Marat Canyon
Marat Canyon was located at the end of Pome Alley.
It was a barren canyon where the area and economy were both destitute. Apart from several wretched people who lived here in extreme poverty, no other humans would bother with a place like this
However, after the discovery that there was an entrance to a secret plane in this area, everything changed.
Ever since one of the entrances to the Eternal River Plains' secret plane was discovered here, Magi from every corner began to fight each other over the area.
Eventually, the hunting and battle teams from Four Seasons Garden, with the aid of the white Magi domain, managed to repel the dark Magi forces and claim this land as theirs.
Soon after this, unaffiliated Magi and acolytes set up a market for magic items in the surroundings.
Four Seasons Garden's higher-ups were well aware this place wasn't well developed and dispatched people here. They treated this Magus Market as the center of their power and created a little town, welcoming all non-dark Magi.
The first impression Leylin had when walking in this small town was that it had a lively atmosphere.
"Looking for members! All of us are level 3 acolytes! We have a healer!"
"The latest map of the secret plane for only 500 magic crystals!"
"Walking Dragon Flower! Walking Dragon Flower that's freshly plucked from the Eternal River Plain's secret plane for 6000 magic crystals! This is a discounted rate!"
"I am looking for a group to join! I'm a level 3 acolyte and have both offensive and defensive skills. I also know three healing rank 0 spells."
From the entrance of the little town, various stall-keepers, adventurers and official Magi were crowded together, constantly arguing over prices till they were red in the face.
Everyone was at least an acolyte. There were no regular humans.
The whole town was like a busy food market.
After much effort Lelin arrived at Four Seasons Garden's administrative area, which was located in the middle of the town.
Compared to the chaos outside, it was much quieter inside the administrative area, which had the battle and hunting teams guarding the area.
Leylin couldn't help but think about the two official Magi he had seen at the entrance to the administration area.
Getting two official Magi to stand guard obviously caused the Magi and acolytes who came here to feel immense pressure.
Numerous Magi were chattering amongst themselves quietly as they walked by Leylin. All of them looked to be in a hurry.
"Welcome! May I know if you're here to do the entrance procedures? Please provide evidence that you aren't a dark Magus, and then present 500 magic crystals. You will then have a one-time opportunity to enter!"
Leylin came to a counter, and as soon as the personnel saw him, he quickly spoke very formally, as if he were selling tickets.
In reality, Four Seasons Garden's higher-ups had actually capitalized on the opportunity to enter the secret plane by selling entry permits.
"I'm not a Magus from anywhere else. I belong to Four Seasons Garden's Potioneering team and have been transferred here!"
Leylin placed his token of identification on the counter.
"Ah… My apologies, Lord Leylin!"
The personnel took a look at the symbol and name on the token and bowed.
"No worries!" Leylin looked at the several counters that had a long queue behind them and asked indifferently, "Have there been many magicians going in recently?"
"A large amount have come! Once we had allowed non-affiliated magicians to enter, the Magi and acolytes who came forth to register had filled up this area… We even had to request for several of the hunting team Magi to maintain order!"
The staff smiled wryly.
Leylin was aware of this policy.
Before he came here, he had taken a tour around the town and gathered information.
Though Four Seasons Garden had taken over this entrance, the amount of magicians who came here was no small number. If they kept hogging the entrance, it was sure to trigger someone's dissatisfaction.
It wasn't much if it was just acolytes, but when there were wandering official Magi involved, the situation wasn't as easy to deal with.
If there were dark Magi purposely inciting conflict, then this cause a catastrophe!
Hence, the light Magi factions made a temporary agreement to become allies. They decided to open the entrance up to the public.
All entrances that were controlled by light Magi had rules: other than dark Magi, as long as one paid up 500 magic crystals, one would have the right to enter the secret plane!
In addition to this, there was the condition that acolytes had to give up 50% of their earnings within the secret plane to the light Magi powers guarding the entrance. Even official Magi would have a portion of their profits taken away!
Even with these fees, magicians still flocked here.
They unceasingly entered the secret plane and explored the areas without fear of death. There were some with good luck that managed to survive and leave the area with large amounts of resources. This attracted more acolytes to enter and risk their lives in the plane.
While these free labourers were dying by the dozen, Four Seasons Garden was hiding in the shadows and stealing portions of their profits. They were earning a fortune from this, and on top of that, through coercion and purchases, they now had a map of almost a million mu of the plane and received precious information firsthand.
To large light Magi organisations like the Four Seasons Garden, the resources that were currently inside the secret plane was just a small reward. What they really hankered after was the continuous production of resources that the secret plane could provide!
Hence, with the resources as the bait, large organisations such as the Four Seasons Garden were able to attract many magicians with no affiliation to risk their lives and enter the secret plane for the resources. In exchange, they would be able to obtain more information regarding the topography and ecosystem within the secret plane.
As for the unaffiliated magicians, even if they were aware of the manipulations and hidden agendas behind the entrance fees, as long as they walked the path of a Magus they had no choice but to enter this profitable scheme that the white Magi had established. As the saying goes, as one is willing to be hit, one is willing to beat.
Even Leylin had no choice but to approve the deviousness of this shrewd plan.
"I have 2 Grand Knights servants with me, they left for this place before me. Have they arrived yet?"
Leylin asked.
"Please wait a minute, I'll check for you!" The staff hurriedly flipped through the thick book of records and accounting.
"I found it, it's only yesterday that your two Grand Knights servants brought your mount and luggage here. Also after showing us your identification token, they were allocated to district D9 no. 23!"
The staff member bowed.
"I will report your arrival as soon I can. Regarding your task allocation, someone else will contact and inform you in detail!"
"En! Great!" Leylin nodded his head. After leaving a secret imprint with the staff as a proof of his arrival, he left the great hall through the back door.
Behind the administration area was rows of orderly wooden houses.
These houses were modelled simply, and the edges were rather rough. They looked as if their construction had been rushed.
Within these wooden houses, one could occasionally see a few Magi and acolytes wearing Four Seasons Garden accessories.
In the middle of these buildings, a huge platinum gate that was tens of metres tall was standing tall proudly like a mountain.
It stood tall there like an ancient existence. On the gate were numerous runes connected together. They seemed to be alive and kept wriggling on the gate frame.
Just the aura from the gate to the secret plane made it difficult for Leylin to breathe.
"Is this the entrance to the Eternal River Plain's secret plane?" Leylin raised his head and surveyed this gate that seemed to be rising into the heavens, eyes full of unspeakable awe.
The preciousness of a secret plane could be told from its entrance.
Entrances to secrets planes comparable to that of the Spirit Slaying Sect's plane could be easily destroyed by Leylin. The Gargamel that was as strong as a rank 2 Magus even had the terrifying power to break out of such planes!
However, if it were here, that Gargamel might not be able to even create a crack in the gate to the Eternal River Plain's secret plane!
With an area of more than ten million mu, its internal structure and defences had to be unimaginably strong. Even if rank 2 or 3 Magi were to battle fiercely, the secret plane would be unaffected.
Leylin guessed that even a rank 4 Morning Star Magus would have a hard time trying to destroy this platinum gate.
Such a secret plane could be said to be a continental treasure! It was something that could help large organisations progress rapidly, or aid someone in taking over the world!
After actually seeing Eternal River Plain's secret plane, Leylin finally understood how it could attract Magi from all over the south coast and even cause a Magus war.
"Unfortunately, no Magi organisation in the south coast is confident that it can take over the whole plane. As such, the plane has to be divided."
Leylin sighed and turned his attention to the bottom of the large gate.
At the lower part of the large platinum gate, twenty or so Magi wearing Four Seasons Garden attire were patrolling the area like soldiers.
From these Magi, strong undulations from powerful elemental essence conversions of at least 50% were purposefully released!
Their bloodlust was also very obvious. It was apparent they weren't idiots who were taking the resources based on luck but were actually seasoned Magi warriors!
Blue light flashed in Leylin's eyes, and the A.I. Chip immediately scanned the several spell formations that were laid around the entrance of the secret plane. There were some defensive formations, while others were for detecting intruders.
With such tight security, even if it was Leylin who were to try infiltrate inside, he would only end up dying.
"What's displayed might just be on the superficial level. There would at least be a rank 2 Magus holding fort around here!"
Even outside Four Seasons Garden's secret plane, there was a rank 2 Magus standing guard outside. Leylin did not think when it came to the Eternal River Plains' secret plane, the Four Seasons Garden would be reluctant to send a rank 2 Magus as the guardian.
