Surviving The Fourth Calamity

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The First Generation Count Perast was a Grand Knight with a lot of fighting spirit. While following King Saral, he hoped to establish his own small duchy and even had several places prepared for himself.

Unfortunately, a beast tide erupted that year, and the expansion of Saral Kingdom came to an end. The defensive line was too far from where the Grand Knight had prepared, and since he never became a Sky Knight, he had no choice but to give up in the end.

This Earl always hoped that a Sky Knight would emerge from his descendants, so he hid the locations in his journal to pass on to his legitimate heirs.

Indeed, over a millennium, the borders of Saral slowly expanded, but sadly, there were few among his descendants who even became Grand Knights.

If it weren't for Saral's rule that nobles must be at least at the Knight Level to inherit, Perast feared he might not have any knights left.

Hill became a Magician on the second day and began analyzing which of these locations would be suitable to build a Mage Tower. The Grand Knight of Perast had many marvelous ideas, but his lack of strength led him to choose locations with strong concealment, perfect for Hill.

Eventually, Hill chose a valley about 15 days away from the border of Saral Kingdom, including the surrounding mountains, which was just about the size of an earldom.

The Grand Knight of Perast thought everything was good about this place, but it was just too small, which suited him just fine.

After all, Hill had no desire to build a duchy; legendary status was his pursuit.

Hill took out pen and paper and silently calculated his inventory, for he was about to have a home of his own.

After an unknown period, Boen knocked on the window a few times, "Baron, it's time to rest and have a meal."

This was a camping site, where Boen had already set up an Alchemy Tent.

Hill got out of the carriage and stretched properly. Lina had already prepared dinner for him. Before entering the tent to eat, looking at Lina's bustle, Hill said to Boen, "Buy a few maids along the way, let Lina train them well. A housekeeper shouldn't be doing chores!"

Boen responded with a grin, "Got it! It's just that mom doesn't want to buy servants here. If she sees good ones, she will consider it."

Hill gave him a look, "Then you go help out! At night, let Lina take the kids to sleep in the outer room, and you sleep in the carriage!"

"Alright, alright!" Boen helplessly said, "How could I possibly let mom sleep in the carriage!"

After Hill went inside, Boen found Lina, "Mom, the Baron has authorized you to buy servants!"

Lina eyed him, "You mentioned that it's not suitable here, right?"

"Of course, I did!" Boen replied, "He's worried about you being busy! Also, he said to have you sleep in the outer room with Dean and Shani."

"Boys don't understand anything!" Lina insisted firmly, "We're so close to the Royal City here, all the good ones have been sent over there! We can buy people when we're closer to the border, and it's also a good time to add a few good horses. Alright, I got it, I'll let Dean and Shani in after the Baron goes to sleep!"

Locke walked over, "Maybe it's better to let them sleep with me in the carriage."

"Just take good care of the horses!" Lina said, "The Baron also doesn't want the kids to suffer. No matter how comfortable the carriage is, it's not a bed. The kids are sensible and won't make noise, getting good rest is the most important! And we still have such a long way to go!"

"Mhm mhm!" Locke agreed and went to feed the horses.

Hill smiled as he listened to the conversation outside, then summoned two Earth Elementals to stand watch and immersed himself in meditation.

Hill left everything to Boen to handle and spent every day in meditation and silent reading. The journey went very smoothly, and Hill was truly glad he wasn't some web novel protagonist; he had no desire for a life of dramatic ups and downs. Smooth sailing and safety were all he wished for.

After traveling for a month, finally, they arrived at the Western Border City, Fisher. Lina had bought about ten young servants in the previous cities and diligently trained them so they were now somewhat useful.

Locke selected two larger boys for training; they could follow the caravan and drive the carriages, which was sufficient. Lina decided to buy a few good horses at the Border City.

These past few days, Dean and Shani had stayed in Hill's carriage. When Hill was bored, he taught them how to read. Boen always looked ashen whenever he saw this.

Hill felt so happy; it had been a long time since he'd seen Boen with that expression.

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Nobody in Earl's Castle liked Hill, but after all, he was the master.

The servants could only take out their resentment on Hill's personal servant, Boen.

During the four years in the castle, although Boen tried to hide, he was inevitably caught at times. They did not dare to inflict serious injuries on him, but bumps and bruises were unavoidable.

While these hardships strengthened Boen's will, making him mature quickly, and even awakening a trace of mana within him, Boen felt a sense of accomplishment, yet Hill was still saddened. Boen, who was once cheerful and lively, became increasingly silent and cautious.

The pain of being unable to protect his childhood companion made Hill crave power profoundly. Perhaps this was one of the reasons for his sudden awakening as a magician. The farther they left White Horse City behind, the more Boen allowed his suppressed playfulness to surface, and that truly made Hill happy.

