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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nYang Ling had just left when an elder in black walked into the villa through a ripple in thin air. His appearance was hazy, as if his body devoured any light that got too close.

n“Teacher!” Maryse bowed respectfully when she saw the figure of the elder in black, even though she was clenching her teeth in fury.

n“Maryse, you were wrong, you were utterly wrong!” Looking at the fuming Maryse, the elder in black gently shook his head. “I have told you before; the young lad Yang Ling is not simple. Even though he cannot use Battle Energy or Magical Energy, he has a strange power in his body. Your Temptation of Darkness might have won over countless other men, but it’s counterproductive when used against him!”

nCounterproductive?

nAfter hearing the elder’s words and remembering Yang Ling’s avoidance and faint hostility toward her, Maryse reached an epiphany. “Teacher, are you saying that Yang Ling is acting wary and hostile towards me because I used the Temptation of Darkness?”

n“That’s right. You miscalculated the first time you met him, then continued to make mistakes in further encounters!” The elder in black paused, then continued, “A sole, thriving person like Yang Ling will definitely have many enemies. You abruptly used mental attacks against him the first time you met him. Of course that made him cautious and caused a misunderstanding!”

n“Teacher, what should we do now?”

nAfter understanding what was going on, Maryse quickly calmed herself down. Now that it had come to this, there was no use for regret. To successfully complete the mission, she would have to dispel the misunderstanding between her and Yang Ling. Only by dispelling Yang Ling’s misapprehensions could she hope that he would grovel before her one day, giving her the revenge she desired.

nIn this world, the only person that could awe Maryse was the elder in black before her. Maryse knew that her teacher would be her lighthouse whenever she was faced with difficulties, be it in magic or tactics. If not for her teacher turning the tides with his foresight, the Association of Dark Magic would have been defeated by the Church long ago.

n“Maryse, until you reach the seventh level, you are not to use the Temptation of Darkness on Yang Ling again. Remember that!” Seeing Maryse compose herself in such a short amount of time, the elder in black gave an approving nod. “A man like Yang Ling weighs risks and benefits carefully. At this point, you must make your identity clear to him. Only by making him understand your worth can you get near him and successfully complete the mission!”

nYang Ling’s abilities were nothing exceptional, but the family behind him was a different story. The elder believed that any faction would pay any price to get a family of Ancient Summoners on their side.

nAs an elder of the Association of Dark Magic, the elder in black would definitely not miss such a good opportunity. If he could summon a large number of dark element Magical Beasts using the abilities of the family of Ancient Summoners behind Yang Ling, the abilities of the Association of Dark Magic would improve by leaps and bounds within a short span of time.

nRoping Yang Ling in was a must, but he had to be attentive to how it was done.

nGoing too far is as bad as not going far enough!

nIf he was too impatient, he might earn Yang Ling’s animosity instead of his interest. That would be foolish, and the elder in black did not wish for Maryse to do anything foolish. After giving the impulsive Maryse a few reminders, he waved the staff in his hand and instantly teleported away. Only a faint ripple of Magical Energy remained in his wake. He came and went without a trace.

nRoping in the family behind Yang Ling was important, but he had a more important thing to do at this point in time. He had to find the relic where the Holy Dragon Ayrpaciro sealed the Undead Divine Weapons, and he had to do it quickly.

nThe reason that the Association of Dark Magic was losing to the Church of Light was because the Church had a few powerful Divine Weapons. If he could find the sealed Undead Divine Weapons, the Association of Dark Magic would at the very least be able to defend themselves against the attacks of the Church, if not exterminate the Church of Light entirely.

nMaryse’s head was still hanging low in thought, even after the elder in black had been gone for some time. Even though her teacher hadn’t reprimanded her, she could still understand the intentions within her teacher’s words. The family behind Yang Ling was exceptional, she shouldn’t act impulsively.

nMaking her identity clear and letting Yang Ling know her worth?

nMaryse thought back to Steve, the Leader of Wissen who had fallen for her at first sight. When she considered Yang Ling’s unfriendly attitude toward the man, Maryse knew that conflict would erupt between them sooner or later. She soon had a preliminary plan. Even though the abilities of the Association of Dark Magic had declined greatly under the attacks of the Church, propping up a small faction in the desolate Wissen Town still wouldn’t be a problem.

nMaryse was planning her new course of action. At the same time, Yang Ling was rushing back to Wissen Castle under the protection of a large group of guards.

nAlong the way, Yang Ling broke out in cold sweat as he recalled how he almost succumbed to the temptation. Maryse’s allure and mental attacks were too powerful. He had almost fallen for her schemes. If not for having Wizard Power and the Soul Ring protecting him, he might have already met his maker.

