Coiling Dragon_Book 1 of the Coiling Dragon Saga Read online

  Magi were divided into nine ranks, and becoming a magus of the first rank was easy. But later on, it would become much harder, and take more time, to attain each new rank! Many powerful magi of the seventh or eighth ranks would spend hundreds of years and still find it hard to attain a higher rank.

  But for the first rank, half a year would be enough for someone talented. Even if one didn’t have much talent, as long as they met the basic requirements for becoming a magus, two to three years would be sufficient for them to become a magus.

  The rabbit in his clutches, Linley immediately began running down the mountain.

  “Linley, why aren’t you cooking it? Although the Shadowmouse will eat raw meat, his favorite is cooked meat.” Doehring Cowart’s voice sounded in Linley’s mind.

  “Grandpa Doehring, I bet you’ve never coaxed any kids before.” While running, Linley replied in a teasing voice.

  Doehring Cowart was startled. He had never had any grandchildren, and why would a revered Saint-level Grand Magus like himself stoop to coaxing other kids?

  “Um, no, I haven’t.” Doehring Cowart was forced to admit.

  Linley self-confidently said, “I often have to coax little Wharton. Lemme tell ya, if you want to give a kid something, you can’t give them something too good right off the bat. Otherwise, in the future, they’ll expect something really good every single time, or something even better. Right now, the Shadowmouse is chewing on rocks. If I give him some raw meat, he’ll be really happy. I’ll give him raw meat for seven or eight days, and then I’ll give him cooked meat. That will make him even happier.”

  Doehring Cowart immediately understood.

  The older one got, the craftier one became. How could he fail to understand this logic? It was the same method he had used in dealing with subordinates. First giving them just a little taste, and then giving them more later. If you gave them too much too early, it would be hard to satisfy their urges in the future.

  “I read about this as well in a book regarding raising monkeys. ‘Saying three in the morning and then raising to four in the afternoon’ is much more effective than ‘saying four in the morning and then lowering it to three in the afternoon’. Linley grinned.

  Doehring Cowart suddenly felt that although Linley was only eight, he wasn’t in any way inferior to many young adults.

  “Looks like the educational methods of the Baruch clan are rather effective after all.” Doehring Cowart silently sighed with praise. Education can raise a person’s intelligence, but most commoners didn’t have access to education. Most commoners could not meet either the entry requirements or the fee requirements for good magus or warrior academies.

  None of the people of Wushan found it strange for Linley to be running home with a wild hare in hand. In truth, ever since Linley had learned the ‘Earth Spike’ spell, he often brought wild hares home.

  “Young master Linley is so formidable. He caught another wild hare.” The commoners in the town grinned as they watched him pass by.

  Linley also politely smiled back at them as he walked past them on the street.

  “I wonder if the Shadowmouse will eat something which is provided by another.”

  Taking a deep breath, Linley entered his family’s manor and went to the back courtyard, and one careful step at a time, approached the location where the Shadowmouse had appeared, his footsteps not making a single sound. In a short period of time, Linley returned to his earlier position.

  “Where’s the Shadowmouse?” Linley stared at the ancient building, but aside from some rubble and rotting leaves, he didn’t see anything.

  Some of the stones still showed signs of being chewed on, but despite scanning inside the entire building, he couldn’t see even the shadow of the Shadowmouse. Linley couldn’t help but feel despondent and miserable. “Grandpa Doehring, the Shadowmouse isn’t here anymore. It was just an hour. Did it leave already?”

  A ray of light shot out of the Coiling Dragon Ring and transformed into the white-robed Doehring Cowart.

  Doehring Cowart also frowned in confusion. “That shouldn’t be the case. It was just an hour. Did it really leave already?”

  Suddenly!

  “Crunch, crunch.” That familiar, soft crunching sound could be heard once again. Linley’s eyes brightened, and he immediately turned and headed towards an ancient courtyard nearby. Arriving at the entryway, he clearly saw the black Shadowmouse chewing on stones in one spot, unmoving. He seemed almost like a sculptor, as he chewed each rock into surprising, bizarre shapes.

  Linley stood at the doorway.

