Magic Was Dead Until I Returned

Chapter 008

Suddenly, Becky looked at Linden like a stranger.

Linden's nature seemed timid, overly cautious, and soft to her, but he was domineering and hostile when he faced those Crimson Wolves thugs just now. Perhaps her previous impression of Linden was lopsided because she had never fully grasped his personality.

Becky had complicated feelings about Linden.

"What are you thinking? I was just bluffing."

Linden patted Becky on the shoulder. This girl was innocent, he worried that if he told Becky that he truly wanted to kill them just now, she would find it difficult to accept.

"Let's go. I'll walk you home."

Linden cracked a grin. His smile was all too familiar to Becky. Her complicated mood gradually subsided as she saw his smile. Perhaps she thought too much.

He was trailed by her on the way home. The road was dimly lit, and the two of them had just fought a fierce battle. However, Becky was at ease as Linden led the way.

"Becky, I need a favor from you," Linden said as they stopped before the Carters' residence.

"What?" Becky pondered what she should say to Linden as she said her goodbyes. When she heard Linden's request, she was dumbstruck.

"You see, I need some herbs."

Linden needed to consume a lot of herbs to strengthen the foundation of his body to cultivate magic alongside his physical strength. He wanted to leave the herb procurement to Becky because the Carters, from whom Becky descended, were in the herb trade.

"Are you hurt?" Becky got a little worried.

"Well, not really."

"Oh! What kind of herbs do you need? I can pick them up and give them to you right now."

Becky was the eldest daughter of the Carters, and her family was in the herb trade. There were a few herbs that were readily available at home. She had no intention of taking Linden's money because of their friendship.

"I need a lot of medicinal materials. This is a list and a deposit. After you've prepared them, arrange for someone to deliver them to my house."

Linden handed Becky the herb list he had prepared ahead of time. He took five gold coins from the pouch and gave them to her as a deposit.

"So much?"

She glanced through the list and noticed that it was full of various herbs.

Some herbs were extremely rare, and even if she wielded her family's power, it would take her a long time to obtain them. Furthermore, the herbs listed here were estimated to be worth at least twenty gold coins, if not more.

This was a huge deal.

When their family encountered a big customer, they would typically designate someone to receive them. Even her father would come forth to deal with them personally, but Linden ordered it from her casually, and he even paid her a deposit of five gold coins.

Becky was taken aback by his generosity.

"There are nineteen types of herbs listed here," she said, out of concern for her friend. "They could greatly nourish your body, but they could also be harmful. I can ask my father to write a new prescription for you if you require the herbs to nourish your body."

"It's fine. You can prescribe the herbs according to my list." Linden declined.

Becky's father had some experience with the herb prescription, but it was not worth mentioning in Linden's opinion. How could a small-town businessman compare to someone who once reigned supreme over the sorcerer's world and dabbled in apothecary? Becky's father lacked the ability he possessed.

They exchanged a few words and then parted ways. Becky returned to her house after she left Linden. She felt a little out of it when she thought about what had happened today.

First and foremost, Linden had visited the Shadow District, which she found quite surprising. Then, he was able to defeat five Class 1 Warriors on his own. Why did he require so many precious herbs in this list?

Linden's actions at the time were different compared with the boy she remembered. After giving it some thought, Becky could not figure out why Linden had changed so much.

"Father, are you asleep?"

Becky went to her father's room, thinking she had arrived home late and had not informed him of her return.

"Not yet."

When Hayden Carter heard his daughter's voice, he put away the ledger that he was working on at the desk. He opened the door and let his daughter in.

A brisk breeze blew in through the open door. The weather was chilly, and Hayden noticed that his daughter seemed off. He asked, "What's wrong? Does the fact that your friend went to the Shadow District make you feel uneasy?"

Becky was not surprised that her father was aware of her visit to the Shadow district. Hayden had an uncanny ability to see right through things and people.

"Father, I met Linden Crest just now." She had nothing to hide and told him everything that had happened today.

After Hayden heard that, he appeared solemn. "Becky, behind the Crimson Wolves, is a group of thugs who lead a dangerous life. Linden was sowing the seeds of disaster, and I believe he is setting himself up for a lot of trouble in the future."

"But if he decided not to spare them, was he going to kill them?" Becky did not think there was a problem with what Linden was doing.

When Hayden saw his daughter defending Linden, he could not help but frown and said, "Becky, mark my words! You can do business with Linden, but you shouldn't get too close to him or get emotionally attached to him. Aside from that, you should stay away from the Crests at the moment."

"Father, what are you talking about? Linden and I are just good friends."

Becky blushed at first, but soon realized that her father's words seemed to have a deeper meaning.

"Are the Crests in some sort of trouble, Father? Didn't you want me to befriend them before? Why are you asking me to stay away from them now? Is it because of the Crimson Wolves?"

Hayden explained, "Though this gang is extremely powerful, they dare not mess around in a prominent town like Hartington Fort. Otherwise, they'd be making enemies with the imperial regime. The gang isn't big enough to threaten the entire family, but the Debussys are different…"

"The Debussys! Are you talking about the Debussys? Didn't the Earl, Lord Mark bring them into Hartington Fort to run the silk and tobacco business?"

Becky remembered that her father used to mention this family to her. Coupled with what her father had told her halfway through, Becky suddenly felt that the motivation for the Debussys to come to Hartington Fort might not be that simple.

When Hayden realized Becky was lost in her thoughts, he realized he had told her far too much. He coughed dryly and gave her a solemn look.

"That concludes our conversation tonight, Becky. Keep what you've just heard to yourself. Also, keep in mind what I told you and stay away from the Crests. I'll arrange for someone to prepare the herbs Linden requires. It will be delivered to his home once it is completed. You don't need to get involved in this matter. Alright, it's getting late! You should go back to your room and rest earlier."

