Chase
Leylin could hear the hint of fear in the old man's voice.
Bat and Crow were both Leylin's subordinates, and now that both had been killed, it would be hard to deliver this news to Four Seasons Garden.
"Lord Caesar has already spoken and given you a time limit of ten days. Within that time, you'll have to solve this problem, or else…"
"Or else?" Leylin sounded very calm.
The old man, on the other hand, was so terrified that even his voice trembled. "He will seize you on the grounds that you neglected your duties!"
"Oh!" He expected anger from Leylin, but all he saw was Leylin nodding slightly, "Tell him I understand!"
Next, Leylin closed the imprint's connection.
"Marb, is it?" Behind his eyes, he seemed to see that crazy metallized old geezer again.
That Marb must have received news about him being in charge of Hunting Zone 3 and had thus taken action.
Leylin flippantly made a decision.
Though Thousand Meddling Hands, the organisation of which Giant was a member, wanted to solve the conflict between Leylin and the Lilytell family, he wanted none of that.
From his perspective, since they had already become enemies, it was better to completely eliminate them.
Besides, the current Marb thought nothing of Leylin.
If, before the second bloodline transition, Leylin only had a chance to kill his opponent with the help of Number 2 and Number 3, he was now confident that in a fight, he could definitely destroy his opponent! Marb wouldn't even have the chance to escape.
"Let's go!"
With a shake of his robes, he brought the two Branded Swordsmen out of the cave.
"Awoooo!" Soon after, the silhouette of a huge Venom Wyvern soared up high from the cave…
...
*Zoom!*
On the plains, two figures flickered with light as they travelled at speeds that exceeded what could be seen with the naked eye. One chased, while the other fled.
In front was a young woman wearing white robes, her hair slightly curled, and her chest was bursting out of her clothes.
As she moved, her plentiful bosom would constantly jiggle, and paired with this woman's beautiful face, men had the urge to become lecherous wolves.
It was a pity that her striking beauty had no effect on the Magus behind her.
*Xiu xiu!* The sound of blades slashing could be heard, and the woman's face changed, instantly grabbing a chain bracelet around her wrist and flung it behind.
*Weng weng!*
Luminous green light was emitted from the chain bracelet, and the light converged to form a large web which slammed into the two silver pikes.
*Rumble!*
Green and silver rays exploded, and the intense explosive airwaves struck the woman's back.
*Rip!* Half her robe was torn up, revealing her bright, clean back and delicate skin.
"Stupid old man! I already told you I don't know any 'Leylin'. Why did you keep chasing after me…"
The woman seemed to care little about how she was exhibiting a lot of skin as she produced a scroll. *Chia!* A pair of translucent, small wings grew behind her.
Each was quite small and formed a semi-heart. They were quite cute and seemed like a decorative item.
*Hu-la!* The wings shook, bringing with them waves of energy.
However, this lady did not fly but floated gently, as if she had become more buoyant. With her wings flapping behind her, her speed increased, and only then did she have the time to turn back and scold,
"You're the light Magus in this region, so you must be under Leylin's protection! How can you not know of him?"
The one that was chasing behind her was a silver-haired old man with metallic ornaments dangling from his forehead to his face. After having seen the woman using the scroll, a ring of silvery, metallic rays was produced.
*Hu hu!*
Metallic rays constantly sprayed backwards like two silver tassles that drifted behind him.
*Crash!* His speed increased sharply and was even slightly faster than the woman's, which caused the distance between them to decrease.
The woman even felt like crying at this point. "I'm just a wandering Magus! Though this is Four Seasons Garden's territory, we're still allowed to go in. You've really got the wrong person!"
Hearing her explanation, Marb face did not change and he extended his right arm, a silver white metallic bomb appearing in his hand.
His pupils had no life in them and he was unmoved, as if this scantily dressed woman was just a rotting corpse.
With a wave of his hand, the metallic bomb travelled in a beautiful arc and landed in front of the woman's path.
*Boom!*
The silver bomb blew up with a loud rumble, fire constantly spreading and metallic debris constantly flying everywhere.
The look on this woman's face was terrible. She was barely able to dodge the aftermath of the explosion. Most of her wings were blown away, and as a result, her speed immediately decreased. She could even feel a bloodthirsty gaze on her basically naked back, as if it was looking at prey. This gaze was different from the lustful looks from many male Magi: it was pure killing intent without the slightest bit of desire.
Hence, she was very clear that the moment she was in his hands, all that awaited her was death. Her pretty face, which was something she had always been proud of, served no purpose in this situation.
"Though you're a wandering Magus, you must belong to some part of Four Seasons Garden. If you die here, it'll be bad for him anyway."
Marb coldly stated. In order to force Leylin out, there was nothing he would not do.
In a place where rank 2 Magi were in charge, with his strength as a peak rank 1 Magus, it was still possible to kill as he liked.
"Damn it! How did I get so unlucky as to meet a lunatic like him!"
The curly-haired woman cursed, desiring to cry as she quickly ran.
"Escaping? Do you think you'll actually succeed?"
Marb, who was behind her, gathered a silver fluid in his hand again, turning it into a short rod.
He held on to the silver, metallic rod, and pointed it at the woman was fleeing as fast as she could.
*Zilala!* The front of the metallic short rod split open, and countless little silver steel balls flew out.
*Peng peng!*
These steel balls fell like rain, dispersed in a circular shape, headed forward, and blocked all the possible routes that the woman could use to flee.
*Ding ding dang dang!*
The woman clenched her teeth and a pink defensive layer emerged from her body.
As the silver metallic steel balls struck the defense layer, a heavy thud could be heard.
"Transform!" At this moment Marb, who was behind, shouted coldly, his two hands clawing forward!
*Tsss!* The steel balls that were hitting the pink layer suddenly melted to form a silver liquid that covered the layer.
Along with Marb's clawing motion, a formless column of air seemed to strike on the silver liquid, the large strength it had constantly pulled the woman backwards.
*Rumble!*
Marb clenched his right fist, silver fluid coated his hand, which caused it to become an eye-catching silver colour.
The silver, metallic fist mercilessly struck the pink layer.
The layer was immediately dented to a terrifying extent. As Marb increased the power of his attack, terrifying cracking sounds could be heard.
Finally, under the woman's desperate gaze, the pink layer was completely shattered by the silver fist, turning into shards that gently fell like butterflies.
"Pu…" With her innate spell broken, the woman paled and as if she had been struck by a hammer and collapsed.
"Damn it! I'm going to stay right here! Just do whatever you want now!"
She watched Marb, and closed her eyes as if in resignation. However, the moment she closed her eyes, her legs spread open and her robes ripped apart, revealing the underwear underneath. The black shadow in the middle was enough to cause anyone to go mad and have the desire to explore further.
"All these little actions at this time?" Marb snickered.
Most Magi liked to enjoy themselves after they advanced and were open about their acts in this area. This was the case for both male and female Magi. But Marb was different! He was already one with metal and had lost the ability to have children. This was why he valued Bosain, his only blood relative so much.
Shortly after, his right hand turned into a chopper!
"Rest in peace! Nobody will save you!"
After having heard Marb's declaration, hopelessness welled up. She was merely a semi-converted Magus and was probably slightly competent when it came to fleeing. However, in front of Marb, she was like a frail child.
"Am I going to die here? Mentor, I'm sorry I couldn't complete the task you entrusted to me!"
As the chopper struck down, the woman mumbled under her breath.
"Really?"
*Boom!*
The pain she anticipated did not arrive and instead, a third person's voice rang out in the field.
The female Magus opened her eyes to the sight of a giant black serpent, scales flickering with black light as it broke the chopper with a single bite.
After breaking the chopper, the serpent turned into black smoke and floated to the back of a very handsome male Magus. It turned into a ring of black elemental particles and hovered over him like an aureole.
"What a familiar face! This seems to be the person in charge of Hunting Zone 3… Leylin!"
The woman inwardly heaved a sigh of relief, though outwardly she appeared to be indifferent to the situation.
The female Magus then stood up as if nothing had happened and quickly rushed off, covering a large distance in a short period of time.
"By the way, do I know you?" Leylin rolled his eyes inwardly.
This was an area he had jurisdiction over, and all Magi who were in the light faction or any wandering Magi were supposed to greet him. However, Leylin was always indoors and rarely showed himself, so it was natural he did not know this woman.
However, if she were to die here, it would put a mark on his record, so he decided not to bicker with her about it.
Leylin's full concentration was now on Marb.
Determination
After seeing Leylin, Marb's gaze, which was as sharp as knives, was fixed on Leylin.
"So… You've finally appeared, Leylin!"
Marb spoke softly, but the coldness and determination were apparent in his voice, causing the female Magus nearby to break out in cold sweat,
In their previous battle, Marb had witnessed Leylin's power and the rate at which he grew stronger. Fear and regret crawled around and constantly gnawed at his insides like ants.
