After climbing for only a short while, Little Gaia had already made it outside the village, and at that moment, he vaguely heard the cries of many wild beasts at the village entrance, mixed with the shouts and screams of people. All these sounds blended together, creating an unusually chaotic noise.

Little Gaia wanted to turn back to see what was happening, but recalling Uncle Jill's words and his desire to become a mage, he could only suppress his curiosity, take big strides, and run forward with all his might.

After passing through the low hills, Gaia saw the old horse tied beside the slope. Thinking that he was about to ride this horse to a place outside the village to become a mage, he couldn't help but feel excited. He ignored the strange noises coming from the village and squatted down beside the horse, a little excited...

Not long after, Uncle Jill came running over, panting and carrying the two children. Gaia noticed that his calf had been torn open, with bright red blood flowing out.

“Uncle Jill, what happened to your leg?” Gaia asked with concern.

“It’s... it’s nothing, just got scratched by a sharp stick. Come on... let’s hurry and go.” Uncle Jill had Gaia hold the little girl, while he clamped Shade between his thighs. He whipped the horse’s rump, and the old horse let out a long neigh, galloping forward under the faint moonlight with its heavy load, leaving a trail of deep hoofprints along the mountain path.

Chapter 002: Magical Talent

After traveling all night, Little Gaia was already feeling extremely tired, and on top of that, he had to hold the girl named Neil, making his arms numb. He wanted to ask Uncle Jill to stop and rest for a while, but Jill only kept telling him to hold on tight and never showed any intention of stopping.

The mountains at midnight were eerie. The trees swaying in the wind and the strangely shaped rocks always seemed to play the role of evil spirits, and from time to time, the roars of wild beasts echoed from the forest, making the atmosphere even more unsettling.

Little Gaia had grown up in the mountain village and was very brave, having seen many fierce beasts. But at this moment, the sounds in the forest, like the wailing of wild ghosts, still made his little face turn pale. In the end, he simply closed his eyes...

...

Gaia no longer remembered how long he had been riding on the horse. He only knew that, later, he was so tired that he let Uncle Jill tie him with the reins, and then he drifted off to sleep.

When he woke up, it was already daylight, but he was no longer on the horse. Instead, he was sleeping in Uncle Jill's arms, with Shade and Neil beside Uncle Jill.

When Neil saw Gaia wake up, she gave a cute smile and said, “Gaia gege, we're almost at Duomi Town.”

Shade just curled his lips and said nothing, seeming to still be a bit unconvinced by this little tyrant.

“Uncle Jill, where’s the horse?” Gaia noticed the horse was gone as soon as he woke up, and everyone was on foot.

“It died of exhaustion... that horse was getting old,” Uncle Jill said.

“It died? Then how will we get back?” Gaia asked again.

“We can’t go back... oh, no, no, I mean, you’ll be studying outside for a long time, and when the time comes, I’ll buy a good horse to send you back,” Uncle Jill said, his eyes shifting a bit, and there seemed to be something in his eyes.

After walking for about an hour, they saw Duomi Town. Duomi Town was also in a basin of the Laris Mountains, but this basin was broader and more fertile, so it gradually developed into a small town with a population of tens of thousands.

It was the first time the three children had come to town. Their bright, big eyes blinked curiously as they looked at everything in the town. If it weren’t for Uncle Jill restraining them, they would probably have been running around everywhere.

After Jill took them to eat something in town, he went straight to the mayor’s place, leaving the three children outside the hall. Jill went into the back room with red eyes to discuss something with the mayor.

It was the first time Gaia had seen such a big house, and he was overjoyed. If it weren’t for Uncle Jill's warning, he would probably have shouted with excitement.

Shade and Neil felt the same way. They were all children born and raised in the countryside and had never seen such a grand house. Even the usually well-behaved Neil couldn’t help but touch everything around her.

Jill and the mayor talked for a long time. Finally, he came out with red-rimmed eyes, and the old mayor also looked worried. When he saw the three children, he forced a not-so-ugly expression and said, “Are there only three children left?”

“Yes, Mayor. Shade can release sword energy. Gaia—right, Lord Bruce said Gaia could become a mage.” As Jill spoke, he turned away and wiped his face, as if afraid the children would see something.

“Oh, I’ll invite Lord Bruce right away!” The mayor was a bit excited. After all, a mage was a rare thing for a remote town, so it was no wonder the mayor was so thrilled.

Bruce was the mage Gaia had met that day. He was a mid-level mage, very famous in the town and highly respected—even the mayor addressed him as “Lord.”

Bruce was already sixty years old, holding a sandalwood staff, wearing a wizard’s hat, and dressed in luxurious clothes that made the three children’s eyes light up.