Dolorin
Leylin quickly looked at the faces of these Magi.
He remembered each and every Magi that he'd seen at the Four Seasons Garden's headquarters before, but he did not recognize any of the people he saw here. There could only be one reason why these faces were unfamiliar!
They must have been the hidden forces of the Four Seasons Garden, and usually did not show their faces.
From the looks of it, the Four Seasons Garden had taken out all of their trump cards to keep control of the entrance to the secret plane.
Caesar, the three-eyed Magus who was the leader of the hunting team, wasn't here either. If he wasn't hidden somewhere, he must have been on some special mission.
Leylin felt his heart sink, as he was on an undercover mission as a spy for the Thousand Meddling Hands!
It seemed that it was going to be difficult to complete his mission.
Leylin recorded this scene with the A.I. Chip, and followed the signs along the road to find his accommodations.
"Master!"
Leylin approached the wooden house that was in district D9. As they could sense Leylin, the Grand Knights, Number 2 and Number 3, immediately rushed out of the house and knelt on one knee to greet him.
Behind the wooden house, within a fence, the Venom Wyvern, Hawke, had drowsily lifted its head and made a noise of excitement.
"Hm!" Leylin looked over his subordinates that he had remodelled and suddenly regretted having asked them to leave first.
If he hadn't, with the abilities of these two Branded Swordsmen, he wouldn't have to be reduced to that miserable state and be so seriously injured.
"It's important that I find an opportunity and test out the battle abilities and power of the Branded Swordsmen!"
Leylin glanced at Number 2 and Number 3, who were kneeling respectfully, and rubbed his chin.
...
The Four Seasons Garden worked very quickly, and during the evening, a worker in something similar to a suit knocked on the door of Leylin's house.
"Lord Leylin! In the name of the Four Seasons Garden, the elders request that you head for the secret plane tomorrow. You will be taking over zone 13."
This person was also an official Magus. He spoke very slowly, with clear pronunciation. After reading, he passed a piece of parchment that had been stamped to Leylin.
Leylin raised his arms and took it.
The transfer order was on a stack of rather thick, dull yellow pieces of paper that gave a very firm feeling.
The contents of the order were just as the man had said, and on the bottom of the stack of parchments, there was a stamp that belonged to the Four Seasons Garden, along with a few signatures.
Leylin's fingers brushed over the stamp.
*Sssii!* Four rays of light emerged from the stamp and danced atop the parchment, gradually forming a four-coloured ring that was unceasingly turning. After a few moments, the light died down.
This proved that the signatures and stamp were all real!
Leylin became quiet. "Aren't Potion Masters being called here to take over the roles of healers? Nobody told me I'd be on the frontlines."
Even if one didn't have a brain, it would be obvious to them that this was Caesar's work. Leylin still showed his annoyance and anger.
"I am a potion master, not a fighter! You can't put me on the same level as those Magi with blood staining their hands. I protest!"
"I'm sorry, but this was a decision from the higher-ups in the Four Seasons Garden! If you have any problems, you can report to the elders within 24 hours. However, as long as the elders do not issue new orders to make your current orders void, you will still need to rush to zone 13 by tomorrow. If not, you will be labelled as a traitor and punished accordingly!"
This man said everything matter of factly, not caring in the least about Leylin's opinions. He then gave an elegant bow. "If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave now, Mister Leylin!"
*Pak!*
After the main door closed, the furious expression Leylin had on instantly disappeared. Instead, Leylin looked as if he was deep in thought.
Ever since he had arrived here, he had been prepared for people to make trouble for him and treat him badly. All of that talk was just a front.
The reason was that if a potion master were to be sent to the frontlines and took the news calmly, it would seem too suspicious.
"But if time is so tight, I need to start with all my preparation now."
Leylin lowered his head in thought, his eyes sparkling with a faint darkness…
The huge platinum metal gate was, as always, standing tall. Only until Leylin actually stood in front of it did he feel that all that he had seen in the past amounted to nothing in front of this majestic gate.
Now that he was so close to it, Leylin was in awe.
From the gate to the secret plane, he could feel a trace of some ancient aura. What shocked him, even more, was that spiritual force was faintly emanating from the entire gate.
This spiritual force did not belong to any Magus but instead originated from the gate.
"It's a living being and has its own spiritual waves. Perhaps, after a period of time, it can cultivate an intelligence of its own and become a genuine living creature!"
Leylin sighed in admiration and looked around the area.
Though it was early in the morning, many Magi and acolytes were queuing in front of the gate with tickets in their hands.
As there were tens of powerful Magi all around, it was rather orderly.
As an internal member of the Four Seasons Garden, he naturally didn't need to queue up, and instead stood together with a few Magi at the optimal location right in front of the gate.
Number 2 and Number 3 were carrying large bags and quietly following behind Leylin.
"It's 8 am! Open!"
Leylin looked at the hour hand of his pocket watch, which was now pointing to the number 8.
The consumption of energy needed in opening the entrance to such a large scale secret plane was immense. Even the Four Seasons Garden would feel pain at this cost.
Hence, the Eternal River Plains' secret plane's entrance would only be opened once a day at this time.
With the loud order, a dozen Magi who had achieved 50% elemental essence conversion placed their palms against the frame of the gate.
*Weng Weng!*
A violent distortion of space rapidly formed in the middle of the gate and expanded.
*Creak!*
The gate opened a little, and all of a sudden—light! Numerous rays of white light leaked out, swallowing all Magi and acolytes in front of it!
All Leylin could see was the blinding brightness in front of him, and his head spun from giddiness. After he regained his composure, he was already on top of a large white square in the Eternal River Plains' secret plane.
"Hah!"
Leylin breathed in deeply.
The first impression he had of the secret plane was that there was an extraordinarily dense amount of elemental particles in the air.
[Calculated density of energy in surroundings, found to be 371% of that in external world!]
The A.I. Chip projected its findings to Leylin.
"There is such a concentrated amount of energy, and on top of that, there's so much land! For Magi, this is basically heaven!"
Leylin was astonished as he spoke.
"Listen up! I'll only say this once!"
After the Magi and acolytes present familiarized themselves with their surroundings, a bald, brawny man who seemed to be in charge came onstage. He was donning the attire that the Four Seasons Garden's Magi wore.
His voice was loud and resonant, echoing within the plaza.
"Attention to all Magi and acolytes who are not affiliated with the Four Seasons Garden! From now on, you are free to move about in the secret plane. As long as they have no markings of the light Magi alliance, all obtained items will belong to yourselves! Also, when you wish to leave the plane, please return to this place. Remember, do not attempt to conceal your earnings! The moment you are found out to have been doing this, you will regret having been born!"
The brawny man was very direct, but the discontent of the masses quickly died down with the appearance of a row of official Magi behind him acting like guards.
After the bald, brawny man announced that they were free to go, the Magi and acolytes cheered and rushed in all directions like wild horses let out of cages. In a few moments, they were gone.
"Alright! You are Magi from the Four Seasons Garden, yes? Come with me."
The brawny man turned his attention to Leylin's side, and his tone and facial expression became much friendlier. "My name is Dolorin, and I am the vice team leader of the Four Seasons Garden's defense team! If you have any questions, feel free to approach me…"
It was evident that this man treated those in the same organisation as himself a lot better.
"I would like to know, is allowing these external magicians so much freedom actually a good thing? What I'm trying to say is, aren't you afraid that they'll stay longer in the secret plane or sneak out through other entrances?"
A petite female Magus enquired.
"Hehe! The Eternal River Plains' secret plane is very large, and there is danger everywhere! No Magus can stay here alone for too long unless he or she wishes to die in strange and mysterious ways, or become the excrement of high-energy creatures!"
The brawny man obviously disapproved, a look of fear flashing across his face.
"As for your question about leaving, within one million mu, there is only one entrance, which belongs to us. If they wish to travel to other entrances, they would need to go through exceedingly dangerous areas. Some of them are regions that basically require miracles for even official Magi to pass through due to the minuscule chance of survival!"
"Also, our light Magi alliance have all standardised the fees and set up stringent probing methods. This will not give them the chance to smuggle away their gains!"
"To go through such a difficult path and take such a big risk has no meaning basically unless they wish to defect to the dark Magii… However, I imagine the dark Magi are keener on robbing them of all their gains, and then flaying their skin and breaking their bones to use them as ingredients."
Dolorin shrugged his shoulders a couple times, emphasizing his words with his facial expression.
