Chapter 29: The Mind Mage and the Hunt Before Dawn

Waking again from the dream, Li En was smiling.

He got up from bed, shook his head, and dispelled the strange warmth—he was worried he’d been too deeply influenced by Su Xing; he was a single old bachelor, yet he felt like he was raising a daughter.

“Don’t run! Laina, at least put on some clothes before you run!”

Oh right, there’s another “daughter” outside.

He sighed, hurriedly rose, and prepared to help the maid catch that slippery little brat.

At the door, a serpent-woman in revealing attire lay on the floor.

Her long lower body was coiled around a struggling “prey,” revealing nothing but blinding white flesh.

He silently closed the door—you really know how to have fun; this is way more intense than a monster girl encyclopedia.

“Wait, I’m putting clothes on her.”

More than ten minutes later, on Li En’s sofa, Sallyman frowned as she wiped clean the pouting Laina.

Meanwhile, Li En sat across the table, savoring a rare, cozy breakfast—almost teared up; finally, someone cooked for him, the long-missed feeling of waiting for food to be served.

“Delicious. Worth every coin!”

In his past life, Li En wasn’t an orphan, but close enough.

He was the extra burden from his divorced parents’ remarriage, and he’d consciously become independent early.

“How’s the taste?” Sallyman, who had arrived early that morning, seemed to be casually picking a topic.

“Excellent! This skill is truly impressive.” Though it was just simple cream mushroom soup with fried bread slices, the spices and seasoning were superb—Li En tasted the flavor of a high-end restaurant from his past.

“Good,” the woman continued wiping the girl’s head, her cheeks flushed, her serpent tail quietly rising.

Immediately, Li En sensed something was off.

Uh… was this your doing?

“Cough, cough—you really didn’t need to come this early.”

The atmosphere grew awkward; the fake fiancé Li En quickly changed the subject.

“How’s Laina doing?”

“Pretty well. I asked the maid—Laina woke up twice last night with headaches.”

“I’ll help her reorganize her mind; within a week, it should stabilize. No need to worry too much about nighttime awakenings or intermittent headaches.”

Li En could see that compared to yesterday, Laina had become much friendlier toward Sallyman—the healing was clearly working.

Now, she sat quietly in Sallyman’s arms, saying nothing.

At least, she wouldn’t move until the cream bread slices stuffed into her mouth were finished.

The increasingly skilled Sallyman wiped the girl clean, then silenced her with breakfast.

Upon hearing yesterday that Laina had just undergone regression, Sallyman had voluntarily offered to treat the girl.

Judging by the current situation, her healing ability is far superior to any doctor Li En could afford.

“She must have been incredibly powerful and stable before—otherwise, the aftereffects wouldn’t be this mild. Though her memories are completely gone, her spirit remains remarkably stable, only regressed to a child’s mentality.” Speaking of her specialty, Sallyman grew more confident.

Her extraordinary profession is Mind Mage, a highly talent-dependent yet ambiguously rated role.

At low to mid tiers, its combat power is among the weakest in its spellcasting class, even comparable to spellcasters one or two ranks lower—but its spell effects are the most comprehensive.

Here, one must mention the divide between sorcerers and wizards: sorcerers rely primarily on bloodline and bodily instinct to cast, similar to magical beasts and magical lineages, while wizards master “the Way” through learned “knowledge.”

Unless one’s bloodline is extraordinary, traditional spellcasters remain the most versatile and universal; their branches are the most numerous based on research focus.

Sorcerers grow more easily and depend more on fate—bloodline and talent crush everything, hence the existence of many so-called noble sorcerer bloodlines.

Mind Mage is a branch of sorcerers, yet the most unusual: its casting relies not on the body but on the mind, and can be developed through training and study.

“I cannot invade her soul—her spiritual body is extraordinarily powerful. I can’t imagine how strong the enemy must have been to reduce her to this.”

Mind Mages are a branch of sorcerers who wield “spiritual energy” generated by the “mind.”

