Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Hill looked indifferently at the slightly panicked followers of Valkin, who hadn't even dared to state his name.

Valkin truly undermined his subordinates, never even telling them who they had offended.

Mask had been obsessed with the treasure vault of the Goddess of Wealth, and now Valkin had given him a valid reason.

For the followers of Mask, it wasn't just about getting money but also winning the appreciation of the deity they worshipped; this deal was definitely the most profitable they had undertaken.

No one would believe that Valkin's followers didn't have this money. As God's Chosen, intimately united with the deity, he had to declare every single Gold Coin for the honor of the Goddess.

Otherwise, Valkin's Divine Kingdom would be in trouble.

Hill gave him a scornful smile and turned away with long strides.

That guy wouldn't even think about attacking Hill; the moment he saw Hill, he actually shrank back.

A Level 12 God's Chosen!

If Valkin wasn't plotting something, then she had truly gone mad.

Hill hesitated at the entrance of the alley, then chose not to return to the 'Golden Oak' and instead went to the garden villa he had just purchased.

Although 'Golden Oak' could indeed ensure his safety, Hill didn't want to owe such unnecessary favors.

Hill was wary not just of Valkin's followers hiring strongmen to assassinate him, but also of those undeterred thieves.

In his senses, someone had been tracking him all along.

Hill couldn't help but scoff, and taking advantage of the dusk as the Sun had not yet set, he directly released a Sunlight Art.

The shadows around Hill were blasted apart, and some flustered thieves who were fleeing were immediately caught by the Silvermoon Guards already waiting nearby.

In this world, attempting a crime and having committed one were equally culpable.

Hill smiled towards the direction of the large market and said in a soft voice, "Follow me further, and I'll release a Sunlight Art in the middle of the market."

I'll make sure the thieves' guild hidden in the market's shadows is blown clean away.

Hill's threat had its effect.

After all, his vengeful nature was very clear to everyone.

He was a powerful Mage who even dared to curse the Goddess of Wealth; no one thought he wouldn't follow through.

Especially the high-level thieves following Valkin's followers would stop their disciples' foolish actions.

Hill's gaze had already swept over several shadow-filled places and proved he truly could sense the Shadow Walkers there.

For Valkin, this was the real big business; no old thief wanted to give it up because of their subordinates' stupidity.

Having established himself as a character marked by clear grudges and swift retribution, Hill turned and walked towards the south.

Having just arrived in a strange land, one must either go with the flow or establish their authority and morality.

Hill was more than willing to use Valkin's people as a stepping-stone, the perfect revenge for when Valkin stepped over Hill during their time in Felunryel.

Hill slowly crossed the Moonbridge.

The ever unfrozen Riven Ruven flowed quietly; the night gradually enveloped everything. The transparent Moonbridge began to glow, reflecting the sky's Silvermoon and its own image in the water below.

A gentle breeze brushed by, the winter cold largely blocked by the Puzzle Lock, leaving just a slight chill behind.

The evening music from both sides of the Riven Ruven was intermingled and lively, lifting Hill's spirits.

He held the keys he had received along with the deed, first going to inspect the apartment building.

This apartment was likely designed for young people from his family attending the Ladies' Academy, suitable for 3 or 4 people to share, with ample furnishings and a washroom on each floor.

The first floor even had two servants' rooms and a large kitchen, while the living room and small dining area were rather small.

Hill pulled out a Magic Lock he had crafted himself, replacing the original, when suddenly a voice called out from behind.

"Respected Mage Sir, are you planning to move in here, or do you intend to rent out this house?"

Hill turned, surprised, to see a middle-aged man dressed in a shirt, deer leather vest, and fur cloak, looking respectable with a neatly trimmed beard and brown hair, with a Short Dagger fastened at the waist of his leather trousers.

Seeing Hill's puzzled expression, he quickly plastered on a smile: "Respected Mage Sir, I am Theo Heine from the Silvermoon City Housing Rental Guild.

Most of the rental properties in this area are managed by our guild.

After all, esteemed Mage Sirs don't usually care to bother with such trivialities."

He pointed to the badge on his chest and lightly pressed it; the badge flickered and immediately a few rows of large text and his image floated in the air.

Hill looked at this Fantasy World's version of a work badge and couldn't help but chuckle—real estate agents, an indispensable profession in any developed world, it seems!

Seeing Hill's not cold attitude, Heine quickly stepped forward: "Respected Mage Sir, if you wish to rent out this property and don't want the hassle, you can leave it all to me.

The management fee is only 10 Gold Coins a year!"

Hill paused; he had initially thought to leave the house empty or perhaps ask Lynn later if he wanted to use it.

