Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 95 The Kingdom of Zhangfenlai

Finlay, Green Leaf Road.

The former royal palace, now the Marquis's mansion, sits at the deepest part of Green Leaf Road. It is a vast estate with blue bricks and gray tiles, upturned eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, exuding aristocratic luxury and grandeur. Two majestic stone lions stand guard at the gate, and above the vermilion gate hangs a brand-new plaque with the words "Marquis's Manor" written in bold, vigorous strokes.

The owner of the mansion is Linley Baruch, the youngest marquis in the Kingdom of Finlay.

At this moment, in the back garden of the mansion, several young people are leisurely enjoying the autumn afternoon sun.

The back garden wasn't large, but it was exquisitely arranged. Artificial hills, a pond, a pavilion, and flowerbeds were all arranged in a harmonious and pleasing manner. Several golden osmanthus trees were in full bloom, their rich fragrance filling the air, a truly delightful aroma. Koi carp swam leisurely in the pond, occasionally leaping out of the water and splashing a spray.

Renault lay on a deck chair under the gazebo, legs crossed, a grape dangling from his mouth, eyes half-closed, looking utterly languid. A maid was peeling fruit for him beside him; he was indeed extremely leisurely.

"Fourth brother, you're living a more comfortable life than the king." Yale sat at the stone table, holding a glass of red wine, looking at Reno's demeanor, and couldn't help but laugh and scold.

"That's right." Renault swallowed the grapes and stretched. "Second brother, your Marquis's mansion is still the most comfortable. I don't even want to go back to the dormitory now."

"Nobody's stopping you from staying here." Lin Lei, sitting on the other side of the stone table with a book in his hand, smiled upon hearing this. "There are so many rooms here, you can come and stay anytime."

"No way," Renault sighed, sitting up from the recliner with a distressed expression. "You've already graduated, and I'm only in fourth grade. If I don't make it to fifth grade this year, I think my parents will beat me to death when I go back for the Magnolia Festival."

"You're doing well, fourth brother. You've been a level four mage for at least two years," Yale said with a bitter face. "I'm only a fourth-year student this year."

Yale is the heir to the Dawson Chamber of Commerce, and his family naturally has high hopes for him. Now, nearly eight years into his studies, he only possesses the strength of a fourth-level mage—which is considered very impressive by ordinary people, but within Ernst Academy, it's relatively backward. Every time he returns home, his father's gaze carries a hint of disappointment and frustration.

"You two stop complaining." George sat on the other side of the stone table, adjusted his glasses, and said calmly, "I'm only in fifth grade this year. Cultivation is something that can't be rushed."

"George, your approach is more of a steady, methodical one," Reno said. "But with Yale, this is...this is..."

"Is this a matter of talent?" Yale chimed in.

"Get lost!" Renault laughed and cursed.

The group burst into laughter.

Beibei squatted on the stone table, holding a strawberry in its two little paws, taking small bites. Its mouth was full of red juice, and strawberry seeds were stuck to its whiskers, making it look extremely comical. Linley reached out and patted its head, and it squeaked twice before continuing to eat the strawberry.

"By the way, second brother," Yale suddenly asked, "what happened to third brother? He's been missing for over a year again. He didn't come back for the academy's year-end tests a while ago. If he hadn't already reached the level of a sixth-level mage, the academy probably would have expelled him."

Lin Lei put down the book in his hand and remained silent for a moment.

"I don't know where he is now," he said. "You don't need to worry about him. With his current strength, there aren't many people in the entire Yulan Continent who can threaten him."

Ever since Lin Lei consumed the herb spirit given to him by Lin Yun and leaped from level four to the peak of level six, he knew that his younger brother Lin Yun's strength had indeed reached the Saint Realm, just as Lin Yun had said. Moreover, Grandpa Delin had also told him that he could sense Lin Yun's extremely powerful soul force, which, although not yet at the Saint Realm Archmage level, was not far off.

After a level nine warrior transforms into a dragon, they become a Saint-level Dragonblood Warrior. In this world, there are indeed few things that can threaten the life of a Saint-level Dragonblood Warrior.

Moreover, over the past year, several cardinals from the Holy See have visited him frequently, always inquiring about Lin Yun with exceptional respect. Lin Lei wasn't stupid; he naturally guessed that Lin Yun had likely already made a name for himself within the Holy Land's circles.

