Chapter 19

Then, there was a crisp sound...

The hall suddenly fell silent, as if time had been frozen. Ryan, who was tightly gripping his staff, just stared blankly at the young mage in front of him, his eyes filled with disbelief...

Was that just a slap?

As if to prove it wasn't an illusion, the moment this thought crossed Ryan's mind, another crisp sound echoed through the hall.

Another slap. The new staff members were all stunned, thinking, "No way..."

"Go back to sleep if you haven't woken up yet. What kind of nonsense are you spouting at the Gilded Rose? Can you afford to ruin my business?" Lin Yun slapped the young mage twice and then cursed.

The gap between a mage and a high mage is indeed insurmountable, even Lin Yun couldn't bridge that gap. However, when it came to spells, it was different. Lin Yun had at least a dozen ways to counter the Blood Vine Spell.

In the Noscent world 30,000 years later, Lin Yun had even fought against real abyssal blood vines. How could a mere imitation spell be a match for him?

Lin Yun didn't even need to expend mana; he just threw a single Hellfire, which burned the evil vines from the abyss to ashes. Hellfire was the natural nemesis of blood vines; just a little bit could turn a sea of blood vines into ashes.

The Hellfire had been extracted from a Hellstone a few days ago, originally intended for the preparation of a Spirit Ignition Potion. But because Ryan used the Blood Vine Spell, it had to be used up prematurely...

Thinking about this, Lin Yun felt a surge of anger. You could have just stood up for Mason, but did you have to bring up the dignity of the Monchi family? Is the dignity of the Monchi family worth more than a bit of Hellfire?

At this moment, Ryan was completely stunned, or rather, frightened.

Even now, Ryan couldn't believe that he had been slapped twice by a mage. Everything happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that he forgot to retaliate, standing there with a blank expression, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Why is this happening...

Didn't they say that after a high mage摆脱魔漩束缚 (freed themselves from the magic vortex), their power surpassed that of a mage by tenfold, even a hundredfold? Didn't they say that there was an unbridgeable gap between a mage and a high mage? Why can this mage completely ignore my Blood Vine Spell? Why did he slap me without even using a spell?

Countless questions swirled in Ryan's mind, but he couldn't find a reasonable explanation. Not only a reasonable explanation, but not even a comforting excuse.

This wasn't something that could be explained away by "carelessness" or "lack of attention"...

Could an elephant, no matter how careless or inattentive, be overturned by an ant?

The hall fell silent again. Ryan stood there in a daze, his face a mix of anger and confusion. He wanted to use the Blood Vine Spell again to prove that the gap was unbridgeable, but the countless questions in his mind kept reminding him not to act rashly.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall became strange...

However, this strange atmosphere didn't last long because someone else entered.

"Magus Merlin, congratulations..." The person who entered was none other than Saron, the only disciple of Saruman.

To say that Saron, with his status, would personally come to congratulate the Gilded Rose on its reopening was a bit much. After all, Saron was not only Saruman's only disciple but also the designated successor to the Sage Tower, destined to become the head of the Mage Guild. His presence represented not just himself but also Saruman and the Sage Tower.

Even if he wanted to come, he had to consider the reactions of various parties.

However, today was a bit special...

After a conversation with Saruman in the reception room yesterday, Saron decided that he had to talk to the young mage the next day. So, he waited in the library early in the morning, but the young mage didn't show up all morning.

Finally, he couldn't wait any longer and sent someone to inquire. He learned that the Gilded Rose was reopening today, and the young mage wouldn't be able to come.

Saron was upset. I still have so many questions, how can you not come?

Forget it, I'll just go myself.

So, Saron took two scrolls from the Sage Tower as gifts and rushed to the Gilded Rose.

But when he entered, Saron felt his mind go blank...

"What... What's going on here?"

The young mage with both cheeks swollen, could it be the eldest son of the Monchi family, the high mage from the Gray Tower, Ryan?

How could he end up in such a sorry state, with both cheeks bruised and swollen? Was he slapped?

That's unlikely. In the entire Thousand Sails City, who besides the three major figures has the ability to slap a high mage? No, no, this must be some kind of spellcasting ritual I don't know about!

But why does High Mage Ryan look so strange? Was he really slapped?

And that young mage named Mafa Merlin, standing in front of a high mage and smiling so easily, isn't that a bit too arrogant?

Seeing such a bizarre scene upon entering, Saron regretted coming. What was he thinking, coming here? The tense atmosphere doesn't seem like it's about making money...

"Uh..." Saron swallowed hard and then forced himself to break the silence: "High Mage Ryan, what a coincidence, it's been a long time, you still look as impressive as ever."

"..." Saron's words were just a polite greeting, but to Ryan, they sounded different. At this moment, Ryan really wanted to curse. What the hell, can't you speak properly? My face is swollen from being slapped, and you're talking about looking impressive?

"Ah, Mage Ryan, I didn't mean it that way..." Saron realized he had said the wrong thing and tried to make amends, but he didn't know what to say.

"It's nothing." After taking a deep breath, Ryan used Saron's appearance as an opportunity to regain some of his lost composure.

As he gradually calmed down, the confusion and bewilderment on his face slowly disappeared. Earlier, everything had happened so suddenly and unexpectedly, with a mage easily countering his Blood Vine Spell and slapping him, which had left him out of control.

But Ryan was a genius who had become a high mage before the age of thirty. As he calmed down, he realized that the other party had just exploited the weakness of the Blood Vine Spell, not that he had become strong enough to ignore the huge gap between a mage and a high mage.

With this understanding, Ryan's mood finally calmed down. As long as the gap still existed, he would get his revenge.

But not today...

Because Saron had come.

Saron was a high mage and a direct disciple of the Archmage Saruman. His presence represented the attitude of the Sage Tower. This realization made Ryan's just-calmed mind stir again. Why would the Sage Tower suddenly show such friendliness to a young mage from a declining family? What does this mean...

No, I need to discuss this with my father.

"Magus Merlin, I hope you have such good luck next time."

With these words, Ryan left without looking back, not even saying goodbye to Saron.

"Not really..." Ryan's parting words made Saron's face stiffen, and his gaze toward Lin Yun became blank.

These words were clear enough. If Saron had only suspected before, now he was certain that the high mage's bruised and swollen face was definitely related to this Magus Merlin...

My God...

Thinking about this, Saron couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. That was a genuine high mage, who could easily kill several mages with just his mouth, even if his hands and feet were tied. How could... How could he be slapped so badly by a mage?

This is too unscientific...

What other secrets does this Mafa Merlin have?

No, I must report this to Teacher Saruman immediately.

"Magus Merlin, congratulations, may your business flourish and your wealth grow. This is a small gift, I hope you like it. Goodbye!"

Saron said this long sentence in one breath, then placed the two scrolls in Lin Yun's hand and ran away...