Chapter 18

"Remy, stay here and keep an eye on things. After Mage Mason finishes his meal, remember to remind him to compensate for the losses in the shop..." Lin Yun said while yawning, feeling extremely tired. The workload of the entire night was almost equivalent to what many alchemists would do in a month. He wouldn't be able to recover without a few days of sleep.

Unfortunately, just as the idea of catching up on sleep came to mind, it was immediately disrupted.

Lin Yun was about to turn and leave when there was another commotion outside the Gilded Rose. A young mage pushed the door open and entered.

This young mage looked to be less than thirty years old, but there was a clear silver pattern on the cuffs of his robe, revealing his identity as a High Mage. As soon as he walked in, many onlookers recognized him. There was only one High Mage this young in Thousand Sails City, and it could only be Monty's eldest son, Ryan.

It was said that Ryan showed astonishing magical talent at a very young age. Monty originally intended to send him to the Okland Academy, but when he was fifteen, a high-ranking official from the capital personally visited Monty and took Ryan away not long after.

This departure lasted for over a decade. It wasn't until recently that Ryan, now a High Mage, returned to Thousand Sails City. For a time, the entire city was in a state of shock. What did it mean to have a High Mage under thirty? A genius that might only appear once in a hundred years, and with a high probability of advancing to the rank of Archmage, which would make him a peer of the three great figures of the Sage Tower...

Especially after Ryan and his father visited the Sage Tower, and the news that one of the three great figures, Salaman, personally saw them off, Ryan's reputation in Thousand Sails City became even more illustrious.

Who was Salaman? He was almost a legendary figure. Over the years, countless people had visited the Sage Tower, but how many had been personally seen off by Salaman? Probably not even a handful...

Now, in Thousand Sails City, Ryan's name was even more famous than his father, Monty, the president of the Twin Moon Chamber of Commerce. Young magic apprentices, even those who had just advanced to the rank of mage, almost all regarded Ryan as their idol. Even the high-ranking officials of the major forces in Thousand Sails City now treated Ryan with respect, especially when they learned that Ryan was unmarried and had no engagement. Some families with daughters were already subtly hinting to Monty.

There was no way around it; a High Mage under thirty was too brilliant. Even a fool would know that as long as nothing major went wrong, Ryan's future was bound to be bright, and he would eventually become a figure on par with the three great figures, or even surpass them, standing alone at the pinnacle of Thousand Sails City.

Now, this young High Mage, whose name resounded throughout Thousand Sails City, stood at the door of the Gilded Rose, wearing a simple black robe with nothing remarkable about it except for the silver pattern on the cuffs. Seeing Mason with a mouth full of broken glass, his face did not show any signs of anger, as if Mason were not his own brother but a stranger.

"Take him back."

With Ryan's words, the small gang that Mason brought with him immediately felt relieved and helped Mason leave.

This time, Lin Yun did not stop them, just standing there curiously observing the young High Mage.

"The losses caused by Mason will be compensated by the Twin Moon Chamber of Commerce. Just give me a number, and I'll have it delivered to you tomorrow." After entering, Ryan only glanced at Lin Yun, not asking about the cause or who was right or wrong, and made this arrangement directly.

What the other party thought was not really important to Ryan.

As a High Mage, why would Ryan care about what a mage thought?

"As for you, the Blood Vine spell you just cast, you should extract it yourself."

Ryan's words immediately changed the expressions of everyone present.

Spell extraction refers to a mage completely forgetting a spell in exchange for transferring it to an item. This item could be a magic scroll, enchanted equipment, or a magic gem, as long as it had the capacity to carry magic. After the transfer, the item would gain strong magical abilities, and it might even fully inherit the spell. In the history of Noscent, several powerful magical artifacts were created using this method.

However, the process of spell extraction was extremely painful for a mage, as it involved forcibly extracting the spell from the mage's soul.

For a mage, this kind of soul torment was far more terrifying than a backlash of magic.

Historically, most mages who extracted spells were at the end of their lives, wanting to leave a legacy for their disciples or descendants. They used astonishing willpower and endurance to extract their most accomplished spells from their souls.

Such mages, from the Third Dynasty to the present, probably numbered less than ten over a thousand years.

Now, with a casual remark, Ryan was asking Lin Yun to extract a spell.

"Ryan, you're going too far!" The old butler's face turned red as he stepped forward, shielding Lin Yun with his arm.

Ryan stood there as if he hadn't seen the butler, his eyes still fixed on Lin Yun. "This is Mason's fault, but the dignity of the Monty family cannot be challenged. Mafa Merlin, you should know that if I were to act, you would suffer even more."

"High Mage Ryan, you've said a lot, but there's one thing I don't quite understand..." Lin Yun gently pushed the butler aside and walked up to Ryan with a smile.

"What is it?" Ryan's brow furrowed slightly; he didn't like the young mage's attitude.

Lin Yun stood in front of Ryan, looking him up and down before asking, "Are you awake?"

"Huh?" Ryan didn't react at first, but then a surge of uncontrollable anger rose in his heart. A mere mage dared to mock him?

"You asked for it!"

Ryan tightened his grip on his staff, and a powerful magical aura immediately spread out. Then, a vivid red color filled the entire hall. With a rustling sound, countless blood-red vines sprouted from the ground, growing so rapidly that it looked like a sea of blood was spreading.

The same Blood Vine spell, when cast by Ryan, looked completely different from when cast by Lin Yun. This wasn't because Lin Yun's spellcasting ability was inferior to Ryan's, but because the gap between a mage and a High Mage was too vast. After a High Mage broke free from the constraints of the magic vortex, their power was elevated to a completely different level, a world that a mage who hadn't crossed that boundary couldn't even imagine. This gap was almost insurmountable, and no matter how powerful the magic or how skilled the spellcasting, it would only be a laughable trick in the face of such a vast difference.

The vines instantly flooded the entire hall, enveloping everyone in a terrifying blood-red haze. With just a gesture from Ryan, the entire hall would be truly drenched in blood.

In the eyes of a High Mage, a mage was not even worth mentioning, let alone others...

For a moment, screams and cries for help echoed throughout the hall. Even the usually unyielding butler now showed a hint of fear.

Only Lin Yun, standing in front of Ryan, still wore a smile...

The blood-red vines spread out, and in the sea of blood, Lin Yun's slender figure looked particularly frail. But the smile on his face didn't change, and his only action was to lightly flick his finger, sending a small flame from his fingertip flying out...

In the vast sea of blood-red vines, this weak flame was like a pebble in the ocean, swaying and about to be extinguished at any moment.

But then came a loud "boom"...

The moment the flame touched the ground, a towering flame rose up, as if someone had poured oil on it. The weak flame instantly turned into a raging inferno, burning along the blood-red vines. In just a moment, the vast expanse of blood-red vines turned to ashes in the blazing flames...

Everything happened so quickly that no one could react.

The many employees of the Gilded Rose still had expressions of shock on their faces, and Ryan, who had cast the Blood Vine spell, was still maintaining the gesture of spellcasting.

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