Outside Wushan, Linley descended from the sky, ended his Dragon Transformation, and changed into a fresh set of clothes before heading into Wushan Town.
A nine-year-old Saint-level expert would attract far too much attention.
Especially since, on the way back, Linley had heard Lin Ke explain the situation on the Yulan Continent.
Linley had initially thought he was about to become the most powerful person on the Yulan Continent, but he quickly sobered up.
If the only powerful figures on the Yulan Continent were the War God and the High Priest, Linley was certain he could surpass them within ten years.
But the waters of the Yulan Continent seemed far too deep, and Linley couldn't be sure when he would truly become the most powerful person there.
So until he was strong enough, it was better to keep a low profile.
"Master Linley, you're back?"
"Master Linley, I heard you went with a mage to study magic?"
"Master Linley..."
"..."
It was afternoon, and many residents were out on the streets of Wushan Town. When they saw Linley, they came over to greet him.
Especially since the Baruch Clan had now become an Earl's family.
With a smile on his face, Linley greeted the townspeople as he walked along, exchanging greetings with the men and women of the town. It took him more than ten minutes to reach the gates of the Baruch estate.
"Uncle Hillman." Linley quickened his pace when he saw Hillman waiting by the gate. "Why are you out here?"
"Someone just told us you were back, so your father specifically asked me to wait here for you." Hillman smiled broadly. "Go on in. Your father's been waiting impatiently."
Hearing Hillman's words, Linley felt a surge of excitement.
After all, he was still a child, and he had been away from home for nearly a year.
"Linley!" As soon as Linley entered the estate, he saw Hogg waiting in the courtyard. "You're back. You're finally back!"
Hogg beamed as he looked Linley up and down. "You've grown a little taller. Good, very good!"
Perhaps the hatred over his wife's death had weighed on Hogg for so long that, now that he finally had the strength to seek revenge, he had relaxed—but no longer knew how to act around his son.
Linley's eyes glistened with tears. "Father, I'm home!"
"Good. It's good to have you back!" Hogg patted Linley on the shoulder. "Go see Wharton. He's been talking about you this whole time."
As soon as Hogg finished speaking, the butler, Hiri, came out from the back courtyard with Wharton.
The moment he saw Linley, Wharton opened his arms and ran toward him.
"Big brother!"
"Wharton!" Linley took a couple of steps forward and swept him up in his arms. "You've grown taller. You're almost a big boy now."
Looking at Wharton in his arms, Linley felt a little wistful.
Wharton had been born in January. He was five now, and in another year he would be old enough to have the concentration of his bloodline tested.
But now that Big Brother Lin Ke was here, even if Wharton's bloodline concentration was too low, he could still exchange for Dragon Blood and awaken it.
"Big brother." Wharton wrapped his arms around Linley's neck. "Father said you'd bring me a present when you came back."
"Of course." Linley smiled and turned his right hand over, taking a Level Nine Magical Beast Core from his Space Ring. "This is for you, Wharton."
"It's so pretty." Wharton's eyes lit up at the fiery red core. "Thank you, big brother!"
Unlike Wharton, Hogg's pupils contracted slightly the moment he saw the core.
A Level Nine Magical Beast Core cost at least several million gold coins, and it was practically impossible to buy one even if you had the money.
Yet Linley had handed one to Wharton as casually as if it were a little toy.
But then Hogg thought of Linley's strength, and he understood.
His son was still young, but after transforming into a Dragonblood Warrior, he was genuinely at the peak of the ninth rank.
Among those of the same rank, Ultimate Warriors were absolutely invincible.
With Linley's current strength, killing a few Level Nine Magical Beasts wouldn't be difficult at all.
And it wasn't just Linley. Even Hogg himself could probably kill one or two weaker Level Nine Magical Beasts if he was willing to pay a price.
"Linley." Hogg interrupted him as he continued playing with Wharton. "The Ernst Magic Institute is about to start its new term, and His Majesty has also bestowed an estate on us. Why don't we move to Fenlai City today?"
"Whatever you think is best, Father." Linley nodded. "But shouldn't we leave someone to look after the ancestral home?"
As he spoke, Linley looked at Hogg. The house itself wasn't worth much, but it held the ancestral tablets. They couldn't simply move all of them to Fenlai City.
"Don't worry, Master Linley. I'll stay behind," Hillman said with a smile. "Lord Hogg secured a baronial title for me. I don't have any land, but I can manage Wushan Town on his behalf."
"Congratulations, Uncle Hillman." Linley's eyes lit up. "Nade's getting older, too. You can send him to a warrior academy in Fenlai City."
"Don't worry, that's already been arranged." Hogg smiled. "Nade is already a student in the warrior class at Welin Magic Institute."
"That's right. It's all thanks to Lord Hogg," Hillman said with a sigh. "So, Master Linley, don't worry. Leave the ancestral home to me."
With Hillman and the guards watching over the ancestral home, Linley felt reassured.
At dusk, Linley, Hogg, Wharton, and the butler Hiri rode in a carriage to Fenlai City.
The estate Clayde had bestowed on Hogg was on Greenleaf Road. It wasn't the large mansion from the original story that had been given to Linley, but a smaller one.
Still, no matter how small it was, it was an estate within Fenlai City—and on Greenleaf Road, no less.
The families who lived on Greenleaf Road were the most powerful and influential in all of Fenlai City.
The Baruch Clan had been able to live there only because of Linley's supposed Ninth-rank Mage teacher.
On the way, Hogg told Linley quite a bit about what had happened since he left.
For example, Viscount Philip and several other barons had been stripped of their noble titles by the kingdom.
Their fiefs now all belonged to the Baruch Clan.
Hogg, however, had no interest in managing fiefs or anything of the sort.
He had only one thing in mind.
He would train hard while secretly searching for the enemies who had kidnapped and killed his wife.
In the original story, Hogg had seen no hope. So after receiving the many Magic Beast Cores Linley had given him, he had begun his revenge without regard for the consequences.
Unfortunately, he had misjudged the strength of the mastermind behind it all and ultimately died a tragic death.
But things were different now.
Hogg's future was clear: he would become a Saint-level expert.
He could even see both his sons becoming Saint-level experts as well.
So Hogg wasn't as reckless as he had been in the original story.
For Linley, though, this was a good thing.
Hogg might have been a very irresponsible father, but he was still Linley's father.
Linley had lost his mother when he was young, and having Hogg around would be good for his upbringing.
Of course, that was only if Hogg didn't treat him as harshly as he had before.
The estate came with servants, so there was no need to spend time cleaning.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, Linley had breakfast with his father and Wharton, then left the estate alone.
It was February 8. Linley was leaving to enroll at the Ernst Magic Institute.
The Ernst Magic Institute wasn't inside Fenlai City. It was in a forested area more than twenty miles to the south.
When Linley arrived at the entrance to the Ernst Magic Institute, a boy considerably shorter than him was already there, completing his enrollment.
An old man accompanied the boy.
When he saw Linley, the boy turned and greeted him. "Hello, I'm Reynolds, and I'm from the O'Brien Empire."
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