Chapter 30: The Five-Year Agreement
The city lord of Er City, Keane, was merely a fourteen-year-old youth, even though he had help by his side. But in truth, how much did Jenny truly understand? Most of the time, it was the old servant Lambert who assisted.
Lambert was dressed sharply, his hair combed until it shone, strolling through the castle with an air of nobility.
"Miss is always worrying about that Lord Lei," Lambert sighed inwardly. Jenny wanted to see Linley, but Linley had once said he didn't want to be disturbed while training. So Jenny could only wait in the castle, yet Linley hadn't visited for a long time.
Seeing Jenny's gaunt appearance, Lambert felt a pang of sympathy.
"Lambert."
Lambert looked up at the sound and saw Linley, clad in a light blue warrior's outfit, walking over alone. Jenny and Keane had long instructed the castle guards to let Linley in without needing to announce him.
"Lord Lei." Lambert was overjoyed.
"Lord Lei, please wait in the living room. I'll call the young master and miss immediately."
...
In the living room.
Linley sat quietly on a chair. This time, heading to the provincial city of Basil, he, Sethler, and the sisters Lina and Rebecca would likely stay around Basil.
After all, he had to be cautious that the Radiant Church might truly go hysterical and send Saint-level experts. With 'McKenzie' in Basil, the Radiant Church wouldn't dare be too arrogant.
"Brother Lei."
A delighted voice came from the doorway. Linley turned to see Jenny, wearing a light red dress, her face flushed, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. Upon hearing that Linley had arrived, she had run over as fast as she could.
"Why run so fast? You're out of breath. Sit down," Linley said with a smile.
"Mm." Jenny obediently sat down beside him.
Soon, Keane and Lambert also entered. Keane smiled and complained, "Sister, you ran too fast. I couldn't keep up."
Jenny blushed slightly and shot Keane a glare.
"Brother Lei, you haven't visited in a long time. This time, you should stay a few more days," Keane said to Linley.
Linley shook his head. "This time, I've come to say goodbye. I'm planning to leave Er City."
"What?"
Keane and Lambert were stunned. They both turned to look at Jenny, whose flushed, shy expression froze.
"Brother Lei, where are you going?" Jenny asked first.
"For now, I'm planning to go to the provincial city of Basil," Linley replied.
Basil was quite far from Er City. Even by carriage, it would take two or three days.
"Brother Lei, I'll go with you," Jenny said, gathering her courage.
Linley sighed inwardly. How could he not see Jenny's feelings? But for Jenny, he only felt a kind of affection like that for a younger sister—the feeling of an older brother doting on a sibling.
"Alright, Jenny, I'm going there on business. I might encounter danger at any time. You don't need to follow me," Linley refused.
Jenny shook her head firmly. "I'm not afraid."
Looking at Jenny, Linley knew that unless he was blunt, she might not give up. He sighed deeply. "Jenny, my mind is entirely on training. I have no room for anything else. Jenny, I can't take care of you."
Linley spoke gently, but how could Jenny not understand?
Jenny's face turned pale. She had spent eight years growing up in a rural town, living a quiet but hard life. When they came to Er City, it was Linley who had protected them every step of the way, helping them secure the position of city lord.
"Brother Lei, I don't want to hold back my feelings anymore. I know you don't like me, but I don't ask for much. Just let me follow you. Brother Lei, I'll be your maid. As long as I can be with you, I'll be happy," Jenny said earnestly.
Keane and Lambert remained silent.
Linley felt troubled inside. Jenny was truly a kind girl, but...
"Jenny, you don't have to take risks outside with me. You're a noble girl now. There must be many outstanding young men in Er City pursuing you," Linley said.
Jenny bit her lip and shook her head resolutely, her eyes growing moist.
"Brother Lei," Keane spoke up. "Please agree to my sister. During the time you've been away, she hasn't eaten or slept well. She's grown thin."
Jenny, her eyes wet, looked at Linley with hope and longing.
"Jenny."
In the end, Linley's heart softened. "Five years. I'll give you five years, and you give me five years as well. In five years, I'll come to see you. If you still insist then, I'll agree to let you follow me."
Time was the best cure.
In five years, Jenny would grow up, and her mindset would change. Linley believed that Jenny's attachment to him stemmed from growing up without a father. Once she matured in a few years, her feelings might change, and then Linley would be free of this burden.
"Five years. Alright." Hope returned to Jenny's eyes.
"Jenny."
Linley looked at her. "Before I leave, I want to tell you that my real name isn't 'Lei.' It's Linley Baruch."
"Linley Baruch?" Jenny murmured.
"Linley? Lord Lei, you're that genius sculptor?" Lambert exclaimed in surprise. Lambert had once lived in the Holy Alliance, where Linley's fame was immense.
"I hope you won't reveal my whereabouts. Goodbye."
Linley forced a faint smile, then turned and strode away.
Jenny watched his retreating figure, tears streaming down her face. Her fists clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms.
*******
On the road outside Er City.
Rebecca and Lina sat atop the black-striped cloud leopard, 'Blacky,' while Bebe lay comfortably in Lina's arms. Linley, in his warrior outfit, and Sethler, in his magus robe, walked swiftly.
The group hurried toward the provincial city of Basil.
From afar, the massive city of Basil was visible on the outskirts. Linley and the others entered the city without delay.
"There's no rush to find Perry. Let's settle in first," Linley said directly.
