The guards at the drawbridge quickly lowered it. Although they weren't sure of the visitors' identities, they knew that when dealing with a mage, even the city lord would be wary. So the squad leader immediately ordered the drawbridge to be lowered and the area to be put on full alert.
Ryan had only intended to test things out, but he didn't expect the title of "mage" to carry such weight. It was far more powerful than "Do you know who my father is?" Tory was unbothered by it; after all, he had seen many battles. So, a group of people and horses entered Harry City, though the wolf was not allowed inside. Ryan still couldn't understand how Niu Niu was able to command the 5th-level Wind Wolf. While the wolf didn't display any obvious power, after comparing it to the information in the "Beast Atlas," Ryan was baffled. From its size, fur, the color of the elemental aura surrounding it, and even its human-like expression, Ryan couldn't make sense of it. Even with his clever mind, he couldn't figure out Niu Niu's bloodline. What would he think if he realized that, while he was still hoping to become a mage, his pet was already a 7th-level magical beast?
The squad leader looked at the strange things being drawn by the horses, noticing that all of them were women. His mind raced, and he immediately issued a gag order. Mages were unpredictable—why were they coming into the city at night instead of the day? Something seemed off, and the squad leader didn't want to end up dead in his sleep because of it. However, his suspicion led to significant trouble. The city lord's wealth would take a major hit due to his actions.
Tory led the group to Alice's residence in Harry City, a large house with only two maids guarding the door. After entering, the place became a hive of activity. Ryan, Chuck, Tory, Alice, and Delis gathered to discuss the situation, with Tory taking the lead.
"Ryan, I think we can't just go to the Mage Guild like this. Niu Niu shouldn't be exposed right now. We need to come up with a unified story. Let's see if we can change our approach." Tory, having much more experience, was quick to offer a suggestion.
"Hm. Alice, do you know who your mentor's mentor is?" Ryan suddenly asked, his curiosity piqued. He wanted to gauge how powerful the Mage Guild president's connections were. Ryan understood that no matter where you were, connections were everything.
"I don't know," Alice replied, her face showing clear displeasure.
Ryan groaned inwardly. So she's still not from an influential background, he thought. This is going to be tough later on... But of course, Ryan, a 20-something virgin, kept these thoughts to himself.
"Got it! Here's the plan." Ryan's eyes gleamed as he quickly came up with a story, and the others helped refine the details.
Meanwhile, Toya and Stephen had just finished meditating, taken a bath, and were preparing to sleep. Suddenly, they heard a commotion outside. Both rushed out, clearly annoyed. When they entered the Mage Guild hall, they immediately felt a strong magical fluctuation, one that was fiery in nature. Toya and Stephen were puzzled. Why is there a mage here?
"Alice, who is this?" Toya and Stephen asked, noticing two mage apprentices standing beside Alice. Alice had excellent talent and was likely to reach the rank of a first-level mage by next year, but Toya wasn't concerned with that. Instead, he was focused on the young man behind Alice. The magical fluctuation emanating from him was almost at the second-level mage level, which indicated a genius. Toya guessed he must be from a prominent family, but his attire—half-leather armor—struck Toya as strange.
"Honorable Mentor Toya, may we speak in private?" Alice's acting skills were impressive. She quickly stepped forward and respectfully asked Toya.
Toya looked at Ryan, then nodded. He led Ryan and Alice into his study, which was warm and inviting. Toya told them, "Please, sit down and tell me everything."
"Thank you, Mentor," Alice said, sitting down with Ryan, who was eager to hear what would be said next.
As Alice spoke, Toya's heart raced. She explained Ryan's background, saying that Ryan had been able to sense fire magic elements around him since he was young but hadn't known how to use them until recently. Half a year ago, while cleaning his room, Ryan had accidentally come across a wisdom scroll that Alice had been keeping, and when he opened it, he suddenly could read. Coincidentally, a circus came to town, and Ryan spent a silver coin to buy several books, including a beginner's magic spellbook. Ryan felt curious and tried reading from it. To his surprise, he was able to cast magic. Alice then went on to explain the incident where Ryan had been chased by bandits. According to Alice, the bandits tried to kill him after learning his identity, which was an outright insult to mages and a direct challenge to the Mage Guild—the continent's most powerful faction.
"Ryan, show me a spell," Toya said kindly, trying to steady his heart as he spoke to the silent Ryan sitting across from him.
