The Chosen One Next Door

The next day, Adrian brought several Earth Elementals to help cut the lines of the magic arrays and began diligently engraving them. Seeing the Earth Elemental family running all over the ground, he was almost choked with envy.

Elemental life reproduced by splitting off a small ball of elemental light from itself. After devouring vast amounts of soil from three mountain ranges, most of the Earth Elementals had split once, nearly doubling their family's numbers. Since they had split from their parents, they naturally carried Hill's contract. Hill had no intention of restricting them. The little balls of light had only just grown limbs, and there was nothing dangerous in the territory, so they ran everywhere.

Hill spent a great deal of time every day meditating and learning new spells. He planned to master all the basic earth spells first. Turn Mud to Stone and Turn Stone to Mud had already been engraved into his soul; with a single thought, he could alter the properties of the land. Demolishing houses was even easier for him—he could casually cast an Earthquake Spell.

A Sorcerer's problem had never been the power of a spell, but its stability. He had no desire to be unable even to control the range of his own spells. Precision and accuracy were principles engraved into his soul. He felt that if he learned every earth spell and used them accurately, his innate spells would surely become even stronger.

Every evening, Hill went to pick up Adrian. Along the way, he used up all his mana and hurried to engrave magic arrays. An Archmage's body constantly circulated and exchanged energy with the elements outside, so they would no longer experience mana depletion. Hill envied that most of all. Although a Sorcerer's mana was stronger than a Mage's of the same rank, it was not only specialized but also consumed rapidly. Hill practically held his breath when casting, yet his consumption was still excessive. Precise mana control would probably be his lifelong trial.

Adrian had always lived with Hill on the top floor. When Hill had considered that Falan and Adrian might come, he had prepared two suites there. The two worked diligently every day, and with the Earth Elementals' help, they finally spent more than half a year engraving every magic array.

With the Mage Tower as its core, a large pentagram array with five magic circuits was engraved thirty meters beneath the territory, beginning from the three mountain ranges. The magic arrays on the outer walls connected directly to the Mage Tower, while the control center of this combined magic array was placed in the Earth Elemental hall and guarded closely.

Hill was glad that his Mage Tower's core was Magus-grade and exceptionally capable of absorbing elemental power. Otherwise, he probably would not have been able to keep his Elemental Crystals. Even so, Liszt took more than half of them as a precaution.

Hill's Mage Tower had been built in a very traditional style. The top floor was Hill's own space: a master bedroom, reception room, small study, and two guest rooms. The study connected to a small storeroom. The eighth floor was an indoor botanical garden for growing magical plants. The Wood Elementals occasionally came up to play, but they still preferred living outside, close to nature. As for the Treants, they would never leave the earth.

The seventh floor was the library. Liszt had already copied the ordinary books and placed them inside. Hill hoped to build a complete Great Library, so aside from a few reading rooms, the entire floor was filled with towering bookshelves. The books themselves, however, would need to be collected slowly.

The sixth floor was reserved for future use. Liszt had sealed off the entire floor, waiting for the day some Archmage might perhaps open it. The fifth floor was the alchemy workshop. For now, Liszt mainly used it to make low-grade alchemical products.

The fourth and third floors were reserved as residences for future Mages and spell apprentices. Unfortunately, aside from Bourne taking a room on the third floor, everything else remained sealed.

Lina's family lived on the second floor with several maids. The remaining space was taken up by the kitchen and a grand dining hall.

Liszt had turned most of the ground floor into storerooms, with his exchange center at the very front. For now, though, only Bourne took the Magic Books he copied to exchange for things with Liszt. Seeing that both of them enjoyed it, Hill could not be bothered to interfere.

Elemental Sprites formed in places where magical elements gathered, and once a sprite formed, it attracted the corresponding magical elements from the air. Inside Hill's Mage Tower, this had almost created a siphoning effect on earth magic elements. When Adrian set the core of the defensive magic array on the Earth Elemental floor, he estimated that in less than ten years, an Earth-Attribute Elemental Crystals vein would begin forming beneath Hill's tower. Once Adrian came back up, he warned Hill never to let anyone go down there again.

Hill could only roll his eyes silently and complain inwardly. He was not stupid. As an Archmage-level alchemist, Adrian's wealth and generosity were practically written across his forehead. An elemental mine that would take centuries to form could not possibly move Adrian's heart.

