In Yagda City, the events of the past two days were the talk of every street and alley.
Gossip always traveled fastest. The full story behind Viswo's "blown-up fortress" had spread throughout Yagda City early on. The clerk Pabo had been set up by Viswo, driven into gambling debt, and forced to commit suicide. Using debt collection as a pretext, Viswo had forcibly seized Pabo's two daughters, Tess and Qili. Tess's fiancé, Kaldira, happened to return from Starlight Academy and rushed to save Tess regardless of the danger.
Just as Kaldira and the Tess sisters were surrounded by thugs sent by Viswo and plunged into peril, Lierd, one of Mage Tower Grove's three Saint-level mages, happened to pass by with two friends. Unable to stand the sight of injustice, he drove the thugs back. Viswo then personally led men over to make arrests. Lierd happened to be absent, and Viswo was knocked down by Lierd's friends. Humiliated and enraged, Viswo actually activated the large-scale destructive magic scroll, "Hellfire." Fortunately, Lierd arrived in time and stopped the scroll from erupting. Otherwise, the hundreds of people present would all have died unjust deaths.
After Lierd stopped "Hellfire," the veiled lady among his friends furiously struck out and blew up Viswo's lower half. At that moment, Rioldo, another of Mage Tower Grove's three Saint-level mages alongside Lierd, arrived and made insulting remarks toward the lady.
It was said that Rioldo's mother had been an illegitimate daughter from a collateral branch of the Mogaosi Family and had died long ago. The current Mogaosi Family head, Moya, had been on rather good terms with Rioldo since childhood. Rioldo had therefore joined the Mogaosi Family, and after becoming one of Mage Tower Grove's three great mages, he became the Mogaosi Family's solid backing.
Rioldo's filthy language