Magus Guard
"Zone 13? You're really lucky!"
Leylin was brought to an office-like room in a castle. After Dolorin assigned locations to the few Magi who were queued up in front of Leylin, he opened Leylin's transfer order.
Suddenly, Dolorin let off a surprised squeal. At the same time, he looked at Leylin as if he was cherishing a dear animal.
"Although you are a Potions Master, you were assigned to that place! Kiddo, did you offend someone?"
Leylin could only smile wryly in reply.
"Alright! Alright! As long as the order is correct, I won't ask anymore. Take this, it's a map!"
Dolorin slipped a piece of parchment paper to Leylin.
"Zone 13 is at the border between us and the dark Magi powers. Your mission is to protect the Black Mandara Flowers there, and if the dark Magi attack, you are to give a distress call through the signal tower. That's all!"
Leylin was then sent out of Dolorin's office like he was the plague.
Leylin could do nothing but roll his eyes at this situation.
...
With Leylin's speed, even taking into account the burdens that were Number 2 and Number 3, they hurried and reached zone 13 before dusk.
This area was a small highland and a fort that had been temporarily constructed using an earth elemental spell surrounded the Black Mandara Flowers.
After Leylin provided proof of his identity, he met with the person who had previously been in charge of the area. It was a tall and slender male Magus!
"The signal tower is in the middle of the fort, and your room is beside it. I'm leaving all these items with you. Also, there were some acolytes who had been dispatched here recently; I'll leave them in your care as well!"
The tall and skinny Magus hurriedly handed over the information, and after obtaining Leylin's signature, he rapidly left the room as if he was escaping.
This speed left Leylin rather agape.
"Alright, I seem to have gotten myself into some serious trouble now…" Leylin flipped open the map.
On the map that Dolorin handed him, the highlands of zone 13 that he had been assigned to were like an eyesore, smack dab in the middle of the dark Magi domain.
Since he was surrounded on all sides by the dark Magi powers, there was a high chance of him perishing in that place.
As for the forces that Leylin had, it was merely a few acolytes. Perhaps he would even have to include himself, an official Magus, as a fighting force!
In front of enemies, this trivial bit of power would only be able to warn and call for help.
"…No matter what, I still have to take a look at my subordinates!"
Leylin came to the middle of the hall in the castle and gave a command for everyone to gather. "I am the new Magus guard! All acolytes who hear my voice are to assemble at the hall immediately!"
Leylin's voice wasn't loud, but it somehow travelled to every corner of the castle.
A moment later, hurried footsteps were heard and about ten acolytes jogged into the hall.
These acolytes' attires were messy. Though they all donned the grey robes that signified that they were acolytes, the symbol of their academy and decorative motifs were all different, indicating they were the inferior acolytes that had been left behind by various academies.
The acolytes gave off energy waves that showed they were around level 2 or 3. Upon seeing Leylin, they all bowed in greeting, though they looked quite bewildered.
Leylin patted his head. That Magus from before had left too eagerly and hadn't even bothered handing over his role to Leylin in front of everyone in the fort.
However, it was a fact that the slender Magus had transferred his symbol of authority to him.
Leylin withdrew a black scepter from his sleeves. Following which, various coloured defensive runes formed a spell formation within the large hall.
The scepter that he was holding on to was the device to control the defensive spell formations within the castle and was showed that he was the Magus leader.
After seeing the black scepter, the acolytes present understood the reason for his presence.
"We greet the Lord Magus Guard!"
"En! I'm Leylin. You! Tell me now, is everyone present?"
Leylin pointed at an old geezer acolyte.
"Rep… Reporting to my Lord! Apart for a few acolytes who have been delayed, the acolytes in this castle are all here…"
The old geezer cowered as he reported to Leylin.
Just at this moment, several acolytes appeared at the entrance of the large hall with fear evident on their faces.
What followed was a rather youthful and apprehensive voice, "Lord, we are the new acolytes that were dispatched here! Our sincerest apologies that due to a previous patrolling mission, we had been delayed. May we seek your permission to enter?"
Even here, with Leylin's position as a Magus, he had much power over these acolytes.
Not only could he issue missions as he pleased, he could even sentence these acolytes to death if he wanted to just by saying they had disobeyed orders!
After all, this was a time of war, and they were at the frontlines. Leylin had these acolytes' lives in his hands, and this caused the few new acolytes to be extremely fearful.
After hearing this voice, Leylin's face revealed an expression of astonishment.
"Come in!" He murmured lowly.
Immediately after, three male and two female acolytes entered the hall, still cowering in fear.
The acolyte standing at the front had a head of brilliant blonde hair, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, and behind him was a female acolyte with a large bow on her back. They looked to be a couple.
He trembled a little, but he clenched his jaw and knelt. "My lord! We had no intentions of being late, but they purposely gave us difficult missions to complete…"
"Utter rubbish!" At this moment, the old geezer, who seemed like a cat that had its tail stepped on, jumped forward. "The missions were all chosen by the Bottle of Famedor; how could there be a problem with it? It's obviously you guys who do not respect our new Lord…"
Looking at this scene, Leylin immediately understood the issue.
It seemed that no matter where it was, it was a tradition for the older guys to bully the newcomers.
"That's enough." He spoke softly, with a gruff tone.
The acolytes present all cowered in fear. The wrath of an official Magus was never a good thing to being about.
"This voice?"
While most of the acolytes were ducking their heads in fear, there were a few contrasting voices ringing out.
They came from the acolytes who had just entered while keeping their heads bowed.
"Ley- Leylin!" George opened his eyes wide and looked at Leylin, who was up on the platform. He was gaping, his mouth opened so wide that he was like a huge toad.
The others, who were making sounds of alarm, also included Sheira and Bessita.
Leylin scratched his nose. Though he knew that these three acolytes had been allocated to the secret plane to stand guard, he never expected that there would be such a coincidence that they would be under him.
"My apologies, my Lord! Although you told us to wait for you, after waiting for 2 days and 1 night, there were no signs of you, my Lord. Also, as the time limit for the mission was approaching, we had no choice but to leave…"
Sheira kowtowed, her forehead pressed against the icy cold floor as she did her best to explain.
Leylin nodded his head, he remembered that he had mentioned it before. However, after the battle with Jenna, he had been severely injured and immediately needed a place to recuperate. Where could he have found the time to bother with them?
After that, he had already forgotten about George and his party.
"I don't blame you for this! Previously I had an urgent matter to attend to, which took up much of my time…" Leylin explained.
*Peng!* *Peng!* *Peng!*
At this moment, the old geezer acolyte who had jumped forward realised that George and his party were not nobodies who could be picked on. On the contrary, they were backed by an official Magus. He felt as if his soul was wrenched out of his body.
Quickly kneeling on the floor, he kowtowed until fresh blood appeared on his forehead.
"Lo… Lord! Please forgive me!"
The old geezer felt exceptional fear. As an official Magus, Leylin had many methods to make him die a horrible death. Furthermore, conflicts such as these were like child's play in front of an official Magus; he couldn't hope to conceal this conflict.
With Sheira's constant tugging at him, George finally got himself together. As he looked up at his good friend, who seemed to be so far away from him, his expression was complicated.
They were once good friends, but Leylin had surpassed George by such a huge margin that the old man, who was usually hard to deal with, was kowtowing and begging his pardon.
This was a complex feeling that was difficult to make sense of in a short period of time.
George's head was spinning. Although Sheira had told him about Leylin after he woke up, seeing the truth of Leylin's real identity for himself was much different from just hearing about it from others.
However, George was well aware that he could not maintain the relationship he had with Leylin in the past.
It would only be possible if he advanced and became an official Magus, and Leylin did not increase his power and stayed at his current position.
But how was that possible?
George looked at the dashing young man with jet-black hair. "Leylin is only twenty now, right? To actually advance successfully at this age indicates that he has a talent that I can never catch up to…"
In comparison to George and Sheira, Bessita, who was at the side, was stunned, and her expression was even more complicated.
Emotions such as shock, regret, and fear, along with some other emotions she could not make sense of cycled through her face.
"That's enough!"
Leylin waved his hand with an indifferent direction, motioning for the old geezer to stop his kowtowing.
"I don't care for your matters. However, from today onwards, such petty conflicts must end. If anyone continues with it, causing our forces to dwindle and letting the enemy gain an advantage, I will draw the culprit's spirit from his or her body, and torture it for a hundred years. Are we all clear on this?"
