Chapter 158 - 139 - 146

Sentinel Slate

The rain drizzled continuously, as if like a thread of yarn.

It pelted onto the tarpaulin Leylin had draped over his shoulders; it gave a cooling sensation.

Riding on the Seated Lupin Wolf that had a night's rest, Leylin appeared tranquil as he peered through the ashy haze, trying to look at the scenery ahead.

*Whoosh*

It was as if the curtains were pulled apart. Leylin felt like he had rushed out of a dense fog as extremely dazzling sunlight directly shined on them.

*Rustling*

Wolf claws slowly sunk into the countless grains of sand they were stepping on.

The rain-filled, dark clouds had gradually dispersed, and now the fiery sun had taken over the sky. It brought with it burning hot rays of brilliance, which constantly spread across the wide desert.

From what they could see, there was a field of gold as well as modulating levels of sand dunes.

"Golden Desert, we've arrived!" Leylin felt the surrounding temperature increasing constantly. It must have gone up by at least twenty degrees since the rain earlier.

The sweltering humidity continuously flooded into the tarpaulin, and even with Leylin's constitution, he felt a little uncomfortable.

*Crash* He hastily removed the tarpaulin and stripped off some clothes, and even then he only felt a little better.

This sudden change in temperature within the Grand Canyon Margaret was not unusual. If ordinary people came here, it would have been a torment for them. However for Leylin and his group, it was only a wee bit troublesome.

"Awooooooo!"

The leading Seated Lupin Wolf howled, and the rest of the wolves that were being ridden by the others also howled. It wasn't clear if these howls were due to excitement or was meant as a warning.

With the howling of the wolves, Leylin noted that the body hairs on the Seated Lupin Wolf began to change.

The Seated Lupin Wolves had black fur, and only the head had a touch of bright red fur. But now in the hot sunlight, the wolf's hair color gradually faded. Finally, it completely transformed into a pale white color, then a streak of light blue lighted up from the wolf's body. The whole piece fur turned ice blue.

An icy breath emitted from the back of the wolf. The icy-cool feeling was very comfortable, especially in this desert.

"It actually even knows of the uses and the difference between thermal absorption properties of light and dark colors!"

Leylin could not help but to gasp in amazement of the adaptability of the Seated Lupin Wolf. Under the scorching rays of the sun, the ice blue fur was not affected by the heat as much as the dark fur. As for the fact that the Seated Lupin Wolf knew of these — it made Leylin feel somewhat shocked.

Moreover, they even applied the slight use of Ice element energy particles.

The Seated Lupin Wolf was undoubtedly the best creature to traverse the terrains of the Great Canyon Margaret!

The six huge wolves with icy blue fur gave off a chilly sensation. They very soon proceeded on their journey along with the Magi riding on them, and stepped into the Golden Desert which was 10 times more dangerous than the Limestone Wasteland.

Under the scorching rays, Leylin gulped down some more water.

With his vision and the A.I. Chip's detection, he had already discovered many dangerous creatures in the nearby desert.

To put it bluntly, the level of danger in the Limestone Wasteland was the lowest in all of the terrains within the Great Canyon Margaret.

A dozen days before, the journey for Leylin and the others were extremely relaxed. There was no difference from an excursion, and the dangerous creatures they met were rare.

However, things were obviously different in here.

With the slightest observation, Leylin already discovered many dangerous lifeforms concealed within the sand dunes.

Six-Eyed Poison Snake, Golden Scorpion, Toxic Compound Eye Lizard were a few creatures that Leylin saw before in illustrations as they continued to appear before his eyes. There were even some grotesquely shaped creatures.

"The energy density in the air here has even been replicated. It's even higher than in the outside world, no wonder there are so many troublesome things!"

Feeling the energy particles that filled the air, Leylin gasped slightly.

"Everyone, keep your spirits raised. The dangers in the Golden Desert cannot be compared with the Limestone Wasteland!"

The female Magus, called Lancey, shouted.

Even without her reminder, the other Magi present had already recollected their absent-minded pace from before.

One can loosen their guard occasionally in the Limestone Wasteland, but if they chose to do the same in the Golden Desert, they were foolish and seeking for death! Those magicians who were able to advance into a rank 1 Magus were seldom such people.

"Awoooooo!"

Just then, Lancey's steed let off a howl. Its huge claws were raised and its sharp claws at tip slashed down with a cold glint of light!

*Pat*

Suddenly, a black scorpion with the image of an eye appeared in front of where the wolf was. It was patted down by the sharp claws of wolf as it continuously writhed its body and hissed.

*Ka-Cha* The Seated Lupin Wolf dropped its jaws and opened its gory mouth as it placed the scorpion into its jaws. The razor sharp mandible continued to chew, bringing along the snapping sounds of the scorpion's bones being crunched.

"Such a life form can be settled by the Seated Lupin Wolf. However, dangerous creatures such as the Kary Vultures must be dealt by us personally!"

Lancey slighted nudged her steed forward and said to the Magi behind her.

"This is…"

Where the Seated Lupin Wolf had attacked earlier, it sent a huge amount of sand flying in the air and Leylin spotted several grains of gold within it.

He reached his hand forward and grasp a handful of gold sand in his hands.

In the middle of the normal grains of sand, several golden grains were mixed in with it. Its weight was also heavier than the others by a large margin.

"Golden sand?"

Leylin looked at the gold which seemed to be alluring and was somewhat speechless.

"Golden Desert, this here is the real Golden Desert!"

"If it was the secular world, it will definitely cause chaos. A pity, however…"

With a look of contempt, Leylin flung the gold sand back onto the ground.

To magicians, only the magic crystals, the ingredients which could stimulate the spiritual force and the various advanced information was considered to be the real currency!

As for the gold belonging the secular world, apart from its uses as an ingredient, it was no different from regular metals.

Moreover, the Golden Desert was situated inside the Great Canyon Margaret, an area forbidden to regular humans. To traverse it also required the employment of the highly expensive Seated Lupin Wolves.

Thinking of the cost of excavation would already frighten the kings in many dukedoms!

Leylin only felt some pity regarding the golden sand, but he very soon regained his composure.

The A.I. Chip's detection had been activated by him all along as his eyes surveyed the surroundings. In the Golden Desert, one must always be on alert.

The six giant, icy-blue wolves seemed to be six small boats in the Golden Desert as they continuously plodded on.

After the sky gradually darkened, the temperature in the desert also dropped.

At this moment, the Seated Lupin Wolf gave off warmth; their furs also turned back to black, as if storing the heat from day time.

"Today, I shall stand guard during the night!"

After Leylin had built his tent, an official Magus present among them all, said so.

There was a total of 6 in the group. Leylin, Lancey, the old leader, and the huge bloke and two others who remained silent most of the time. The one who spoke was one of these two.

These two Magi had grey robes on at all times, and seldom spoke. Their personality was also extremely antisocial. Up till now, Leylin managed to exchange two sentences with only one of the two.

"We will count on you!" Lancey did not look too good, her face appeared tired as she went into her tent.

During the day, she had used her spiritual force to scan the surroundings for any activity going on. Now, she urgently needed to rest and meditate to recover her spiritual force.

As Leylin had the A.I. Chip to help with his tasks, his mental state was still doing fine. Yet he still put on a false impression of being weary.

"Are you not going to rest awhile?" Leylin appeared in front of one of those official Magi and casually spoke to him.

"I need not rest. I have these. Come out, my little babies!"

The Magus on night duty gave a deep laughter as his pair of arms performed a strange gesture.

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* A layer of Earth element particles continued to emanate from his body.

The surrounding sand rose up by a layer. After which, it was quickly broken, revealing a dozen yellow slates.

These muddy yellow slates each had a human face on it. Some were young, some were old. They even a pair of slim arms and legs. Just like a gingerbread man.

"Father! We await your commands!" A dozen stone slate people knelt on one knee in front of the Magus on night duty.

"Very well, you all shall guard the night for me. You are in charge of…" The night guard Magus nodded his head and unrestrainedly began giving out orders.

"Sentinel Slates?" Leylin was bewildered.

These creatures were very similar to the Sentinel Slates in the database of the A.I. Chip, yet it seemed like a creature of a higher level.

"It's a rank 1 Sentinel Slate but they have undergone modifications from me!" The night duty Magus declared proudly.

After becoming an official Magus, magicians will often attempt to modify and improve some rank 1 spells and even the rank 0 spells of acolytes.

Once they were successful, it could absolutely turn into a unique trump card. Or it could be sold in exchange for a large amount of resources.

A pity that these things and finding replacement potions were the same. Unless one was extremely lucky to chance across it, or only after undergoing a vast amount of experiments, would it be possible to see results.

"It's really quite a remarkable spell!" Several traces of admiration, which was just right, appeared on Leylin's face, turning the gaze of the spell caster gentler towards him.

"Let's go! The Sentinel Slates originally have to use of acting as a warning. After my modification, their detection abilities can span a dozen miles…" The Magus on night duty said.

Leylin looked at the Sentinel Slates, which, having received orders, hurriedly ran to the outer area of the camp encirclement, using the sand to conceal their own bodies.

Along with the sand that continuously trickled down, the energy waves of the slate got smaller, finally turning into an untraceable spell. Leylin could not help but approve in silence.

Any Magus would have their own trump card. Once they were disregarded, it would definitely be a painful experience.

Deep in the night, Leylin who was in a light sleep heard an ear-piercing scream.

"Hurry, get up. We have trouble!"

