In the courtyard of the Baruch Family mansion, Hogg was reclining in a chair, carefully reading an extremely thick book.
"Master Hogg, dinner is prepared," a maid approached and said respectfully.
Ever since the butler Xili had taken the young Wotton to the O'Brien Empire, the Baruch Family no longer had any servants. As the head of a Dragon Blood Warrior family, Hogg couldn't very well do the menial work himself. So, gritting his teeth, he had hired a maid.
"Oh." Hogg closed the book in his hand and glanced at the maid beside him, inwardly sighing. "Fortunately, those nobles know my son is now a genius magician at Ernst Academy and are willing to lend me gold coins, otherwise life would be even harder."
"With the current tax rate in Wushan Town, it's barely enough to cover the kingdom's taxes and the salaries of the guards." Just thinking about it made Hogg feel stifled. By the time the family had reached his generation, most of what could be sold had already been sold.
Fortunately...
He, Hogg, had two sons. Two remarkable sons.
"Lin Lei is already a fifth-level magician, and graduation is coming soon. Once that happens, I can hand the family over to him, and I can finally do what I've always wanted to do."
Hogg stood up and walked toward the living room. Suddenly—
"Master Hogg! Master Hogg!" Hillman's voice echoed from afar.
Hogg looked toward the mansion gates in puzzlement. In just a moment, Hillman entered, and beside him was a robust young man.
Seeing the youth, Hogg's face immediately split into a broad smile. Laughing, he walked over to greet them. "Lin Lei, you're back! Haha, that's fantastic! What a wonderful surprise!"
"Agatha, please prepare a more sumptuous dinner," Hogg said affectionately, patting Lin Lei's shoulder. "Good lad, you're already as tall as me. By the way, you usually don't come back until the end of the year. What brings you this time?"
Lin Lei smiled mysteriously. "Father, I'll tell you after dinner."
"So secretive?" Hogg deliberately furrowed his brow.
Beside them, Hillman chuckled. "Master Hogg, Lin Lei told me he's prepared a mysterious gift for you. I asked him about it, but he wouldn't say a word."
"Uncle Hillman," Lin Lei said, frowning at him.
"Alright, I won't say another word," Hillman laughed heartily.
Night fell, and the earth plunged into darkness. Several candles burned in the Baruch Family's living room, illuminating the entire space. After dinner, when the maid Agatha had cleared the table and only Lin Lei and Hogg remained in the hall, Lin Lei placed his bundle before his father.
"What's this?" Hogg asked, looking at Lin Lei with confusion.
"Open it in a moment." Lin Lei stood up and closed the living room door. Hogg couldn't help but smile. "So mysterious? You even have to close the door."
Lin Lei sat down confidently. "Father, open this bundle."
"Let's see what you've got in here." Hogg opened the bundle out of curiosity, only to find another large bag inside. The mouth of the bag was cinched tight, and it was bulging with countless magic crystal cores.
Hogg felt the large bag, puzzled. "Such a big bag, and it doesn't look like gold coins. Could it be gravel?" He couldn't figure it out. As he spoke, he opened the bag.
The moment the bag was opened—
Colorful magic crystal cores, in every shade imaginable, radiated a dazzling, brilliant light. The sheer sight made Hogg's eyes blur. A whole bag filled with magic crystal cores like this was something he had never seen in his entire life.
"Are these... magic crystal cores?" Hogg's eyes went wide as he stared at Lin Lei in shock. Then, he swallowed hard. He had seen magic crystal cores before, but he had never seen so many at once. Such a large quantity had an overwhelming visual impact.
Lin Lei nodded. "Yes, this bag is almost entirely magic crystal cores, with only about a dozen magic crystals mixed in. According to the values recorded in books, these cores should be worth over seventy thousand gold coins."
"Over seventy thousand gold coins?" Hogg felt his heart constrict painfully.