Chapter 0022: Sacred Mage

After Tai Ruo, Rufat, and several other clergymen of the Holy Church left, Huang Long excused himself on the grounds of feeling unwell, avoiding further pressure from his parents. He knew that refusing the Church’s earnest invitation this time would disappoint and worry them.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
Returning to his courtyard, Huang Long recalled the malice hidden behind Tai Ruo’s cheerful facade, a cold murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
The Archcardinal? The fact that the Pope allowed him to handle the auction of the magic sword showed just how important Tai Ruo was. Huang Long was curious about the Church’s reaction if Tai Ruo died, and what would happen across the entire Hengyuan Continent.
The Archcardinal—second only to the Pope, revered above all others, the true pillar of the Church’s hierarchy—his death would surely cause a huge upheaval across Hengyuan Continent.
Yet for now, Huang Long didn’t want to kill him. He planned to wait until he left the Lutong Kingdom and returned to the Holy Mountain before striking, causing him to die in a “accident” along the way.
Not long after Huang Long returned to his courtyard, people from the slave market brought over ten orc slaves and that emaciated old man.
Before delivering them, the market had dressed the slaves neatly. The old man was also given a clean robe, his loose hair tied back, making him appear much more energetic.
Huang Long approached the ten orc slaves. Though he had grown taller recently, compared to the orcs’ nearly two-meter tall frames, the six-year-old child still seemed rather small.
Huang Long hadn’t chosen these ten orcs randomly. Through his divine perception, he had determined that their physiques were ideal for practicing the “Xuanwu Art,” one of the supreme cultivation techniques from the Pangu World, practiced by Xuanwu, one of the Four Spirits.
“I’ll select one of you to lead the others,” Huang Long said.
The ten orcs glanced at their seemingly six-year-old master with indifferent expressions, seemingly unimpressed.
Huang Long smiled and said, “This person will, like the other guards of the Huang family, receive five gold coins per month.”
Five gold coins! The ten orcs stared at their master in disbelief, their expressions filled with excitement and fervent eyes.

Five gold coins was already a considerable sum of wealth for the common people of the Hengyuan Continent. The average monthly expenditure of ordinary people was between one or two gold coins, and maids serving nobles usually earned only two gold coins per month. Guards in mansions earned a bit more, while slaves bought as property had their lives valued very low—sometimes even less than that of a Pig Roar Beast. It was already good enough if they had food and shelter, let alone any income.

Yet, their master just said they could receive five gold coins per month! Although it was only for one person, it still gave them hope.

“Master, really?” asked a particularly tall young orc among the ten orcs.

“I mean what I say. Besides the leader, the other nine can also receive two gold coins each month,” Huang Long said calmly.

The ten orcs were in an uproar, their gazes toward their master Huang Long changing repeatedly.

Money was just an external thing to Huang Long, but that didn’t mean the same for others.

These orc slaves also had families. Even if it wasn’t two gold coins, just one gold coin per month could save their families from dying of hunger at any moment.

Next, things became simple. Huang Long ordered guard Ling Zhi to take the ten orcs to the training ground.

In this world, only those with strength had the right to speak.

The orc who could stand up alone on the training ground would become their leader.

Watching guard Ling Zhi take the ten orcs to the training ground, Huang Long turned around and saw the thin old man staring at him with interest.

“A Sacred Realm mage, right?” Huang Long stared at the old man, saying each word clearly.

The old man trembled, his face full of surprise. Could this brat actually tell that he was a Sacred Realm mage?

Unbelievable! He had been wondering why this brat would spend so much gold to buy him, never expecting it to be for this reason!

“How did you figure it out?” Now, Bog’s face no longer showed a smile; he looked at Huang Long seriously, eager to know the reason.

“That question isn’t important,” Huang Long said calmly. “What’s more important is that I can help you restore your strength.”

“What! You—!” Bog, who had been serious before, was now shocked, his mouth wide open in disbelief. Over a decade ago, he had been severely injured by his opponent, unable to gather magic power. Over the past years, he had tried every method possible but still couldn’t restore his strength. Even one of his close friends, a Sacred Realm warrior, had been powerless. Yet this child claimed he could help him regain his strength.

And to his surprise, the other party had actually noticed his injuries. Was the other party really just a six-year-old child? After being shocked, he couldn’t help but look at this six-year-old again. Although he had been bought by this brat from the slave market, he had once been a powerful being from the Holy Land. He wouldn’t treat this little kid as his master like those orc slaves. Upon closer inspection, he found that this six-year-old indeed seemed very different from other children—his eyes were as deep as stars, his expression calm, and though he stood there casually, he exuded an air of elegance and detachment. Huang Long didn’t say another word; he simply watched the thin old man quietly, recalling how surprised he had been when he identified the other party’s identity at the slave market that morning—a mage from the Holy Land, though a disabled one. After all, he had once been a powerful being from the Holy Land, and Huang Long had figured out the cause of his injuries, which was why he had spent a large sum to buy him. He was confident he could heal the other party’s injuries within a month, adding yet another powerful being from the Holy Land to his side. Buying a powerful being from the Holy Land for a thousand gold coins—once word got out, it would surely shock the entire Hengyuan Continent! “If you can truly help me regain my strength, I, Bog, swear by the Earth Goddess that I will follow you forever,” Bog said after taking a deep breath. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. Although it was hard to accept for a once-powerful being from the Holy Land to follow a six-year-old child, it didn’t matter compared to the chance to regain his strength. Over the past decade or so, after falling from being a powerful being to an ordinary person, he had endured friends’ mockery, his family’s betrayal, and even the scorn from those who used to bow before him—experiencing all the hardships of life. Over the years, he had gone from persistence to disappointment, and finally to despair. Yet now, fate had given him hope again. “Good,” Huang Long nodded. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. From then on, Huang Long’s Holy Land army gained another member. Two Holy Land magical pets plus a Holy Land mage—three powers of the Holy Land! It seemed that even the palace of King Lutong only had these three powers at its disposal.