Potter Town
The high-grade meditation technique Leylin trained in was what he had inherited from the Great Magus Serholm: Kemoyin's Pupil.
This high-grade meditation technique had very stringent requirements, as only warlocks with the bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent could train in it. In addition, there were only three levels for now.
Though the Great Magus Serholm had hinted that there was another part of the central continent, Leylin didn't even know where this central continent was. He wasn't going to have any high expectations.
To give himself a way out, Leylin set up a mission for the A.I. Chip a long time ago—to simulate the second half of Kemoyin's Pupil.
It was a pity that he lacked a database of information regarding high-grade meditation techniques that he could refer to. The A.I. Chip's research was going very slowly, almost akin to running on the spot.
Though Leylin had found the high-grade meditation technique Sacred Flame, which he was quite interested in, it was even more incomplete than the others he had. There was even a whole bunch of residual effects from practicing that technique that caused Leylin to shrink back.
Now, there seemed to be a possibility for him to completely restore these two meditation techniques.
"Based on Aaron's memories, he knows about at least a dozen schools of thought. Even if the high-grade meditation techniques they have aren't complete, based on my abilities, I will still be possible to plunder a few…"
Leylin's eyes shone.
The high-grade meditation techniques here were strictly restricted, so he most probably had to sign some contract in order to enter the school and become a core member in order to receive them. There might even be more strict requirements. However, Leylin was not planning on somehow sneaking in and secretly learning them. He was now a rank 2 warlock, and with the added bonus from his bloodline, his battle power far exceeded that of a regular rank 2 Magus, which was already rarely seen in Twilight Zone. If he used his brains and some methods, ordinary schools would be unable to obstruct him.
In addition, he was quite interested in some special information available here in the subterranean world.
Though the south coast, as well as the subterranean world, did research on the knowledge passed down through the inheritances of ancient Magi, the subterranean world had preserved more of the styles and academic knowledge from the ancient era. This was extremely tempting to Leylin.
He naturally did not think that anything from past times would be better than what was in the present. After all, after developing for so many years, the academic knowledge and foundations were more suitable for the current Magi's progress and learning. However, this did not mean that knowledge from the ancient era was useless.
The might of the ancient Magi was deeply embedded in Leylin's mind. He was desperate to find out the secret behind the ancient Magi's power.
Based on Leylin's speed, he naturally did not need to spend a day and a half to get to Potter Town, as Aaron had said.
With the use of a few spells that increased his speed, the town appeared in front of him after about half an hour.
Potter Town's architecture was very different from what Leylin had seen on the south coast. It had an elegant yet formal style. Most of the buildings were rather tall, perhaps to properly utilise every single bit of land available.
At the heart of the little town was a tall minaret, which practically pierced into the skies. A bright little ball of light was at the peak, emitting light and warmth.
"So this is the most basic material that the people of the subterranean world rely on—sun stones! It really is similar to the sun!"
At this sight, Leylin suddenly felt a little moved. Though he specialised in dark elemental particles, he had been underground for such a long period, and suddenly seeing the bright sunlight got him quite excited.
Based on the memories he had gotten from Aaron, this light did not come from the shine of a real sun. It came from a high-energy mineral, the sun stone!
This mineral from the subterranean world was able to emit ultraviolet rays and warmth similar to that produced by the sun for a long period of time.
Every town here in the subterranean world had this type of lighthouse, which stored Sun Stones of different sizes. Every day, the people would depend on this method to have sunlight and provide energy to crops.
At the beginning, Leylin had already noticed that there were very little green plants growing here. This was because there was no sunlight, which meant that no photosynthesis could take place. Carbon dioxide and the like were absorbed by a grey moss, which could perform the conversion to oxygen.
Here, however, he finally saw a bit of green.
At the side of Potter Town, there was a large area of densely packed farmland. As the range of the light produced by the minaret was limited, every bit of space was important.
At the place closest to the town, a type of oat similar to that which grew on the south coast was grown here, though it did not seem to be growing that well.
At the area where the sunlight was directly shining, a type of large mushroom was being cultivated.
This mushroom was very large, even reaching Leylin's calf. It was grey on the outside and looked extremely juicy.
This mushroom made up around 80% of the crops being cultivated in the outer regions of the town. This was a terrifying ratio and meant that this mushroom was probably the staple food of the residents here.
This was the truth. This type of mushroom was called the Grey Spotted Fungus, and it was a high yield fungus that did not require much sunlight. In Aaron's memories, it had always been the staple food for people of the Twilight Zone.
In the Twilight Zone, nobility and Magi enjoyed oats, meat, and other precious ingredients, while peasants could only live off of the Grey Spotted Fungus.
Wherever there were people, there would be a certain hierarchy. In a Magus world where some people possessed extraordinary might, this was especially so, and Leylin had no desire to change anything.
Walking along the road, Leylin saw a wooden fence that was like an enclosure. There were also two guards in tattered clothes, holding lances that were rusted all over.
"Halt! What are you doing?" Upon noticing Leylin, the guards immediately gripped their lances, evidently on guard.
Leylin's leather armour made them feel a little wary.
The guard who had spoken was speaking in the Twilight Language. This language had already been sent to his memories by the A.I. Chip while he was on the way here, and after practising for one or two days, normal conversation was a simple task.
"I am a tired wanderer hoping to enter the town to get some rest and supplies! Don't worry, I will abide by the rules of the town." Leylin gave a slight smile, answering fluently in the Twilight Language.
Hearing Leylin's words, the two guards dropped their wariness. This also had to do with Leylin's harmless smile and handsome face, which easily gained him a favourable impression.
"Of course! If you show your identification documents to prove you aren't any of the fugitives, it's fine!"
The slightly shorter guard curled his lips.
"Of course, I know the procedure!" Leylin grinned, producing a piece of parchment and dangling it in front of the two guards. "Is this it?"
His voice immediately became faintly discernable, and it seemed as if some red rays flashed from his eyes.
"Of course! No problem!" The two guards momentarily felt a little dizzy but quickly regained their senses. "Welcome to Potter Town! The person in charge here is Baron Joseph. His emblem is a longsword and a giant eagle. I wish you a pleasant…"
"Good! One more question…"
Leylin obtained more information he wanted from the guards and bade them farewell with a gentle smile. He then entered the town.
Based on the directions from the guards, Leylin came to a small inn. After paying a few gold pieces, the lady boss, who was pleasantly surprised, led him to the best room of the inn.
The dinner was simple, with oats and salted meat, but this was enough to gather the attention of the children, who stood in a circle and watched him.
Oats that emitted the aroma of fresh milk, as well as meat, were a luxury that only the upper class of the Twilight Zone could have. If there were fruits or vegetables, they were also something that was reserved for nobility and Magi.
Though this inn had already brought out the best it had for Leylin, he still found it a little hard to stomach.
After the meal, he gave the boss lady a bit of silver as a tip. He then instructed her not to let anyone disrupt him, and closed the door to his room.
Though only a coarse sackcloth was spread on the bed, it was still much better than the hard rocks outside. Leylin half-lay on the soft bed hands behind his head and went into a daze.
Next, he retrieved a green wooden goblet from his leather pouch. "The extract of the Wisdom Tree! It's rumoured to provide enlightenment to Magi and increase spiritual force, as well as aiding in breaking through bottlenecks, which is something that goes against the heavens."
Rays of gentle, green light shone on Leylin, illuminating his bewitched expression.
