed crow and his possible warging abilities, the old maester had merely smiled kindly and said,

"Child, that's just a dream. You've broken your legs and can't accept reality, so your mind is making things up."

It seems that in today's scholarly circles, the ability to disprove magic is considered equivalent to knowledge of magic itself.

"Ahem, Doctor, and me too." The dark-skinned girl beside them stole a glance at Dany and softly reminded him.

"You?" The short, stout doctor had a conflicted expression—both disdain and disappointment. "You don't understand. Attending a gathering requires bringing something of substance."

"What do you mean by that?" the girl asked curiously.

"A performance of a unique skill."

"How about archery? I'm really skilled with a bow. My mother always says I have the potential to be a Red Archer."

The people of the Summer Isles often carve the prows of their ships into the shapes of birds, which is why their sailing vessels are called "swan ships."

Unlike the great trading cities, whose large ships are escorted by one or two galleys or longships, swan ships typically sail alone. The responsibility of safeguarding these vessels falls upon the unique warriors of the Summer Isles—the Red Archers.

Using bows crafted from the golden wood of the Summer Isles, their arrows have a range of up to 400 meters, making them the most formidable archers in this world—an utterly terrifying force.

If the dark-skinned girl, Laresa, wasn't lying, her archery skills must be exceptional.

"Archery won't do," Marwyn shook his head.

He himself knew how to fight like a knight. If archery or swordplay were enough, he would have joined the mystical gathering long ago.

"Let's include her," he finally said. "Since we managed to connect with her this time, and since both of us practice the Valyrian school of sorcery, it seems like fate."

"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!" The girl grinned foolishly, bowing repeatedly in gratitude.

"What exactly is your name? I heard Archmaester Marwyn call you 'Sphinx' one moment and 'Laresa' the next," Dany asked.

"Sphinx is my nickname in the Citadel."

"Alright, that's enough for today." Feeling a strange sensation in her right wrist, Dany decided to end this 'online socializing' session. "Remember my sorcerous frequency. After the tournament, at ten in the evening, we'll confirm the meeting time and location. Hopefully, by then, Archmaester Marwyn will have found a few more companions—just the two of you is a bit too few."

"Understood."

"—"

Silently, the gray silhouette vanished, leaving the master and apprentice staring at each other under the golden candlelight.

After a long pause, Marwyn glanced at the dark-skinned girl and asked, "What is your real name?"

"It's… it's Laresa," she replied, avoiding his gaze.

The bull-necked Archmaester sighed. "Do as you wish, but remember—the Citadel absolutely forbids women from tarnishing their ridiculous sense of honor. I didn't know you were a girl before, and now, I still don't know anything."

"Mm, thank you, Doctor."

The unexpected encounter with her two 'internet friends' had delayed Dany, and in the meantime, Quaithe had already lifted the block on her visit request. Seeing that Dany hadn't reached out, the Shadowbinder assumed she was upset and had just now taken the initiative to contact her.

However, just as Quaithe had refused her visit earlier, Dany now returned the favor and blocked her.

After finishing her conversation with Marwyn, Dany immediately reactivated the glass candle. This time, her spiritual projection passed through effortlessly.

Of course, unlike her connection with Marwyn, which consumed almost no sorcerous power, the nine-colored vortex in her sea of consciousness spun wildly, and her power gushed out like a floodgate had burst—draining nearly a third of it in an instant.

This was truly a long-distance connection across thousands of miles.

Having experienced spiritual projection across space before, Dany didn't feel dizzy this time. In the blink of an eye, she arrived in a vast, dimly lit stone hall.

At the center, a single green glass candle burned, its dim white light about the size of a fist. The four walls and the ceiling were swallowed by darkness.

A Shadowbinder sat cross-legged on the stone floor, wearing a dark blue robe and a red wooden mask, seemingly waiting for someone's arrival.

"You're very foolish," she said.

"Why?" Dany asked, puzzled.

"Do you know what time it is where I am?" Without waiting for Dany's reply, Quaithe sternly continued, "It's nine in the morning! I'm currently on Thunder Isle in the Jade Sea. When you first tried to contact me, I was at the Sky Altar, worshipping the 'Maiden of Light' with the Emperor's Consort, Bū Gān."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to account for the time difference and disturbed you," Dany quickly apologized.

Though she said that, she actually had no idea how to calculate time differences, nor had she ever thought about them.

Last time, when she traveled from Volantis back to Astapor—a distance of about 2,000 kilometers—the two cities were both in nighttime, so she hadn't noticed much of a difference.

Had Quaithe not pointed it out today, Dany might have completely forgotten about time zones.

Quaithe shook her head and asked gravely, "You still don't understand. Tell me, what do people call Shadowbinders?"

"Children of the Shadow?"

"How can the Children of the Shadow perform sorcery under the sun, in front of a temple? If I hadn't stopped your spiritual projection, the blazing sun would have incinerated you instantly." Quaithe pointed at Dany and sternly rebuked, "As easily as a torch sets fire to a feather blanket!"

Dany was stunned. "I… I've never actually tried it under the sun."

"You've used a soul coordinate on someone else?" Quaithe caught the implication in her words, suddenly standing up. With a mix of reproach and worry, she said, "Last time, I warned you—never to use it. It's only been half a month, and you've already—"

"Not once. Three times. I've used it three times."

Quaithe froze, standing there in silence.

After a long pause, she finally let out a groan-like sigh and said three words: "You're courting death!"

(End of Chapter)

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