He regretted it! He regretted not deploying more manpower to the Great Canyon Margaret and thoroughly eliminating Leylin there!
Now, Leylin had already grown stronger and was quickly becoming the Lilytell Family's worst nightmare.
In the beginning, he had only just advanced to a rank 1 Magus, but now, he was capable of fighting on equal grounds with Marb. In the entire Magus history of the south coast, this was a rate of improvement that only the cream of the crop had.
Presently, Marb could still suppress his opponent, but even he himself had no confidence in being able to do so in the future.
By that time, Leylin would definitely destroy the entire Lilytell Family!
Marb did not want to be one responsible for his family's death. Hence, in this period of time, he was like a madman, looking for traces of Leylin.
He did not even hesitate to anger a rank 2 light Magus as he slaughtered a large number of Magi in the light Magi zone.
Finally, he had forced Leylin to come out.
Marb stared straight at Leylin, as if afraid that at the slightest blink, Leylin would escape once again and disappear.
"It's been a long time! I've been looking for you for a long time…" Marb mumbled under his breath.
"I've waited quite some time. This really has to end soon!" Leylin clasped his hands behind his back and spoke.
This indifference obviously caused Marb to become suspicious. The current Leylin's aura was even more difficult to make sense of, and even he was unable to accurately judge Leylin's strength.
However, in order to force Leylin to make an appearance, he had no other choice!
"Die!" Marb suddenly made his move as he roared.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
In an instant, he turned into pure metal, rays converging in front of his chest and spell formation that emitted brownish yellow light.
"Metal transformation! Gravity spell formation!"
Fully aware that Leylin was no easy target, Marb used his trump card right away.
*Weng Weng!*
A ring of brownish yellow light extended across the entire area.
Wave after wave of a tearing force from the core of the earth descended onto the area.
"Gravity times twenty!" Marb's eyes turned a pure silver hue as he roared.
*Rumble!* The brownish yellow colour immediately spread, and a tearing force that was ten times stronger than before exploded from beneath the ground.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
The surface of the ground peeled off, and moles, ants, and other tiny animals were immediately ripped apart and turned into blood mist!
"Lunatics! They're all lunatics!"
That female Magus was right at the edge of the spell formation, and she instantly lay on the ground, her skin constantly breaking. Blood flowed copiously, and she was quickly dyed crimson.
"Are you kidding? How can I die from the aftershocks of a Magi battle?"
The female Magus gritted her teeth and broke a pendant around her neck.
This usually simple task was made much more difficult due to the times twenty gravitational force.
In reality, if not for her being an official Magus and having remodelled her body such that it became stronger, she would have been blown up into blood mist like those animals.
*Chi!*
After breaking the pendant, a green light engulfed the female Magus' body.
All her wounds were instantly healed, and if not for the bloodstains that were left on her body and clothes, it would be impossible to tell that she had been injured.
The green light travelled across her body, and she could immediately feel the effects of the increased gravity lessening. She quickly used her four limbs and crawled out of the area that the brownish-yellow gravity spell formation affected.
*Bo!*
After leaving the spell formation and feeling the gravity return to normal, she heaved a hefty sigh of relief and stood up.
"That was much too terrifying! As expected, it's impossible for us semi-converted Magi to interfere in battles between rank 1 Magi who are at the peak."
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
At this moment, the sound of metal clashing against metal produced ear-piercing sound waves.
As if bitten by a snake, the female Magus took seven steps back and glanced at the middle of the spell formation. At the center, there were two human figures that had slammed into each other.
In their surroundings, whether they were large trees or rocks, all were reduced to powder once they were brushed past.
"This is too dangerous!"
The female Magus' expression changed, and she immediately fled further until the two Magi were on the verge of disappearing from her line of sight. Only then did she halt her steps.
"It should be fine here… right?"
Though this was what she told herself, the Wind elemental energy particles around her feet did not dissipate as she made preparations to leave if she saw the need to.
*Bam!*
Covered in a layer of black scales, Leylin struck Marb's curved, metallic knife.
Sparks flew, and the clash produced an ear-piercing sound, causing the area around them to quake. There were even some black cracks around them that slowly extended outwards.
*Ping pang!* At this moment, the sound of metal breaking sounded from the middle.
The two figures that had been fiercely fighting quickly retreated.
Leylin swung his arms, and in his hand was the sharp tip of a blade! In the fight just now, Leylin had actually used brute force and broken one of Marb's blades!
At this moment, the tip of the blade was still wriggling about and had transformed into multiple metallic teeth that were biting at Leylin's palm.
*Ka-cha!*
The metallic teeth bit at the scales and produced crisp sounds, but there was not a trace left on Leylin's hand.
When the bloodline transitioning had occurred, Leylin's innate spell formation, Kemoyin's scales, had also powered up. Its physical defense and resistance to magic had risen by more than 30 degrees. With the added power from Leylin's magic, Marb's metallic weapons were now unable to hurt Leylin.
"Hm? How dare you resist!"
Leylin furrowed his brows, and immediately after, the muscles on his right arm bulged out. More than 20 degrees of strength were displayed!
*Weng!*
Clenching his fist, a miserable shriek of someone at death's door could be heard from the space between Leylin's fingers.
Leylin then opened his right hand and threw a few bits of metal that had clearly become dented out of shape, and thus become useless, onto the floor.
As Leylin had crushed the metal, Marb had trembled slightly, as if he had been wounded. With a liquid metallic body, Marb's spirit was spread out evenly throughout his body. The moment Leylin completely destroyed the liquid metal in his hands, a part of Marb's spirit had died as well.
"You're- You're actually completely fine! This entire area actually has twenty times the usual gravity!"
Seeing that Leylin was completely fine, Marb's face was filled with disbelief.
Just ten or so days ago, he had used this spell and caused Leylin to have no choice but to flee. However, currently, Leylin was actually so nimble even with the effects of the gravity spell formation. This situation caused Marb, who had recently experienced the pain of losing part of his spirit, to become terrified.
Though he was aware of Leylin's talent, Marb realised that the rate at which he improved was far above his expectations!
"Gravity?" Leylin looked at the brownish-yellow spell formation and smirked.
Within his body, a transparent energy membrane emitted a faint purplish red colour, protecting the most vulnerable organs in his body.
This was the defensive ability that the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's bloodline had brought to him. In addition, even if this membrane was not activated, just his vitality of 25.7 was enough to withstand this level of gravity. After all, the sturdiness of his body was working up to the same level of hardness as the body of the ancient Giant Kemoyin Serpent.
"Today will be your doomsday!" Marb was stern and resolute.
"Twenty-nine times gravity!" He roared fiercely, and his body was engulfed by a layer of brownish-yellow ring of gravitational force.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
A gravitational force that was even more tremendous descended and even Leylin could feel the pressure and the increase in his weight.
However, the one who got the worse end of the deal was Marb himself.
Right after sending out the attack, the sound of porcelain breaking could be heard from his body.
Like a spider web, numerous cracks emerged all over his body.
"Even if I am to bet on the Lilytell name and sacrifice my life, I must kill you here!" Marb looked slightly craze as he spoke.
"A fight to the death?"
Leylin's expression became serious. Though he had already gone through the second bloodline transition and his strength had surpassed that of a rank 1 Magus, he was not yet a rank 2 Magus!
Facing a Magus who was also at the peak, even he had to be extra careful.
*Crack! Crack!*
Chilling sounds were produced as Marb's metallic body suddenly increased in size, his muscles bulging as his body expanded.
In the blink of an eye, Marb transformed from a regular old man to a metallic, burly man who was over five meters tall.
On the surface of his body was a luster that was unique to metal. The cracks were even more massive, and it looked as if his new form might collapse at any moment.
Leylin's eyes flashed as he felt the immense, unstable energy waves of elemental particles from Marb's transformed body.
"You want to take me down even if it means your own death? Dream on!"
Leylin quickly retreated, and at the same time, he chanted a few syllables.
*Rumble!*
Countless black fireballs emerged from the shadows on the ground, hovering in the air.
The latent fireball, which had already been overwhelmingly powerful, now had an even more terrifying might of 60 degrees with the added bonus from Leylin's current elemental essence conversion!
This was practically the limit of the power that a rank 1 Magus could possess. Under the might of the black fireball, the soil melted and turned into something akin to the crystalline particles of porcelain and glass.
Slain
"Latent Fireball!"
Leylin raised his right arm and hundreds of small black fireballs fused in front of him, till they were about the size of a human head. The black in the middle was even more intense, giving it a profound air as if it could suck in human spirits.
Under the intense flames that were of a high temperature, even the brownish-yellow gravitational rays began to show signs of instability, constantly retracting and extending.