The earlier Magus, who was on guard duty, went into the individual tents and his face showing utter exasperation.

"What happened?" Lancey's expression was the worst. There were several spots on her body where the robes were not yet arranged, as it revealed her alluring flesh. A pity nobody at the scene bothered to have another look.

The Golden Giant

"A Golden Giant is in the process of moving towards us!"The Magus on night duty exclaimed hurriedly. "The Sentinel Slate used to alert the others have been completely eaten by it, too!"

"F*ck!"

After hearing these words 'Golden Giant', Leylin quickly heard the startled oaths of nearby Magi.

The Golden Giant was a type of elemental species. Its power was close to that of a fully converted elemental Magus. On top of that, it has its own unique racial talents. Only a rank 2 Magus had the capabilities to thoroughly kill or banish it.

"Wasn't it said that the Golden Giants from the Golden Desert are extinct? Furthermore, it appeared conveniently in our way. "

The old leader clenched his jaws in a state of madness. His eyes emitted a green radiance.

"Can we avoid it for the time being?"

Lancey suggested. "The Golden Desert is so huge, he might not be able to find us!"

"I am afraid not!" Leylin was the first to interject. "The Golden Giants have a natural instinct to chase species with high energy levels. The energy propagating from our bodies acts like a lamp in the darkness for the giant's eyes. The more we move, the more likely the Golden Giant will assault us!"

"If that is the case what should we do?" A look of despair appeared on Lancey's face. "Unless we have a rank 2 Magus within our party, we will all fail to escape the assault of the Golden Giant…."

There is a large gulf of difference in power level between the official Magi of different rankings

Leylin and his party of six were only slightly stronger than a rank 1 Magus. They would even have difficulties going head on with a semi converted elemental Magus. They had no chance of surviving an encounter with a fully converted elemental Golden Giant.

Semi elemental conversions refer to Magi whose elemental essence conversion has reached a level of 50% and above. At this stage, their increase in magical power due to the elemental essence conversion starts to become very obvious. When faced with budding Warlocks, they held a great advantage.

While Leylin was still an acolyte, he had an encounter with a semi converted storm elemental sprite while on the dirigible. If not for the fact that there was a large gathering of Magi from the different academies, the only outcome would have been death.

In the current predicament, Leylin had to face something far more powerful and dangerous than the semi converted storm elemental sprite.

"Perhaps, we should scatter and escape in different directions…"

The large bloke hesitated for a while before suggesting.

Upon hearing the suggestion, the Magi present entered a state of silence and eyes started flickering nonstop.

"Are you people mad?"

The old geezer interrupted the large bloke in a fit of anger. "If we fled in different directions, can you guarantee that you individuals are lucky enough to escape the assault of the Golden Giant? Furthermore, what will you do after you reach the Kary Vultures' territory?"

The two sharp questions abruptly brought about a deeper silence.

After fleeing in different directions, they could once again head towards the intended destination. If they were lucky, there was even a chance of heading back to Broken Axe Pub.

However, this was only the last resort. The Magi will not accept their foul fate just like that.

"Quick! Another three of my babies are dead!" The night shift Magus said with a heavier breath than before.

"Maybe we could use the Sentinel Slate along with a rune which dissipates energy continuously to distract the Golden Giant. While it is distracted, we could do our best to restrain the energy emitted from our bodies and sneak away… If it fails, we could do as mentioned earlier and scatter in different directions…"

In the midst of silence. Leylin suddenly spoke up.

"Although this plan is unreliable, we obviously have no better options…"

The old geezer let out a sign of deep resignation and pointed at Leylin. "We will do as he says! I happen to have the material for a few Sentinel Slates…"

Following which, he handed out vials filled with grey powders to the night shift Magus.

Having looked at the materials handed out by the old geezer, the night shift Magus displayed a look of unwillingness. However, he still received the materials from the old geezer. "Alright, let's try it! But I cannot guarantee that it will work!"

Soon after the chants from the nightshift Magus, a few pieces of Sentinel Slates that resembled the destroyed one rose up from the sands.

At this moment, the people in the camp could clearly see a golden glow appearing in the eastern direction.

This glow was like the sun dissipating the darkness and brought about a glimmer of warmth.

In front of the solar disk was the colossal shadow of a giant.

The giant's body radiated a golden light. It was armoured very simply. A leather armour on this upper body with an iron hoop in the middle that joined the two shoulder pads.

On the shoulders rested the head of the giant with rigid face lines that looked like it was caused by the scrapes and slashes of weapons. The tangerine hair on top of its head looked like it was burning mightily.

[Beep! High energy species life form spotted, determined to be a Golden Giant, recommended to leave immediately!]

At the same instant, the A.I. chip displayed out of a red warning screen.

"Quick! Quick!" The old geezer's voice was filled with urgency.

"I know a few energy concentration runes, hopefully, it is of use!" The other usually quiet Magus stood up and said. Following which he applied what looked like a mixture of circular and triangular runes on the Sentinel Slate.

After the rune was inscribed, it radiated brightly and suddenly a power energy surged out from the Sentinel Slate. This enormous energy fluctuated chaotically causing the Golden Giant to let out a roar and accelerate towards it.

"Nice! It grabbed the Golden Giant's attention!" Lancey exclaimed happily.

"Let's add this on top!" Leylin uncorked a red test tube and poured its content on the inscribed Sentinel Slate.

After the liquid from the red test tube assimilated fully into the Sentinel Slate, the Sentinels let out angry snarls and transformed to be bigger and with stronger limbs.

"Hopefully, this will help them hold out longer!"

Leylin tossed away the empty test tube. The energy propagating out of his body was reduced from that of an official Magus to a normal person.

This was done using the Transfiguration Spell. It diluted the level of energy propagating from his body.

After which, he went over to his Seated Lupin Wolf, placed a cover over the wolf's mouth and gave it a pat on its head.

The Seated Lupin Wolf seemed to be aware of the presence of the incoming Golden Giant. It got low to the floor with limbs trembling and waited for Leylin's command.

The other Magus followed Leylin's action.

They also used the protection of the environment to conceal their whole body.

Finally, the Golden Giant was nearer to the camp. It was less than only 500 metres away!

At this sort of distance, Leylin was able to see clearly every single hair on the giant.

"It's up to you now, babies, attack!"

"Attack! For our father!"

The burly and buffed up Sentinel Slates roared. Some of them rushed head on towards the Golden Giant while the others split up and ran in different directions.

Whether it was the brave Sentinels Slates who charged heads on towards the Golden Giant or the others who ran in different directions, their bodies carried a large source of energy which pulsated out of them. The energy was almost like that of a rank 1 Magus.

"kjfl" The Golden Giant let out an unknown type of shout as if swearing.

It stretched out its large palms in a posture like it was hiding the sky and covering the earth. It pushed against the ground and dredged up the earth.

A few of the Sentinels were picked up by the Golden Giant

"For glory! For protection!"

The Sentinel Slates roared as their little fists rained down upon the giant's large arm.

"Creak Crunch!" The large Golden Giant placed the captured Sentinels directly into the mouth. It sounded as if he was chewing through biscuits.

After ingesting the Sentinel Slates, the Golden Giant let out a loud roar and chased after the fleeing Sentinel Slates with large strides.

"Now!"

The old geezer's voice was soft. The six men covertly pulled the Seated Lupin Wolf and left the camp area.

Everyone was doing their utmost to contain the energy pulsating from their bodies. There was even a cover on the Seated Lupin Wolf's body. Like moles, they stealthily left the area

The Golden Giant shouted at the fleeing Sentinel Slates and chased after them. It never gave the camp a second look.

"Run!"

Someone exclaimed softly after the golden glow disappeared. Without hesitation, everyone ran at the speed of light.

...

*Crash!*

The wolf pack ran past, kicking up a dust of sand and stones. The dust glittered a faint glow of gold.

Leylin and the party had been on the run without a break ever since he was disturbed from his rest state at the camp. This, coupled with the Golden Giant incident had caused Leylin to have an unhealthy complexion.

From the pitch black darkness of the night to a fully risen sun, almost half a day had passed while on the run.

However, the thought of the Golden Giant spurred the party on and nobody grumbled about the lack of rest.

"We were lucky the Golden Giant does not seem to have high intelligence! It only knows how to mindlessly chase after high energy life forms. If not, the stealth attempt yesterday would have failed. It was a really suspenseful situation…"

Leylin felt a lingering fear in his heart.

Although he has advanced his magical powers and is considered to be someone of considerable power in the world of Magus, the Golden Giant was something that was entirely out of his league.

"However, the Golden Giant is an elemental species. It does not have a bloodline. If not, I would rather like to have a few drops of the Golden Giant's blood for my experiments…"

Leylin's eyes betrayed a glimpse of regret.

There were countless types of mythical species in the Magus world. The Golden Giant belonged to the elemental species. Its whole body is made up of various type of elements and minerals. There is not even a drip of blood in it, naturally there will be no blood line.

In ancient times, the paths to becoming a Magus were many. The Warlocks chose the path of the bloodline.

And obviously, the Golden Giant chose a different path.

There are different paths to reach the pinnacle. Leylin's plan was to follow the path of the Warlock.

"Shall we rest? If we do not meditate and recuperate our spiritual force…" Lancey's voice was heard from the front of the party. She travelled together with the old geezer on the Seated Lupin Wolf.

All Magi make use of the both their spiritual force and magic power to perform miraculous magic. Due to the Golden Giant incident yesterday and the constant travelling, the six Magi were unable to mediate to recuperate their spiritual energy. Looks of exhaustion were spread across their faces.

