The Great Sage Who Did not Remain in Legend - 6.1

Since his revival, Mergin had pondered countless times why he had to be petrified. At first, he thought Misty had betrayed him, but the last expression he saw on Misty’s face was one of pain and sadness.

“If making that face was the best option…,” he thought to himself.

It was a question that yielded no answers no matter how much he thought about it. After all, it was an event that had occurred over a thousand years ago. Misty, despite his longevity, could no longer be asked for his true intentions…

Mergin felt a pang in his heart at his own conclusion that Misty was no longer alive. He swallowed that thought with his breakfast, packed up his tent, and headed towards the fishing port town.

“Welcome to Lionel, a town of trade and fishing.”

Although it was a large city, there were no gatekeepers; anyone could enter just from the signs alone. Despite being a fishing port town, it thrived due to active trade with other territories, boasting low prices and a high influx of merchants. One notable feature was the beastfolk not seen in the capital—they were not much different from humans except for their animal ears and tails. Whether they evolved during his petrification or through mingling with humans, Mergin couldn’t tell.

Mergin moved to where they were doing beach seine fishing.

“Oh, they’re at it!”

They spread nets offshore from small boats, and the strong beastfolk pulled the nets ashore on the sand.

“Pull! Pull!”

They shouted together while pulling up the nets.

“Hey, catching some good fish?”

“Huh? Who the hell are you?”

Although they caught many fish, most were poisonous—basically the same as the pufferfish from his original world—and the beastfolk fishermen were in a bad mood. Poisonous fish couldn’t be sold.

“I’m Mergin, here to buy fish. You’re throwing away these poisonous fish, right? If you don’t need them, I’ll take them.”

“What are you going to do with such troublesome fish? You’re not thinking of collecting poison for some mischief, are you?”

“Who collects poison? Obviously, I’m going to eat these.”

“What? Stop that! Don’t you know many people have died from eating these?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Here, I’ll help sort the fish.”

“Stop! Don’t touch them, you amateur. Get lost before you get hurt.”

He shouted loudly and intimidated them, gathering other fishermen.

“If it ain’t the troublemaker making all the noise.”

An old man who seemed to be in charge among them called out.

“Hey, old man! He’s back again this year.”

“Ah, do you know each other?”

“This here is Mergin. He’s a weirdo who eats poisonous fish. If he’s back this year, it means he hasn’t died yet.”

“Mergin, huh? You’re okay with taking all these poisonous fish?”

“Is… is that okay? He’s just an amateur…”

“Newcomers should stay quiet and watch. It’ll be over soon.”

“Huh?”

“Alright, let’s sort them out. Same as last year, okay?”

“The sorting method doesn’t change every year.”

Mergin sorted the fish by type and size, using magic, of course.

“W-what is this…”

Even those who had seen it last year were astonished to see the newcomer amazed at this sight.

“Hey, newcomer, isn’t that amazing? This guy’s a wizard.”

“A wizard can do this kind of thing?”

The beastfolk who had shouted loudly and intimidated him earlier now asked with genuine curiosity.

“If you’re interested, I’ll sell you a magic book.”

“A magic book?”