"A.I. Chip! How's the analysis on this thing?" Leylin contemplated in his mind.
[Pure extract from the Wisdom Tree, possessing a powerful life force. Can increase vitality, and help a rank 2 Magus break through to a certain extent. Nature: Unknown!]
The A.I. Chip sent out some information.
"The essence from the Wisdom Tree, coupled with the goblet made from the body of the Wisdom Tree, definitely would not only have one effect when they're combined together…" Leylin focused on the green wooden cup, eyes exhibiting regret.
"It's a pity that this sort of thing will be wasted if I use it now. It can only increase my spiritual force by a bit. At most, it can only let me reach the level of a peak rank 2 Magus. As for advancing through the bottleneck to rank 3…"
Leylin had only recently advanced to be a rank 2 Warlock. He was still a long distance from the peak.
Hence, he gave a long sigh and kept these two items in his spatial leather pouch.
*Dang dang!* A melodious chime resounded from the top of the minaret at the heart of the town.
As if switching off a light, the sun stone stopped emitting light and the entire town sunk into a darkness like the external world.
"It must be the night. The sun stone is now being changed to be maintained and protected!"
Leylin was naturally aware of this.
Opening A Shop
The subterranean world was shrouded in darkness.
The towns and cities here where there were sun stones were the areas in which human traffic was high.
In the human cities of the Twilight Zone, the sun stone would be changed every 12 hours to be maintained, and kept the same light conditions as the surface of the earth.
However, a small area like Potter Town wouldn't have a high-grade sun stone. At most, it would be the size of an egg.
Based on rumours, the larger a sun stone was, the higher its value and better its function was; it was said that at the capital of the five regions, there was a sun stone the size of a small mountain!
The moment a sun stone was lost, the entire area would be engulfed in darkness and surrounded by countless dangers. Hence, at every area populated by humans, the sun stone was always placed in an area with the highest level of security.
Seeing the darkness outside the window, Leylin heaved a gentle sigh and pulled the curtains shut.
After setting up a defensive spell formation, Leylin sat up on the bed and began to meditate.
Dark red specks of light were pulled out of the air one after another, and gathered at Leylin's body.
In his sea of consciousness, the silver-white crystals became even more solid, and the slight cracks at the sides seemed to be repairing themselves.
As for the mark, with the seal from Leylin's solidified spiritual force, that milky-white light had become dimmer. He could tell that in the near future, the mark would be completely destroyed.
"It's going well!" After seeing this, Leylin, who had been on edge this entire time, could finally relax.
Afterwards, he collapsed onto the bed and went into a deep sleep.
Morning! With the regular pattern from the alarm clock, a ray of light passed through the curtain and entered Leylin's room.
"I finally got some rest!"
Leylin opened his eyes, feeling extremely comfortable. The tiredness accumulated from camping outside for a month dissipated with just a single day of rest.
This had to do with his frightening vitality. Even in his heavily injured state, all of his fatigue could be restored with a night's rest.
"Good morning, Sir!"
In the dining area within the inn, the slightly plump boss lady brought oatmeal bread and milk for breakfast, a smile on her face.
A few children with sullen, yellow skin and some dust on their face were all gathered at a corner, staring hard at Leylin's breakfast with desire apparent in their eyes.
However, they only dared look from afar, gulping down some saliva but not approaching him to beg for some food.
Whether it was Leylin's elegance or his armour, all of it was something that regular people did not possess.
These people usually held a lot of power and a high position. They had once seen someone with a huge hammer use his black hand to crush a child's head because he was annoyed by him!
After that incident, that murderer was merely imprisoned by the enforcement team for a few days and subsequently released after paying a fine.
Hence, these children had a clear understanding of the situation: never provoke anyone with weapons!
"Go away! Don't bother this lord who wants to enjoy his meal!"
Seeing these children harrassing her important guest, this lady boss shouted.
"It's alright!" Leylin picked up a slice of oatmeal bread, "Let them have it!"
"Yes, of course! My lord has such a kind heart!"
The plump boss lady's expression revealed her thought that this was a waste. However, she still tore the bread into several pieces and gave them to the children, "You're so lucky to have met such a kind-hearted lord! Eat and leave!"
The children quickly stuffed the oatmeal bread into their mouths, the aroma of food spreading inside their mouths. They cupped their hands over their mouths, on the verge of tears.
The children had argued and even almost fought amongst themselves for just a bit of bread.
There was a boy who was a little older than the rest of the group who had kept the oatmeal bread he had received in his clothes, probably to bring it back for someone to eat.
Though Grey Spotted Mushrooms could fill one's stomach, they tasted horrendous.
In addition, not everyone was able to even eat Grey Spotted Mushrooms. From the state of the children's clothes, they must have come from poor families, and might not have even had decent meals.
Leylin merely glanced at them for a moment, and then shifted his focus away.
He tossed out a piece of gold, which flew through the air and fell into the palm of the lady boss' hand.
"I really like Potter Town and wish to settle down here. I also want to open a shop here. Do you know what procedures I have to go through?"
Until his injures completely healed and he regained his strength as a rank 2 Magus, Leylin decided to temporarily live in seclusion.
He had a long life anyway and could afford to waste this bit of time.
"You want to open a shop here?" The lady boss was shocked, "What kind of shop do you want to open?"
"What do you think of a weapons shop?"
Leylin spoke nonchalantly. The purpose of this was to have a cover while he analysed the long sword of the Rays of Dawn. Hence, he had chosen a weapons shop.
He could clearly see that the Woody Wastelands was near Potter Town, and was an area where adventurers would go to. It wasn't a bad idea to make and sell some weapons here, and it would definitely be profitable.
"A weapons shop…" The boss lady hesitated, "My lord, you'll need to go through the department of internal affairs and the guards. Also, weapons are restricted items, so you'll need to get approval from the capital and Joseph…"
"I see." Leylin stroked his chin, and asked where the department of internal affairs, guard post and the baron's residence were before leaving the inn.
In just a few days, a weapons shop called "Blazing Hammers" covertly opened on the commerce street in Potter Town.
For others, it might be a little troublesome to go through so many procedures, but Leylin was a Magus. With just some spells to confuse the target or alter memories, a lot of issues could be solved.
Besides, he could afford to spend a lot of money, so the opening of the shop was obviously a smooth sailing process.
The shop took up a large amount of space. At the front was the counter and shop, and behind was the storeroom and smelting room, as well as the rooms of Leylin and a few workers.
The moment one entered, they would see sharp weapons displayed on the wooden shelves lining two walls, glinting in the light. An icy feeling spread in the room.
"This is a first-rate steel weapon!"
A huge man who dressed like a mercenary entered immediately attracted to a large steel sword.
"This tempering technique is usually only found in a few large weapon shops!" The huge man caressed the sword, the silvery blue luster at the edges causing his eyes to be fixated on it.
The price marked on the shelf almost had him biting his tongue, "Fifty gold! This really is the price that would be found in the capital! But this is just a small town…"
The people in the Twilight Zone naturally had their own currency. The gold and silver used here were even more valuable than that of the south coast, and the currency was completely different.
In order to help mask his identity, the gold and silver pieces that Leylin used were actually the money he had gained from the south coast, the shapes of which he had forcefully changed to match the currency used here.
"What would you like?"
An intelligent-looking young man wearing the uniform of an attendant, who Leylin had hired, quickly asked with a smile.
"That sword is too expensive!"
