The Eighth-Level Dual-Element Mage, riding his magical beast—a Seventh Level Velociraptor—soon clashed with that mercenary squad, just as in the original story.
Let alone an Eighth-Level Dual-Element Mage, even the Seventh Level Velociraptor was more than that mercenary squad could handle.
So, the battle came swiftly and ended just as swiftly.
As the Velociraptor entangled the enemy, the mage atop its head chanted an incantation before suddenly unleashing powerful Eighth-Level Fire Magic:
"Dance of the Fire Serpent!"
Several fire serpents, each longer than the Velociraptor itself, lashed through the air. The temperature throughout the street surged abruptly, and many nearby houses burst apart under the blistering heat!
Fortunately, the residents had heard the commotion and fled in advance, so there were no casualties.
The thick fire serpents moved at incredible speed, wrapping directly around several members of the mercenary squad. Under the might of Eighth-Level Magic, they lasted only a few seconds before being reduced to ashes.
With that, the battle was over!
If I got close, I could kill that mage instantly.
Moke observed from the shadows, but he did not choose to make a move.
He was only eight years old now. If he launched a sneak attack, his chances of success would be higher than those of the greatest assassin!
After all, no one would believe that an eight-year-old child possessed the strength of an Eighth-Level Warrior.
"Pedro Shadow Diamond! I never expected to find the Pedro Shadow Diamond here!"
The mage standing atop the Velociraptor's head found a crystal among the ashes of the mercenaries and looked delighted.
"Whose territory is this?" he suddenly asked, sweeping his gaze around.
Moke could clearly sense Linley behind him becoming worried.
"Don't worry. It's fine. That mage doesn't look like he intends to hurt Father."
Moke comforted him quietly.
Both of them saw Hogg emerge from another direction.
"My lord, this is my territory," he said respectfully.
"Mm. Some houses were damaged in this battle. That mercenary squad should have had some gold coins on them. Find them and use them to compensate for the losses."
The mage spoke casually.
"Thank you, Lord Mage." Hogg was secretly delighted. It seemed this mage would not casually start killing people again.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
The ground shook once more as the Eighth-Level Mage departed with the Velociraptor.
"Linley, Moke, why are you two here?!"
At that moment, after giving Hillman a few instructions, Hogg caught sight of Linley and Moke out of the corner of his eye. He immediately let out a low shout, still shaken by fear.
"Father, we..." Linley stammered.
"Lord Hogg, it's my fault. I failed to notice Young Master Linley and Young Master Moke."
Hillman was startled as well. He had actually failed to notice the two little ones earlier.
"Forget it."
Hogg glared at the two of them, then waved his hand. "Hillman, go collect the gold coins and distribute them to the residents whose homes were damaged."
"Yes, my lord."
Hillman quickly left with the guards.
"Father!"
Moke suddenly spoke.
"What is it?" Hogg looked at his eldest son.
Moke said, "Father, should we have every household build a basement? That way, if they encounter a similar battle, they'll have somewhere to hide."
"Build basements?" Hogg began to consider it.
Moke pressed on, "This time, the gap in strength was too great, so the battle ended quickly. But if people of similar strength fought, it would probably be difficult for the battle to end quickly, and the damage would be far greater."
"And if a battle breaks out suddenly, or if there's a large-scale attack, the residents won't have anywhere to hide."
"All right. I'll send out the notice." Hogg finally smiled and nodded.
"Building shelters isn't difficult. It's just a matter of digging a hole. Some families even already have shelters." He considered the feasibility of the matter.
Seeing Hogg nod, Moke also breathed a sigh of relief.
If there were shelters, far fewer people would probably die in the Saint Realm battle before long.
That was already the limit of what he could do.
After all, even if Moke transformed, he only possessed the strength of an Eighth-Level Warrior right now.
He could not possibly stop two Saint Realm experts.
The Saint Realm lay above the Ninth Level, and Saint Realm experts were far more powerful than Ninth Level experts.
They were not on the same level at all.
"Huh? You caught prey again?" Hogg looked at the two sika deer in the kitchen in surprise.
Over the past half year, Moke had often trained in Wu Mountain and frequently brought back prey.
"Looks like you have some talent for hunting."
Hogg did not care much about that. He was more pleased with his eldest son's talent for cultivation.
Before he was even eight years old, he had reached the level of a Second-Level Warrior. Hogg had been delighted about that for a long time.
Perhaps Moke could become a Seventh-Level Warrior through physical strength alone, just like his great-grandfather.
A Seventh-Level Warrior was already an Advanced Warrior, far stronger than Hogg, a Sixth-Level Warrior.
"Oh, meat! We get to eat meat!" Wharton, now five and a half years old, cheered.
"Brother, look what I found in the ancestral house?"
One day, Moke was cultivating in his room when Linley suddenly burst in and interrupted him.
In little Linley's palm lay a pitch-black ring.
"The Coiling Dragon Ring!" Linley grinned. "I named it the Coiling Dragon Ring!"
"The Coiling Dragon Ring."
The corners of Moke's mouth rose instinctively. "Linley, this ring looks quite nice."
"Brother, you think so too?"
Little Linley was thrilled. Though he thought the ring was ugly from the bottom of his heart, he had gone through great effort to find it and cherished it greatly.
Because of it, he had even been late for training and had his training assignment doubled by Hillman as punishment!
Linley has obtained the Coiling Dragon Ring. Then the battle between those two Saint Realm experts should not be far away, right?
And that Saint Realm mage from more than five thousand years ago who would have such a profound influence on Linley...
Doering Cowart!
As Moke spoke with Linley, he also considered what would happen next.
Moke had long since made up his mind.
He would watch over Linley's growth, but he would not interfere.
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