Chapter 67

"Is there really danger?" Meng Qi did not speak, but Lori did, asking with concern on her face.

And Yaris, standing beside her, said with a flicker in her eyes, "Father, if it's really dangerous, the only one who can bring people into the mage tower is Rody."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Meng Qi looked at Yaris and then scolded her. Meng Qi then looked at Cook, and finally his gaze fell on the little dragon munching on nuts, his eyes narrowing sharply.

"Sir, it's true, there is definitely danger." Cook didn't know how to say it, because the light magic fluctuations seeping out from the ventilation hole were so intense, clearly indicating that there was more than one person outside the door. Cook could clearly see white light magic elements coming out of the ventilation hole, though mental perception might not necessarily detect them. As always, a fire mage could only sense fire magic elements, not other elements, and the perception of magic fluctuations relied on the movement direction of surrounding fire magic elements to determine if there were any fluctuations, as explained in detail earlier.

Meng Qi had always had some grievances with Rody, otherwise he wouldn't have married Yaris to Melif. However, Rody had always performed well, and to be honest, Meng Qi didn't believe Rody would betray him. But when Meng Qi saw the little dragon in Cook's arms, his heart suddenly tightened.

"Alright, let me recover first, and then we'll go out. If there's no danger, boy, you'll be punished." Meng Qi's eyes flickered, and after a moment, he began to meditate, tightly gripping two fire magic crystals in his hands.

Outside the basement door, four fully armed knights stood on either side, with three people in the middle. One was wearing a white robe embroidered with golden patterns, another was dressed in a hemp robe, holding a black iron rod, and the last one was Rody. The man in the white robe looked at Rody and asked, "Sir Rody, why hasn't your mentor come out yet? This is different from your estimated time!"

"Sir Dume, it's normal for the magic array to be delayed, and the dragon egg may not hatch at once. Moreover, my mentor might be meditating to recover his magic power." Rody replied, sweating profusely, because the man in the white robe was a white-robed priest of the Holy Church, a significant figure second only to the Pope and the Cardinal, and the four knights were the famous Holy Knights. Rody couldn't help but swallow his saliva when he saw the white light flowing from the armor and the faintly glowing spears of the Holy Knights, as they were fully equipped with magic gear.

"Sir Dume, be patient, be patient!" The man in the hemp robe said softly.

"Yes, Sir!" Dume bowed in response.

"Sir Dume, what is this?" Rody was shocked and asked in confusion.

"This is our Church's ascetic, Sir Venderjin. He walked from the Church to the Roland Empire, crossing the Great Desert." Dume introduced to Rody.

"An ascetic." Rody was also greatly surprised, as ascetics trained in the most extreme conditions, eating only black bread and water, and were a powerful force in the Holy Church, rarer than Holy Knights.

"Rody, your contribution this time is significant. Once we succeed, you can go to the Holy City, and we will help you reach a new height in a short time." Dume's words carried a hint of magic, making Rody involuntarily believe him.

In fact, Dume had not reported the dragon egg to the higher-ups, and the four Holy Knights were Dume's confidants. As for Venderjin, he had just arrived in Roland City, and Dume was merely using the Holy City's orders to command him. Ascetics never asked about other matters; their only goal was to train continuously. As for the final destination of the dragon egg, Dume would not hand it over to the Church. Dume had already planned his escape route, which was to join the Dark Church. Dume looked at Rody, who was so naively adorable, and had already calculated that Venderjin would be the best bargaining chip to join the Dark Church, as Dume was not doing well in the Church and had been sent to the remote Roland. Dume also knew that even if he handed over the offspring of a lightning dragon, he would not receive much benefit, as no one in the Church's upper echelons knew what "light" truly meant.

"Thank you, thank you!" Rody was extremely excited, knowing that he was a Great Mage and that without a large amount of resources, he would likely reach his limit as a Great Mage. With a large amount of resources, Rody believed he still had room for improvement. Originally, Rody planned to marry Yaris to inherit his mentor's wealth, but Melif appeared unexpectedly.

Rody could only watch in pain as Melif married Yaris. At that moment, Rody harbored resentment. The attack on the Melif couple by the Black Knight Legion was partly due to Rody's efforts. If the Melif couple died, and Lori's fate was unknown, then his mentor's vast wealth would be his. However, the Melif couple returned alive, which greatly angered Rody. But when Rody learned about the lightning dragon egg, he saw his opportunity.

Rody had tried to approach the dragon egg but failed. Rody did not believe he had the ability to escape the mage tower, and he had not found any external help because he realized that whoever he approached would be directly sent to Meng Qi with evidence, as befriending a Holy Mage was something everyone wanted to do. However, the arrival of the dragon egg made Rody's eyes light up, as it was something no one could refuse. Rody had the courage to not seek help and instead find the most powerful organization on the continent, the Holy Church!