Facing the giant in front of him, Leylin's expression was cold.
The latent fireball soared through the sky as if passing through space, and it appeared in front of the metallic giant in an instant.
The black fire's high-temperature force field caused the metallic giant to sway slightly, liquid metal constantly melting and dripping onto the ground.
In the face of such a terrifying attack, Marb steeled himself and grabbed on to his right arm!
*Ka-cha!*
The ear-piercing sound of bones breaking sounded, and Marb himself actually tore off his own arm.
The half-complete metallic arm that he tossed away showed signs of melting into the air and then turned into an oval metal ball. It then collided with the black fireball!
*Rumble!*
Bright rays of light unceasingly spread out, and at the centre, there was a black and silver-white light that was constantly squirming… devouring…
Even though Marb had tried to increase the distance between them as best as he could, he was still affected by the energy waves. *Ka-cha!* The gravity spell formation at his chest immediately cracked.
*Pak!*
The brownish-yellow gravity spell formation simply collapsed, and the gravity immediately went back to normal.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Explosions sounded one after another like beans exploding.
Just ten seconds later, the entire ground had been levelled, and even a large portion of the earth had been blown off.
At the centre was a gigantic pit that was so deep that one could not see the bottom.
After the ash and dust had somewhat dispersed, Leylin came to the side of the pit. Seeing the black flames that were still burning, he asked aloud, "Dead yet?"
*Shua!*
A silver-white figure immediately cut through the curtain of ash and appeared before Leylin.
"Marb?!" Producing an expression of pure shock, he quickly backed away!
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Marb's current condition was very pitiful. Not only had he lost his right arm, even his chest and thigh had injuries that were so deep one could see the bone.
This was especially so for the injury above his waist. It looked as if he was on the verge of being broken into two.
If this were an ordinary human or even an official Magus, they would find it difficult to survive, let alone go on the offense with such dangerous injuries.
But Marb was evidently different. Liquid metal unceasingly flowed and covered several areas, forcefully patching up his body.
Upon seeing Leylin, silver light that seemed to have turned solid shot out of his eyes.
*Bang!*
Two metal bombs behind his back exploded, the force instantly acting on his back.
Using this method, he was able to catch up to Leylin.
"We shall perish together!" Marb pounced forward.
While in midair, his entire body dispersed and turned into a silver white curtain.
The metallic curtain seemed to have a life of its own as it bundled Leylin within, leaving behind his head on the outside.
"Hm? An interesting attack! Is this your final attack?" Leylin watched the silver liquid metal wrapped around him like a cocoon, his expression cool and not the least bit flustered.
*Gulu! Gulu!*
A large amount of liquid metal gathered at Leylin's shoulder, turning into the face of an old man.
"For the family! For Bosain! Metal will ultimately be destroyed…" The old man looked deranged and looked as if he was planning to die for a just cause.
"By the way… do you mean to die together with that puppet?"
Just as Marb was about to self-destruct, a voice lazily resounded from the other end of the battlefield.
Marb turned around in disbelief, and immediately caught sight of another Leylin that had suddenly appeared. He looked to be mocking the old man as he sized him up.
"You must have forgotten, but I am a Magus specialising in Dark elemental energy particles. For us, making a shadow clone is a piece of cake."
While Leylin spoke, the "Leylin" that Marb had bound, began to transform in a bizarre manner.
The entire body became black and turned into a bundle of black shadows.
"No!" A pair of silver-white hands reached out from the curtain as Marb yelled, trying to get away from the clone.
"It's too late!" Leylin exclaimed indifferently, with even some pity in his voice.
*Shua Shua Shua!*
The large lump of shadows that had Marb surrounded suddenly produced countless black tendrils that engulfed Marb.
Marb bellowed as large numbers of fine, rotating knives emerged from his body.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* Sparks flew as the blades and tendrils made contact.
However, this time, the durability of the shadow tendrils had increased in might by a large margin, and the silver-white blades eventually got stuck. Some even snapped.
"Goodbye, Marb!"
His expression was strange as he watched Marb, who was completely bound by the shadow tendrils.
Next, he raised his arm, and then clenched his fist!
*Boom!*
...
"Is it over?"
The female Magus from before had escaped far, far away due to her fear of the aftershocks from the battle. Only after it ended did she dare to return while cowering.
It was not that she did not want to escape, but if Marb was the one who won, it would be impossible for her to escape with her current speed. Hence, it would be better to take the chance and return. If Leylin and Marb were able to heavily injure each other, she could render some assistance too! This would ultimately benefit her!
"Or perhaps… the two of them perished together? If that's the case, all their possessions will belong to me! Hahaha…"
At the thought of picking up loot from two mighty people, the female Magus began to laugh aloud a little neurotically.
"My apologies, but you'll have to be disappointed!"
Next, Leylin's voice was heard and the female Magus' maniacal laughter suddenly stopped like a duck who had its throat gripped.
"It's you! That Leylin who caused me to be chased after…"
The female Magus commented lightly, but quickly changed her words, "Oh! No, I mean Magus Leylin!"
As he watched this female Magus, who seemed to be much too comfortable in this situation, Leylin shook his head and had no intentions of chatting with her.
"Hunting zones are still quite dangerous. If you want to gather resources, it's better to head to the other zones."
Leylin turned and left after he spoke.
"Hey! Wait! Where's that Magus called Marb? Did you chase him away?" Only now did the female Magus react.
With the fear from before still lingering in her heart, she looked around as if afraid that Marb would appear at any moment.
"Marb? He's right here!"
Leylin waved, showing her the huge lump of metal in his hand.
"Hm?" The female Magus gazed at the item in Leylin's hand with astonishment.
That was a large piece of silver, metallic ore. At the beginning, she had assumed Leylin had found some materials and ignored it.
...
However, upon closer inspection, there were a few strange depressions and protruding areas on the surface, like a… human face?!
After comparing the eyes and nose, the female Magus fell back three steps, "It's Marb! You killed him?"
Such an unusual reaction actually threw Leylin off.
"He's a dark Magus. As a Magus from the hunting team, isn't it normal to kill him?"
"Were…. were you dropped on the head as a child? I- no! What!"
Too confused, she began to stutter.
"That's a peak rank 1 Magus! Peak! No matter where you go, someone with that level of strength is definitely of a high status and has an extraordinary battle power. It wouldn't take more than one attack from him to kill off newly-advanced Magi! And you… you actually…"
She peeked at the piece of metal in Leylin's hand in disbelief, fear apparent while she glanced at Leylin.
Leylin smiled nonchalantly.
In the south coast, rank 2 Magus usually did not make themselves known. Hence, peak rank 1 Magi were the strongest powers out there.
Now, a rank 1 Magus at his peak who was considered the strongest out there, had died by his hand! If news of this travelled out, it would definitely cause a huge stir.
If this was the Leylin from before, he might even try his utmost to conceal this mater.
However, after his second bloodline transition and the sharp increase in his power, things had changed!
This was an unrivalled confidence in himself! So what if news of his battle achievements was circulated? With his current strength, it was enough for him to take care of himself and cause anyone who had designs on him to suffer miserably!
"Awoooo!"
At this moment, a huge Venom Wyvern circled the area briefly and then descended.
It roared loudly and then used its huge head and nuzzled Leylin, trying to get a good response from him.
"This is… is this that legendary Venom Wyvern? How valiant, I like it…"
Her eyes shone like stars, "Handsome! Can you give me a ride?"
Leylin shot her a glance.
To be honest, this female Magus did not look half bad, especially in terms of her figure. In addition, she had not mended her clothes that had been damaged while she was fleeing, thus revealing a whole lot of skin.
Ordinarily, and in a situation where he had time to spare, Leylin was not against playing around with her.
But this was the secret plane! He was still being pressured by both the dark and light Magi factions. It would be a wonder if he was in the mood for this sort of thing.
"Boring!"
Leylin indifferent uttered a word and then jumped onto the back of the Venom Wyvern.
"Awoo…" The Venom Wyvern bellowed at the female Magus as if trying to demonstrate its power and spread its wings, flying off.
"Tsk! Such a petty man! It's not as if I'll die without you around!"
Waiting till the Venom Wyvern's figure complete disappeared into the horizon, she fiercely made a rude gesture in Leylin's direction.
Nefarious Filthbird
At headquarters, in the hunting team's administrative zone.
*Thump!* A huge Venom Wyvern descended from the sky and created two large depressions as its feet touched the ground.
A black shadow flickered, and a robed Magus jumped off the back of the Wyvern.
"My Lord! My Lord!" An old Magus saw the Venom Wyvern, his eyes brightening as he approached them.
"Old man! We'll need to have some words about you escaping at the last minute!"
Leylin couldn't be bothered to deal with him and entered the hall.
"Vice Team leader! Lord Caesar is looking for you!" Two hunting team Magi came before Leylin and bowed slightly, their manners impeccable.
