I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Adrian's entourage rushed forward and frantically checked his condition. They breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that he was still breathing and his pulse was steady.

The young master appeared to be in a deep, baby-like sleep.

After a long while, the steward finally recovered from his shock and whispered to his attendants:

"Send the young master back to the manor first."

He did not turn back to look at Aurelius and his bewildered wife and daughters beside him, nor did he question where the thunderbolt came from.

He dare not.

As the butler of the second young master of the William family, he obtained the Anchor Rune after joining the William family when he was young. Unfortunately, he was not very talented and has not completely dispelled the Anchor Rune to this day, so he has been unable to break through to the level of Archmage.

Even so, with his abilities and experience, he was still able to detect any traces of magical fluctuations in the vicinity.

What's most strange is that when lightning struck from the sky, he couldn't sense any magical fluctuations at all!

It's as if it appeared out of thin air.

Either the spellcaster is a hidden master, or the young master has committed many evils and has been punished by heaven.

Could it be true that "those who do many unrighteous deeds will surely perish"—an ancient saying passed down in the sea?

Adrian's entourage quickly tidied up, and the sound of horses' hooves gradually faded away along the street. The apprentices around had already fled in panic after the lightning strike.

Marcus Aurelius remained standing in the same spot, his palm still pressed against his right wrist, a dull ache emanating from his joint.

The wooden sword was still lying on the sandy ground, its blade covered with a thin layer of dust. He was about to bend down to pick it up when he heard light footsteps behind him, followed by his wife's hand.

She gently held his forearm, her body heat seeping through the fabric, and asked with concern:

Are you injured?

"It's nothing." Aurelius straightened up and casually stretched a couple of times. "It's just a superficial injury; a few days of rest will do the trick."

The daughter peeked out from behind her mother.

She was still clutching the rolled-up bandage in her hand, her eyes red-rimmed, whether from the fright she had just been experiencing or from holding back her tears that were now welling up.

"That... sir, will he come back to cause us trouble?"

"I have no idea."

He crouched down, picked up the wooden sword from the ground, and casually placed it on the shelf in the porch.

After a few breaths, he turned around.

"However, one thing is certain: he will not let this go."

His wife, with red eyes and pursed lips, remained silent.

She had lived in White Gull Harbour for nearly twenty years and knew the William family’s ways well.

The young master was struck unconscious by lightning in public. Unless it was the will of the gods, someone would always hold them accountable for this.

The daughter spoke in a trembling voice, "...What do we do then?"

Aurelius's gaze swept across the sandy ground in the courtyard, the eaves of the riding arena, and the few short trees in the corner that were bent by the sea breeze.

My career had just started to take off after I retired when this unexpected turn of events occurred.

"Pack your things, we're leaving tonight. We'll stay with relatives in the north of the city for a few days, and figure out what to do once things calm down."

The wife turned and went into the house, where she began to take out the neatly folded clothes one by one from the closet.

The daughter followed behind her, hesitated for a moment, and then looked back at her father.

"Father, can we ever come back?"

"Live first, then think about coming back."

The young and beautiful daughter nodded emphatically and followed her mother back into the house to pack her things.

Marcus Aurelius sighed, but there was something he didn't say aloud.

The William family has extensive influence within their own territory; whether they can make their way depends on whether the other party gives them the opportunity.

……

Ji Tian withdrew his hand, a few strands of silver-blue electric arcs still remaining on his fingertips, dancing between his fingers for a moment before slowly dissipating.

He flexed his fingers and said with satisfaction.

"Done."

Elena stood beside him, her gaze returning from the direction Ji Tian had pointed:

"How far away were you from when you made that move just now?"

"It's about a hundred miles away. I had Ophelia mark the exact location to ensure that no innocent people will be harmed."

"Can you guarantee he won't wake up?"

"I sealed off part of his senses with my spiritual power, ensuring he was unconscious for two to three days, which would also make it easier to torture him later... This level of remote spellcasting is not difficult for me."

Lilith, who was standing nearby, stared wide-eyed and leaned over to ask for more details.

"Master, Master, how did you pinpoint him? You've never even seen that person before."

"First, Ophelia used the materials provided by the Archbishop to divine that the William family was indeed involved in the arms trade. Then she divined where the relevant personnel were. I just need to follow that coordinate to lure the lightning there and let the lightning strike him accurately."

"Divination is truly omnipotent! Master's control over magic is also very strong!"

Ji Tian corrected him, "It's spiritual power, and I can teach you if you want to learn it."

"Hmm, is this easy to learn?"

"It varies from person to person; for you, it will probably take about ten years to learn."

Lilith shook her head without even thinking.

"No, Master will probably be a god by now in ten years. What's wrong with just sitting back and winning?"

"...Whatever you want," Ji Tian turned and walked towards the mine entrance. "Let's go, let's get down to business."

The exploration of the abandoned mine lasted for about an hour.

The mine tunnels left by the dwarves were longer and more complicated than expected, with more than ten forks. Several sections of the tunnels were blocked by collapsed rocks and had to be detoured.

Ji Tian saw some marks on several walls, like marks casually drawn with the tip of a pickaxe, but they were too old to be recognized.

The "thing" mentioned by the Elf Queen was not found deep inside the mine.

There were no special objects, no lost tokens, not even any noteworthy traces.

The ore dumping area had long been emptied, leaving only some scattered scraps in the corners.

Ji Tian stood at the deepest part of the mine, looked around at the empty stone chamber, and then squatted down to examine the ground.

The dust is evenly distributed and shows no signs of recent disturbance.

Ji Tian stood up. "What the Elf Queen mentioned must have been taken away or placed somewhere else."

They decided to try their luck in a nearby dwarf village.

The dwarf village is located on a gentle slope about two miles southeast of the island where the mine is located. It consists of about forty stone houses with thick, dark stone slabs covering the roofs.

At the entrance of the village stands a wooden sign with the village name inscribed in both the Dwarven language and Common Tongue: "Ironhammer Village".

The dwarf villages scattered throughout the human kingdom are always named things like Iron Hammer Village or Iron Anvil Village.

Most of the dwarfs in the village make a living by mining and blacksmithing. It was afternoon, and most of the dwarfs were working in the blacksmith's shop or the mine. Only a few old people sat under the shade of trees on the village road, busy with carpentry and chatting idly.

When Ji Tian led his team closer, the dwarf elders did not show any surprise.

It is not surprising that merchants or scholars occasionally pass by on this road.

When Ji Tian asked if there was anything related to elves, the white-haired old dwarf looked them up and down for a moment.