A resplendent carriage pulled by four horses rolled into a petite manor.

Perhaps having caught the sound of the carriage, two children, a boy and a girl, around seven or eight years of age, dashed out from the lofty, five-story English-style mansion.

"Daddy, daddy!"

The two children exclaimed with great glee and promptly rushed to the side of the stationary carriage.

A middle-aged man, whose attire unmistakably bespoke of its high cost, alighted from the carriage. He outstretched his arms and enfolded his two children in a warm embrace.

"I've missed you both so terribly! My precious darlings!"

The middle-aged man gave a word of instruction to the private coachman, then, holding his children, he made his way to a nearby fountain and took a seat.

"My dear children, guess what delightful surprise I've brought for you?"

The middle-aged man said with an air of mystery.

Both children wore expressions of intense curiosity and eagerly queried,"What is it?"

"Is it something delicious?"

The middle-aged man smiled, drew out two boxes from his pocket, and handed one to the boy and the other to the girl."Go on, open them and have a look."

When the two children lifted the lids of the boxes, they instantly let out cries of delighted surprise.

Inside both boxes lay the identical item: a dainty little trinket resembling a music box.

The moment the boxes were opened, the tiny, intricate gears within began to turn, emitting a sweet and melodious tune.

Children are simply powerless to resist such charming little toys. With a joyous cheer, they each planted a kiss on the middle-aged man's face.

"Come now, let me show you the ins and outs of how to play with this charming thing."

Just as the middle-aged man was about to expound on the other wonderful features of the toy to his children, a young man's voice rang out from a distance,"Mr. Hank, there's a guest at your farm who claims to be here to purchase livestock."

Mr. Hank, the middle-aged man, furrowed his brows and turned his head, saying,"Go back and tell him to hold on for a bit. I'll be there shortly."

Then he turned to his two children once more."I'm sorry, my dears, but I must be off. Daddy needs to go and earn some money. Why don't you go and have fun with the nanny, hmm?"

Both children wore looks of mild disappointment.

The girl said,"Daddy, don't we already have a great deal of money? Why do you still need to earn more? Can't you just stay with us?"

"No matter how substantial our wealth may be, it can all be depleted in time, my dear."

After a few more words of gentle persuasion, the girl and the boy reluctantly made their way towards the nanny, who was already waiting for them in the distance.

Hank rose to his feet, a faint trace of melancholy lingering in his eyes.

What he failed to notice was that the instant the girl turned her back, her eyes transformed into a pair of malevolent orbs, brimming with sinister intent.

She murmured in an exceedingly soft voice,"You've thwarted my plan. I'll deal with the one who's caused this disruption in a moment."

...

When Hank arrived at his farm, his gaze immediately fell upon the prospective buyer.

It was a rather young gentleman, attired in clean clothes. Apart from the somewhat peculiar style of his trousers, he made a favorable impression overall.

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Glen had already taken a cursory tour of the farm. All manner of livestock were being reared in exemplary condition.

The farm was partitioned into several areas, each of which was tended to by four or five farmhands.

Glen couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

At that moment, he was intently observing the herd of cattle enclosed within the fence. He didn't withdraw his gaze until Hank approached.

"Good day, sir. I'm told by my worker that you're here to buy livestock. Is that correct?"

Hank extended his hand and shook hands with Glen.

Glen nodded and replied frankly,"I'm planning to start a farm of my own, so... yes."

"Is that so? Then, might I inquire about the scale of your intended farm? I might be able to offer you some valuable advice."

The two soon delved into a conversation regarding the farm.

What Hank was unaware of was that Glen was surreptitiously observing him throughout their chat.

Ever since he had drawn near, Glen had detected a faint, elusive scent, reminiscent of the odor emanating from the magical beast's tusk in his possession.

This scent dissipated of its own accord after a brief moment, but Glen was certain that it hadn't been a mere figment of his imagination.

