At the heart of the continent lay the Thousand Moon Lake—a place of breathtaking beauty, akin to a divine realm. Yet now, it had become the battleground for the standoff between the Sacred Council and the Holy Temple.
The lake's northern and southern shores were occupied by the two factions, their boundaries sharply defined. In the southern camp of the Sacred Council, a middle-aged man sat leisurely. His appearance was unremarkable, his aura subdued, almost like an ordinary person. He held a staff casually, his posture relaxed, while those seated below him remained rigidly attentive, their gazes fixed on him as if he were the moon surrounded by stars.
This seemingly ordinary man was none other than Berg.
The Grand Speaker of the Sacred Council—the most powerful figure on the continent!
Beneath Berg sat several formidable mages and warriors, each a terrifying force ranked among the continent's elite. Among them stood a towering warrior with explosive musculature, a resolute face, and a distinctive patch of blue beard on his chin.
Zorath the Silent!
His presence here meant nearly all the Sacred Council's high-ranking members had gathered at Thousand Moon Lake.
"What are your thoughts on this matter?" Berg's voice was calm as he addressed the assembly.
In his hand lay a confidential report detailing Kael's annihilation of the Reynolds family. Despite the distance, the Sacred Council had received the news almost instantly—a testament to the terrifying efficiency of their intelligence network.
"That boy is one of ours. To reach 10th-tier mage status so quickly and single-handedly destroy the Reynolds family… He's worth nurturing."
"His talent is extraordinary, no less than the Holy Temple's Einar."
At the mention of Einar, the room fell silent. In recent days, they had all witnessed the Holy Temple's prodigy's prowess—a young man whose strength rivaled even veteran experts.
Zorath the Silent stepped forward. "Grand Speaker, given the current standoff at Thousand Moon Lake, I propose summoning Kael. With his capabilities, he might just be able to counter Einar…"
Einar, the Holy Temple's Crown Saint, was widely regarded as the strongest among the younger generation. The Sacred Council currently lacked a rising star capable of suppressing him—one reason the Holy Temple's influence had grown so formidable.
Berg's expression remained mild, but he gave an almost imperceptible nod. "Very well. Zorath the Silent, this task is yours."
...
Laffey City.
Kael and the little cat had just returned, much to the relief of everyone present. Kael was the heart of Laffey's territory—if anything were to happen to him, the entire domain would crumble.
Seeing the concern on their faces, Kael smiled faintly, warmth spreading through his chest.
"Don't worry, I'm back now," he reassured them.
Amelia kept her emotions in check in front of the others, but her joy at Kael's safe return was unmistakable. During his absence, she had been too distracted to even focus on her training, consumed with worry. Now, seeing him unharmed, she was overjoyed—as were Grace and the rest.
The most dramatic reaction came from Lone Wolf. The moment he saw Kael, he dropped to one knee and declared fiercely, "Thank you for destroying the Reynolds family, my lord! From this day forward, my life is yours!"
The Reynolds family had been one of the culprits behind the fall of Lone Wolf's own clan. With their annihilation, his loyalty to Kael was now absolute.
Kael nodded with a smile and helped Lone Wolf to his feet. He hadn't expected eliminating the Reynolds family to yield such an additional benefit—Lone Wolf's complete allegiance.
"Grace," Kael called, beckoning her over.
"What is it, Senior Brother?" Grace approached, puzzled.
Kael retrieved a portion of the Reynolds family's gold and treasures from his spatial ring—just a small fraction of the total haul.
Even that small portion left Grace utterly stunned.
The sight of valuables worth millions of gold coins immediately drew everyone's rapt attention.
"Damn, the Reynolds family really was loaded," Finn remarked, stroking his chin with gleaming eyes.
"Grace, I'm entrusting all this to you. I need Laffey's territory to develop rapidly,"Kael said, handing the spatial ring directly to her.
After this confrontation with the Reynolds family, Kael's sense of urgency had grown. The continent was home to countless magical families and formidable powers, and Laffey's territory was still far too weak. They needed to accelerate their growth.
"No problem!" Grace replied excitedly. This was precisely her area of expertise.
Laffey's territory was already showing signs of vigorous development, but what it lacked was a substantial driving force. The gold Kael brought back would be enough to propel the territory to new heights.
Previously, although Laffey's territory had discovered the aqua spirit stone vein, mining it posed significant challenges. Transforming the vein into immediate wealth was no easy task.
But what Kael brought back was cold, hard cash.
After handing the spatial ring to Grace, Kael once again took a hands-off approach, leaving the management of Laffey's affairs to Grace, Lone Wolf, Finn, and the others.
Soon, news of Kael's annihilation of the Reynolds family spread far and wide, causing a sensation in Laffey City.
The entire city erupted in celebration. Everyone now knew that Lord Kael, their city's ruler, had advanced to the 10th-tier mage rank and possessed such formidable strength that he had single-handedly wiped out the Reynolds family.
While the news sent shockwaves across the continent, in Laffey's territory, it sparked jubilation. For the people of Laffey City, the stronger Kael became, the safer they felt.
"You've certainly made a name for yourself now..." Amelia remarked with a smile. Kael had indeed become renowned across the continent—when an entire family like the Reynolds was obliterated overnight, it was impossible not to gain notoriety.
Kael sighed. "I didn't expect eliminating the Reynolds family to cause such a stir. But it's not without its benefits."
The news of Kael's feat spread like wildfire across the Three Continents, and as a result, trade routes in Laffey's territory became unusually smooth in the following days. Bandits had always been a common nuisance on these routes. Although the major rogue bandit groups, like the Drifters, had been subdued, many smaller, reckless bands still lurked about.
However, upon hearing of Kael's annihilation of the Reynolds family, these bandits were terrified out of their wits and dared not show their faces near Laffey's territory.
Similarly, more merchant caravans flocked to Laffey City, making it more prosperous than ever. With security assured, these merchants were eager to capitalize on the lucrative trade between the ancient Empire of Gui and the Kingdom of Mide. Who wouldn't be tempted by the mountains of gold to be made?
Grace wasted no time in rolling out a series of policies, further incentivizing these merchant groups.
Almost overnight, Laffey's territory underwent a dramatic transformation. If it had previously been considered merely well-governed, it now showed signs of rivaling even Moonlight City in momentum.
It wouldn't be long before Laffey's territory became a renowned city-state across the continent.
Kael observed all this with immense satisfaction.
At the same time, he pondered how to deal with the Tower of the Fallen and the Phantomflame Tower. The Tower of the Fallen's prolonged silence puzzled him. By annihilating the Reynolds family, Kael had demonstrated his formidable 10th-tier strength—could it be that the Tower of the Fallen was now wary of him?
Kael shook his head. His current power still paled in comparison to that of a major Darkwing Mage faction like the Tower of the Fallen.
"I need a way to counter these Darkwing Mage forces..." Kael mused silently.
His status within the Sacred Council could prove useful. Taking on a Darkwing Mage organization alone was out of the question.
As Kael contemplated, Amelia massaged his shoulders, sighing inwardly. The stronger Kael grew, the less she could assist him. Yet, fortunately, every problem seemed to resolve itself effortlessly in his hands.
"Senior Brother!" A knock sounded at the door, followed by Grace's crisp voice.
Kael's interest was piqued. What brought Grace here?
Amelia opened the door to reveal Grace standing gracefully outside. She peeked in, her gaze locking onto Kael. "Senior Brother, I need to discuss something with you."
"What is it?"
Grace's expression turned serious. "It's about Laffey City's future development."