Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Hill knew what the Bard feared; they had just been discussing the affairs of the Worshippers of Valkin, so of course, they would mention Hill, the Mage who dared to challenge the Deities.

Especially since this Mage was particularly wealthy, holding enough funds to even sway the Followers of the Goddess of Wealth—those who could utilize the assets of the Temple of Wealth.

Just the origins of Hill were enough to inspire countless stories in their minds.

But if the powerful Mage they had just been discussing suddenly stood before them, anyone's heart would likely jump out of their mouth in fright!

Hill, in fact, could hear the Bards wailing and rejoicing,

However, as long as they weren't cursing him behind his back, Hill didn't mind being gossiped about, as long as there was no malice.

Hill glanced at the luxury decorated bookstore in front of him and with a wave of his hand, he purchased a set of all the books except for the antiquarian ones.

The power of gold coins was indeed effective; the owner, who had been leisurely drinking tea and reading the newspaper, quickly sprung up, took the gold coins and personally went to arrange the books in the warehouse.

The gold coins Hill provided included a generous service fee after all.

After sitting at the owner's preferred seat by the window of the bookstore for three hours, the owner and the staff respectfully invited Hill to inspect the several thousand books laid out on the store floor.

Hill surveyed the books with satisfaction, collected them into his ring, and turned to leave.

Once he finished reading all these books, his popularity in Silvermoon City should have cooled down.

Moreover, Hill could feel the strange waves emanating from the Natural Consciousness of Ferun Great Land, and it was very likely that the North would not have to wait for a planting season to begin after spring.

He slowly walked back to his villa and handed over the books to Marsha for processing.

Hill decided to strengthen the Isolation Array in his courtyard.

This compound Array, capable of blocking out most waves, could be engraved by him in just one day, and it was just some expensive Magic Material that he could afford to consume.

Regardless of the racial heritage, Hill could not stand by and watch the young suffer.

He checked on Terry, who had already drifted into dreams within the Dragon Nest, and then Hill returned to his study, which had been tidied up.

The newspapers of the day didn't have much to say about the events of yesterday, only briefly mentioning that the assets of that merchant family had been cleared, marking the end of the minor conflict between Silvermoon City and the Silvermoon Dragon Queen.

It also warned the merchant associations that had barely managed to obtain permission to enter the Dragon Queen's territory to be careful not to repeat the same mistake.

Even the tabloids concurred, stating that the Dragon Queen was vigilant all year round, day and night, monitoring every part of her dominion.

Especially those officials; it's actually a miracle for a creature like a Dragon to spend money hiring people. Therefore, it was normal for her to closely watch those officials who pocketed money from under her claws.

As for Valkin's Follower,

The newspaper simply stated he had lost a great deal of wealth and was likely to return to the Divine Kingdom of the Goddess of Wealth, with Mask's Thieves emerging totally victorious.

No additional comments were made, only a prominence of news about Cyric's followers appearing in Silvermoon City, a challenge to the whole city, urging every Silvermoon person to be vigilant and search for the Hider.

Seems that fellow managed to escape.

Indeed, as a Follower of Cyric daring to show up in Silvermoon City, he must be a very high-level and powerful individual.

Cyric's Followers were not only Thieves but also included many Mages, Magicians, and even Nobles.

Hill noticed the newspapers hardly dared to write about him, distancing his existence from the event; even the port only mentioned what Deepwater City ultimately received.

The people of this world, actually understand very well, whom they can offend and whom they cannot.

They might gossip privately, but they wouldn't dare include a Mage who challenges the Deities on their papers.

Even the tabloids would only discuss the grievances and rivalries between the Silver Guards and the Magic Guards, who came out on top when catching Thieves last night.

No other information was mentioned.

Perhaps because, in this world, the strong could actually uproot their little newspaper offices entirely, huh?

Hill could understand their caution; after all, life is the most important thing.

He didn't know whether the Bards had their in-house publications.

Hill thought they must have, otherwise, how would those rapidly spreading rumors circulate?

But they might not necessarily be put down on paper.

Hill gave up on expecting the newspapers to provide any enjoyment and started doing serious work.

He pulled out related Magic Books, comparing various theories from the past and present.

From Protective System's "Plane Defense and Magic Barricade," to Cursing System's "Plane Transfer Summon," "The Origin of Matter and Magical Energy," "Positive and Negative Energy Interaction," to Divination System's "Magic Attribute Identification," "Perception, Mastering the Spirit," and Transmutation System's "Substance Essence Transformation," "Volume and Mass Change."

For the first time, Hill systematically summarized the knowledge of these disciplines.

Being familiar with the hard work of researching a wealth of information before writing a paper didn't bother Hill; he was always passionate about learning.

