Chapter 148: Chapter 147: The Return Journey

The morning mist had not yet scattered when they left Osborne Valley.

Gaga held its wings outstretched, gliding steadily beneath the clouds.

Ian sat on its broad back, the wind whistling past his ears and making his robes flap.

"Ian, where are we going now?" Gaga’s voice echoed directly in Ian’s mind.

"Home," Ian said. "Back to the Marcus territory."

"Your old home?" Gaga’s heterochromatic eyes darted around. "Is there anything fun there?"

"Nothing fun," Ian paused. "But my family is there."

He took a Dimension Bag from his robes. Reaching in with his Spiritual Power, he confirmed that everything he had prepared the previous night was inside.

A few bottles of Healing Potion, some basic Alchemy Materials, and a bag of standard Magic Stones.

Most importantly, there was the box containing the family crest, and what lay within it.

’Father, Latour Marcus...’ Ian closed his eyes.

When he had left two years ago, his father had stood at the castle gate, his eyes filled with restrained hope.

He had said, "Go. Don’t worry about things at home."

Then, every two months, a delivery of twenty Magic Stones would arrive on time.

For a Mortal Count, twenty Magic Stones meant consuming nearly half the output of that Miniature Magic Stone Ore.

It meant fighting with jealous jackals over mining rights. It meant battling wandering Wizard Apprentices to the death.

Ian opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the gradually widening vista before him.

"Can we make it in ten days?" he asked.

"It won’t take that long!" Gaga’s voice was tinged with pride.

"I’m very fast now. Eight days. We’ll see your castle in eight days, tops."

"Good."

On the first day of their flight, they crossed the mountain range at the edge of the East Coast.

To the north of the mountains were wetlands; to the south, plains.

Below, Ian saw herds of Wind-Horned Deer running, hunters setting traps, and merchant caravans kicking up dust on the dirt roads.

As they moved away from the areas where Wizards gathered, the Magic Concentration in the air began to drop.

Gaga opened its beak, took a breath, and then spat it out. "The air here... is so thin."

"It will get even thinner as we continue west," Ian said. "That’s the Magic Desert."

"Then how did your father send you Magic Stones?"

"He has a Miniature Magic Stone Ore," Ian said. "It’s very small and difficult to mine."

But it was precious enough.

Precious enough to attract the covetous gazes of wandering Wizard Apprentices and the jealousy of other nobles.

Gaga fell silent. It beat its wings, picking up a little more speed.

On the third day, they left the continent behind and flew out over the ocean.

The ocean was a deep, endless blue.

Occasionally, giant shadows would glide beneath the surface. Those were Sea Beasts, some docile, others dangerous.

Around noon, Ian saw a giant whale with a back covered in Bone Spikes leap from the sea, its spout shooting a column of water hundreds of meters into the air.

The sunlight refracted through the mist, creating a rainbow.

"It has no hostile intent," Ian said.

"It’s too big to bother with us."

Gaga flew around the edge of the water spout. "But there are fiercer things in the sea."

The words had barely left its beak when the sea ahead of them suddenly exploded.

A three-headed sea serpent emerged halfway from the water. Each of its heads was the size of a carriage, and it shrieked as it spat venom at them.

The venom froze into black chunks of ice in mid-air, which fell rustling into the sea.

Ian raised his hand, and twelve Crystal Cones materialized silently.

But before he could act, Gaga dove sharply. With a sweep of its wings, it unleashed a Wind Blade that sliced through the throat of the leftmost head.

Blood spurted out, and the head recoiled into the sea with a wail.

The other two heads tried to retaliate, but Gaga had already pulled up. Its heterochromatic eyes flashed, and it activated its Omen Eye.

The movements of both heads froze simultaneously.

The next second, Gaga opened its beak and spat out two sharp gusts of wind, which flew accurately into the serpents’ mouths.

The stench of shredded flesh and blood, mixed with the brine of the sea, wafted up.

The sea serpent thrashed violently, churning the surface of the water, but it soon fell still. Its corpse slowly sank.

"Done." Gaga turned its head, looking smug. "How was that? I’m pretty amazing now, huh!"

"Not bad progress," Ian said, patting its neck. "Keep flying."

That night, they found a deserted island to rest on.

Ian used Witchcraft to clear a space and start a campfire.

He took out some jerky and a Blood Essence from his Dimension Bag for Gaga. For himself, he took out a bottle of Moonlight Condensed Dew and drank a small sip.

His Spiritual Power slowly increased. In this Magic Desert, even he was unable to perform Meditation.