"Hmph!" After half an hour, Meng Qi stood up, and the two magic crystals in his hands had turned into gray stones. Magic crystals and magic cores each had their advantages. The elements in magic cores were purer, but the structure was more compact, making it slower and more mentally draining to replenish magic power. Magic crystals, while not as pure, had a looser structure, making it faster to replenish magic power and less mentally draining. This was why Meng Qi chose magic crystals over magic cores. During this process, Meng Qi finally sensed the elemental fluctuations coming from the ventilation hole, as the fire elements were being pushed by an invisible force, clearly indicating a strong magic source outside the door, as wind and other natural weather conditions could not affect elemental fluctuations.

"Father!" Yaris was also nervous, as she had always felt that Rody was somewhat insincere, though she could not find any evidence, which was purely a sixth sense. This was why Yaris had chosen Melif over Rody.

"Don't worry! The mage tower is my territory, and even Rody cannot know everything." Meng Qi walked to another corner of the basement, fumbled for a while, and used a small metal rod to manipulate a small hole. Then, Melif pulled hard, and a stone door opened from one side.

"Hehe, who would have thought that a Holy Mage's escape route wouldn't use a magic array!" Meng Qi said with a smile, then led the way inside.

"Cunning fox!" Cook was shocked and impressed by Meng Qi's setup, as anyone checking the mage tower would first think of a magic array. Cook put himself in Rody's position, as Yaris had already said that Rody was the only one who could bring people in. Cook did not believe anyone would dare to openly attack a Holy Mage's tower, the guardian of the empire, unless they wanted to die.

Cook finally entered and found that it was a tunnel, not very large but wide enough for an adult to pass through easily. The tunnel was also winding, clearly to avoid certain things. After about ten minutes, Cook saw light and found that the exit was on the city wall, with tall trees outside. Cook couldn't help but admire the location, as it was both an offensive and defensive position, worthy of an old fox.

"Cook, Lori, and Miki, you go first to the Mage Guild and wait for me. Yaris, go find Melif." Meng Qi instructed in a serious tone as he came out.

"Grandpa!" Miki hugged Meng Qi.

"Father!" Yaris looked at Meng Qi.

"Alright, look at you. They are in the mage tower, and it's my mage tower! I want to see who is the black hand behind this." Meng Qi waved his hand impatiently.

Cook gritted his teeth, pulled out a black iron dagger from his boot, and handed it to Meng Qi: "Sir, take this dagger. It was used to cut through Sir Melif's magic-restricting handcuffs last time. Can you wait a moment? I'll send Little Bad and Big Mouth to check how many people there are."

"Alright! I'll take the dagger." Meng Qi looked at Cook, knowing about the dagger, as magic-restricting handcuffs were extremely hard metal, a powerful tool made by alchemists to target all practitioners. Even a ninth-level powerhouse would be unable to break them without the key. Meng Qi knew about the dagger, but Cook hadn't mentioned it, so Meng Qi didn't ask. Now that Cook had brought it out, Meng Qi looked at Cook with new respect.

Cook instructed Kaka to call Big Mouth and Little Bad, as Kaka was still in the juvenile stage and couldn't express what he saw well. A few minutes later, Big Mouth arrived, and Little Bad was carried over by Big Mouth's claws.

After being instructed by Cook, Little Bad and Big Mouth left. Watching Little Bad hop into the dense forest and Big Mouth soar into the sky, Meng Qi said, "Who says this is a trash talent?"

A few minutes later, Little Bad and Big Mouth returned. Cook questioned them, and Little Bad waved his claws, while Big Mouth pointed to his claws with his beak. Little Bad then called out and pointed to the golden collar around his neck, then to the distant sky. Cook then told Meng Qi, "Sir, there are seven people. Little Bad and Big Mouth confirmed by counting their claws. Among them, Sir Rody, four knights, whom Little Bad called 'iron men,' a man in very beautiful white clothes with golden lines, to whom Little Bad is most sensitive to gold, and a beggar with a stick."

"Four knights, iron men, white clothes with golden lines, a beggar?" Meng Qi was puzzled, wondering what kind of group this was.

"Right, Little Bad also said the iron men were glowing, like light stones, light magic armor!" Little Bad then jumped onto Cook's shoulder, and Cook explained further, finally understanding who they were.

"The Holy Church! Four knights with glowing iron, these are Holy Knights. Golden lines, white clothes, these are white-robed priests. A beggar, hehe! This is an ascetic. Very good, very good! Rody, Rody!" Meng Qi understood after Cook's explanation.

Yaris was shocked when she heard Meng Qi's words: "Father, what should we do? They are definitely here for the little guy." Yaris pointed to the little dragon.

