Under the Archmage's Wing
Manager Seo watched the boy lost in deep thought before him and pondered.
'The Director was certain he is a master who has undergone Rejuvenation.'
Good heavens, Rejuvenation.
Was that not a realm one only ever heard of in legends?
Manager Seo repeatedly chanted the word "Rejuvenation" in his mind, determined not to be deceived by the boy's youthful appearance.
Behind that fair, chubby-cheeked exterior—looking even younger than his own grandchildren playing at home—dwelled a shrewd, deeply weathered soul.
Amusingly, though his assumption was slightly off the mark, it was remarkably close to the truth.
And then...
"Hmm, disposing of the ships and the rest of the spoils right now would be difficult."
As if proving Manager Seo's instincts right, the cute-looking boy sitting across from him gave an unexpected answer.
Ilyang smacked his lips in slight regret before continuing.
"I believe they might be of personal use to me. However, should the need to liquidate them arise in the future, I shall commission the Jinseong Escort Agency. Would that be acceptable?"
"...Of course. Please contact us at any time, and we will do our utmost to handle the liquidation."
Manager Seo had considered the possibility of Ilyang declining the offer.
Just a tiny fraction of a possibility.
'Still, I thought the chances of him wanting to convert them to cash were high...'
While ships were not easily liquidated, they could serve as a stable, long-term source of income if managed properly.
'A pity, but it cannot be helped.'
If they had handled the disposal of vessels of this scale, even without charging a commission fee, they could have secured massive leverage and influence across various merchant guilds. Now, that golden opportunity had slipped through his fingers.
Bringing his teacup to his lips to mask his expression, Manager Seo suddenly had a wild, stray thought.
The Yujanggang River was a massive waterway that cut horizontally across three entire provinces: Lanzhou, Zhengzhou, and Mingzhou.
The entity that held absolute dominion over this river was the Yujanggang Water Bandit Alliance.
'If someone could subjugate the entire Yujanggang Water Bandit Alliance and control the Yujanggang River...'
Even without resorting to piracy and plunder like the bandits, the sheer revenue from shipping and logistics tolls alone would be astronomical.
'Perhaps... the person before me could actually do it?'
He had annihilated the Gyoryong Bandit Clan single-handedly.
Would the other strongholds be any different?
Just as Manager Seo's imagination was beginning to run wild...
"Manager Seo?"
"...Ah? Yes! Please speak, Great Hero."
Manager Seo snapped out of his reverie, hastily composing his face into a respectful expression.
Ilyang spoke.
"Actually, aside from the spoils we obtained today, I hear the Gyoryong Bandit Clan has a vast hoard of hidden treasures. As fate would have it, it seems I will be taking ownership of all of that as well..."
Manager Seo swallowed hard.
He had a very good idea of what Ilyang was about to say next.
"Would you be willing to accompany me, Manager Seo, and assist in liquidating those assets?"
"Oh... Well..."
In truth, with an important escort mission currently underway, he should have declined immediately.
However, Jin Yu-seong, the Director of the Escort Agency, had already anticipated such a scenario and instructed him on how to respond.
Having received an immense favor, the Jinseong Escort Agency was currently in the position of the subservient party, bound to accommodate Ilyang's every whim.
"Our Jinseong Escort Agency is prepared to throw ourselves wholeheartedly into any matter concerning you, Great Hero Ilyang. As for the task you just mentioned, I will personally oversee it and work day and night to ensure it is resolved swiftly."
"Uh, well... you do not have to go quite that far..."
"Nonsense! Did you not save our entire agency by resolving this crisis? Quite apart from any reward, we will handle all matters of this nature for you."
As mentioned before, liquidating physical assets of this scale offered immense benefits and leverage, even without a formal commission.
As a broad grin spread across Manager Seo's face, Ilyang, who had read his calculations perfectly, merely smiled. It was not a bad deal for him either.
"I am grateful. I shall leave that matter in your capable hands, then."
"Yes! Leave it to me!"