  Tap! Linley purposefully let his foot bang into the doorway and make some sound.

  “Eek!”

  The black Shadowmouse immediately moved and in the blink of an eye, appeared over ten meters away. His two guileless eyes stared towards the doorway, and he immediately saw Linley. His eyes were filled with caution.

  “Here, this is for you to eat.”

  Linley smiled at the Shadowmouse, then tossed the wild hare in front of the doorway. Perhaps the Shadowmouse couldn’t understand human speech, but Linley understood that an intelligent magical beast should be able to understand the meaning of a smile.

  After all, magical beasts weren’t like wild beasts. Their intelligence levels were only slightly lower than humans, and some powerful magical beasts were incredibly crafty.

  “Don’t rush it, don’t rush it.” Linley kept on telling himself, and then forced himself to slowly walk away.

  The Shadowmouse saw Linley depart, and then looked at the wild hare. He only managed to resist for a short period of time, then he scurried like a flash to the doorway while still staring at the now-distant Linley. Only then did he look at the dead hare. The Shadowmouse immediately grew ecstatic and was so happy that he began to hop about.

  “Squeak, squeak!” The Shadowmouse began to make a happy sound.

  And then he immediately began to eat the wild hare. His sharp teeth chewed at an incredibly fast rate. Although the Shadowmouse had a small body, this wild hare which was physically larger than the Shadowmouse was fully devoured by it, aside from the fur. Even the bones weren’t spared.

  “Buuuurp!” The little Shadowmouse made a belching noise, and then, in a very human-like gesture, rubbed its belly, extremely content.

  Compared to stones, raw meat was clearly a much tastier treat.

  After finishing his meal, the Shadowmouse glanced again in the direction which Linley had departed in. The baby Shadowmouse immediately felt a degree of kinship for this young fellow. After all, he was just recently born, an infant magical beast. The baby Shadowmouse even felt a bit of anticipation. Would this young man return in the future with another wild hare?

  That same day, before dinner.

  “Wonder if the little Shadowmouse ate it or not.” Linley was currently in the back courtyard of the manor, and walked towards the area where he had tossed the wild hare earlier.

  “Linley, don’t worry. That’s just a baby magical beast. It’s always very hungry.” Doehring Cowart’s laughter echoed merrily in Linley’s mind.

  Linley nodded slightly. He quickly arrived at the doorway, and saw that at the doorway, there was some rabbit fur splattered with blood. But the rabbit’s flesh and bones were all gone. Seeing this, Linley’s eyes immediately shone.

  “Wonderful!” Linley clenched a fist.

  The first step was a success. The only thing left to do was persevere!

  The next afternoon, Linley killed another wild hare as well as a wild chicken. He gave the wild hare to Uncle Hiri to prepare for dinner, and then tossed the wild chicken in the exact same location as he had tossed the hare; at the doorway to that courtyard.

  “The Shadowmouse is actually here staring at me.” Linley chuckled as he saw the Shadowmouse inside the courtyard watch him approach.

  “Linley, looks like things are progressing smoothly. He didn’t run away immediately upon seeing you, which means that he doesn’t feel much hostility towards you
.” Upon seeing this, Doehring Cowart secretly felt joy for Linley. Linley really was lucky to have met such a powerful juvenile magical beast.

  “I really wonder what this young fella’s parents are up to.” Doehring Cowart was secretly suspicious.

  After placing the wild chicken at the doorway, he said a few words to the young Shadowmouse, smiled, and then retreated. But this time, he didn’t depart, but just stood off to the side and watched. Shortly afterwards, the young Shadowmouse scampered out. Looking around himself, when he saw Linley’s far off presence, he wasn’t too scared. He immediately lowered his head and began to eat the chicken.

  Day three. Day four. Day five.

  These activities continued. Day after day, Linley continued to undergo meditative training while preparing wild rabbits and other animals for the little Shadowmouse to eat. Nobody in the entire town of Wushan, including Hogg and Hillman, knew that Linley was learning magic. Similarly, none of them knew that Linley was taking care of a juvenile magical beast that already possessed power of the fourth rank!

