Considering directly promoting Alia to a Formal Wizard when he returned, Lynn continued, "How have you been these years?"
Alia lowered her head and looked at her fingers.
"Not bad. Mother is getting old, so I've helped manage some family matters. I haven't neglected my training either."
"Though I can't break through, I can't afford to fall behind." She paused. "It's just that I often dream of Chen'er, dream that he's calling for help from the River Styx..."
"Mentor, do you think our Chen'er might still be..."
Lynn's fingers paused on the armrest. "I was just about to tell you about Lin Chen."
Alia looked up. "Mentor, do you have news of Chen'er?"
"Half a month ago, I made a trip to the Netherworld and found him." Lynn's voice was calm.
Alia instantly became agitated and grabbed Lynn's wizard robe. "Chen'er is alive? Where is he? I want to see him!"
"He's alive. The Bone Monarch of the Northern Territory took him in as an adopted son. Relying on his Devouring ability alone, he has already reached the peak of the Third Ring and is only one step away from Stigma."
Alia clenched the skirt on her knees. "An adopted son? Chen'er has been under the Undead all these years. How much suffering must he have endured to reach the Third Ring..."
Lynn shook his head.
"His talent is greater than mine. His Devouring talent allows him to grow stronger by eating Undead. He doesn't need to train."
"It's just that there's something wrong with his temperament. He has spent years devouring memory fragments from the River Styx, yet he cannot process them, and they have affected his mind. At times he is joyful, at times furious; at times kind, at times cruel. I tried to persuade him to return