The large man waved the sword around for a while, reluctant to part with it. "Can it be cheaper?"
"My apologies!" He had an apologetic smile on his face. "Our shop does not allow bargaining. This is a rule set by our boss!"
The large man's face turned red, and he almost had the urge to cause a ruckus. However, he suppressed it.
Those who could make a living off of selling weapons usually had very powerful backgrounds; he wasn't planning on dying just for this.
In addition, the shop owner wasn't any regular person either. It was said that he was an adventurer of noble blood who had retired. Not only had he taken care of the department of internal affairs and the guards with an insane speed, even the baron had treated him as an important guest.
What was even more shocking was that the shop owner had a terrifying might that far exceeded that of the average adventurer.
This man had personally witnessed the young, black-haired shop owner take care of a few thugs, who wanted to extort protection fees, in a few seconds. They had subsequently been taken away by the guards, who had been informed and had arrived very quickly.
It was said that their fate was to become a labourer until their deaths!
These methods had intimidated a lot of people; after caressing the sword for a long time, as if it were his wife, the large man eventually reluctantly left.
Before leaving, he even had the young man reserve the sword, saying that he would return once he had enough money.
That night, after the last customer had left, the young man closed up and went to the room at the back.
*Knock knock!*
"Boss, can I come in?" The young man tried to make his voice sound calm.
Every time he saw his boss, he felt like he would suffocate. The imposing aura from his new boss was too intense; the young man swore that he had once seen a real count, but even he had lacked the elegance and dignified aura this man exuded.
"Perhaps my boss really is the successor of a very ancient noble family, and is merely experiencing the life here!" The young man thought in his heart, before thinking it funny. He was imagining the wildest of fantasies.
"Is it Baelin? Come in!" A very youthful voice sounded.
Baelin composed himself, opened the door and entered.
In the room, a handsome man in a loose robe was lying on a soft chair, occasionally drinking a beverage with peppermint mixed into it. He even had a huge black book in his hands.
He was literate and had books! This was the biggest sign of nobility in the Twilight Zone!
Meteor Sword
"Baelin! Is anything the matter?"
Leylin gazed at the servant the baron had introduced to him and smiled.
"No, I'd just like to report the situation in the shop to you!" Baelin tried his best to be less nervous.
"Though there are a lot of people who show interest in our shop, boss, your prices… they're a little too high, so it's not good for business. I even think our shop will make a loss this month…"
"Is that so! I understand. You can go back now!"
Leylin waved his hands, looking as if he hadn't been paying attention.
"Alright, you're the boss! You call the shots!" Upon seeing this, Baelin could confirm that this Lord Leylin was probably a successor from an ancient noble family who was out here to experience life. If not, he definitely wouldn't be taking things so lightly.
After Baelin left, Leylin started reading the book in his hands again.
On the yellowed parchment paper, red runes constantly moved like flames.
"To make a weapon from the Rays of Dawn is extremely difficult!" Leylin sighed.
The reason why he had opened this shop was to have his own smelting area while he recuperated. He could do some experimentation here.
As for those blades outside? They were only the products made on the side during experimentation.
Two years passed in a blur.
The residents of Potter Town were already used to this Master Leylin, the boss of the weapons shop.
Leylin rarely went outside, and barely took care of his weapons shop. Everything was left to Baelin, and he only would occasionally come over to supervise.
As he masked his identity well, nobody found out he was a Magus. At the most, they thought he was a young master from a noble family that was a wastrel.
In time, the words "Blazing Hammers" at the top of the shop were beginning to become mottled and show signs of decay.
The shop still had that lifeless aura to it. Though the weapons were known to be of superior quality, the prices were so expensive that people could only shrink back.
Leylin had no plans on relying on this shop to earn money. If the prices were too low, not only would business pick up, the other shops in the same industry would become jealous. Though he wasn't afraid, Leylin didn't want to stir up trouble over these small matters.
"Brother Baelin! I'm here again!"
Along with the voice, a boy with brown hair walked in through the entrance to the shop. He wore a linen short-sleeved shirt with some patches on it, and his eyes shone with intelligence.
"So it's Longbottom!" Baelin had no choice but to greet him.
"Hehe, Brother Baelin, let me help you!" Longbottom snatched the cleaning rag from Baelin's hands and began to wipe at the wooden shelves and cabinets.
His movements were practiced, and he was very familiar with the places that were often overlooked. Evidently, this was not the first time he was doing this.
After wiping the shelves and cabinets until they were sparkling clean, Longbottom expectantly looked at Baelin, waiting to be rewarded.
"Ugh, not again. Not again!" Baelin held his head, helpless.
"I told you! You're only allowed to use it for five minutes, and you can't tell anyone about this! You especially can't let the boss find out!"
If not for this little kid's beautiful sister, Baelin wouldn't bother with him.
"I know, I know!"
Longbottom quickly nodded his head like a chick pecking at rice, and came before a shelf and took out a silver cross blade.
This cross blade was quite short, which was very fitting for Longbottom's stature. It was about two fingers wide, and the hilt was made from pure silver. There was even a red diamond embedded within, making it seem very luxurious!
Evidently, with Longbottom's financial background, he would definitely not be able to buy it no matter how much he saved up.
Longbottom held the cross blade carefully in his hands as if he were clasping some precious treasure.
"Hah!"
Longbottom slashed forward while holding the blade with both hands, making a crooked attack.
"Sigh… Little Longbottom, I'm not trying to be mean, but you'll never be able to become a knight by learning with those normal soldiers!"
Baelin couldn't help but shake his head. Potter Town was but a small one, and only the guards of the baron were knights. The rest were all made up of peasants, so what power could they have?
This Longbottom had wanted to become a knight from a very young age! For this reason, he would secretly watch the soldiers' training.
After discovering this place, he would come over to help free of charge, with the price of having Baelin lend him something in the shop for him to play with for a while.
Out of everything in the shop, Longbottom's favourite weapon was this cross blade.
"Brother Baelin, then who should I learn from?" Longbottom held the blade, his expression desolate, "I'm only the son of a regular hunter, and we can't pay the expensive fees to go through training…"
Longbottom had someone in mind.
Ever since he had found out that the boss of the shop, Master Leylin, was a powerful knight, he was even more diligent in coming over. He might even become like the main characters in stories about knights, having a great talent in this area and ending up with Leylin taking a fancy to him!
"Sigh…" Looking at this, Baelin could only sigh. In Twilight Zone, it was extremely difficult for a regular person to become outstanding.
"Little Longbottom, I think you should give up on this impossible dream, and come over here to learn how to read from me every day!"
Baelin proposed seriously, "Though I don't know that many letters, it's enough for you to be able to read the accounts. When the time comes, you'll be able to find some kind of bookkeeping job."
"Thank you, Brother Baelin!" Longbottom was extremely touched. Even if he wanted to study from someone, he would need to pay an exorbitant fee, yet Baelin was actually willing to teach him for free. This was something that he was very grateful for.
"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Baelin turned red, "It's for my own sake too. If boss were to see this, I might not even be able to keep my job…"
"See what…"
Leylin's voice sounded, and Baelin was stunned.
Baelin stiffly turned back to the sight of Leylin, who had just entered.
"Bo- Boss! Why are you here now?" The smile on Baelin's face was extremely stiff, and he was even stuttering while speaking.
He had let others play with the products in the shop, and that was already a huge offense. Leylin could fire him just like this! However, the pay here was so high to the point that Baelin was not willing to give up this job!