"Uh, uh, Master, where should I cast it?" Ryan stammered, showing clear signs of nervousness.
"Heh, anywhere's fine," Toya replied, unconcerned. He and Stephen weren't worried about Ryan's magic—Toya's earth shield would easily block any spell Ryan cast.
Ryan inwardly smirked, thinking to himself, Let's see you act so tough now. With a swift motion, Ryan raised his hand, and a fireball flew towards the huge crystal window with a loud "bang!" A large hole appeared in the glass.
"Clank!" Toya and Stephen's faces twitched in shock. Their elegant wine glasses dropped to the floor. This was a flash cast, something most mages could only dream of. To achieve a flash cast of Fireball required at least level five magic. Ryan had done it in one swift motion.
"Actually, I, I can do another spell. Would you like to see, Master?" Ryan stammered again, deciding to escalate the situation. Seeing Toya's dazed nod, Ryan barely held in his laughter, but he couldn't let it show.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three wind blades shot out from Ryan's hand, completely shattering the already cracked crystal window. Ryan looked at Toya and Alice with an innocent expression before weakly explaining, "I got a bit nervous... I couldn't hold back. Back in the town, a group of bandits attacked. I got nervous and cast wind blades for three seconds before I could stop."
"Y-yes, yes, yes..." Toya's heart raced as he processed the situation. A flash-cast Wind Blade—Toya almost felt sorry for the bandits. But then the gravity of the situation hit him, and he quickly ran over to the magic communication array. He wrote a message on a large parchment using magic potion ink and then activated the array. He tossed the parchment into the air, and it vanished instantly.
Toya didn't expect that this single message would send shockwaves through the entire mage guild in Ruya City. Soon after, the Mage Guild in the Rixie Principality was notified, and a half-hour later, the Mage Guild of the Alliance Empire was also alerted. Meanwhile, Ryan was enjoying a delicious roasted lamb leg, seasoned with spices unique to the Monster Forest, and drizzled with wild honey. As Ryan ate and drank red wine, he couldn't help but think the wine here was far better than Earth's. He shot a resentful glance at Alice, who had just finished interrogating him while Toya sent the message. The marks of her fingernails still lingered on his waist, and Ryan swore he would get back at her.
"Miss, why are you kicking me?" Ryan asked innocently, holding a leg of lamb. Alice had kicked him under the table because she felt he was eating too much. Ryan retaliated in his own way.
Toya and Stephen watched Ryan's pure, innocent demeanor, growing more fond of him. "Alice, let our little Ryan eat. The poor child has suffered," Toya said kindly.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Toya. We must be going now," Ryan said, and after finishing their meal, he and Alice said their farewells. Toya wanted to keep them longer but couldn't find an excuse, so he reluctantly let them leave.
"You glutton! You bad guy, all you do is eat," Alice scolded Ryan as they walked, but Ryan hurried ahead to escape her wrath. Fortunately, Alice's residence was just down the street from the Mage Guild, so it didn't take long to reach it.
Back at his place, Ryan took a hot bath and then settled into his rabbit fur blankets, feeling incredibly content. He thought to himself, This is the best day ever. No more hay for me—only soft, warm blankets from now on.
Just as Ryan was preparing to practice some breathing exercises, he suddenly heard someone enter his room. Quickly, he pretended to be asleep, his heart pounding. He feared it might be an assassin. After all, anyone who could afford to hire an assassin for 2,000 gold coins would certainly have the means. He heard the footsteps approach, and soon, the blanket was pulled away. Ryan tensed, ready to fight back, but instead, he felt a woman's body wrap around him.
"Delis?" Ryan recognized the familiar scent and asked in confusion.
"Ryan, I want to be your woman," Delis answered, her body trembling with nervousness.
Ryan was thrilled—A beauty throwing herself at me! He had always had some affection for Delis, but when it came to relationships, he was hesitant to give his heart too easily. So, Ryan lit a candle with a spark of magic, gently lifting Delis's head and asked seriously, "Delis, becoming my woman isn't difficult, but I have a strange habit. My women aren't allowed to act like other noblewomen outside. Can you handle that?"
"Yes, I will only be your woman," Delis replied without hesitation.
Ryan smiled and said, "Delis, I will treat you well, no matter if I am poor or rich. I will love you for a lifetime." With that, Ryan kissed Delis's rosy lips, one hand slowly sliding off her nightgown, which was soon tossed to the side.
