NOVPUBChapter 358: Chapter 308 Basel’s Dad_2
“And in the following days of competition, it seemed like no one could defeat you.”
Helen now lay on the deck, her whole body aching.
“Heh… perhaps, because I’m rather special?”
Basel chuckled self-deprecatingly and guzzled a large mouthful of wine.
“Uncle Basel, how did you become so formidable?”
Helen asked curiously. Since she had resolved to become an Extraordinary Professional, she was eager to learn more about Professionals.
...
But Lord Lis rarely talked to her about those matters, only insisting that she keep exercising.
“Ha ha…”
Basel laughed bitterly, seemingly reminded of those unbearable days before he left home.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a strong desire to confide in Helen before him.
“This strength of mine, it was all forged under the supervision of my old man.”
“My dad was strong, very strong!”
“But also very stubborn!”
Basel’s head rested lightly against the ship’s rail, his eyes gazing at the azure sky and the seagulls flying by, his expression distant as he murmured:
“I always felt my dad was too strict with me, forbidding me from doing this and that.”
“The worst part was, he almost never let me out of his sight, I could only stay at home all day.”
“Numbly exercising my body, honing my skills, boosting my strength.”
“It was painful, really!”
Basel turned back to Helen and said with a smile:
“So when I saw you start exercising, I couldn’t help but wonder when you would give up.”
“But you are stronger than me, back then I would have definitely slacked off.”
“So… Uncle Basel, what happened later?”
Helen continued, feeling the weight in Basel’s narrative.
“My dad’s strength was formidable, even before I left home, I had never beaten him once.”
“But it’s strange, I don’t know why, my dad always had injuries, sometimes he even hid from me and coughed up blood, I never sensed any hint of him fighting others.”
“But back then I was thoughtless, not paying attention to these things, instead…”
Basel fell silent for a moment, seeming to struggle with his words.
“Instead, I resented him.”
“Resented him for being so harsh on me, for not letting me play with my friends.”
“I could only stand aside and tediously train, train, and train, it seemed like there was nothing else in my life.”
“Then, one day I couldn’t take it anymore, hearing from passing traders that being a mercenary was a very thrilling and exciting thing.”
“That colorful adventure instantly attracted me.”
“So, the following night, I secretly escaped from my father.”
“Didn’t your father catch you? You said he was very strong?”
Helen asked curiously.
“Very strong, indeed.”
Basel sighed, then continued:
“I will never forget that night. I had tried to escape before, but had always been caught and taken back, but that night I successfully ran more than a hundred meters and was not knocked out by my dad.”
“I was extremely excited, planning to run away from the village.”
“When I looked back, I saw the door to my house open, with a warm light flickering inside, and my dad… just standing at the door, quietly watching me.”
“I was terrified, thinking I was going to be caught again, so I hurriedly fled.”
“I don’t know how long I ran, but my dad never appeared.”
“Now that I think about it, maybe that night my dad let me leave.”
“Mmm.”
Helen struggled to lift her head, looking at Basel.
“Later, I found out that I have always had really bad luck, the people with me were very unfortunate, many of them even died.”
Basel managed a smile and added:
“Just like that pirate ship.”
“So, I wonder, were my dad’s injuries because of me?”
“Mmm.”
Helen nodded continuously, to tell the truth, she still didn’t fully grasp what Basel meant by bad luck.
But Basel didn’t care, he was too lazy to explain further to Helen.
These matters he had always kept to himself, now he just wanted someone to confide in, regardless of whether she understood or not.
“Uncle Basel, I think your father must be very proud, right?”
Helen’s crisp voice reached Basel’s ears.
“Hmm?”
“Because, you see, your father must have thought you were already outstanding enough to let you leave home.”
“He thought you were already able to face the risks outside alone.”
Helen spoke earnestly, yet her thoughts drifted to her own mother.
“Ha-ha, perhaps.”
Basel chuckled.
Perhaps it was because Lis had promised to help him remove the misfortune entwined around him, Basel seemed much more radiant.
Looking at the white clouds above, Basel’s mood inexplicably improved a great deal.
Once I break through to gold, I’ll go back and see old dad!
Basel resolved in his heart.
…
On the other side,
Lis, covered in soot, emerged from the cabin that had been transformed into a temporary Magic Workshop, casually using the “Cleaning Skill” to remove the stains on his body.
He opened the door to let fresh air into the workshop and disperse the smoke from the explosion.
“Another failure…”
Lis remained calm, not minding it much.
Failure is the mother of success!
A mage who doesn’t have thousands of ‘mothers’ could hardly ever succeed.
Lis had just attempted to create other magic items and failed; the other materials were fine, only the loss of a bit of mithril pained him.
Lis wanted to try making some magic equipment and items he could use, but the process was quite challenging.
Though he was a Silver Level Arcanist, ordinary magic items and equipment were no longer of much help.
With Lis’s rich collection, perhaps only top-grade silver items and above would make sense.
That wasn’t as easy as creating “Siren Earrings”, and was still quite far from Lis’s current level.
Lis had to patiently explore bit by bit.
Even with the legacy of the Legendary Arcanists, Stephens and Sphinx, Lis’s daily progress was visibly fast—another person might not achieve much and could merely grope blindly.
Lis stood outside the door for a while, adjusting his mentality.
Let’s set this aside for now and play with the Magic Model!
It was like revisiting learning in his previous life when one’s brain was muddled by math, switching to chemistry to shift the mind.
“Lord Lis!”
Just as Lis was preparing to continue his joyful research, a voice interrupted his steps.
Lis turned around and smiled,
“What is it, Evar, something urgent?”
The Official Mercenary approaching Lis, Evar, had a trace of excitement on his face.
“Lord Lis, we are about to reach the vicinity of that small island you remember, I’ve already vaguely sensed it.”
“Oh?”
Lis naturally remembered the small island Evar had mentioned, or rather, he was very interested in that location.
Might as well forget research for now, thought Lis as he went outside.
“Come, lead the way, let’s go see.”
“Alright.”
Evar was also full of anticipation, having waited for this day for a long time.
Stepping onto the deck, standing on the highest point, Evar closed his eyes and sensed for a while, pointing towards the southeast direction of the “Mermaid.”
“It should be over there, something is attracting my body.”
“Good.”
Lis placed his hand on Evar’s shoulder, and in an instant, both of their figures vanished from the spot, the other sailors and mercenaries were already used to it.
Lately, Lis frequently left the ship to test spells on the nearby sea, a sight they had become familiar with.
Tens of kilometers southeast on the sea surface, Lis and Evar appeared there, hovering in midair.
“Here?”
Evar closed his eyes to sense again, shook his head, and said,
“Still toward the south.”
“Good.”
Lis nodded, and in an instant, he used the “Teleportation Technique” again to move from the spot.
…
After two more teleports, Evar exclaimed loudly,
“It’s here!”
Lis glanced downward, all he saw was the blue sea slightly rippling with waves.