"No need for that, we are yet to be out of the danger zone, the Golden Giant might catch up to us anytime soon…"

The wind carried the old geezers reply though the party.

After hearing the old geezers reply, the party sank into a solemn silence and carried on with their hasty escape.

The Magi feared the Golden Giant more than any other dangers in the Golden Desert.

Kary Vultures

*Whoosh Whoosh!*

A gale carried up the sand, bringing about a glittering gold color.

On the endless Golden Desert filled with death and danger, a pack of six large wolves padded across the soft sands at a relentless speed.

Upon the backs of the wolves, there sat a couple human silhouettes.

"We are here! Before us is the Golden Oasis!" The old geezer studied the map and exclaimed brightly.

"Are we here at last?" the rider of a Seated Lupin Wolf raised his head slightly and said. With his astonishingly powerful eyesight, he looked into the distance and saw a blanket of green.

Ever since their encounter with the Golden Giant, Leylin, and his party had been on edge, and had been easily startled by the slightest of things. They had only just started to relax after having been on the run for more than ten days. As a result, they also reached their destination at a faster time than they had originally planned.

This was the Golden Oasis, the only large water source in the Golden Desert.

Also, it was the only traversable path through the Grand Canyon Margaret. The other paths were wrought with dangers that far surpassed the capabilities of a rank 1 Magus.

Leylin spotted a few large bird-like creatures in the far distance that were taking off and landing at the oasis.

They were the Kary Vultures, the main culprits that occupied the land.

The six Magi stopped and stationed their Seated Lupin Wolves at a sand dune not far from the Golden Oasis.

The Seated Lupin Wolves were great against some of the lower level life forms in the Golden Oasis. However, against the adult Kary Vultures, which were comparable to a rank 3 Acolyte, they had no chance of surviving once trapped in their kill zone.

The Seated Lupin Wolves were still needed for the journey ahead. Furthermore, the wolves were borrowed. If the Wolves perished, a huge sum of magic crystals would be needed to compensate the handlers who were supposed to take back the wolves on the other side of the Grand Canyon.

"We can't press on anymore! The Kary Vultures are capable of flight. We will surely be spotted by them from the air!"

The old geezer surveyed the surroundings, "We need to conceal the position at which the Seated Lupin Wolves are situated as well!"

"I might be able to help in this aspect!" Leylin let out a faint smile and waved his two hands at the shadow of the sand dune.

Under Leylin's hand, the black shadow warped and swiveled. As if a giant behemoth hiding in the shadows, it opened its maw and swallowed the entire sand dune.

"Darkness is the natural friend of concealment." In the shadow of the darkness, the large wolves vanished.

"Good job!" Lancey praised Leylin.

In her eyes, although Leylin was still just a budding Magus, she admired his nimble mind and weak, but practical spells.

However, this was just a false front by Leylin.

Upon hearing Lancey's compliment, the big bloke incessantly let out a cold snort, "If it were up to me to do it…."

"Ok, ok! We are a party after all, why the need for that?"

The old geezer interrupted the big bloke, "Our enemies at the moment are the Kary Vulture flock and their King!"

"Lancey, you shall explain the situation to the party!"

Lancey stepped to the middle of the party and produced a blue gem from a small crevice in her chest region.

"This magic artifact is modelled to act as a spying eye, and can examine images within a ten kilometre radius!"

Lancey finished her explanation and placed the gem in her hands. She dripped a few drops of water from her water pouch onto it and chanted a few incantations.

A beam of light blue light was emitted from the gem. The light warped and stretched until it looked like a mirror's surface.

On the mirror like surface, a beautiful lake could be seen. Green shrubbery and coconut trees grew around it. Occasionally, large red birds could be seen ascending and descending from the forest.

The vision on the mirror surface continued to pan in. Leylin could see the true appearance of the Kary Vultures.

The Kary Vulture's wingspan spanned 5 metres and was covered in scarlet feathers. Its talons looked cold and sharp. The pink bald patches on its head were a disgusting sight. A tumor-like muscle bulged on its curved and completely bald head.

There were more than a hundred of these Kary Vultures in the oasis. If they were all fully grown and under the leadership of an official Magus-like Kary Vulture King, the band of Magi stood no chance.

"More than a hundred? This amount is too much! Can we see the Kary Vulture King?"

The old geezer hastily questioned.

"I will try my best!" Lancey was uncertain but continued to pan the mirror in the direction of the flock of Kary Vultures.

Over yonder, there stood a gigantic tree with a peculiar hollow that looked like a den. Hidden in it was an incomparably massive Kary Vulture.

While Lancey was trying to zoom in the mirror to get a closer look, the massive Kary Vulture seemed to notice her presence and let out an angry screech.

"Ga Ga!"

It sounded like a crow, but somehow unexplainably different. Suddenly, the surrounding Kary Vultures in the flock were agitated and stirred up.

Following the angry cry, a terrifying sonic wave swept towards all four directions.

"No way! It discovered my presence!" Lancey's complexion changed for the worse.

*Pa!* The mirror shattered into pieces like a broken crystal. It turned into a blue glow and dropped onto the floor.

"Ga Ga!" The Kary Vulture King's screech echoed from the distance. The Kary Vultures shook their large red wings, and like trained soldiers split up into sections. They spread out like carpet that covered the sky and searched the surroundings, not missing a single area.

"Sorry!" Lancey apologised with a look of embarrassment on her face.

"No problem! At least we saw the situation clearly, didn't we?" The night shift Magus replied quickly.

"That's right! That's right!? The old geezer replied with a brief flash of shame across his face. It was him that allowed Lancey to search for the Kary Vulture King.

"Ga Ga!" The large Kary Vultures patrolled the sky for a long period of time, but it was to no avail. At last, they violently attacked some of the land creatures in the area. The Kary Vultures swooped up what looked appeared to be large lizards, and flew back into the oasis.

For Leylin and the official Magi, it was an easy task to hide from the pursuit of the Kary Vultures.

"Ok! Let's discuss how we should deal with that goddamn flock of bastard birds.

Below the ground, in a temporary hut crafted using magic, the six Magi regrouped.

"A hundred Kary Vultures with power levels similar to level 2 or level 3 acolytes, plus a Vulture King whose power is far beyond what we expected!"

The old geezer looked at the other Magi.

"What else is there to do? Let's follow the earlier plan and observe their hunting paths and patterns. We will then kill off the small hunting packs before mounting an assault into the oasis!" The big bloke was the not even the least bit concerned as he waved them off with his hands.

This was the plan that was discussed earlier — simple and practical.

However, after the incident with the Golden Giant, the people in the party started to have a pressing sense of urgency and were unwilling to waste time on such plans.

Furthermore, the Golden Desert was the Golden Giant's habitat, and they did not wish to bump into it again.

"Alright! However, we have to increase the frequency of our attacks, and get through here quickly!"

Having observed Leylin and the rest of the party approving this plan, the old geezer grudgingly agreed to it…

A black scorpion-like creature guided by the darkness stealthily crawled along the desert floor. Its hooked tail swung from side to side as it moved along. There was an unusual bright red colouring on it, which was obviously an indication of it being poisonous.

*Shuck!*

All of a sudden, a muddy yellow tongue lashed across at speed unseen by the naked eye and pulled the scorpion into a sand dune.

*Boom!* The sand dune split open, revealing a muddy yellow lizard. The lizard was covered by bits and pieces of fish scales and had a large beautiful comb growing on its head.

*Zi Zi!* The lizard opened his mouth, and with one gulp and a movement of its neck muscles, the scorpion was eaten.

After ingesting its food, the lizard swayed its stocky body and used its front limbs to rapidly dig into the sand and bury itself in it.

"Ga Ga!'

Almost immediately after the lizard buried itself, an unpleasant vulture screeching echoed in the night sky.

*Whoosh!* Following the vulture's cry, a violent gust of wind swept by.

The large Kary Vulture swooped from midair, and using its black talons, it knocked the sand dune apart and clenched its claws.

*Kacha!* The sharp black talons directly hooked into the flesh of the lizard, and the lizard let out a howl of pain violently flipping its stocky body.

"GaGa!" The Kary Vulture let out a screech of delight and pecked at the lizard with its hooked beak.

*Pu!* The mud yellow lizard's skull had been split. Its brain matter and blood left a mess on the sands.

The Kary Vulture grabbed onto its prey tightly and began to fly back to its den.

Although normal vultures liked rotting meat, the Kary Vultures obviously preferred to ingest fresh and living mammals.

The mud yellow lizard was two metres long, but in comparison to the Kary Vulture's stature, the bird looked like it was grabbing a small fish.

"Latent Fireball!"

Somewhere from within the darkness, several black colored fireballs suddenly appeared and struck the Kary Vulture that was carrying its prey.

In a flash, the black fireballs were all over the Kary Vultures body.

*Bang!* Without a sound, the Kary Vulture, along with its dead prey, were reduced to ashes.

The following fireballs did not decrease in intensity. They shot right up into the sky and killed the remaining Kary Vultures.

Following his attack, the ground vibrated and the sand parted, revealing Leylin's face.

"A.I. Chip! Present the degree of attack!"

For these few days, he had been on watch in the area to hunt down those Kary Vultures that had swooped down looking for food.

Just now, Leylin had been experimenting with the rank one spell that the A.I. Chip came up with.