Leylin knew deep down that such bullying traditions could not be avoided. Under normal circumstances, if it was not for the fact that he knew George and his group, he would not have given a hoot about the issue.
However, with Leylin here now, not only would these acolytes stop bullying George and his party, they would even do their best to curry favour with them. As a result, he did not have much to say.
Harvesting
"Alright, if there's nothing else, you are dismissed!"
Leylin looked at George, who appeared to have something to say but kept stopping himself, and then at Bessita and the others who kept silent. He could feel his enthusiasm waning.
Ever since he advanced to become an official Magus, he seemed to be in a different world compared to his original social circles.
Even though his old acquaintances were right in front of him, they felt incredibly unfamiliar, as if hundreds of thousands of years had passed.
"Understood!"
The acolytes under him bowed and quickly retreated.
Even George and Bessita left the hall cautiously after bowing.
Bessita, who was the last to leave, gave Leylin an incomprehensible look and quickly withdrew.
...
In the dark hours of the night, after completing one round of Kemoyin's Pupil meditation technique, Leylin was lying in bed resting. Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
Immediately after, a soft knocking came from outside.
"Come in! The door's not locked!" Leylin got up and spoke indifferently.
The door creaked open, and a human figure dressed in a grey cloak walked in.
"Bessita! What can I do for you?" Leylin glanced at this girl with silvery white hair, his eyes giving off a mischievous aura.
"Lord Leylin, please forgive Bessita for her previous offences!"
Bessita's voice was mild and gentle as she spoke softly. Following which, she removed the cloak that she was wearing and revealed a stark naked body that was underneath it.
Bessita's body had matured from the time he had last seen her. Her body was extremely voluptuous and with exquisite snow-white skin; it seemed as if water would gush forward when the skin was pinched.
Bessita looked at Leylin as she slowly knelt down. In her ruby red eyes, there seemed to be a fawning look earnestly seeking forgiveness.
One might wonder about the feeling of having a beautiful and stunning girl kneeling in front of you, stark naked, for your forgiveness, in the wee hours of the night.
Right now Leylin had experienced it for himself.
However, his expression was serene, as if Bessita's seductive and delicate body was but a broken skeleton in his eyes.
Leylin looked over this intelligent, but also shrewd girl.
"You are smart, but at times, you're too smart for your own good!"
He raised his right hand and caressed Bessita's face, and then trailed it down to her breasts.
"You're trying to seduce me? Just with these two lumps of flesh?"
Leylin's right hand wantonly rubbed at Bessita's soft breasts. The girl moaned, her expression filled with pain.
Bessita suddenly felt an immense sense of dread attack her.
Her might as a level 3 acolyte was nothing to Leylin. What she did have confidence in, however, was her striking beauty.
However, looking at Leylin's icy gaze, she suddenly felt that all she had just done was shameless and laughable.
Leylin's cold eyes left her feeling suffocated.
Her body continuously trembled as cold sweat dripped down. With the passing of time, Bessita's body became flushed and her face pale. It was as if she could die from the lack of air at any given moment.
"However! Rejoice! To commemorate the previous 'me', I have decided to give you a chance!"
Just as when Bessita was about to faint, Leylin spoke softly.
Only then did she recollect herself, and she panted heavily. Previously, it was as if a giant hand was choking her. The feeling of being suffocated disappeared when Leylin spoke.
Bessita took in the fresh air in large gulps with teardrops on the verge of flowing.
There had never been a time where being able to breathe freely was something she considered a blessing.
"Come with me!"
Leylin shook his head and opened the door to a partitioned room.
Bessita trembled and picked up her cloak, which was on the floor, and covered her delicate, naked body.
She had been able to entice Leylin without feeling apprehensive, but now, all she felt was shame. Such a strange feeling made her turn beet red, wishing there was a hole that would swallow her up.
After going through the door to another room, Bessita found that she had come to a secret room that was entirely sealed.
It was a small room, and one could see traces of the bricks on the walls.
In the middle of the secret room, there was a cumbersome metal desk that was similar to that of an experimentation table. Fixed on the four corners of the table were handcuffs and legcuffs.
Looking at this metal desk, Bessita's face turned pale.
She wanted to retreat, yet she did not dare to. Then she realised that oddities were hanging on chamber walls.
For example, there was a short cudgel that was littered with small beads on its surface. There was also a large syringe filled with various glass pearls within, with a suction pad and handle and other strange add-ons.
Bessita's heart sank like a weighted rock.
Of course she was aware that many official Magi had strange fetishes.
She had even heard of a story where a professor in her academy ate a girl while she was still alive after having finished toying with her.
"Don't misunderstand, this isn't mine, but a gift left behind by the previous Magus…"
Leylin fetched a unique binding instrumentation made with cotton and metal chains from the wall. "But I realised that his hobbies are quite similar to my own, in the past…"
Here, Leylin was naturally referring to that unfortunate idiot who had died and allowed Leylin to take over his body.
Leylin didn't like Bessita since she had been taking advantage of him before. Hence, he was planning to teach her a lesson she wouldn't forget.
The previous Leylin had suffered a great deal at the hands of others, and had eventually died.
Leylin believed that since he had taken over everything that belonged to the previous Leylin, it might be his duty to take revenge on his behalf. It wasn't anything that difficult anyway.
"These items here have been modified and are exactly what 'I' liked."
Leylin glanced at Bessita who was in front of him; a malicious smirk was on his face…
After Leylin willfully vented his feelings, he seemed to be completely fine the next morning and handled matters in the fort.
Bessita, however, struggled as she emerged from the secret room the second night.
Her face was completely pale and her bones seemed to have no feeling in them. The scent of blood was strong on her, and Bessita stayed in bed for a whole week before she could force herself to walk.
If this had happened before, acolytes would have expressed their disapproval and complained.
But now, even if Bessita were to be absent for seven days, they could only tolerate her behaviour. After all, not every acolyte could have relations with an official Magus, right?
She suffered repercussions after that incident, and every time she looked at Leylin, both her legs would involuntarily shake as if she had seen a devil.
Of course, Leylin didn't care about that.
Once he had used all the methods that he had gleaned from the previous Leylin's memories on Bessita, he never approached her again.
The reason for what he did to her wasn't because of some perverted desire or hobby. He simply wanted to punish her and take revenge for the original Leylin Farlier.
Hence, after heartily venting his anger, all matters regarding Bessita had been forgotten.
Leylin was currently patrolling the sea of Black Mandara Flowers.
These black flowers had petals that were the size of a palm. Atop were blue spots that were like stars, and in the night they would even give off milky white rays of light.
The Black Mandara Flower was a subdivision of the Mandara Flower. Their petals were an extremely precious resource for acolytes and even official Magi who specialized in negative energy.
In the external world, a Black Mandara Flower petal could sell for a staggering price of over 1,000 magic crystals!
And here, what Leylin had in front of him was a whole sea of these flowers!
"The resources in the Eternal River Plains' secret plane are so bountiful that it makes one's hair stand erect!" Leylin exclaimed even though it was not the first time he had seen them.
A pity that above this sea of Black Mandara Flowers there was a surveillance spell. Before he decided to turn his back on the light Magi, he had to temporarily restrain any notions of seizing the flowers for himself.
In addition to the surveillance spell, there were intricate probing spell formations at every entrance to the secret plane . The question of how to secretly transport these resources out was a very troublesome problem.
Now he could understand why the Four Seasons Garden wanted to erect a fort in this area.
Occupying a strategic location was just one aspect, but Four Seasons Garden could also not give up this huge sea of flowers.
Although the Eternal River Plains' secret plane was extremely vast and had bountiful resources, this sea of Black Mandara Flowers was extremely valuable even amongst the other resources in here.
If not for this terrible location, the Four Seasons Garden may have most likely sent a large army to defend this area.
"Lord! Our task every day is to try harvest as many of these Black Mandara Flowers and transport them away before the enemy arrives!"
Beside the sea of flowers, an acolyte trailed behind Leylin and explained the concrete details.
"Ennea Rings bless us! As those damned dark Magi discovered several large-scale resource areas, skirmishes arose as a result. We will most likely be facing a large amount of dark Magi forces… There are still some dark Magi and acolytes who try to break through the defenses every once in a while to steal the resources. Furthermore, we also have to guard against certain light Magi…"
This acolyte smiled wryly.
"I understand! Anyway, our mission is to harvest all these flowers as soon as we can and fend off wandering Magi and acolytes. If we are in a situation of distress, we have to send a signal. Is that right?"
Leylin asked indifferently.