  Only Doehring Cowart was aware of it all, as he watched Linley mature.

  “There’s no way that this tiny little town of Wushan is big enough for Linley.” Watching Linley enter the meditative trance to practice magic, Doehring Cowart felt a hint of excitement. “Sooner or later, he will bring an adult Violet Shadowmouse and step onto the endlessly broad stage that is the world of the Yulan continent.”

  15

  The Ernst Institute

  As time passed, the little Shadowmouse, which had not known much love from others, began to fear Linley less and less. By the eighth day, when Linley put the rabbit down, he moved only two steps away, and that little Shadowmouse still immediately ran over to eat, and even squeaked twice at Linley.

  The tenth day!

  “Right, today I’ll give the little Shadowmouse some cooked meat.” Linley covered a wild chicken with a cloth sack, and then happily went to the back of the ancient courtyard in the manor.

  Doehring Cowart was walking by Linley’s side as well, but aside from Linley, no one else could see him. Doehring Cowart was smiling so widely that his white whiskers were leaning horizontally. “Linley, over these past nine days, the little Shadowmouse has lost all fear of you. Today, you are even giving him cooked meat. He’s going to be extremely excited and will become even closer to you.”

  Hearing his words, Linley couldn’t help but grin as well.

  Just as Linley walked into the courtyard…

  “Squeak, squeak!” The little Shadowmouse immediately ran up to Linley, and began hopping up and down while squeaking at him.

  “I haven’t even taken the food out, and he’s already run up to me. He really isn’t afraid of me at all.” Linley felt joy in his heart.

  Next to him, Doehring Cowart smiled merrily at the little Shadowmouse, which didn’t notice his presence at all. Doehring Cowart said with a smile, “Looks like he’s already feeling quite close to you.”

  “Squeeaaaak!” The little Shadowmouse looked at Linley with its innocent black eyes and began to squeak with impatience, as though telling Linley to hurry up and give him the food already.

  “Don’t be impatient.” Linley took the roasted chicken out of the clothsack.

  Upon smelling the roasted chicken, the little Shadowmouse’s eyes shone, and then it looked at Linley pitifully. Seeing this, Linley couldn’t help but laugh until his stomach hurt. In the past, when Linley gave good food to little Wharton, little Wharton would say, “Big bro, I want!” while staring at him in a pitiful manner.

  Now this little Shadowmouse was doing the same!

  “Hehe, all yours!” Linley gave the cooked chicken to the Shadowmouse.

  The little Shadowmouse squeaked with joy, immediately seizing the roast chicken. After taking a single bite, the little Shadowmouse began to eat faster and faster. In a very short time, the roast chicken, which was about the same size as the Shadowmouse itself, had been completely devoured.

  “I really don’t get how his stomach can contain so much. How can he swallow that much food?” Linley laughed while sighing.

  It seemed as though this time, the little Shadowmouse had enjoyed his meal very much. He was so happy that he immediately began to hop up and down while squeaking at Linley, while even hugging Linley’s leg with his own front arms. Linley couldn’t help but feel pleased; this was the first time that the little Shadowmouse had acted so intimately towards him, even after eating.

  “Linley, try and use your hand to smooth his fur. Usually, most magical beasts like their family members to groom them and stroke their fur,” Doehring Cowart advised.

  Linley tentatively stretched his hand out and placed it on the little Shadowmouse’s head. The little Shadowmouse didn’t dodge in the slightest. Instead, it contentedly half-closed its eyes. Linley immediately felt more confident, and began to stroke his fur, causing the Shadowmouse to feel so comfortable that it began to snore.

  “This little guy is so adorable.” Linley was really beginning to like this little Shadowmouse more and more.

  “Grandpa Doehring, magical beasts are so strange. That Velocidragon is so huge and has such tough scales, making it a magical beast of the seventh rank. But this little Shadowmouse, when he grows up, will also become a magical beast of the seventh rank. Both of them have the same rank, but why is there such a big difference between them?”

  While petting the little Shadowmouse, Linley couldn’t help but feel amazed.

