Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 545: Beauty Shell

Long before officially embarking on the path of a wizard, Duke encountered a person on that ship who was taken away by the Sea Race for having eaten a Beauty Shell.

The Beauty Shell has always been a treasure of the Sea Race, as well as their taboo.

When humans consume a Beauty Shell, it can enhance their Water Element Affinity, but they will also be cursed by the sea, and a peculiar aura will linger upon them.

The Sea Race can sense this aura from a great distance, and will travel thousands of miles to hunt them down.

Even wizards do not know the true significance of Beauty Shells to the Sea Race or why they guard them so fervently at any cost.

This is an absolute line that must not be crossed, forbidding humans or any demons from consuming Beauty Shells.

Recalling these records, Duke became even more cautious.

If this shell before him indeed was a Beauty Shell, he had to be careful not to harm it.

However, he needed to verify first whether this thing was truly a Beauty Shell.

Duke then reached out, touching the surface of the shell, which felt extremely strange, lacking the hard texture typical of shells; instead, it was like touching the skin of a youthful girl.

But this didn’t mean the shell was fragile; quite the opposite, this layer of shell possessed a formidable defense, which Duke sensed, suspecting even a Level 1 Magic could hardly damage it.

Just then, a faint, nearly imperceptible sound echoed.

The tightly sealed shell, gleaming with azure and silver light, suddenly opened a fine gap at the top.

Duke paused as he stepped back halfway, with yellow sand swirling around him, eyes sharply fixed on the gap.

The light grew even brighter, flowing out from the gap.

Soon after, the shell slowly opened to either side like a blooming flower.

The soft flesh inside was not like the imagined shellfish but was covered with a layer of silver padding, soft as moonlight, exuding gentle radiance.

And upon this silver padding, a figure was curled up.

It was a girl appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen years old.

She was completely nude, her skin fairer than snow, delicate as if polished from deep-sea pearls, subtly shimmering with a healthy luster from merging with the surrounding water element.

Her long, blue spiraling hair cascaded down like seaweed, partially covering her exquisite body, with strands seeming to glimmer like tiny starlight.

Her features were extraordinarily refined, exhibiting a natural purity and fragility, her long lashes quivering like butterfly wings, casting faint shadows under her eyelids.

Perhaps startled by the opening or Duke’s unfamiliar presence, those long lashes flickered a few times, slowly lifting to reveal a pair of eyes.

The pupils were deeper in color than the purest deep-sea sapphire, while the whites had a touch of extremely light azure, making them appear incredibly clear, pure, yet seeming to contain the secrets and antiquity of the entire sea.

Her eyes glistened with fluidity as though tears could fall at any moment, or rather, as if they were the concentrated essence of the sea.

She awoke, her initial bewilderment lasted only a moment; upon seeing Duke surrounded by golden sand standing not far away, her beautiful blue eyes were immediately filled with immense panic and fear.

"Ah—!"

She uttered a short, faint exclamation, her voice ethereal and pleasant, unlike a human’s voice, more akin to pearls rolling on jade plates or the gentle chime of a sea breeze kissing wind chimes.

She abruptly shrank back, her arms tightly wrapping around herself, trying to cover her body, curling up on the soft silver padding, trembling, her gaze filled with helplessness and fear like a frightened young beast.

"This... truly is a Beauty Shell, and one that has been nurtured for who knows how many years..."

Seeing this scene, Duke finally confirmed that the shell before him was indeed a Beauty Shell.

As described in the scarce information he previously learned, Beauty Shells were typically only palm-sized, containing a maiden when opened.

This kind of Beauty Shell was extremely vulnerable, even ordinary fishermen could dredge them up and consume them.

But as time passes, Beauty Shells can continuously develop and grow larger.

As for what they can eventually evolve into, Duke did not know either; at least the information he reviewed earlier did not provide more detailed records.

"Who... are you? Why are you here?"

After thinking for a while, Duke attempted to communicate with the Beauty Shell through Spiritual Power.

The girl only curled up further, burying her face in her knee and arm crook, leaving only her deep blue eyes full of fear sneaking a glance at him, her fragile shoulders constantly trembling, unable to speak a word.

Observing this scene, Duke pondered: "Normally, shells automatically close to protect themselves when sensing danger, but this Beauty Shell before him seems to have become part of the Sea Race, and the shell is not a part of her body..."

Continuously scrutinizing all details, he noticed several discrepancies compared to the information he previously learned.

It seems juvenile Beauty Shells and the large Beauty Shell before him had some differences, yet it was unclear how this related to the secret of the Sea Race.

Seeing the girl constantly trembling, Duke considered adjusting his aura, emanating a potent Water Element aura.

With the aura changed, the girl indeed showed signs of change, looking up curiously at Duke, seemingly familiar with the aura surrounding him.

Duke suddenly recalled the trait he received as a Marine blessing.

[Underwater Breathing: LV5 (Trait: Marine blessing)] 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

[Marine blessing: When underwater, receive a Marine blessing, increasing swimming speed by 100% and reducing stamina consumption by 70%]

Duke had never paid much attention to this trait, only considering it as a speed boost while swimming.

Now, on reflection, since it was a blessing bestowed by the Sea Race, it likely wasn’t just a simple speed increase but held some connection to the Sea Race.

When he touched the shell, it automatically opened, perhaps because it sensed the aura on him.

Normally, such shells would close tightly when sensing foreign objects approaching, definitely not open voluntarily.

Noticing the girl’s reaction to the aura with the Marine blessing characteristics emanating from him, Duke’s heart stirred slightly.