Lin Ke: Should I stop Huo Ge from going to his death? (Seeking follow-up reads)

[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission, White Energy Point +100]

"It actually worked?" Doehring watched the scene before him, feeling somewhat surprised. "Linley, your luck is truly incredible. Once this Shadow Mouse grows up, it will be enough to safely secure your path to becoming a seventh-rank mage."

Doehring wore a smile on his face.

The Shadow Mouse is a low-level magical beast, and its growth potential is not particularly high.

Even in the Dark Forest, Saint-level mouse-type magical beasts are not common.

But raising one to the sixth rank is certainly no problem, and with good luck, the seventh rank is not impossible.

However, that is already enough.

If a mage can reach the seventh rank, their combat power undergoes a qualitative change.

"Little guy." Linley smiled as he extended his right hand to cradle the Shadow Mouse. "Since we have already signed an equal contract, how should I address you? What is your name?"

"Bei... Bei..."

"Beibei?" Linley raised an eyebrow. "Then from now on, you shall be called Beibei."

Clearly, this Shadow Mouse had not been born for long, as it could not even speak complete words during their soul communication.

Meanwhile, inside the System Space, Lin Ke took a photo of Linley and Beibei.

Linley's greatest cheat in the early stages was not the Coiling Dragon Ring, nor was it his teacher, Doehring.

It was Beibei.

The descendant of the Chief Sovereign Beirut, the master of the Yulan Plane, and the second God-Eater Rat in billions of planes.

Not to mention the monstrous growth of a divine beast.

The background of Beirut alone had already provided Linley with great convenience.

Of course, this help was invisible.

In fact, if not for the equal contract, Linley would likely have been killed the instant Beirut discovered him.

Even when Linley later became a god, Beirut did not actually value him that much.

It was not until Linley returned to the Four Divine Beasts Clan and made a name for himself in the Infernal Realm that Beirut truly acknowledged him.

Inside the System Space, Lin Ke shook the photo in his hand, his left fingers tapping against the armrest of the sofa.

"Beirut should be discovering Beibei's existence soon." Lin Ke leaned back, sprawling into the sofa. "When that happens, Beirut will definitely scan through Linley's memories, so I need to be prepared."

Thinking of this, Lin Ke snapped his fingers with his right hand.

Within the soul space, which Linley could not sense at the moment, a memory created by Lin Ke appeared.

This memory contained all of Linley's past experiences.

But it had completely erased the existence of Lin Ke.

"In reality, if Beirut hadn't been pushed into a corner and been so difficult to control, he would have been the most suitable host."

Lin Ke's expression was somewhat regretful.

Unlike Linley, who was just a child, Beirut had already spent countless years roaming the Infernal Realm.

He had even snatched the corpses of the Four Divine Beasts and the Sovereign Spark right out from under the nose of the Chief Sovereign of Light.

At that time, Lin Ke's energy points were exhausted, and he had no way to gain Beirut's trust.

In fact, he might have even been rejected as a scheme of the Chief Sovereign of Light.

That would have only wasted more time.

"But working with Linley is going quite well." Lin Ke glanced at his energy point balance, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "After the contract, I gained another 9,900 energy points."

Although it was still far from the body Lin Ke envisioned, this was already a good start.

In the outside world, Linley had successfully contracted Beibei and couldn't wait to return home.

With 100 energy points in the bank, Linley was already itching to exchange for Dragonblood and awaken his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline.

However, late into the night, when Linley proposed exchanging for the Dragonblood, Lin Ke stopped him.

"Linley, you should think this through carefully." Lin Ke crossed his legs, watching Linley in the outside world. "Twelve hours of continuous, agonizing pain—you first need a secret space where you won't be disturbed by others. At home, that is definitely not possible."

Lin Ke's words made Linley pause.

"I understand, Brother Lin Ke." Linley lowered his head to ponder for a moment. "I will ask my father tomorrow for a day off to rest."

As his voice faded, Linley lay on his bed, almost forcing himself to sleep.

Early the next morning.

At breakfast, after washing up, Linley sat in the dining room, looking at Hogg, who was sitting at the head of the table, hesitating several times before speaking.

"Father!" Finally, as breakfast ended and Hogg was about to leave, Linley spoke up: "I would like to ask you for a day off."

Linley kept his head low, not daring to meet Hogg's eyes.

"Leave of absence?" A flicker of confusion crossed Hogg's eyes. "What for? Hadley and the others won't be interrupting their training, so what could you possibly be doing on your own?"

Hogg assumed Linley was just trying to slack off to go play with friends, and his expression gradually turned sour.

"No, that's not it, Father." Linley shook his head hurriedly. "I, I am..."

Linley stammered, unsure of how to explain himself.

Big Brother Lin Ke had told him that he absolutely must not reveal his existence.

"Can't find the words?" Hogg's expression was stern. "In that case, all your lessons for today will be doubled."

With that, Hogg turned to walk away.

Inside the System Space, Lin Ke couldn't help but roll his eyes at the scene.

To be honest, Hogg's behavior was proof enough that, sometimes, boarding school wasn't such a bad thing.

Truth be told, if Linley hadn't entered the Ernst Institute and lived with his three brothers, with a father like Hogg, having lived in the Baruch Clan his entire life, he probably would have been driven mad.

"Linley, just say this." Lin Ke's voice rang out in Linley's mind. "Tell him you've been taken on as a disciple by a mage..."

"Father." Following the words in his mind, Linley hurried forward to catch up with Hogg. "It's like this: I've been taken on as a disciple by a mage, and I need to go learn from my teacher today."

Linley's words only made Hogg's expression even uglier.

Not only was he being mischievous and trying to skip class to play, but now he was lying too?

However, Lin Ke had already anticipated Hogg's reaction.

Therefore, the moment Linley finished speaking, he began to cast magic toward the ground in the distance.

"Earth Spike!"

As Linley's voice fell, the ground five or six meters away rose up.

Three earth spikes, over forty centimeters tall, burst forth from the soil.

The lecture Hogg had been about to deliver caught in his throat.

"Linley, you, you." Hogg turned back, looking at Linley in disbelief. "You really are a mage's disciple?"

"Yes, Father." Linley nodded. "This magic is what my teacher taught me recently."

"Good, good, good!" Hogg's expression turned ecstatic. "Linley, I approve your leave for today, and for the future as well. All your academic studies are suspended; you can manage your own time from now on."

Hogg's sudden excitement left Linley momentarily stunned.

"Go on, Linley." Hogg stepped forward with a smile. "Don't keep your teacher waiting."

Inside the System Space, Lin Ke rolled his eyes.

Arrogant at first and humble later; it was laughable to think about.

However, Lin Ke didn't bother to mock him directly in Linley's mind.

After all, this was Linley's father.

But Lin Ke was now considering something else.

Should he stop Hogg from going to his death?