They planned to rest for a week in Fisher. Hill found his mage robe and put it on. Mages were not to be trifled with lightly. Saral was established on the edge of the wilderness, and one could only start claiming lands beyond 20 kilometers from the national border. Even a Sky Knight would have to give up if they encountered several beast waves by chance.

Saral, a newly established country of a millennium, still had vast potential for development within. Minor nobles from separated houses and newly knighted individuals could still build up their merits in the army that guarded the border and be rewarded with lands and titles. Most of those who ventured beyond the national borders to establish territories were second sons from great nobility, like Hill himself, who had the ability and did not wish to remain under the control of their older brothers back home.

To the south of Saral lay the Royal Family's ancestral land of Haifasardo. The east featured a long coastline. The North was home to the most powerful barbaric wilderness, with several small duchies already established beyond the territory of Saral.

The West was also a wilderness but filled with mountains and barren lands, unsuitable for establishing a country, yet perfect for mages like Hill who simply desired to build their own small territory and hide away.

Few territories built near the western borders of Saral had managed to endure, and those that did were fortresses carved out of mountains.

The defensive wall along Saral's border was primarily built to prevent beast waves, and few within the city engaged in illegal trade. Merchants would travel out of the city to deliver goods to the noble territories, while also buying up furs, horses, and special local products.

Bandits liked to rob merchants on their way to noble territories. However, the merchants and bandits who managed to survive in such places certainly had the backing of the powerful, which in its own way, formed a kind of balance.

As for mages leaving the city, few dared to offend them. A mage might venture beyond the borders with their servants to establish a mage tower, but more likely, they had offended someone and went into hiding for a few years, especially since lords were investing money and effort in inviting mages to settle in their territories.

Good items were all stored inside rings; they couldn't easily be surrounded, and if they decided to flee, they could do so instantly. An assassination attempt might fail, and in seeking revenge, they would surely target the person behind the scenes. Once exposed, those who offered money to cause such trouble were finished. Nobody was willing to undertake a task that offered little benefit yet risked their lives.

Hill settled into the city's best inn and stayed put. Locke took Boen to buy horses, Lina trained new servants in the inn, and only on the last day did she go out and buy enough food to fill an entire carriage.

Hill then brought out two alchemy carriages, which caused those secretly watching them to give up their surveillance. "Just another miserable mage going into hiding," they thought, astonished that Hill's ring held two carriages! Sure, the carriages were valuable, but robbing a mage over a few of them was pure folly.

The western border wall of Saral was a massive bulwark stretching 300 meters high and 100 meters wide, constructed from huge stones between two mountain ranges 500 kilometers apart, with protective magic circles inscribed on both its inner and outer sides.

From a distance, the wall snaking over the mountains appeared majestic and imposing, but upon closer inspection at the base, where the huge dark stone blocks shimmered with magical auras, Hill could only feel a sense of awe and intimidation. Inside this tunnel specially designed for exiting the city, Hill showed his noble credentials and glanced back at the path he had come from, unsure when he would return.

Within 20 kilometers of the city, the area was regularly cleared, but beyond that, the pitted and uneven road was difficult to navigate. Hill took out an alchemy map and handed it to Boen, taking one last look at the Great Wall.

There were four border cities atop the Great Wall, and he deliberately showed his noble papers; although the Earl's side would know where he was going, he had to let Fran know he was leaving and from which location.

Hill activated the magic array of the alchemy carriage, and Boen, driving the head carriage, set out first.

Hill placed a wood spirit in each of the four carriages; the magic power they carried was enough to trigger the floating arrays. With two horses taking turns, the fleet moved at a remarkable pace.

The wood spirits could calm the horses and replenish their energy, and the mana stones in the carriages were sufficient to maintain the defensive formations. Trusting in their safety, Hill waited comfortably inside the carriage to see if indeed there were any reckless attackers.

Yet, even after leaving the safety zone, no attacks came. Hill sighed in relief but also with a tinge of regret. He knew he was averse to confrontation, but he truly did not wish to kill anyone.

Boen was much tougher than him. Ever since he gained mana and freedom to roam, Hill knew that the scrolls and potions he provided were being used, a sure sign that Boen had encountered trouble on his trips.

But Boen stayed silent because he did not want Hill to prevent him from leaving. Hill could only silently prepare protective items, giving two of his four rings to Boen and filling one with scrolls, potions, and alchemical bombs.

Hill had read many novels before; those protagonists were children grown in the greenhouse of modern society, many of whom had never faced the harshness of the world and yet managed to become decisive killers. Such psychological strength was required to achieve that!

After graduating from college, Hill had mingled on construction sites for over a decade, encountering countless clients he wished to beat to death. He lived on the edge of uncontrollable anger every day but never once raised his hand. Raised in a modern legal society, he did not want to kill.

But now he was living in this terrifying world, where human life sometimes seemed so cheap. Even Melanie, who appeared so innocent to him, would casually throw a fireball to kill a petty thief entering her manor. The warm-hearted Lina's mom and the composed Locke didn't hesitate to whip erring servants mercilessly.