Baelin inwardly grumbled. Leylin had always been reclusive, and often stayed in his room or the smelting room, not making himself known for days on end. How could he be so timely today and meet with this sight?"
*Thud!*
Longbottom's hands trembled, and the cross blade fell, producing a low thud as it hit the floor.
"Mas-Master Leylin!"
Longbottom called out while stuttering. For regular people like him, Leylin, the boss of a weapons shop, was an incredible person. Longbottom now felt like a thief who had been caught on the spot, and even his calves began to tremble.
"Oh?" Leylin shot a glance at the blade, and smiled at Baelin, "It looks like you've been having a lot of fun while I wasn't around!"
"Boss! No, my lord! Please forgive me!" Baelin was so scared that he quickly knelt, while Longbottom's body was already limp and he was unable to speak.
"I'll settle this matter with you later!" Leylin glared at Baelin and spoke to Longbottom. "Kid, you have been touching the things in my shop as you pleased without gaining permission. How are you going to make it up to me?"
"My—My lord…" Longbottom's teeth chattered and his voice sounded like he was crying. There were only regular people in his family, and they were perhaps even of a lower status to others. What could he give to make it up to Leylin?
"Alright! From today onwards, you are to report here and do some odd jobs here for two hours every day as compensation!
Having teased him enough, Leylin touched his chin and made his decision.
Longbottom was stunned. What terrified him the most was that Leylin might have wanted him to pay money, and then get the guards to throw him in jail. Odd jobs? What kind of punishment was that?
"What are you in a daze like that for? Quick, thank my lord!" Baelin quickly reacted and pressed Longbottom's head down.
"Thank you so much, my lord! Thank you so much!" Longbottom only now reacted, gratitude apparent on his face.
To have a good reason to touch the weapons in the shop was basically a dream for him. He was even able to make a connection to Leylin, a legendary, powerful Knight. It was something he never imagined would happen!
"Alright! Come and work here starting tomorrow afternoon!"
Leylin nodded, turned, and went to the back of the shop.
Actually, Leylin had long since noticed Baelin and Longbottom's actions, but he couldn't be bothered with them. However, a few of his experiments were going quite well, and he was in a good mood.
After he entered his room, Leylin thought, "A.I. Chip! How's the progress of the weapon blueprint simulation?"
[Beep! Weapon blueprint simulation: 100%. Completed setup of blueprint and runes!]
The A.I. Chip quickly intoned, and then sent an image of a weapon before Leylin's eyes.
This was a black cross blade that looked to be very ordinary. It could be said to be ordinary to the extreme, but the cross section was filled with lines to loop energy, as well as runes.
[Design of exclusive weapon is complete, named "Meteor"] the A.I. Chip's robotic voice sounded.
In these two years, Leylin had finally completely analysed the middle-grade magical artifact that was the weapon for the Branded Swordsman— the Rays of Dawn. He had combined all his knowledge on smelting and spell formations, in order to create his own exclusive weapon!
Toying
[Warlock class-specific weapon: Meteor Sword! Length: 1.67m. Width: 0.03m. Carved within are the following: High-grade energy converging runes, fire elemental brand runes, dark elemental amplification runes… Estimated grade of product: High-grade magic artifact!]
The long sword the A.I. Chip projected in front of Leylin constantly rotated, and listed large quantities of data around it.
"The design is completed. All that's left is to find the materials and actually make it." Leylin was excited.
However, when he entered his sea of consciousness, this joy quickly dissipated.
After two years, the silver-white crystal in his sea of consciousness was still as resilient as ever, and had only shrunk a little in size.
The spiritual force it produced allowed Leylin to increase his might from that of a regular rank 1 Magus, to the strength of a peak rank 1 Magus.
As for the cracks at the edges of his sea of consciousness, they had yet to be completely restored.
The mark left behind by the rank 3 Magus, Alric, on the other hand, had been completely expelled by Leylin.
However, the stubbornness of the mark of spiritual force left behind by the rank 3 Magus had exceeded Leylin's expectations. He had estimated that it would take around two months to dispel, but in reality, it had taken an entire year before he was able to completely remove the mark from his sea of consciousness.
"Perhaps I should find an opportunity to make contact with the Magi of the subterranean world!"
Due to his serious injuries, Leylin could only display the strength of a regular rank 1 Magus. Hence, he had chosen to lie low. However, now that he had regained enough of his strength to reach the peak of rank 1, he could be considered the best in the Twilight Zone, and it was natural that he would want to explore.
In addition, the progress of the reparation of his sea of consciousness was going very slowly, which made Leylin furrow his brows.
He was prepared to find some methods out there to hasten this process. If not, and he were to rely on just time, he had no idea how long this would take.
At this thought, Leylin began to feel jittery.
His expression twitched, and he untied a black water flask and took a drink. Leylin's facial muscles then relaxed, and he forced a smile, "Also, I have to find a way to control the overly emotional side effects of being a Warlock!"
For Warlocks, the ancient bloodlines did give them formidable power, but they also negatively impacted their emotions
These emotions would lie dormant deep in one's blood or even one's spirit, occasionally causing trouble and causing the Warlock to sink into a state of extreme emotion.
For the Magus who sought truth and control, this was not tolerable.
Hence, Leylin had been searching for a method to solve this problem.
"The inheritances found in the south coast are only useful up to a certain point, and the items left behind from the ancient era are very few. There is very little information regarding Warlocks, and there doesn't seem to be any sorts of methods there. But this place is different!"
Leylin's eyes shone with hope. "This is the Twilight Zone, a part of the subterranean world! Due to the lack of connection with the outside world, it has very little external influences, and preserves the inheritances from ancient times in their entirety. In other words, aside from the central continent, there are still places that might have research material regarding warlocks; this must be one of those areas!"
At this thought, Leylin touched his chin.
"Potter Town is in a very remote area, and the resources at the Woody Wastelands can, at most, attract only a few acolytes. I haven't seen any Magi here. It looks like I have to go deeper into the Twilight Zone…"
Potter Town was only a small town in the vastness of the Twilight Zone, and while he had stayed here for over two years, Leylin had seen very few Magi.
Apart from this town, there was an even bigger city. If he advanced layer by layer, he would find the eastern capital!
Leylin was sure that there were many Magi in the city!
The rules in the subterranean world were different from the south coast. The existence of Magi were made public; they would not hide in some unknown location and isolate themselves from the world.
The Magi who wielded power were naturally of a high status. Even the nobility had to bow to them.
"Though the population of Twilight Zone is only half of the south coast, with the extensive spread of high-grade meditation techniques and their simplified versions, there are still many instances of Magi appearing. The hierarchy of Magi is similar to that on the south coast, though I don't know how many rank 3 Magi there are, or if there are any Morning Star Magi here…"
Leylin propped up his chin using his hand, sinking into deep thought.
...
The candle on the table burned with dull yellow flames, reflecting Leylin's long, flickering shadow onto the wall…
During the afternoon of the next day, little Longbottom punctually came to the shop.
"You are very punctual! I like kids who obey rules!"
Leylin was bored to death, so he took over what had been Baelin's position, and was yawning at the counter. He pointed towards the storeroom at the side. "Your task is to move those metals over there to the backyard!"
"Boss! Is this…" Baelin endured for a while, but could not take it any longer, and pointed to the storeroom as he spoke to Leylin.
"Every single one of those metals is even heavier than Longbottom's own bodyweight…?"
