22: Prince

The female voice, with a hint of playfulness, said, "My name? Heh, it's been a long time since anyone asked me that! You can call me Phantom Moon."

"Remember, the path of magic holds endless mysteries. Since you possess such creativity, you should go even further on this path. I look forward to you bringing more surprises in the future."

Brian respectfully replied, "This junior will not disappoint Senior Phantom Moon's expectations and will continuously explore and advance on this path of magic."

Senior Phantom Moon's voice gradually faded into the Magic Net Formation.

At the same time, inside a Mage Tower at the center of a floating city in the middle of the empire.

A female mage, dressed in a purple star-patterned robe and wearing a crystal crown, slowly opened her eyes. The faint blue light swirling on her fingertips was identical to the fluctuations of the Magic Formation in Brian's laboratory.

Phantom Moon gently raised her hand, and the crystal ball floating before her reflected Brian engrossed in organizing his data, a slight smile playing on her lips:

"A Second-level Mage can touch the forbidden zone of the soul; this little guy's magical talent is also different from what's on record. No matter! After all, everyone has their own secrets! There are still many things in this world that can enhance talent!"

"But it is indeed interesting... much more interesting than those old fogeys."

With a flick of her sleeve, the rune arrays of the entire Mage Tower suddenly lit up, and countless silver threads pierced through the void, reaching directly to Tengfei Territory.

Brian, who was adjusting Spirit Eye's emotional module, suddenly froze—a warm sensation emanated from his forehead, where the blessing mark bestowed by Phantom Moon appeared. The purple flame entwined within the star and moon patterns caused ripples in the air of the entire laboratory.

"creator?" Spirit Eye's starlit face looked at Brian, and the analysis spectrum formed by data streams flickered wildly in the air:

"Detected residual unknown high-level spatial magic. Recommend immediately activating a Level Four Magic Formation defense."

Brian, however, smiled and pressed Spirit Eye, who was about to retrieve magic crystals:

"No need to be nervous. This should be Senior Phantom Moon's protection mark."

Brian felt the purple flame mark on his forehead, sensing the terrifying magical power within it forming a cognitive barrier—any entity attempting to spy on him with soul detection would have its divine consciousness burned by this wisp of flame.

The mark then automatically concealed itself.

While Brian was marveling at Senior Phantom Moon, he also wondered if he had inadvertently offended her during their conversation.

Suddenly, Brian's expression stiffened, and then his pupils began to contract rapidly! He spoke to Spirit Eye in an incredulous tone:

"Did Senior Phantom Moon just say 'My King'???"

Spirit Eye's data stream fluctuated slightly, seemingly retrieving from its memory bank for comparison:

"According to Magic Net historical data, 'My King' is the self-address of a King. Those who can become a King in this world are at least Mages of Level 8 or above!!!"

Brian felt his throat go dry. He recalled Phantom Moon's effortless control over the Magic Net and the three rewards she casually bestowed—especially the blessing mark that could awe Mages above Level Four.

He suddenly realized that he might have latched onto a much more powerful backer than he had imagined.

"Spirit Eye, I need some peace and quiet!"

"Understood, creator!"

Subsequently, Brian slumped into his chair, lost in thought.

'A King! That's a King! A minimum Level 8 Mage, that's an existence capable of suppressing weak divine powers, and a stronger one could even rival intermediate divine powers.'

'In this world, where a Level 7 Mage can contend with weak divine power, this King!!! Tsk tsk tsk!'

'With such a powerful figure protecting me! I'm going to soar!!! Hahahaha!!!'

Then, as he thought about it, Brian burst into loud laughter!

'And the million high-grade magic stone the powerful figure mentioned. One advanced magic stone equals 100 intermediate magic stones, and one intermediate magic stone equals 100 primary magic stones. So, a hundred billion primary magic stones???''

'Wow! I'm a billionaire! My territory can also develop greatly!'

'One gold coin = 100 silver coins = 10,000 copper coins. One primary magic stone can be exchanged for 100 gold coins!'

'Here, for me, there's only one unit of money, and that's billions!'

Once his mood had somewhat calmed, Brian instructed Spirit Eye:

"Spirit Eye, for today, you should study knowledge on the Magic Net by yourself. I've already granted you the authorization for the Magic Net."

Spirit Eye's starlit face flickered slightly, and data streams formed symbols of acknowledgment:

"Understood, creator. Spirit Eye will fully utilize Magic Net resources for learning and enhance its knowledge reserves."

Brian nodded in satisfaction, then, remembering something, added:

"However, you must be careful to filter information and not be misled by any undesirable or incorrect knowledge. If you encounter knowledge that you cannot confirm or have questions about, record it and wait for me to handle it when I return."

"Understood, creator. Spirit Eye will establish a knowledge filtering mechanism to ensure that the knowledge learned is accurate and reliable."

Spirit Eye responded, data streams outlining complex logical diagrams in the air.

Watching Spirit Eye systematically connect to the Magic Net and filter information, Brian felt reassured and headed towards the castle.

As Brian walked, his mind continuously replayed the scenes of his interaction with Senior Phantom Moon. The identity of a King and the generous rewards—each detail filled him with excitement.

Upon returning to the castle, Alice saw Brian's irrepressible excitement and couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Brian, you look so happy. Did you have a major breakthrough in your research, or did something good happen?"

Brian walked over with a smile, took Alice's hand, and said, "Alice, today my research project, the Magical Intelligent Life, is finally complete! I named this intelligent life Spirit Eye."

"Today, when I had Spirit Eye connect to the Magic Net, its existence startled a certain King. That King was very interested in Spirit Eye, so I gave the research data for Spirit Eye to the King, and the King even gave me a reward!"

Alice's eyes widened, a look of disbelief on her face: "A King?"

Brian nodded heavily, his eyes gleaming with excitement:

"That's right, a King! A powerful existence of at least Level 8 Mage! Not only did that King not blame Spirit Eye for connecting to the Magic Net without permission, but she also gave me three generous rewards."

Alice's heart surged as she listened, and she tightly clasped Brian's hand:

"Brian, this... this is simply incredible! You not only created magical intelligent life but also gained the appreciation of a King!"

Brian smiled and told Alice about the three rewards given by Phantom Moon one by one.

When she heard about the million high-grade magic stone and the free access to all knowledge below Level 7 within the Magic Net, Alice couldn't help but exclaim:

"Oh my goodness! Brian, you're really going to soar this time!"

Brian chuckled proudly, then sobered up and said:

"Yes, Alice, but the most important thing is the King's mark. This means that the King will be my backer from now on. Even when facing a Duke, they will give me some face!"

Alice nodded vigorously: "Mm! Brian! I'm so proud of you!"

Brian's heart warmed. He gently pulled Alice into his embrace, feeling their heartbeats.

After a while, he released Alice and said:

"Alice, it's dinner time. Go get Joey for dinner!"

Alice smiled gently: "Okay, I'm going now."

Watching Alice's retreating figure as she went upstairs, Brian turned and walked towards the dining room.