With a muffled thud, Minnie flew backward, slamming hard against the floor-to-ceiling window. The Danube glass, crafted using ancient techniques, demonstrated its value of a thousand gold coins per square meter, remaining utterly motionless, as if struck by nothing more than an insignificant insect. Minnie bounced off like a lifeless rag doll and crumpled to the floor, forehead striking first. She lay prone, unmoving, only a stream of blood flowing out from beneath her long hair, crawling across the smooth obsidian floor like a strange, soft-bodied creature.

  After a moment, Minnie stirred. Her hands groped on the ground, finally managing to push her upper body up with difficulty. Blood continuously streamed from her hairline, staining half her face red and matting her long hair to her cheek. Not just her forehead, but blood also trickled from the corners of her mouth and nostrils. Minnie felt the wet warmth on her face, reached up, and her hand came away covered in blood. She wiped her hand forcefully on her clothes, then tore off a piece of her skirt, dabbed at the blood on her face a few times, bundled her hair together, tied it with the blood-soaked strip of cloth, and shakily stood up.

  Stevenson stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving rapidly, the bloodshot veins in his eyes showing no sign of receding. Muscles writhed beneath his skin, and his clenched fists crackled intermittently. Dragon Blooded Sorcerers possessed formidable physiques; though incomparable to true warriors, they could easily overpower ordinary mages in close combat. His strike, delivered in fury, was exceptionally heavy.

  Minnie swayed as she walked towards Stevenson, closed her eyes, and awaited the next blow. Her white dress was stained with large patches of blood, and half her face was swollen, yet her expression remained calm. From beginning to end, she hadn't uttered a single sound, knowing that any cries or pleas would only invite heavier beatings.

  Stevenson's eye twitched. He suddenly grabbed the collar of her dress and ripped forcefully. The upper half of the garment instantly tore in two. He then yanked away her undergarment, leaving her upper body completely exposed. However, what appeared before him wasn't a body capable of inciting lust. The skin, once pristine white, delicate, and full of youthful vitality, was now covered in bruises and contusions of various sizes, shocking to behold, like a shattered jade vase cracked all over.

  Stevenson looked, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. After standing quietly for several minutes, he completely calmed down. Apart from the dense network of blood vessels in his eyes that wouldn't fade quickly, everything else returned to normal. He said to Minnie, "Don't go to classes for the next few days. Rest here and heal your injuries. I'll call a divine spellcaster over later to treat the wounds on your face first."

  Pausing, Stevenson began pacing back and forth in the room. After dozens of laps, he stopped abruptly, clenched his fist as if steeling his resolve, and said, "It's time to settle this! If we drag this out any longer, the situation might truly become irreparable! Minnie, as soon as your face is treated, go find Eileen immediately. It's time for that little bitch to play her part! You know what to do."

  Minnie nodded silently. Seeing him wave his hand with nothing more to say, she dragged her heavy body, striving to maintain balance, into the bathroom, and began washing off the bloodstains. Stevenson, meanwhile, dressed neatly, then twisted a large ruby ring on his finger. The gemstone flashed brilliantly, then dimmed. A magical message had already pierced through numerous obstacles, reaching every corner of Deepblue.

  Moments later, two capable-looking men arrived before Stevenson. One was a warrior, the other a divine spellcaster. After carefully listening to Stevenson's instructions, the warrior departed immediately, while the divine spellcaster stayed behind and began treating Minnie.

  The divine spellcaster crossed his hands over his chest, paying homage to his god with utmost piety, then began chanting. Pure white light, thick as water, flowed from his hands, pouring over Minnie's head. The light flowed down her skin, and wherever it passed, wounds closed visibly, bruises dissipated, and even the swelling gradually subsided. Minnie's injuries looked shocking but were mostly superficial, not requiring a "Potent Heal." However, Stevenson was clearly impatient, unable to wait for her natural recovery, so the divine spellcaster, disregarding the cost to himself, cast Potent Heal three times in succession.

  After receiving the divine treatment, only faint traces of injury remained visible near Minnie's temple. Knowing what she needed to do now, without any rest or delay, she donned a mage robe and left Stevenson's residential area. The exhausted divine spellcaster also departed quietly, leaving Stevenson alone in the residence. He appeared somewhat agitated, pacing back and forth incessantly, occasionally glancing out the floor-to-ceiling window and cursing the damned weather.

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  Finally, the warrior returned, stood behind Stevenson, and said in a low voice, "Everything is ready. How should we proceed?"

  Stevenson gritted his teeth, swung his hand fiercely through the empty air before him as if cutting something, and said gravely, "Give it everything!"

  The warrior stiffened, then a sinister look appeared on his face as well, and he departed silently.