Following his finger, one could see, through the half-open door to the storeroom, chunks of metal that were the size of a human head.
This were the raw materials that Leylin used while smelting. They were very dense, and their weights were terrifying.
When they had been transported here, Leylin had called for three strong men, and it had taken an entire afternoon for them to transport them. In Baelin's eyes, Leylin was obviously making things difficult for the little kid by assigning him to such work.
"It's his choice whether he wants to do it or not!"
Leylin shrugged his shoulders, found a chair, and began to doze contentedly.
"Brother Baelin, I want to give it a try!" Seeing the mountain of metals, he gulped, but at the sight of Leylin beginning to nod off, he made his mind and began to work.
The metals were very heavy, and just lifting it a centimeter off the ground caused Longbottom's arms to tremble.
*Thud!* Longbottom curved his back and slowly moved to the open space at the back, the metal sounding a low thud as it fell.
"Hah…" Just moving one piece of metal was enough to cause Longbottom to pant, large drops of perspiration dripping from his face.
"Longbottom, you can't continue, or else you'll sustain long-term injuries…"
Baelin naturally knew that the terrifying amount of work he had to do would permanently harm, or even disable, a growing child's body!
Even if he wasn't doing this for Longbottom's pretty sister, Baelin felt that he could not let this youngster he got along with to continue like this.
"No!" Longbottom looked in the direction of Leylin, who had stalked off, with a resolute expression on his face.
In that whole afternoon, the residents of Potter Town could see a strange sight at Leylin's weapon shop.
A petite young boy was slowly working, moving pieces of black metal that were half his size.
That day, after completing two hours of work, Longbottom's arms and legs constantly trembled, and he had no more strength to fiddle with any blades, dragging his fatigued body back home.
This went on for ten days, and only then did Longbottom finish moving all the metals to the open space at the backyard.
"You really work very slowly!"
Leylin judged, dissatisfied. "Next, I want you to move them back to the storeroom. Is that understood?"
"But Master Leylin…" Upon hearing this task, Longbottom's body trembled. This physical labour had caused him a sore back, and it was so painful that he could not sleep at night. And now, he had to move them back? Longbottom felt like he would die from the fatigue!
He wasn't just having fun here. He still needed to help his parents with work!
"Boss, you're just toying with him!"
Baelin could not take this any longer, and jumped out while roaring at Leylin.
"Shut up." Leylin spoke indifferently, but his glare caused Baelin to retreat while holding onto his chest and being unable to say a word.
"I'm the boss here, and what I say goes!" A teasing smirk was still about Leylin's lips. "Youngster, you can leave right now, but if you do, you are to never return to my shop again!"
Longbottom was quiet, and then went to the metals without a word, and began to work.
"What an interesting fellow!"
Leylin poured himself a cup of peppermint beverage, leisurely watching Longbottom moving back and forth.
Leylin still needed to prepare for a period, and was quite rather bored. He only needed to pay brief attention to the calculations of the A.I. Chip, and could find time to toy with this youngster.
This labour was not something a child would be able to handle. In addition, it was easy to sustain injuries while working. Leylin had already discovered some bruises on Longbottom's calves and arms.
"How long can he sustain this for? I look forward to it."
Leylin touched his chin, a profound smile on his face.
For the next few days, Longbottom's eyes were lifeless and he wobbled as he walked, causing people to be worried that this kid might just collapse and die.
An unexpected person also visited Leylin's shop.
"Esteemed Master Leylin!" A beautiful young girl wearing a coarse sackcloth as a skirt curtsied towards Leylin.
"Could you please forgive my brother? Longbottom has been doing physical labour here for about fifteen days, and I'm afraid that he might not be able to hold on…"
This young maiden sobbed while she produced a white handkerchief.
After opening it, Leylin found that there were some silver coins and copper, as well as a small broken piece of gold coin that was about a quarter of the original size.
"If it's for what he has done wrong, I'm willing to compensate you here…"
Leylin glanced at this young maiden and shook his head.
Plot Twist
"I've mentioned it before. This is a mutual agreement. If your brother doesn't want to do this, he's free to leave at any time!"
Leylin spoke slowly.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask him!" Leylin pointed at Longbottom, who was standing towards the side.
"Sister!" Longbottom ducked his head, a little afraid, but he sounded resolute, "It's my own choice to work here at Master Leylin's. It has nothing to do with him. Please don't stop me."
"You…" This young maiden was exasperated and pulled at Longbottom's arm, revealing a large bruise, "Look at this. How are you still engrossed in these Knight fiction novels…"
"Cough cough!" Leylin suddenly coughed, interrupting her.
"This is my shop. If you wish to discipline your brother, please do it elsewhere and do not disrupt my business…"
Leylin said this boldly, though there were no customers in his shop right now.
"My- My apologies, my lord!" The young maiden covered her mouth, realising that her words just now were offensive to Leylin.
She bowed, revealing her fair breasts and quickly left with Longbottom in tow. The sounds of them arguing could still be heard.
Baelin watched her back, looking enchanted.
"What a pure, kind-hearted lady! Don't you agree?" Leylin looked at Baelin, revealing a smile full of bad intentions.
"Of course! Miss Venus is a very diligent young lady, and works at three jobs outside in order to help with her family's finances."
Baelin subconsciously answered.
"Hm, I have no right to say anything about her kindness, but regarding her purity?" Leylin's grin widened.
"Boss! You can scold me, but you can't tarnish her reputation!" Baelin clenched his fist, and even his face turned red.
"Oh, love. Love! How beautiful it is! How vibrant, for it to even attract a moth into the flames! To make cowardly little lambs turn into savage, mighty beings!"
Leylin chanted some proverbs, and without waiting for Baelin to ask, he continued, "While Miss Venus was wearing coarse clothing, although she had tried her best to hide it, there was still the smell of cheaply-priced perfume. It's not from today, and there's still some eyeshadow on her face. Her handkerchief is a good quality product from Old Walker's shop; she seems to have too much money… In just that short contact with her, she seemed to have tried to entice me at least three times! This must be some occupational habit…"
With every sentence that came out from Leylin's mouth, Baelin felt like a sledgehammer had struck his chest, and he fell back.
However, Leylin continued on with a fatal blow, "If I'm not wrong, you might find Miss Venus at midnight at the well-known Night Warbler alley…"
"No! What you said can't be true!"
Baelin's face distorted, but his pale expression evidently meant that he believed Leylin's words. He was stunned and suddenly roared, dashing out of the door.
"Hehe… The senseless dreams of youths!" Leylin laughed, having a great time.
"It's really quite fun to destroy fantasies and let youths find out about the cruelty of life as soon as possible!"
Longbottom quickly returned with two very red handprints on his face. He didn't say anything to Leylin and began his daily work.
As for Baelin, that poor fellow was said to have drank at a bar for an entire night. He only came to the shop the next day but was chased out by Leylin, who looked at him in disdain, wanting him to take care of the lingering smell of alcohol, lest he wouldn't need to return.
*Boom!*
Seeing the last piece of metal moved to the storeroom, Longbottom, who was riddled with scars finally sighed with relief, glancing at Leylin with expectant eyes.
"Youngster, you're smart and can persevere! From hereon, I declare that you are able to come to my shop for five minutes every day when nobody is around, and browse my products."
Leylin tried his best to resist his laughter while announcing.
"Huh?" Longbottom raised his head, stunned.
