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Chapter 3: I’ll Take Them All

After Cecily left, Rein flipped through the magic books.

These magic books had been collected over a long time by his father, Fude, from all corners of the Empire.

Each one was steeped in history and priceless.

When he opened the first magic book, a faint layer of dust stirred from its pages.

Rein waved his hand to disperse the dust.

This one described the magic circle structure of a Rank 1 spell called the Angry Thunder Spear.

A mage needed to construct a magic circle before casting a spell, using the circle to channel their magic.

Thanks to the ancient tome’s enlightenment bonus, what had originally been obscure and difficult suddenly became easy to understand.

In just over ten minutes, Rein mastered the Angry Thunder Spear.

He then moved on to the next book, which described a technique called the Fire Meditation Method.

Rein simply flung it aside, thinking, “Get lost; I’m afraid Tianyuan might misunderstand.”

The third book contained the Barrier Technique, which he successfully learned.

The fourth book detailed the Gale Stride, which he also mastered.

When Rein turned to the fifth magic book, Cecily returned and stood beside him, offering him the box containing the Blood-Reviving Ointment.

“Young master, I used it up as you instructed.”

Rein nodded, took the box, and set it aside, knowing Cecily would never lie to him, and he had no reason to inspect it.

Seeing that it was quite late outside, Rein gave Cecily a command.

“Cecily, go to sleep; I’m tired.”

“Yes, young master.” Cecily nodded, bowed slightly, and left the room.

Just as Rein set down his book and prepared for bed, Cecily returned carrying a silver basin of water.

“Young master, please wash up.”

Rein, who had just sat on the bed, did not refuse; he splashed water on his face several times, rinsed his mouth, took the towel Cecily handed him, wiped his face, and lay down on the bed.

After watching Rein lie down, Cecily turned off the magic lamp and quietly slipped out.

Having experienced so much today, Rein lacked the energy and soon fell asleep.

Capital city, night.

Affiliates of House Gray began to take action.

The backyard of the Smile Morning News shop.

“Boss, have you written tomorrow’s story about Rein Gray yet?”

A group of masked men in black surrounded the trembling proprietor who was crouched on the ground.

The newsstand owner, terrified, glanced at the swords on their belts and forced a nervous smile, saying, “Oh dear, sirs, how could I dare fabricate anything about Young Master Rein?”

Commoners without noble titles lived like this; without a noble’s patronage, an ordinary person’s life was worth less than a noble family’s dog.

The leader of the black-clad group patted the owner on the shoulder and said, “Hmph, if I catch you saying one thing and doing another…”

The owner hurriedly swore, “I swear by the God of Knights that if I publish any story about Young Master Rein tomorrow, my entire family shall never again fall under the God of Knights’ favor.”

The masked men nodded, exchanged a glance, then in a blur of motion they swiftly left the backyard.

Watching their retreating figures, the owner remained on the spot, his heart pounding with fear.

The capital had more than one morning news shop, but this kind of treatment was reserved only for those without noble backing.

As for shops backed by nobles, Jonas usually negotiated terms with them, and they generally granted House Gray some courtesy.

Fortunately, Fude had discovered the matter in time, and not many people knew about it.

Over the course of the night, they had just managed to suppress the public opinion surrounding Rein.

The next morning, in House Gray’s dining hall.

A magnificent crystal chandelier cast a soft glow over the long table draped in heavy red silk.

Gold-trimmed silver tableware was neatly arranged, and the glass goblets sparkled charmingly in the morning light.

At the table, the patriarch Fude and matriarch Leila were dining when a just-awakened Rein yawned and approached.

“Morning~”

Eve stepped forward and pulled out a chair, and Rein casually sat down.

Fude and Leila said nothing, as Rein had ignored etiquette for years.

Eve skillfully brought Rein his table setting, but he waved it away, eating only some bread and drinking a bit of milk to get through breakfast.

As soon as he stood to leave, his mother Leila spoke up to stop him.

“Rein, I’ve chosen a maiden for you: the youngest daughter of House Hill. She is gentle, the same age as you, and exceptionally beautiful. You will be betrothed in three months.”

