Chapter 3: The Crude Method (Part 2)
Linley suddenly lunged over, grabbing the wild rabbit’s throat with one hand. With a crisp *crack*, the rabbit, which had been struggling in pain, twitched twice and went still. Ever since he had watched those two battles half a year ago, the bloodthirst inherent in the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline had gradually begun to surface.
“I’ve reached the level of a first-stage warrior and a first-stage mage, but when it comes to attack power, magic is still stronger.” Linley held the rabbit and couldn’t help but sigh with a smile.
Mages were mainly divided into nine stages. Reaching the first stage was relatively easy. However, as the stage increased, the time required grew greater and greater! In fact, many powerful seventh-stage and eighth-stage mages spent a hundred years without being able to advance a single stage.
As for first-stage mages, those with good talent could achieve it in half a year. Even those with mediocre talent, as long as they met the conditions to become a mage, could become a first-stage mage within two or three years.
Holding the dead rabbit, Linley immediately ran down the mountain.
“Linley, why don’t you roast it? Although the magical beast Shadowmouse likes meat, roasted meat is its favorite.” Delin Kewart’s voice echoed in Linley’s mind.
“Grandpa Delin, you’ve probably never coaxed a child before, have you?” Linley said teasingly as he ran.
Delin Kewart was taken aback. He had no grandchildren. How could a Saint-level archmage stoop to coaxing children?
“Uh, no, I haven’t.” Delin Kewart admitted.
Linley said confidently, “I often coax little Wharton. Let me tell you, when giving things to a child, you can’t start with something too good. Otherwise, the child will always want something good in the future, and even better. Right now, that Shadowmouse is gnawing on rocks. If I give it raw meat, it will be very happy. Let it eat raw meat for seven or eight days, and then I’ll give it roasted meat. It will be even happier.”
Delin Kewart understood immediately.
Having lived long enough to become shrewd, he knew this principle well. It was the same when commanding subordinates: first give them a little sweetness, then give them something better later. Otherwise, giving too many benefits at once would make it hard to satisfy their desires in the future.
“I read this principle in a book, about raising monkeys. ‘Three in the morning and four in the evening’ is much more effective than ‘four in the morning and three in the evening.’” Linley chuckled.
Delin Kewart suddenly felt that although Linley was only eight and a half years old, he was no worse than some teenagers.
“It seems the Baruch family’s education does have some effect,” Delin Kewart thought admiringly. Education opened the mind, but most commoners couldn’t afford it. Some good magic academies and warrior academies had admission conditions and tuition fees that ordinary commoners couldn’t bear.
……
Carrying a wild rabbit home, no one in Wushan Town found it strange. In fact, ever since Linley could use “Earth Spike,” he often brought rabbits home.
“Young Master Linley is really amazing, catching another rabbit,” the townspeople said cheerfully.
Walking down the street, Linley smiled politely in return.
“I wonder if that Shadowmouse will eat what others give it.”
Taking a deep breath, Linley entered the cluster of old houses behind the family estate, carefully approaching the Shadowmouse’s location step by step, making no sound at all. In just a moment, he reached the same spot as before.
“Where’s the Shadowmouse?” Linley looked at the courtyard of the old house. The yard was filled with some broken stones and withered fallen leaves.
The marks of gnawing on the stones were still there, but scanning the entire courtyard, there was no sign of the Shadowmouse. Linley felt a pang of disappointment and frustration. “Grandpa Delin, the Shadowmouse is gone. It’s only been an hour. Did it leave?”
A streak of light flew out of the Coiling Dragon Ring, materializing into Delin Kewart in his moon-white robe.
Delin Kewart also frowned. “That shouldn’t be. It’s only been an hour. Did the Shadowmouse leave?”
Suddenly—
*Krrr, krrrr~* The familiar faint sound of gnawing rang out again. Linley’s eyes lit up, and he immediately walked toward another dilapidated old house courtyard. Reaching the threshold, he clearly saw the black Shadowmouse moving continuously, gnawing at a stone like a sculptor, shaping it into a strange form.
