Chapter 22: Legend

In the private library, Liana Morninglight sat rarely upright at the desk, flipping through thick magical tomes. Hovering in the air around her were hundreds of magical books and ancient texts, some closed, some open, and some with pages standing upright displaying text or diagrams, awaiting selection. When needed by the legendary mage, they would fly to her, automatically flip to the designated page, adjust their angle, and present the content in the easiest way to read. With a furrowed brow, she flipped through the pages swiftly, occasionally scribbling a few notes on the sheets before her.

This area was nominally a private library, but with seventy rows of bookshelves, each seven meters high, filled with various magical books, its scale was comparable to that of the grand duchy's national library. A beam of light shot down from the arched crystal ceiling, leaving a giant spot of light at the focal point of the semi-circular library. And Liana Morninglight sat under the spotlight.

At this moment, the slightly ajar door of the library was gently pushed open, and a gray-haired gnome mage tiptoed in. Seeing the legendary mage working diligently at her desk, the mage's footsteps immediately became lighter, and then he called out in the softest and gentlest voice possible, "Your Highness..."

"I'm busy!" Liana Morninglight replied sharply, not even glancing at him.

The gnome mage was startled but, considering the importance of the message he needed to report, after weighing it in his heart, he still whispered, "Your Highness, the son of Duke Soram has arrived and is waiting for your reception..."

Bang!

Liana Morninglight slammed her hand heavily on the table, cutting off all the gnome mage's subsequent words. She finally lifted her head this time, but her face was frosty, and her tone was unequivocal: "I said, I'm busy! Keep him waiting!"

"But..." The gnome mage finally swallowed the rest of his words. Only after gently closing the library door did he murmur, "Alright, I'll keep him waiting, keep Soram's son waiting. He's only waited for three hours, and the time you specified was actually two hours ago."

The door of the library suddenly opened, and a magical book nearly half the size of the gnome mage flew out, slamming into the gnome's back with a bang. He immediately felt his internals churn violently and was almost knocked unconscious. The gnome mage then realized that Liana Morninglight truly had something very important to do, something important enough that she was willing to offend Duke Soram greatly.

Another full hour passed before the gnome mage was summoned. He immediately rushed into the library. The slightly exhausted legendary mage threw over a densely scribbled piece of paper, instructing him to follow it, and then walked toward the reception area on her own. The displeasure from being interrupted earlier still lingered on the beautiful face of the legendary mage. The gnome mage maintained the most humble posture and the most repentant expression, watching her walk away before carefully reading the content on the paper. He was quite curious about what matter had garnered such attention from the princess.

The paper was a recipe, including a total of 112 ingredients and 28 dishes, with portion precision reaching one-tenth of a gram, and eating times precise to the minute. The recipe was prepared for Gray, but it only covered one month. Did the legendary mage spend over four hours in the prime plane preparing just a one-month recipe for Gray?

After seeing this piece of paper, the gnome mage, who originally thought Aiden Gray could only become a junior constructor, now felt that the idea of him becoming a "future saint constructor" seemed to have some chance of success. After all, for the legendary mage to spend several hours of her precious time customizing a monthly recipe, an ordinary constructor wouldn't be qualified.

In a magnificent small reception room, the young man stood with his hands behind his back by the floor-to-ceiling window, admiring the grand and magnificent floating ice bay. Although it was already spring, the north was still cold, and scattered floating ice could still be seen amidst the fleet entering and exiting the port, resembling pristine sails. They might just be larger pieces of floating ice, but they could also conceal massive floating icebergs underneath. Although Deep Blue was an ice-free port, ships still had to be cautious for half a year to avoid colliding with floating icebergs.

From the floor-to-ceiling windows, one can see the majestic Everwinter Mountains stretching far away on the right, with steep sea cliffs and towering mountain ranges embracing the northern side of the Iceberg Bay. The southern route, however, is much gentler, with only slight undulations in the terrain covered by vast, dense coniferous forests. On the southern coastline lies a deepwater port. Despite it being winter, over half of its twelve berths are occupied by ships, including a magical ocean liner nearly a hundred meters long and over thirty meters high. The bustling docks are filled with people coming and going, and various loading vehicles form long queues, showing no signs of a slack season. A busy port signifies prosperity, opportunities, and immense wealth.

On the distant horizon, a fluttering flag faintly appears, followed by numerous sails, indicating the arrival of another ocean giant.

The young man gazes at the port, his usual faint smile now replaced by a thoughtful expression. Besides him in the reception room, there is only Minnie. The young girl is buried in a sofa, flipping through a magic book, but she seems somewhat distracted. Having waited here for four hours, she has long exceeded her limit. However, considering the close ties between their families, she is the only suitable person to accompany the young man here, as his subordinates are not allowed to enter.

"What a spectacular view!" the young man suddenly exclaims.

Minnie replies coldly, "Randolph often says that too."

When the young man turns around, his face is adorned with an impeccable smile: "I am Stevinson, and he is Randolph. The biggest difference between us is that I will only say this much, while he would just keep repeating it."

