The first general meeting of the "Dawn" adventure team was held in the basement of the Haidou villa. In addition to the six members of the Lightbearer team, several senior members of the Dawn Blood Alliance were also present. From both a strength and experience standpoint, this meeting could essentially be seen as a high-level conference for the saviors of Eorzea. The main topic of the meeting was: what exactly is Huihui's job crystal? Of course, the latter did not have much possessiveness over this crystal, as the black mage had resolved the issue of acquiring the crystal from Huihui by exchanging a large fish.
"Bang!" Tatalu slammed a thick, astonishing old book onto the round table. "Found it! This is the book, right?"
"Yes, that's correct." Alphinaud nodded. "Based on the patterns, there shouldn't be any mistakes. If we're looking for clues, we can only find them in grandfather's notes."
"But isn't this just introductory knowledge of magic?" Papalymo glanced at it. "These are all very basic concepts."
"Yes, so the focus should be on the latter part," Alphinaud flipped to a specific page in the book. "Here, about the core of the world, the relationship between crystals and magic. Do you all still remember the basic classification of magic?"
"Yes," Papalymo nodded. "The crystals and magic originating from the Mother Crystal correspond one-to-one. White magic corresponds to the Light Crystal, representing soul and life, while black magic corresponds to the Dark Crystal, representing matter and elements. That should be correct." The power of all magic comes from the aether particles converted into magical energy through the crystals. Humans resonate with the crystals to gain the ability to utilize and manipulate aether to cast magic. Essentially, that's how magic is released.
"But actually, there are two special kinds of crystals behind these," Alphinaud said as he placed two pieces on the table. "This is the Light Crystal and the Dark Crystal," he said, then symmetrically placed two more pieces between them, forming a square. "These are the Red Crystal and the Blue Crystal."
"The Red Crystal represents unchanging laws, while the Blue Crystal represents the chaotic nature of change. In fact, our entire magic system is based on these four crystals." Alphinaud then took out three more pieces and placed them on the board.
"Unchanging life corresponds to summoning magic; the ever-changing soul corresponds to the unique sound magic of bards; unchanging matter and elements correspond to astrology," he explained. "This is what we currently know about the common types of magic. In reality... the four crystals each correspond to a type of magic that also aligns with a particular job: Red Magic and Blue Magic, as well as the mutable matter and the world—instant magic."
(The magic system mentioned above is indeed derived from the FF series, featuring the four classic types: Red, Blue, Black, and White, along with the special types of Summoning, Time, Astrology, and Performance. Additionally, there are two extremely unique types: Holy White Magic and Destruction Magic, with the former represented by spells from FF9, and the latter represented by a technique from the character Safer Sephiroth, commonly referred to as the "Sunshine effect.")
"So, are you saying that Huihui's job might be one of these three that have yet to appear?" Minfilia asked with confusion. "But what if she isn't actually a magic-type job?"
"Well, this is just Master Louis's hypothesis," Alphinaud said. "Hmm~ In fact, I've seen the appearance of a Red Mage, so from a side perspective, the existence of the remaining two magical powers is quite likely." He continued, "Moreover, I have reviewed all the notes and ancient texts, and the one with the closest soul patterns to hers is this one..."
"Blue Crystal? Blue Magic? What kind of power is that?"
"Blue Magic corresponds to pure transformation, so I don't really know what kind of power that entails. What about you, Uriange?"
"I have... a bit of an impression of it. I feel like I've heard this somewhere before." Uriange fell into deep thought. "Blue Magic... where have I heard that phrase before~?"
"I feel like besides being able to eat a lot, Huihui doesn't seem to have any other abilities," someone remarked. Yes, from the current perspective, it did seem that besides her exceptional appetite, she had no other redeeming qualities.
"Eating... food... wait, that's very close," Uriange's memory started to sharpen. "That's right, food! Eating Magic! Yes, Eating Magic—another term for this very special system is 'Blue Magic'! So, the corresponding job, which is Blue Mage, I know what it is!"
"What is it?" everyone asked in unison.
"It's Mimic! Yes, that's right—it's Mimic! Mimes are the Blue Mages; they learn the abilities of monsters by somehow consuming them, absorbing their power, which allows them to take on the appearance of those monsters and use their corresponding special abilities." (According to official FF series lore)
"Magic that you can learn just by eating sounds wonderful!" Ida exclaimed with longing.
"But it's not a skill that can be easily learned," he continued. "In reality, while Blue Mages can devour the powers of monsters to learn their skills, they also have to bear considerable mental and physical loads. For a human body to forcibly simulate and contain the magic of monsters is a very challenging task that requires a lot of practice and comes at significant costs. Hmm, perhaps this unusual appetite is one of the side effects."
"So how does a Mimic consume a monster? It shouldn't be as simple as just eating it, right?"