Though Leylin had no real power in front of Caesar, ordinary members like them were small fry. Those who had offended him the other time were still in isolation! Hence, these members were extremely respectful to Leylin, or at least on the surface.
"Great timing, I was just about to look for him!"
Leylin nodded slightly.
*Ka-cha!* The door opened, revealing Caesar's figure behind the office desk. The two Magi who had escorted him here quickly left.
"Magus Leylin! You're just in time. Regarding the previous mission…" Before Caesar even spoke, a huge metallic piece was firmly thrown onto the table.
"It's done!"
On this huge silver white metal, there were indents that formed an old, wrinkled face.
"Metallic lifeform?" Caesar was slightly suspicious, but at the thought of something, his eyes suddenly opened wide.
"I need to inspect this!"
After speaking, Caesar took the metallic sculpture and jogged out of the office, leaving Leylin alone inside.
Though Caesar had issued this mission before, not in his wildest dreams could he have expected Leylin to actually complete it. After all, Marb was a Magus on the same level as him!
However, Leylin had given him something that looked like Marb's head. How could this not astonish him?
In that moment, Caesar even had the suspicion that Leylin had brought him brought a random head to escape punishment.
*Creak!* Ten minutes later, the door opened once more.
Caesar appeared in front of Leylin, but his expression was dark, with even hints of shock in his face.
"I didn't think you would actually be able to do it…" Caesar could not conceal the shock and curiosity in his eyes.
"If it's possible, could you share the process of your mission with me? You know, as the hunting team leader, it's necessary that I know about the entire process and then give rewards accordingly."
Caesar spoke indifferently.
"It was very simple…" Leylin unfolded his arms. "After taking on the mission, I was going to look for you but coincidentally saw him heavily wounded, which is how I completed this assignment."
"Magus Leylin…" Caesar's face darkened further. "Please speak the truth!"
"That's what happened! I even brought along a neutral wandering Magus. If there's anything else you need, you can just ask her."
Leylin was indifferent.
In reality, as long as one was not completely blind, anyone could see this was an excuse!
But so what? Marb was dead. If Leylin said he was heavily injured, that must be the truth!
As for that female Magus, she was just a semi-converted Magus. How could she tell the state of a peak rank 1 Magus' injuries?
"You…" Caesar's face began to flush.
In that instant, he suddenly seemed to have thought of something and his entire body relaxed.
"No matter what, Magus Leylin, you have disposed of a peak rank 1 Magus from the other faction, thus showing your loyalty to Four Seasons Garden. Your bravery will be known by all light Magi, and you might even be recorded down in history…"
Caesar congratulated him with a fake smile.
"Thank you for your compliment, but I want to know more about the substantial rewards I will be getting!" Leylin nodded nonchalantly and then spoke.
For him, having a reputation wasn't all that important. With the prerequisite that the situation would not be unfavourable to him, he was, of course, willing to do some good deeds and obtain a good reputation. However, if there were no advantages and him needing to put in so much effort, making a name for himself in history was just something that only idiots would bother doing!
"Hah…"
Caesar breathed in deeply to calm the fire within his heart and said icily, "There will naturally be rewards. As for any promotions, that will have to wait. However, the contribution points have already been issued to you. 1500 points! Don't worry, the organisation is very strict when it comes to things like this, so I don't have the authority to dock points from you."
Immediately after, Caesar produced a green crystal card from within his robes and passed it to Leylin.
An obscure look flashed past Leylin's eyes as he held out his hand to take the card.
*Ka-cha!*
That instant he took the card, a slight explosion happened.
Leylin and Caesar's bodies shook for a second, and they immediately sprang apart.
"What a terrifying rate of improvement! Magus Leylin!" His expression held a trace of fear as Caesar looked at Leylin.
Before, he still had the confidence that he could suppress Leylin, but now, after the probing, he found that this Magus who he had looked upon with contempt had already caught up to him and become a mighty peak rank 1 Magus! He might even be stronger than him!
Caesar could not be so casual with Leylin any longer. Leylin's ranking in his heart had already risen to the same level of opponents who were of equal strength as him.
Leylin only gave a slight smile in response to Caesar's exclamation.
He had even concealed a part of the strength of his Warlock blood. If not, Caesar might be completely stunned.
He took his own contribution point card and swiped the green crystal card above it!
*Beep!* A light flickered and the 0 on Leylin's own card changed to 1500.
"Alright! Magus Leylin, you may return and take a rest while waiting for news from the Elders." Caesar spoke slowly.
Leylin's transformation made him feel a little uncomfortable. He was currently in need of some time to come up with a counterplan.
"Thank you!"
Leylin stood up and took a small bow, each action revealing an unspeakable sort of elegance.
...
"Really? His strength exceeds yours?"
In a room made primarily out of plants, Reynold placed the white porcelain cup on the table, a hand supporting his forehead and a finger curling his hair. Another hand was unconsciously striking the table, producing the dull 'thud' sounds.
The current Reynold looked like an old man who was not in the best state of mind, but all those who were familiar with him could tell this was him pondering over something deeply.
Caesar stood aside, waiting for the final decision from this elder of the Four Seasons Garden.
"If that's the case, we'll give him the position of the head of patrolling at the headquarters!" Reynold thought over this for a long time till the steam from his porcelain cup had vanished, before speaking.
"Alright!" In response, Caesar merely nodded.
"Also, I found out that we might have paid too little attention to that guy… If there's time, I think I want to meet him."
Reynold stretched, looking pleased as he glanced at Caesar.
"Don't you know how rude it is to bother an old man who was planning on taking an afternoon nap?"
"My apologies! I'll take my leave now!"
Caesar quickly bowed and left, a mysterious grin about his lips.
"Leylin Farlier?"
Behind him, Reynold mouthed this name.
He had naturally taken Leylin's talent into account. If he was truly sincere about joining Four Seasons Garden and that the value of the item he had gotten from the ruins was not too high, Reynold would not go so far as to do anything dirty and covet his inheritance.
However, from how Leylin had been able to improve his strength so quickly, what he had obtained was definitely not as simple as he had thought it was.
It was extremely beneficial to the user and was worth the risk for Reynold to take action.
In addition, based on the information he had gathered, ever since Leylin entered Four Seasons Garden, he still had dealings with dark Magi. He was even involved in a few of the large incidents in Nightless City!
This was just intolerable! Any organisation would not put up with the existence of disloyal members!
Though this was just a hypothesis, this was enough reason for Reynold to make his move!
He was an existence that had stepped into the level of rank 2 Magi! The difference between Magi from each rank was like heaven and earth. Even if Leylin received some amazing inheritance, as long as he had not promoted to a rank 2 Magus, he was powerless in front of a true rank 2 Magus.
Just the fact that he could solidify his spiritual force was enough to suppress most rank 1 Magi!
...
At this point in time, Leylin was oblivious to all this.
He was currently in a laboratory, holding a test tube that contained a grey liquid within. His blue eyes flashed as he constantly scanned the contents.
"The solution that contains a Nefarious Filthbird's feathers! Rumours have it that the ancient Nefarious Filthbird and Trial's Eye were nemeses. Its feathers also carried with it the chaos its original body was known for. It is an item that swindlers love."
The conclusion that the A.I. Chip had was presented in front of Leylin's eyes.
"Based on the information and simulations, this solution is able to take care of the oath I made with Four Seasons Garden. But what happens after? The problem I have isn't just with the oath…"
Leylin mumbled to himself, and looked at his stats once more.
[Leylin Farlier. Rank 1 Warlock, Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 20.1, Agility: 13.4, Vitality: 25.9, Spiritual Force: 76.1, Magic Power: 76 (Magic Power is in synchronisation with Spiritual Force). Elemental essence conversion: 90%. Status: Altering heart, progress at 69%.]
"The heart is the location where the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's blood was produced. Through the alteration of the heart, ancient Warlocks obtained similar vitality and abilities to produce blood!"
Headquarters' Patrolling Inspector
"A very large increase!" Seeing that in his refreshed data, the progress of his strength and spirit and his elemental essence conversion all had a huge change, Leylin wore a pleased expression on his face.
For an official Magus, making any progress was exceedingly difficult; even for a Magus like Leylin who had a high-level meditation technique, they would need to accumulate a lot of time.
But now, after the second transition of his bloodline, his average data had risen to that of a peak rank 1 Magus'.
And after his heart had been remodelled, it was incessantly stimulating the potential of his body towards a higher evolution.
Only in these past few days, his reformation rate had increased by 8% and this had brought about an amplification in his other data — this was absolutely terrifying!
"If it is like this, then maybe I can… "
Leylin quickly calculated in his mind and after which, his eyes emitted a dangerous beam of light.