nTwisting the Soul Ring on his right index finger, Yang Ling knew that this was a treasure he could not get too many of. He was prepared to spend some time examining it and thinking about how he could use it.

nUntil he advanced to the level of Earth Wizard and concentrated his Wizard Core, the Wizard Amulets were the only things he could depend on for his offense and defense. He would have no time to summon Magical Beasts to aid in battle if he encountered a terrifying opponent on the level of a heaven-ranked assassin. When that time came, he needed treasures like the ring that he could use freely.

nWalking quickly past the heavily guarded gates, Yang Ling had wanted to head straight to the villa where he trained. But unexpectedly, the old butler walked toward him excitedly. “Sir, you are finally back. Miss Harribell has been waiting for you in the hall for many hours. She came especially to thank you for saving her father’s life!”

n“Alright, show me the way!”

nAfter a moment’s surprise, Yang Ling recalled Harribell and her unique demeanor, then walked toward the meeting room with large strides. Over the months, it was due to her help that he had been able to quickly recruit the various craftsmen that he needed. If not for her massive support, there was no telling when he would finish investigating the whereabouts of Goode’s family with his abilities alone.

nAs he approached, he could hear laughter coming from the meeting hall. Harribell, who was dressed in white, had established a rapport with Alice and the rest shortly after arriving and was giving various gifts to the people around Yang Ling. She gave a hairpin to Alice, a coat to Argus… They all seemed to be small gifts, but the items were all made by masters and couldn’t be purchased outside even if they had money. She quickly obtained the fancy of the group.

nHarribell quickly walked forward when she saw Yang Ling. “Sir Yang Ling, my father has recovered after consuming your Water from the Spring of Life. Thank you for your benevolence!”

n“It was but a small favor, you need not be too polite. Also, you can just call me Yang Ling in the future!” Yang Ling had a glow in his eyes when he looked at Harribell in her white, flowy dress.

nGraceful and presentable, calm and composed, bright eyes and white teeth… Yang Ling saw the shadow of a successful city leader in Harribell.

nIt was hard being a woman. It was harder being a successful female merchant. He couldn’t help but feel in awe of Harribell, with her business spreading all over the Tailun Continent.

n“Alright, I’ll call you Yang Ling in the future!” Harribell let out a graceful smile. “My father wanted to visit you personally to thank you, but he is still feeling a little weak and cannot come personally, please forgive him! I have brought a few small gifts to express my thanks, please accept them!”

nAfter bowing, Harribell shot a glance toward the old butler Murbaqi at the side. The latter understood and clapped his hands gently. Soon, the servants started carrying in boxes of presents.

nTwo hundred barrels of Raphael Red Wine that were a century old.

nA hundred purebred Silver-winged Pegusi.

nTen carts of premium Dark Fire Crystals.

nTwo hundred expert craftsmen.

nA hundred female maids.

nThree hundred high level swordsmen.

n…

nWith Murbaqi’s hails of celebration, the servants carried in crates of gifts. Other than the crystal coins, Dark Fire Crystals, and warhorses, there were also a bunch of craftsmen, maids, and warriors. The vast meeting hall suddenly became packed.

nThese are small presents to express her thanks?

nLooking at the countless treasures, then looking at the large group of people before him, Yang Ling shook his head. How is this a small present? This is too extravagant! The rich sure live up to expectations; nothing they do is ordinary.

n“Miss Harribell, your ‘small gifts’ are too extravagant. I can’t take these. I might not even be able to feed such a large group of people!” Even though the gifts were great, suddenly having six hundred more people gave Yang Ling a bit of a headache.

nHe hadn’t opened a channel to sell Magical Beast Essence Crystals. It would be decent if the dwarf weapon shop and Shangri-La could turn a small profit, or enough to cover their expenses. Suddenly having over six hundred people would fritter away his fortune. He might really become bankrupt one day.

nHarribell was intelligent, and she immediately understood Yang Ling’s concerns from his tone. “Yang Ling, you need not worry; they are all registered slaves. All you have to do is provide them with simple meals and living quarters. There’s no need for any additional expenses!”

nYang Ling heaved a sigh of relief. If he only needed to care about their meals and living quarters, Yang Ling could take in six thousand people, much less six hundred. Wissen Castle was immensely large, and he had a good number of vacant rooms even though many of the townspeople had moved in temporarily.

nAs for rations, there was a large amount of land at the edge of Terras Forest that could be used for farming once spring came around. With the rations accumulated by the Anca family over the years, lasting through the winter wouldn’t be much of a problem.

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