"Sounds impressive," Minnie lazily lifts her arm to stretch, revealing her newly matured, beautiful figure with a touch of charm. Her eyes haven't left the magic book, but her attention has shifted due to Stevinson's words. "However, Stevinson from the Duke of Soram family seems to be a Dragonic Adept, which is quite rare but seems unrelated to being a Constructor!"

The curvature of the young man's smile doesn't change: "That's why I want to receive personal guidance from Princess Liana Dawn. Master Sanctus Crus has the ability to make me a Constructor, but it would require sacrificing my bloodline abilities. I believe the Princess has enough ability to solve this problem."

Minnie nods slightly. In fact, Adepts are quite rare among magicians, primarily relying on bloodline abilities. Generally, the number of spells they can learn and master is very limited, but their power is much higher than that of magicians of the same level. Dragonic Adepts are one of the rarest and highest-end branches of Adepts. Even with the most basic Green Dragon bloodline, they have the potential to become Archmages. Giving up the abilities of a Dragonic Adept to become a Constructor is indeed a difficult choice. On the other hand, this also reflects Stevinson's special status. The Holy Tree Dynasty acknowledges Stevinson as the most potential individual in the next generation of the Soram family.

"The teacher might not agree to accept you because you're too old," Minnie says habitually, speaking the truth.

"The Princess will definitely accept me because I'm self-funded," Stevinson gracefully counters Minnie with the same truth.

Seeing Minnie's slightly annoyed expression, Stevinson adds, "After I become the Princess's student, there will be many things I need to consult you about. At least, I don't understand much about Deep Blue."

After a pause, he continues, "Moreover, I feel that our relationship can definitely be taken a step further and linked more closely in another form, such as a marriage contract."

Minnie is startled, lifting her head to stare at Stevinson, wanting to say something but forcibly holding it back. Her breasts rise and fall rapidly, only calming down after several deep breaths. Minnie lowers her legs from the sofa, sits up straight, and says in a tone for serious matters, "This is our first meeting, and we don't even know each other well, let alone like each other. Don't you think it's too early to say this?"

Stevinson smiles and says, "Beautiful Miss Minnie, as a direct descendant of a prominent family, you should know that our marriage doesn't require liking. It's a good outcome if we don't dislike each other. What connects us are our families and interests, and besides, we have common interests."

As for understanding, I have learned enough about you. Randolf has collected all available information about you to ensure his proposal of marriage to you is successful. Naturally, after this incident, someone has delivered the same information to me. As for me, I presume you have heard of me, and there will be ample time for you to learn more in the future.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the House of Marquis Neo and the Sorram family need to form an alliance, and this alliance must be maintained through a marriage. Currently, there is no better candidate for marriage in the Neo family than you. So, if you don't choose me, would you prefer to marry one of my brothers?"

"I can choose not to marry anyone!" Mini replied coldly.

Stivenson smiled calmly and said, "That's not honest. If you do that, you'll have to leave the Neo family. And without the support of Marquis Neo, I don't think you can afford your tuition, even though you only need to pay one-fifth of what I do. Besides, I've heard that the Princess doesn't like it when people owe her money."

Seeing Mini deep in thought, Stivenson shrugged and said, "Moreover, you see, I'm not an unpleasant person. As for you, Miss Mini, if I need a wife, it would be hard to find a better candidate than you. I suggest you consider my proposal carefully, but there's no need to rush into a decision. The greatest virtue of our magicians is reason and calmness."

Just then, the voice of Lianna Morninglight suddenly came from outside the reception room: "That's indeed a virtue of magicians. But magicians are not sorcerers. Sorcerers are inherently疯狂 (this word doesn't translate well directly; it means extremely passionate or intense in this context, but with a slightly negative connotation, suggesting an unpredictable or extreme nature)."

Lianna Morninglight floated into the reception room, threw her body into the sofa at the head of the room, and then pulled the bright red silk tassel hanging beside her. With a pleasant ringing of bells, the side door on the other side of the reception room opened, and six black slaves entered in succession, carrying special red tea tables, censers, and of course, a dazzling golden basin filled with snacks for legendary magicians.

After making herself comfortable, Lianna Morninglight instructed, "Go fetch Blackgold!"

An apprentice immediately rushed off, and moments later, the gray dwarf magister arrived in haste. Blackgold, whose full name was Blackgold Safoyec Stormhammer. Stormhammer was a large tribe among the gray dwarves, large enough to have established its own kingdom. Blackgold was a very unique gray dwarf who didn't like strong liquor but had a profound understanding of minerals and jewelry. And it was because of his unique magical talent, his狂热 (intense passion or enthusiasm, but in a more neutral context here, referring to his avid interest) for collecting gold coins, and his exceptional abilities in appraisal that he ultimately occupied the position of treasurer for the legendary magicians.