This beam was very pure and immeasurable; Leylin's eyes, which were brimming with this beam, felt as if it could even absorb a person's soul.
But, a split second later, Leylin had already hidden this beam deep inside.
"The solvent of the Nefarious Filthbird's feathers?!"
Leylin once again focused his attention on the gray solution and a blue ray of light from the A.I. Chip flashed occasionally as he scanned the test tube, and a large amount of data was being projected in front of Leylin's eyes.
"The Void Hallucination Flowers!" exclaimed Leylin, as he saw the three crystals on the experiment table.
Deeply entrenched within these tiny crystals were white flowers that were so transparent they were almost illusory.
This flower was the principal ingredient in many ancient potions. These had previously been extinct on the south coast. It was unknown from which secret plane did Four Seasons Garden discover this flower. Its value was 50 contribution points.
"Crystal seal, undo!" As he reeled off several complicated words, Leylin pointed his right forefinger at a crystal.
*Glug!*
A noise like the ripples on a pond could be heard from the surface of those crystals.
The ripple continuously distorted as it extended to the interior of the crystal….when with a *Clink! Fizz!* — noises like waves rolling and volatile steam evaporating — the solid crystal continuously vaporized into the air. Finally, what was left behind was a delicate, small, white flower that slowly fell onto the surface of the experiment desk.
This exclusive seal removal technique was something that Leylin had obtained from the contribution hall. If he used other magic spells to forcefully remove the seal, though he would be able to effectively remove the seal, the aftermath would be that the material sealed within the crystal would also have perished.
Leylin scrutinised this ancient and precious ingredient.
The Void Hallucination Flower was a very delicate existence; it was the size of a quail egg. Moreover, some veins, like those on a leaf, appeared on the translucent surface of the flower.
This Void Hallucination Flower, the moment it was exposed to the air, it fell down and started to melt.
"This is truly a fragile thing. No wonder that it is now extinct on the entire south coast… "
Leylin muttered this as he used a pair of white tweezers, which he had prepared for such a situation, and quickly put the flowers inside a blue borneol beaker.
"The properties of the Void Hallucination Flower are very surreptitious. By blending it, one can form 43 different kinds of ingredients. Thus, it was a popular major ingredient of many of the ancient potions…"
Leylin mumbled, and seeing the continuously dissolving white flower inside the beaker, the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.
"Patrolling troops at the Headquarters? What is the position?"
Leylin gaped in amazement at Caesar. After a busy evening within the lab, He had just come out for a well-deserved rest, when he saw the Magus Caesar.
Caesar's face was all smiles. The vertical third eye in between his brows, which emitted a furtive radiance now appeared to be gentle.
"This was a position personally drafted for you by Chairman Reynold!" Caesar laughed and gave an explanation.
"You know, during wartime, Four Seasons Garden's rule is that the elders have the authority to set up new posts and this Head of the Patrol of the Headquarters is one which Lord Reynold has specially endorsed for you, Leylin. In theory, in the Eternal River Plains' secret plane, regardless of the headquarters, every branch and hunting zone's magicians all will be under your supervision…"
"Is that so?" asked Leylin, expressing his skepticism.
This was clearly a troublesome task — it had no clear-cut authority, and only had supervisory power. It seems that in this post, he could manage everything, yet do nothing at the same time and also would be able to offend more people.
After all, all the leading Magi of every branch and every hunting zone were each powerhouses in their own right, how would they listen to orders given by a central supervisor?
It was obvious that this Reynold had thrown an annoying task towards him!
"Also…. before I came, Lord Reynold also made a private request!" After handing over the appointment letter to Leylin, Caesar brought up yet another matter.
"A private request? What is it about?"
Leylin looked alert; a rank 2 Magus was not someone his current self could contend against.
However, the current him, even if he is unable to defeat his opponent, he still had his means of escape and therefore, he was not particularly afraid.
"Lord Reynold is trying to find some time to talk to you. Of course, this will be private, and is not an order!"
Seeing that although Leylin was beginning to get nervous but still managed to appear calm, a flash of amazement appeared in Caesar's eyes which he quickly suppressed. He meant to convey this to Lord Reynold.
"A lengthy conversation?" Leylin's heart throbbed.
It seemed that his recent chain of high-profile actions finally came to the attention of this rank 2 Magus.
However, this was also a part of his plan; thus Leylin nodded and said, "Certainly! I can meet with Lord Reynold. It is my honor to do so…"
"That is good! I shall immediately go and make some arrangements!" Lord Reynold was the overall commander for Four Seasons garden within the Eternal River Plains' secret plane. He handled numerous matters every day and if it were not for Leylin having performed such a meritorious deed, he would not have had the opportunity to see him.
And this time, the meeting was of a private nature, there were many protocols for this. But Leylin need not pay attention to all this; Caesar could arrange for the time and when Caesar calls him, he could go to meet Lord Reynold.
"Thank you very much!" Leylin gave a nod of thanks.
"Don't mention it! It is nothing!" With his face full of smiles, Caesar, very quickly, left.
Seeing Caesar disappear into the horizon and finally vanish from his sight, Leylin appeared more and more solemn.
Finally, his expression turned as dark as ominous clouds.
This Reynold, a rank 2 Magus, now seemed to him like a mountain, extending as far as he could see.
"Everything will soon begin!" Leylin whispered…
Inside the merit points exchange centre.
"Hallo, Sir! May I ask if you need to do any transaction?"
Behind a transparent glass window, an employee asked Leylin.
Through the glass, Leylin could see shelves all over, covered with all kinds of precious objects and high-grade information. There were even many magic artifacts and single-use-only scrolls, and also some secret techniques used by Magi.
These secret techniques were the skills and application of spellcasting
These techniquescould, often, only be learned by official Magi. After having successfully learned them, they could be used to temporarily increase the magic power, or increase the might of a magic spell to the maximum and the sort.
Leylin had viewed them as the next best thing after high-level meditation techniques.
Even if a Magus's degree of elemental essence conversion was sluggish, he could use these secret techniques and increase his magic power. This was no different to increasing the elemental essence conversion.
"Unfortunately, this was only an exterior item. The body's own strength is the most important!"
But even if the elemental essence conversion and secret techniques can amplify the magic power, this also depended on the original might of the magic spell.
The foundation was sturdy and the growth rate was high; it was the most useful for a peak rank 1 Magus!
If the foundation was not good enough, no matter how high the growth rate was, they would not be able to beat another Magus with a low elemental essence conversion but solid foundation.
All in all, among the spells that increase amplification, the most specialized magic spells can only amplify the basic power by 40%.
And the most amplified power of elemental essence conversion was not greater than approximately 90%.
Be it whatever type of amplification spells, up till now, Leylin hadn't seen any which was capable of providing a 100% or more of power. It was as if there was an invisible wall blocking the steps of the majority of the Magi.
"I am the new Patrolling Inspector from the Headquarters! I believe there is a problem here with the transactions."
Leylin took out the recently received appointment letter and flashed it at the employee. The magical radiance on the letter was a characteristic of a rank 2 Magus and caused a blinding pain to the employee.
"My Lord…."
The employee was dumbfounded; after all this position was really bizarre. It could inspect any activities but in reality, the authority to actually execute anything was not that powerful.
While stalling Leylin, the employee pushed a red button located under the desk.
Leylin noticed this small act, but he smiled and did not do anything about it.
"My Lord! Our transactions here are completely equitable and in keeping with the laws, and it is definitely not …."
While the employee was still explaining to Leylin, a translucent shadow took form in front of Leylin.
"I am Bill! I am in charge of the transaction of merit points. Do you have any problem, the new patrolling inspector, Lord Leylin?"
The shadow's face, on the exterior, looked to be about 50-60 years old, a male. He wore an eyepiece on one eye, and his hair was combed carefully and well-groomed and he wore a dark red colored formal robe, which did not have even a minute crease upon it.
This image caused Leylin to recall the land surveyors and gem appraisers of his previous world.
And, the fact that he knew Leylin's identity so fast show this in-charge Bill's capabilities of gathering intelligence and his wide network.
"I have my doubts that the exchanges here and the permissions. I need to examine …" Leylin stated this matter-of-factly.
He deeply understood this authority he owned had an expiry date tagged to it.
It was all the more so, especially when it was a predestined rebellion.
Swindling
From this inessential role that Reynold had assigned him as the Headquarters' Patrolling Inspector, Leylin could tell that Reynold had designs on him.
Even if it had nothing to do with the suspicion of him being a dark Magi, the fact that he increased his strength so quickly had caused Reynold to be wary of him.
In this situation, no matter how hard he tried to keep himself low-key, it was useless.
Since it was like this, why should he not use that bit of power he possessed and gain some benefits?
After all, before Reynold officially stripped him of his role, his cover as the Patrolling Inspector at the headquarters was still able to intimidate a great number of people. For instance, like this man in front of him, at the merit points exchange centre!