Other than Falan and Adrian, Hill had not even told Bourne. Hill would not test someone's character with such a matter merely because he trusted them. There were too many spells in this world that could override a person's reason; ordinary people and Mage apprentices had no ability to resist them at all. Sometimes, secrecy was the way to protect an ordinary person. Bourne himself understood as well. During the construction of the magic arrays, he had only seen Hill at mealtimes.

After the defensive magic array had been set, Hill returned to his daily routine of meditation and summoning Wood Elementals and Water Elementals. Adrian wandered around the territory every day, and one day he even brought back a pure white Elven cat. This Nature Spirit was blessed by nature itself, its entire body brimming with the aura of the natural world. Though it did not acknowledge either of them as its master, it settled down among the Treants and Wood Elemental Spirits. The small forest outside the Mage Tower grew noticeably taller overnight.

Adrian and Hill went to see and feed it every day, and the little cat gradually allowed them to pet it.

This daily life of cultivation and petting cats continued until Falan contacted them again, bringing shocking news: Prince William had completely fallen out with his two older brothers and had a fierce quarrel with the old king, who was obsessed with women. He had been granted the title of Duke of Nolan and driven out of the country to establish his fief. Falan also told them, "The king's body will probably last another three years. Prince William is completely out of the running, and the situation in the royal capital has changed drastically. Count Perast went straight into Prince Edward's palace as soon as he arrived in the royal capital. I will keep an eye on Kral Duke's movements."

Hill asked, "Prince William will go north, right?"

"Of course," Adrian said. "The vast lands in the Western Frontier where a duchy can be established are too far away. Besides, the Spencer Family is in the Northern Frontier."

The Great Wall in the north stretched for a full three thousand kilometers. Along that lengthy border, six Border Cities were guarded by six Sky Knight marquises. The Western Frontier, meanwhile, had only four Great Knight counts. Prince William's maternal grandfather, Marquis Spencer, was stationed in one of those Border Cities, Francis.

Although the Magical Beasts beyond the northern Great Wall were fierce and warfare raged there year-round, the land was vast and rich in mineral resources. The reason several fiefs beyond the Northern Frontier could remain standing was that they were actually supported by great noble families within the country. It was also because those great nobles behind the scenes restrained one another that those fiefs had not gone to war, even when their territories bordered each other. But now, they would have reason to worry.

Prince William would certainly leave through Francis City. Granted a ducal title as a prince, the manpower and resources he brought out would surely be unimaginable. Count Bauer outside Francis would probably have no choice but to accept his misfortune.

As long as he did not come west, Hill was happy to watch the show.

Adrian actually wanted to go back and see the excitement, but Falan's strict order left him no choice but to honestly help Hill build up the territory. Three boring months passed, and just when Adrian was able to hold the Elven cat, Falan suddenly contacted them again.

Both of them hurried to the study in surprise. Liszt was already glowing. "There's a problem on Prince William's side. He claims to be a follower of the God of Space-Time and has summoned several hundred Undead from another time-space! These Undead are very powerful. Though they are only at the initial Mage rank, their professions are complete. There are not only Mages, Knights, and Swordsmen, but also Sorcerers, and even Priests of the God of Space-Time."

Hill was stunned. He felt as though his mind had stopped working.

Was this world about to collapse? Hill felt that he might be having a nightmare.

Falan continued, "Prince William is already a Sky Knight! A Sky Knight not yet thirty, leading several hundred professionals! Everyone in the royal capital is dumbfounded, and even the king no longer dares indulge in women. Edward and Charles have also suspended their struggle. William took everyone away with him back then. Now, the Spencer Family is his only remaining tie within the country.

Those who kicked him while he was down in the royal capital have all sent people to investigate. Adrian, go take a look too! Don't cause trouble, and don't deal with those people. If anything happens, go to Hill's place and send me a message. Do not return to the royal capital."

"Hill! Hill!" Adrian tugged Hill. "What are you spacing out for?"

Hill shuddered. "Uncle Adrian, are you really going over there?"

"Of course I have to see something this big! An envoy of the Gods is not something people can casually claim, especially when there's a Miracle! How could something like the Undead appear?"

Hill knew he could not stop him and could only say, "Uncle Adrian, do not casually interfere in anything related to the Gods. Just observe. Do not let your curiosity get the better of you and deal with the Undead. Especially Prince William—stay farther away from him!"

"Don't worry! Who knows whether these Undead came from the divine realm or the Abyss? Until that is confirmed, I absolutely will not go near them," Adrian declared solemnly.

Hill could only watch anxiously as Adrian ran off in high spirits.