"Yes, that's about it!" The acolyte's smile turned even more bitter.
Such a tactic was plainly inviting Leylin and his party to dance at the edges of a sword and use their lives in exchange for resources.
"I got it!" Leylin spoke solemnly after a moment of silence.
Conflict with Ciel
Leylin looked over the immeasurable number of black flowers in the distance as he calculated their progress.
As long as all these Black Mandara Flowers were harvested, the headquarters wouldn't have any reason to prevent him and the others from leaving.
All the acolytes that Leylin had previously met were currently in the sea of flowers, carrying simple containers made from green vines. Their hands were covered with rings of dark energy particles as they plucked the Black Mandara Flowers with great care.
"This progress is too slow!"
With this kind of harvesting speed, Leylin estimated that it would take at least another month before this field of flowers would be completely harvested.
The opposing dark Magi would never give them so much time.
"I must find a way to speed up the process!"
Leylin squatted on the ground. With his hands covered by the dark light of a magic spell, he touched the petals of the Black Mandara Flowers, a light flashing in his blue eyes.
*Ding Ling Ling!*
Suddenly, a series of shrill sounds, like those of a small bell, rang.
*Buzz buzz!* A barrier of white light was emitted to tightly surround the field of Black Madara Flowers.
"The defensive spell formation has been activated! There's an intruder!"
An acolyte started to yell, "Everyone, beware!"
*Whoosh!* Suddenly, a dark silhouette darted out from the high grass surrounding the field of flowers.
*Crack! Crack!*
Two huge white skulls emerged from the hands of the black silhouette.
The skulls didn't have bodies attached to them, and floated in the air spookily. Inside each of the skulls' eye sockets was a red ball of continuously burning flames.
These huge skulls opened their jaws, revealing fine, sharp, white teeth as they bit into the white light barrier.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The white light of the barrier was blinking constantly, as if it would break at any moment.
"Oh!" The black silhouette exclaimed in surprise, seemingly unsatisfied with his own performance. Following which, a black aura consisting of energy particles appeared around his body.
Suddenly, the black energy aura emitted a serene light, which turned into two streaks of light as they hit the skulls.
*Crack! Crack! Crack!*
The red fire within the skull's eye sockets suddenly expanded, and the structure of the skulls expanded considerably. Cracks even appeared on the surface of the skull. It seemed that the energies inside were expanding too rapidly and the skulls were on the verge of bursting.
Following this transformation, the offensive power of these two skulls increased. The white light barrier kept shrinking, and in the end, it finally broke in front of the crestfallen acolytes.
"A semi-converted elemental Magus? We are finished!"
A more experienced acolyte collapsed to the ground with an expression filled with despair.
"Fear not! Lord Leylin is also an official Magus!" George held the small hand of the trembling Shiera.
"What would you know!" The previous acolyte, who had collapsed to the ground, yelled in despair, "Our side only has this newly advanced and outcasted Magus! On the other hand, our opponent is a powerhouse who has been an official Magus for dozens of years. Being a semi-converted elemental magus, all his spells are stronger by at least half! At this stage, he is simply invincible as compared to those newly advanced Magi!"
Believing that his end was nearing, this acolyte didn't care any more. He even started to be disrespectful towards Leylin.
"Hehe! A very interesting explanation, but quite accurate nonetheless!"
The black silhouette walked unhurriedly towards the flower field, and revealed himself to Leylin and the rest.
He was a young green-haired Magus. He was dressed in a strange black robe, which had a few green skulls and chains embroidered on it.
"He's from Kurute Academy, which is known for its methods of torture and and use of the spirits of the dead!" Leylin's eyes flashed as he recognized this Magus in front of them.
This Kurute Academy was only a tiny faction within the dark Magi of the south coast.
They produced plenty of lunatics, and mentally unsound people. Even the other dark Magi could not stomach their actions, and hence, they only partook in sporadic missions and were often excluded from various operations.
The green haired Magus clasped his hands behind his back and greedily looked over the sea of Black Mandara Flowers.
"What an enchanting atmosphere… I can detect the taste of darkness…" The youth muttered.
Following which, he turned and stared at Leylin with his dark green eyes.
"Light Magi! Kneel before me, the great Lord Ciel, and offer to me your souls and devotion. Then I might consider letting you be my slaves…"
This Magus named Ciel had a rather proud demeanor, but Leylin could understand why.
The age of a Magus couldn't be determined just by looking at their physical appearance, but Leylin could estimate that this Ciel was around 50 years old based on the energy waves he was unknowingly releasing.
His being able to become a semi-converted elemental magus at such a young age did indeed give him the rights to be proud, but he had met the wrong opponent.
Leylin smirked, but before he even had the chance to speak, the acolyte that sunk to the ground previously had already hastened towards Ciel, kneeling and kissing the ground before Ciel.
"Esteemed Lord Ciel! I am willing to serve you! I will become your most loyal slave!"
It was clear that the actions of this acolyte was a complete surprise to everyone.
Next to Leylin, plenty of acolytes carried expressions of scorn. They clearly didn't know that this acolyte who normally carried himself rather decently would turn into this kind of person at a crucial moment.
The other acolytes were able to conceal the internal struggle within them such that it did not show on their faces.
"Very good! I'll accept you as a servant!" Ciel revealed a strange smile on his face as he proceeded to extend his left hand and gently wiped the face of the acolyte.
"Ahhh!"
White smoke rose, accompanied by the pained scream of the acolyte.
Ciel's left hand was like a red-hot iron plate as it left a large black charred mark on the face of the acolyte.
While the acolyte was screaming, the Magus looked extremely excited as he slid his fingers over the acolyte's face repeatedly.
A little over ten seconds later, a complete rune mark was burned into the face of the acolyte.
The front of the mark resembled a skull, with a chain extending from within.
"Thank… Thank you my Lord for… this gift!"
The acolyte struggled to salute once more.
"Haha… After receiving my mark, you are now my slave forever!" Ciel laughed, then looked over at Leylin.
"What is it? Light Magus, are you scared silly?"
"Not really!" Leylin shook his head.
"I just think he's a bit pitiful, that's all!" Leylin pointed towards the acolyte who had half his face ruined, his facial muscles still twitching.
"Why is that?" Ciel rubbed his fingers as slivers of white gas emerged from his fingers to form the shape of a skull.
The elemental particles surrounding his body was faintly discernable as his eyes emitted a dangerous light.
"Blurgh!" The acolytes behind Leylin all fell back, and some of them even doubled over and started to hurl.
The radiation from an official Magus, especially when voluntarily released from a powerful Magus with such a high degree of elemental conversion was something that acolytes found hard to deal with.
"He- will he be alright?"
George was supporting Shiera as he retreated quite a distance. He then glanced worriedly at Leylin, who had remained behind.
"Relax! Lord Leylin is very powerful!" As Shiera recovered, she also started to comfort her lover.
Even though she had previously seen Leylin in action, she couldn't quite understand how powerful he actually was. She only said those things to comfort George.
"It's just that… Leylin is still newly advanced, I'm afraid that…" George held Shiera's hand tightly.
Judging from how Ciel acted had before, one could tell he was probably crazy. If Leylin lost, then these acolytes would probably end up for the worse.
Shiera could only smile bitterly as she secretly prayed for Leylin.
"He'll have to pay the price because he swore his loyalty to the wrong person!"
Leylin's spoke indifferently as if he hadn't even noticed Ciel's previous magic display.
"What? You're planning to…?" Ciel raised his eyebrows. He couldn't understand. From the reports, it was said that this was a newly advanced Magus who was a meer potion master. How dare he ignore him?
Ciel pointed at Leylin!
It was as if the large skull had received a command and it charged towards Leylin, simultaneously spewing forth dark green flames!
*Bang!*
Leylin steeled himself for the attack with a nonchalant expression and charged forth.
"Is he crazy?" Before Ciel could finish his sentence, Leylin uttered a single syllabled word.
Immediately a dark red light erupted forth from within Leylin's body.
The Falling Star Pendant's defence activated immediately and formed a dark red barrier around Leylin. As the light condensed, it turned into something that resembled an illusionary armor.
*Boom!*
Dark green flames exploded on Leylin's body, though no harm was caused.
Leylin advanced, bathed in fire like the incarnation of an ancient fiery war god. He swung his right fist viciously.
*Bam!*
The large skull was blown away, leaving a trace of fine bone dust as it spun through the air.
*Pow!* After being sent upside down over a distance, the white skull finally broke apart.