"What's wrong? Did you think I would take you in as my disciple and help you become a knight, and then you'd be a head above the rest, marry a princess, and live happily ever after?"
Leylin had on a teasing smile, "Kiddo, you're still too immature."
Longbottom turned pale in embarrassment now that his plan had been seen through.
"You liar! You're a liar!" He yelled, and quickly ran out.
*Pak!* As he had run too quickly, he had tripped by the road and fallen onto the ground, getting soil all over him.
"Haha!" "Haha…" "Come look! Isn't that the fool from Blazing Hammers?"
The pitiful sight of Longbottom attracted the unfeeling attention of the passersby.
Under their ridicule, Longbottom yelled and frantically left as soon as he could.
Leylin supported his weight by the door, beaming as he watched.
"Boss, you're so mean! No, you're terrible!" Baelin stood behind Leylin with dark circles under his eyes. His face had become gaunt as he muttered at Leylin.
"Hehe… It's not like this is the first day since you became acquainted with me!" Leylin shrugged and came to the backyard.
He produced a black cross blade, the design of which was extremely similar to the "Descent" long sword designed by the A.I. Chip. However, there were no energy waves emanating from this sword at all.
This was the imitation that Leylin had made using the design for the "Descent" sword. Only the outer appearance and weight were similar, and there were no energy runes or anything of the sort within.
"Hah!" Leylin lifted the blade and thrust forward, doing a move that looked like it came straight out of a textbook!
The sharp blade slashed out and cut the air, producing a piercing, explosive sound.
Though the long sword of Descent had yet to be made, Leylin had begun to make preparations beforehand so that he could get used to the weapon quicker.
Thrust! Slash! Strike!
Leylin suddenly turned into multiple figures on the ground, each of which held poses that were paused in mid-air.
At the end, Leylin leaped, "Cross Slash!"
A huge cross streaked across a huge rock in the area.
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Under Leylin's Cross Slash, the rock turned into four large parts.
"This…" Baelin was dazed at Leylin's terrifying might and gaped like a huge toad.
"I've seen the knights from the baron's residence attack, but their offensive power isn't to this extent. Could Master Leylin be a legendary Grand Knight?"
Baelin was so stunned that he could not even close his mouth.
"What? Do you want to learn?" Leylin picked up a white towel and wiped his hands. Seeing Baelin in this state, he smiled and asked.
"Yes! …No, I… Don't…" Baelin was confused, and his speech became incoherent.
"So? Do you want to, or do you not want to?" Leylin grinned.
Baelin only managed to react after a long while, still disbelieving that he would get such an opportunity. He was afraid of being cheated by Leylin. "Boss! Oh, no, master! I mean, I'm already 19 and I'm quite old. I've never had any official training and can only recognise a few words. Isn't it best to start training to become a knight as soon as possible? If you want a disciple, I think Longbottom is even more suitable than I am…"
Though he said this, Baelin's breathing became rough in the face of such a huge temptation.
"If you really want a reason, there's only one." Leylin spoke slowly, and Baelin's ears couldn't help but perk up.
"Because I'm happy! Is this reason enough?"
Leylin beamed. Warlocks were really quite impulsive beings.
In addition, Leylin felt that it wasn't good to keep suppressing the emotions of a warlock. He needed to find some way to vent, and since he found Baelin pleasing to the eye, he decided to do as he wished.
"Alright! In the face of such a mighty reason, Baelin could only laugh helplessly.
"If Longbottom found out that this was the reason, he'd definitely cry himself to death!" Baelin thought inwardly.
"So? Do you want to learn?"
"Of course! I do!" Baelin agreed right away. He would be an idiot if he were to reject at this point!
*Pak!* A wooden sword was thrust, striking Baelin's face.
This poor guy collapsed, finding it difficult to climb back up.
"Your footwork is too slow. You need to ensure your footsteps and breath are in sync. Understood?"
Leylin was dressed in black as he stood in front of Baelin, "Get up!"
"Un-understood, my lord!" Baelin sucked in a cold breath and was somewhat able to get up. Leylin had been controlling his strength well; he had used just enough strength to cause Baelin pain, but not inflict internal injuries.
When Leylin had first agreed to train him, Baelin had planned to call Leylin 'Mentor', but Leylin naturally did not want a disciple, and had rejected his idea without a second thought.
After an hour of swordplay practice, they came to the breathing method.
"For knights, what they are training is their life energy, which is also known as their life essence!" Leylin instructed with zeal.
"About 5cm below the lower abdomen, in an inverted triangle area. This is where we think we can cultivate the spirit. Training to become a knight happens by manipulating the frequency of breathing, adjusting the secretions within the body, and hence producing more life essence."
Leylin began to impart his knowledge regarding the cross blade breathing technique, which he had reorganised, to Baelin.
He was now extremely knowledgeable, and the information stored in his mind was plentiful. He also had experience from grooming his Branded Swordsmen. He had simply optimized his Farlier Family's Cross Blade breathing technique and had upgraded it quite a bit.
Based on Leylin's estimations, his version of the breathing technique could probably be considered the best, even amongst Grand Knights.
Baelin And The Girl
"Breathe out! Breathe in! Focus! Pay attention to the frequency!"
Baelin had taken off his shirt, revealing some muscle that he had gained after all these days of training. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply; the muscles on his body shook as he breathed.
"No, your abdominal muscles are moving incorrectly!" With a swing of his arms, a wooden sword mercilessly hacked at Baelin's lower abdomen.
Baelin's face twisted, and the muscles there withdrew. *Hah!* Two white streams of air exited from his nostrils.
"Remember it? This is the feeling!"
Leylin patted using the wooden sword.
"Hah…" After training a complete round in the breathing method, Baelin expelled a long breath, some black impurities could be found in the white gas that he let out. He opened his eyes.
"Are you a pig? It took you ten days to understand the surface of this simple breathing technique!"
Leylin scolded, and Baelin could only rub his head and laugh, continuously apologising.
After so many days of training, he could feel the sturdiness of his body increasing. With the help of the breathing technique, he could begin to feel some warmth flowing in his body.
The intoxicating feeling he gained from achieving power made Baelin addicted to it. Even if Leylin wanted to kill him now, he wouldn't leave no matter what.
"Go. A thousand times of the sword swings, and five thousand squats!" Leylin pointed, and Baelin immediately complied.
"I didn't think that this random fellow that I decided to teach would actually have some talent!"
The corner of Leylin's lips curved up into a smile as he watched Baelin perspire in the small field.
Baelin was evidently suited to the path of the knight. If Leylin had not used the A.I. Chip, Baelin might not even be able to scratch the surface of the improved cross blade breathing technique in ten days and grasp life essence. However, he had done it!
"However, I've never really had the talent to become a knight. In comparison, this speed would probably mean Baelin is an unprecedented talent! I wonder how his spiritual aptitude is?"
The spiritual aptitude of regular people was not very obvious. Unless he had access to specific spells or supplementary tools, even Leylin could not tell the talent that one had for magic.
"It looks like I have to stay here for a period of time…"
Leylin's expression darkened. Though he had planned on looking for other Magi, the sudden explosion of his emotions due to his Warlock blood had delayed his schedule.
Leylin could only use a few common methods to slowly let out the emotions in his heart. Also, he could only brew a few potions of a higher grade than the potion of tranquility to suppress his symptoms.
