An Equivalent Exchange

When the old mage learned that his granddaughter had left the palace, his expression changed drastically. Through his connections and intelligence, he naturally knew who had taken her away. But now, he was powerless to stop them. The old mage knew very well that Li Lin's power was beyond his ability to contend with. Originally, he planned to slowly gather intelligence and observe the situation, but Li Lin had clearly made a choice he could not ignore.

After dismissing his servants, the old mage turned to face the crystal ball. Then, he reached out and began to cast a spell. Using the magical ornament he had given to Rolandis, the old mage easily located their whereabouts.

"There!"

Right now, the speeding carriage is heading towards the city gate in the north. Inside the carriage are Angela and Li Lin. Angela's eyes are emitting a faint red light, while Rolandis sits blankly opposite her, looking as if she has lost her soul and is just a lifeless shell.

Mina took over as coachman. Although she couldn't handle the horses as easily as a normal coachman, the aura of the Vampire Species firmly held the steeds in check, forcing them to follow Mina's instructions. Meanwhile, Fina sat beside her, muttering incantations, and with her intricate hand gestures, the old mage quickly felt his spells being disrupted.

"No way."

The old mage sighed, then stood up and walked towards a smooth mirror as tall as a person. As he approached, the mirror began to ripple slowly like a pool of water, reflecting a magnificent scene unlike anything he had ever seen before. The old mage stepped into it and then vanished. With his disappearance, the surface of the mirror returned to its tranquil state, a faint magical glow emanating from it before finally fading away.

"Parking."

Just then, Li Lin, who had been sitting silently inside the carriage, spoke. Upon hearing his command, Mina immediately maneuvered the carriage to a slow stop by the roadside.

"Are you here?"

Li Lin looked towards the carriage door and a smile appeared on his face. Just as he finished speaking, the carriage door was slowly opened, and the old mage appeared on the other side. His face was gloomy, and he was filled with unspeakable anger.

"Arcane Mage, may I ask what you are doing?"

Although the old sorcerer was questioning Li Lin, his gaze was fixed on his granddaughter. Clearly, she was being controlled by some kind of magic. However, despite his secret investigation, the old sorcerer still couldn't determine what kind of spell had befallen his granddaughter.

"It's nothing serious."

Faced with the old master's questioning, Li Lin casually spread his hands, seemingly not caring at all.

"We're just accompanying this young lady for a walk... that shouldn't be illegal, right?"

"... You are breaking our agreement! You've kidnapped my granddaughter! What do you want?! Yes, I admit you are powerful, but! This is the capital of the Kingdom of Kudel!!"

The old mage hissed angrily, his hand gripping his staff trembling slightly with rage. Indeed, he was responsible for himself, for the entire nation and city, but he was also a grandfather. He couldn't bear to watch his beloved granddaughter be snatched away by a terrible monster! She was an angel his daughter had given her life for, and that was why the old mage had always cherished Rolandis; she was the only proof his daughter had left in this world.

I understand your thoughts.

Faced with the old mage's anger, Li Lin didn't react. He simply shrugged and looked at the old mage with a thoughtful gaze.

"Of course, I know how important she is to you... Although she didn't tell me herself, as Arcane Mage, I do possess one or two spells for peeking into memories."

"You...!!"

"Okay, don't be so angry. Don't think I don't know what you've been doing these days."

Before the old mage could speak, Li Lin cut him off with his roar.

"You should know very well, and understand very well, that the king will not let us leave. Neither now nor after our deal is finished... It's a pity, I sincerely intended to make a deal with him, but it seems that the king doesn't quite agree with that. So, in order for me to leave this city peacefully, rather than having it blasted to smithereens, I think I need some insurance... and you, old mage, are my insurance. Don't pretend you know nothing; I heard everything you and the king said in the secret chamber that day. Next time, if you want your words to be kept secret, I suggest you find a room with a constant Silence, and learning Dark Elf sign language would be more reliable."

"..."