"You…" Ciel was attempting to speak as he pointed towards Leylin.
But it was too late now!
Leylin kept his face blank and charged in front of Ciel.
He suddenly slashed with his hand, the red light around his hands extending and forming a crimson long sword.
*Slash!*
The long sword broke through the air and appeared in front of Ciel's chest.
"Argh…" The muscles on Ciel's face contorted, and just as the sword was about to pierce his body, numerous green chains emerged from within his body to form chainmail.
Optimised and Easy
The red blade collided with the green chains, causing an intense wave of force.
*Crack! Crack!*
The long red blade shattered into pieces, and a part of the chain mail armour on Ciel's chest broke off. Several green rings had been chopped in half and fallen to the ground.
"You… You're not any normal Magus who has just advanced!"
Ciel retreated, his expression showing his regret.
Leylin was indifferent as he charged at him.
"Wait… Wait a minute! We can discuss this! I still have many… Argh!"
Although Ciel wanted to say more, Leylin did not give him the chance to do so.
He pursued Ciel and struck again, black scales covering his clenched fist and emitting a glossy black lustre.
The first punch! Ciel's chest was caved in, and countless green iron rings were shattered.
The second punch! Ciel's innate defense spell was utterly destroyed. He retreated with his chest caved in and blood dripping from the corner of his lips.
"Do you have any last words?" Leylin expressionlessly approached him.
"M-My mentor will seek revenge for me!" Ciel incessantly said like a broken record.
"Boring!" Leylin prepared his third attack!
*Boom!* Ciel's brain exploded like a watermelon, white and red liquids mixing together and spreading all over the ground.
The acolyte who had had his face branded was on the floor, staring blankly at the headless corpse that no longer had any life within it. He didn't even have the presence of mind to wipe off the blood that had splashed on his face.
"I… I… I…"
George gaped and shook Shiera's arm, "Was that person really a mighty semi-converted Magus? Are you sure he wasn't an acolyte?"
"Definitely! Just a glare from him could kill us!" Shiera forced a laugh.
"Then… What kind of power must Lord Leylin have to have been able to defeat and even kill him?"
George watched Leylin, who was poking around Ciel's corpse, with a complicated expression on his face.
"Lo… Lord…"
Only then, the acolyte standing at the side came to his senses.
Just then, there was an arrogant semi converted Magus. How did he just die like that at Lord Leylin's hands?
"Now, how do we handle the matter of Lyhart's desertion?"
The deserter acolyte sat mindlessly on the floor like a fool as he unconsciously repeated nonsense. The secret imprint that Ciel had left on him was extremely eye catching.
"There should be an established punishment by the alliance to punish all deserters, right? Do you actually need me to teach you that?"
Leylin shot a glance at the acolyte.
Although it was just a glance, the acolyte immediately retreated several steps, and even his calves turned wobbly.
"N—No, my Lord!"
This newly-turned traitor was tied up by a few others and sent to the fort. The acolytes present all displayed terror and dread on their faces.
"Lyhart's finished!" an acolyte murmured.
As per the rules and regulations set by the light Magi alliance, all acolytes and Magi who defected to the enemy's side received the worst punishments.
Lyhart had betrayed them so blatantly in front of Leylin and the many acolytes, and he even had a secret imprint from the opposing Magus. This was irrefutable evidence.
In this situation, death was the easiest way out.
If he had the misfortune to meet a strict judge, at the very least, his spirit would be extracted and tortured for a hundred years. His family and mentor would also have to face some calamities.
"Why are you so distracted? Get to work! Do you want to stay here all day?"
Leylin looked over at the stunned acolytes and exclaimed icily.
"Ah, yes, my lord!"
Only then did the acolytes respond and continue with their harvesting. Not even George and Shiera were spared.
If they did not finish harvesting this patch of Black Mandara Flowers, they would not be allowed to return to the Magus base camp. No matter how powerful Leylin was, he would eventually be pressured by the dark Magus forces.
It might not even take that long. If the enemy was less stressed and decided to focus 0.1% or even 0.01% of their attention on this place, they would be doomed.
Hence, the acolytes worked diligently, hoping they would complete their mission today and leave this damned place.
"Restore!"
At the other end, Leylin was in the middle of the sea of flowers. He drew the black scepter, muttering a single word.
*Weng!*
A ring of whiteness spread from the scepter, and like a thin thread, seeped into the ground.
At the same time, from the bottom of the flowers, the white spell formation appeared once again.
White threads that looked like spiderwebs surged, restoring the areas that had been destroyed by the dark magus.
[Jayle Defense formation—Second form! Defense against physical attacks: 20 degrees. Resistance against magical attacks… Energy in store: 34.9%]
A screen appeared in front of Leylin's eyes, presenting him with information about the spell formation.
With the help of the A.I. Chip, the restoration works were very successful. A few areas that had been damaged were perfectly repaired by the A.I. Chip simulating and Leylin physically fixing them.
"But the defensive capabilities of this formation are much too weak…"
Leylin stroked his chin, wondering if he should modify this spell formation to increase its defense.
As the Magus who stood guard here, Leylin was able to gain a portion of the Black Mandara Flowers, the ratio was so miserable that he cared little for it.
However, the rate at which the acolytes completed their task was directly related to how soon he would be able to leave. If there were attacks everyday, how would the acolytes harvest the petals?
Hence, Leylin's first priority was to ensure the safety of the acolytes so they could finish the task as quick as possible.
"I should just wait until it's late at night and finish it myself!"
Leylin looked at the acolytes who were bending their backs and working like farmers, a gloomy look in his eyes.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the acolytes, but he was used to having some trump cards.
He could also come up with methods to increase the rate of harvesting. As long as he increased the rate at which the A.I. Chip operated, and prioritised this task, it would take but a few days.
It was highly possible that by that time, the acolytes would be able to work quicker.
...
In the blink of an eye, about half a month had passed.
In Eternal River Plains' secret plane, the round disc in the sky began to descend, leaving a shadow on the ground.
The Magi organisation that had constructed this secret plane had used some sort of spell and structured it so that there was a sun, moon, and different seasons.
However, based on Leylin's hypothesis and the A.I. Chip's calculations, the sun and moon inside the plane had a hint of the energy of the original celestial bodies, which those ancient Magi were able to project into the secret plane using an unknown method
Leylin was in awe of the ancient Magi's methods and boldness.
In Teljose City, the humans had made use of the volcano to allow increased production in its vicinity through the use of a spell, and just this had left Leylin agape. However, compared to the ancient Magi who could take the stars, embrace the moon, cause storms with one wave of their hands, and cast rain with another wave of their hands, Leylin had to bow down in inferiority.
"Not only is Lord Leylin a mighty Magus, he actually specialises in the study of plants!"
In the sea of flowers, two acolytes who were nearest to him were in conversation while their hands were busy.
"That's a given; after all, he is an official Magus! It's not something we acolytes can compare to."
The male acolyte who had just spoken had short red hair. At this moment, there was a layer of blue light coating his hands. After rubbing his fingers, several strands of blue thread coiled itself around the Black Mandara Flowers.
*Ka-Cha!* *Ka-Cha!*
The sound of a flower being cut was heard. Following which, the petals of that Black Mandara Flower floated down slowly from its stem and was kept safely by the acolyte, who placed it inside a bag.
"Previously, every petal required a large consumption of magic power and spiritual force to acquire. Even Krall, who was the best amongst us, could only pluck 20 petal pieces in a day! However, ever since Lord Leylin imparted a new method to us, even I can harvest over 40 petals in a single day…"
The red haired acolyte had a look of admiration.
"With this kind of speed, as long as we endure for a couple more days, we will be able to leave this damned place!"
The other acolyte who spoke revealed an obvious hint of longing, "I don't wish to stay for another day in this place! With so many dark Magi and acolytes coming to attack us each day, we would have died over a hundred times if not for Lord Leylin here!"
*Boom!*
At this moment, the alert from the defense spell formation had sounded. However, these two acolytes seemed to have not heard it at all, as they continued to diligently harvest the petals.
"Say…Who do you think is the unfortunate one today?"
The red haired acolyte asked with some schadenfreude.
"It should be another official Magus. Regular acolytes do not have such large energy wave fluctuations!" The other acolyte creased his brows before stooping down again to pluck more petals.
"Anyways, with Lord Leylin around, what's there to fear?"
"You're right!" The red haired acolyte nodded his head and began his day's chores.
...
At this moment, within the castle's walls.