With that, Ilyang dismissed Manager Seo from the captain's cabin of the Nata Dragon King.
Then, he immediately summoned his next visitor.
"This unworthy junior greets the Great One."
It was Gong Jeol-gang, the cultivator of Cheonsa Prison.
He looked haggard, his face having grown gaunt in the span of just a few hours.
The moment he came face-to-face with Ilyang, he offered a brief greeting before abruptly throwing himself to the floor, prostrating deeply.
"I, Gong Jeol-gang, wish to become your loyal hound! Please, accept this inadequate servant under your wing!"
"...?"
Watching Gong Jeol-gang press his forehead to the floor without any preamble, Ilyang felt a mix of bewilderment and sheer apathy.
The man's shift in attitude was far too dramatic.
Just a few hours ago, had they not been locked in a life-or-death struggle?
Naturally, he was highly suspicious of the man's intentions.
"Raise your head."
Gong Jeol-gang immediately complied.
The boy in the black silk robes looked down at him with an expressionless face.
"Is there any reason why I should bother taking you in?"
"Ah... Well, that is..."
Gong Jeol-gang's eyes darted back and forth.
Seeing this, Ilyang chuckled.
"Your eyes are busy plotting again. Do not try to play petty tricks in front of me. Speak honestly. It would be the wiser choice."
"..."
Gong Jeol-gang swallowed hard several times before finally steeling his resolve.
He must not judge the person before him by his outward appearance.
The sheer scale of the frost magic that had frozen the entire river just hours ago was of a depth he could not even begin to fathom.
A mixture of awe and terror toward Ilyang forced Gong Jeol-gang to be honest.
"...If I return, I am a dead man anyway, Great One."
"Why?"
Why? Is he seriously asking because he doesn't know?
Gong Jeol-gang felt a surge of frustration, but meeting Ilyang's cold, dark eyes, he quickly snapped back to reality and lowered his head.
"I failed the mission and lost our sect's secret puppet. That alone is a capital offense."
"A puppet? Ah, the Great Black Star? Yes, that is indeed a fine piece of work."
The Great Black Star.
The black ape.
It was indeed a rare treasure.
It was not a standard golem, but an ego golem—one possessing a faint, yet distinct, self-awareness.
Furthermore, a golem with mana circuits as complex as those was something even Ilyang could not easily guarantee success in crafting, even if all the necessary materials were laid out before him.
While complex circuitry granted a wide array of functions, it also created a structure prone to internal conflicts and interference. Such internal issues typically degraded a golem's overall performance severely.
Moreover, such a manufacturing method severely compromised the golem's durability—which was far more critical than mere performance—by rapidly wearing down the lifespan of its heart, the core.
'And yet, the Great Black Star maintained an astonishingly perfect balance of power.'
Even Ilyang had to admit he was impressed.
Numerous unstable variables had somehow aligned perfectly within its internal structure, resulting in a flawlessly balanced golem.
'Of course, they achieved that balance by scaling down the overall output of its functions.'
Still, for a spoil obtained entirely for free, it was an incredible harvest.
To put it in perspective, it was a far better prize than the ten Blood Jiangshis of the Mansi Sect currently trailing them from a distance.
"So, what is it you want me to do for you?"
"Please take me under your wing, Great One!"
Hearing the solemn, desperate resolve in his voice, Ilyang blinked.
Then, his eyes locked with Gong Jeol-gang's pleading gaze.
'This fellow...'
Sensing that Gong Jeol-gang was entirely sincere, the corner of Ilyang's mouth twitched.
This was a scene he was all too familiar with.
"Do you truly understand what it means to come under my wing?"
"Yes. I do not care if I am a subordinate or a disciple!"
"You dream big. You could very well become my slave this instant."
"Even so, I do not mind! Please, just allow me to serve by your side!"
Ilyang was genuinely surprised by the lack of hesitation in his response.
Gong Jeol-gang was only the second genuine mage he had encountered in this world.