His plans after arriving in the Twilight Zone would be related to the obtaining of high-grade meditation techniques. He would not allow himself to wander around while he was still in this highly emotional state. If he did, there was an 80% chance that things would turn out like when he was robbing the essence of the Wisdom Tree and incited the anger of multiple people, who then chased after him.
Unwittingly, six months passed.
Without knowing it, since the whole process was so smooth, Baelin activated the life energy in his body and became a real knight.
This miserable fellow saw that he was unable to withstand even one move from Leylin and thought that he was still a regular human. Therefore, he worked hard towards his goal of becoming a knight
The one effect of his becoming a Knight was being able to withstand one strike from Leylin before collapsing.
As for Longbottom, Leylin did not see him anymore. It was said that that kid, who was unwilling to admit failure, had followed a bunch of traders going to trade at a city, and was hoping to get lucky.
It was a pity that Leylin had seen plenty of youngsters struggling outside with their dreams in mind. Out of a hundred, ninety would die without reason, and the majority of the remainder would become beggars, disabled, thieves, or criminals.
Only one percent would be successful.
Leylin had listened to Baelin talk about this for a while and had thrown this matter to the back of his mind.
"Hah!"
Baelin brandished the large steel sword in his hand, the blade glinting with a cold, sharp light, roaring as he charged towards Leylin.
"Kill!" He struck with his large sword, which in its wake brought a fierce gale.
On the other hand, Leylin was holding a wooden sword and shook his head, "Too many excess movements!"
With just a gentle thrust forward, the wooden sword entered the metallic rays of light.
What seemed to be a gentle, slow attack from the wooden sword pushed Baelin's steel sword away, and the wooden sword pierced Baelin's armpit!
"Ugh…" Baelin groaned and collapsed.
"Disappointing! Too disappointing!" Leylin bluntly struck him down.
During his free time after researching, he would tease this guy. It was one of the many pleasures he had in his spare time.
"My lord, can't you let me win a little?"
Baelin huffed and puffed, complaining as he sat on the ground, "I'm always defeated in one blow! Gosh! I feel like I haven't been improving at all…"
"Stop with the nonsense! Continue training. To punish you for being unable to withstand one move, you are to do a thousand more push-ups!"
Leylin tried his best not to laugh as he showed a poker face.
In fact, Baelin was improving extremely quickly. He was on the verge of advancing to become a Grand Knight. On one hand, this had to do with the effectiveness of the breathing method Leylin had provided. On the other, Baelin's talent and diligence could not be disregarded.
Leylin reclined on a deck chair, watching Baelin sweating, but his thoughts were all on the A.I. Chip.
[Beep! Based on the real-time monitoring, host body's secretion of adrenaline is at a low level, and mental status is becoming stable. Estimated to reach normal level in 341 hours!]
Through the diagrams and curve that the A.I. Chip analysed, Leylin was overjoyed to find that after all his efforts, his emotions were stabilising.
"Based on this pace, I'll be able to completely suppress the explosion of my emotions in ten or so days…" Leylin grinned.
"Boss! Is the boss here?"
At this moment, a young man's voice travelled over, "We want to buy something. Is the boss of Blazing Hammers around?"
Upon hearing this voice, Baelin stopped his training. "Oh, my heavens! There's someone actually coming to boss' shop? Has the sun risen from the west?"
Due to Leylin's unconventional pricing, only a few items were sold every year despite the excellent quality of the weapons in the shop.
"What are you talking about! Go and entertain the customer!" Leylin's sword knocked on Baelin's head.
At this moment, Baelin remembered that his real identity was a worker employed to man the weapon shop. He immediately put on a white shirt and jogged out to receive the customer.
Leylin was a little curious and followed him out.
"My lady, please come in!"
Baelin seemed to be fawning over a girl of noble blood, who was wearing sophisticated clothing and had a ring with strange inscriptions on it. He made eyes at Leylin, indicating they were going to make a huge sale.
Behind this noble girl was an old man with silver hair that seemed to be a butler. Behind this man were two young guards wearing armour made of iron mail. The one who had shouted was evidently one of the guards.
On the shoulder of the guard, there was a large crest with sun vines adorning it. In the middle were a sword, shield, and a crown!
Leylin was learned in the area of the coat of arms, and naturally knew that no matter which society they were in, only the first-rate nobility were able to use a crown in their crest.
"Interesting! A daughter of a noble? She even has an acolyte and two knights protecting her!"
Leylin gazed at this group of people with interest. The butler behind the girl was obviously a level 3 acolyte, and he even had a low-grade magic artifact, judging from the energy waves it gave off.
The guards behind them were guards with the strength of knights.
Even this girl herself also produced undulations from energy particles and had the power of a rank 1 acolyte. All sorts of amplification type rings were on her fingers.
At this moment, the four guests were surprised at Baelin, who was treating them so politely—not every shop had a Knight that would service guests!
Baelin, who was still oblivious to everything, was politely introducing to the girl, "My lady, if you wish to go to the Woody Wasteland, I recommend this steel sword! Its workmanship is first rate, and there won't be any nicks even after killing thousands. If you couple it with these arrowheads, it's even more perfect…"
Baelin's saliva flew everywhere as he opened another cabinet, revealing a bunch of arrowheads that looked completely new and was giving of a turquoise luster.
This eagerly attentive display that might even be seen to be overly humble had Leylin laughing inside. The two soldiers behind the girl turned, a little embarrassed at seeing a knight just like them, who seemed to be tarnishing their reputation.
In fact, if not for their owner being right in front, they would long since have drawn their swords and taught this fellow who knew nothing about the dignity of knights a lesson.
"Look!" The noble girl spoke to the old butler behind her.
The butler with the strength of a level 3 acolyte went forward, touching the steel sword with his wrinkly hands and then touching the arrowhead, shock apparent on his face, "The quality is not bad! It can even be compared with the works of the Great Master Yoda."
"Oh?" The surprise was evident on this girl's face. This was the first time she had seen her butler praise any item, and even more so comparing it to Great Master Yoda? That was a Master who had earned a reputation in the eastern capital from forging weapons, and was extremely popular with the public!
"Who forged the weapons here?" She asked, looking at Baelin. After all, his bulging muscles were very enchanting.
Leylin, who concealed his power very well, was naturally ignored.
"Oh, those!" Baelin was about to brag about his boss, but upon seeing Leylin's warning look, he corrected himself, "That's obviously a secret!"
Rescue
"Is that so?" The girl lifted her brows, and even Baelin couldn't bear to keep eye contact.
"Please pass on this message to that great master! I would like to meet him, and our Argus Family welcomes him to our door!" She spoke in an aloof manner.
The guard behind her immediately took out a sculpture that looked similar to the crest on his shoulder and passed it to Baelin.
"This! This! And those arrows. We want them all!"
The girl pointed at the display cabinet.
"Alright, alright!" Baelin was so excited that he was flushed red. He didn't even have the time to analyse the crest in his hand, and immediately packed up the swords and other weapons, passing them to the guards behind her.
"The total is 1050 Gold! Thank you for your patronage!"
Baelin nodded at the girl, and the butler passed a small bag of gold coins and a purple-gold card to him. Baelin was on the verge of becoming stupid as his hand trembled while holding the bag.
The girl saw his movements and a glint of mischievousness appeared in the young noble's eyes.
"I wish to go to the Woody Wastelands! Can you be my guide? I'll pay 10 Gold per day."
"Ten- Ten Gold?" Baelin's breathing became rough.