In a gloomy, moist, and dark underground prison cell devoid of light, Leylin strode forward, carrying a black clothed figure on his arms.
*Crash!* The cell gate was opened, and Leylin tossed the person he carried into the cell without a care.
*Bang!* As flesh and the hard floor made contact, there was a loud thudding noise.
The person who was previously unconscious was now awake.
Handover
"You…you dare imprison me!? I swear on my name, Jocelyn Lena, that I definitely won't let you off!"
This Magus, who was called Jocelyn Lena, donned a black robe. Her hair was curly, and her eyeliner make-up was extremely thick. Dark circles were prominent under her eyes, making it look as if she had not slept in days.
She had numerous bizarre silver piercings on her skin, and she also had a few earrings.
The general impression that she gave was that she was a non-mainstream teenage girl who had taken a wrong step in life.
"Jocelyn, yes?"
Leylin stood by the door, snapping his fingers.
Immediately after, the metal door seemed to have developed a life of its own and automatically closed. Meanwhile, metal chains climbed and locked the cage, and then branded the symbol of a black snake onto the entrance of it.
"I don't care who you are. As you are a dark Magus attacking us to pilfer the Four Seasons Garden's resources, I hereby arrest you on the account of attempted robbery. Someone will take you away soon. Once you are at the light Magi's headquarters, I imagine you'll have to start thinking of ways to escape your fate of being burned at the stake."
Leylin said expressionlessly, and then commanded a nearby acolyte, "I've temporarily suppressed their abilities, so watch them well till the defense squad takes over!"
"Yes, my lord!" The acolyte bowed deeply.
In these past few days, Leylin had given a little demonstration of his power, and that had been enough to instill fear into these acolytes.
All the dark Magi who had come to provoke them were easily taken care of by Leylin within a few rounds, whether they were acolytes or official Magi.
Just the number of Magi taken captive was enough to fill the fort's jail to the seams. Leylin had no choice but to notify the defense squad. They worked out a schedule where they would take the prisoners away every few days.
"This power isn't something that an ordinary Magus could even hope for! This Lord Leylin must be some amazing, important person!" the acolyte roared madly in his heart as he lowered his head.
Leylin cared little about this acolyte's mental activities, and he cared even less about the female prisoner Magus, who was cursing hysterically. He shook his head and left the underground dungeon.
"Just wait! My uncle absolutely won't let you off!"
From within the dungeon, Jocelyn was hatefully saying, "My uncle became a semi-converted Magus twenty years ago, and entered the secret plane with me. The moment he finds out what happened to me, he'll definitely come save me! When that happens, I'll—"
"That's enough, Jocelyn! Can you be quiet?"
A helpless voice that held a hint of bitterness sounded from the opposite jail cell.
A curly haired middle-aged man appeared from the shadows and awkwardly greeted Jocelyn.
"Uncle-Uncle Luge, why are you here?"
Jocelyn covered her mouth, completely stunned.
"I was actually captured and brought here three days ago," The curly-haired man called Luge forced a smile.
"The Magus guard in charge of this fortress, Leylin, seems to have reached the peak of a rank 1 Magus. I felt the terrifying undulations that could only belong to Magi who have reached the top."
Jocelyn was stunned. The sole person she was counting on had long since been captured, and thinking back to how she had been cursing incessantly, she had looked as foolish as a clown.
...
"These are the Black Mandara Flower's petals that we gathered today. They have had spells cast on them to ensure their freshness for at least fifteen days."
Leylin pointed at a pile of materials that had been piled neatly to the side, and then at a few Magi who were in black robes and had their hands and legs cuffed, "These are the dark Magi caught recently. Take them away as well."
"Yes, my lord!"
The one taking the petals and Dark Magi for Leylin was also an official Magus who was followed by a few team members of the same rank. In front of Leylin, however, he could not help but lower his body and spoke with honorifics.
In the Magus World, whether one was a light or dark Magus, the basic principle was that power was everything.
The team leader was only a semi-converted Magus, and Leylin had passed several dark Magi of that strength to him.
In battle, taking an official Magus captive was obviously much more difficult than simply defeating or killing them.
Hence, after being made aware of Leylin's abilities, the team leader was unable to treat Leylin condescendingly and looked like he was meeting his boss every time he came.
"Hm! Three are official Magi, of which one is female, and thirteen are acolytes…"
This female Magus was naturally Jocelyn, whose complexion was deadly pale as if she had been dealt a serious blow and did not dare to provoke Leylin.
The team leader quickly recorded this information down and signed his name on a form.
Afterwards, he couldn't help but greeting him using Magus etiquette.
"Lord Leylin! Your accomplishments in the field have far surpassed mine. Once we return to the main headquarters, your rewards and contribution points will be given to you all at once!"
As it was basically a war in the secret plane, the prisoners that Leylin had taken captive could be turned into merit points.
Not only could merit points be used to exchange for special items that could only be found within the Eternal River Plains' secret plane from the large light Magi organisations, it could also be used to obtain unique items from other academies.
This included advanced knowledge, improved spell formations, precious potions, and the like.
"Alright!" Leylin nodded.
Based on his estimations, if the merit points he had gained could be converted into magic crystals, he would have least several million. This meant that soon, he could leave this place behind.
As a better method for harvesting had been provided, about half of the Black Mandara Flowers had been picked, and only a relatively small amount was left.
At the rate they were working at, the Black Mandara Flowers would be completely harvested in less than four days. And at that time, Leylin and the others would be able to leave this damned place.
Every time he saw the defense squad coming in fully armed, Leylin was filled with annoyance!
...
As the goods that were to be transported were of extreme importance, the means of transportation provided to the transportation team was the Toucan.
This type of bird had a large body, and when matured, could grow up to ten metres tall.
Its beak drooped downwards, forming a large space that was basically a room that could store many items and even humans!
The team leader split up his team evenly and directed them into the beaks of three Toucans, leaving the best spot for himself. On top of the box full of Black Mandara Flower petals, he began to rest.
At the thought that he was sleeping on top of several million magic crystals, his heart began to burn involuntarily.
If not for the almost abnormal strictness that the light Magi alliance had at the entrance checks, and the fact that it was impossible to smuggle things out, even he might have harboured some terrible thoughts.
It was warm in the Toucan's beak, and even when it was flying high in the sky, not a current of air came through. It was very comfortable, and as the team leader shut his eyes, he began to fall asleep.
*Crash!*
All of a sudden, the surroundings rocked and several boxes were overturned and fell to the ground.
"What's happening?"
He exclaimed in shock.
Immediately after, a secret imprint by his ear brightened. "Leader, it's an enemy attack! It's the dark Magi!"
The voice of his subordinate travelled from the imprint, and he sounded fearful.
"Those wretched things!" He cursed, and shouted through his secret imprint, "Prepare for landing; all members, get ready for war!"
*Boom!*
Before he had finished speaking, an intense explosion sounded, followed by squawks of pain from the Toucan he was riding in.
Flames swept through in a horizontal line, burning through the Toucan's tough beak and revealing the blue sky.
*Whooosh!*
Large amounts of cold wind flowed in, and the boxes filled with Black Mandara Flower petals were strewn across the floor.
"Despicable! Land quickly!" The team leader hurriedly yelled.
If he lost these resources, all the blame would be placed on him. How could he not be anxious?
The Toucan was calling weakly.
Finally, as if the flying Toucan could no longer take on any more attacks, its entire body lost balance and fell from the sky like a rock.
*Rumble!*
The Toucan's huge body smashed into some shrubbery and left a deep indent on the ground. Various little animals revealed themselves and quickly escaped in the opposite direction.
"Pah! Pui! Pui!"
Covered in dirt and grime, the team leader emerged from the Toucan's beak and attempted to spit out the grass and leaves in his mouth.
"I swear I will learn a flight spell when I go back this time!"
The leader vowed vehemently. It honestly felt terrible to be hurtled through the air.
"Unfortunately, you won't be getting the chance to do that!"
An ominous voice sounded, and several people in dark Magus attire with green light shining in their eyes surrounded him.
"Oh my! It seems I'm quite popular, eh?"
Looking at this scene, the team leader looked to be extremely dumbfounded, and just stared blankly at the opposing the dark Magi.
"Woofter magic arrows!"
A shrewd light flashed in the leader's eyes, and his clothes exploded, countless fine needles flying towards the surrounding Magi.
"Go!"
He howled, and streams of lights and shadows flashed, rushing out in all directions to break out of the circle of people around him.
