Ryan cradled the little Drake, who had taken the form of a young girl, and walked through a forest where the trees grew sparse.

  His destination was Penney City, a place he had learned about from traveling merchants along the way. There stood a large cross domain teleportation array that connected to the Northern Border Icefield.

  Once he reached it, he would be able to return smoothly to Glacial Arcana Academy.

  The little Drake's tiny mouth never stopped moving along the journey. Her soft, sweet voice kept ringing in Ryan's ears as she endlessly begged him for food.

  Looking down at the Drake in his arms who never stopped eating, Ryan once again began to doubt whether he could truly afford to raise this Celestial Drake.

  "Here you go." Ryan let out a helpless yet indulgent sigh, took a bottle of Mana Essence from his storage space, and placed it into the Drake's chubby little hands.

  The moment she got the Mana Essence, the little Drake broke into a radiant smile. Her baby soft face was filled with satisfaction as she eagerly twisted open the cap and began to drink.

  "Let's go. Dad's taking you to find mom." Holding her close, Ryan leapt forward, fully activating his movement magic as he sprinted toward Penney City.

  When he casually said the word mom, he did not even realize that his tone carried a hint of expectation he himself did not yet understand.

  The view followed Ryan's rapidly retreating figure for a short while before suddenly pulling back sharply and freezing within a patch of deep shadow in the heart of the forest.

  "Mom."

  Evelyn stood quietly in the darkness, her gaze locked tightly onto Ryan's departing back.

  Her thoughts were in complete turmoil, leaving her feeling utterly at a loss.

  She did not know what kind of concealment magic she had employed, but not only had she successfully evaded Ryan's magical perception, even the Grimoire by his side had failed to give any warning.

  Only now did Evelyn finally understand why Ryan had been so determined to come to the Central Continent. Everything had been for this child.

  Had he truly lost his memories? If he had, then why had he not forgotten his insistence on coming to the Central Continent to search for this child?

  Or perhaps he really had lost his memories, yet remembered this one thing alone, simply refusing to trust himself enough to tell her the truth?

  Evelyn jolted awake from her thoughts, forcibly suppressing the surging bitterness in her chest as she silently warned herself.

  I am his mentor. Whether he has a wife or a child has nothing to do with me.

  Magic surged around her body as her figure blurred into an afterimage, silently following in the direction Ryan had gone.

  At the instant she turned away, a clear handprint visibly sank into the trunk of the large tree she had just been leaning against.

  It was the result of magic unintentionally leaking out when her emotions had slipped out of control.

  Along the way, whenever Evelyn temporarily lost Ryan's trail, she would take out an exquisite clockwork doll and lightly tap it with her fingertip.

  A faint glow would light up in the doll's eyes as it slowly turned toward a certain direction, and Evelyn would immediately follow where it pointed, resuming her pursuit.

  Penney City

  Having altered his appearance, Ryan walked through the noisy streets with the little Drake, who had taken the form of a young girl, cradled in his arms.

  To avoid drawing attention, he released only the aura of a Journeyman Mage, blending perfectly into the flow of passersby.

  "Dad, I want to eat."

  The little Drake pointed toward a vendor at the street corner selling syrup glazed fruit skewers, her large round eyes filled with longing.

  Seeing this, Ryan smiled and walked over. He bought two skewers coated in syrup, kept one for himself, and handed the other to the Drake. The two of them ate as they continued walking.

  "Have you heard? A noble lady over in Snowmere City was injured. Things are getting tense now. Penney City is about to be sealed for inspections too. Entry and exit will require strict identity checks."

  "Is it really that serious? Did someone offend the wrong people?"

  As Ryan walked on, the conversation drifting into his ears instantly caught his attention.

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  His heart tightened, and he quickly moved closer with the Drake in his arms, taking the initiative to ask,"Is that true? Then can the cross domain teleportation array still be used?"

  With half a syrup fruit skewer still in his mouth, Ryan suddenly appeared beside them, startling the group into flinching.

  "What are you doing? You scared us!" One of them patted his chest and shot Ryan an annoyed look.

  "Sorry, I was in a hurry." Ryan quickly removed the skewer from his mouth and finished it in a few bites.

  He explained anxiously,"I need to travel to the Northern Border Icefield through the teleportation array. I was wondering if it is still operating normally."

  "The teleportation array can still be used." The passerby who had spoken earlier softened his tone after seeing Ryan was genuinely pressed for time.

  "It is just that the controls are very strict now. You have to present an identity sigil for verification, and they have even stationed several scent detecting Seer Hounds at the entrance to screen for suspicious auras."

  "Scent detecting Seer Hounds?" A trace of confusion flashed through Ryan's eyes.

  With the Grimoire's aura suppression in effect, even specialized detection magic might not find anything unusual. What could a few dogs possibly detect?

  "We do not really know the details either. They say those dogs are extremely perceptive. If you really plan to teleport, you should go take a look yourself."

  Seeing that Ryan was concerned about the teleportation array, they did not bother to hide anything and answered his questions honestly.

