26: Chinese New Year

In a flash, it was the morning of December 31st.

Brian arrived at the castle's teleportation array room, waiting for his family to teleport over.

Soon, the teleportation array shimmered, and five figures appeared: his father, Lyle; his mother, Judy; his eldest brother, Desac; his sister-in-law, Jessica; and his younger sister, Fannie. His older sister, Jenny, was already married, so she didn't come.

Brian quickly stepped forward, warmly embracing and greeting each family member.

His mother, Judy, her face full of smiles, gently stroked Brian's face and said,

“My dear son, where are Alice and Joey? Let me go see them quickly.”

Brian smiled and said,

“Mother, Alice is still resting, and Joey should still be sleeping. I’ll take you to the guest room to put away your luggage first, and then we can go see them together.”

As Brian spoke, he gestured for the butler behind him to take the gifts his family had brought.

His father, Lyle, patted Brian’s shoulder and said, “Brian, no rush, it’s still early. Let them all rest.”

Brian smiled in response, “Alright, Father, I’ll take you all to the guest rooms first.”

Everyone followed Brian to the already prepared guest rooms, and after settling their luggage,

they then happily chatted together in the castle hall.

After a while, Alice came into the castle hall, and seeing her family, a surprised smile appeared on her face:

“Mother, Father, Eldest Brother, Sister-in-law, Fannie, you’re here!”

His mother, Judy, quickly got up and walked to Alice’s side, taking her hand and asking with concern,

“Alice, how do you feel? Is there anywhere you’re uncomfortable?”

Alice smiled and shook her head: “Mother, I’m doing quite well, I just feel a bit sleepy occasionally.”

“Second Sister-in-law, has little Joey woken up? Can I go see him?” At this moment, his younger sister, Fannie, suddenly asked Alice.

Alice smiled gently: “Joey should be awake by now, Fannie, come with me to see him.”

Fannie nodded excitedly, skipping over to Alice’s side and linking arms with her.

His mother, Judy, also smiled and said, “Then let’s all go together, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Joey.”

So, the group followed Alice to Joey’s room.

Joey was sitting on his small bed, playing with the small toys Brian had prepared for him. Seeing so many people enter, he immediately widened his eyes, curiously looking at everyone.

Fannie quickly walked to Joey’s side, squatted down, and softly said, “Joey, Auntie has come to see you!”

Joey grinned as if he understood, letting out a series of clear laughs, and even reached out his small hand, wanting to grab Fannie’s hair.

Everyone was amused by Joey's adorable appearance, and the room was filled with a warm and joyful atmosphere.

His mother, Judy, looked at Joey, her eyes full of maternal love, and said, “Joey is so cute!”

His father, Lyle, also smiled and nodded: “Yes, this child’s eyes are like Brian’s, and his mouth and nose are like Alice’s. He’s truly adorable.”

His eldest brother, Desac, and sister-in-law, Jessica, also praised Joey.

Afterward, everyone talked about the baby in Alice's belly. His mother, Judy, earnestly reminded Alice to take care of herself and not to overwork.

Alice smiled and nodded, stating that Brian was taking very good care of her.

Just then, Brian walked in, and seeing this scene, a joyful and relieved smile appeared on his face.

He walked to Alice's side, gently put his arm around her shoulder, and said, “Everyone is here. Today is a good day; let’s have a reunion dinner together.”

Everyone responded, and so, the group went to the castle’s dining room, ready to enjoy this warm reunion dinner.

The year gradually passed in this warm atmosphere.

Time arrived at January 15th of the new year.

Brian’s family had already returned to their family’s territory.

Today, in the Mage Tower’s 6th-floor library.

Suddenly, the voice of the Tower Spirit, Gumo Ning, appeared in Brian’s ear.

“Master, Klein has sent you a message through the communication array.”

“Alright, transfer it to me.”

As Brian’s words fell, an image of his third uncle, Klein, was projected in the study.

“Third Uncle, good afternoon.” Brian greeted Klein first.

Klein, with a gentle smile on his face, responded:

“Brian, good afternoon. I’m contacting you this time because I have an important matter I want to discuss with you.”

Brian raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression becoming focused, and said, “Third Uncle, please tell me, what is it?”

Klein paused, then slowly said,

“Recently, a group of mages specializing in teaching are graduating from the academy. They don’t want to be lords, and the academy is responsible for finding suitable elementary magic academies for them to teach at.”

“I think your territory should also have an elementary magic academy to cultivate some mages. Do you want to come and select a few?”

Brian’s eyes lit up, and a surge of joy welled up in his heart. He quickly said,

“Third Uncle, this is truly wonderful! I was just worrying about the lack of professional magic teaching talent in the territory. With these mages specializing in teaching joining us, our territory’s magic education will definitely reach a new level.”

Klein smiled and nodded, saying,

“I knew you’d be interested. These mages have all been carefully trained by the academy, and their teaching abilities are excellent. When do you plan to come and select them?”

Brian thought for a moment and said,

“Third Uncle, I’ll arrange a time to go as soon as possible. How about three days from now? I’ll prepare in advance to ensure I select the mages most suitable for our territory.”

Klein replied, “Okay, three days from now it is. Let me know in advance when you’re coming, so I can arrange for them to meet you.”

Brian said gratefully,

“Alright, Third Uncle, then I’ll trouble you. I’m really grateful that you thought of me this time, otherwise, I wouldn’t know when I’d find such a good opportunity.”

Klein waved his hand and said,

“Why be so polite with me? You’re also thinking about the development of your territory, which is a good thing. I hope your territory can become more and more prosperous and cultivate more excellent mages.”

“Brian, after you test the people with mage aptitude in your territory, remember to sign contracts with them.”

“Whether it’s a territory mage or an academy mage contract, you must sign it for a certain number of years. After all, it’s not every year that there’s such a good opportunity to have a batch of new academy mages for you to choose from.”

“You must know how to cultivate talent yourself; this is the path to the sustainable development of the territory.”

Brian said firmly, “Third Uncle, rest assured! Thank you very much.”

Afterward, Brian and Klein discussed some topics about territory construction and magic education before ending the communication.