Amidst the wind and rain, on the outskirts of the Light Magic Faction, a group of ragged mages sat beneath several large trees, all of them dejected, their fighting spirit completely shattered.
Among the crowd, the female protagonist, Lis, carefully supported a Black-Robed Elder.
"Father, would you like to rest?" Lis asked quietly.
"My plan has failed! That brat beat us to the punch!" The Black-Robed Elder clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with venomous malice.
"Father, are you alright?" Lis asked in a whisper once more.
"My time has run out, I can wait no longer! Since that brat won't let me live, I won't let him live either."
"Father, what are you saying? Keep your voice down!" Lis urged anxiously.
At that moment, several mages stood up and called out, "Miss Lis, is your grandfather alright?"
"My grandfather is fine. Thank you all for your concern! Thank you!" Lis smiled sweetly.
Several male mages were utterly dazzled by her smile.
The protagonist's halo truly made a difference; even a single smile could make those around her develop special feelings for her.
"Grandfather? Heh, hahahahaha! What a ridiculous title! Who am I? I am your father! Not your grandfather!" The Black-Robed Elder laughed madly.
"Miss Lis, what is your grandfather saying? Could it be that he suffered some sort of shock earlier and his mind..." has stopped working properly.
Lis did not reply, her expression extremely unsightly, and she stepped back several paces away from the Black-Robed Elder.
Please don't blame me! I am terrified too.
When the Black-Robed Elder revealed his true face, the remaining mages stared at that visage in utter shock.
What kind of face was that? It was a face as aged and withered as tree bark. The old man's skin was even covered in dense, black spots... The sight was utterly grotesque and stomach-churning.
"You... old man..."
"Terrifying, isn't it? Aged, isn't it? Heh, hahahahaha! Why should we, the Lis Family, bear such a ridiculous mission?"
"Every generation of the Lis Family consists of ordinary people without any magic, yet we guard the secret of dark magic. If we fail to acquire someone else's light magic before our twenty-fifth birthday, we will instantly age and die!"
"I refuse to accept this! Therefore, although the destruction of your Light Mage Faction was not carried out by my own hands, it is precisely what I desired. There is no such thing as true darkness in this world, but unfortunately, that brat was forced out by all of you. Both the Yi Clan and the mysterious Yi Family were destroyed by my hand alone."
"What? The Yi Family? The Yi Family that can control space and time?"
"Could it be that we misunderstood? Yi Yu! You must be lying!"
"Do you know why I am telling you all of this? Because I wish to lessen my own sins."
"What? Miss Lis, what on earth is your grandfather saying? Why are you hiding off to the side? Explain this!"
Lis hid to the side, unmoved, without uttering a single half-word.
"My daughter naturally wouldn't dare to go against her father's wishes!"
"So that means you are the mastermind behind everything!"
The Black-Robed Elder raised the skull magic wand in his hand.
"Miss Lis, please save us! Talk some sense into your grandfather—no, your father!"
"I..."
"My daughter, you only have three years left."
Hearing these words, Lis silently accepted it all.
Within a mere moment, the Black-Robed Elder's face grew noticeably younger.
The wrinkles on his face diminished greatly, and the black spots faded significantly.
"Father," Lis called out, glancing at the unconscious crowd.
"Father is leaving! This departure is final, and I will not Return. Go to the secret chamber of the Lis Family; inside you will find things your father has prepared for you. However, whether you choose to use them depends entirely on your own enlightenment." Having said this, the Black-Robed Elder used magic to bury the unconscious crowd—now reduced to the appearance of withered skeletons—deep beneath the earth, turned around, and vanished.
Inside the Magic Restaurant, Liuxuer grabbed Yi Yan's arm and refused to let go.
"Little mage!" Liuxuer stubbornly insisted.
"Let go, or I might hurt you. I appreciate your kind intentions," Yi Yan said softly.
"You? Fine, if you can beat me, I'll let you go," Liuxuer said triumphantly.