"Hmph! What's there to fear? Let's keep them here first. I will not let these guys take a single step out of the mage tower, even if I have to abandon it." Meng Qi's face showed a fierce expression as he clenched his teeth.

"But Father, that's the family's generations of hard work, and if the Church people disappear, they will certainly investigate extensively." Yaris deeply understood the power of the Church.

"Exactly, the Mage Guild has been inviting me for a long time. Mage Guild? Haha, let's go! I have a plan." Meng Qi waved his hand indifferently and then laughed heartily.

"Sir Meng Qi, the Mage Guild welcomes you!" Nali was delighted by Meng Qi's arrival.

"Nali, I heard your Mage Guild is looking for a mage with lightning affinity. Why is that?" Meng Qi did not beat around the bush and asked directly.

"Sir Meng Qi, what do you mean by that?" Nali's heart stirred, and he asked without showing any emotion.

"I know a person with lightning affinity, with mental power eight times that of a normal person and super element affinity." Meng Qi smiled slightly.

"What! Sir, who is it? Who is it?" Nali immediately pounced on Meng Qi, grabbing his hand and asking persistently.

"Hehe, do you think I would tell you?" Despite his nervousness, Meng Qi had gone to the Mage Guild headquarters, where someone had asked him to secretly find a person, and that person's identity was not low. Meng Qi was taking a gamble.

"Sir Meng Qi, this is very important. What I'm about to say, please don't spread it." Nali smiled bitterly and then said seriously.

"Then don't say it. I only want to know why you are looking for someone with lightning affinity." Meng Qi waved his hand.

"It's to find a student for someone. You know, people with lightning affinity are very rare. There have only been six such people on the entire continent so far, but those with good affinity are almost non-existent." Nali stopped speaking and looked at Meng Qi.

"That's good, that's good! I had guessed as much. Then, how powerful is that person?" Meng Qi nodded, feeling more relaxed.

"Hehe, I don't know, but this is what my mentor, an elder of the Mage Guild, instructed." Nali shook his head, though he had his own suspicions, he didn't dare to say it, as that person's name was taboo.

"That's good. To be honest, my granddaughter Lori has both lightning and fire affinity, but the lightning is a hidden affinity. If I hadn't discovered it during her first awakening, no one would have known. But now we are in big trouble. President Nali, please inform your mentor and see if the powerful person interested in taking a student with lightning affinity will come personally, as this involves something very significant." Meng Qi felt even more relaxed after Nali's words, as the identity of an elder of the Mage Guild gave him enough confidence to face the Holy Church.

"What trouble? Can you reveal it?" Nali stood up and asked casually.

"I am being targeted by four Holy Knights, a white-robed priest, and an ascetic." Meng Qi spread his hands.

"Whoa! I'll go and report!" Nali took a deep breath and quickly walked out.

A few minutes later, footsteps were heard outside. First, a man about 1.65 meters tall with a white beard and hair entered. Normally, he would look like a wise old man, but his small, beady eyes, large nose, and pointed chin gave the first impression of a pickpocket. His walking style was wobbly, like a cat stalking a mouse. If this were a woman, it would be a catwalk, but on an old man, it was quite different. (Played by Tianxia Wushuang, also the head of Wushuang Academy!)

"Wow, there are three beautiful ladies! This old man's trip is worth it!" The old man said with his eyes shining, but his large front teeth further ruined his already poor image.

"Wow! This little thing is interesting, very interesting!" The old man then looked at the little dragon, his eyes shining.

"You, little boy, are also interesting, very interesting!" The old man's eyes flickered as he pointed at Cook.

"Old man, this is the Mage Guild, don't talk nonsense!" Cook used his magic eye to check the old man and found him to be an ordinary person, immediately giving him a stern look.

The old man's mouth opened wide when Cook used his magic eye, and he grabbed Cook's hand. After a moment of testing, the old man's expression turned gloomy, and he burst out cursing, "Old man, you old man, you've already left, but you still want to take such a good seed. Wait, I'll settle this with you. I'll drink all your wine, eat all your food, and take your women, you...!"

"Is this old man crazy?" Cook quickly moved away and asked Miki.

"Not really, the Mage Guild isn't just anyone who can enter!" Miki opened her mouth and shook her head in denial.

The old man was extremely frustrated. Others might not know about Cook's magic eye talent, but the old man knew it well. He thought he had found a treasure and checked, only to find that Cook's aura was automatically rotating, and it was a wood aura. The old man almost spat blood, as this aura's movement was similar to a method used by an old acquaintance, and he couldn't help but curse.

"You are Lori! Yes, you have the qualifications to be my student. I heard a group of bird people are after you. Why is that?" The old man walked over, glanced at Miki, and asked.

"It's because of her!" Lori said directly, pointing at the little dragon. But after saying it, she realized it was wrong and immediately swung her staff at the old man.