Not long after
At the gates of Ernst Academy, Hillman paced back and forth with a furrowed brow, clearly weighed down by concerns. The academy's management was quite strict, and as an outsider with no connections or authority, he had no right to enter the grounds directly.
After a while, Yeru and Rein, both wearing sky-blue robes, walked over.
"You're Lin Lei's Uncle Hillman, right? I've seen you before," Yeru said warmly.
Hillman had met Lin Lei's three brothers before. Seeing Yeru and Rein, he immediately walked over and asked, "Hello, I know you're Lin Lei's classmates. I wanted to ask — why didn't Lin Lei go home for the New Year this time? He always went back in previous years."
"That?" Yeru and Rein exchanged a glance.
Lin Lei's heartbreak wasn't exactly pleasant news, and it wouldn't be appropriate to tell his elder about it.
Rein was quick on the uptake and grinned playfully. "Uncle Hillman, Lin Lei has been completely devoted to his training. He already reached the level of a sixth-rank mage before last year's year-end assessment. Then he went off to the
"Third Brother doesn't care about that kind of empty talk. Anyway, Uncle Hillman, Lin Lei went to the Magic Beast Mountain Range around mid-December last year. He should be back before long. Is there something important? If there is, tell me and I'll make sure to pass it on to him right away," Yeru said politely.
Hillman pondered for a moment, forced a smile, and shook his head. "No, nothing important. It's just that Lin Lei has always come home for the New Year these past few years. When he didn't show up this time, the family was worried something might have happened, so I came to ask. Now that I know Lin Lei went to the Magic Beast Mountain Range to train, that's enough."
"Don't worry, Uncle Hillman. When Third Brother gets back, I'll make sure he goes home soon to put your minds at ease," Yeru said immediately.
But Hillman shook his head. "No need — don't rush Lin Lei back. Let him focus on his training in peace. He can come back when he has time. We don't have anything important going on in the countryside anyway. Thank you both. I'll be going now."
Yeru and Rein watched Hillman leave, then turned and walked away with smiles.
Suddenly — "Young Master Yeru! Young Master Yeru!" An enthusiastic voice called from a distance.
Yeru and Rein turned to look toward the far end outside the academy, where a horse-drawn carriage stood parked, flanked by four knights in full armor. Yeru frowned in puzzlement. "Who's calling me? Oh — it's Ostoney." He had spotted a face peeking through the carriage window.
Ostoney was the first to leap out of the carriage. He gave Yeru a modest smile, then stood respectfully to one side. At that moment the carriage curtain was drawn aside, and a balding old man descended slowly, leaning on a cane.
Yeru and Rein exchanged a puzzled glance.
"Who's this old fellow? Quite the imposing presence," Rein whispered.
Yeru shook his head and whispered back, "I don't know him either, but from the way Ostoney's acting, he must be someone important. Ostoney is upper management at Pruxus Hall — his status is quite high."
Accompanied by Ostoney, the balding old man approached with a smile.
"Little Yeru, hello there," the old man greeted warmly. "I met your father not long ago, and he was singing your praises. Haha — for Dawson to have a mage for a son, now that's something to be proud of."
Yeru looked at the balding old man in confusion.
He claimed to know his father? Trying to get on his good side?
Ostoney immediately spoke up. "Young Master Yeru, this is the Director-General of our Pruxus Hall. You may call him Director Mairo."
"No need for formalities — just call me Uncle Mairo. I've been friends with your father for several decades," the balding old man said with a warm smile.
Yeru was secretly startled.
Pruxus Hall was a sanctuary of the arts. It had branches in every major city across the entire Yulan Continent. Never mind the other locations — just the Pruxus Hall alone in
That was only secondary.
What truly mattered was the status. As the Director-General of an arts sanctuary, Director Mairo socialized with the most elite figures on the Yulan Continent — even many Saint Realm experts were on friendly terms with him. Such a person could not be taken lightly.
Moreover, Pruxus Hall's own military forces were formidable — otherwise, how could they protect so many priceless stone sculptures?
"Uncle Mairo," Yeru said respectfully.
The balding Director Mairo turned to Rein. "And this is?"
"This is my good brother, Rein," Yeru introduced immediately. Rein offered a courteous greeting as well. "It's an honor to meet you, Director Mairo."
Director Mairo gave a slight nod. From Rein's every gesture and bearing, he could tell that Rein had received an excellent upbringing from a young age.
"Uncle Mairo, may I ask what brings you here?" Yeru inquired.
Though he was asking, Yeru already had a guess in mind. "It's most likely about Third Brother's stone sculpture, 'Awakening from a Dream.'" The last time, before Ernst Academy's holiday break, Lin Lei had gone a while without delivering any new sculptures, so Ostoney had come to inquire.
And when Ostoney visited Lin Lei's dormitory, he happened to spot the sculpture displayed inside.
One look, and Ostoney was stunned.
As a senior manager of Pruxus Hall, Ostoney had a razor-sharp eye for art. At a single glance, he recognized that Lin Lei's work was absolutely at the pinnacle of stone sculpture — it unquestionably deserved a place among the "Ten Greatest Stone Sculptures" of the sculpting world.
Most importantly, this sculpture of Lin Lei's was enormous — a single piece equal to five of anyone else's works.