Chapter 4

After watching Fario's bulky figure disappear into the distance, Lin Yun turned around and looked at the two thugs Jimmy had brought. "Why aren't you leaving? Are you waiting for me to invite you to dinner?"

The two thugs, who had been standing there like wooden chickens, were suddenly startled by Lin Yun. "Ah, we're leaving, we're leaving..."

As the two thugs carried Jimmy away, the large house became quiet again. The old butler, supported by Lin Yun, sat in a chair. His arm, which had been scratched, was already bandaged, and it wasn't a serious injury. However, his face remained worried. "Young Master, those 8,000 gold coins..."

"Relax, it will be taken care of." Lin Yun replied casually. He wasn't really concerned about the 8,000 gold coins. This wasn't because he came from the end times and had no concept of money; in fact, it was quite the opposite. Lin Yun, who came from the end times, actually desired money more than anyone else. He had had enough of a world where a little bit of water could make people fight to the death. Now, with money, anything could be bought.

However, 8,000 gold coins really wasn't much. For a mage who far surpassed this era, 8,000 gold coins wasn't worth worrying about. He had too many ways to get 8,000 gold coins within three days.

Having just survived a near-death experience and taken over a completely unfamiliar body, Lin Yun's mind was a mess. He had no time to worry about a small sum of 8,000 gold coins.

However, the old butler couldn't afford to be unconcerned. Seeing his young master's indifferent expression, the old butler became anxious. "Young Master, we really can't come up with that money right now. This time, to compensate for the cargo, we have already sold all our assets. Plus, we have to pay compensation to the families of the deceased. We really have no money left..."

"I remember my father, before he died, transferred an alchemy shop to my name, right?" Lin Yun carefully searched through Mafa Merlin's memories and found that this was indeed the case. In fact, the alchemy shop was still managed by Rog Merlin's people, just to make it easier for Mafa Merlin to buy magic materials.

"That alchemy shop is still there, but..."

"But what?"

"But after the shipwreck, all three alchemists left. It's not their fault. With the Flash Gold Guild in its current state, they have to think about their own futures." The old butler shook his head. An alchemy shop's most important asset was its alchemists. The old master had spent a lot of money to hire these three top alchemists from Thousand Sails City. If they were still there, they could easily help the Flash Gold Guild through the current crisis. After all, it was a highly profitable business, and repaying a debt of 8,000 gold coins would be no problem.

Unfortunately, all three alchemists had left. Even if there were still some magic materials left in the warehouse, they were cheap goods from the past. Without the alchemists' ability to turn them into gold, selling them all wouldn't cover the 8,000 gold coin debt.

"As long as it's still there, I'll go check it out later..."

"You're planning to go check it out, Young Master?" The old butler was a bit taken aback. It was truly strange; his young master, after fainting in the morning and waking up, seemed different. In the past, he wouldn't have been able to say those things to that damn Fario.

And then there was Jimmy, whose right hand had been burned, crying and wailing on the ground. Even the old butler felt a chill when he saw it, but the young master didn't even frown, remaining calm and composed, completely different from the young master who used to sigh and worry all day.

The young master had truly grown up, but unfortunately, the old master would never see it.

As they were talking, footsteps were heard from outside the door. A young man in his twenties walked in. He was not very tall and wore a black robe with a double-footed wyvern emblem on the sleeve, the uniform of the best magic academy in the eastern part of the kingdom, Okland.

There was no doubt that this was a student from Okland Magic Academy, and he had already advanced to the rank of mage, as only mages were qualified to wear black robes.

The young mage rushed in and, seeing Old Pavi with bandages and covered in dust, his expression changed. "Mafa Merlin, look at what you've done. My father has worked for the Merlin family for over thirty years. Now he has to clean up this mess for you. Is this how you repay the Merlin family? How can you let my father get hurt like this?"

"Raymond, shut up..." The old butler loudly scolded his son, trying to explain for his young master.

But Raymond was in a rage and wouldn't listen to any explanations. His father had worked for the Merlin family for over thirty years, diligently and without complaint. Now that the Flash Gold Guild was in ruins, he stubbornly stayed to take care of the young master. What was the result...

After the news of the shipwreck spread, Raymond had been very worried, fearing that something would happen to his father. He managed to get a ten-day leave and rushed from the shores of Falling Star Lake to Thousand Sails City. On the way, he heard that Rog Merlin's cousin, Fario, had brought Jimmy to demand payment.

Raymond grew up in Thousand Sails City and knew exactly who Jimmy was. In a state of panic, he rushed to the Merlin family and saw Old Pavi in this state. His anger naturally fell on Lin Yun.

To be honest, Raymond had always looked down on this young master. In the past, because of his wealthy and powerful father, the young master had enjoyed the best conditions from the start of his magical studies. He apprenticed directly under a high mage, and when he needed magic materials for experiments, his father simply gave him an alchemy shop. The annual expenses alone were at least 100,000 gold coins.

But despite such superior conditions, he had always been stuck at the threshold of becoming a mage. After so many years and so much money spent, he was still just a ninth-level magic apprentice. Raymond had often thought that if these advantages had been given to him, he would have achieved much more.

Later, when Raymond himself became a mage, he no longer felt the envy and jealousy he once had for Mafa Merlin. A mage could not envy or be jealous of a magic apprentice, as that one step made them worlds apart, and they would never have any further interaction. As the professors at the academy often said, a mage had no regard for lowly magic apprentices...

"Young Master, I'm truly sorry. This little brat is shouting at you without knowing anything. Wait a moment, I'll teach him a lesson and make him apologize to you."

"It's fine, Raymond is young and a bit impulsive... That's normal." Lin Yun didn't have time to care about what he was thinking. After a few more words with the old butler, he walked out the door, calling out as he left, "By the way, Raymond, your father needs rest. Since you're here, if you have nothing else to do, come with me to the Gilded Rose."

"I..." Raymond almost choked. This bastard was asking for it, a mere ninth-level magic apprentice, ordering a mage around like this!

Unfortunately, before the mage could get angry, the old butler had already lost his temper. "Little brat, are you trying to make me die of anger?"

"Alright, alright, I'll go..." Raymond had no mother and was raised entirely by Old Pavi. He both respected and feared his father. Seeing the old man angry, his dignity as a mage was forgotten, and he asked about Old Pavi's injuries with a smile. After confirming that he was fine, he picked up his wand and followed Lin Yun out the door.

The journey from the Merlin family to the Gilded Rose took about twenty minutes. Along the way, Raymond didn't give Lin Yun a good face, thinking that he would let it slide for his father's sake, but if Lin Yun didn't know his place, he would make him pay.

In Raymond's mind, this was a certainty.

A magic apprentice who had been stuck at the ninth level for years, finally meeting a mage, would naturally seize the opportunity to get closer. Even if nothing else, the experience of forming a magic vortex alone would save him countless detours. Not to mention the various details involved. As long as the young master wasn't an idiot, he would definitely come to ask questions.

Just wait for you to come close, and then I'll show you my true colors, give you a good scolding, and see if you dare to order a mage around like that again.

Yes, that's what I'll do!

So Raymond started waiting...