Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

Chapter 165: Chapter 164 Coincidence and Stiffness

After a while, Richard walked onto the deck.

In the night, the deck was engulfed in darkness, crowded with many people, yet no Wizard was to be seen. Everyone was whispering, clearly puzzled.

“Where’s the Master Wizard?”

“Yeah, where is the Master Wizard?”

“Didn’t the Master Wizard ask us to come up to the deck?”

“It’s not another sudden disappearance like last time, is it?”

...

“But what is this all about, really? Shouldn’t it be explained first?”

“Exactly…”

Listening to the crowd, Richard also felt puzzled. Just then, a voice reverberated across the entire deck.

One couldn’t see the person speaking, but could clearly hear the voice—it was the voice of Wizard Dempsey.

“This is Dempsey. I’m informing you now that tonight, we will conduct the second test. Yes, the second test, but don’t be nervous; it’s an informal test. As long as you are careful, you will not be eliminated. On the contrary, there’s a considerable gain to be had. Now, look up.”

Hearing these words, everyone tilted their heads upwards.

“Watch carefully,” Dempsey’s voice instructed.

Suddenly, in the midnight sky, about ten meters above the deck of the giant vessel, a half-meter diameter golden orb appeared, resembling the sun.

With a “bang,” the “sun” exploded into countless points of light, scattering down from the skies like a starry descent, or akin to an assembly of fireflies, enveloping the entire huge ship.

“How beautiful!” a student couldn’t help but exclaim. Amidst the admiration, a black shadow, as if drawn by the spectacle, suddenly plunged into the region showered with light points.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a bird the size of a seagull covered in dazzling, colorful feathers, swiftly flying through the area bathed in light points, greedily consuming them like one famished.

One appeared, then a second, a third, a fourth… Eventually, dozens, then hundreds of identical birds emerged, continually flitting about the area covered by the light, consuming the light points endlessly.

The crowd’s surprise turned into astonishment, then from astonishment into caution.

They realized that despite the birds’ beautiful appearance, their attack power was not weak. Several birds, in their frenzy to consume the light points, crashed into sails, their sharp beaks piercing large holes through the sturdy canvas. If one were to collide with a person, even if it didn’t pierce through, it would still leave a bloody wound, hence the need for vigilance.

At that moment, Dempsey’s voice resonated once again.

“The birds you are seeing now are called ‘Griffin Seven-colored Birds,’ and they are considered the most basic form of demonized creatures. They are nocturnal, attracted to light; it’s quite common for a night-sailing ship with lights on to attract one or two. But as you can see, creating such an extensive display of light can draw hundreds.”

“Of course, it’s not guaranteed to be successful every time. This time we were simply fortunate to have encountered a flock of ‘Griffin Seven-colored Birds’ nearby, which is why so many were attracted.”

“This is rather fortuitous for you.

You should know that these ‘Griffin Seven-colored Birds’ are considered quite valuable creatures. Their feathers can be used as casting materials for many spells, their flesh can be utilized to make potions, and their bones and innards, when ground to powder, can feed certain animals and plants with special dietary needs.”

The most valuable part of them is their feathers, which are purchased at a high price in the White Stone Tower.

This time, the reason it’s called an unofficial test is precisely because of their existence.

“I’ve created the conditions for you. You can try to capture them and obtain their materials. Once you’re at the White Stone Tower, you can sell them to those in need and receive a certain reward to help improve your lives.

Of course, the ‘Griffin Seven-colored Birds’ are aggressive, but compared to the pirates you’ve encountered before, they’re much safer. So, as long as you’re careful when you strike, capturing one could benefit you greatly. All right, that’s all I have to say. You can go ahead.”

As soon as Dempsey finished speaking, almost everyone’s eyes were fervently fixed on the so-called “Griffin Seven-colored Bird.” Not everyone found satisfactory items when searching the pirate ship, but now, looking at the “Griffin Seven-colored Bird,” they finally felt there was a way to compensate.

According to Dempsey, catching a single bird could be incredibly beneficial, so wouldn’t capturing several mean a fortune?

In the next moment, no one knew who took the lead first, but everyone began to attack, and the deck suddenly bustled with activity.

In the crowd, Richard narrowed his eyes at the so-called “Griffin Seven-colored Bird,” pondering, and couldn’t help but speculate in his heart:

Could these ‘Griffin Seven-colored Birds’ be the ingredient listed on the parchment—’Rainbow Bird’?

It’s possible, very possible.

Considering that One-eyed had little contact with the Wizard World, the name ‘Rainbow Bird’ could very well be a term he coined himself. The more commonly used name could indeed be the ‘Griffin Seven-colored Bird’ as Dempsey had mentioned. Dempsey had also said that the blood and flesh of these birds could be used to make potions, which corresponded perfectly.

But isn’t this too coincidental?

Although according to probability theory, it’s entirely reasonable that one would be informed to participate in an unofficial test, which involves killing the attracted ‘Griffin Seven-colored Birds,’ right after discovering the lack of ‘Griffin Seven-colored Bird’ blood, which is a necessary ingredient for potions.

After all, Griffin Seven-colored Birds are nocturnal creatures easily attracted by light, which is probably how One-eyed previously obtained the ‘Griffin Seven-colored Bird’s’ blood to make potions.

It all can be logically explained.

But then again, even things that can be explained by logic sometimes still don’t seem quite right.

For instance, if a coin is flipped and it lands on heads nine times in a row, the chance of it being heads on the tenth flip would be one in two. But if the tenth flip really results in heads, it still feels unscientific to some, even though, from a probability standpoint, it’s perfectly scientific.

If the number of coin flips increased to nineteen, twenty-nine, ninety-nine, or nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine, and under the premise that it continuously landed on heads, the strangeness becomes even more apparent if the next flip is still heads.

In some ways, such phenomena could be considered coincidental or even dramatic.

It’s like the deliberate plot settings in novels, or the ‘just happened’ stories often retold in modern Earth life.

The current situation is completely explainable by logic, probability, and science, but Richard always felt something was slightly off, a bit… contrived.

However, Richard didn’t continue to dwell on it, since the timing was not yet ripe, or to put it another way, he didn’t want to risk delving too deeply into an unknown field without having reached a certain level, to prevent getting stuck.

One step at a time was the best approach.

“First, let’s confirm whether the ‘Griffin Seven-colored Birds’ flitting through the night sky are indeed the same as the ‘Rainbow Bird’ on the parchment. If not, then I really might be overthinking it,” Richard mused to himself.

Looking up at the ‘Griffin Seven-colored Birds’ in midair, considering how to make his move, he suddenly heard a voice from behind, “Hey, want to borrow my sword?”

“Hmm?”