"Where's your teacher? Did he come back with you?"
Philip looked at Linley, forcing himself to remain calm.
He realized things didn't seem to be going the way he'd expected.
At first, Philip had been certain that Hogg had staged a scene with Viscount Locke in front of everyone because Wushan Town had been destroyed.
The point was to use the nonexistent title of "mage" to swindle people out of their money.
So Philip had been certain that Hogg would never dare let his son Linley come back.
Over the past few months, Philip had kept encouraging the surrounding nobles to pressure Hogg.
At first, everyone had still been intimidated by the title of "mage." It wasn't until the past month that some nobles gradually began to catch on and started visiting Wushan Town frequently with Philip.
But now, why had Linley dared to come back?
The four barons beside him were already having second thoughts. Philip naturally couldn't let that happen.
Sure enough, after Philip spoke, the four barons also turned their eyes toward Linley.
He wore fitted clothes suitable for movement, with a rat perched on his shoulder and a backpack on his back.
Other than that, he had nothing with him—certainly no so-called Master Mage.
"Yes, Linley. We heard you'd become an apprentice to a mage, so we came to congratulate you."
"That's right, Linley. It'll also give us a chance to meet your teacher."
"..."
With Philip speaking up, the other four barons found their courage and began questioning Linley as well.
Looking at the five men, Linley's lips curled into a cold smile. Then he raised his head and looked up at the sky.
The others were puzzled, so they followed his gaze.
A tiny black speck rapidly approached in the sky. In the blink of an eye, it was overhead, its enormous shadow covering the entire courtyard.
It was an eagle, with green wings spanning more than ten meters and three golden feathers on its forehead swaying in the wind.
The Green-Winged Golden-Feathered Eagle, a Level Nine Magical Beast with both Wind and Lightning Elements.
"Xiao Jin, sorry to trouble you, but please go back and tell my teacher I've arrived home safely."
"Caw~"
At Linley's words, the Green-Winged Golden-Feathered Eagle cried out and beat its wings.
A gale swept through, and in the blink of an eye, it had disappeared into the sky.
"L-Linley, what was that just now?"
Hogg looked at Linley, his voice trembling.
"Xiao Jin is my teacher's magical beast," Linley replied with a smile. "My teacher is preparing to break through to the Saint-level, so he could only send me back on his magical beast."
"Saint-level?"
Before Linley had even finished speaking, Philip blurted out in disbelief, "Linley, your teacher is a Ninth-rank Mage?"
As Philip spoke, his whole body trembled, and his face turned deathly pale.
"Viscount Philip, and you four barons." Linley's expression turned cold as he looked at them. "I've just gotten home. Could you let me speak with my father in private?"
"Y-yes, of course." Philip nodded rapidly. "We've disturbed you. We'll leave right away."
Philip looked as if he were about to cry as he scrambled away.
"Damn it, Philip! Didn't you say Linley could never become the apprentice of a powerful mage?"
"That's right, Philip. What do we do now? Linley's teacher is about to become a Saint-level powerhouse."
"Philip, we have to mend our relationship with the Baruch Clan."
"Philip, this is all your fault."
"..."
As soon as they left Baruch Mansion, the four barons immediately turned on Philip.
But by then, Philip was too overwhelmed to argue.
All he could think about was what would become of his family after he'd offended the disciple of a mage on the verge of reaching the Saint-level.
Never mind anything else—there would surely be people who tried to curry favor with Linley by targeting his family.
The Philip Clan was truly finished!
Meanwhile, inside Baruch Mansion.
"Hahahaha!" Hillman burst out laughing after Philip and the others had left. "Linley, we have you to thank for this. While you were away, Philip came by all the time. I can finally get this off my chest!"
Hogg didn't laugh aloud, but the corners of his mouth lifted as he looked at Linley with delight.
"Linley, come inside with me." Hogg reached out and took Linley by the hand. "Is your teacher really about to reach the Saint-level?"
"That's right, Father." Linley nodded. "My teacher has already begun his final push to reach the Saint-level."
Linley's expression was calm. This was the story Lin Ke had told him to use after leaving the Magical Beast Forest.
Linley was too young. An eight-year-old Rank 9 Warrior and Level Seven Mage—
That was nothing remarkable across the Coiling Dragon Universe, but on the Yulan Continent, it would draw far too much attention.
So until Linley could protect himself from danger, he still needed to keep up a disguise.
As for the Green-Winged Golden-Feathered Eagle, it was actually a magical beast Linley had beaten into submission before leaving the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Of course, Linley hadn't made a contract with it.
Only a few members of the Green-Winged Golden-Feathered Eagle's kind could reach the Saint-level.
Linley's standards were higher now. To put it simply, he'd only consider making a contract if a beast was already at the Saint-level when it reached adulthood.
Bebe was different.
Putting aside the system quest from the beginning,
Linley had already come to regard Bebe as family after these six months together.
"Your teacher is about to reach the Saint-level. Do you still need to take the Magic Test, Linley?"
Hogg looked at Linley curiously, and Linley nodded.
"My teacher said I'm too young, so I should go to the academy and spend time with others my age. Besides, reaching the Saint-level isn't something that can be done quickly, so I should find a place to study magic too."
Too young!
Hogg felt dazed when he heard Linley's words.
He looked at Linley standing before him.
Over 1.7 meters tall, Linley was only a head shorter than he was.
If you didn't look at his face, you might think Linley was already an adult.
But in truth, Linley was only eight, with a child's face.
I'm not a good father!
Hogg felt a pang of sadness, but when he thought of his dead wife, he could only force down his reluctance.
He would raise his children to adulthood, then go avenge his wife.
That had become Hogg's obsession.
But now Linley had a mage for a teacher—and a Ninth-rank Mage at that.
As long as he waited until Wharton turned six and had his bloodline tested, he could go take his revenge with peace of mind.
"Father, I have a gift for you."
Linley hadn't noticed Hogg's change in mood and continued speaking.
Then Linley brushed his left hand over the ring on his right ring finger, and ten Magic Cores appeared on the table.
"This is... a Space Ring?"
Hogg cried out in shock at the sight.
This was a Space Ring!
The Baruch Clan had once owned a Space Ring, but unfortunately, neither Hogg nor his father nor his grandfather had ever seen it.
"That's right, Father. It's a Space Ring."
Linley nodded. He had exchanged for the Space Ring through the system.
It hadn't cost much—only 1,000 Green Energy Points. It had an interior space of 1,000 cubic meters, which was more than enough.
"These are ten Magic Cores from Rank 8 Magical Beasts, worth over a million gold coins in total." As he spoke, Linley pushed the ten cores toward Hogg. "My teacher sent them as a gift for you, Father."
"A million... gold coins?"
Hogg cried out in shock again.
Magical Beasts only developed Magic Cores once they reached Rank 3.
But the Magic Cores of low-level beasts weren't worth much.
Even a Rank 6 Magical Beast's core was worth only about a thousand gold coins.
The price only soared once they reached Rank 7.
A Rank 7 Magical Beast's core was worth around ten thousand gold coins.
As for Rank 8 Magical Beasts, their cores generally sold for a hundred thousand each, and the cores of some rare beasts could fetch several hundred thousand.
Receiving ten Rank 8 Magical Beast cores at once, Hogg's hands trembled as he took them.
At the same time, however, his desire to avenge his wife grew stronger and stronger.
Before you continue