Only after seeing the seventh-level magic beast 'Rapid Dragon' and the mysterious mage depart did Hogg finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Uncle Xili." Hogg turned directly to the butler Xili. "Arrange for some people right away to find the gold ingots melted from coins in that ash. This mercenary team is no ordinary bunch—they probably had quite a bit of money. I hope it can make up for the losses our Wushan Town suffered."
Hogg looked around at the surroundings. Every last building had been reduced to rubble.
"Yes, my lord." Xili nodded.
"Hillman." Hogg looked over to Hillman beside him and smiled. "How do you feel?"
Hillman nodded as well. "Terrified, honestly. When I saw the seventh-level magic beast 'Rapid Dragon' and that mysterious mage, I knew our Wushan Town didn't stand a chance. A mage of the eighth level—someone of such exalted status—could wipe out our little town on a whim, and nobody would dare blame the mage, let alone punish them."
Mages held positions of extraordinary prestige.
Even an ordinary mage enjoyed a status comparable to that of nobility.
An eighth-level mage, upon meeting a kingdom's king, need not kneel and could speak standing eye to eye. That was how revered an eighth-level mage's status was.
"That's right. So we should count ourselves lucky—at least none of Wushan Town's residents were killed," Hogg said with a smile.
"That is indeed fortunate," Hillman agreed, nodding and smiling.
"Hillman, take some people and assist Uncle Xili. Make sure the housing situation for the residents who lost their homes is handled properly," Hogg instructed.
"Yes, Lord Hogg," Hillman answered.
Hogg glanced behind him carefully, then said to Hillman with puzzlement, "Huh? Where's Lin Lei? He was right here just a moment ago."
"No idea—I didn't notice," Hillman said, shaking his head.
"My lord, Young Master Lin Lei has already gone back," Xili spoke up from nearby. "However, the young master seemed a bit distracted when he left. I couldn't tell what he was thinking about."
Hogg nodded thoughtfully.
*******
The Baruch Family estate. The estate didn't lack for much—what it had in abundance was houses. In the Baruch Family's heyday, hundreds of people had lived here. Now far fewer resided within. Even Lin Lei, at the age of eight, had an entire house to himself.
Lin Lei's bedroom.
At that moment, Lin Lei sat cross-legged alone on his bed, frowning in deep thought.
In his mind, the horrifying scene of 'Fire Snake Dance' kept replaying—seven fire snakes as thick as water cisterns and tens of meters long soaring into the air, firewaves sweeping across the sky. Instantly, the surrounding area became an ocean of flame. The powerful warriors and mages of the mercenary team were reduced to ash in mere moments.
"Mages… they're so powerful."
A tremor stirred in Lin Lei's heart. "I have the Dragon Blood Warrior bloodline, but the concentration is rather low. And the Dragon Blood Warrior bloodline rejects other Dou Qi Scriptures. That… limits the ceiling of my growth on the warrior path! I wonder—is it possible for me to become a mage?"
Lin Lei suddenly found himself wanting to become a mage.
"That Rapid Dragon was terrifying too. If… if I also had a Rapid Dragon of my own, then…"
In his mind, Lin Lei replayed the scene of the Rapid Dragon.
That lightning-fast dragon tail, which could smash boulders and demolish houses with a casual sweep. Its enormous body was like a giant battering ram from an army—once it charged at full speed, with the Rapid Dragon's size and the hard scales covering its body, it would be absolutely devastating.