Cyril's heart tightened, and his whole body trembled slightly. It seemed he could hear the "whooshing" sound of the air as he descended, and he could feel Mr. Scott's warm and moist breath near his ear.
In the extreme tension of the moment, the hand wrapped around his waist by Mr. Scott became even more prominent, as if the scorching heat could penetrate his skin through the fabric.
Cyril anxiously awaited the thrilling plunge into the water, imagining the cold, salty seawater enveloping him in the next instant. However, it didn't happen.
Just as the two were about to hit the water, a suddenly appearing giant transparent bubble enveloped them. The large bubble slowly descended into the seawater, sinking leisurely into the depths.
Cyril stared wide-eyed at the large bubble, which, despite looking fragile, firmly blocked the rushing seawater from all sides. He watched as the seawater carried by rushed past it as if the bubble didn't exist at all.
Cyril breathed a sigh of relief.
When he snapped back to reality, he realized he was still in Mr. Scott's embrace. Cyril subconsciously looked up at the man.
Brian had just enjoyed Cyril's nervous expression a moment ago and let out a low chuckle. He glanced down at Cyril, meeting the other's accusatory gaze.
Brian raised an eyebrow slightly and casually released his grip. Cyril felt the pressure subside as if a tide had receded. His feet landed on the bottom of the transparent bubble, feeling as solid as the ground beneath them.
Cyril took two tentative steps forward, placing his hands on the curved glass-like wall of the bubble in front of him, peering outside with wide eyes. At this moment, the bubble was still sinking, and it acted like a giant luminescent source, illuminating the surrounding scenery.
Countless small luminescent fish swam in groups, their tiny bodies resembling little stars, forming a long, glowing ribbon that meandered through the seawater in a wavy pattern.
Cyril was trying to recall if the "Guide to Bizarre Creature Cooking" had any information about cooking these fish when he saw a gigantic jellyfish gliding past their bubble.
This jellyfish was as large as two human heads, and its head emitted a faint blue light, resembling a nightfire stone set to illumination mode in the center of its head.
It gracefully swayed its body and moved in another direction.
【Azure Jellyfish, poisonous, not edible.】 The system promptly provided a concise introduction.
Cyril listened somewhat regretfully to the words "not edible." No wonder it wasn't included in the marine creatures section of the "Guide to Bizarre Creature Cooking."
Brian watched Cyril eagerly gazing at the underwater scenery, his large almond-shaped eyes filled with curiosity. He curved his lips, revealing a faint, teasing smile.
Cyril felt the bubble's descent speed increase, as if it had suddenly stopped leisurely swimming and was now working hard.
They soon reached the seabed, and the bubble seemed to pause for a moment, taking a breath before drifting horizontally.
Cyril squatted down gently, looking down through the transparent protective shield beneath his feet. Large, colorful coral formations swayed synchronously in all directions, creating a unique rhythmic dance.
Various brightly colored small fish darted agilely among the coral, their tails swaying with delight.
Cyril also spotted several starfish lying lazily on the coral, looking like star-shaped soft cakes, incredibly cute.
Brian, bored, followed Cyril's gaze in that direction. Then, he saw something and his eyes, with their beautiful peach blossom shape, revealed a hint of amusement.
"Look over there," Brian suddenly spoke, quickly blinking his eyes and pointing to a spot.
Cyril blinked, turning his head and looking confused. What was special about those bright red fish?
The next moment, he heard Mr. Scott's elegant and magnetic voice tinged with a hint of teasing, "They are reproducing."
Cyril's pupils shook: ???
Was he unexpectedly watching a fishy love story unfold?
Cyril looked at the two bright red fish still entangled in their amorous dance, his mood complex.
"I thought you were doing a square dance; I didn't expect you to be so free-spirited..."
Do we really need to find a more secluded spot? Cyril quickly averted his gaze, no longer concerned about the privacy of the little red couple. He turned to the other side and saw a very plump and juicy crab. This big crab was large and round, obviously tender and succulent, perfect for the luxurious lunch at the Blackheart Restaurant. The big crab moved clumsily with a little crab in its embrace. Cyril blinked, wondering if it was taking its food with it on a journey?
"That's its partner," Brian walked over to Cyril's side and casually glanced at the big crab holding its mate, explaining lightly.
Cyril choked at his words. He watched the crab couple disappear into the distance, feeling like the whole seabed was emitting the stench of love.
Cyril sneakily glanced at Mr. Scott, who seemed to be "alone," and instantly felt relieved. After all, in this giant bubble, both of them exuded the fragrance of being single.
The seabed looked like it was covered in a patterned carpet, and countless colorful little creatures were peeking out from it. Cyril stared at a big shrimp, which was molting. This thing had actually crawled out of its shell on its own! Could it be used for a seafood hotpot?
The giant bubble continued to move, and Cyril witnessed more underwater creatures: octopuses and colorful fish fighting in the rock crevices like schoolchildren, shiny sea stars with an air of grandeur, anemones stretching their long tentacles, posing seductive postures, countless tender squid hosting a grand matchmaking event, and they blushed with excitement...
Every moment, eggs hatched, and new life began on the seabed. Every moment, some creatures died, sinking into the seabed to become future nourishment. Life and death cycled here, where constraints and balance intersected.
The deep sea was vast and mysterious, magnificent and spectacular. Cyril marveled at the scenes before him; it was a new world he had never seen before.
At this moment, the creatures on the seabed suddenly rushed to hide, scurrying into the crevices of the rocks. The light also dimmed suddenly.
Cyril saw a vast expanse of black, like thick ink rolling. He looked up at what was above him. It was a giant octopus, like a small mountain. Countless thick tentacles swayed in the seawater. Had this giant octopus become enlightened after a millennium of practice?
