Baron Cullen

It was nearly midnight when I got home.

The old butler, Phelps, did not go to sleep, but stood quietly waiting inside the gate of the mansion courtyard.

"Your Excellency, you've returned."

Karen nodded, her face remaining calm, and said, "Yes, Mr. Phelps, thank you for waiting here. Please go inside and lock the door."

He didn't want to talk about what happened tonight, as it would not only be pointless but also add to his worries and panic.

But the other party still caught the look of weariness and lingering fear in his eyes.

After a moment's hesitation, the old butler, Phelps, politely inquired, "Your Excellency, have you encountered some trouble?"

"No, I just..." Karen paused, looking at the elegant old man in front of her with some surprise. "It's nothing, but please remind the servants in the house to try not to go out at night during this time, Mr. Phelps."

After saying that, he went into the house first.

...

The next morning.

After washing up, Karen went to the first-floor restaurant and found that her father, Jocelyn, and her sister, Cecilia, were already seated.

At this moment, the servants also brought out a steaming hot breakfast.

"Father, sister, did you sleep well last night?" Karen asked as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

Jocelyn nodded and said, "Your sister and I are both fine, and I've decided to stay home for the next three months to study combat techniques."

My strength has been stagnant at the second tier for far too long.

The reason he said those words was a conclusion he had reached after thinking hard for the past few days.

If he had been stronger when that attack happened, the sacred artifact wouldn't have been secretly switched.

In that way, the Waller family would not have suffered this calamity.

"Father, it's not your fault..." Cecilia comforted her father from the side.

Karen nodded and said while eating breakfast, "Father, Cecilia is right, it's not your fault at all."

However, we are all safe and sound now, and the Waller family's honor is still intact, which is a blessing in disguise.

Leave the rest to me. I am now a Tier 1 warrior and have officially joined the battle group.

I will strive to become stronger, so that no one will dare to bully us again in the future!

Hearing his heartfelt words, both Jocelyn and Cecilia had tears welling up in their eyes.

Clearly, his son and brother have matured completely after experiencing this great calamity.

"Alright, then I'll leave Father to you." Jocelyn smiled, his eyes full of satisfaction. "By the way, today is the registration day for new students at the Mage Guild. I hope you can accompany Cecilia."

He is currently confined to his home by Lord Draenor and is not allowed to go out, but it would be impolite for a nobleman to have his old butler, Phelps, accompany him.

Although he knew his son would be very busy these days, he still brought it up after thinking it over.

The Association of Dharma Masters?

Karen remembered.

In the original owner's memories, Cecilia showed a good interest and talent in magic from a young age, and it seems that she learned basic knowledge under a female mage of a mage association at a very early age.

However, the Waller family underwent a sudden and significant change during this period, and the matter was put on hold.

Bringing himself back to reality, he smiled and agreed, "It's my honor to accompany my lovely little sister to school."

"Brother is the best!" Cecilia smiled sweetly.

After breakfast, the brother and sister each changed into a formal aristocratic outfit.

Afterwards, under the watchful eye of their old butler, Phelps, they boarded their own carriage and slowly headed towards the Mage Association in the northern district of Absolute Breath.

Throughout the journey, Karen maintained basic vigilance, frequently peering through the car window to observe her surroundings.

After last night's attack, he knew that the seemingly peaceful and tranquil City of No Breath was actually rife with invisible dangers.

Cecilia, standing to the side, seemed a little nervous, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.

"Don't worry, Cecilia," Karen comforted her. "The Mage's Guild is a safe place. Just focus on your studies."

Cecilia nodded, but the unease in her eyes did not completely disappear.

The Waller family's current situation has put immense pressure on her, a former noblewoman.

The two arrived at the magnificent gate of the Mage Association, showed the guards their letters of recommendation and credentials, and then went inside.

The Mage Association is not an isolated tower, but a complex of buildings consisting of several staggered, uniformly styled pointed buildings.

The main building is a majestic obelisk, constructed from massive gray-white rocks that have weathered the elements, giving it a weathered and smooth texture.

At the very top of the spire is a huge crystal that constantly emits a soft arcane glow in the sunlight, like a lighthouse guiding mage apprentices.

Karen led Cecilia across the straight avenue surrounded by greenery and flowers, directly into the tallest obelisk-shaped building.

The first thing that catches the eye is an extremely spacious circular foyer with a soaring dome.

The interior of the dome is not simply painted, but also imbued with some kind of magic to simulate a deep starry sky.

Those stars were not stationary, but were slowly moving along some mysterious trajectory.

Each star emitted a cool and mysterious light, illuminating the entire dome.

The hall is surrounded by tall arched corridors that lead to different areas such as the library, laboratories, classrooms, and elemental meditation rooms.

Karen glanced at it, then pulled Cecilia along with the other people who were also there to report into one of the corridors.

The walls of the corridor are adorned with portraits of renowned monks from the association's past generations, and the eyes of some of the figures in the paintings seem to shift slightly as passersby move.

Soon, the two followed the flow of people into an extremely spacious hall.

There were many people standing here, chatting in twos and threes about their longing for mages and their curiosity about magic.

At this moment, several well-dressed young apprentices who also appeared to be of noble birth noticed the brother and sister.

After whispering among themselves, their faces immediately revealed undisguised contempt and mockery.

"Look, aren't those the Waller family? I heard they were almost burned alive!"

"Hmph, just a fallen nobleman, how dare he join the Mage Guild!"

"That man must be Karen Waller, right? He's incredibly lucky to have survived and even inherited his father's title, but he's still just a baron after all."

The ones who made the sarcastic remarks were Sinda Love, the heiress of the Love family, and Vivian Hopkins, the eldest daughter of the Hopkins family.

Several other scions of noble families accompanied the two of them.

These noble scions had always been at odds with the original owner of this body, and now that the Waller family had fallen from power, they would not miss any opportunity to kick him while he was down.

When Sindar Raff saw Karen looking over, she not only didn't restrain herself, but her face became even more smug.

He stepped forward and deliberately said loudly, "Karen Waller, I heard you got lucky and managed to get into the war."

"What? Is the warband short of people? They even want trash like you?"

Vivian Hopkins chimed in, "Exactly, and Cecilia too, don't you know what's going on in your family right now?"

The Mage Association is not a place where just anyone can enter. I advise you not to come here and humiliate yourselves.

Others around stopped to watch, some with sympathy, others with expressions of anticipation.

The coldness and indifference of human relationships were vividly displayed in the aristocratic circles of the City of No Breath.

Cecilia's eyes reddened with anger, and her body trembled slightly.

But she was gentle and not good at arguing with people; she just bit her lip tightly and gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

Seeing this, Karen gently patted her sister's hand.

He then stepped forward and stood in front of Cecilia, his eyes instantly turning cold as his gaze swept over the gossiping noblemen like an icy blade.

Those people were so startled by the sweeping glance that they almost couldn't breathe.

But they quickly realized that the Waller family was no longer what it used to be, and they straightened their backs.

Sinda Raff sneered at the brother and sister again: "What? Karen Waller, did I say something wrong?"

"What does your Waller family have left now? If it weren't for the city lord's mercy, you would have been burned down long ago..."

Before he could finish speaking, Karen's figure vanished from the spot in an instant!

Snapped!

A crisp, resounding slap landed directly on Sinda's face, effectively silencing his subsequent words.