At this moment, he could clearly the state around him.
The Toucans, which served as a mode of transportation, had all been brought down, and were being surrounded by numerous dark Magi!
To Return
In this situation, even though he was the leader of the defense squad, he had no other options but to flee.
*Woosh!*
A figure moved extremely quickly, with energy waves fluctuating about him.
The surrounding dark Magi had been stunned while he used a spell to launch himself away, and the leader took this opportunity to dash out of the circle, flickering every now and then.
At the very last second while he was attempting to escape, all he saw was his squad members being torn to pieces by colourful bursts of dark magic.
"Beta, Gogu… I'll definitely avenge you!"
Gritting his teeth, a spell formation began to flicker, as if he was about to activate some spell.
*Peng!*
Suddenly, black hands extended from the shadows and grabbed his ankle!
"Thinking of running?"
A mass of green fog rapidly drew close, and he could vaguely see a huge figure.
The large figure raised his right arm, grabbing towards the team leader's head!
"Damn it! I don't care anymore!" The leader's face turned red, and a necklace around his neck exploded, sending out immense magic undulations that formed a Knight's lance technique, which thrusted towards that huge figure!
*Tssss!* The dragon lance actually produced sound as it streaked across the sky, and even sparks were generated on it.
*Ka-cha!*
The dragon lance collided with the giant's large hands.
Under the disbelieving eyes of this team leader, the spell that he had spent a huge sum on to protect his life was slowly torn apart in the grip of those large hands.
The large hands didn't stop moving, and they grabbed ahold of the leader's head!
"Ah!" He screamed, a translucent crystal helm appearing on his head.
*Crack!*
The hands cracked the helm easily, and his skull was subsequently crushed, producing the ear-piercing sounds of breaking bones.
*Thud!* The now headless corpse fell to the ground, blood gushing out from its neck. Within ten seconds, the floor was dyed red.
"Have they been rescued?" The giant surrounded by fog asked.
"Reporting to my lord! They have all been rescued. Three official Magi, and thirteen acolytes! Not one more or less!" A dark Magus respectfully gave an account to the giant.
At the same time, beside the two other dead Toucan bodies, several Magi who had been captured by Leylin were rescued from their confinement.
"Listen up. I don't care who you used to be, but based on the dark Magi's rules and regulations, you are now our prisoners. Now, you have two options. One is to pay a ransom, and the other is to service us for thirty years for free! After thirty years, we will let you go…"
A dark Magus announced loudly in front of these prisoners.
Jocelyn and her uncle's faces turned ashen. For dark Magi like them, rather than being saved by these people, it was much better to be sent to the light Magi!
After all, the light Magi were more trustworthy and easier to talk to.
The moment they fell into the hands of other dark Magi organisations, it became impossible to tell what their fates were going to be.
However, their shackles had not been undone, and while they had their magic and spiritual force, they were unable to activate and use it. They were akin to regular people and were unable to resist.
In front of the giant surrounded by green fog, a faint black gas condensed, forming a cloaked black figure.
"How is it? The numbers are right! What about my rewards?"
"Don't worry, we won't count you out!" The giant tossed a black pouch to him.
The figure caught it and looked at it closely before keeping it, looking satisfied.
"But what's the point of catching them, and then offering us this information for us to save them? What are your plans?"
The giant asked.
The cloaked person pulled off his cloak, revealing a crimson, masked face. This was naturally Blood Rogue, Leylin's disguise.
The organisation before him was the Thousand Meddling Hands, the dark Magi organisation that Leylin had joined not too long ago.
"It's obviously so I'll get two portions of rewards! One from the light Magi, and another from you!"
"After all, at the light Magi's end, after these prisoners are handed over, it matters little to me whether they live or die. If they dare to dock my merit points because of this, I'll inform the elders!"
Leylin grinned, pointing at the prisoners who were unwillingly signing contracts.
"There's something you get out of this as well, isn't there? I doubt you'll let these Magi go so easily…"
"Haha…" The giant nodded in agreement, not looking the least bit sorry.
"Though we're all dark Magi, they're from small organisations or are wandering Magi. For us, they are unpredictable elements. No matter how many of them die, nobody really cares."
"Also, I want 40% of the Black Mandara Flower petals from this batch! That is a part of the rules!" Leylin spoke up.
Capturing dark Magi and getting Giant to act the part of a good-hearted Samaritan and save them was just a part of the plan. Leylin's main objective was still to gather resources!
After all, how could Leylin not be the least bit interested after seeing such a huge amount of resources slip by under his watch?
"Of course! These are the Thousand Meddling Hands' rules! For those who provide information and news, they can obtain 40% of profit."
Giant nodded, "Do you want the flowers or magic crystals?"
Without waiting for Leylin to state what he wanted, he continued, "If you want ingredients, you can just take two boxes of the Black Mandara Flower petals right now! If you want magic crystals, we'll need to sell them first. I can't guarantee the price, but it definitely won't be lower than 80% of the market price. In addition, I'll be taking 10% of your total profits!"
"Magic crystals! I'm in urgent need of magic crystals now, and I want payment in advance. If you can pay me right now, you can take 10%!"
Leylin thought about it for a while. Black Mandara Flowers were basically useless to him right now, and the spell marks on them were a little troublesome as well. The ancient teleportation spell formation that he had discovered previously required a large amount of magic crystal essence to activate.
Hence, he desperately needed magic crystals, and he needed a lot of them to be of high quality!
"Oh?" Giant looked Leylin up and down, seeming to be surprised. "It looks like you're pretty hard up now. Don't worry, I'll pay you in advance!"
All the resources were here and Giant wasn't at a disadvantage, so he appeared to be very generous.
Giant passed a thick stack of magic crystal cards over to Leylin.
"The amount is right!" Leylin counted and then told Giant. "I will be leaving this place in approximately four days, but there might be some resistance. Hence, I'll need your help!"
"No problem!" Giant chuckled.
"I'll command the nearby Hell Cliff Army to look like they are going to attack. The people we have in the light Magi alliance will also help you."
Leylin nodded slightly.
Actually, right after finding out he had been assigned to an area that was thoroughly surrounded by dark Magi, Leylin had quickly contacted Giant.
With the influence of his connections with Giant, the opposing dark Magi slowed their attacks.
Hence, those Leylin dealt with were mainly wandering dark Magi and acolytes. At most, there were some small organisations, but the real large powers did not appear at all.
After all, with Leylin guarding this area for over half a month and multiple dark Magi suddenly disappearing, would it not have attracted the attention of the larger Dark Magi organizations?
"Yeah! With the merit points you accumulated here, you're sure to be promoted to a better and higher ranking position. At that time, don't forget our agreement."
Giant waved, and numerous dark Magi placed all the materials on a huge ground lizard and rapidly left the place.
At the same time, the green fog around Giant became increasingly dense.
"I understand!" Leylin guaranteed.
Leylin was mentally prepared.
Since he had received benefits from the dark Magi, he naturally had to pay them back.
"You'll always be a dark Magus! I hope you won't forget that…" Giant's voice became softer and softer, and the green fog dispersed, leaving behind Leylin, who was in deep thought.
...
"Magus Leylin, here is your order of transfer! Due to your exemplary performance in Zone 13, the alliance has given you a reward! You will be transferred to the alliance's headquarters."
A Magus in black uniform respectfully spoke to Leylin.
Though he was an official Magus, he did not dare put on airs.
This was no joke! Leylin was someone who could easily take care of a semi-converted elemental Magus! Would he dare offend such a person while he was just a newly advanced Magus?
"Sure! Wait a bit; we'll go after I pack up." Leylin smiled gently.
"Take your time! I'm not in a hurry!" The Magus quickly waved his arms.
Leylin nodded and called for Number 2 and Number 3, who had always stayed indoors and seldom went out, and had been hiding their power. They were to pack up the bedroom and convene the acolytes in the fortress to complete the last ceremony.
"I'm leaving!"
Before he left, Leylin turned around and gazed at the fort.
The surrounding Black Mandara Flowers had been completely harvested, leaving behind a bare field.
This was an area that was surrounded by dark Magi on three sides. If anything happened, this was the first place to be attacked.
"Now, I can only hope that the scroll and potions I left behind for George will be able to save his life!"
If he wanted to transfer George and Sheila out of this place, he would need to work from headquarters.
Leylin already had made his plans. If it was not troublesome, he would help out, especially since they were good friends. If he could do anything to help, he would!
However, he now had to return to the headquarters before he could do anything of that nature.