They excel at weaving spiritual energy to simulate various other spellcasting techniques, crafting unique Mind Mage-exclusive spells.

Unlike traditional sorcerers who rely on brute force, they are often sensitive and precise, skilled in delicate manipulations.

It’s said they can use refined mental energy to simulate the models of other spellcasting classes, achieving near-omnipotent effects. Conversely, since their output relies entirely on mind and soul, their power output is low.

Plainly put: excellent all-around supports—don’t expect them to charge in and launch volley after volley of fireballs like ordinary sorcerers.

“I’m deeply grateful—if not for you, finding a spellcaster capable of healing her would have cost me far more than I can afford.”

Mind Mages have many branches; Sallyman is a Mind Seer (Insight Specialist).

Her greatest strength lies in prophecy and intelligence gathering—her auxiliary capabilities have an extremely high ceiling.

Combat, however, remains the traditional “Mind Hammer (telekinesis)” beatdown—damage at low tiers is painfully weak.

Precisely because Mind Mages are all-around, they possess some healing ability—both physical and spiritual.

Healing such severe mind-body trauma may not be as fast as a priest’s divine magic, but the overall effectiveness of spiritual healing surpasses that of priests, especially for soul-damaged regression conditions.

“You’re even stronger than Laina—I can’t detect any aftereffects in you. Your soul remains whole, with not a single crack visible.” Sallyman sighed, uttering words that made Li En break into a sweat.

She continued gently stroking Laina’s forehead, untangling her mental chaos while healing the fractured blood vessels in her brain.

She had originally intended to directly intervene in Laina’s spiritual body and smooth out the cracks—but Laina’s soul was far stronger than her own; forcing intervention might cost her own life.

She had repeatedly tried, attempting to restore Laina’s memories—given her abilities, she might be the only one in Huicheng capable of doing so.

But the result was failure after failure.

“Her memories are completely gone—missing from both matter and soul. This isn’t the chaotic damage of natural or traumatic regression. Before the regression, she likely suffered a malevolent spell targeting memory and spirit.”

Her conclusion made Li En even more uneasy, seemingly confirming certain conspiracy theories.

But Sallyman’s promise to help heal Laina eased Li En’s mind—he had neither money nor energy to find a doctor for Laina.

Especially since she promised to use Mind Magic to help Laina rapidly acquire language and basic knowledge.

“Can you really do that? Isn’t that hypnosis, brainwashing, or even mind-reading?” Li En joked offhandedly—and was immediately glared at.

“Any spell involving the mind must confront the target’s soul. Even if the target is weak, it’s hard to succeed if their soul is intact. What you call forced hypnosis (charm person) is a common ability among mid- to high-tier spellcasters—not exclusive to Mind Mages. Complete mind-reading? Unless you shatter the target’s sanity, normal spellcasters cannot achieve it.”

Li En had merely joked, but Sallyman responded with serious intensity.

“What I’m doing has little to do with the mind—it’s merely using ‘suggestion’ to accelerate learning. Many sorcerer families’ warriors use this in their own training to instill combat skills as muscle memory and subconscious instinct.”

“Sorry—I went too far with that profession joke.” Li En sensed her displeasure, realized he’d stepped on a landmine, and apologized immediately.

After all, she had come voluntarily to help him.

And Sallyman arriving this early wasn’t just to treat Laina.

She had the maid take Laina away, then cast a spell to seal the room, took a deep breath, and prepared to continue.

The Princess’s intent—he now urgently needed her help. It was time to lay everything on the table.

“I am a friend of Long Shou. She sent me to help you—what can I do for you?”

Hearing this, Li En froze. If she knew this much, her relationship with Long Shou must be extraordinary.

Yet he still hesitated—he didn’t know how much she knew, or what he could safely say.

“I know everything. Your gloves right now? I gave them to Talia S Daer . You can ask her to confirm.” Sallyman laid it all out.

Hearing this, Li En first froze, then broke into a smile.