  “You can’t judge them just based on their appearances. Perhaps an ordinary old geezer that you meet on the street is able to ride a flying dragon and level a mountain with the wave of a hand.” Doehring Cowart laughed merrily.

  Linley understood this logic.

  But unconsciously, he still used appearances to judge.

  For example, that Velocidragon. Seeing how huge its body was and seeing how its scales gleamed with a frozen golden light, anyone could tell how powerful it was.

  “I really wonder when this little Shadowmouse will initiate a ‘bond of equals’ with me.” Linley mumbled. There was nothing he could do. The ‘bond of equals’ could only be initiated by magical beasts, so he could only passively wait.

  Doehring Cowart laughed. “Things are progressing very well. Remember. You must have patience.”

  “Right. I got it.” Linley laughed as well.

  In the blink of an eye, time passed. Linley had fed the little Shadowmouse for twenty days now, and the little Shadowmouse was now behaving in a familiar way towards him. But for some reason, even though the two of them had become extremely close, the little Shadowmouse still had not initiated the ‘bond of equals’.

  Darkness covered the land, and the entire town of Wushan was very quiet.

  Within the Baruch clan’s living room, candlelight flickered from within as Linley and his family, along with Housekeeper Hiri, were enjoying supper together on the long dining table.

  Halfway through the meal, Hogg put down his utensils and turned to Linley. “Linley, I hear that you’ve often been bringing roasted hares to the back courtyards?”

  Linley was startled.

  “Looks like it is time for me to confess.” Linley said to himself, then looked at Hogg and nodded. “Father, recently I discovered a cute animal living in our back courtyard, an extremely cute animal. So I often bring him some food.”

  “A cute animal?” Little Wharton’s eyes shone.

  “Oh.”

  Hogg nodded. “People rarely visit the back courtyard, so it’s normal for there to be animals there. Right. In a week or so, Fenlai City is going to begin another round of magical aptitude testing and magus recruitment. Do you want to participate?”

  “Oh, the magus testing and recruiting event?” Linley suddenly remembered this event.

  The ray of light which only Linley could see shot out from within the Coiling Dragon Ring, turning into the white-bearded Doehring Cowart. Doehring Cowart laughed at Linley, “Linley, the magus test
ing and recruiting event is optional for you. Under my guidance, will you achieve less than at a magus academy?”

  Linley agreed with this line of thought.

  Doehring Cowart was a Saint-level Grand Magus. Would any magus academy require a Saint-level Grand Magus to teach there?

  “What, you don’t want to go?” Hogg’s face, previously smiling, immediately grew cold as he frowned.

  Hogg remembered clearly that ever since the battle between the dual-element magus of the eighth rank and the small party, Linley had very much wanted to become a magus. Why was he hesitating now? In Hogg’s heart, he too hoped that his son could become a magus.

  “Father, I…”

  “No, Linley, accept your father’s offer.” Doehring Cowart frowned and hurriedly said.

  Linley’s words died unspoken on his lips. At the same time, he suspiciously asked, “Grandpa Doehring, I have you to teach me, right? With you teaching me, why would I need to go to a magus academy? Wouldn’t that be a waste of family resources?”

  “No.” Doehring Cowart said seriously. “I haven’t interacted with the Yulan continent for over five thousand years. Five thousand years, Linley! You must understand that many magi in the world have been continuously researching and developing new spells during this time period. Who knows how many new spells have been developed in the interim.”

  Linley suddenly understood.

  “And Linley, you must know that the town of Wushan is not the stage on which you will perform. You must step onto a far wider stage.” Doehring Cowart said seriously.

  “A far wider stage…”

  Linley couldn’t help but be moved.

  He couldn’t help but remember that huge Velocidragon, and the destructive power unleashed by the ‘Dance of the Fire Serpents’, as well as the Saint-level Grand Magus ‘Rudi’, who effortlessly controlled those countless boulders to cause an absolute calamity.

  “The future…”

  Linley’s heart began to beat faster. If he could one day step atop the head of a dragon and control cataclysmic power, if he too could feel the power of standing at the very pinnacle of mankind, that must be an amazing feeling. When he thought of this, Linley felt his blood begin to boil.