The old mage remained silent. He naturally knew that the king had no intention of letting Li Lin leave. He even knew that the king was secretly gathering troops, attempting to launch an attack through the Black Road, and then, after achieving victory, turn his attention to Li Lin and his Dark Elf. After all, while invading another country's territory was not something to be openly discussed, if a facade of "annihilating the Dark Elf" were added, things would change entirely.

Although the old mage had hinted at it several times, the king clearly had no intention of heeding his advice. The prince, already under house arrest, held no influence whatsoever. While the old mage could mobilize the Court Mage Corps to exert pressure, he worried that being too obvious might alert Li Lin. However, he hadn't anticipated that Li Lin, being no fool, would have already noticed the anomaly.

"Of course, I also know that the reason I haven't encountered any trouble in this city these days is thanks to you."

Although no investigation had been conducted, Li Lin knew that someone as suddenly appearing as himself would be either captured and used by someone or treated as a thorn in someone's side. Conversely, apart from the Temple sending people over once, he hadn't been harassed in any other way. Even when the fat merchant went to rent ships, there was no hindrance. It wasn't hard to imagine that someone had definitely intervened and suppressed those guys. King Kudel wouldn't have such a good plan. He would rather Li Lin and the caravan clashed a few times in Dragon Cry City, so that his future campaign against the Dark Elf would be more legitimate and would gain popular support. And within the palace, the only person with such power and willing to take such a risk was the old court mage who knew Li Lin's true identity.

It was obvious the old mage feared Li Lin might unleash a massacre if a conflict arose. Ever since Li Lin's decisive killing of the genius mage Noah in the arena, the old mage knew Li Lin was extremely proud and intolerant of provocation. It was easy to imagine that if anyone in the capital caused him trouble, Li Lin would kill them without hesitation. The king, however, couldn't say anything, as his army was currently traversing the Black Road. A confrontation with Li Lin could result in the annihilation of the nation's most elite troops in the Underdark. But if the king yielded, the nobles would not allow it, plunging the entire country into chaos. Li Lin? Why would Li Lin care about such things? Although the old mage didn't know his true identity, he had clearly controlled or conquered the Dark Elf through some means. So what if he was wanted across the continent? If this Arcane Mage returned to the Underdark, how many armies would dare to investigate him?

"Therefore, I will give you an exchange."

As Li Lin spoke, he patted Rolandis's shoulder and looked at the old mage, a gesture that made the old mage visibly nervous.

"From now on, we'll head to a port in the southwest. We should be there in about five days... Until then, I hope you can help us make it seem like we've already left. Once I'm sure you've done so, I will return your beloved granddaughter to you completely, unharmed and untouched by any magical control. She will lose her memories of this time, but when she wakes up, she will be exactly the same as before, without any changes. However, if you break our promise..."

Li Lin looked at Rolandis again.

"I am a man, after all, and your granddaughter is quite beautiful. Perhaps I will sacrifice her to the devil after I have enjoyed her body. After all, such a beautiful woman is rare for a lower-level devil."

"Are you threatening me?"

The old monk clenched his fists and almost gritted his teeth as he posed the question.

"It's a threat, but also a proposal for exchange."

Li Lin's expression was relaxed and composed.

"And after that, I'll be leaving this country. Is there anything else you need to worry about?"

"..."

The old monk hesitated.

Can you guarantee that you can keep your promise?

"Arcane Mage never go back on their word, for better or for worse. If you can fulfill my request, I will return to you a perfectly normal, problem-free young lady. If you cannot, then I will have to express my anger in my own way... It's that simple."

"..."

The old mage didn't answer immediately; he was pondering and hesitating. Li Lin was, after all, Arcane Mage, and there was no benefit in turning against him here. But would he really keep his promise? This was something the old mage couldn't be sure of. Although Li Lin's words were serious, it was still far too risky.

However, Li Lin's expression told him that he had no choice.

"Okay, here's https://www. hetushu. com. com."

The old monk nodded helplessly, then boarded the carriage and sat down next to his granddaughter.

"I hope you don't mind if I give you a ride."

Then he gave a helpless, bitter smile.