"Candle," Delis whispered breathlessly, her voice filled with longing. Delis, already familiar with such emotions, was easily stirred by Ryan's touch. But Ryan was far too engrossed to bother with the candle.
As Ryan and Delis indulged in their passionate moment, far away, the elders and stewards of the Mage Guild's central council were being roused for an urgent and confidential meeting. Following the meeting, the Mage Guild issued a severe warning to the Thieves' Guild.
The warning demanded that the Thieves' Guild refrain from provoking the Mage Guild, stating that they could not withstand the wrath of the mages. They were also ordered to explain the attempted assassination of a mage, or else they would face severe consequences. The capital city of the Alliance Empire, Alliance City, became a brewing storm of political tension.
"Damn it! Send word to the representative in the Rixie Principality. Tell them if they don't find the culprit, I'll annihilate their entire family before the Mage Guild can even touch me!" The Guildmaster of the Thieves' Guild, a level-nine rogue, was shaken by the warning. While assassinating mages had been done in the shadows before, it was never something openly acknowledged. Among other guilds, the Thieves' Guild held some respect, but to the Mage Guild, they were insignificant. The Guildmaster, having learned of the situation, leapt up in anger.
"Terry, Kerr, the Duke wants to see you," someone called. Terry and Kerr—Alice's father—were knights serving the Rixie Principality's royal knight order. The Duke was none other than the ruling Grand Duke of Rixie. Kerr, a level-three knight, held the lowest rank, as most warriors who awakened their battle energy transitioned into swordsmen or knights. The principality's knight order consisted of about 1,000 members of varying levels, ranging from first to seventh. Those at level eight and above, classified as Silver Knights, were eligible for imperial conscription, though they retained the right to refuse.
Terry and Kerr, puzzled by the summons, left in haste after meeting the Duke, heading straight for Harry City. An hour earlier, the Mage Guild of the Rixie Principality had activated their teleportation array. From it emerged three robed figures: two bore silver staff insignias, while one carried a golden staff insignia. They joined the waiting representatives of the principality, mounted a level-seven flying beast—a Wind Heron—and disappeared into the distance. Shortly after Terry and Kerr departed, a level-one Wind Sparrow flew out of an ordinary house in the city, heading towards Harry City. Meanwhile, a four-wheeled carriage sped away in the same direction.
Ryan slowly opened his eyes, glancing out the window to see it was nearly noon. He felt a soft weight in his arms and looked down to find Delis curled up against him like a kitten, her neck marked by his kisses. The night had been wild, a release for both of them from the tension of recent days. Far from feeling tired, Ryan felt rejuvenated. As for the fact that Delis was older than him, Ryan didn't mind—his mental age far exceeded hers.
Gently, Ryan rose and kissed Delis's forehead before stepping out of the room. He knew that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to resist temptation. There's plenty of time ahead, he thought. Ryan also sensed that Delis likely had her own story; otherwise, why would a bar owner still be a virgin? Last night, seeing that Delis was struggling to endure, Ryan secretly cast a few healing spells. Without them, Delis might not have been able to get out of bed today.
Stepping into the courtyard, Ryan took a deep breath of fresh air and looked around. He noticed that Alice was still asleep. The second floor was home to Ryan, Alice, and Delis, while the others stayed downstairs. After breakfast, Ryan instructed Tory to ensure he wasn't disturbed. Not knowing where Niu Niu had gone, Ryan returned to Delis's room and opened his bag. Inside was a piece of Magape bone and various alchemical tools. Feeling particularly refreshed, Ryan decided to carve an earth-element magic array into the Magape leather, creating his first alchemical artifact.
Ryan carefully ground the Magape bone into powder, mixing it with bile and refined blood. He heated the solution over a fireball spell while gently rotating the crystal vial. Over the course of an hour, the liquid transformed from yellow to a water-like clarity. Once the solution was ready, Ryan set it aside to cool and retrieved another peculiar object.
"Hm? An interesting young one. Let's not disturb him. Issue orders to keep the noise down," said an elderly man outside Ryan's door, his chest adorned with a golden staff insignia. Using his spiritual power, he had detected Ryan's actions and decided to observe quietly. Thus, the group gathered in the second-floor hallway, with Toya and Stephen standing at the rear.