  After the Day of Fate, the destinies of many changed, yet Richard continued his efforts as always. In his view, the path to the peak was like climbing rocks and slopes in his childhood—it required taking one step at a time. Waking early and returning late each day was a small step forward.

  Late one night, Richard walked towards his residential area, filled with the satisfaction and fatigue of the day. However, as the heavy metal door of his residence came into view, he suddenly heard faint cries and curses coming from the depths of a nearby alley. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, and his precise talent immediately alerted Richard: it was Eileen's voice.

  Eileen... a name that had almost faded, yet unexpectedly reappeared nearby. And it sounded like she was in some kind of trouble. Richard couldn't help but wonder, did someone actually dare cause trouble here? The area where his residence was located was very quiet, and the magic lights illuminating the public areas were particularly dim and soft, seemingly a good place for something untoward to happen. However, this vast area was actually divided into only a few residential zones. Besides Richard, the residents were all mages of Archmage level, or scions of great nobles, even royalty. Therefore, security was tight despite appearing lax, with magic eyes monitoring everywhere, leaving no blind spots. If someone truly wanted to cause trouble, they would find numerous Enforcement Mages appearing seemingly out of nowhere, instantly forming an encirclement.

  The cries came from an alley to his left, very deep, originating from around a corner, so Richard couldn't see what was happening. He frowned and immediately turned, walking quickly towards the alley. Rounding the bend, Richard finally saw the source of the commotion. It was indeed Eileen, along with three clearly unsavory men.

  A very burly brute stood behind Eileen, his massive body large enough to contain three of her. He gripped the girl's wrists with one large hand, practically lifting her off the ground. Another tall, thin man stood aside with folded arms, his gaze constantly roaming up and down Eileen's body, lingering around her chest and abdomen. In front of Eileen stood a man with a face full of menacing flesh, his hands constantly groping her body, seemingly searching her, yet never straying far from her sensitive areas.

  Eileen was completely unable to break free, and could only kick wildly with her legs. However, the man in front of her reached around her thighs, caught them under his armpits, and ran his hand up her legs while smiling and saying, “I almost forgot, there are still quite a few places in here where you can hide money! Here, let me see, you're so nervous, I wonder how many gold coins you've stuffed in there...”

  “Let go of me! I'll pay you back! It's not time yet!” Eileen screamed, but the burly man behind her reached out his left hand and covered her mouth, silencing all her cries.

  The man in front of her showed no sign of stopping, feeling her up to the hilt, and grinned lewdly, saying, “The time is not up yet, but it's only a matter of days. Now we want to collect interest a little early. If you really don't have any money, then it's not impossible to pay off your debt by sleeping with us for a few nights! You've earned money from men before...”

  The three men's attention had been focused entirely on Eileen, and suddenly they felt an overwhelming wave of scorching heat rush in from all directions, blocking them in. Then came Richard's voice: “Let her go!”

  The man in front of Eileen stopped what he was doing, but did not let go. He hesitantly stared at the badge on Richard's collar, unsure of Richard's identity. But the fireball on Richard's right hand that kept jumping around scared them. A magician, and such a young one, appeared in this noble area again. The lowest possible identity was that of a Law Enforcement Mage. For those of them who made a living in the Fringe District, Law Enforcement Mages were gods who could not be disobeyed.

  Richard frowned. These three men were obviously not residents of this area, and they could not possibly be official residents of the main Deep Blue Tower, otherwise they would not have failed to recognize the meaning of Richard's badge.

  The man saw Richard's expression and immediately quietly withdrew his hand, gritting his teeth and saying, “May I ask...”

  “Richard. Richard Akmond.”

  The three men were clearly taken aback and immediately became extremely respectful. Even people who made a living in the border area knew the names of the legendary mage's disciples and the archmages. It was the minimum requirement for survival. And in this area, they didn't even dare to think evil thoughts. Everyone knew that all noble areas were monitored by magic eyes, which was an open warning to prevent some reckless and ignorant people from harming the residents of the noble areas. Because the noble areas were not only inhabited by powerful mages, but also by many aristocratic children whose own strength was not outstanding.

  The three men immediately let go of Eileen, and the young girl, like a frightened rabbit, darted behind Richard and quietly grasped Richard's mage robe with a trembling hand.

  The man in charge gave Eileen a hard stare before saying with a servile smile, “Your Excellency Richard, this woman owes us a lot of money and has hidden in the Deep Blue and refused to come out if she cannot pay. We had no choice but to come to the Deep Blue to look for her, and here we found her, but she still wants to renege on the debt.”

  “It's obviously still three days away!” Eileen shouted from behind Richard.