“In a while she will come to meet you a few times, so prepare yourself, tidy up your appearance, and don’t cause any trouble at the academy in the meantime.”

Rein frowned upon hearing his mother’s words.

“Mother, didn’t you promise me freedom to choose whom I love?”

Rein’s question immediately angered Fude.

“Freedom to choose whom you love? Are you going to pursue Sophia? If I hadn’t learned of this incident so soon, who knows what might have happened.”

Leila patted Fude and said, “Alright, alright, don’t be angry so early in the morning.”

Fude grunted and finally relented, muttering that with Rein as his son, he would live twenty years less.

Leila approached Rein and explained the details and outcome of the matter.

After hearing it, Rein was speechless; the original heir had been so unfilial… he had spurned so many doting maids at home and caused trouble when confessing to someone outside.

He could only sigh to indicate he understood and hope that the Miss Hill met his standards.

After all, this mess was caused by his predecessor, and he had to clean it up.

After breakfast, Rein did not return to his room but went in search of Jonas.

Watching Rein’s retreating figure, Fude raised his eyebrow and said to Leila, “Has the boy been promoted to a Rank 1 mage?”

Leila, not paying attention to her son’s rank, passed Fude some dishes and said, “Isn’t that a good thing? Eat quickly… you still have to go meet His Majesty the Emperor later.”

Fude nodded, thinking that a Rank 1 mage was just the average standard for a noble heir in the Empire.

In the corridor, the maids who passed by bowed to Rein, and he could not help but admire their faces and figures.

Weren’t they far more impressive than the dull Sophia?

When he arrived at Jonas’s room, Rein knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Jonas had been busy all night, but thanks to the Battle Qi enhancement, staying up all night was easy for him.

When he saw that the visitor was Rein, he quickly rose from his desk and said, “Young Master Rein, is there something you need?”

Rein came to him fewer than five times a year, and each time it was because Rein had caused a major problem and dared not approach the patriarch.

So when Rein came to see him, Jonas’s mind was already figuring out how to clean up Rein’s mess.

“Uncle, does our family have any treasures that can increase magical power?”

“Phew~”

Jonas quietly exhaled, his tense muscles relaxing as he realized Rein had not gotten into trouble, which was a relief.

“Yes, Young Master Rein.”

Jonas pushed his chair under the desk and walked over to Rein.

“Young Master Rein, follow me; I’ll take you to the family treasury so you can choose in person.”

Jonas led Rein down to the underground vault, which was heavily guarded.

The two of them passed through no fewer than five checkpoints and barricades.

At the final barrier, Jonas presented a jade token before he was allowed to bring Rein inside the vault.

As the vault doors closed behind them, the attendants immediately approached.

“Young Master Rein, Housekeeper Jonas, hello… what supplies do you require this time?”

Rein gazed at the enormous vault, momentarily surprised, since it was his first visit.

“Boao, Young Master Rein needs some magical-power-enhancing treasures.”

Boao Gray nodded and then led the two of them to a particular section.

Boao pointed to the rows of tall storage cabinets behind him that looked like library bookshelves.

“Young Master Rein, these are all items that can boost magical power. Please choose the ones you like, and I will explain them to you.”

Because magic was not the mainstream, items that enhanced magical power were generally much cheaper than treasures of the same rank that boosted Battle Qi.

Rein practiced the magical path, so House Gray had spent recent years collecting magical artifacts and had five large cabinets in total.

Each cabinet contained dozens of magical-power-enhancing items of varying potency.

Rein nodded and approached one row of cabinets, and numbers densely filled his vision.

A number was displayed on each cabinet.

Rein’s eyes widened; the ancient tome could actually help him mark the energy level of each treasure?

He casually opened the nearest cabinet.

Boao stepped forward, inspected it, and said to Rein, “This is an Ice Stone, a rank 1 magical artifact taken from the Ji Zang Snow Mountain in the Empire’s north. It provides a significant boost for ice mages below rank 2.”

In Rein’s vision, a faint golden number hovered over the Ice Stone.

23.

Rein smiled at the multitude of numbers on the five large cabinets and said to Boao, “I’ll take them all.”

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