As Yuna busily stuffed various small items into her ring, Fars couldn't help but notice the wooden box, which was worth more than Yuna's bounty. Given their employer-employee relationship, he respected her privacy and refrained from prying. However, the look of disappointment on Yuna's face when she couldn't find anything else to add to her ring was amusing to him. Thanks to this little cat, Fars had found joy several times today, and he couldn't bear to see her downcast.
After all, he remembered how thrilled he had been when he first acquired a space ring, eager to fill it with everything he could. He pulled out a good amount of food, knowing that Yuna would be the one to eat it. Keeping it for himself would only take up space, and as her employer, he certainly couldn't let her go hungry.
"Yuna, would you like some of these? If you do, just say something sweet, and they're all yours," Fars teased, adopting the persona of a mischievous uncle trying to lure a little girl.
The Wintusiah tribe came of age around the same time as humans, at about sixteen years old. Judging by Yuna's appearance, she seemed to be around that age, so she wouldn't be easily deceived into selling her body and soul for a pile of food. After relaxing her tense demeanor, Yuna felt much more cheerful. She indeed wanted to fill her new treasure, but Fars's suggestion was too wicked; what could she say to satisfy his mischievous intentions?
After a long moment of contemplation—so long that Fars was almost losing patience—Yuna finally shyly called out, "Master."
That single word nearly made Fars spit out his drink. He had expected a soft "brother" at best, but this little cat had surprisingly guessed his wicked preference. Yuna felt a bit wronged; in her tribe, men held a lower status than women. After leaving her clan, she had learned how to please men to attract wealthy suitors. Although she didn't understand why this middle-aged man liked being called "Master," she had noticed that men had a weak resistance to that title.
Fars felt that this was truly worth it; having such an understanding and delightful companion made the journey much less lonely. If he could hear her call him "Master" a few more times, it would certainly brighten his days. To encourage Yuna to keep this habit, Fars, who had plenty of money, decided to tempt her further: "Hehe, if you keep calling me that, I'll give you two hundred gold coins as your daily wage."
How to address him was just a matter of speaking, and Yuna thought carefully. Earning two hundred gold coins daily would double her income, allowing her to make seventy to eighty thousand gold coins in a year—more than her sister had earned to boast about when she returned to the tribe.
"Alright then," Yuna replied softly, aware of what the title "Master" implied.
Fars, however, was not satisfied and corrected her, "How should you say it?"
With no other choice, Yuna lowered her head and replied, "Understood, Master."
Delighted, Fars felt he had teased her enough. Yuna looked tired, and he too needed to meditate to recover from the mental and magical exertion. He handed her a set of pillows and a goose-down quilt, encouraging her to find a spot in the tent to sleep.
Although he had taken advantage of her verbally, he didn't act like a lecherous man, which provided Yuna with some comfort. Exhausted from the past few days, she found a spot a little away from Fars and quickly fell asleep.
Watching Yuna drift into a sweet slumber, Fars, who rarely slept, chose to meditate to recover his fatigue. When a person sleeps, their body and mind truly relax, reducing their ability to respond to danger. Fars was unwilling to let his guard down in the perilous Qihar Mountains, so he opted for a meditative state that preserved all his senses instead of sleeping.
Diligently honing his skills, Fars knew that while his strength might not skyrocket overnight, he could see significant improvements daily. Each meditation session yielded substantial gains. The process involved using his magical energy and the magic arrays in his consciousness as both a medium and a source, unifying his entire being. Every part of him, from his spirit to his flesh, absorbed nutrients and underwent refinement during meditation.
There has long been a belief that mages are physically weak. However, even without regular exercise, a nourished body is not something an average person can compare to. Some old mages might struggle to stand straight or walk steadily, but a grown man who can't use energy would likely find it difficult to knock down an old mage who had their shield up. Their frailty is merely a mark of time and the irreversible damage inflicted on their bodies during experiments and spellcasting.
If one were to compare the body to a container, each time a mage exceeds their limits while casting spells, they force more than the container's capacity inside. A container that cannot withstand the pressure will eventually develop cracks or even break. As levels increase, the container may grow larger, but the damage is often irreparable.
While Fars and Yuna rested comfortably, over twenty people stood scattered in the area where they had fought earlier. If Fars were present, he would immediately recognize them as the advance team of the adventurers who had pursued Yuna, some of whom he had spared during the slaughter.
"What do you think?" the woman among a close-knit couple whispered to the man she had long admired.
"The chill here still lingers; it must be the work of that vampire wielding a strange frost greatsword. What kind of powerful magic could keep the land frozen and the trees frosted even after so long?" The man spoke seriously, and indeed, Fars's displayed power was overwhelmingly strong, far beyond that of an ordinary high-level mage. He softened his tone when responding to the woman beside him.
The woman naturally leaned against her lover's shoulder and whispered, "Isn't there a mage here? Why not ask him? He should be able to estimate what level of magic could cause such an effect."
The man nodded. Although the surviving mage was not his subordinate, with his strength, no one would dare to question him directly.
"Can you tell us what kind of magic could create such an effect?" the man pointed to the disheveled mage, whose robe was severely torn, and then gestured to the incongruous environment that clashed with the hot climate of Qihar.
The mage, despite not being questioned by his leader, didn't refuse to answer. After some careful thought, he cautiously replied, "Ancient Spell!"
Just two words blew like a cold wind into the hearts of the couple, who were well aware of the power of ancient spells. They understood what ancient spells were, but many around them did not. The mage's leader, not understanding the significance of ancient spells, asked, "Ancient spell? What level of magic is that?"
"Magic cast using the ancient incantations from the Nesser era can only be performed by those above the rank of Magus."
Since explaining this was time-consuming, the mage chose to use something everyone had some concept of for comparison.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd gasped in shock. They had thought the wanted vampire was merely a high-level mage, but it turned out he was a Magus. A Magus was not someone they could afford to provoke. If he wished, he could easily seek the protection of a powerful family, and who would dare to trouble him? In the eyes of the imperial court, a Magus was a guest of honor.
It was no wonder that the astute mage had misjudged Fars's strength. Firstly, Fars had casually slaughtered over twenty adventurers and had repeatedly toyed with more than a dozen high-level professionals. Finally, the evidence before them—the spell covering a radius of a hundred meters—could be achieved by some large-scale high-level spells. However, casting ice magic with such power in the cold Qihar Mountains, where the chill remained, was something else entirely. Freezing three feet deep without melting? An ordinary high-level mage would be hard-pressed to use high-level ice magic in such an environment, let alone achieve such power.
Ancient spells further penetrated the laws of magic. It was not difficult to achieve such effects as long as one remained within the bounds of this world, governed by its laws. Fars had also leveraged Danis's innate control over ice magic due to her being an Ice Phoenix, allowing him to display power akin to that of a Magus.
Once the crowd had finished marveling, they dared not discuss revenge any longer. After a brief discussion among several leaders, they decided to disperse. There was no way they could pursue a vampire of Magus-level power. Such a task was better left to the church. Once a vampire was targeted by the church, whether they were a viscount, duke, or prince, they would not fare well. They would usually be driven back to their eastern lairs.
Fars had not anticipated that by showcasing his strength far beyond that of a high-level mage to impress Yuna, he would indeed scare off this group of adventurers but also attract the attention of the church.
Upon returning to the human city, the group sold the news to the church. The bounty they received soothed the grief of their fallen comrades, but there was little profit to be made. With the name Fars de Hill, a vampire viscount with the strength of a Magus, beginning to circulate across the continent, he caught the attention of some interested parties. Ultimately, these were merely families seeking to recruit talent and church officials hoping to see Fars burned at the stake.