After glancing at the paper handed over by the gray dwarf, Lianna Morninglight's tense face gradually relaxed. Only then did she remember that Stivenson was still standing in the reception room. She nodded to him and said, "You're Stivenson, right? Not bad. You don't need to stand. Sit down!"

Stivenson chose a sofa at the edge, sat down properly, his face unusually serious, even somewhat pale.

While carefully reading the information in her hand, Lianna Morninglight said somewhat casually, "A dragonblood sorcerer, huh? That's rare. What kind of dragon's bloodline is it?"

"Red dragon," Stivenson replied respectfully, and his face turned even more pale.

Lianna Morninglight's gaze swept across a line of small text, which Blackgold had underlined with a pen to indicate its importance. After reading it, the legendary magician's face, which had relaxed somewhat but still retained a hint of gloom, suddenly brightened, and she explained with unusual patience, "I've bullied and killed many dragons over time, so I've developed an aura that intimidates dragons. And since you have dragon blood, staying by my side will surely be uncomfortable for you."

"You are truly admirable!" Stivenson said. This was indeed his heartfelt opinion. The effect on Lianna Morninglight similar to reverse dragon aura was not naturally formed but was the cumulative result of curses from dragons on their deathbeds. The curses couldn't truly harm Lianna Morninglight, but the reverse dragon aura wasn't used to help the legendary magician in battles; it was a warning to dragons. Dragons would perceive Lianna Morninglight's arrival from a hundred kilometers away. Just how many dragons had to fall to form this reverse dragon aura on this woman?

The last few paragraphs of that page were outlined by Blackgold with additional emphasis marks and even several lines of detailed annotations. It was a list of supplies, the tuition paid by Duke Soram for Steevenson. As her gaze reached the last few lines, the young face of the legendary mage blossomed like spring flowers, filled with sunshine. She wanted to laugh but managed to restrain herself in front of her new student. Nevertheless, the demeanor and appearance of a legendary mage were still very important.

"That... Steevenson, right? Come, sit here. These fruits are quite good; you can try them!" Feeling delighted, the legendary mage thought it was time to let him share her snacks. After all, according to the list, Duke Soram had paid the full sponsorship fee, not the agreed half.

Steevenson moved closer to Liana Dawn as instructed but wisely didn't touch her snacks, though a few items really tempted him to take a bite desperately.

After looking at the list repeatedly, Liana Dawn reluctantly handed the paper to Blackgold. Only then did she finally lift her head and seriously look at Steevenson, asking, "How's Soram doing recently? Has he advanced to the legendary realm? But he should already be legendary, right?"

Steevenson's body immediately straightened. He had been waiting for this question: "My father successfully advanced to the legendary realm at the end of last year and became a Shadow Warbreaker."

Shadow Warbreakers were warriors with both powerful physical strength and shadow abilities, highly resistant to various types of magic, with many low-level spells completely ineffective against them. Their absolute attack power might not be formidable, but their high-speed attacks and swift movements were not inferior to high-level thieves. They could rely on skilled techniques to close the distance and stick to their opponents in the shortest time, thus becoming the bane of spellcasting professions, earning the title of Shadow Warbreaker.

In Steevenson's consideration, although Soram had just advanced, his professional advantages were still significant enough to make him a dangerous rival to Liana Dawn, both being legends. Given this, Soram still paid double the agreed sponsorship fee. His formidable strength and humble attitude should make Liana Dawn consider him her core trainee. Until now, Steevenson didn't understand why his father was willing to pay such a huge price when they had already agreed on a price.

Upon hearing that Soram had become legendary, Liana Dawn was indeed startled and asked, "Did he advance as a Shadow Warbreaker?"

"Yes, I can confirm that."

Liana Dawn's expression froze for a moment, then she burst into laughter: "He chose to be a Shadow Warbreaker instead of the most suitable Holy Knight! This Soram! It seems that the beating he received years ago really left a severe psychological shadow on him! Heh heh, does this guy think he can retaliate against me by becoming a Shadow Warbreaker? It seems I have to give him a more profound lesson so that he knows that even as a legendary powerhouse, he must always remain humble in front of me! Oh hahaha! No, I really can't wait!"

The legendary mage's style was always vigorous and resolute. As she spoke, she stood up, instructed someone to prepare her luggage, and walked toward the terrace of the reception hall. It seemed that she was not going to waste a single minute and intended to fly directly south to challenge Duke Soram.

Only after stepping on the large deep red floor tiles of the terrace did Liana Dawn remember something. She turned back to Steevenson and said, "You are already my student! But I'm busy now and have no time to teach you. I'll be back ten days later. Get familiar with Deep Blue during this time. If you need anything, you can tell Minnie directly. I'm leaving!"

Liana Dawn transformed into a massive burning meteor and shot into the sky. Steevenson was stunned, remaining half-sitting and half-standing, like a ridiculous statue. He tried several times to call Liana Dawn back, his mouth opening and closing, but ultimately didn't dare to make any sound.

Now he finally understood why Duke Soram was willing to pay double the tuition and instructed him not to reveal that he had become legendary.