Long before, when he was a rank 3 acolyte, Leylin had tasked the A.I. Chip with simulating a rank 1 defensive spell model.

However, after receiving the teachings of the great Magus Serholm and advancing to a Warlock, this task had been delayed.

Entering the Golden Desert left him feeling that his attack techniques were lacking. As someone who lacked a conventional attack technique, Leylin decided to place the task back on the agenda.

Latent Fireball

What Leylin had wanted to simulate earlier was a defensive spell.

However, it was meant to be used by magicians who wanted to have a breakthrough with the Grine Water, so naturally, Leylin, having turned into a Warlock, did not need it anymore.

As if struck by inspiration, Leylin added in a few rank 1 spell models from the Book of Giant Serpent and let the A.I. Chip make its modifications and optimizations, devising a rank 1 spell that was suitable for his elemental affinity.

After advancing into a Warlock, Leylin's spiritual force had significantly increased. Even the A.I. Chip, which was bound to his soul, seemed to have obtained many benefits. Just two days ago, it was finally able to simulate a rank 1 spell model.

[Beep! Data collected, scanning in progress…]

The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.

[Latent Fireball! Classification: Rank 1 spell: Darkness and Fire. Degree of attack: 30.3. Added elemental bonus: 0.3 degrees]

Right now, Leylin's elemental essence conversion was 1%. Hence, he obtained a 1% increase in the might of his darkness element spell.

Although it seemed like the increase was insignificant, once the elemental essence conversion reached 50% and above, every Darkness element spell would be stronger than regular Magi by more than half!

"Not bad! This might is enough to deal with most Magi's innate defensive force fields!"

Leylin continued to analyse the data, his face revealing a satisfied expression.

It wasn't that the strength of Magi's defensive force fields were always the same. However, normally, Magi who had just advanced only had a defensive force field with the capability of 20 degrees. However, with the progress of their spiritual force, coupled with them seeking for some precious resources to increase the might of their magic spells, their defensive force fields would often become strengthened.

The range varied for each individual, which was truer for magicians who cultivated in high-grade meditation techniques.

As for Leylin, who was a Warlock, as well as having unearthed his bloodline, the defense might of the Scales of Kemoyin would also continue to become stronger.

A magic spell of 30 over degrees was enough to break most regular rank 1 Magi's defensive force fields.

That was to say, apart from his own trump card of his defensive force field, Leylin had another powerful method to deal with other Magi in the future.

However, it could only be that way.

If possible, Leylin would, of course, want the A.I. Chip to custom make a mighty rank 1 spell that could cover speed, strength, defense, detection, and all other various aspects.

However, it was a pity, as the A.I. Chip was only able to simulate the Latent Fireball spell due to Leylin having amassed large amounts of information. Also, it was due to the contributions of Darkness and Fire spells from the Book of Giant Serpent that made Leylin able to create the Latent Fireball after a long period time.

The few rank 1 spells in the Book of Giant Serpent were from the great Magus Serholm, who was also a Warlock with the Kemoyin bloodline. His elemental affinity was naturally towards the Darkness and Fire aspect, so the spells he collected were of these two elements, which allowed Leylin to benefit greatly from it.

As for these kinds of conditions, they would never be met again in the near future.

Hence, in this span of time, unless Leylin discovered a new type of Darkness and Fire element spell model, the A.I. Chip would not be able to simulate any new spells.

As he thought about the Book of Giant Serpent, Leylin involuntarily touched his chest, where the corner of a hardened black notebook was exposed.

This was the Book of Giant Serpent, which had been obtained from the Dylan Gardens, and kept securely by Leylin at all times. It was made of a special kind of material where the pages of the book carried a strange sensation to the touch. As if made of some creature's hide, every page could store large amounts of information.

Inside the book, not only were there a dozen rank 1 spell models, there were also three rank 2 spell models, together with the great Magus Serholm's travelling experiences and lab experiments. The information inside was aplenty, and it was Leylin's most valuable item that he'd gotten apart from the high-grade meditation technique.

*Weng Weng!*

At this moment, a pocket-sized diary that was hanging like a keychain trembled.

Leylin opened the diary and flipped to the page that was shaking.

This pocket-sized diary was only the size of a child's palm. On the faint yellow page, a secret imprint that had the shape of 3 rocks stacked together was letting off a slight glow and trembling.

Leylin reached out his finger and lightly dabbed on the secret imprint.

"Haha! Leylin, you have killed a lot of them haven't you? The Vulture King where I am at has already dispatched all of the Kary Vultures, so be careful when you conceal yourself!"

The voice of the huge bloke sounded from the secret imprint.

This pocket-sized diary was what official Magi used to collect the secret imprints of their friends, professors, colleagues and other people that they wanted to keep in contact with.

Some Magi, however, preferred to have the secret imprints inscribed on their bodies. One example was the huge bloke. Leylin saw that one of the huge bloke's arms was fully covered with the secret imprints.

Those densely packed imprints left Leylin feeling rather dizzy.

Although it was rather troublesome, he preferred to use the diary to collect the secret imprints.

"Alright, I got it!" Leylin said to the secret imprint.

Afterwards, he closed the diary and hurriedly left the area.

Very soon, Leylin saw the dark figures on the far horizon.

They were the shadows of the Vulture King, which, having been enraged, brought the entire flock with it.

However, compared to a few days ago, when they could cover the sky, the flock was now rather thinly spread out. Their numbers had dwindled from over a hundred to less than half, at around forty or fifty. This was the fruit of Leylin and the others' labours from over the last few days.

Even from this distance, Leylin could sense the violent energy waves radiating from this furious Vulture King.

"Ga Ga!"

With the Vulture King in the centre, the tremendous energy waves continued to radiate into the surroundings. This kingly figure was venting its frustration and rage at the continuous loss of its subordinates!

[From the energy waves radiated, target's Vitality is over 20, Strength estimated to be 17-19. Concrete data is unknown!]

Creatures like this, who had reached the stage of an official Magus, often had a layer of defensive force field around them. Leylin's A.I. Chip still could not penetrate through and obtain any concrete stats. It could only analyse the strength that the target displayed, and give a rough estimate.

However, these stats alone made Leylin's face change.

Creatures like these often possessed immense strength and vitality and even had innate spells which were terribly difficult to deal with.

Looking at the Vulture King snarling above a few piles of ashes, the other Kary Vultures in the surroundings also cawed in anguish. Leylin stared intently at the Vulture King before leaving the area.

Deep in the night, in an underground room that was temporarily carved.

"Today we have killed another 9 Kary Vultures, well done!" The old geezer smiled.

"Right now, those damned trashy birds only have a strength of 50 odd!" The huge bloke was also excited.

The materials from a Vulture King, which rivalled the existence of a rank 1 Magus, were extremely precious. Moreover, they could also reap the rewards from both sides that governed the Great Canyon Margaret.

"However, the Kary Vultures that are still alive now very seldom hunt for their prey in the areas that we have set up. There are also signs of them relocating soon…"

"We have to hurry and find a way. If not, we could lose this bonus bounty reward…"

Lancey, who was standing on the side, poured cold water on their conversation.

The families governing both sides of the Great Canyon Margaret did mention that they could pass through the Golden Oasis when the vulture flock had relocated. However, against this Vulture King that had its forces greatly reduced, and a bountiful reward assigned to it, Lancey and the others naturally did not want to let the Vulture King go.

"Perhaps we could…"

After some silence, the old geezer suggested an idea.

A fireball-like sun was hanging up high in the sky, and heat waves rising from the desert distorted the view.

Inside a stone forest that was temporarily created by spells, Leylin and the other five were huddled up.

"How is it? Can that old geezer do it?" The huge bloke spoke offhandedly as usual.

"You have to believe that old man. He is an official Magus, after all!" Lancey's brows furrowed, "Has the ambush been set up?"

With a flash of a yellow light, Leylin came out from a side of the stone forest with the yellow light still glittering around him, "The side that I am managing has been completed!"

"It's all set up now!" From the other side, the night shift Magus and the other quiet one spoke.

"Great! As long as that old geezer is able to lure the Vulture King here, I will rip that damned bird apart!" The huge bloke clenched his fist, his knuckles crackling.

Looking on, he was a magician that specialised in physical training and the reinforcement of his body, possessing strong muscles and strength.

"For the materials of the Vulture King, even the old geezer is spending a lot of effort!"

Leylin figured that if not for some precious ingredient the Vulture King had, the old geezer would not be this zealous and even offer to be a bait to lure it over.

"They're coming!"

The A.I. Chip's detection allowed Leylin to discover the other party first. Very soon, on the horizon, a thinly spread layer of black figures appeared.

There was also a human figure, with a green hurricane engulfing his body as he wildly rushed over.

"Everyone, return to your individual posts, and pay heed to the orders! Quick!" Lancey shouted nervously.

In a flash, the Magi who were present disappeared.

Closer, even closer!

The old geezer dashed extremely fast. From his concealed area, Leylin could even distinctly see that on the sides of his wrinkled face, blood continuously flowed out from both of his ears.

*Whoosh!*

The old geezer rapidly entered the stone forest, at the same time transmitting his voice. "Be careful of the Vulture King's sarcoma. It is able to emit a sound attack. I took a hit from it earlier!"

After seeing the stone forest, the Vulture King hesitated.

However, thinking about the prey it was chasing, whose energy waves were not much different from its own, and the fact that it had even killed its children…

"Ga Ga!" The Vulture King's eyes turned bloodshot as it led the flock into the territory of the stone forest.