After several unsuccessful attempts at discerning its source, he decided to let the matter rest. After all, this was the outlying region of the kingdom, and it wasn't uncommon to encounter all manner of strange and uncanny creatures.

For instance, the original host had never encountered any peril while frequenting the various main cities, yet in places like this, werewolves, vampires, and the like were a common occurrence.

Upon learning about the scale of the farm Glen intended to establish, Hank personally selected several breeds of livestock that he deemed suitable, stating that they were relatively easy to rear.

Glen didn't have much knowledge in this regard, so he readily heeded Hank's advice.

"Mr. Hank, given the considerable size of your farm, I'm curious to know what your annual income is like?"

After finalizing the order, Glen inquired in a casual manner.

He was still preoccupied with the matter of making money. Now that he had become a mage, he was well aware that he would incur substantial expenses in the future.

Perhaps his teacher would be willing to cover the majority of these costs, but he considered it rather spineless to rely so heavily on others.

Although the person was his teacher, there was no obligation for them to take care of everything. As an adult, it was far better to be self-reliant.

Upon hearing this, Hank attempted to be modest, yet he couldn't entirely conceal his pride. He said,"It's not all that much. The farm is merely a small part of my business portfolio. I have other ventures as well. On average, I earn upwards of ten thousand gold coins per annum..."

These words nearly caused Glen to choke on his own saliva. It took him a moment to recover before he managed to say,"I'm truly in awe that a prominent businessman like yourself, Mr. Hank, is still willing to personally engage in a small transaction like this with me."

Hank waved his hand with a contented smile and said,"In the realm of business, one must uphold a certain standard of attitude. That's a principle my father instilled in me, Mr. Glen. Moreover, I have two children at home, and I need to strive for their future. No matter how abundant one's wealth may be at present, there's no guarantee that it will endure."

"You make a valid point," Glen concurred.

The two engaged in some more casual conversation, after which Glen took his leave. He needed to hasten to demarcate the land for his farm and complete the construction of all the necessary facilities before he could transport the livestock there.

Not long after Glen had left Hank's farm, he espied a little girl, approximately seven or eight years old, seated on a bare rock by the roadside. It seemed as though she was awaiting his arrival.

Glen narrowed his eyes, gave it a moment's thought, and then smiled and asked,"Are you Mr. Hank's child?"

The little girl remained silent. Her expression bore no resemblance to the innocence typical of a child. Instead, she said menacingly,"It was you who ruined my plan to seize Hank's body! The opportune moment has passed, and I'm going to eliminate you!"

"What utter nonsense!" Glen exclaimed with a look of impatience. He was almost certain that this child was indeed Hank's offspring.

She exuded a potent aura, reminiscent of that of the magical beast, as well as a faint trace of Hank's own scent.

As she spoke, dark flames began to swirl around the little girl's body, and she lunged towards Glen!

However, Glen merely reached out and grasped the little girl's diminutive form.

The searing flames were effectively blocked by his thick, wolf-like fur.

The flames were evidently of magical origin, yet they had little to no effect on the wolf fur, which possessed a natural resistance to magic.

"What on earth are you? You're clearly not an ordinary human!" The little girl's panic was palpable as she struggled violently, kicking and flailing.

Realizing that she couldn't break free, a flash of resentment and reluctance crossed the little girl's eyes.

The next instant, the flames enveloping her body vanished. Just as Glen was feeling perplexed, a black object emerged from the back of the girl's neck and attempted to dart away.

Glen reacted with lightning speed and immediately reached out to grab it. Although he managed to make contact, the object's skin was incredibly slippery, and it slipped out of his grasp.

He set the girl down and gave chase.

The speed of the black object took Glen by surprise. It bounced along the ground, covering a distance of over a hundred meters in the blink of an eye.

Glen summoned his strength once more, his speed increasing exponentially, and his palm expanded to more than double its original size.

In an instant, he caught up with the black object and, with a swift motion, enclosed it within his hands.