"That's true." Yale nodded. "That third brother is a freak. We should worry about ourselves rather than him."

"You're right." Renault wholeheartedly agreed. "That prodigy Third Brother, we should worry about how we're going to graduate."

As the group was chatting, a young man arrived outside the Marquis's mansion.

The young man, dressed in a grey robe, had delicate features and looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. Standing in front of the mansion, he looked up at the large characters "Marquis's Mansion" on the plaque above the gate and couldn't help but smile.

"He hasn't been back for over a year, and my elder brother has actually been granted a title?"

The guards at the gate stopped him.

"Halt! Who are you? This is the Marquis's mansion; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to trespass!"

The young man did not answer. He flashed past the guard and disappeared into the doorway.

"Stop!" The guard was shocked and quickly chased after them.

In the back garden, several people were chatting and laughing when a voice suddenly came from the entrance.

"Brother, the guards at your manor wouldn't let me in, saying they'd have to announce my arrival. I was too lazy to wait, so I just came in."

Lin Lei suddenly turned his head.

Lin Yun stood at the entrance of the courtyard with a grin, his hands in his pockets, his gray robe fluttering gently in the autumn breeze. His face was smiling, but his eyes held a warmth of a long-awaited reunion.

"My lord, someone has trespassed! Ah—" Several guards rushed into the courtyard and were about to grab Lin Yun.

"Stop!" Lin Lei shouted urgently, "This is my brother!"

"Ah? Yes, sir!" The guards were stunned for a moment, glanced at Lin Yun, and found that the two did indeed look very similar. Only then did they believe it and quickly retreated.

"Third brother!" Yale was the first to react, jumping up from the stone bench and rushing to Lin Yun, punching him on the shoulder. "You finally decided to come back!"

"Third Brother!" Renault jumped up from his recliner and ran over to give Lin Yun a bear hug. "You've been missing for over a year! We thought you'd been eaten by monsters!"

George walked over, adjusted his glasses, and smiled slightly: "It's good to be back."

Beibei leaped up from the stone table, transforming into a streak of gray lightning, and pounced into Lin Yun's arms. Her little head rubbed against his chest, chirping incessantly, and her little paws scratched at Lin Yun's clothes, extremely excited.

"Beibei, stop fooling around." Lin Yun smiled and patted Beibei's head, then looked at Yale and Reno, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Your elder brother was granted a marquisate, so we came here to freeload," Yale said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, yes, yes." Renault nodded repeatedly. "The second son's Marquis's mansion is much more comfortable than the college dormitory. We plan to stay there until the Magnolia Festival before going back."

Lin Yun sat down at the stone table, took the wine cup handed to him by the maid, and took a sip.

"Brother, I went back to the dormitory first, but there was no one there. Luckily, the people in the next dormitory told me that you had been granted the title of Marquis and even gave me the address of your Marquis's mansion, so I was able to find you," Lin Yun said helplessly.

"Haha, third brother, were you scared?" Renault grinned mischievously. "It's been over a year, and your eldest brother has become a marquis of the kingdom!"

"It's just a marquisate in a kingdom," Lin Yun waved his hand dismissively. "What's the big deal? My brother could be emperor someday."

He wasn't joking. With Linley's current strength as a level seven dual-elemental mage and Dragonblood Warrior, coupled with the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline of the Baruch family, achieving Sainthood was a certainty. A marquis of a kingdom was indeed nothing. Leaving aside Linley's own strength—even the king of the Kingdom of Fenlai would bow before him—the power of the Chaotic Territory alone far surpassed that of a marquis of a kingdom.

Now, a year later, under Far's leadership, Huangshi City has conquered more than a dozen surrounding towns, with a population of over five million and an army of nearly two hundred thousand, which is more than the strength of a duchy.

"Third brother! You're just jealous!" Renault laughed.

"Jealous? What am I jealous of?" Lin Yun raised an eyebrow. "If I wanted a title, I could get a dukedom in any kingdom."

"Keep bragging," Renault laughed.

Lin Yun smiled but offered no explanation.

That evening, the entire Marquis's mansion was bustling with activity.

Lin Lei had the kitchen prepare a large table of dishes, including chicken, duck, fish, meat, and delicacies from land and sea, which filled the entire table. Several jars of fine red wine were brought out from the wine cellar, their aroma filling the air.

