Whoosh...
The night sea breeze carried a briny chill that made Jacob hunch his shoulders.
Although as a member of the Fairlan family he had long grown accustomed to such winds and waves, the rolling deck and taut sails still gave him a surreal feeling.
That feeling reached its peak the moment he laid eyes on Lei Lin, standing proud and tall at the very bow of the ship.
The vessel was a classic two-masted sailing ship — spacious enough to hold over eighty people without feeling cramped. Given the Fairlan family's standing, procuring a ship was hardly a challenge.
What truly shook Jacob was the young master Lei Lin's earlier display!
"No! Actually... everyone was shaken..." Jacob glanced at the squad captains beside him — they looked somewhat dazed, yet their eyes burned with fervor. He couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.
Earlier, just before departure, Lei Lin had personally cast a spell of [Detection Avoidance] on everyone present — right in front of the entire company!
By the God of Knowledge! The young master hadn't used any items or scrolls at all — he had unleashed a Third-Level spell entirely through his own power!!!
Being able to independently cast a Third-Level spell — that was the hallmark of a Seventh-Circle Mage! Young master Lei Lin of the Fairlan family had somehow advanced to Seventh-Circle Mage without anyone even noticing!
"Gods above... isn't Mage advancement supposed to be the hardest thing in the world? Just two years ago, the young master's promotion to Fifth-Circle already had everyone's jaws on the floor. And now..."
Jacob sighed. His wealth of adventuring experience made it perfectly clear what a fifteen-year-old Seventh-Circle Mage represented.
As long as nothing went wrong, even taking things slow, he would very likely advance to the rank of Fifteenth-Circle [Grand Mage] within a few hundred years!!!
In the entire Kingdom of Danbres, true [Grand Mages] could be counted on one hand — and some of them had been specifically recruited as Royal Court Mages, holding positions of immense prestige.
To win him over, His Majesty the King would surely not hesitate to grant a hereditary earldom and territory.
But even such generous rewards — the kind that drove others green with envy — wouldn't so much as catch the eye of a single Grand Mage.
At their level, Grand Mages had their sights set on nothing less than the Legendary realm.
And now, was the Fairlan family about to produce a Grand Mage of its own?
Jacob suddenly felt his head go dizzy.
"Cousin Leilin, you really had your big sister fooled..." Isabel, who stood beside Leilin, harbored no such complicated thoughts. Though she complained on the surface, it was clear she was genuinely happy about his achievements.
"I never expected that my little cousin would truly be a genius among mages!"
Isabel's eyes sparkled as though filled with countless tiny stars.
"Heh heh... everyone has their secrets, just like you, dear cousin." Leilin leaned a little closer, causing a hint of panic to flicker in her eyes. "I'm very much looking forward to the day you share yours with me..."
"Are you joking?" Isabel turned and walked away immediately, while Leilin's gaze grew somewhat deep and unfathomable.
"Doing this... it really is a bit of a helpless move..."
Leilin sighed. The reason he had revealed his strength before the battle was to solidify the confidence of those under his command.
Otherwise, once they learned that they might be facing the private soldiers of a kingdom's marquis, even if morale didn't collapse entirely, a severe drop would be the best-case scenario.
But now, a mage this young was already enough to make some of them willing to fight tooth and nail.
Even if the ordinary soldiers didn't yet understand what a fifteen-year-old seventh-level mage represented, the others would be more than happy to remind them or spell it out.
"Besides, our target this time is nothing more than a notorious pirate crew. Even if someone deliberately leaked information, most people wouldn't necessarily believe it..."
Leilin let out a long breath. He had done everything he could to the fullest extent. What came next would depend on luck.
"My lord! We've arrived!"
A sailor with triangular eyes and a gaze like a venomous serpent approached Leilin and reported in a low voice, his eyes burning with a thirst for blood and fire, along with a fervent desire for destruction.
If Leilin had seen such eyes back at the estate, he would have immediately ordered the man hanged. But now?
"When it comes to killing, this is exactly the kind of mentality you need!" Leilin was confident. With his methods, even if the man truly was a venomous serpent, he could still be trained into perfect submission.
"Your name— is it Robin Hood? A fine first mate and navigator! Are you also in charge of this ship?"
Leilin regarded the man, sensing from him the scent of blood that could only come from frequent killing. Clearly, the man's private life had been quite eventful.
"Young Master Fairlan!" Robin Hood was visibly surprised that Leilin could still remember his name.
"Good!" Leilin clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the island that loomed in and out of sight through the thin mist, and swiftly issued his commands. "Pass the word— everyone, stay hidden and keep noise to a minimum!"
To guard against their detection and divination magic, Leilin had specifically cast [Detection Avoidance] on his party before setting out, and throughout the journey he had proceeded with utmost caution while moving at extraordinary speed.