The dead silence in the courtyard was broken by Aileen. She glanced at the guard who was slumped on the ground and Lillian, whose face was pale. She said nothing more, just nodded to Lin Qin, then turned around and walked quickly to the hall. Her steps were a little more decisive than usual.
Lillian came back to his senses and glared at Lin Qin in shock and anger, but did not dare to say any more evil words. He could only stamp his feet bitterly and followed with the remaining frightened guards.
Lin Qin still stood there, his eyes sweeping across the exquisite courtyard, and finally landed on the gurgling fountain.
The water element is active and docile, vaguely echoing the aura of Aileen. The environment here is indeed suitable for her practice, but it is obvious that Hawk Family, this seemingly peaceful harbor, has long been undercurrent.
The sound of arguments in the front hall was faintly heard, mixed with Lillian's high-pitched voice and the arrogant voice of another strange man. Lin Qin did not listen to the specific content, and there was no need to listen. The gap in strength made these worldly disputes look pale and ridiculous in his eyes.
After a while, the voices in the front hall gradually became quieter and finally became quiet.
Footsteps sounded, and Aileen left and returned. Behind him was an old man with gray hair, a sad face, and wearing an old-style noble dress. He was the current patriarch of the Hawk Family and the father of Aileen. Old Hawk. Lillian also followed behind. His face was still ugly, but he did not dare to say anything anymore.
When Old Hawk saw Lin Qin in the courtyard, a trace of uncertainty flashed in his cloudy eyes. He had just been in the front hall and saw with his own eyes the always arrogant steward of the Viscount Kallen family. After Aileen showed a seemingly ordinary token, his attitude instantly changed 180 degrees, and he left almost in a mess with the secretary of the city lord's palace. Only then did he realize that this "distinguished guest" in his daughter's mouth might have energy far beyond his imagination.
"Father, this is Lin Qin----eldest brother." Aileen introduced, with a hint of subtle respect in his tone.
Old Hawk hurriedly stepped forward, with a very low posture, and bowed in salute. "Hoke has met Mr. Lin Qin! I didn't know that Mr. Lin Qin was here, and I apologize for not being able to welcome you from afar!" Although he didn't know the specific identity of Lin Qin, the invisible pressure and the reaction of the Cullen family manager made him understand that this was an existence that the Hawke family could never afford to offend.
Lin Qin nodded slightly as a return gift, but looked at Aileen: "Has it been processed?"
"Yes." Aileen nodded, "The Karen family will not bother with the fishery for the time being." She did not elaborate on the process, but the result was obvious.
Old Hawk opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, such as to retain Aileen, or to ask about Lin Qin's origins and intentions, but under the calm gaze of Lin Qin, all the words were blocked in his throat. He felt that he was as transparent in front of the other party, and no small thoughts could be hidden.
Lin Qin's eyes returned to Aileen: "Decided?"
"It's decided." Aileen answered resolutely. She turned to Old Hawk, with reluctance in her eyes, but more determined, "Father, my daughter will leave Azure Wave City with brother Lin Qin and go to Chaos Territory."
"What?!" Old Hawk and Lillian exclaimed at the same time.
"Aileen! You are crazy!" Lillian screamed, "Chaos Territory Where is that place? It is lawless, bloody and barbaric! What good will happen if you go there? Even if our Hawke family is not as good as before, we are still imperial nobles, you----"
"Shut up!" Old Hawk shouted in a rare stern tone to stop Lillian. He could see more clearly than his daughter. The young man in gray in front of him could easily scare away the Cullen family, and his power was probably far beyond their knowledge. Aileen followed him, or Xu Cai is the only chance for the Hawke family to rise again, although this opportunity comes with huge risks. He swallowed hard and looked at Aileen: "Aileen, have you really thought about it? That place is far away and very dangerous."
"I've thought about it, father." Aileen held Old Hawk's old hand, his tone was soft but unshakable, "Staying in Azure Wave City, the Hawke family can only survive in the cracks. My daughter wants to see a wider world, and also wants to find a new possibility for the family. Please believe me, and please - take care of yourself."
Old Hawk Seeing the unprecedented look and determination in his daughter's eyes, it finally turned into a long sigh and nodded heavily, "Okay - okay - you go. Home - don't worry." He knew that he couldn't stop it, and he couldn't stop it.
Aileen's eyes were slightly red, and she took a deep breath to suppress the sadness of parting. She turned to Lin Qin: "Brother Lin Qin, I can leave at any time."
"There is no need to prepare anything, Dragon Rock Territory is not short of supplies." Lin Qin said, "Say goodbye to your father."
Aileen nodded and whispered a few words to Old Hawk, which were nothing more than instructions to take care and not to read them.
Lillian's expression changed on the side, but in the end he just snorted coldly and turned away.
After a while, Aileen walked out carrying a simple luggage. The luggage was small and obviously only contained some important items and magic notes.
"Let's go." Lin Qin said.
He walked out first, followed closely by Aileen. When they passed the gate of the mansion, the guards saw them, especially Lin Qin, and subconsciously straightened their bodies, with awe in their eyes, and no one dared to stop them.
After walking out of Hawke's mansion and standing on the wet street of Azure Wave City, Aileen looked back at the mansion that had carried all her efforts and struggles since her return. Her eyes were complicated, but she quickly turned back, her eyes becoming firm and clear.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Leave the city first." Lin Qin kept walking, "Pallas is waiting outside the city."