The four brothers and George, a total of five people, sat around the dining table, clinking glasses and making a lively scene.

"Come on, toast to the third brother! Toast to our busy man who's been missing for over a year!" Yale raised his glass.

"To Third Brother!" Renault also raised his glass.

"To Lin Yun." George smiled and raised his glass.

"A toast to my younger brother." Lin Lei raised his glass to Lin Yun, his eyes filled with warmth.

"A toast to you all." Lin Yun smiled and raised his glass.

"Cheers!"

The clinking of the glasses produced a crisp, pleasant sound, and the wine swirled within, refracting an amber glow.

After several rounds of drinks, everyone was quite tipsy.

Beibei also drank a few sips of wine, her little face flushed, and she lay sprawled on the table, her little paws holding her tail, fast asleep.

In the end, only Lin Yun and Lin Lei were still standing. The other three had already collapsed unconscious.

Lin Yun leaned back in his chair, looked at the mess on the table, and smiled.

"Brother, how have you been these past year or so?"

Lin Lei held his wine glass and remained silent for a moment.

"It's alright," he said. "I've experienced heartbreak, transformation into a dragon, graduation, and being granted a title. I've gone through everything I was meant to experience."

Lin Yun nodded. He knew Lin Lei was referring to Alice. That relationship ultimately had no happy ending. But Lin Lei's growth was much faster than in the original story. A peak level seven dual-elemental mage, a peak level seven dragonblood warrior—this strength was already top-tier among his peers.

"Big brother, I brought you something." Lin Yun took out a manual from his spatial ring and handed it to Lin Lei.

"The Ultimate Earth - Immovable as a Mountain" - Di Sha's insights into the earth-based laws of "earth's pulse" and "the profound mystery of power".

"This is..." Lin Lei opened the manual, read a few pages, and his eyes were filled with shock.

"The culmination of a lifetime's experience from a peak Saint Realm expert," Lin Yun said. "Since you also cultivate the Earth element, this manual should be of great help to you."

Lin Lei remained silent for a long time before carefully putting away the Crystal Manual.

"Lin Yun, thank you."

"We're brothers," Lin Yun smiled. "No need for thanks."

The two brothers looked at each other and then laughed at the same time.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water. In the distance, the clock tower rang its midnight chimes, the melodious sound echoing in the night sky.

Lin Yun leaned back in his chair, looking at the moon outside the window, a sense of peace welling up inside him.

"Brother, the Magnolia Festival is coming soon," Lin Yun said.

"Yes." Linley nodded. "Less than two months."

"Won't the whole city of Finlay be bustling with activity then?"

"Probably," Linley said. "I heard that the Holy See of Light will hold a grand blessing ceremony on the Holy Mountain, and there will also be a celebration in Fenlai City."

Lin Yun remained silent for a moment.

He didn't tell Linley that the celebration that day might turn into a disaster.

On the Day of Destruction—January 1st, 10000 of the Magnolia Calendar—an earth-shattering war erupted at the Holy Mountain of the Holy See. God-level powerhouses intervened, causing the Holy Mountain to collapse and resulting in widespread devastation.

But he couldn't say too much. All he could do was protect the people he cared about when that day came.

"Brother, I'll be going back to Wushan Town in a few days," Lin Yun said.

"Let me go back with you. It's been a while since I've seen my father," Lin Lei said.

"No need. I'll stay back a little longer this time. I'll bring my father to Fenlai City for the Magnolia Festival, so you don't need to come back with me," Lin Yun said.

"Alright, then please give my regards to my father," Lin Lei nodded and stood up.

"Big brother, I'm going to rest now. You guys should go to bed early too."

"it is good."

Lin Yun walked out of the restaurant and into the room that the Marquis's mansion had arranged for him.

He opened the window, looked at the moonlight outside, and silently made plans in his mind.

The day of destruction is less than two months away.

The Holy Mountain of the Holy See, the battle of god-level powerhouses, the turmoil in the dimensional prison... it will be a storm that sweeps across the entire Yulan Continent.

His current strength is already considered top-tier in the Holy Domain, but it's still not enough to face a god-level expert.

"It needs to be even stronger," Lin Yun murmured.

He closed his eyes and immersed his consciousness in the ocean of laws.