That little brat who had just been stealing his meat had really given him a priceless gift—he truly needed spellcaster help, and had been forced to risk everything.

“That’s perfect—I have some matters here that require a spellcaster’s aid. Do you specialize in illusions?”

“My branch, the Seer specialization, excels at seeing through illusions—but I can cast them too, though only moderately well.”

“No wonder you’re called the all-around Mind Mage—my requirements are modest.”

Soon, Li En realized this was her modesty—if she could see through illusions perfectly, she could certainly create illusions that couldn’t be pierced, especially skilled at patching minor flaws to make them flawless.

At Li En’s request, a perfect replica of “Li En” appeared in the room.

They stared at each other, like mirror images—Li En found no difference whatsoever.

“Can it be maintained during combat?” Li En asked—this was critical.

“Not really. My illusions are a relatively stable ‘light echo’—if violently disrupted, the internal cycle breaks. I can strengthen it—if you aren’t injured, it should hold.” The “other Li En” tried to explain, then remembered Li En might not understand, and gave the conclusion directly.

With a snap, the illusion vanished. The man stood so close, feeling her body heat and breath—Sallyman felt uncomfortable.

“Enough. You’ve helped immensely.” The man smiled in gratitude, but the serpent-woman tilted her head.

“I’m only helping Her Highness—Long Shou. No thanks needed.”

Though he didn’t understand why a cold-blooded creature blushed so easily, the most troublesome problem had now been solved.

Li En smiled warmly, sincerely expressing his gratitude—the woman before him had helped him too much; she was truly his great benefactor.

And in his chest, a red gem still glowed faintly.

Compared to last night, it seemed slightly smaller.

【Biological Rank: Inferior Stone, Status: Strength 3(13), Physique 4(11), Agility 3(6), Spirit 5(16)】

Overnight, his physical body had been partially restored—strength and physique each increased by one point.

The stats on the panel weren’t dramatic, but he clearly felt more energetic and mentally alert, his focus sharpened, and his confidence in the coming battle strengthened.

His gaze turned to the window—he set the plan for tomorrow night, to give others time to prepare.

“Now, it’s up to them.”

While Li En received unexpected help and completed his preparations ahead of schedule, others weren’t idle.

“Cop Girl” Talia S Daer left the police station and followed the shadows’ guidance to a dead-end dock area.

There stood a dilapidated safehouse she had thought she’d never visit again.

The room reeked of decay, but her keen sense of smell ignored it.

She moved the wooden bed, lifted the wooden box atop it, and retrieved from the hidden compartment below the weapons she’d never expected to use again.

On the top layer of the weapon case: a stealth cloak with faint light-distorting properties, twin daggers coated with paralysis and serpent venom.

Various poisons, antidotes, and auxiliary potions went into the medicine pouch; poisoned throwing knives were inserted into thigh sheaths; stealth wire was coiled into finger rings—what she once was, need not be said again.

Killers, prostitutes, gang members—the trio of jobs for street kids in the docks; the oldest professions never care about their Congyezhe ’s education level.

Poor kids from the slums who left home had few career choices; surviving alone was hard, and falling into darkness was routine.

Only those who had once drowned in darkness would, after escaping it, crave light even more fiercely.

I never thought I’d actually use these things again.

Once more she donned the masked cloth symbolizing slaughter, twirling her poisoned daggers—and for once, Talia S Daer wore a look of quiet relief.

This time, though still killing in shadows, it was no longer for money or profit.

She was the one among the candidates who most fully trusted Dimon and Li En.

She had always felt they were different from her foolish self—that perhaps they could offer children like her a different future, different choices.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and another pair of “eyes” quietly opened.

“Huh.”

Gasping heavily, particles caught by her sense of smell formed in her brain a 3D-like “space of particles.”

The world grew ever more refined; her imagination gradually shattered physical limits, constructing a dimension of shadows.

The next moment, she stepped forward—and slipped directly into the shadow, sinking once more into the world of darkness.