Andre Town

"The target has reached the kill zone. Begin!"

The hasty transmission passed through the secret imprint and simultaneously sounded out in five different locations.

Upon hearing the transmission, Leylin's hand radiated a scarlet red glow, and he proceeded to press his hands against the obelisk in front of him.

*Bang!*

A circular wave of tremendous magical power erupted violently. The colorful spell glowed, and trapped the Kary Vultures within it like a cage.

"Ga Ga!" The Kary Vultures screeched furiously while the tumour-like muscles on their bald heads grew in size and glowed a bright red, finally culminating in a violent explosion.

*Ting!*

The resulting ear-piercing sound wave continued to reverberate within the cage. The remaining Kary Vultures continued to vibrate their tumour like muscles, amplifying the sound wave in the process.

"This kind of attack…"Leylin widened his eyes, the sound waves pounded on his skull like a hammer. He started to fall into a state of dizziness.

Under the agitation of the sound waves, the ring of light on top of the cage started to flicker and fade.

"The attack coming from such a lowly beast is stronger than expected. Furthermore, it can be amplified by the rest of the flock. If the Kary Vultures from before were still present, they would have surely broken free from the cage!"

"Plan A is not working, time for plan B!"

Lancey's exasperated voice emitted from the secret imprint.

"Copy!"

Leylin whispered to the secret imprint and transfigured a magic spell

[Estimated countdown to entrapment detonation: 10 seconds!] The A.I. Chip stated.

"Let's go!" Leylin took a last look at the Kary Vultures that were still struggling in the cage and fled the scene.

*Bang!*

10 seconds later, at the stone forest, a violent explosion occurred.

The sound of the explosion filled the area, and black smoke shot up into the horizon.

In the blaze, colorful and fine potion powders occasionally dispersed.

To increase the power of the spell, Leylin had added a ton of explosive and conflagratory potions.

"Haha! Beasts are still just beasts!"

Looking at the Kary Vultures that struggled in the fiery blaze, the big bloke, who was also present, laughed out loud, condescendingly.

Two streams of blood flowed down from the big bloke's ears. Evidently, the Kary Vultures' attack had done considerable damage to him.

"This Kary Vulture King has realized its racial talents. The tumour like muscle on its head can be used to emit sound wave attacks, and it can be amplified by the flock. The level of danger will have been increased by at least two levels. When I get back, I must demand more money from those despicable merchants."

The old geezer cursed.

"Talks about the price increase can be discussed later. Where is the big fellow?" Leylin pointed at the heart of the explosion.

Slowly, the blaze started to die down. From the original stone, forest emerged a large, soot covered, bird-like figure.

Half of the scarlet feathers on this Kary Vulture were burned off as a result of the explosion, and the other half of them were covered in black soot. There was also a large blood stain on its bald head. It was a funny sight, but Leylin and the rest of the party did not dare to let their guard down.

"The explosion just now had an estimated power of 30 degrees or higher. How unexpected…" Lancey hung her jaw open in shock.

"After all, it is not a weak bodied Magus but a high-level species with a powerful body!" Leylin said quickly, "Go forward and surround it! It is about to escape!"

"Damn it!" The old geezer reluctantly looked at the Kary Vulture King, which was already in flight, and cursed. He rapidly chanted an incantation.

Following his chant, a faint azure breeze converged, and formed two large azure wings on his back.

"I executed both the baiting and the intercepting, so I must get a larger share of the loot!"

The old geezer blustered. He vibrated the wings on his back and floated into the air.

*Whoosh!* The old geezer traveled at a very quick pace. He was as nimble in the air as he was on the ground. From the looks of it, he had much practice in air combat.

"Ga Ga!" The Kary Vulture King angrily cried out. Sadly, a large portion of its wings were damaged by the explosion, and it was no match for the old geezer in the air.

After hovering and swooping for a while, the old geezer grabbed an opportunity. With a green ray, he pierced one of the Kary Vulture King's wings.

*Peng!*

With one wing pierced, the Kary Vulture King lost its balance and crashed down into the ground. A large cloud of sand floated around the downed Vulture.

"Advance!"

Leylin and the rest of the party immediately rushed up and surrounded the Kary Vulture King.

Blood flowed out from the multiple wounds on the Kary Vulture King. Looking at the Magi who surrounded it and the human figure floating in the sky above him, its eyes betrayed a sign of hopelessness.

"Haha! Goddamn beast, I shall tear you apart!"

The big bloke laughed out coldly. A green-greyish stone skin appeared on his body as he leapt at the injured Kary Vulture King.

"Ga Ga!"

The Kary Vulture King sounded an abnormally high-pitched shriek and shook its wings.

What remained of its unharmed wing slashed across like a knife, with feathers erect like steel blades. The wing clashed with the big bloke's fist.

*Bang!* A dull explosion sounded out in midair and shook the ground below.

The big bloke quickly retreated, his greyish stone skin letting out a crackling sound like the popping noises of popcorn.

The Kary Vulture King let out another screech, and its body turned red. It looked like the Kary Vulture King was pumping all of its blood into its head. The originally shattered tumour on its head begun to rise and swell again.

"Careful, he is about to let loose a sound wave attack!" Leylin rapidly shouted out. He grabbed the tumour with his palms. "Restrict!"

*Sssii!*

The countless black tentacle-like objects reached out from the Kary Vulture King's shadow and bound it tightly. Extra effort was placed in tying up the Kary Vulture King's skull region.

"All together!"

Leylin yelled wildly. Together with the other two silent Magi, he attacked the Kary Vulture King.

Various intensely fluctuating magical spells landed on the Kary Vulture King's body.

The spells tore apart the Kary Vulture King's chest, causing large amounts of blood to spurt out of it.

*Kacha!*

The old geezer, who had been floating in midair, let out an emerald air-blade attack, which chopped off the bound tumour.

The Kary Vulture King screeched a couple of times as the light in its eyes started to extinguish, and it thudded onto the floor.

*Pa!*The old geezer landed on the ground, and his magical green wings disappeared.

The six Magi surrounded the Kary Vulture King's corpse. They all had complex looks on their faces.

"What a chore this has been! If not for the additional remuneration from the pub, this would have been a complete loss!"

The lack of serious injuries on the party was a poor reflection of the difficulty level of killing off the Kary Vulture King. They had to spend a lot of time to prepare the traps and come up with the various materials needed for the potions. On top of that, the fact that they needed 6 Magi to complete the task proved how big of a challenge it was.

The materials that were scavenged from the Kary Vulture King's corpse were barely enough to cover the expenses of the effort taken by the party.

If anyone was dead or seriously injured from the incident, this would have been counted as a big loss.

Magi were a rational bunch. They could calmly perform cost-benefit analysis under different circumstances. If the cost was greater than the benefits, they would avoid doing the job.

This time, if not for the fact that the Kary Vulture King was obstructing the way towards their destination, the party would have left such a high-level creature alone.

"No matter what, the fact that our party has sustained no serious injuries is good news!"

The old geezer smiled widely and said, "Now let's discuss how to distribute the plunder from our efforts…"

Afterwards, true to Leylin's expectations, the old geezer claimed the majority of the feathers and the pair of large wings with the argument that he had put in the most work. From the looks of his happy face, he must have needed it urgently for an experiment or for crafting.

The rest of the party followed suit and claimed what they felt was fair for the amount of work they had done.

Leylin took only a bit of the blood and flesh from the tumour and nothing else.

As a Warlock, he was extremely interested in the bloodline of high-level creatures. Although the benefits of the Kary Vultures' bloodline were not documented, Leylin wanted to experiment to see if he could extract anything from it.

At night, in the Golden Oasis, the 6 Magi cleaned up the remains of the Kary Vulture King and refilled up their water supplies in the nearby water source. The Seated Lupin Wolves, which had been hidden for a long time, happily cleaned themselves in the lake.

In a glowing tent nearby, Leylin looked at the surface of the tumour, which he had retrieved with a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"A.I. Chip, record data, assist in the experiment!"

Leylin silently chanted a sentence, and immediately pulled on a pair of white rubber gloves. He held out his thumb and pressed on the tumour.

The blood on the tumour flesh has dried completely by now. There were bloodstains on it and it was shriveled.

"It is very light, there seem to be meridians and air sacs…"

Leylin's eyes glowed blue. Using his other hand, he used a scalpel to break the surface of the tumour.

Inside the flesh, there was an oddly small amount of muscle and blood vessels, and it was comprised mainly of small air sacs.

Many of the air sacs were layered over each other, forming what looked like a lattice shape that resembled a beehive.

"This kind of composition…"

Leylin muttered to himself, "A.I. Chip, record the image!"

...

After the experiment was finished, Leylin cleaned up his makeshift laboratory, picked up a goose feather quill, and wrote in his goatskin notebook: Sound vessel composition and sound wave attack…

The path after the Golden Oasis was much less dangerous. They did not have any further encounters with powerful, high-level life forms such as the Golden Giant.

...

Andre Town was a small town located on the other side of the Grand Canyon Magret.

The Kary Vultures had caused the town to become empty and desolate. However, upon exiting the Grand Canyon, they saw a few people.

"May I know if you people are master Lancey and company?"

There was already someone standing by the roadside. He was clad in the pub's working attire. Upon sighting Leylin and his party, he bowed respectfully. "The incident with the Kary Vultures was already relayed to us by a secret imprint. Please follow me back to the pub to collect your rewards…"

"Ok!" Lancey and the old geezer stepped out among the group and gave their agreement.

