Chapter 20: Earth Element Magic (Part 1)
Linley’s inner excitement erupted like a volcano, surging with exhilaration.
“Grandpa Doehring, can you really teach me magic?” Linley asked, barely able to contain his excitement as he stared at the old Doehring.
Doehring Cowart, seeing Linley like this, stroked his white beard and said, “Linley, your Grandpa Doehring is a Saint-level magician. Even if your talent were mediocre, I could still teach you magic. Of course… if your talent is low, your achievements will also be limited.”
If any other magician heard Doehring Cowart’s words, they would be shocked. In the circle of magicians, talent was paramount—without it, one could never become a magician. This was widely accepted!
Yet Doehring Cowart dared to claim that even with poor talent, he could still train someone into a magician. If anyone else said this, it might be bragging, but the speaker was a Saint-level magician from over five thousand years ago!
“Low talent, low achievements?” Linley’s heart trembled slightly.
His reason for wanting to become a magician was to restore the glory of the Baruch clan. Even if he couldn’t reach that height, fulfilling the centuries-old wish of the Baruch clan leaders—retrieving the clan’s heirloom—would be enough. But to achieve all this, strength was crucial.
“Linley, don’t worry. Your magical talent hasn’t been tested yet; who knows if it’s high or low? Maybe your talent will be exceptional.” Doehring Cowart stroked his white beard and said with a smile.
Grandpa Doehring’s calmness helped Linley settle down.
“Grandpa Doehring, how do you test magical talent?” Linley asked, full of anticipation.
“Testing magical talent is quite simple,” Doehring Cowart began, but suddenly—
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Linley heard them and panicked, quickly whispering to Doehring Cowart, “Grandpa Doehring, hide quickly! Someone’s coming.” If this Saint-level magician from the Pru Empire of over five thousand years ago were discovered, it would be disastrous.
Doehring Cowart just smiled faintly and didn’t move at all.
“Grandpa Doehring—” Linley grew anxious.
“Creak.” The bedroom door opened. The butler, Hiri, looked inside and saw Linley awake. He smiled and said, “Young master Linley, I didn’t expect you to wake up so soon. How are you feeling now?”
Linley forced a smile and nodded. “Thank you for your concern, Grandpa Hiri. I’m much better now.”
But inside, Linley was frantic. He glanced toward Doehring Cowart a few times, but the old man just stood there smiling. “What’s wrong with Grandpa Doehring? Oh no, if he’s discovered, explaining this will be a hassle.”
“Young master Linley, it’s time for lunch. Since you’re awake, why don’t you join us?” the butler Hiri said with a smile.
“Oh, okay.” Linley glanced at Doehring Cowart again, puzzled. “What’s going on? Grandpa Hiri doesn’t seem to see Grandpa Doehring at all.”
Seeing Linley look repeatedly at an empty spot near the bed, Hiri asked curiously, “Young master Linley, what are you looking at by the bed? Did something fall? I’ll get it for you.”
“No, nothing.” Linley quickly scrambled out of bed. “Grandpa Hiri, let’s go have lunch.”
Though Hiri found Linley’s reaction odd, he didn’t dwell on it and nodded with a smile. Linley put on his clothes and shoes, still glancing uneasily at Doehring Cowart. At that moment, Doehring Cowart smiled at Linley, then vanished from sight in an instant.
“He’s gone into the Coiling Dragon Ring.” This time, Linley clearly sensed a soul within the ring.
Unlike before, after the blood-bonding, Linley’s perception of the Coiling Dragon Ring had risen to a new level.
“Linley, you don’t need to speak aloud. Just think to me, and I can hear you. As the master of the Coiling Dragon Ring, and I its soul, we can easily communicate through our minds.” Doehring Cowart’s voice echoed in Linley’s mind.
This surprised Linley greatly.
“Grandpa Doehring?” Linley tried speaking in his mind.
“I hear you,” Doehring Cowart’s voice replied in Linley’s mind.
Linley felt a surge of joy, but while absorbed in his mental conversation with Doehring Cowart, he tripped over the threshold. The butler Hiri turned around and said with a smile, “Young master Linley, watch your step.”
“Got it, Grandpa Hiri,” Linley replied with a smile.
Chatting excitedly with Doehring Cowart in his mind, Linley entered the living room and sat down. Today’s lunch was quite lavish, including a fragrant roast lamb. Seeing Linley arrive, Hogg smiled and said, “Linley, sit down quickly.” He then personally tore off a roasted lamb leg and handed it to Linley.
“Thank you, Father.”
Linley was a bit surprised. The family’s finances were tight, so meals were usually simple. A roast lamb today was unusual.
What Linley didn’t know was that during the massive stonefall on Wushan Township, not only people but also many livestock had been killed. Today, not just the Baruch family but even some commoner households were enjoying rare, extravagant meals.
“Grandpa Doehring, why couldn’t Grandpa Hiri see you earlier?” Linley asked in his mind.
“Linley, I’ll tell you: aside from you, no one else can see me. I exist now as a soul, which is intangible… eyes can’t perceive it. As the master of the Coiling Dragon Ring, you alone can see me,” Doehring Cowart explained patiently.
Linley understood now. Grandpa Doehring had said before that he had long since died, and only his soul remained.
“Grandpa Doehring, does that mean you can appear by my side anytime?” Linley thought joyfully.
As soon as he thought this, Linley saw a white-haired, white-bearded old man in a moon-white robe suddenly appear beside him—it was Doehring Cowart. At that moment, Hogg, the butler Hiri, and Linley’s younger brother Wharton were all eating and chatting, completely unaware of Doehring Cowart’s presence.
“Wow—”
Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing with his own eyes that no one at the table could detect Grandpa Doehring’s presence amazed Linley.
“It’s not that no one can sense me. Those whose souls are on par with mine can feel my presence. Of course… if I hide inside the Coiling Dragon Ring, no one can discover me,” Doehring Cowart’s voice echoed in Linley’s mind.
“Souls on par with yours, Grandpa Doehring?” Linley ate while continuing the mental conversation.
“Those with souls at my level would be Saint-level experts. Only they can barely sense my presence, provided I’m outside the Coiling Dragon Ring. If I’m inside it, they can’t detect me,” Doehring Cowart said with a smile.
Linley nodded mentally while grabbing the lamb leg and devouring it in big bites.
“Linley, eat slower,” Hogg said with a smile, seeing his son’s haste.
Linley smiled back at his father but ate even faster. Soon, he finished the entire lamb leg, let out a satisfied burp, wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin, and stood up. “Father, Grandpa Hiri, I’m done. My head still feels a bit dizzy, so I’ll go rest. Wharton, see you later.” Linley was the first to finish.
“Still dizzy? Go rest then,” Hogg said quickly.
The morning’s events had deeply shaken Hogg. For a moment, he had thought Linley would be crushed. After this, Hogg’s attitude toward Linley had noticeably improved.
“Goodbye, big brother,” little Wharton said, waving his greasy little hand at Linley.