Then, Cyril only saw one of the giant octopus's tentacles, as if it had discovered something interesting and fresh, slightly curved, and then... swung towards the glowing bubble where they were.
Cyril subconsciously held his breath. The giant tentacle of the giant octopus struck the bubble. However, the bubble merely swayed from side to side and trembled. The imagined scenario of the giant octopus tearing the bubble apart did not occur. Instead, the giant octopus itself seemed to be in agony and torment. Its tentacle that touched the bubble twitched, and it violently shook its entire body, spraying thick black ink from countless suckers.
Cyril could see that this ink, carried by the shockwave, quickly enveloped the bubble, turning his view into pure darkness. Everything outside the bubble became indistinct.
At this moment, the giant octopus outside seemed to feel ignored by these strange creatures and continued to attack the shiny shell with great dissatisfaction.
Foolish creatures! The dignity of the Sea King should not be ignored!
A storm of attacks rained down, and Cyril felt like the giant octopus was a drummer in a band.
At that moment, Brian came up from behind Cyril and held his hand. Brian's long, strong right hand enveloped Cyril's palm, while Cyril held the beautiful wand in his hand.
Cyril could feel how close they were at this moment. His head was almost resting on Mr. Scott's neck, and he could feel the warm breath when Mr. Scott lowered his head, brushing against his forehead.
Cyril's right hand was held by the wizard gently, and the palm was burning hot. Cyril could even hear his pulse.
Mr. Scott shook Cyril's hand gently up and down, virtually pointing out the giant octopus bullying the shiny shell outside the bubble.
In the next moment, Cyril could feel a powerful magic surge from the tip of the wand he held.
The immense and pure magic left Cyril feeling a bit dizzy. He didn't even hear the incantation uttered by the other person!
Cyril watched as a dazzling white light struck the giant octopus outside the bubble. In an instant, the colossal octopus, which had been the size of a small mountain, became the same size as the bubble that surrounded them. Now it could be called the "big octopus."
Big Octopus: ??? Cyril: !
Through the transparent glass of the bubble, Cyril and the Big Octopus locked eyes, as if Cyril could see the astonishment and disbelief in the Big Octopus's eyes.
Big Octopus: I was so big just a moment ago?! Big Octopus: I've been diligently eating other fish for years to get this big! Big Octopus: Is it my fault? I'm scared!
Then, the once defiant Big Octopus suddenly turned and fled, heading for the ocean floor, and changed its color as it went. It now looked very much like a rock covered in seaweed, lying quietly in a crevice, pretending not to exist.
Even when a curious and agile sea lion passed by the strange-looking rock, it couldn't resist giving it a little kick.
However, the rock, which was the Big Octopus in disguise, remained perfectly still, playing its role with dedication.
Cyril looked at the Big Octopus with mixed feelings. It was indeed adaptable and knew when to yield. But such a deceptive act was rather contemptible.
"Come on, you try it. The incantation is 'Shrink Quickly,'" Brian said, still holding Cyril's hand and nodding slightly to indicate he should continue the attack.
Cyril was about to say he didn't know how to perform the spell when a row of magical runes floated in front of him. These runes, shining like moonlight, looked extremely complex, more so than any spell Cyril had ever learned.
But with Brian guiding his hand while his low, husky voice murmured instructions in his ear, Cyril began to memorize them rapidly.
His full attention was on learning this challenging new spell, and he didn't realize how intimate their posture had become.
Cyril was almost entirely enveloped from behind by Brian.
When the last stroke of the magical runes was completed, Cyril chanted, "Shrink Quickly!"
A less brilliant white light shot toward the rock, hitting the disguised Big Octopus precisely.
Success!
Cyril felt a sense of joy as he watched the Big Octopus, which had only shrunk a little.
After all, it was his first time using this spell! This time, Cyril no longer needed Brian to teach him step by step. He waved the wand himself, pointing it at the Big Octopus.
Due to his unfamiliarity with the magical runes for the shrinking spell and the Big Octopus's quick reaction, it managed to dodge the spell.
The beam of dim white light from the wand hit a real rock instead, making it slightly smaller.
A nearby starfish, woken up suddenly and unaware of what had happened, couldn't understand why its bed had suddenly shrunk while it was sleeping. Why had its comfy bed become so small?
Cyril looked apologetically at the awakened starfish and then helplessly at the escaping octopus in the distance.
Brian, who had been watching Cyril's progress, nodded lazily.
The handsome man who wasn't responsible for teaching at the wizarding school probably didn't realize how astonishing Cyril's learning speed was. It would make other wizard apprentices tear up if they heard about it.
"It's almost done, and we can roast and eat it," Brian said, his voice gentle.
Cyril reluctantly returned the Dragonbone Wand to Mr. Scott. He couldn't help but think about how unique Philip's Schrödinger's Wand had been, as it was the only wand he had seen before. This made him assume that other wands might also have some "quirks."
But Mr. Scott's wand felt very comfortable in his hand. Cyril could clearly feel that with the help of this wand, he could harness several times more magical power than he could on his own.
Wands were indeed a wizard's good weapon!
Cyril pondered this as he watched the octopus within the bubble. Then he saw Mr. Zoro again.
This time, Mr. Zoro took out a grill and efficiently prepared the mini octopus. He removed the teeth and eyes first, cleaned the internal organs, marinated it, brushed it with oil, and sprinkled some seasoning.
Before long, a mouthwatering aroma wafted into Cyril's nose.
The tantalizing charcoal-grilled mini octopus was fresh off the grill.