After reaching the pub the attendants unhitched their luggage, and with a whistle, the Seated Lupin Wolves hurried into their feeding area at the rear of the pub.

The Chase

"It's only renting for a few months, but it costs five hundred magic crystals. Your boss sure knows how to make money!"

The big bloke complained.

"In fact, we generally charge one thousand magic crystals per rental of the Seated Lupin Wolf. We only charged the minimal maintenance costs this time, as you Sirs took on the task…"

The smiling waiter explained.

As the old geezer arrived, he immediately threw the Vulture King's skull onto the counter.

"Mission accomplished! Have a look!"

From behind the counter, a white-bearded, bespectacled old man in a bartender's uniform came out. However, from the energy waves exuding from him, he also seemed to be an official Magus.

The white-bearded old man carefully examined the Vulture King's skull for a long while, only then did he put it away.

"It is indeed the Vulture King's head. According to the agreement, each one of you will be able to get…."

Mr. White Beard was nimble. He immediately took out bags filled with magic crystals and magic materials and gave it to everyone. It seemed like he had prepared this beforehand.

"In actuality, I belong to the great Dorian family…"

After completing the delivery, the old geezer put on a kind smile and extended an olive branch to Leylin and the rest.

These kinds of big families would recruit foreign magicians from time to time to further strengthen their family.

Moreover, Leylin and the rest had decent strength, and since they had come from the eastern part of the Grand Canyon, they were not likely to be spies sent by their enemies.

As long as they didn't have a massive headache that they brought with them, it was likely that the local large magisteriums would be most willing to offer shelter for such talents.

Leylin noticed that the big bloke's face obviously displayed his intention to agree. The two magicians who were together, however, seemed indecisive. As for Lancey and the old geezer, they did not hesitate to reject the offer.

Leylin himself did not consider this option.

When magicians joined other big families, it was because they wanted to obtain higher level meditation techniques, magic resources and the like. Leylin already had meditation techniques, and as for magic resources, he could just use medicine to trade for them. Besides, compared to such closed families, Leylin was more willing to join an educational institute or an organisation. Hence, the olive branch the families threw to them, had a lesser appeal to Leylin.

"Come! In any case, we've operated as comrades! How about we go and have a drink?"

The leader old geezer suggested.

"Maybe not. I still have other matters to attend to, let's keep in touch…"

Lancey left in a hurry, seeming like she had an urgent matter.

"I'll pass as well. It has been a tiring journey. I just want to find a place to have a good sleep!" Leylin rejected him with a smile.

He had only become temporary comrades with these people to hurry along with the journey, so there was not much friendship between him and them. Besides, the crime he had committed was not light, so it would be better if he rushed to the domain of the light Magi as quickly as possible.

After Leylin, the big bloke, and the other two magicians also rejected the old geezer's suggestion.

The old geezer shrugged helplessly and looked at Leylin as he left the bar.

Outside the pub were a couple of narrow streets that were pawed with flagstones. It was dark all around, and only the lanterns outside the pub still gave off a couple soft rays of light.

"It's already dark!!" Leylin checked out his surroundings "It's probably wise to first find a place to rest…"

[Warning! Warning! High energy force field convergence detected ahead, determined to be a rank 1 offensive spell!]

The moment he stepped out of the bar. Leylin felt his scalp go numb, the blood vessels deep inside his body also started to surge and boil, emitting a sense of foreboding.

At the same time, A.I. Chip also started to project a large amount of red letter of warning.

"This attack is aimed at me!"

Leylin's mind was working on overdrive. His body turned into a blur as he dodged to the side.

*Boom!*

Suddenly, powerful energy waves exploded in front of Leylin. Dozens of weapons made of a silvery metal formed a metallic storm, which raged at the area where Leylin had previously stood.

The bar was directly cut in half, and the ceiling was shattered, exposing countless stupefied magicians and the painful groans of those who had hurt by the aftermath.

"Kid, I have found you!"

As the debris settled, upon the ruins stood a midget, who was staring at Leylin's face with a pair of eyes that were like daggers.

"You are… part of the Lilytell family?!"

Leylin patted the dust off his body, and calmly squared off against the midget.

Among the people and powers that he had offended, only that elder of the Lilytell family could have this kind of enmity and capability. In addition, the spell was similar to what Bosain had used.

"You are courting death!"

Leylin's actions had clearly enraged his opponent. The midget waved his hand as countless metallic fluids floated up in midair to form weapons such as long spears and giant swords. On the surface, it even radiated the acute radiation of energy forcefield.

"Go!" With a point of his finger, the metallic weapons once again chopped down at Leylin.

"Latent Fireball!"

Leylin chanted his spell at lightning speed. From the shadows a dozen black fireballs emerged and collided against the metallic weapons, causing violent magical explosions.

[Target's magic determined as Metallic. Degree of attack: 32 degrees!] The A.I. Chip probed this information, which let Leylin release a breath of relief.

"You do have some skills, no wonder you could kill my subordinates and my grandson!"

The midget said.

"So you are the elder of the Lilytell family and the grandfather of Bosain? Quite without scruples!" Leylin retorted.

"This… gentleman, this bar is under the protection of the Dorian family, within this…"

From the ruins, the old geezer with the white beard and glasses that was tending the bar finally stepped forward.

"I know!" the midget tossed over a piece of metal. "I have met your family's Buffett a couple of times, this is his keepsake! And there is even a message on it!"

"So, it is Master Lilytell, who is here to apprehend a criminal!"

The old geezer threw Leylin a gaze of pity, then hurriedly bowed to the midget. "Since that's the case, the Dorian family will maintain a neutral stand on this!"

"Huh, kiddo, you're able to escape well! Did you think the rules here could save you?"

The midget looked at Leylin with an unspeakable expression filled with schadenfreude, as if he wanted to see Leylin's expression of despair. "The strong dictate the rules, and the weak can only obey. This is the norm of the world".

The midget spread his hands. "The ignorant fools that dare to provoke my Lilytell family must pay the price in blood!"

Rays after rays of white metallic light appeared from the body of the midget. In just a moment, a silvery metal armor formed on his body.

The metal energy particles in the air kept revolving around the midget, emitting bright and dazzling lights.

"This… this kind of strength! It's a semi-converted elemental Magus!!"

The large bloke and the leading old geezer who had arrived with Leylin hadn't left, and they were now looking with shocked gazes at Leylin and the midget as they stood in the middle of the battlefield.

"No wonder he was in such a hurry to leave, he had actually gotten himself in such big trouble, tsk tsk! A semi-converted elemental Magus…"

A hint of schadenfreude flashed by the leading geezer's eyes. According to him, since the opponent was a semi-converted elemental Magus and Leylin had been caught up to, it spelled certain death for Leylin!

In the Magus world, a semi-converted elemental Magus was a Magus with an elemental essence conversion that was higher than 50%!

This kind of strength was pretty good in the entirety of the south coast. If no chairman of some major academies or the like stepped in, you could basically walk around the south coast uncontested.

One could say that even if all the Magi in the whole bar came together, they still wouldn't be able to stop this one lone midget.

What about Leylin? He was only a fledgling Magus, and might not even know what elemental essence conversion was. The leading geezer didn't even think Leylin would survive this.

"Right! There are also these people!"

After recklessly leaking some of his power, the midget turned around to look at the geezer and the big bloke. He then said, "Is he one of your acquaintances?"

"My Lord! My Lord!"

The geezer was now bowing, his head almost touching the ground. "I did not know this person's past, and I also did not know that he was someone that was wanted by the great Lilytell family! Otherwise, I would have…."

*Pa! Pa!*

By the time that the geezer had said half of his plead for mercy, Leylin and the midget had charged towards each other in the shadows. The ruins were unceasingly shaking.

"He only used you to disrupt Leylin's attention…" The big bloke, standing at one side, said with a laugh.

"What do you know?" the leader old geezer said, as he awkwardly got up.

At this moment, Leylin's body was covered in fine black scales. It gave off a brilliant shine, and his body muscles began to bulge. He kept colliding into the silver-armored silhouette.

The surrounding buildings could collapse immediately at the slightest brush. The two men seemed to have morphed into ancient beasts, recklessly displaying the violent strength of their bodies.

*Bang!*

The silver-armored silhouette waved his fist, and a mass of liquid metal automatically adhered to it, turning the normal fist into a barbed fist cover.

Leylin's expression didn't change. His hand emitted a dark red glow, as he fiercely rammed it against the barbed fist.

*Boom!!!* The atmosphere continuously exploded, resulting in plumes of dust particles.

From the inside of the dust, two figures could be seen flying upside down.

*Bang Bang!* Several houses at both sides were knocked over, but the ones who lived there were mostly acolytes. Upon seeing official Magi fight, everyone distanced themselves from the fight, and no one stepped out to discuss the fight.

"Sure enough, at an official Magi battle, the key is to be able to use formidable magic in the blink of an eye. The enemy will not give you much time to prepare any magic!"

Leylin waved his right hand, which was turning numb.

*Crash!* After turning numerous somersaults in the air, out emerged the silver-armoured midget, "I've underestimated you, kid!"

The midget revealed a sinister smile. "However, no matter what, you'll have to die here today!"

"Oh really?"

Leylin showed a smile on the corner of his mouth, "But I think I can still live for a long time!"

"Unfortunately, this is just a body!" The midget suddenly said a strange verse and his body started to make rattling and crackling sounds.

*Hong hong hong!!!* The midget's face became twisted, and his body muscles began to swell. In the blink of an eye, he turned into a three-metre tall giant!