"Are you trying to tarnish my reputation?"
Upon hearing this, the face of the apparition called Pierre darkened, eyes seemingly producing crimson rays.
"No… Not tarnishing it. This is just the usual procedural checks!" Leylin smiled gently.
The instant the words left his mouth, a ring of energy particles exploded between him and Pierre.
*Rumble!*
Though the two of them had tried their best to suppress the excess waves of energy from their battle, they still attracted the attention of several Magi bystanders.
Pierre took several steps back before re-balancing himself, revealing a shocked expression on his face, "A peak rank 1 Magus! Seems like "Metal Lunatic" Marb really did die by your hands!"
This information had been proved right before him, and he could do little but be in shock.
Just from that short fight, Leylin had revealed a strength that could rival a peak rank 1 Magus!
Based on the information he had gathered, Pierre was almost sure that the Metal Lunatic Marb of the Lilytell family had most certainly died at Leylin's hands.
Goodness! Even Pierre himself was but a peak rank 1 Magus.
A peak rank 1 Magus, Marb, had died at the hands of Leylin. In a situation where a rank 2 Magus did not make his move, a peak rank 1 Magus was already the strongest in the south coast. It was rare that they were taken down. Furthermore, it was only because it had been only a short time since Marb had died so the news did not travel far yet. Otherwise, this would cause a huge commotion in the south coast.
Pierre, who was aware of this news, was even more fearful of Leylin.
"What do you want?" Pierre did not look good.
"Nothing much. I'm just thinking…" Leylin's voice went so soft to the point that he simply closed his mouth and transmitted a message.
Upon hearing his transmission, Pierre's face changed, first flushing as if he had been humiliated to the extreme, and then turning into a look of pondering.
Moments later, Pierre raised his head and glanced at the Magi nearby.
Due to the strange actions by Leylin and him, they had attracted the attention of many surrounding Magi and acolytes. This caused him to come to his final decision.
"This isn't entirely impossible. Come with me!"
The apparition called Pierre disappeared, leaving behind red energy particles turning into various signs that showed him the way.
Upon seeing this, Leylin grinned.
He was aware that even amongst the light Magi, there weren't that many people who were incorruptible.
At the merit points exchange centre, it was a trading place where one could obtain the most profits. It was definitely not a place free of bribery, but if Leylin really wanted something from this place, it would be his last day with his current role as Patrolling Inspector.
However, he had not forced the other party to do anything. He had merely pointed out a few of his requirements and resulted in the other person making a concession.
Uncaring of the strange looks from the Four Seasons Garden Magi, Leylin followed the signs came to a house behind the exchange centre.
In front of the door, a Magus who looked just like the apparition was already in wait. The one who appeared, this time, was a real body, rather than an apparition.
"You're here!" Pierre's face was dark.
Of course, regardless of who it was, nobody would be in a good mood if someone came up and tried to take advantage of them.
"Hn!" Leylin briefly nodded his head and did not speak further.
Pierre gave Leylin a meaningful look as if trying to inscribe his appearance to memory, "Come with me!"
Next, without waiting for Leylin, he simply stalked off. Leylin rubbed his nose, and with a smile he followed.
On the way, various seals and defensive layers were seen everywhere, but with Pierre, who was familiar with this area, it was obviously a smooth sailing.
*Ka-cha!*
Pierre produced a black copper key and opened a large door, which was full of runes on the surface.
*Rumble!* In an instant, the sparkles of various treasures and crystal balls, as well as the smells of many precious ingredients filled Leylin's eyes.
In front of him was an impressive, huge storage warehouse. Various precious resources were placed in front of him, so much so that it seemed they were endless.
"With my authority, I can only open this secondary warehouse to you. Also, I can give you a 40% discount. That is the bottom line!"
Pierre was resolute. From his wounded expression, it was obvious that these were his limits. Hence, Leylin did not press on.
"Alright, alright! I won't be too difficult to you."
Leylin spoke without sincerity and walked into the warehouse.
The way Leylin treated this place like it was his own home had Pierre grinding his teeth in annoyance, but he did not dare say anything else.
To be honest, there was something here that would result in him being apprehended if it was ever found out. He would be stripped of his position and would even face punishment.
Compared to this, letting Leylin taking advantage of the situation wasn't much.
Leylin walked past piles of potions and ingredients that were worth thousands of merit points, looking rather calm.
For him, there were very few items that he coveted.
In addition, what he was in urgent need of were methods to increase his battle power. Hence, a few offensive techniques were of more value to him.
Leylin's footsteps did not stop until he came to the side of a wooden frame with an intellectual crystal ball on it.
"Research" "Experiments" "Secret techniques"
At the side of the frame, there were all sorts of detailed inscriptions that recorded all sort of intellectual-type information and what they included, making it easier for Leylin to search through.
He came in front of the column that had secret techniques.
"High energy Eagle Eye!" "Dog nose transformation!" "Liver transplantation!" "Fire elemental negative energy layering spell!"
All sorts of secret techniques, with some that even Leylin had not heard of, were displayed before him. He was almost getting dizzy with the sheer amount there was.
"Excuse me! Can you deactivate the defense formation? I want to take a look at the content!"
Though Leylin sounded apologetic, his actions were nothing but that.
"You…" Pierre was speechless but still headed over, fished out a token from his robes and flashed it at the frame.
*Weng!*
A milky-white magical light was emitted from the token, and soon after, the spell defense formation around the frame deactivated.
"With my authority, you'll at most be able to see the first one-third of the contents. Any more than that and the spell formation will start working again, and I have no way to do anything about that…" Pierre spread his hands while he explained.
"That's enough!" Leylin nodded, taking the information that recorded the way to have eagle's eyes and sped through it.
On the surface, he was skimming over the crystal ball and trying to find the information he wanted, but in actuality, the A.I. Chip was hard at work in his brain, recording down all the information he read through.
There he only had access to a third of the information, this was already enough for the A.I. Chip. Based on that, it could deduce the rest of the information. It was just a matter of time.
Half an hour later, Leylin had already looked through all the information in the intellectual crystal ball. The A.I. Chip had benefited greatly as well, having recorded down a lot of precious information.
"Give me this projective technique, Dire bear transmutation and bloodline modulation theory!"
Of course, the A.I. Chip was not able to infer all information in its entirety. Behind the clauses that the A.I. Chip came up with, there was a list of ingredients that could not be deduced.
Leylin looked around and, based on his needs, asked for a few more items.
"Not counting the miscellaneous items, the total comes to a thousand merit points! With the discount, it is 600 merit points!"
With this, he was able to save 400 merit points. Even if the team leader Caesar were to come, Leylin estimated that he would at most get a discount of 20%.
However, he had been able to get a 40% discount on any of the items in this treasure house!
"And this, this… that… give me one of all that!"
Leylin very quickly spent the 1500 merit points he had just obtained.
Hours later, Leylin left the area under Pierre's gaze as if he had met a calamity.
"What a great harvest!" Leylin rubbed his sack that was full to the brim and sighed in contentment.
"If only I could come here once a day!"
Leylin was aware that this was just delusional thought.
If he did this once more, it would backfire on him and result in a huge counter attack from those who had a vested interest in the items. He was so arrogant, and that was only because he had no intentions of sticking around in Four Seasons Garden.
If not, in a light Magi organisation, this would cause public anger. There were plenty of ways to kill him!
"After fishing up all the benefits from the merit points exchange centre, there's still somewhere else…"
Looking at the vast Eternal River Plains' secret plane and the steady stream of Magi constantly entering, his lips twitched and he began to give a bright smile.
Days later, tales of Leylin were spread throughout.
"Metal Terminator!" "Greedy Dragon!" These were his newest nicknames.
Metal Terminator referred to his battle achievement of killing off the Metal Lunatic, Marb! It was in this battle that Leylin had openly killed a peak rank 1 Magus, thus setting the foundation for his reputation as a powerhouse.
As for 'Greedy Dragon', this referred to the series of 'robbing' activities he had done without restraint.
Whether it was at the merit points exchange centre, the defense team, garrison, and even a few Magi divisions and zones, they had all been places he had pillaged and extorted from shamelessly!
To be honest, the greediness of Magi truly exceeded his expectations. In all the areas he had checked on, none were upstanding people.
No matter how well the accounts had been done, with the terrifying abilities of the A.I. Chip, nothing escaped his eye.
Using the Solvent
Under the circumstances, each division could do little but pinch their noses in distaste while they did as Leylin wanted. However, his reputation had gone straight to the gutters and had gained him the reputation of 'least welcomed' at all divisions.
To be honest, when he had first received news of this, Leylin was a little surprised but found it very amusing.
In the Magus world, strength was to be respected. Reputation wasn't entirely useless, but it only applied to those within the same ranks of strength.
