“This isn’t strange—you’ve certainly heard the name Vivian. However, it’s not polite for us to discuss my mentor in private here, so let’s end this topic.”

Daisy straightened her expression and got to the point: “Do you know why I wanted to see you?”

Rowland felt a jolt in his heart, sensing something was wrong. He guessed it was about the breathing gel, and knew he had to handle this carefully. He asked cautiously, “Is it because I killed a shark?”

“No, it’s not because of that, though I was indeed surprised by it.” A smile appeared again on Daisy’s face.

She seemed to love smiling, and with her round, apple-like face, even a slight smile appeared radiant, making people instinctively feel close to her. This made Rowland relax easily.

“Then is it because I’m good in the water, and you think I’m special and wanted to meet me?”

“You’re getting close to the core of the issue. Keep thinking.” Daisy shook her head and chuckled softly, showing great patience.

Rowland knew he couldn’t hide it any longer. His tricks might fool the rough dockworkers, but this woman was a well-traveled mage. If he kept hiding, it would only make him look ridiculous.

He took the pouch of breathing gel from his pocket. “Alright, my exceptional swimming skills are thanks to this.”

“I knew it.” Daisy smiled again. She pointed at the pouch and said, “Open it and let me see the gel inside.”

Rowland did as instructed.

The gel inside the pouch had already lost its effect. It was originally a light green colloid, but after losing potency, it turned into a pale yellow, semi-transparent substance resembling soap.

“The material is very pure, and the mixing technique is quite skillful. I know you must have made this gel yourself. Tell me, who taught you the formula?”

“No one taught me. It was my own discovery.”

“Yourself?” Daisy was skeptical.

Rowland explained, “You know, I’m a dockworker. Around the docks, you can find salmonweed and sponges everywhere. I once saw a sea mouse burrow into a mixture of them, and then it stayed underwater for a very long time before resurfacing. I tried it myself, and it worked.”

The story he made up sounded reasonable, and the way he told it made it convincing.

Daisy seemed to believe him. Behind the crystal lenses, her pale blue eyes looked at Rowland with appreciation, and she smiled: “Out of everyone at the docks, only you noticed this. You have extraordinary powers of observation. And that is exactly a mage’s trait. In other words, you might have the talent to become a mage.”

As she spoke, she took a crystal ball from the bookshelf beside her and beckoned to Rowland: “Come here, put your hand on this. I need to check your elemental sensitivity.”

Rowland did as told. The crystal ball was warm, and there seemed to be a mist inside it. When he placed his hand on the surface, the mist seemed to be drawn toward his palm, eventually forming a layer of white light where his hand touched the crystal.

But the light wasn’t strong—in fact, it was rather faint.

Daisy watched the changes inside the crystal ball intently. After a while, she shook her head in disappointment: “Unfortunately, your elemental sensitivity isn’t outstanding. There’s no difference from an ordinary person. It seems you can’t walk the path of a mage. What a pity—I was hoping to find a new attendant.”

Rowland didn’t feel disappointed at all. He had no desire to become one of those bookish, reclusive mages—he’d rather die than live like that. Besides, he possessed the talent of a war god; he was born to walk the path of a warrior.

Wait, attendant… attendant… When Rowland heard Daisy’s last words, something suddenly clicked in his mind, and he finally remembered who Daisy really was.

A flood of memories surfaced from deep within his mind.

Yes, yes… Daisy was indeed Vivian’s apprentice, but in the game, the first quest Rowland received from Vivian was: investigate the cause of apprentice Daisy’s death.

In other words, not long from now, if nothing unexpected happened, this Daisy would die, and then Vivian would send someone to investigate. After a long chain of quests, amid a web of confusing clues, Vivian would discover the doomsday cult hidden in Vendome. Following the trail, she would then uncover someone attempting to open a portal to another world.

Unfortunately, by the time she learned this, it was already too late—the portal had been opened, the orcs had already gathered deep in the wetlands, and that led to the fall and massacre of Vendome, known as the Withering Moon.

In a flash of thought, Rowland realized this was a great opportunity to get close to Vivian! And becoming a mage’s guard would be a huge step up in status, broaden his horizons, and bring more opportunities for advancement.

Rowland immediately decided to seize this chance.

So he said sincerely, “Miss Daisy, I’ve heard that mages always need loyal guards. Although I can’t become an attendant to assist you in your studies, perhaps I can become a guard to protect your life.”