Linley stood at the threshold.
*Bang!* Linley deliberately kicked the threshold, making a sound.
*Swoosh!*
The black Shadowmouse moved abruptly, darting more than ten meters away in an instant. Its two jet-black eyes stared at the threshold, immediately spotting Linley, its gaze full of vigilance.
“Here, something for you to eat.”
Linley smiled gently at the magical beast “Shadowmouse” and tossed the wild rabbit onto the threshold. The Shadowmouse might not understand human speech, but Linley knew that intelligent magical beasts should understand the meaning of a “smile.”
After all, magical beasts weren’t wild animals. Their intelligence was only slightly lower than humans, and some powerful magical beasts were even incredibly cunning.
“Don’t rush, don’t rush,” Linley told himself. Then, suppressing his reluctance, he turned and left.
Seeing Linley leave and then the rabbit, the Shadowmouse waited in place for a moment before losing patience and darting toward the threshold. It looked around, saw Linley already far away, and then focused on the rabbit in front of it. The Shadowmouse grew excited, standing upright and hopping joyfully.
*Squeak, squeak~* The Shadowmouse let out happy cries.
Then it quickly began tearing into the rabbit meat. Its sharp teeth tore through it rapidly. Despite the Shadowmouse’s small size, it devoured the rabbit—which was larger than itself—completely, leaving nothing but the fur and bones.
*Gulp~* The little Shadowmouse swallowed, then patted its belly in a very human-like manner, looking extremely pleased.
Compared to stones, flesh and blood were far more delicious.
After eating, the little Shadowmouse looked in the direction Linley had gone. In its young mind, its fondness for that boy immediately increased. After all, it had only been born recently and was still a magical beast infant. In fact, the little Shadowmouse secretly hoped that the boy might bring it another rabbit.
That evening, before dinner.
“I wonder if the little Shadowmouse will eat it,” Linley muttered as he walked through the old houses in the back garden, heading straight for the courtyard where he had left the rabbit that afternoon.
“Linley, don’t worry. It’s just a magical beast infant, very greedy,” Delin Kewart’s cheerful voice echoed in Linley’s mind.
Linley nodded slightly. In just a moment, he reached the threshold. There, he saw some bloodstained rabbit fur, but the meat and bones were all gone. Seeing this, Linley’s eyes lit up.
“Great.” Linley clenched his fist.
The first step was a success. Now all he needed was persistence!
The next afternoon, Linley killed a rabbit and a pheasant. He left the rabbit for Grandpa Hillman to roast for dinner, while the pheasant he placed at the usual spot—the threshold of the old house courtyard.
“That Shadowmouse is just staring at me,” Linley said with a smile, watching the Shadowmouse in the courtyard fix its gaze on him.
“Linley, things are looking good. It didn’t run away immediately when it saw you, which means its hostility toward you has greatly diminished,” Delin Kewart said, feeling happy for Linley. Encountering the infant of a powerful magical beast was indeed good luck.
“I wonder what happened to the little Shadowmouse’s parents,” Delin Kewart thought to himself, puzzled.
Linley tossed the pheasant onto the threshold, said a few words to the little Shadowmouse, smiled, and then withdrew. But this time, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he walked away while looking back. The little Shadowmouse soon darted out, looked around, and upon seeing Linley in the distance, didn’t seem too afraid. It lowered its head and began tearing into the pheasant.
……
The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day…
This routine continued. Linley meditated and trained every day, and in between, he often brought rabbits and other food to the little Shadowmouse. No one in Wushan Town, including Hogan and Hillman, knew that Linley was practicing magic. Likewise, they didn’t know that he was taking care of a magical beast infant that already had fourth-stage strength!
Only Delin Kewart, who watched Linley grow, knew the truth.
“This little Wushan Town won’t be able to hold Linley,” Delin Kewart thought, looking at Linley meditating and accumulating magical power, a hint of anticipation on his face. “One day, he will step onto the vast stage of the Yulan Continent with an adult purple Shadowmouse by his side.”