As long as he continued to improve his strength, after he advanced to become a rank 2 Magus, these people would stick onto him like dogs, wagging their tails and lamenting that they had not let Leylin taking more advantage of them.
"Magus Leylin! Greedy Dragon! Lord Reynold would like to see you tomorrow at 7pm. Please be prepared."
Caesar expressionlessly announced in front of Leylin and left.
"This is a little earlier than expected. Have I finally angered the heavens?" Leylin laughed without fear.
He did not take his position as the patrolling inspector seriously, and on top of that, he had been doing all sorts of things. It was no surprise that all of the Four Seasons Garden viewed him as an enemy and opposed him.
If he did not make any preparations, he was going to die!
This was definite. After all, Leylin himself was not completely innocent, and investigations would spell his downfall.
In addition, the inheritance from the Great Magus Serholm would definitely attract the attention of rank 2 Magi!
In the Magus World, there were all sorts of spells that could be used to detect lies and test one's spirit.
The reason the Magi here did not use them was because they were light Magi and did everything in sequence. However, this was wartime! Everything was about power. Furthermore, there were also a lot of mysteries about Leylin.
Currently, if any of these spells were used against him, he wouldn't even have the chance to explain himself!
Actually, Leylin had long since suspected that the Four Seasons Garden had discovered his activities with the dark Magi. Though he left no proper evidence, there might have still been some traces left behind.
If not, why would he, a high-level potion master who was young, talented, and sure to be held in high regard wherever he went, be assigned to this place to fight?
"But this is enough."
Leylin's lips quirked in a slight smile.
He had already been mentally prepared to be found out. After all, Magi had too many unknown methods, and he had no way to guard against everything.
Being able to have up to 2 years and allow his bloodline to transition, as well as being able to accumulate a large amount of resources and knowledge, had Leylin feeling quite satisfied.
"It looks like it's time to fall out with them!"
Leylin looked apathetic. Theoretically speaking, he was the one who had betrayed the Four Seasons Garden, but this was for his own sake! For benefits! To chase his dreams! He was not going to turn back from this route.
"Alright! I'll use this!" Leylin turned over to the palm of his hand, revealing a well-preserved test tube in his right palm.
Within the test tube was a grey solvent. It was a type of grey that people would find disgusting, and just a glance at it would cause one to feel dizzy.
"The solvent of the Nefarious Filthbird's feathers! Tests have been conducted on it. In order to break away from Four Seasons Garden and perhaps even become enemies, it's necessary to dispel the constraints of the contract witnessed by the Trial's Eye!"
Leylin stared hard at the test tube in his hand, looking unusually excited.
He snapped his fingers, and in an instant, the room was shrouded in a layer of faint yellow light. Leylin then carefully removed the covering from the mouth of the test tube.
*Tsss!* A grey gas floated out of the test tube, and upon contact with the air, the solvent of the Nefarious Filthbird's feathers produced innumerable tiny bubbles and began to evaporate violently.
"Ugh!" Leylin pinched his nose tightly. "What a terrifying stench!"
He had taken in just a small breath, yet he was already on the verge of fainting from the smell. It was just too stinky! Even with his vitality of over 20, it was almost unbearable for him.
The Nefarious Filthbird was originally a congelation of all of the filthy things in the world, and its feathers held traces of its filthiness.
In actuality, the solvent made from the feathers did not get its power from the feathers themselves, but from the projection of the Nefarious Filthbird's strength onto this part of its body!
The ancient Nefarious Filthbird was an existence that was the archenemy of the Trial's Eye! Not only had their battles affected the Magus World, it also several other large-scale areas.
There were traces of them present everywhere in legends and myths.
"Filth! Chaos! How did these characteristics come about, and how did they work?"
A curiosity that could not be concealed appeared in Leylin's eyes. Whether it was the chaotic characteristic of the Nefarious Filthbird or the fairness of the Trial's Eye, they were very much different from the spells in the Magus World. They were more like a type or regulation, which gave Leylin the strongest urge to find out even more.
Magi usually liked to research on all types of strange phenomenon and strengths, as well as to try to find ways to make that power theirs.
In terms of trying to chase after the truth, Magi were similar to the researchers and scientists in Leylin's previous world.
"It's a pity that this sort of thing can only be approached by those who are at least Morning Star Magi!"
Whether it was the Trial's Eye or the Filthy Bird, both could traverse through the entire world and weave through terrifying beings. Their existence surpassed that of normal beings, and they had entered a level that Leylin could not hope to even reach for, much less understand.
The current Leylin wasn't even an ant to them; he was probably a little smaller than a speck of dust.
Even if he wanted to offer sacrifices and summon them, he would only see an apparition that lacked power. It wasn't possible to explore and find out more about them.
Even though Leylin was a little disappointed, what he felt was, even more, the kindling of fire and a stronger desire within.
"One day! One day, I'll reach the peak of the Magus World and make people take note of the other great existences, and chase after the truth and eternity they hold…"
*Tsss!*
After the volatile grey solvent in the test tube finished its reaction, Leylin's body was engulfed by grey mist.
This mist was unbearably smelly, causing Leylin to feel suffocated.
The grey mist seemed to have a life of its own as it climbed onto Leylin's skin as if trying to find ways to enter his body.
*Rumble!*
Leylin suddenly felt faint, and his expression changed.
*Pak! Pak! Pak!* As if provoked, several apparitions of the Trial's Eye appeared on his body.
These apparitions were mostly only the size of his thumb, and the biggest was as big as his fist. There were a few mysterious threads connected to it that winded around Leylin.
"The power of regulation?" Leylin extended his right hand, trying to touch those threads.
Unsurprisingly, his hands went straight through the threads as if they were thin air.
"These must be the threads from the contract and regulations! The small Trial's Eye represents the agreement I had with the old witch, while the largest one is the contract I made that was witnessed by the rank 2 Magus, Reynold!"
The largest Trial's Eye had the thickest threads and was inseparably close to Leylin's body.
Some part of him gave him the idea that if he went against the contract, these lines would break, and it would end in a result he did not want to even think about.
*Tssss tssss!*
After witnessing the apparitions of the Trial's Eye, the fluctuations from the grey mist became more intense. Through an unknown channel, a mysterious piece of information was transmitted to Leylin.
"One feather solvent can only dissolve one contract?" Leylin nodded, and spoke in the ancient Byron language, "I choose this one!" He pointed at the largest Trial's Eye.
Not only was the ancient Byron language the basis of spellcasting, it even held a mysterious power that allowed all beings with spirits to be able to understand its intended meaning from its words. Hence, it was a language used throughout the Magus world and in other places.
*Chi chi!*
After receiving Leylin's answer, the grey mist quickly became denser, and the chirps of a bird were sounded in the middle.
The coarse chirps of this bird were was extremely unpleasant to hear, like the bawling of a woman.
Along with the chirps, the grey mist spread out two wings and turned into a faint, large grey bird in the mist.
"Is this the actual body of the ancient Nefarious Filthbird?" Leylin carefully took down the Filthy Bird's appearance. However, with the hindrance of the mist, besides the bird's main appearance, nothing else could be clearly made out.
"Judgement!" "Judgement!" "Judgement!" "Judgement!"
At this moment, as if provoked by the Nefarious Filthbird, the Trial's Eye image on the surface of Leylin's body began to vibrate.
Small bolts of lightning were produced around the Trial's Eye, the void crackling around them as sounds of sacrificial hymns sounded out.
The Trial's Eye in the middle immediately expanded several times, powerful undulations overflowing as it tried to break through the void to borrow a bit of power from its original body.
"Chii!"
The giant bird in the grey mist extended its wings, where large amounts of grey-black mist emanated.
Filth! Chaos!
Leylin felt dizzy again and was almost unable to tell where he was.
"Chi Chi!" The grey-black mist and blue electric currents tried to devour each other, and eventually perished together.
However, it was obvious that there was much more mist than blue lightning, and in a few seconds, it was in an advantageous position.
"Chi Chi!"
Under the shroud of mist, the Trial's Eye shook wildly and even stopped all attempts at contacting its original body.
At this moment, the large bird in the grey mist soared into the air, and like a predator hunting for food swooped down from midair!
*Pop!*
With a peck from its grey beak, the apparition of the largest Trial's Eye was pecked out.
*Ka-cha!* *Ka-cha!* *Ka-cha!* The threads that connected Leylin and the Trial's Eye were snapped in twain.
As the threads snapped, Leylin felt his body slouch in relief, with even his spirit feeling a sense of freedom, as if a weight had been taken off of his mind.
Meeting
"These thin threads must represent my contract with the Four Seasons Garden! Now that they're completely broken, it must mean that I've destroyed my contract with the Four Seasons Garden."
A hint of glee appeared on Leylin's face.