And no matter where one went, a true mage was an incredibly rare and noble existence.
'The bastards from the Mansi Sect and the Cheonhyeol Sect I met before were heavily lopsided in their arts. But this one is different.'
Gong Jeol-gang possessed a relatively balanced foundation.
'Though his methods are primitive...'
With proper refinement, he could actually be raised into a proper mage.
His advanced age was a flaw, but that was nothing a few invested resources couldn't fix by extending his lifespan.
"Are you prepared to stake your life?"
"...Of course."
Gong Jeol-gang meant every word.
The boy before him—whom he assumed to be a master of Rejuvenation—had shown him a completely new realm of magic.
To Gong Jeol-gang, who had been stagnant for so long, this boy was a beacon who could open a new path for him.
"Hmm..."
Ilyang fell into thought once more, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
In truth, accepting aging mages as disciples was a familiar experience for him.
Back when he first established his Magic Tower, countless veteran mages scattered across the continent had come to bow before him of their own accord.
'No need to overcomplicate things.'
This was no different from his past life.
Ilyang quickly made up his mind and let out a soft chuckle.
"Taking you under my wing... I quite like the poetic phrasing. Very well. I shall make an exception and accept you as my first disciple."
"This unworthy disciple entrusts his life to you, Master!"
Gong Jeol-gang stood up and performed the nine kowtows.
And just like that, Ilyang gained his first disciple in this world.
Though on the outside, his new disciple looked at least fifty years his senior, neither Ilyang nor Gong Jeol-gang found anything strange about the arrangement.
"Good. Now, as your master, I must learn more about those who will become my enemies, shouldn't I?"
"Of course. This humble disciple shall explain Cheonsa Prison in detail. The Cheonsa Prison to which I belonged is a cultivation organization consisting of twelve tiers..."
"Wait. Stop right there."
Ilyang raised a hand, cutting Gong Jeol-gang off, and abruptly turned his head.
And then...
"This is..."
He stared at the flagship of the Jinseong Escort Agency, which was trailing closely behind the Nata Dragon King.
From that ship, a heavy, dense scent of wind spirits was currently wafting through the air.
The implication was clear.
"...The seal has broken."
"Pardon?"
Rewinding his memory, he could easily guess why the seal had broken.
'The Great Black Star went on a wild rampage on that flagship this morning.'
The seal must have been exposed to the river water, or perhaps a part of it had been damaged during the chaos.
Ilyang quickly left the captain's cabin and ran toward the stern of the Nata Dragon King.
With a flash in his dark, clear eyes, the boy leaped straight off the ship.
"Ah! Master!"
By the time a startled Gong Jeol-gang rushed to lean over the stern railing, Ilyang was already gliding through the air toward the Jinseong Escort Agency's flagship as if walking on nothingness.
It was a simple application of a Fly spell, but to the onlookers, it was something else entirely.
"V-Void Walking!"
"An ultra-peak master!"
"Unbelievable... An ultra-peak master at that age?"
"You idiot, what have you been listening to? They said he's a master of Rejuvenation!"
As the watching water bandits and the martial artists of the Jinseong Escort Agency gasped and cried out in awe, Ilyang landed gracefully on the deck of the flagship.
"W-what brings you here, Young Hero Ilyang?"
Jin Yu-seong, the Director of the Jinseong Escort Agency, happened to be on the deck and approached Ilyang with a deep, respectful bow.
Judging by his expression and demeanor, he was completely unaware of the disaster brewing below.
"It seems the seal has broken. It would be wise to check on it, don't you think?"
"The seal...?"
Jin Yu-seong tilted his head in confusion, but his gaze quickly darted toward the cabins below deck.
"C-could it be?"
"Yes. I am referring to the escort cargo."
Just as Jin Yu-seong, his face turning deathly pale, was about to rush down to the cabins, a bizarre sound brushed past their ears.
Sssssst!
Crack!
With the sound of something snapping at the bottom of the flagship, something burst through the side of the hull and shot out like the wind.