But after sizing up Heine, he hesitated.

The middle-aged man looked respectable, but it was clear he was under a lot of pressure, his eyes and brows tinged with worry.

In these fantastical times that had long passed, new memories slowly filled his mind. Hill rarely recalled his past life, but this intermediary brought many memories to the fore.

He simply nodded. "That's possible."

Heine's eyes lit up, and he quickly pressed his badge a few more times. Two contracts appeared in front of Hill.

Feeling that radiant power, Hill couldn't help but smile.

He had always assumed that this real estate agent was an official part of Silvermoon City. Was it actually run by Lansendel's Dawn Church?

Indeed, in this world, deities who steadfastly held to their paths inspired more trust among the common folk and even Professionals, than power institutions did.

Hill promptly signed the commission contract, opting to use one-tenth of the annual rent to maintain the property, while the rest of the rent was to be sent to his garden villa, simply placed in the mailbox.

He then handed the new keys to Heine.

Heine stared at the lease address emerging on his contract and couldn't help shivering.

He had thought this was just a recent graduate! He looked to be only about 20 years old!

He had even specifically looked at the Mage's ears, making sure he was not a Half-Elf before daring to speak!

Unable to control himself, Heine felt the dagger behind his back, relying on the fact that he was a Level 5 Ranger to dare approach the Mage directly about properties. He was lucky the High-level Mage was good-tempered; otherwise, he would have really been courting death.

He looked up to express his sincere gratitude, only to find that the Mage who had just been in front of him had vanished without a trace.

Hill smiled as he walked over to another property of his.

No wonder there was a Mage contesting this property with him; it was beautifully maintained.

The white marble fence was impressive, with a 1-meter thick wall below and about 1.5 meters of stone railings above.

Apart from the gate that was five meters wide, the internal area was lined with 5-meter-tall oak trees, completely blocking the view from the outside.

Hill took out the key to open the iron gate. The lock was fixed inside the 20 cm-thick door; Hill had no choice but to opt for door and lock replacement.

He frowned slightly. It was normal for some capable thieves to break in, given the property's weak magic array.

But when he got the land deed, he understood that the valuable items in the house had been collected.

The antique crafts earlier at the auction were actually taken from these houses.

Otherwise, those Noble ladies wouldn't have just bought those gemstones; they wouldn't wear jewelry that criminals had worn.

Even if the merchants bought them back, they would alter these publicly showcased jewelry into other forms.

So even if someone was found in the main mansion, Hill had decided to demolish the gate linked to the protective array and rebuild it.

His mana fluctuations were so obvious; how did the thief not flee when the array was down?

Hill glanced at the tall, white main house inside, took out a Magic Book, and used a composite Forest Array that isolated spells and sound.

However, he did not choose to use the more powerful Maze Forest Array; Hill did not want to completely hide the house.

With the ease of using Silvermoon City's Puzzle Locks, Hill didn't need to be so cautious yet.

He walked over slowly, twirling his wrist, the Crystal Fan softly grasped in his right hand.

Pushing the opened main door of the mansion, Hill hesitated and looked inside.

Was it someone who came to collect things who forgot to lock the door?

Hill's heart sank. He didn't mind if the furniture inside was destroyed or stolen; he never intended to use someone else's belongings anyway.

But a totally ransacked house was far from his desire for convenience!

Hill silently observed the ground floor meeting room that looked as if a huge creature had tumbled through it, his anger rising gradually.

He swiftly headed straight to the third-floor master bedroom, no longer possessing that leisurely demeanor.

'Bang,' Hill burst through the door of the master bedroom, the Crystal Fan now enlarged, with twelve tornadoes poised and ready.

Then he could only quietly lower his hand.

On the large bed, a three-meter-long Golden Little Dragon was sleeping.

Clearly, it was not yet of age.

Although Hill didn't know why such a young creature was not learning better and had wandered into someone else's house to sleep, he resigned himself to it.

Watching the blissful, snoring young one, completely oblivious to the external noises, Hill's heart filled with resentment.

Thinking of whom the original mansion owner had offended, Hill could guess where this Little Dragon came from!

Although he had never heard rumors of the Golden and Silver Dragons of The North having offspring, they must be related somehow.

Just as Hill was about to turn and leave, he suddenly became alert, turned back, and gently pressed his hand on the Golden Dragon, applying a little pressure.

It was still sleeping!

Hill furrowed his brow and waved his hand to release a Purification Spell.

The Golden Dragon's body twitched slightly, then continued sleeping deeply.

Hill snorted coldly, rolled up his sleeves, and those bullies who targeted kids had better not let him catch them!