When she reappeared, it was in the shadow of the alley next door.

This safehouse, with no doors or windows, was meant to be used this way.

Yet she did not know that the orphanage just two streets away was unusually bustling today.

“That idiot knight with too many hands is back again.” The children’s cheer was oddly specific.

“Great! He promised last time to bring us toys—did he bring any?”

“My teddy bear, snacks, and toy cars!”

“Quiet, everyone! Today we all ask him to take us out—let’s go to the docks to see the sea, or to the square in the next district to play in the sand!”

Inside the orphanage, the children clamored noisily.

Though some remarks made the nuns flinch, the children beamed with joy at having visitors.

The smiling Holy Knight stepped into the noisy orphanage; seeing the lively children rushing to greet her, her pupils softened with quiet relief.

“This time, I won’t hesitate again.”

With the Law’s power clutched in her hand, glowing faintly silver, she felt a new measure of confidence.

Now that she had received guidance, she would no longer hesitate—only point her blade at the guilty.

“Even just for these children, I have reason to draw my sword.” Even as toys were snatched away, the Holy Woman still grinned like a simpleton.

At the same moment, the victor of this succession also looked up toward the sunlight outside the window.

“The day has fully broken. Has the appointed time arrived?”

Today, Dimon did not go out killing. He had more important work.

In the small room, shattered rocks and sandbags lay everywhere; he had trained nonstop since waking.

He felt the changes within him—he needed to adapt quickly.

Though Shizhan would be a good option, at this hour he had already made an appointment for something more urgent.

He washed off the blood, donned a heavy black formal coat and suit pants, shaved clean his beard, and slipped on a monocle—this brute dressed like a gentleman.

He picked up the bloodstained moneybag and, absurdly attired, entered the docks’ palace—the bustling slave market.

He was already famous enough in the docks; it was time to visit a bigger pier.

As for the expected grand gift—first, just get noticed. That was today’s plan.

“Heh, we’ll work together more often. If any jobs come up, I’ll assign them to you—don’t you dare refuse.”

“Of course, my lord. Serving you and the market is my greatest lifelong dream.” His earnest, simple smile betrayed nothing of the fact that he was the docks’ most notorious butcher.

Once the clerk left, he rose and returned, still wearing a foolish grin—yet inside, he was dissatisfied.

“Of course—a lowly clerk is all I get. My current status still isn’t enough to meet the market’s overseer.”

He didn’t hurry to leave; instead, he patiently watched the crowd flowing through the hall.

This was luck—but opportunity always waits for the patient.

Two hours later, he truly spotted his target in a corner of the hall.

“Black Gold” Eugene looked refined and handsome, like a successful middle-aged scholar.

Whoever he personally escorted out was no ordinary person.

“A priest’s robe? A High Priest?” A formidable-looking senior priest, his white robes concealing a gentle, pure smile.

Eugene’s smile, in contrast, carried sycophancy; this white-robed, silver-bearded priest was likely one of the market’s true masters.

Behind the holy priest stood a knight carrying a heavy sack, and another priest watching over two children.

The two children, both beautifully dressed, were young boys of seven or eight; the priest was unchaining them.

They seemed thrilled to be chosen by the priest—yet Dimon knew: children taken away were never seen again.

“Li En’s senior brother was right. True evil isn’t the inefficient killer—it’s those in fine robes, standing on thrones, who devour people without lifting a finger.” Dimon lowered his gaze. He didn’t want trouble now—only waited patiently until the farewell ended.

Soon, Eugene, having seen off his important guest, whistled a tune as he turned to return to his office.

His eyes darted left and right, jotting notes in his small book—he cared deeply about others’ opinions, especially the brats who saw his groveling face.

But this time, facing him was a simple, earnest face, glowing with surprise and reverence.

“Lord Eugene! I never expected to see you—you’re my idol!”

Well, 5300 characters—please give me some monthly votes





(End of Chapter)