Hayden did not even wait for Becky to respond before he opened the door to his room.

Hayden felt a gust of wind blow in from the window sill. He pulled his clothes up and walked over to close the window. He looked at the sky outside. He seemed to be talking to himself, but he also seemed to be talking to Becky.

"Things are going to change!"

…

Three miles away from Hartington Fort, there was a densely forested area. Around 500 people had gathered in the forest. They surrounded the bonfires, which burned ferociously, having a feast and binge drinking.

A red wolf's head was printed on a flag that was fluttering in the air not far away.

"Master, Henry, and Vulture have returned from their trip." A member of the Crimson Wolves came forward to report.

The man he addressed as "Master" sat in front of the campfire. He was gnawing on a leg of lamb in his hand, and two women with slightly tanned skin and large bosoms stood next to him. They massaged the man's shoulders while rubbing his body with their breasts.

"What's the big deal if they come back from their trip?"

Jesse frowned. These junior gang members' abilities were deteriorating. How could they report such tedious things to him?

"They were hurt, and it's looking pretty bad. According to Henry, it was the Crests doing." The man continued to report.

"The Crests!"

Hearing this, Jesse leaped to his feet.

"Master, we've just reached an agreement to work together with the Debussys to go against the Crests. Since then, Henry and Vulture were injured by members of the Crests. Is it possible they've found out about our plan?"

Charlie, the Crimson Wolves' second-in-command, stepped forward and asked the question. It did not seem like a coincidence to him.

"We can ask them about it."

Jesse also felt that this might not be a coincidence and said, "Summon both of them to come forward to see me."

"Sir!"

The badly injured Henry and Vulture arrived shortly after, with the assistance of several members.

When they saw Jesse, they took a step forward and began to complain, "Sir, that kid from the Crests cheated our money at the casino in the Shadow District. He also beat the crap out of us. You have to avenge us!"

"What's going on? Tell me all about it." Jesse asked as he stared at the two.

Before their gang leader, the duo did not dare to keep anything from him. They told him everything that had happened, including how they met Linden in the casino and how the conflict arose. The two of them then cried out loud again, pleading with Jesse to help them and avenge them.

When Jesse learned of this, he fell silent.

"According to your statements, you were injured by a very powerful young man from the Crests who claimed to be a sorcerer."

He said, after a long pause, "That young man defeated five warriors and seven thugs all by himself?"

"Yes." Henry and Vulture responded.

Jesse placed his chin in his hand. Those who could be called warriors had to be certified by the Warrior Association. A warrior's strength was comparable to that of ten ordinary men. A young man's combat strength was not that bad if he could take out five warriors and seven thugs all by himself.

"It appears that the Crests is not as useless as the Debussys claimed."

Jesse was more concerned about his cooperation with the Debussys than he was about Henry and Vulture's injuries.

If today's events with Henry and Vulture were an accident, they had at least revealed a fact. If a random teenager from the Crests was this powerful, the truth was very different from the Debussys's information.

"Charlie, I need you to contact the Debussys and tell them that the Crests are much stronger than they thought. If they want to cooperate with our gang to annex that family, they have to increase the price!"

"Sure." Charlie grinned.

His boss valued money above all else. Jesse's actions were consistent with his usual method of handling situations.

"You've lost a bet and looked for trouble with him, but ended up getting beaten up. You couldn't even defeat a young man, but you have the gall to make a fuss here! Get lost!" Jesse scolded.

The scolding caused Henry and Vulture's cheeks to burn with embarrassment. They did not dare to disobey Jesse and retreated obediently.

"Don't be so upset!" Charlie told Henry and Vulture when he caught up with them. "Don't worry, the Crimson Wolves will avenge your grudge against the Crests when the time comes."

Henry and Vulture's depressed moods were lifted a little when they saw Charlie smiling broadly.

…

The following morning, back at the Crest Manor.

"Steady your deep squat and straighten your lower back. When you throw a punch, it must be strong and vigorous!"

"Hah!"

Kevin, the Crests' instructor, was leading the children through their morning exercises in the training field. Kevin was well into his fifties, and had trained two generations of children for the family. He was ready to retire after nurturing this generation. Despite this, his enthusiasm and seriousness toward his class never waned.

"You all need to continue training for another six months. I'll send all of you to the Mabel Province as soon as the Warrior Academy's assessment begins. All of you must be aware that the Warrior Academy's assessment in the Mabel Province is very strict," Kevin warned the boys.

"If you don't pass the exam, you must take the assessment in Brown County. If you fail the county exam, you have no choice but to goof off and live aimlessly at home. All of you must practice diligently for the autumn assessment, which is the key to rewriting your fate. Do you understand?" Kevin shouted out loud.

"Yes, sir!" The boys responded in unison.

Their enthusiasm had been ignited. All of them hoped to do well in the assessment, so they put in a lot of effort during the morning exercises. They continued to improve their physiques one by one, in strict accordance with Kevin's requirements, through boxing, push-ups, horizontal bars, and other training.

However, among this group of teenagers, there was one exception. It was Linden.

Linden thought, The reason why this small family can't thrive is that they still use such an ancient training method.

Linden did not train with Kevin. Instead, he walked to the corner of the playground, slung two sandbags over his shoulders, and began a weight-bearing run. As he ran, he clenched his fists and jumped every ten steps, honing his body.

"Linden, what are you doing!" Suddenly, there was a thunderous roar. When Kevin noticed Linden had left the team and was training alone, he strode over.

He was enraged and scolded, "Who gave you the go-ahead to train this way? Do you realize that your workout method is not only working but also straining your muscles and ligaments? You'll eventually be reduced to waste."

Kevin concluded with a commanding tone, "Stop it!"