Versatile Mage

 “Safety of the country?” Mo Fan raised his brows. He could not help but wonder if something serious was happening.

 Shao Zheng took a sip of his tea. He let out a sigh and said, “I really hope I’ve predicted it wrong, and our east shoreline will remain peaceful without heaving to fight a cruel war, but I’m around ninety percent sure that there will be a war. The eastern shoreline will be facing a great challenge.”

 “What’s the danger?” Mo Fan asked.

 “The sea monsters. A few years from now, we’ll be fighting a huge war against the sea monsters. I was hoping that the Asia Magic Association would treat it as part of their responsibility, but Su Lu rejected my suggestion, meaning that our country will have to face the sea monsters of the Pacific Ocean alone. It’s hard to say how much of the shoreline will be under attack, but if a war breaks out, there’s no way our country will stand a chance against the immeasurably powerful kingdoms of sea monsters… I’ve already come up with a strategy, but our forces are still too weak compared to the estimated scale of the sea monsters’ army.

 “Around five years ago, an archaeologist had a long discussion with me. He told me about the great powers that are hibernating in our country, something that might help us fend off the sea monsters if we find a way to wake them up. The threat along the shoreline will be resolved. I agree with what the man said, so I asked him to investigate the ancient ruins to search for the Totem Beasts…” Shao Zheng said.

 A name immediately popped up in Mo Fan’s mind. “Are you referring to Jiang Shaojun?” he blurted out.

 “Yes, he’s the one. I always thought he was our chance of resolving the danger, but he went missing while searching for the ancient ruins. The strategy he proposed went down with his disappearance, too,” Shao Zheng sighed.

 “You’re hoping that I’ll take over his role and find a way to awaken the hibernating, forgotten Totem Beasts, and prepare ourselves for the war against the sea monsters?” Mo Fan said.

 “Exactly. I’m hoping you are willing to take up the great responsibility. The Totem Beasts are a bunch of unique existences. Those that aren’t destined won’t have any chance to interact with them. You’re the closest person to the Totem Beasts that we have. The Black Totem Snake before, and now the Moon Moth Phoenix; I hope that you can awaken one or two powerful Totem Beasts to lend us a hand in fending off the sea monsters. Otherwise, the burden is a lot heavier than what we could possibly bear.

 “Unfortunately, I’m the only person who believes it’s necessary to prepare ourselves for the threat. The Magic Association doesn’t agree with my suggestion. Even some of the parties in our country are against my proposal. They believe I’m wasting resources on a threat that might not even happen… I’ve done everything I could, but I will be a lot more at ease if the Totem Beasts are on our side,” Shao Zheng said.

 “Is the threat really that serious?” Mo Fan had to ask.

 Shao Zheng nodded and said, “Very serious, worse than any war we’ve fought before. There’s a chance that we might even lose a part of the shoreline… I really hope you are willing to believe what I’ve just said and will lend me a hand.”

 “My Fanxue Mountain is along the shoreline too, so I’m afraid it’s going to fall with the shoreline, too. To be honest, I’m quite interested in the Totem Beasts, not to mention that you, the Chairman have come in person just to discuss it with me. I don’t think I have any reason to decline it. I’m just worried that my capabilities are limited. There’s a chance that I might not even manage to awaken a single Totem Beast,” Mo Fan said.

 “It’s fine, I’m utterly grateful as long as you do your best!” Shao Zheng replied sincerely.

 It turned out there were a lot of things that the Chairman would feel helpless about too.

 “You’re overstating things. Finding the Totem Beasts is a good way to train myself, too. If the Black Totem Snake wasn’t protecting me, I would have died ten thousand times when I was going up against the Parthenon Temple,” Mo Fan said.

 “You were really bold back then. I’ll leave the Totem Beasts in your hands. I’ll send someone to give you the information about the Totem Beasts that Jiang Shaojun collected before. I believe knew something about the Moon Moth Phoenix, too… please keep an eye on the Moon Moth Phoenix too, don’t let Su Lu get his hands on the Totem Beast. He has been longing for our country’s Totem Beasts for a long time, but there’s no way we’ll allow the Guardian Beasts of our land to fall into the hands of an outsider,” Shao Zheng said.

 “Of course!” Mo Fan agreed.

 “Oh, speaking of which, I believe it’s time to tell you a little secret too,” Shao Zheng said.

 “What is it?”

 “Didn’t Zhao Manyan, a member of the national team go missing? Rumors said he was dead, eaten by a gigantic beast,” Shao Zheng said.

 “Yeah, what about it?” Mo Fan asked.

 “According to the information that Jiang Shaojun gathered, the gigantic beast that ate Zhao Manyan is most likely a Totem Beast too,” Shao Zheng said.

 “Another Totem Beast?” Mo Fan exclaimed.

 “If I’m not mistaken, it’s Baxia,” Shao Zheng said.

 “Baxia?” Mo Fan was startled. He felt like he had heard the name of the Totem Beast before.

 “Our country once had the four strongest Totem Beasts. One of them, the Black Tortoise, had two descendants. One is the Black Totem Snake that you’re very close with, and the other is Baxia. It’s unlikely that a Totem Beast would harm a human being. Even if they are forgotten, they still treat humans as their people. I don’t understand why Baxia would eat Zhao Manyan,” Shao Zheng said.

 “Baxia had been following us since we were in Japan,” Mo Fan said.

 “Did something happen when the team was in Japan?” Shao Zheng asked promptly.

 Mo Fan pondered. The only possibility he could think of was the Lifetime Vessel that Zhao Manyan found, the wooden clapper.

 Mo Fan immediately told Shao Zheng about the wooden clapper.

 Shao Zheng hesitated for a moment in thought. “The wooden clapper is most likely Baxia’s symbolic vessel. Many Totem Beasts have a symbolic vessel that allows a person to sign a soul contract with them. The Totem Beast will then stay close to the person to protect them. In the past, the leaders of the tribes would be the ones holding onto the symbolic vessels.”

 “So you’re saying Zhao Manyan actually found a great treasure. No wonder the patterns on the wooden clapper were similar to those I saw on the ancient drawings in the building in the middle of the lake in Hangzhou. The creature is actually the Totem Beast Baxia, the Black Totem Snake’s brother! Does that mean Zhao Manyan is still alive, too?” Mo Fan said.

 “Most likely, if he really has the symbolic vessel, the Totem Beast will not harm him,” Shao Zheng said.

 “That’s good to know.”

 Mo Fan was relieved after hearing Shao Zheng’s speculation. Not only was Zhao Manyan still alive, he was a lucky bastard too!