Sethler nodded.
There were likely many people named Perry in the provincial city, and finding the right one would take time. Linley and Sethler booked an independent courtyard at an inn.
...
Two days after Linley and his group arrived in Basil, the cyan wind eagle sent by Count Perry had already reached the Radiant Church's Holy Island.
The Holy Island stood isolated from the Yulan Continent.
The island was dozens of miles long and wide. It had once been a secret base for the Radiant Church, but now it was designated as their main headquarters.
A nine-story Radiant Temple.
This temple wasn't as tall as the one in Fenlai City, but it had been built with great effort by the Church.
On the ninth floor of the Radiant Temple.
Haydyn sat by the window, gazing out at the endless blue sea beyond the island.
Recently, Haydyn had been in a good mood. The team of nine-level experts he had sent out had captured the necromantic archmage 'Sethler.' And two days ago, he had received even better news. His men in the Northern Domain's eighteen duchies had made a major discovery—five eight-level bodies.
The human body typically reached its limit at the sixth level.
Some geniuses could train their bodies to the seventh level.
But this time, the Radiant Church's experts in the Northern Domain had found five brothers. These five were incredibly strong. They had no battle qi, yet their bodies alone had reached the eighth level.
"Eight-level bodies can allow a six-winged angel to unleash its full power," Haydyn thought excitedly. "With five eight-level bodies, after angel possession, we can create five Saint-level peak experts."
Entry-level Saint, ordinary Saint, and Saint-level peak—these were three entirely different tiers.
The Radiant Church had only five Saint-level peak experts in total. Once these five eight-level bodies were delivered, the Church's Saint-level peak forces would double!
"Then how can the Dark Church compete with us?" Haydyn's face was full of smiles.
"Your Holiness."
"Come in." Haydyn's expression returned to calm.
A white-robed priest entered, respectfully presenting a secret letter. "Your Holiness, this is a secret message from our responsible official in the Northwest Province of the O'Brien Empire."
"Oh?" Haydyn raised an eyebrow.
Responsible officials in other regions rarely sent secret letters except for their annual reports. If one arrived, it meant something major had happened.
"Could it be?" Haydyn suddenly recalled that Lampson and his team, escorting the necromantic archmage, had entered the Northwest Province not long ago.
Haydyn took the letter and opened it.
After reading for a while, his face darkened. "Have Lord Stetler come here."
"Lord Stetler?" The white-robed priest was startled.
In the Radiant Church, the leader of the Ascetics' Order was Lord Fallen Leaf, while the leader of the group of senior executors in the Inquisitorial Court was 'Stetler.'
Lord Stetler was just a senior executor.
But his strength was on par with the Inquisitorial Court's head, 'Urseno'—both were Saint-level peak experts. In peacetime, the Church rarely sent Saint-level peak experts on missions.
"Go quickly," Haydyn ordered.
The white-robed priest snapped to attention and hurriedly replied, "Yes, Your Holiness."
Watching the priest leave, Haydyn frowned. "Lampson and his team arrived in the Northwest Province over half a month ago, but there's still no news of them reaching the Holy Alliance's border. It seems... they've truly met with misfortune."
All eleven nine-level experts dead.
This was a significant blow, but Haydyn remained composed.
After all, the Church's main strength lay in its Saint-level experts. As long as they were intact, the Church's foundation was secure.
"Lampson and his six men were escorting Sethler. With their strength, one or two nine-level experts couldn't have dealt with them," Haydyn mused, frowning. "Could it be a Saint-level expert? McKenzie of the Northwest Province?"
Haydyn could only think of McKenzie.
"McKenzie!" Haydyn's heart burned with killing intent.
In Haydyn's eyes, eleven nine-level experts were worth less than a single Sethler. The value wasn't Sethler himself, but the necromantic magic techniques. Necromantic magic, on par with the Great Prophecy, was extremely powerful.
Curses, poisons, plagues, negative magic, necromantic summoning, and necromantic enslavement—all were formidable.
The Church didn't reject necromancers.
If a necromancer was willing to serve them, they would gladly offer a 'senior executor' position. The Inquisitorial Court, a dark place, housed experts of all kinds.
Haydyn didn't know that Linley had killed Lampson and his team. If he did, he would likely be furious.
"Your Holiness." A cold voice sounded.
"Stetler, come in," Haydyn said warmly.
Stetler was only 1.7 meters tall, relatively short for the Yulan Continent. He had silver-white short hair and eyes as sharp as blades, looking like a middle-aged man.
"Your Holiness, what is it?" Stetler asked directly.
Haydyn was equally direct. "According to intelligence, Lampson and his team may all be dead. The culprit is likely a Saint-level expert from the O'Brien Empire."
Stetler remained silent.
"I'm sending you to the North Sea Province of the O'Brien Empire. There, you'll rendezvous with another escort team. No matter what happens, you must bring those five brothers to the Holy Island."
"What if I encounter a Saint-level expert from the O'Brien Empire?" Stetler asked.
"Kill them outright, then fly back with the five as fast as possible," Haydyn said coldly.
Those five eight-level bodies, used as vessels for angel descent, could create five Saint-level peak experts for the Church. Even offending the O'Brien Empire was worth it. At worst, they would sacrifice some interests in the Holy Alliance.
"Alright. I'll set out this evening," Stetler said coldly. (Chapter 2 ends!)