"Yes, that's the problem. I'm not clear on exactly how they 'consume' monsters. It's said that only the 'Eater Clan' knows about this special magic system, but... what they actually look like and where they are remains a mystery," Uriange summarized. "Also, right now, we're only speculating and aren't certain that her crystal is indeed that of a Blue Mage."
"So, in the end, we'll need to take it out and have her use it once to see," he continued. "But how do we get Huihui to use it?"
"That's simple! We can take her fishing!" The black mage said with a confident expression. "Since she loves to eat fish and may be a Blue Mage who gains skills by consuming monsters, then taking her fishing should work!"
"Sounds reasonable, let's go with that. But everyone needs to make sure to protect Huihui, alright?"
"Not a problem!" everyone stated they would do their best.
The next day, the young dragon sleepily followed the white mage she trusted onto a bird carriage because she said she would take her to eat fish. In her worldview and value system, anyone who shares food must be friendly. For most animals, those willing to share food are generally seen as good, while those unwilling to share are often considered a form of "food" themselves in the eyes of higher predators.
"This direction is Shiralnosia, right? Wait, you mean fishing doesn't refer to actually fishing for that kind of fish, does it?" The warrior from the Lightbearer team displayed a look of terror. "Those fishmen aren't really fish! Isn't that too dangerous?!"
"Exactly, it's a perfect opportunity for a test. Plus, we'll be there to protect you, so nothing will happen," the black mage, now switched to astrologian, summoned a small fairy that was ready to apply buffs and provide protection for Huihui. Honestly, the team already had a warrior, a knight, and two healers, which made for a very secure configuration, not to mention that there were also other members of the Dawn Blood Alliance present.
"Fish?" Huihui had learned her first human word recently and thought that the creatures referred to as fish didn't quite resemble fish. They seemed way too big and were wielding weapons, so...
"Huihui, aren't you going to use that crystal?"
"Ow?" The young dragon looked confused at the crystal in her hand. Why did she need to use it? Wasn't it supposed to be them catching fish for her to eat? Why did she have to go hunting herself? Though, it seemed like hunting for herself might not be a bad idea; it would be a good way to get some exercise.
After thinking for a moment, the young dragon grasped the crystal and made a surprising move that caught everyone off guard. "She—she swallowed it~!"
"Well, it truly is Eating Magic!" The crystal was bitten by Huihui and then transformed into countless aether particles that vanished. "Next up is the Mimic state..." The Lightbearer stared in shock at the wing plates that seemed to form a wall in front of them. "...right?"
"Yes, this is quite unexpected~," Uriange adjusted his glasses. "Who did you say you were supposed to protect?"
"Hahaha~," Minfilia chuckled awkwardly.
"Ow~" The young dragon spread her wings. Compared to the awkwardness of being in a human form that required wearing so-called clothing, she felt much more comfortable in her original state. However, as soon as she transformed, she felt an overwhelming hunger. Even though she hadn't felt that hungry in her human form, now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts. Those dark-scaled fishmen weren't fools; a large creature like her appearing in front of them clearly wasn't something that ordinary fishmen could handle.
"Has Huihui ever eaten a dragon?"
"She probably has." With wings unfurled, flames roared out, and her four limbs transitioned from a walk to a light run, then to a full sprint, ultimately leaping and curling her body beneath her. The broad surface of her jetting wings propelled her heavy body into the sky, before diving down. "Puff!" Fishmen blood splattered across the sky. Although she didn't particularly enjoy eating raw meat, her stomach was so hungry that she couldn't wait to return and cook, so she would have to make do with what she had now.
"This is... really eating raw meat~. My understanding of Blue Magic is still too superficial~," Alphinaud chuckled awkwardly. He had originally thought that "eating" was merely a descriptor, something similar to absorption. But instead, it turned out she was actually eating, and it was quite a bloody and brutal scene. "I think... Huihui isn't using Blue Magic. She's genuinely hungry and eating." The white mage Ayla hesitantly said, "It seems she's really eating because she's hungry!!!!"
"Oh my god, someone stop her! That's not something edible!"
Stopping the hungry dragon from eating would come at a great cost. Fortunately, while fishmen were off the menu, there were still other things to eat, like crabs, grass lizards, and dodos. "So, in the end, is Blue Magic just about mimicking the forms of monsters to gain their powers? But how does she do it?" Uriange's research enthusiasm was fully ignited. However, since Huihui couldn't speak, his communication with her was basically like talking to a wall.
"Chomp chomp~" Huihui was gulping down the roasted fat dodo bird. Out in the wild, the best she could manage was simple grilling. What's more, she did all the hunting and cooking herself, while the Lightbearer and Dawn members were essentially mooching off her. They should be grateful that Huihui hadn't found any "Crystal Salt" or other "human-restricted" seasonings and was only using normal condiments, so they could also scavenge a bit of leftover scraps to fill their stomachs.
