Chapter 10: The Dragonblood Codex (Part 1)
In the Baruch family estate in Wushan Town.
Not long after finishing lunch, Hogg was lounging in a recliner outside the living room, leisurely reading a book.
Suddenly, two figures strode quickly into the estate. It was Linley and Hillman, who had rushed back all the way from Fenlai City. Even now, excitement was still barely contained on their faces. Linley called out from a distance, "Father, I'm back."
"Lord Hogg." Hillman was also brimming with emotion.
Hogg looked up and saw the ecstatic expressions on Linley and Hillman's faces. A premonition stirred in his heart. He immediately stood up, stared at the two of them, and asked, his voice trembling slightly, "How did the magic test go?"
The Baruch family had been silent for far too long. This ancient clan urgently needed a great figure to restore its former glory!
"Lord Hogg, Ernst Academy—it's Ernst Academy! Linley has been accepted by Ernst Academy!" Hillman said excitedly.
Hogg stood as if turned to stone. At that moment, his mind went blank, as if starved of oxygen.
"Lord Hogg?" Hillman called out twice.
Gradually regaining his composure, Hogg breathed heavily, looked at Hillman, and asked incredulously, "Ernst? Did you say Ernst Academy?" His eyes were wide as saucers.
"Father, this is the acceptance letter from Ernst Academy." Linley handed the red letter directly to his father. Hogg froze for a moment, then snatched the letter, tore it open, held his breath, and carefully examined the admission notice inside.
The bright red names—"Ernst Academy" and "Linley."
"Haha, hahaha! Ancestors of the Baruch clan, our family has hope!" Hogg suddenly threw his head back and laughed. His whole body trembled with laughter, and tears streamed down his face. "Our Baruch family has hope!"
The somewhat manic laughter and the flowing tears stunned Linley.
"Father," Linley called softly, as if afraid to disturb him.
Linley had never seen his father so unhinged. The tears made his heart tremble.
At that moment, the steward, Hiri, also arrived. He was shocked by Hogg's reaction, having no idea what had happened.
Hogg took a deep breath, looked at Linley, and said with extreme excitement, "Good, good."
"Hillman, Uncle Hiri!" Hogg turned to the two of them. "Tonight, I want to hold a grand feast. Hurry, prepare well. I am happy today—very, very happy. To have such a son, I can face the ancestors of the Baruch family with no regrets."
"Yes, Lord Hogg." Hillman and Steward Hiri both replied.
"Squeak, squeak~~" Suddenly, the little shadowmouse, Bebe, jumped out from Linley's chest, stood on his shoulder, and glared at Hogg, its small eyes full of anger.
Linley sensed the message from the little shadowmouse's soul and couldn't help but find it amusing.
It turned out that the little shadowmouse had been sound asleep in his arms, but Hogg's loud laughter had woken it up. During its infancy, the shadowmouse slept a great deal and hated being disturbed. Naturally, it was furious now.
"Shadowmouse? A magical beast shadowmouse?" Hogg's face changed dramatically when he saw it.
"Father," Linley said quickly, afraid his father might attack, "the little shadowmouse has already formed a soul contract with me."
Hogg looked as if struck by lightning. He stood dumbfounded for a long moment. "You... you tamed this magical beast shadowmouse?"
Taming a magical beast required two conditions: first, making the beast submit, and second, setting up a soul contract magic array.
Hogg knew Linley's strength very well—it was pitifully weak. And a shadowmouse, even at its weakest, was at least level three. Moreover, how could Linley possibly set up a soul contract magic array? It was simply impossible!
"Yes, Father. I tamed him." Linley said solemnly.
Hogg felt that his son was different from the one he had known before. Completely different!
"Lord Hogg, Linley really did tame this shadowmouse. I saw it with my own eyes. This shadowmouse is the cute little animal Linley has been feeding with wild rabbits and pheasants these past few days," Hillman explained from the side.
"Feeding?" Hogg suddenly remembered. He stared at Linley in disbelief. "The magical beast shadowmouse is the cute animal you said you were feeding in the abandoned old house in the backyard?"
Linley nodded honestly.
At this point, Hogg didn't know whether to laugh or cry. A cute animal turned out to be a magical beast?
Although he was curious about how Linley had formed a soul contract with the little shadowmouse, Hogg wasn't in a hurry. Right now, his mood was excellent.
"Alright, let's not talk about that. Uncle Hiri, Hillman, take some guards and prepare quickly. I'm going to hold a grand feast tonight!" Hogg said with a hearty laugh, his voice full of confidence.
Linley looked at his father. From the time he could remember until now, he had never seen his father laugh so joyfully.
******
That night.
The Baruch estate was bustling with activity. Even the dozen or so family guards and their families were invited. Five dining tables were set up in the front courtyard of the estate, and the entire mansion was filled with laughter.
"Delicious, delicious!" Little Wharton grabbed one thing after another, eating with wild excitement.
"Master Linley, congratulations on getting into Ernst Academy. In the future, you'll definitely become a great and powerful mage," one of the family guards said, raising a toast to Linley.
Linley was the center of attention at the banquet.
When everyone learned that Linley was about to enter Ernst Academy, they were all thrilled. It was easy to imagine that once he stepped into Ernst Academy, he would be stepping onto a smooth path. The future Linley would never be confined to the small town of Wushan.
"Big brother, everyone is toasting you, so I want to toast you too!" Little Wharton grabbed a glass of juice.
Linley looked at Wharton's greasy hands and couldn't help but smile wryly. Still, he raised his own juice glass and clinked it firmly with Wharton's.
"Come on, let's drink, brothers!" Linley said with a grin, raising his glass.
...
Late at night, in the ancestral hall of the Baruch family, only Linley and Hogg remained.
The door of the ancestral hall was closed. A row of candles was lit inside, making the hall warm. At this moment, Hogg looked at the rows of spirit tablets in front of him and said in a low voice, "Linley, ever since the fifth Dragonblood Warrior was born, our Baruch family has declined generation after generation. To the point where even our family's heirloom was sold off... Every time I think of this, I feel an unbearable shame. A proud Dragonblood Warrior family!"
Linley stood behind him in silence.
He, too, felt the shame.
A family with a history of over five thousand years, a Dragonblood Warrior lineage—Linley felt proud of it. Yet now, they had fallen to the point where even the family heirloom was gone.
"Linley." Hogg suddenly turned around and looked at him solemnly. "From today onward, I will no longer see you as a child, but as the future pillar of the Baruch family! The future of our family rests on your shoulders."
"Yes, Father." Linley nodded firmly.
"Wait here. I need to get something." Hogg turned and walked toward the secret chamber inside the ancestral hall. Moments later, he came out holding a book. "Linley, take this back and read it carefully. Memorize everything."
"What is this?"
Linley took the book curiously. There were no words on the cover, but when he flipped it open, the first page bore four large characters—Dragonblood Codex.