With this little mage's puny arms, weak legs, and frail frame, combined with her level of magic, how could she possibly contend with me? I simply have to make her stay.
Yi Yan let out a helpless sigh. "One move."
"One move? Aren't you being a bit too arrogant? You're looking down on me. But fine, one move it is," Liuxuer replied briskly.
Meanwhile, the Waitress stood silently to the side, taking it all in.
"Very well! Little mage, let's make our move," said Liuxuer.
"I have already made my move, Sister Liuxuer." Yi Yan walked past Liuxuer's side.
"You—little mage, you're cheating! This round doesn't count. How could you cast an array and immobilize me in such a short amount of time?" shouted Liuxuer, who was frozen in place.
"Sister Liuxuer, no matter the process of this move, the result is still that I won. Therefore, you don't need to worry about whether my abilities are sufficient to protect myself."
As Yi Yan finished speaking, Liuxuer wanted to say something more, but the Waitress spoke up: "The master can confirm that this little mage's abilities are unquestionable. If she wants to leave, no one can stop her. Disciple, why must you force the issue?"
"Master! I yield!" Liuxuer cried out coquettishly.
With a flick of the Waitress's hand, Liuxuer regained her mobility.
This action gave Yi Yan a small jolt of shock in her heart.
The Waitress before her had effortlessly undone the Dark Magic Array she herself had set up with just a casual wave of her hand.
She had probably seen through the fact that she possessed dark magic as well!
"Liuxuer, the guests are almost all here. Master needs to prepare to open the doors and welcome them."
By the time Liuxuer reacted, there was no longer any sign of Yi Yan.
"Aunt Youyou, in times of crisis, it turns out it was your Magic Restaurant that came to save everyone."
The first person to walk into the restaurant was the person Liuxuer loathed the most.
"Who is your aunt? Don't go around randomly calling people my master. You big profiteering, despicable man," Liuxuer scolded.
"Huh? Why is it you again? Miss... Miss, how did I offend you? The moment I step through the door, you start chattering away and cursing at me alone," Stall Owner Jia said with a bitter smile, casting a look of grievance toward the Waitress.
"Kid Jia, drop your disguise, pay 2,000 Magic Coins, and help do odd jobs around my restaurant, and I'll let you take refuge here," the Waitress stated concisely.
"You got it! How could I dare disobey Aunt Youyou's words? I will obey your command." Stall Owner Jia grinned widely, removed his middle-aged disguise, and handed over the 2,000 Magic Coins.
A handsome young man instantly appeared before Liuxuer.
This profiteer actually had quite a decent appearance! What a waste of such a presentable look.
"Hey? Miss, looking at your disdainful expression, you couldn't possibly be secretly cursing me in your mind again, could you?" Stall Owner Jia said.
"As if! Master, look at him!" Liuxuer acted aggrieved.
"Alright, you two stop bickering. Get to work on proper matters."
"Yes."
"Hmph!"
As the number of people seeking refuge in the Magic Restaurant steadily increased, even those two Grand Magi followed the crowd inside.
"Excuse me, Grand Magus, might I ask if a little mage has come in here?"
Before the Waitress could speak, Stall Owner Jia chimed in first: "There's no little mage here. People with weak magical power probably didn't make it through this black rain anyway! If you're looking for someone, you should go outside to look."
"You... we weren't asking you, my friend." Why is this guy so hot-tempered? It's like we owe him a fortune.
"Hmph! You're blocking the way! Move aside!" Stall Owner Jia said dismissively.
Those two fellows still owed him 2,000 Magic Coins! He never expected that a sudden black rain midway would allow them to run off.
Every time he thought about it, it made his blood boil.
"He..."
"You two Light Mages, don't take it to heart. He just has that foul temper," Liuxuer said discontentedly.
"Grand Magi?"
"Seeing that you both are unharmed, stay here and help me with some odd jobs! Healing those who are suffering is also a supreme act of merit for you as Light Mages," the Waitress proclaimed.
After pondering for a moment, the two Grand Magi decided to stay in the Magic Restaurant.