Wizard: Starts with Advanced Meditation

But what if we keep the effects of the Mermaid Soup unchanged, but replace all the mermaid ingredients inside?

Therefore, without a doubt, the merfolk that have become them are not beings who have violated the laws of the ocean, but rather so-called "newborns".

It was precisely because Vaka had considered this that he thought of using his "newborn body" and the powerful rules of the sea law to forcibly transform himself into a merman.

"..."

Soon, Vaka pulled a huge seashell from his waist.

On the milky white shell, a string of azure runes was clearly visible.

Clearly, this seashell is also a key, connecting to a secret room containing treasures even more precious than the treasure vault itself.

This naturally includes the blood of a complete merman.

As the key keeper of the Coral Oath branch, he can also choose one treasure from this secret chamber each year.

"Come on... I haven't used this year's opportunity yet."

As he spoke, Waka reached out a hand and inserted it directly into the seashell.

—Buzz

The moment their fingertips touched, a blue portal lit up on the surface of the seashell, just the right size for his arm to slip inside.

"Let me look... Hmm... I remember the sea creatures' items should all be on the second shelf."

Wakka reached his arm into the portal, then mobilized a wisp of his mental energy to "view" the treasures in the secret chamber with his consciousness.

"Hmm, let me see... the eyes of the Cold Cave Worm King, the head of the Merman Queen, the soul of the Deep Sea Lich..."

He "scanned" the various treasures in the secret room, and finally... his gaze settled on a few specially made small bottles.

"Finally... I've found you."

The bottle, no bigger than a thumb, contained only some seemingly ordinary blood.

Yet, faintly, one could sense a strange feeling emanating from this blood.

That feeling... is a sense of security that allows you to stay calm even when you're underwater, and a sense of freedom that makes you feel like you can transform into a fish and swim freely in the sea if you drink it.

That's right, this seemingly ordinary blood is the symbolic blood of the merfolk.

Moreover, these bottles contain only pure symbolic blood, without a single drop of ordinary blood mixed in.

This is precisely why it can directly generate such a strong feeling and allow people to so intuitively perceive the racial characteristics of the merfolk.

The reason they were stored in the secret chamber was not because the bodies of the mermaids were hard to find.

This is mainly because these symbolic bloods are extracted 100% from a mermaid by a senior bio-engineer.

In other words, this bottle represents all the symbolic blood within a merman sorcerer's body.

"call out--"

Soon, the blue portal moved gently and arrived in front of the rows of bottles.

These bottles do not contain only the blood of merfolk, a symbol of merfolk.

Naga, Siren... the symbolic blood of almost all the sea creatures that exist in the Oren plane can be found here.

Of these, only three bottles contain the symbolic blood of the merman sorcerer.

Wakka thought for a moment, then reached out and grabbed one of the bottles.

This bottle represents a secret treasure.

But then, he opened his fingers that had just gripped the bottle tightly.

"call--"

The next moment, he swiftly scooped up the other two bottles and took them into his hand as well.

Without hesitation, he quickly withdrew his arm and then closed the portal that could only be opened once a year.

Anyway…

Wakka looked at the three vials of symbolic blood and murmured:

"Anyway, defying the laws of the sea is a matter of life and death. If I die, then taking two more won't hurt. But if I succeed..."

The tone shifted abruptly, and Vaka's voice became low as he said:

"If I succeed—then there seems to be no need for me to stay at the Coral Oath."

Once successful, Wakka, who has been certified as a "mermaid newborn," will no longer be a discriminated-against peripheral wizard.

At the very least, he would be a merman "born" in the center of Maransel, a true local wizard of the central region.

By then, he naturally could no longer return to the Coral Oath, where the outer wizards gathered.

Or rather, from the moment he made up his mind to challenge the laws of the sea, the path ahead no longer offered the option of returning to the Coral Oath.

As for why he didn't take all the treasures in the secret room?

That's because he'll be staying here for a while longer, waiting for Hughes to refine the improved Mermaid Secret Soup.

Before that, there can be absolutely no mishaps.

After obtaining the three bottles of symbolic blood, Wakka stored them one by one in specially made containers.

After doing all this, he looked in the direction Hughes had left, a hint of urgency flashing in his eyes.

"Hughes... you'd better hurry..."

He hadn't noticed what happened after the other person left.

He was also unaware that the person he had placed all his hopes on was talking to the very being he feared most—about his secrets.

……

At the same time, Hughes also learned about Vaka's entire plan from Netilna.

"So——"

He then voiced the doubt that had been lingering in his mind:

"Lord Netil, is it so that you want me to do something for you in Vaka's plan?"

"I think you're a smart man, Hughes."

Netil nodded, then said meaningfully:

"Then I'll just get straight to the point. I need you to put something into the Mermaid's Secret Soup."

As soon as she finished speaking, a flash of blue light appeared in her palm.

The next moment, a soft, blue strip appeared in her hand.

"I want you to add it to that combination potion. Just add it directly. Don't worry about whether Wakka will find out, and don't be curious about what it is."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hughes accepted the strip-shaped object that the other party handed to him from a distance.

At that moment, Netil's eyes suddenly narrowed, and in an instant, an invisible pressure slammed down on Hughes.

"And also—don't even think about studying it, after all, I'm only giving you one copy of this."

Beneath the throne, Hughes nodded silently:

"Yes, Lord Netil, I have done everything according to your instructions."

The mental pressure from the second-level wizard was indeed powerful. At this moment, he felt as if he were facing the Cold Cave Worm King again, or even more terrifying.

After he stated his position, the oppressive feeling he was under instantly dissipated.

"Then, that concludes our conversation for today."

Netir, sitting on the throne, said coldly.

"Please go back—I hope you will keep our promise."