He took out the Tier One Witchcraft he had exchanged for a few days ago and began to study it. This was one of the few benefits Shadow Moon offered its New Wizards.

’As for things like core Inheritance Meditation Methods, forget it. You’d have to sign a harsh contract first.’

"Ian." Gaga swallowed a Blood Essence. "What are you going to do when you get home?"

"Settle them in," Ian said, watching the dancing flames.

"Leave them with enough resources and protection, then return to the High Tower."

"You’re not going to bring them to a place where Wizards gather?"

"They wouldn’t want to go," Ian shook his head.

"My father is a Count. His roots are there. Besides... the Wizard World is too dangerous. For them, being wealthy nobles in the Mortal World is actually safer."

Gaga tilted its head. "What about that Miniature Magic Stone Ore thing?"

"The ore isn’t important," Ian said. "What’s important is to make sure no one ever gets any ideas about them because of that ore again."

His tone was calm, but Gaga understood.

’No one ever gets any ideas again’ meant that if anyone dared to make a move, he would burn them all to ashes.

On the fifth day, the Magic Concentration dropped even further.

Ian could clearly feel the slow metabolism of his Sea of Spirit.

Any Wizard would feel uncomfortable in this environment, like a fish in shallow water.

But for mortals, this was a normal world.

There was no Demonic Qi pollution, no rampaging monsters—only the changing of seasons and the cycle of life and death.

Ian recalled that when he was a child in the castle, someone had said that this land was called the "Barren Land" by Wizards.

But back then, he didn’t understand why. The sky was so blue, the fields so green, and there were deer and rabbits in the forest.

Later, after he went to Shadow Moon Tower, he saw endless Starlight pouring into the tower’s peak, saw Magic Potions bubbling in the Laboratory, and saw Wizards casually summoning lightning and frost.

Only then did he understand that this place was truly barren. Probably not even a Middle Level Apprentice would be willing to stay here.

On the evening of the seventh day, they flew over an archipelago.

Ian saw lights on the islands—fishing villages, scattered like stars along the dark coastline.

He was only a day’s journey from home, yet his heart grew ever calmer.

It wasn’t the calm of indifference, but one that came from all his thoughts settling.

Whether it was worry or anticipation, with his current Power, nothing could stand in his way.

"We’ll arrive tomorrow at noon," Gaga said.

"Mm," Ian responded softly. Then he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

In a place he could not see, the Marcus territory was enduring an unseen, bitter winter.

The candlelight flickered in the study, casting shadows upon the walls.

Latour Marcus sat at his desk, holding an opened letter.

He had gripped the edges of the letter so tightly they were wrinkled.

The letter had arrived three days ago, from Marquis Holden to the south.

Its contents were simple and direct.

"Regarding the division of mining rights for the Black Stone Canyon Magic Stone Ore, I hope Count Marcus will reconsider. I will await your presence in Baihe City within ten days."

"Reconsider?" Latour sneered.

He had seized that ore from several wandering Wizard Apprentices at the cost of half his family’s fortune and his left arm.

Back then, to defend the mining area, he had fought those greedy Apprentices head-on.

A gray-robed Apprentice’s corrosive energy had struck his left arm. The pain was excruciating, and it had exposed the bone.

The wound eventually healed, but it always ached faintly on damp, rainy days, as if an Insect was gnawing at his very marrow.

But he had held onto the ore.

For what? To dig out a few dozen pieces of raw ore each month. To send Ian twenty standard Magic Stones every two months.

Back then, Ian had just entered Shadow Moon Tower. He had written home saying that the Apprentice stage required resources, that he needed Magic Stones to exchange for knowledge.

He had said, "Father, I will become a Wizard. I promise."

Latour believed him. So he threw all the family’s liquid assets into it, and with the help of a Great Knight friend, he had forcibly seized the ore vein from the hands of the wandering Wizard Apprentices.

When the first batch of Magic Stones was sent, Ian wrote back. His handwriting was very neat.

He said he had already exchanged them for a Basic Meditation Method. Latour read that letter ten times over.

After that, it was twenty stones every two months, without fail. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The Stewards in the territory had complained, saying the budget was too tight and that other nobles were gossiping behind his back.

They said the Count must be mad, betting the family fortune on a son who might not even succeed.

Latour ignored them. He himself had been stuck at the peak of the Great Knight level.

For lack of resources, he could only watch as the threshold to a higher level remained just beyond his reach.

Ian had the aptitude. He couldn’t let his son suffer the same setback.

Until a year ago, when Ian’s letters suddenly stopped coming.