"Pallas?" Aileen was startled, and then he remembered the majestic Golden Holy Dragon back then, and his heart couldn't help but feel tense, and there was also a faint expectation.
The two of them walked out of the city on foot without taking a carriage. Lin Qin's pace seemed unpleasant, but Aileen needed to use his magic power to barely keep up. There were familiar scenery on both sides of the street, small bridges, flowing water, and numerous shops, but Aileen knew that from the moment she stepped out of the Hawke Mansion, her fate with this city might have ended here.
The process of leaving the city went smoothly. The soldiers guarding the city seemed to have received some instructions. When they saw Lin Qin and Aileen, they just saluted respectfully and did not question them.
Arriving in a secluded mountain forest outside the city, Aileen saw a huge beast lying lazily there in the distance. Its golden scales shone dazzlingly in the sunlight filtering through the forest leaves, and its huge dragon eyes were half-open and half-closed, exuding a heart-stopping dragon power. It was none other than Golden Holy Dragon Pallas.
Feeling the breath of Lin Qin, Pallas raised his head, and the huge head came closer and spurted out a stream of hot air, making Aileen couldn't help but take half a step back.
"Master." Pallas's voice sounded directly in Lin Qin's mind. At the same time, the huge dragon eye glanced at Aileen with a hint of curiosity, "Is this the person you want to pick up? A little human mage?"
"Yeah." Lin Qin responded and said to Aileen, "Come up."
Aileen looked at Pallas's mountain-like body and scales that shimmered with cold light, and she was inevitably a little scared. But she gritted her teeth, mustered up the courage, and climbed onto the dragon's back after Pallas lowered her body slightly. The dragon scales were hard and cold, and it was not comfortable to sit on, but an indescribable excitement and pride surged in her heart. Riding on the Saint Realm dragon was something that many magicians could not even dream of!
Lin Qin also jumped slightly and landed in front of Aileen.
"Sit tight." He reminded.
The next moment, Pallas let out a deep Dragon Roar, and its huge wings suddenly spread out and flapped hard!
"Hoo--!"
The strong wind suddenly rose, and the vegetation on the ground was crushed. Golden Holy Dragon's huge body rose into the sky, breaking through the clouds in an instant.
Aileen couldn't help but exclaimed, and tightly grasped the cold dragon scales under her. The strong air flow hit her face, making her almost unable to open her eyes, and her heart was beating wildly in her chest. She looked down, and Azure Wave City quickly shrunk into squares on the chessboard. The winding rivers and vast lakes were like shining ribbons and gems. This was a perspective she had never experienced before, overlooking the earth, and everything was small.
The flight gradually stabilized, and Pallas maintained an extremely fast speed and flew toward the northwest. The scenery below quickly retreated, with mountains, rivers, cities, and wilderness——passing by one by one.
Aileen gradually adapted to flying at high altitudes. She loosened her grip on the dragon scales, straightened her hair and robes that were messed up by the wind, and looked at the tall and silent back of Lin Qin in front of her, with mixed feelings in her heart.. A few years ago, she was Ernst Institute, an ordinary student who worked silently and looked up at his back; a few years later, she actually sat on the back of the Saint Realm dragon, following him to a territory created by him.
"Brother Lin Qin," she couldn't help but speak, her voice a little erratic in the wind, "Dragon Rock Territory----What does it look like now?"
Lin Qin did not look back, and the voice came calmly. "A land that is establishing order. There are cities, armies, and people who are trying to survive. There are also many things to do."
His description was very simple, but it made Aileen sketch a picture full of vitality and challenges in his mind. Chaos Territory, the legendary lawless land, was being reshaped in his hands.
"What can I do?" she asked, with a hint of apprehension and expectation.
"Use your strengths." Lin Qin said, "Management, coordination, or studying Water Element magic, training mages. Dragon Rock Territory requires various talents."
His answer was still direct, but it made Aileen feel at ease a lot. She was not just a protector, she had her own value.
The flight lasted for several days. Pallas was traveling extremely fast and covered a long distance. During this period, they took a short rest in some inaccessible places. Lin Qin would point out Aileen's magic at will, which was often very accurate, and she benefited a lot. Aileen could feel that Lin Qin's strength was already unfathomable compared to that of the academy.
On this day, the scenery of the land below began to change. The vegetation was no longer as lush and moist as Southeast Province, but more rough and desolate like Northlands. In the distance, the outline of a continuous city wall appeared on the horizon.
"Ahead is the border of Dragon Rock Territory." Lin Qin's voice sounded.
Aileen was refreshed and stared at it. The city looked more majestic than Azure Wave City, with taller and thicker walls. The patrolling soldiers and formidable city defense equipment could be vaguely seen above. A chilling and orderly atmosphere could be vaguely felt even at high altitudes.
Pallas made a long Dragon Roar sound, which seemed to announce the return of the lord.
The sound of Dragon Roar spread, and there was a commotion in the city below. Then, horns sounded continuously, and the flags on the city wall began to dance regularly.
Golden Holy Dragon carried the two people, like a king patrolling his territory, slowly descending towards the city that symbolizes power and order - Black Wind City.
Aileen knows that a new life is about to begin.