*Kacha!* *Kacha!*

The giant's clothes split open, and on the left side of his chest, there was an old man's face, with silver coloured hair, and metallic ornaments on his face.

"Today, you're doomed to die here. Your spirit will burn forever!"

The old geezer stared at Leylin as he opened his mouth to chant an incantation.

Teljose City

"This looks like it was caused by some sort of body possession spell!"

The knowledgeable Leylin was quick in assessing the situation.

"Old geezer, you only have the strength of a semi-converted elemental Magus, and you want to take me down?" Although Leylin looked like he could not have cared less, his right hand had already reached into his belt pouch.

*Boom!*

With a flip of his hands, a couple of potions exploded on the giant's body. Following the explosion, a cloud of purple flame engulfed the giant's body and continued to erode it.

"Negative energy flames? Child's play!" The giant shook his head and widened his mouth to let out what seemed like a vacuum force, sucking all of the flames into his abdomen.

"Now, it's my turn!" The giant let out a satisfying belch and grinned at Leylin.

In an instant, the giant turned into a silver flash and appeared right in front of Leylin.

The giant's huge body structure and protruding muscles were faintly oppressing Leylin.

*Whoosh!* The giant's skin was suffused with a metallic silver tone. It swung its mace-like arms towards Leylin, and Leylin could only raise both his arms up to protect his chest.

*Peng!*

Like an artillery shell, Leylin's body was rammed viciously into a wall, causing a large building to collapse in half.

*Bang!* The rubble rolled apart and revealed Leylin's figure.

[Host's ribs fractured, multiple muscle injuries, immediate medical attention recommended!] The A.I. Chip alerted.

"Such great strength, it must be at least 15 or greater! On top of the amplification caused by its metallic element"

Leylin's eyes flashed blue, "A.I. Chip, input the site information, activate the prediction system!"

[Site data transmitted, simulating opponent's information!] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned. Moreover it projected a 3D image for Leylin to look at.

[According to the opponent's movement, the next attack will appear at an angle of 38 degrees on the right side. Probability: 98.7%!]

*Shua!* Just then, the giant charged over again.

[Most optimal action: Duck to the left at 63 degrees, jump backwards!]

Leylin's body twisted and barely avoided the attack of the giant, before hurriedly jumping back.

*Pu*

At this moment, many half-metre-long metal spikes were piercing the ground where Leylin had stood before. If Leylin were still standing there, he would have died.

To outsiders, Leylin was extremely nimble, making inconceivable dodging movements and evasions as he avoided a barrage of attacks.

"He could actually stall a Magus who has converted half of his elemental essence and also has a reinforced body!"

The old geezer was drenched in cold sweat. "I still thought…"

"You thought that he was just a budding Magus that can be bullied easily, right?" The huge bloke said. "Count yourself lucky, old man! Managing to survive to this point hasn't been an easy task!"

On the other side of the battlefield, the giant was visibly agitated because of Leylin's successful evasive maneuvers. The human face on top of the left side of its chest blustered, "Damnit! Goddamn pest!"

After which, the giant executed a maneuver.

Using its large hands, it broke apart its own stomach and pulled out what looked like a golden hoop.

"Hoop of Imprisonment!"

A bright white light emitted from within the golden hoop and immediately struck Leylin.

As the white luminescence fell upon him, Leylin was shocked to realize that his body had been weighted down by what seemed like an entire mountain. He could not move a single inch.

"Although this type of magical artifact is only of middle grade, It has been said that even a semi-converted elemental Magus would be shackled for at least a minute by its imprisonment powers!"

Blood continued to flow from the silver giant's abdomen, and its guts were visibly hanging out. Unperturbed, the giant advanced towards Leylin and started choking his neck. Its eyes danced with gleeful ridicule, "Now, run for me, little thing!"

"It's over!"

The crowd in the vicinity sighed.

"Being in a deadlock with a semi-converted elemental Magus for such a long time did not change the fact that he is just a budding Magus. On top of that, the opponent had a middle-grade magical artifact!"

The bespectacled, white-bearded, old geezer from the pub lost his earlier look of pity, and with a tinge of regret, he said, "What a shame! He was a gifted Magus"

"Young man, say your last words!"

A cold smile spread across the silver giant's face.

"The person who should be saying his last words is you!" A wide smile spread across Leylin's face.

"Fallen Star Pendant, activate!"

A dark red ray projected from Leylin's chest and spread to his four limbs at a rapid rate. Immediately, Leylin held down the giant's two hands. His pupils became vertical slits and carried an amber luster as they radiated a mysterious light.

Innate Spell—Eyes of Petrification!

*Kacha! Kacha!"

The silver giant's expression became blank, after which an ash-grey color started to grow from the giant's eyes. The ash-grey color covered the giant's face in no time and spread quickly towards its chest and limbs.

"Petrifying magic? Goddamn!" The old geezers head on the giant's chest cried out in an alarmed tone.

Following which, the old geezer ground his teeth, and spat a mouthful of blood on the giant's body. With a metallic flash, the rate at which the petrifying spell was spreading on the giant's body slowed down.

"To hell with you!"

Leylin reached out his right hand, and the glow from the Fallen Star Pendant turned into what looked like a long sword, which was then swung down.

*Pu!* On the first swing, the giant's skull flew up.

On the second swing, Leylin directly dug out the old midget's visage from the giant's chest.

*Pa!* The face fell onto the ground. "I will not forgive you!" it shouted.

"It is I who will not forgive you!" With a cold look, Leylin stepped onto the human face.

"Ah…" A depressed voice sounded out, and a puddle of green blood slowly formed under Leylin's foot.

...

*Huu Huu*…

A light breeze passed. There was a deathly stillness in the crowd.

"He… he actually managed to slay a semi-converted elemental Magus!"

The old geezer with his hanging mouth opened constantly surveyed the surroundings as if he was looking for something.

Immediately, upon seeing Leylin's gaze turn towards his direction, the old geezer put on a smile and flattered him by saying, "Master Leylin! Please forgive me for offending you, it was a misunderstanding…"

Looking at the old geezer who had changed his facial complexion, Leylin shook his head and was not prepared to deal with him.

There will be no benefit even if I were to murder him. Leylin concluded that he himself was no homicidal maniac.

He picked up his bundle and the loot from his victory, and hastily left the scene. The surrounding crowd naturally opened up a path for him to exit. Magus or acolyte, nobody dared to make eye contact with Leylin.

"I must leave this place quickly!"

Leylin looked at the rapidly shrinking Andre Town in the distance and muttered to himself.

The midget from earlier was obviously just one of the many clones of the opponent.

This aligned with Leylin's earlier reports. According to the report, the Lilytell family's elders' powers should have reached an elemental essence conversion rate of 80% or more, which was the minimum requirement for initiating one's advancement to a level 2 Magus.

Based on an estimation, the midget earlier had, at most, a 50% elemental essence conversion rate. It was not very stable, and the difference between his and an elder's true strength was too huge.

Leylin had been introduced to this type of Magus before. It was not easy for them to create a clone, as a copious amount of time and precious materials were needed. Furthermore, if their clone were destroyed, the Magus would be heavily affected as well.

So far, only the clone had chased him up till this point.

Leylin guessed that either the opponent was not able to be here physically, or the clone was intentionally placed on the other side of the Grand Canyon to facilitate communication and to do his bidding.

Regardless, the next wave of attacks from the Lilytell family would arrive soon.

"Speaking of territory, I am still within the boundaries of the dark Magi. Once I reach the domain of the light Magi, even the Lilytell family will not dare to trespass…"

...

Leylin turned his head to take one last look and vanished into the darkness.

Months flew by unconsciously.

In the span of these months, Leylin hurried along his journey with little rest. He traversed large kingdoms, and finally entered the boundary of the light Magi's domain.

In the south coast, there were two types of Magi. One type of Magus advocated violence, believed in natural selection, and looked up to the enduring dark Magi, while the other type was fond of peace, and revered the scientific research of the light Magi.

Within these two factions, there lay many different groups and academies. While there was a lack of cohesion and an abundance of friction between these groups and academies, they would always stand together as one whenever it was against an enemy.

The extent of the rule of the light Magi lay in the heart of the south coast, while the dark Magi occupied the more desolate outlying areas.

From Leylin's observations, this sort of distribution of territory looked like a couple of concentric circles. The light Magi occupied the most fertile land in the middle, while the dark Magi occupied everything else around it.

After a prolonged period of travel, Leylin found it hard not to admit that the light Magi territory was generally more prosperous than that of the dark Magi. The commoners in the light Magi territory also enjoyed more peace and stability.

In regards to government administration, the light Magi had to do much more than the dark Magi in order to keep a firm hold on the vast and rich territory

According to the map on the A.I. Chip, Leylin would reach the market place of the light Magi domain, Teljose City, by today.

Leylin had few opportunities to change out of his black robe. He changed out into a clean set of leather armour.

The exquisite armour comfortably fit Leylin's well-proportioned body, and brought about an air of heroic spirit, making him look more masculine.

The light Magi instinctively viewed the dark Magi as their adversaries, so Leylin did not wish to incur any trouble by doing something rash.

Although it might only be a trade centre, there would surely be people, like the dark Magi, who were there to sell their contraband items. Leylin took extra caution and kept a low profile.

Following the horses, Leylin forged on ahead. He observed that the pathways became wider and wider, and the people used a larger variety of transportation devices to aid in their travels.