  "Alright, thank you all for the information." After thanking them, Ryan turned and left with the Drake in his arms.

  Afterward, Ryan took the Drake to sample a few local street snacks while continuing to ask passersby for the exact location of the teleportation array.

  "The teleportation array is over there." One passerby casually pointed in a direction.

  Another explained in excessive detail,"Go straight along this street, turn right at the end, then turn left into a small alley.

  Walk to the end of the alley, come out and go straight for a bit. At the fork ahead, turn left, and you will see the iconic magic tower of the teleportation array."

  "Idiot." Listening to the man ramble on with all those twists and turns, Ryan could not help but mutter under his breath.

  Anyone could tell the man was deliberately messing with him. There was no way the route was that complicated.

  "What is wrong with you? I was kind enough to give you directions and you start insulting people!" The passerby immediately frowned.

  Ryan could not be bothered to argue. He deliberately released a trace of his Journeyman Mage aura, cast the man a cold glance, and turned to leave.

  The passerby was the type who bullied the weak and feared the strong. The moment he sensed Ryan's magical aura, he wilted instantly and did not dare say another word.

  Ryan asked a few more people to confirm the route and then headed off in the correct direction.

  Ryan stood not far from the large cross domain teleportation array, holding the little Drake in his arms, trying to negotiate with the guards responsible for overseeing the array.

  "Brother, you see I am traveling with a child, it is not easy for us. We need to go to the Northern Border Icefield to find her mother. Please make an exception and let us pass through the teleportation array."

  "No!" The guard barked impatiently."The teleportation array has been temporarily shut down. All cross domain teleportation is suspended. Leave at once!"

  Yet his gaze could not help drifting toward the little Drake beside Ryan. He was secretly calculating that the child looked exquisitely delicate. If he secretly captured her and sold her to a noble family as a maid, she would surely fetch a high price.

  Suddenly, a familiar barking sound rang out.

  Ryan's entire body stiffened, and a look of shock appeared on his face. The texture of that bark felt far too familiar.

  It was a sled hound.

  Ryan snapped his head around and saw a familiar sled hound charging straight at him like a mad beast. It rushed up and viciously bit down on his calf, completely out of control.

  "Damn it, have you gone crazy?" Ryan exclaimed in shock and anger. The moment the sled hound lunged at him, he reached out, grabbed it by the neck, and lifted it into the air.

  The sled hound, its neck seized, stared with wide eyes, mouth open as it yelped wildly, its four limbs flailing nonstop.

  At first, Ryan was puzzled as to why the sled hound was reacting so violently toward him. Then it suddenly dawned on him. He was still maintaining his disguise magic, so it was only natural that the dog did not recognize him.

  "Do not move!" The surrounding guards immediately raised their spears, encircling Ryan and the little Drake, staring at him with full vigilance.

  "Let it go!" A guard clad in silver armor, clearly the leader, stepped forward and pointed his spear straight at Ryan's chest.

  "Sled hound, you do not remember me?" Ryan ignored the guards and lowered his head to look at the struggling sled hound in his hand.

  "Have you forgotten the days we lit fires together in the Misty Forest to keep warm?"

  As he spoke, he reached out with his other hand and gently patted the sled hound's head, even giving it an affectionate squeeze.

  Hearing that familiar voice, the sled hound stopped struggling and stared at Ryan with puzzled eyes.

  Although Ryan's face was no longer his original one, the familiar expression and tone made the sled hound realize the truth at once.

  It began barking excitedly, its tail wagging furiously, all traces of its previous ferocity vanishing in an instant.

  The sled hound's excited barking only made the surrounding guards more tense. Their weapons moved even closer to Ryan and the little Drake, ready to strike at any moment.

  "Do not attack. I know this one!" Ryan quickly set the sled hound down and explained.

  Once released, the sled hound happily bounced around Ryan in circles, rubbing its head against his pant leg again and again, extremely affectionate.

  "Do not get this wrong," the leading guard said with a frown."This is not an ordinary dog. It is a Seer Hound specially transferred here by the Sanctum of the Eternal Seers, tasked with detecting suspicious magical auras."

  "This thing?" Ryan's eyes widened as he pointed at the sled hound still circling him, his face filled with disbelief.

  This thing had clearly just been an ordinary sled hound before. How had it suddenly become some kind of Seer Hound?

  As Ryan's words fell, another vicious dog with a massive build came charging from the other side of the teleportation array, lunging straight toward him.

  This dog was more than twice as large as the sled hound, its entire body packed with thick, solid muscle. Its fangs were bared, and its appearance was ferocious beyond measure.

  The sled hound already stood nearly as tall as half an adult, but this dog was practically the size of a grown man.

  The moment the sled hound saw the massive brute, it instantly wilted. It tucked its tail and hurried off to the side, crouching and trembling, clearly terrified of the beast.

  Ryan watched the muscle bound dog charge at him like a raging fiend, its gaping jaws filled with sharp teeth, and grew inwardly cautious.

  If that thing managed to bite him, even with his body tempered by magic, it would probably hurt for quite a while.