Having destroyed his side of the contract, he could reap a lot of benefits! Leylin was now no longer under the constraints of the contract and was free to do anything that might harm the Four Seasons Garden, including brazenly killing their members.
As for Reynold, who represented the Four Seasons Garden, and was the one who Leylin had made a contract with, he had to abide by the regulations stated in the contract. Without evidence, he would not be able to do anything against Leylin!
Also, this method of destroying his end of the contract would not alert Reynold. This was one of the special chaotic characteristics of the Nefarious Filthbird.
*Rumble!*
The Nefarious Filthbird, which was hovering in mid-air, swallowed the Trial's Eye down its beak! Leylin could even see a round protrusion at the Nefarious Filthbird's neck, travelling down and into its abdominal area.
"Chi chi!" After swallowing a Trial's Eye, the Nefarious Filthbird made joyful screeches and transmitted a message to Leylin.
"Trial's Eye will eventually perish, and chaos will remain eternal!"
"More! More summons! I will wipe all traces of the Trial's Eye from you!"
Little pieces of information were transmitted to Leylin and were transformed into a form that Leylin could understand.
"I will do so!" Leylin bowed deeply. Though he had no idea if the other party could really understand his actions, Leylin still had to remain polite on a superficial level.
The Nefarious Filthbird nodded in a very human way and produced a long, loud cry.
Amidst its terrifying, ear-piercing screeches, the Nefarious Filthbird's body exploded into the grey mist.
The grey colour of the mist gradually faded into the air.
At the same time, Leylin could feel the chaotic attribute that had been surrounding him ever since he had opened the test tube, dissipating.
The Trial's Eye was an existence on the same level as the Nefarious Filthbird! Without the chaotic power that the solution automatically let out, which isolated the area, the probing from the Trial's Eye and the transmissions to Leylin would long since have attracted the Trial's Eye here.
After the Nefarious Filthbird vanished, Leylin sensed some changes within his body.
His contract with Four Seasons Garden was now completely destroyed. Other contracts with the Trial's Eye were still there, but they had no reaction, as though nothing had happened.
"The power of chaos is amazing! The ancient Nefarious Filthbird is truly the mortal enemy of the Trial's Eye! I wonder how the dark Magus behind Giant managed to obtain this solution."
Leylin murmured to himself.
In the south coast, contracts made with the Trial's Eye were very common. They were very trustworthy, and there were almost no cases of them being tampered with.
Besides, the feathers of the ancient Nefarious Filthbird had become extinct over a thousand years ago.
Hence, even Reynold would not imagine that Leylin would use this method to break away from the constraints of the contract.
"This power is truly terrifying!"
Leylin could not help but raise the status of Thousand Meddling Hands in his heart, in awe of the ability of this dark Magus organisation to procure a solution that was already extinct.
"But even in the organisation, there shouldn't be a lot of this solution…" Leylin was quite sure about this. If not, the Thousand Meddling Hands would have used it a long time ago and wreaked havoc upon the south coast.
Night descended. Though they were within the secret plane, the moonlight was still bright, making it no different from the external world.
At this moment, a black figure donning a cloak that covered his face sneakily crept into Four Seasons Garden's camp and constantly moved towards the outer areas.
*Chila!*
At a place where there was a devilish tree that was somehow divided into three parts, the black figure stopped and lit his hand up with crimson flames.
"You're finally here!"
The surface devilish tree twisted for a moment, and a man's face appeared on the bark. It suddenly opened his mouth and spoke to the Magus, "Come down from here!"
*Tsssla!*As the wooden face spoke, a huge hole opened up at the roots of the devilish tree and revealed a pitch-black passageway.
The Magus nodded and quickly walked down.
*Boom!* After his figure disappeared into the passageway, the entrance immediately closed and the human face vigilantly surveyed the area, before disappearing back into the tree trunk.
It became peaceful once more as if nothing had happened.
The passageway was very long, and this Magus walked for about ten minutes before he reached the end.
At the end was a huge basement, the surroundings of which flickered with yellow earth magic. It most likely had been made very recently.
In the spacious basement, there was the vague form of a giant with great amounts of green fog floating around him. Upon seeing the Magus, he seemed to smile. "You're here!"
"Hn!" The Magus nodded and pushed back the hood to reveal a handsome young face.
Black hair, elegant face, fair skin, and eyes that gave off a devilish glint.
Just by standing there, he was able to give off a strange charm.
This person was, of course, Leylin. His eyebrows were currently furrowed because nothing good could be happening if Giant chose this moment to summon him here.
At the same time, Leylin's nostrils flared.
"Did you receive a lot of guests just now? I seem to sense the aura of many familiar people…"
Giant looked at Leylin with some surprise. "Yes! They're all our comrades from the Thousand Meddling Hands. I'd already wiped off all traces of them, but you were actually able to notice! Looks like the rumours out there aren't wrong, and you're already a peak rank 1 Magus!"
Giant glanced at Leylin with some apprehension in his eyes. "Looks like our leader's initial choice to attract you into entering our organisation was a right one!"
Leylin only gave a mysterious smile in reply.
After the second bloodline transition, he could feel that the quality of his body constantly increasing. Even a few of his organs seemed to have awoken from a deep sleep and obtained many miraculous abilities.
Though these abilities were of no help to him in battle, they could usually exhibit surprising effects at unexpected moments.
"Looks like you're planning something grand!" Leylin looked Giant straight in the eye.
From what he had sensed, Giant had actually called out all of the elites of the Thousand Meddling Hands.
Getting in contact with him was a huge risk, and he had even gotten Leylin to enter the inner circle of the Four Seasons Garden. It was easy to tell what Giant had planned to do.
"Hehe! That's not my plan, but the idea from the Lord behind me!" Giant brought up the rank 2 dark Magus behind the Thousand Meddling Hands once again.
"So, the feathers of the Nefarious Filthbird are rather useful, yes?" Giant asked.
"I've used them!" Leylin lifted his brows. "If there's anything you want to say, say it!"
"Alright! Our target, this time, is the resource warehouse in the Eternal Plains' secret plane that the Four Seasons Garden is in charge of!" Giant told him their goal without beating around the bush.
"This time, not only will our members go all-out on this mission, even the Lord behind us will make his move at opportune times."
Leylin's face twitched slightly at this news, but he accepted this peacefully.
In the Four Seasons Garden, there was Reynold, who was at least a rank 2 Magus, taking charge! If there wasn't an opponent with a similar level of power to attract the brunt of the assault, the invading dark Magi would just be committing suicide no matter how many of them there were!
"Alright. What's my mission?" Leylin inquired.
"Good!" Giant pointed his thumb upwards. "Your mission is simple. The time we make our move is tomorrow night at 7. Reynold is planning on seeing you, right?"
Giant spoke matter-of-factly, but this made Leylin's heart turn cold.
For him to know about even this, there must have been other spies from the Thousand Meddling Hands in the Four Seasons Garden!
But putting your hands on everything will only expose your own identity! Leylin smirked inside.
Giant had not noticed any abnormalities in Leylin and was still speaking, "At that time, we will lead Reynold away. Your mission is to pass through a spell formation inside his office and activate this spell design."
As he spoke, he passed a fist-sized red crystal to Leylin.
*Pak!* Leylin firmly caught the red crystal.
"What is this spell design?" The interior of the red crystal was laden with tiny runes. When the runes connected together, they looked like a gold liquid constantly flowing inside the crystal.
Though the A.I. Chip had never recorded such runes before, Leylin was sure that this was a spell design specially catered to a specific spell formation or artifact.
After all, how could something Reynold had placed in his own office and was personally protecting, be anything simple?
"It's just a regular spell design to lift a seal!" It was obvious that Giant did not want to explain any further.
Leylin stared at the Giant for a long, long time, and then spoke. "You want me to do something in the area where the Four Seasons Garden has the tightest defense, which is a rank 2 Magus' office. Are you trying to get me killed?"
As he spoke, Leylin's eyes turned into an amber hue.
A powerful spiritual force with a depthless darkness quickly descended upon the area!
Bloodlust and terror! Spiritual force that carried dense elemental particles with it formed a phantom of a black, giant serpent, which glided around Giant. Its eyes were fixated on Giant, as if it was looking for a place for it to sink its teeth into.
"Such an imposing aura and such bloodlust! How many people has he actually killed?"
Giant's heart went cold. He himself wasn't any good person and had taken the lives of countless people. However, compared to such a cold-blooded and strong bloodlust, he was still on a lower level than this person!
What made Giant even more shocked was that Leylin's spiritual force had already reached an amount that only peak rank 1 Magi possessed. He might have even surpassed Giant himself!
"He actually dares to attack here!"
Gazing into Leylin's ice-cold pupils, Giant's heart suddenly chilled, feeling as if his opponent knew all of his secrets.