Upon further observation, he came across a variety of new and odd things.

For example, he observed a female Magus on a winged steed, and an old geezer on a hot air balloon. Hanging from the hot air balloon, there was a banner, which read, "Welcome to Hookety's miscellaneous goods shop, we have a supply of…"

Furthermore, Leylin even saw a few machines that resembled the components of futuristic vehicles. The machines, which carried a bunch of dwarfs, roared and rumbled loudly as it sped along the road.

Jenna

Amongst those who were travelling on the same route as Leylin, there were not only magicians, but also many regular people.

Most of the regular people rode on horse carriages, and they stored large amounts of vegetables and fruits at the back.

Even though they might treat magicians with much respect, it was obvious that they held no fear when facing them. It seemed that in the light Magi domain, magicians were often revered, yet were on close terms with the civilians.

This situation somewhat puzzled Leylin. In a kingdom where the dark Magi ruled, the mere mention of Magi would give rise to thoughts of terror and bloodshed. Even an acolyte would be enough to scare away a whole town of people.

"By the looks of it, the fact that light Magi and regular humans are able to coexist harmoniously is true!" Leylin glanced at a farmer who had taken off his hat to greet him, and nodded in acknowledgement.

"And…" His blue eyes shone, "There is no trace of radiation in his body. Does this have to do with the purification tower?"

In the area under the light Magi's rule, white lofty towers were erected a distance away from each other. The towers were able to neutralise the radiation from magicians, which was vital in allowing magicians and regular humans to mingle within this area.

As for the area ruled by dark Magi, Leylin had once seen inside the library at the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, the designs for the Purification tower. But, it was apparent that the dark Magi were disinclined to build such a thing in their own territories. Besides the problem of the costs of constructing such a tower, Leylin guessed that the dark Magi liked to rule the commoners with a bloody and terrible regime.

As the mount was continuously flying, Leylin felt that his horizons was continuously expanding.

Green waves, almost like the waves of an ocean, was rippling in the breeze, giving off a thick atmosphere.

Here was the Teljose Great Plains which covered an area of several thousands of square kilometers and had several cities with population larger than 100,000.

And the Teljose City was located in the middle of this huge plains, and was the central zone of this huge region.

"The vegetation is lush and abundant here!"

Leylin heaved a heartfelt sigh. The closer he got to the Teljose City, the more lushly the crops were growing, as if they were fond of people. There were even wheat plants which were as tall as a man — seeing which Leylin felt moved.

"Isn't this very amazing? Are you a Magus from outside this region?"

A red pony suddenly drew to a halt besides Leylin's own saddled mount, and the female Magus sitting atop this red pony, spoke to Leylin.

This female Magus wore a white, Chinese-styled gown, and wore a necklace strung with pearls and precious stones around her neck. Her appearance was quite ordinary, but on her face, she wore a gentle smiling expression.

Leylin had experienced this feeling of tranquility a few times.

Although this female Magus radiated the energy waves of a rank 1 Magus, she had very little actual combat experience. There was only one layer of innate defense spell upon her body, which appeared to suffice for her.

"That's right, Miss, I come from afar and am a wandering Magus! You can call me Leylin!"

Leylin put on a harmless smile as he introduced himself.

"My name is Jenna, I'm a local Magus of Teljose. You are surprised upon seeing these many crops, aren't you?"

The female Magus smiled and struck a conversation with Leylin.

"Indeed, you seldom see wheat grow this tall and let's not forget the quantity… "Leylin's face suffused with a puzzled expression.

"This is a Magus' blessing! In a while you can experience it by yourself!"

The female Magus wore an expression of mystery but also expectation.

"I'm looking forward to it!" Leylin smiled briefly.

He could judge with just a look that this woman is like an innocent sheep, lacking the experience of meeting Magi of her peers and extremely curious about everything.

Just like a young lady from a large family, that has wandered off.

Afterwards Leylin stopped observing these matters, as the City of Teljose was appearing in front of Leylin's eyes.

In Leylin's line of sight, there first appeared a black dot.

Afterwards, that black dot increased in size as if it turned into a dark cloud, enveloping the whole sky.

Leylin's jaw dropped — he saw a tall and erect mountain, reaching through the clouds and standing quietly on the plains.

Leylin had seen a lot of large mountains in his past life, but he was sure that he'd never seen a mountain so large that it could cover the skies.

In addition, on that large mountain there were numerous tightly packed buildings and black dots moving around on the many layers on that mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, a large tall city wall was erected in a circular fashion. A visual estimate gave its height at a couple of dozen meters and that it was entirely made out of grey granite. It looked extremely impressive.

At the giant peak of the mountain, there were layers of luxuriant snow. Smoke was continuously emitted from the peak, as if it was going to erupt at any given moment.

"An active volcano! Teljose City is erected on an active volcano!" Leylin gasped.

"Correct! Keep on looking around!"

The Magus Jenna pointed towards the opening of the volcano with a laugh.

Boom!

Countless black smokes were rising, the whole volcano was coming to life. Just like a mythical giant laughing sadistically at the sky.

A giant pillar of smoke rushed into the sky, coloring part of the sky black.

"Strange, why were there no tremors?"

Leylin came to sudden realization, "this must be the work of the Magi of Teljose City?"

"Correct, continue to look!" Jenna pointed towards the black clouds, "Magus' blessing will soon descend!"

Rumble!

A soft rain was arising, tiny droplets of black rain were falling through the breeze.

Back rain fell on the ground, turning the whole ground ashen grey.

Soon a couple of farmers ran out from the fields, kneeled in front of Leylin, Jenna and other Magi and kowtowed respectfully as they said, "We thank our lords, the Magi, for our harvest!"

"This is volcanic ash?!"

Leylin's body started to emit grey light, it enveloped the giant steed and kept the black rain on the outside. He extended his right hand to collect a drop of grey rain drop and started to examine it.

"Looks like some artificial things have been added to it, it resembles nitrogen-based fertilizer!"

Volcanic ash was naturally nutrient-rich, which was conducive for plant growth. Coupled with some other things the magicians had added, it was no wonder crops here had an astonishing form and output.

"That's right, the Magi control the Teljose Volcano's eruption. They transport and evenly distribute the volcanic ash across the plains and fertilize the land. As for resources such as geothermal energy, the Magi will collect them and convert them into a source of power for Teljose City. Hence, the alternate name for Teljose City that I love even more — Nightless City!"

Jenna explained

"….. This technology is simply amazing!" Leylin murmured. Teljose Volcano, as compared to the biggest volcano Leylin saw before his reincarnation, was much broader. To control such a big live volcano, they needed constant maintenance and magic spell formations, which exceeded what Leylin could have thought of.

Furthermore, to directly control a volcano as a power source and a place to live… This kind of design and boldness left Leylin feeling admiration towards these Magi.

"But, please forgive my bluntness, I've once travelled to the eastern region. The magicians there don't seem to spare a thought for the normal people…"

Leylin properly expressed his curiosity.

"Yes, magicians are a group of intellectual people. They did this because it was for their benefit." Jenna nodded her head. "The way we see it, the normal people that are alive are also a type of resource. Besides, as long as there is sufficient people, they can serve us at all times, procuring resources, and in addition, sow our seeds and producing acolytes of excellent quality, increasing new bloods…"

"Hence, in the middle of our light Magi region, not only were there Magi who specialised in solidification innate spells to be used for helping to prevent all kinds of natural disasters, there's even a full-time Magus in charge of farming land and increasing harvest yield…"

"This… this really is…"

Leylin wore a shocked expression while secretly releasing a breath of relief.

Although Jenna seemed pure and straightforward, she still considered herself superior to regular humans, similar to how the dark Magi thought.

The one difference they had was in their system.

Akin to the herding of sheep, dark Magi tended to operate in a more boorish manner and would reap the harvest at irregular intervals. In comparison, light Magi adopted a micro-management style, taking special care of each and every sheep.

But they both had the same purpose — to obtain the needed materials from regular humans.

Just based on this process, Leylin felt that the regular humans in the light Magi region had a more comfortable life, compared to those living in Poolfield Kingdom.

However, although Leylin could lament over the hardships faced by the regular humans, it did not mean that he thought of reducing the power and authority that the Magi held; it was foolish to advocate an ideal of achieving equality between all humans.

Not mentioning the mysteries and strength of the Magus world, even Leylin himself only believed in one truth — that one's status would determine one's course of action.

Leylin himself was a Magus and fully supported the privileges and political power that all Magi had. As for those who had delusions of overthrowing the Magi in power, they would be killed immediately.

As part of a higher tier in the social pyramid, it was only natural to consciously defend the rights and privileges of that social class.

Naturally, there were also the strange ones who chose to betray their peer's interests, and would eventually be abandoned by their own peers.

Leylin concluded that: unless there were any signs of the Magi falling out of power, he would definitely not betray his peers.

"Very surprising, isn't it?"

Jenna laughed, "Seems like you've always been travelling around the dark Magi region. But once you've arrived at the Nightless City, you'll need to learn to acclimatize, and adapt to the new rules…"

Jenna's words implied that she had discovered Leylin's true identity.

But Leylin only picked up his eyebrow and didn't seem to care in the slightest.

Teljose City, or reputed for being a Nightless City, on one hand was the accumulation of the light Magi's hard work, and on the other hand was supported by the dark Magi.

If the dark Magi was totally removed, then Nightless City's total trades would immediately fall by more than half!

No trade center would reject a dark Magi member from joining them.