Moreover, this Magic theory solved many of his doubts.

Hill immersed himself in the exploration of the origins of Magic until an angry Dragon roar came from the North.

The battle that made the ground of Silvermoon City tremble was proof enough of how frenzied both sides had become.

The two Ancient Dragons closest to Silvermoon City, Silvermoon Dragon Queen Velara Malendith and her mate Diszedroten Silverwing, had come to blows.

A silver light orb rose above Silvermoon City and flew rapidly westward, likely the work of Elaströ attempting to mediate the conflict.

Hill had no time to worry about that; those two would still be active even after a hundred years.

He hurried into Terry's room.

The golden Little Dragon was sound asleep, covering its head with its wings.

Hill approached the Dragon Nest, placed his hand on Terry's forehead, and gently sensed for a moment—it seemed that under the combined protection of the Puzzle Lock and his own, the terrible fluctuations had not affected the young dragon.

In the evening, Elaströ returned to Silvermoon City with the two Ancient Dragons.

She flew between the two dragons, each hand pressing down on the top of their heads, as if trying to keep them calm.

Hill didn't know how many people watched as Elaströ brought the two dragons straight into her palace. All he knew was that from now on, Silvermoon City would know no peace.

The Dragon Worship Church would not give up the wealthy Velara Malendith. Her High Mountain Crown was a divine artifact even the Chromatic Dragon Queen coveted.

If Velara Malendith was willing to leave her Floating Mountain to venture into other territories, she must have taken the source of power that animated the mountain with her.

But when trouble would strike Silvermoon City remained unknown, Hill's troubles had already arrived.

Hill found a Dragon Seeking notice in his large mailbox.

The lifelike image of Terry was on the page, with its rear end facing him.

Hill hesitated before checking on Terry's recovery again. He decided it was best to wait until he woke up to discuss the matter.

So Velara Malendith has finally remembered she has a son who ran away from home!

In the old days of the North, one could let a Little Dragon with a disguised artifact wander around, but now in these terrifying times, a dragon without news made even the Silver Queen anxious.

Even if the Little Dragon was alive, it might have been captured by the Dragon Worship Church.

But Hill could somewhat understand Terry's feelings. Velara Malendith, who only now seemed to worry, appeared to have invested too much emotion in her territory, somewhat neglecting her own child.

The dragon's period of infancy is when its possessiveness over its mother is strongest. It was normal for Terry to run away from home to draw his mother's attention.

But an injured Terry, who nearly died, saw a human Mage when he first opened his eyes. His current feelings must be quite complex.

Hill smiled a bit, seemingly sympathetic to the rebellious child.

Terry thinking of them as peers might not be so wrong after all.

Unless Velara Malendith couldn't bear it and wanted to break through the Puzzle Lock, which could help her resist the Dragon Madness, Hill would not reveal Terry's location to her.

Hill sensed Terry's Mental Sea once more; the Little Dragon had dropped all defenses in trust.

Maybe after another half year of sleep, he would mostly recover.

Hill didn't know how the members of the Dragon Worship Church had dealt with Terry, but the curse that even Hill, a Legendary, had expended a great deal of effort to expel, made him realize how frightening the organization was.

Hill didn't want to be involved openly.

The Dragon Lich who collaborated with the Chromatic Dragon Queen, unless summoned by the child of the world called forth by the World Will of Toril, was not someone others could handle.

Hill was determined not to get involved in this plot twist.

The only relief for Hill was that Terry's incident happened before the so-called 'Year of the Wandering Dragon' began, which was why Hill was able to save him.

The story of this period's Golden Dragon and Silver Dragon couple had ended, and Silvermoon City was not much affected, in fact.

Like those Metal Dragons who hid safely away, their nature is not overly ferocious, so they would not go mad initially. They could actually flee into the shadows or other dimensions to escape.

Hill suspected that the Dragon Queens who sought nature had gone mad due to the Dragon Worship Church's doing something to them.

Hill sat at the table and wrote a letter to Lynn, advising him to stay in Quelva for a while. If a mad dragon passed by Quelva, he should immediately use the Luxury Mansion Art to hide inside.

The Magic Scrolls Hill had provided him were enough to last half a year, more than enough to keep him safe.

As for Lynn's Elven family, Hill knew he wouldn't worry about them.

It may seem peaceful now, but the Giant Dragons actually despise elves.

Their legacy is enough to let these dragons know that it was the elves who toppled their once dominant status, and these elves now possess the power to kill them.

Hence, unless those dragons that can actually get along with elves, most wouldn't choose elves as neighbors.

And even if they went mad, these Giant Dragons actually knew what constituted an easy target.

The ones they would harm would be the Low-level Races.

Such as the Beastmen.