Linley's college life returned to normal.
Before the start of the semester, Linley went home and told Hogg and Hiri about the contents of Wharton's letter, which put their minds at ease.
After the start of the school year, Linley went to Monica's music class as usual. Knowing that Linley had let his guard down, Monica continued her weekly afternoon Wind Element magic tutoring sessions as usual.
Six years have passed in the blink of an eye, and we have arrived at the year 9997 in the Yulan Calendar.
Linley is already Fifth-level Magus and has reached the threshold of level 6. Due to his rapid progress in learning the Flat Blade Style stone carving, coupled with Monica's guidance, Linley is much stronger than his peers in the original story.
In particular, there was no imbalance between Wind Element and Earth Element.
Linley was standing with one or two old men; while Monica, enveloped in wind element, was inside a makeshift cave opposite them.
"Dean, Ms. Monica suddenly had an epiphany, so she asked me to inform you that her classes will be suspended," Linley said respectfully.
The Dean of Ernst Institute was an elderly man with gray hair and a Level 9 Great Mage.
The other elderly man beside him was brought along by the dean. He looked slightly younger, and Linley recognized him; he seemed to be the librarian of the academy.
The dean nodded, and said with a touch of emotion, "Monica is truly a genius; to have achieved so much in just over three hundred years."
Amidst the dean's sighs, Linley detected a hint of jealousy. After all, Level 9 Great Mage was probably no younger than Monica, yet she was stuck at the threshold of the Saint-level and unable to advance.
The librarian, with his mixed red and white hair, scrutinized Linley with a curious gaze.
"I've heard of you, a genius on par with Dixie."
"I don't deserve such praise, I was just lucky," Linley declined, bowing his head.
"I'm really lucky to have Monica take me on as her apprentice. She's much better than me."
Linley shook his head. "Monica only taught me in her spare time; she didn't formally take me on as a student."
"Then you need to work even harder--"
A dark figure descended; it was Monica's magical beast, the Frostflame Gryphon, Beta.
"I'll guard Monica here," Beta said, his voice cool and detached.
Linley had only seen Beta from afar over the years, and this was the first time he had actually spoken to him; however, the librarian next to him knew Beta the Frostflame Gryphon, and after exchanging a few words, he led Linley away.
Before leaving, the three hung "No Trespassing" signs on the surrounding trees.
Linley was talking with Doehring Cowart on his way to the canteen.
"Grandpa Doehring, is it really okay to just leave Teacher Monica like this?"
"A single enlightenment in the Saint-level can last for several years. Do you intend to wait for it?" Doehring Cowart's tone was laced with sarcasm.
"Hmm--" Linley shook his head.
"Alright, that Frostflame Gryphon is strong enough to protect Monica."
Linley nodded, then, as if making a decision, said, "Grandpa Doehring, I want to go to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts to train."
Linley had been wanting to do this for a while and was preparing to tell Monica. Since she was in seclusion, he figured he might as well take this opportunity to go out and gain experience.
The Rhine Empire, Bloodshadow Valley.
The Bloodshadow Valley of today is completely unrelated to its name.
First, the Violet-Eyed Bladewing Fiend who were originally gathered deep inside have all left, and now there are only scattered human powerhouses inside; the Tree of Life Jason planted in the center of the valley over the years has grown to ten meters tall and is as thick as three people can hug.
From a distance, it resembles a beautiful paradise.
Wharton is already twelve years old and has grown to 1.5 meters tall. In Bloodshadow Valley, a place rich in elemental energy, he is already Fifth-level Warrior!
Of course, Life Magic also played a significant role in Wharton's rapid breakthrough.
Wharton had initially thought that practicing both life and Necromancy would slow down the warrior's training speed. However, after obtaining Jason's permission, he used Life Magic to form a contract with the Tree of Life in the center of Bloodshadow Valley.
The Tree of Life's powerful vitality, even if it only poured out a tiny bit, made Wharton's body extremely vigorous.
He doesn't even need to eat; sleeping is simply a way to relax his soul. When cultivating Battle-qi or sparring with others, he doesn't need to worry about injuries at all, as his powerful life force will repair all external and internal injuries to his body anytime, anywhere.
As for Wharton's Necromancy, it was just average.
When I first started learning Necromancy, my soul's compatibility with the Edicts of Death wasn't very high. It took me two whole months to formally form a contract with an undead, and the undead species was just a regular skeleton.
After mastering Necromancy, Wharton didn't devote much effort to it, but instead regularly commanded his skeleton soldiers in battle each month to enhance his soul's affinity with the Edicts of Death.
"Aunt Veronica, I miss home." Twelve-year-old Wharton was still quite naive.
"You can go back once you reach the Saint-level. With your talent, it won't be difficult."
Veronica thought she had severed ties with the Baruch, but after meeting Wharton, she realized that she still had a sliver of longing for the Baruch Clan.
Every year, Wharton would send a letter home, which was then delivered to Monica through a secret channel of the Rhine Clan. This was to prevent the Radiant Church from finding out anything—of course, it was at Monica's request, and Veronica and Jason certainly didn't care about such things.
Veronica looked at Wharton in front of her and pondered for a moment.
"Wharton, I'm planning to send you to live at the Rhein Palace for a while."
"Go to the palace? That's forbidden territory!"
"Isn't Bloodshadow Valley also a forbidden area?"
Wharton pouted. "The people in the palace are all arrogant and haughty. You can't fight them, and they like to bully others."
How could you think that?
"It's mentioned in the novels that my uncles and aunts collect!"
There's a dedicated library in Bloodshadow Valley, with several bookshelves filled with various novels collected by Jason and other novel enthusiasts. Since there were no other children his age in Bloodshadow Valley, Wharton often spent his time there after he learned to read.
"I'll throw away all that idiot's novels later." Veronica crossed her arms. "Wharton, the Rhine Empire's palace is different from other palaces. All the minors of the Rhine Clan spend their childhood there. I hope you can go there and make some friends. Bloodshadow Valley is full of us old guys; it's not good for your mental development."
Wharton seemed to understand, but nodded nonetheless. "Okay."
"Remember to listen to your teacher and get along well with your friends when you get there."
The next day, Wharton was taken by Veronica to the Rhine Empire's palace.
Watching Wharton being led away by the palace tutor, Veronica inexplicably thought of Monica's childhood.
"I wonder how that kid is doing. He's been outwitting and outmaneuvering the two great Vatican councils all these years. I wonder what his expression would be if he knew his father could wipe them out with a wave of his hand."
Veronica stood there blankly for a moment. "So many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Should we take this opportunity to go back to Fenlai City?"
During the years she taught Wharton, Veronica suddenly realized that her resentment towards the Baruch Clan had somehow disappeared.
"Let's go with Jason after he finishes his seclusion."