On another note, the blunt-snouted newts living in Shiralnosia were facing their doom. Originally, as creatures containing a large amount of pufferfish toxin, no gourmet had ever considered them for their tender meat. However, for Huihui, who could use poisonous bag plants, which could even poison female fire dragons, as a spicy seasoning... they were just like pufferfish—delicious and naturally spicy creatures, almost like walking chili strips. The toxins and gelatinous secretions they relied on clearly didn't matter to Huihui.
Ah, in a way, Huihui was also doing a good deed for the official Sea City by directly exterminating the blunt-snouted newt population that needed regular culling. It was unlikely they would recover their vitality for years to come, and because they were monsters, these creatures were rich in aether particles, leading to the formation of a very small aether crystal mixed with dragon pearls within her body, serving as additional fuel and enhancement.
"Looking on the bright side, although she has a big appetite, while you're dealing with the symbols, you can also feed her," Minfilia awkwardly tried to comfort the new members. However, they appeared even more despondent. "Not all monsters are edible. We can't just go around catching Cancer the Crab every day, right? Plus, some symbols are specifically for dealing with thieves. Wait, Huihui doesn't eat people, does she?" This question was serious. With her indifferent nature and audacity to shove anything into her mouth except for insects...
"She probably won't eat people, right?" Indeed, Huihui wouldn't eat humans. Humans weren't part of her diet; to be precise, she concluded from some useless knowledge in her memory that "human flesh isn't tasty" and it could lead to illness. So, she simply removed humans from her menu. It can only be said that she didn't understand that diseases like Zulu sickness stem from cannibalism, so eating humans wouldn't pose any physiological problems for her—only this misunderstanding remained unexplained by anyone. Even if someone could clarify it, they would never engage in such foolishness.
Moreover, based on Huihui's personal observations, it seemed that most flying dragons and creatures wouldn't prey on humans. This further validated her understanding that humans weren't tasty and could get sick; otherwise, hunters would have genuinely experienced casualties by now, nailed by dragon spears and then dismembered and eaten.
Although Huihui disliked being in human form, one thing needed to be noted: what happens if you eat too many chili strips? For a creature with severe injuries on its hindquarters, the result of overindulging in chili strips would be... Huihui silently reverted to her human form, squatting quietly in a corner of the campfire. It was obvious to anyone that she was in a terrible mood—she never bothered to hide her emotions—much like a small animal, her likes and dislikes, joy, anger, and sadness were all incredibly evident.
Ps:
About Huihui's Job Crystal
As Dawn had guessed, it indeed possessed the power of the Blue Crystal—Mimic, or what could be called a Blue Mage. This job involves absorbing the powers of monsters through full moons to gain their skills, and then using corresponding abilities by mimicking the appearance of these monsters. The process also requires a large number of props for simulation, making it a kind of mimetic job.
Moreover, this job appears in the FF series, though not in every installment. It is similar to the Time Mage in that it is one of the less frequently encountered early professions, but it still has a relatively significant role, especially in FF9, which provides a more detailed description of Blue Magic, also known as Eating Magic.
However, there is a misunderstanding on the part of the Lightbearer team: Huihui's true form is a dragon, while the dragon girl is merely an imitation created through Mimic's powers. Therefore, damage sustained by the dragon will reflect onto the dragon girl, but the opposite is not true. For Mimics, the aether-simulated forms of monsters can be likened to a costume. If they are taken down during this process, they simply revert to their original human form without taking any damage.
In time, Huihui will gradually become familiar with the inheritance of the job crystal and learn some of the Blue Magic. Currently, this is the only type of magic that will not disrupt the balance between the two sides since, if it were Red Magic... ah, Red Magic belongs to the battle mage class, capable of rapid casting and unleashing a series of Red Gale and Red Lightning to pretend to be a hybrid of a Steel Dragon and a Kirin—hunters would basically have to give up.
Furthermore, issues similar to this exist for Bard, Summoner, Time Mage, Black and White Magic, and Astrologian as well. A Steel Dragon using Black Magic... would turn into a bombing aircraft—strategic bomber. That's right; one of the ultimate skills in Black Magic is called "Nuclear Explosion," and yes, that is its literal meaning.
Although it performs poorly in-game due to being an MMO, in the FF series' history of magical cutscenes, "Nuclear Explosion" is indeed that "Nuclear Explosion." On top of that, there are "Million Nuclear Explosions" and "Billion Nuclear Explosions," simply signifying million-ton and billion-ton yields respectively... This is considered an ultimate magic, generally used for massive displays such as annihilating deities, ultimate weapons of alien colonizers, planet-destroying (like in FF9's Terra), or city-leveling.