While working in Leylin's shop, the pay was 3 Gold per month; this was already a pay grade that made the residents of Potter Town incomparably envious.
Ten Gold a day? This was something Baelin had never even dreamed of!
"But!" Baelin looked at Leylin and gritted his teeth as he rejected the suggestion. "My apologies, my lady! I must work here every day…"
Though Baelin wanted to make some quick money, he was still able to make a distinction between the present and the future.
Leylin was currently teaching him how to train to become a knight! This was only available in specific noble families of the Twilight Zone, and he would not have another chance to get it, even with over a thousand Gold!
If he gave this up just for a little Gold, that would mean giving up his future as a Knight; Baelin felt that he would completely regret that choice of action.
"Interesting, interesting! I never thought I'd discover such an intriguing shop on this trip!"
The girl laughed like a skylark.
"My name is Jenny, and I live in the largest inn in the town. If you change your mind, you can come look for me at any time."
After the girl and her companions left, Baelin carefully placed the gold and purple-gold card on the table.
"The purple-gold card that is valued at a thousand Gold! It's the first time I've ever seen this, and in addition, there are so many gold coins. My lord! We've struck it rich!" Baelin's eyes were full of little stars.
"Yeah, yeah!" Leylin nodded, paying no mind as he kept the purple-gold card.
"The rest of the gold shall be yours as a commission!"
"Oh, boss, let me praise you! You're really the master of fairness, the embodiment of compassion…" Baelin immediately began to cheer.
He tossed the crest up and down in his hand, puzzled. "This seems quite familiar! I recall hearing something about this Oscar Family from somewhere before…"
Suddenly, he shrieked, "Damn it! Sun Vine Argus! It's the marquis family in the eastern capital! What did I just give up…"
However, although Baelin sighed, he did not pursue this matter any further.
After all, they weren't going to take him in as a servant, but only as a guide. It would be a very stupid decision to reject Leylin's teachings here.
The appearance of the Marquis' daughter here obviously made her the topic of conversation in Potter Town. Leylin could hear the latest news about this group from Baelin.
"My Lord! My Lord! Apparently, Miss Jenny came to this place in order to prepare to obtain a very special birthday gift for her mother! She's preparing to look for it in the wastelands. What a filial daughter she is!"
"Haha… I found out that Miss Jenny is looking for a special plant called the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud! It's said to help women maintain their looks for ten years, and can even be sold off at an auction in the eastern capital for almost a hundred thousand Gold! After offering a reward for it, all the adventurers, mercenaries and even residents of the town have begun to pour into the Woody Wastelands to look for it, dreaming of getting rich quickly!"
"My Lord! I just saw Miss Jenny entering the Woody Wastelands while being guided by the baron's knights…"
Baelin was as excited as a sparrow, chirping in front of Leylin; Leylin just rolled his eyes.
"Have you completed your homework for today?"
With that single sentence, Baelin completely quieted down and scratched his head.
"No, but I'll be done soon!" Having said this, Baelin quickly rushed to the training grounds and began to wave around a large sword that was about the height of a person.
"You still have the mind to think about running around outside of training. You seem to have a lot of excess energy!" Leylin grinned, "I'll multiply the tasks you have to do for today."
"Oh! No!" Hearing Baelin's anguished wailing, Leylin felt his mood improve.
"Oh, Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud?" Leylin touched his chin and searched up some information recorded by the A.I. Chip from the ancient ruins.
He seemed to have seen records about this sort of precious plant in ancient books. It was said that it lived in a very harsh environment and needed to coexist with a high energy being, taking in the blood of this being every once in awhile, or else it would wilt.
"I remember that the high-energy being coexisting with the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud is called the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon. It's said to be a mix between an ancient dragon and some demon, though I have no idea how true that information is…"
Leylin pondered deeply, "In addition, the beautification effect of the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud is just a side effect. The main use of the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud is to combat specific toxins…"
"Interesting. I was just searching for a good reason to enter the eastern capital!" Leylin glanced at Baelin who was still wailing but did not dare stop training, a fierce light glinting in his eyes.
Three days later, a small group laden with injuries returned to Potter Town, bringing back horrifying news.
The team with the Marquis' daughter had met with unexpected danger while chasing after the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon and were stuck somewhere. Even the baron's knight team captain had sacrificed himself.
This team had risked their lives to return and seek help.
The entire town sank into terror. The fury of a Marquis was something Potter Town could not take on, and the person most afraid of the headstrong daughter were the owner of the area, Baron Joseph.
"My lord! My lord! I heard that…"
Baelin rushed into the yard like a gust of wind, to the sight of a plump man in luxurious clothes, constantly using a gold-coloured handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his face.
He was instantly like a duck held by the neck, his words stuck in his throat as he bowed, "Hello, Sir!"
This plump man was obviously Baron Joseph, the man in charge of Potter Town. Even Baelin's current job had been introduced to him by this man. For Baelin, someone with land and an inheritance could be said to be an amazing person, and as a result, he was so shocked that he quickly greeted the baron, his head at his chest.
"So it's Baelin! Do your job well!"
Baron Joseph did not seem to have any interest in conversing with him, and instead bowed towards Leylin with a smile, "Well then, I'll leave it to you, Great Master Leylin!"
In order to settle down, Leylin had used mental spells as well as having left a very powerful image in Joseph's mind.
Hence, now that he had met with trouble that he could do nothing about, Joseph quickly came to Leylin as soon as he could.
"My lord! What happened?"
Baelin waited until Joseph left before asking.
"What else could it be other than to save that willful girl?" Leylin spoke indifferently, picking out a shining set of armour from the storeroom.
"Ooh, ooh! Oh! My lord, are you going to take action?"
As Leylin's shop assistant and semi-disciple, Baelin was very curious about Leylin's past and his power, extremely excited.
"Bring me, my lord! I'm sure you'll lack a servant in the Woody Wastelands, right?"
"Bring me! You have to bring me!"
*Boom!* A large set of Knight's armour was thrown at Baelin. "Try it on!"
"Oh! Alright!" Wearing armour was part of training to become a knight. Baelin had trained a lot, but it was his first time officially wearing armour. He was so excited that he was slightly flushed.
This shiny armour unexpectedly fit him very well. There were even some patterns at the sides of the metal, and the leather plating underneath. Not only was it beautiful, it could also protect a few areas; Baelin loved it.
After training for such a long period of time, Baelin had also grown taller. He had beautiful muscles, and after wearing the armour, he looked extremely brave and courageous.
"How is it? I'm handsome, aren't I?" Baelin patted his chest narcissistically, and two pieces of metal struck each other, producing a loud sound.
"Next!" Leylin tossed a steel sword to Baelin, and after he had worn and put everything into place, Leylin nodded in satisfaction.
"I can relax now!"
"Of course! Huh? Relax? What about?" Baelin was bewildered.
"Young man, the mission to save the princess will fall to you?" Leylin tried to hold back his laughter, patting Baelin's shoulder while speaking in a heartfelt, meaningful manner. Baelin was stunned.
"Huh? Huh?! Me?! You want me to go to the Woody Wastelands alone?" Baelin finally reacted, pointing at his own nose.
"My lord, I'm not even a knight! Are you trying to kill me?"
"It can't be helped!" Leylin spread his hands, "Someone must stay behind to look after the shop! Youngsters like you need to be more energetic!"
"My lord, forgive me for my being so direct about this, but you sell but a few items per year. It doesn't make a difference whether you watch the shop or not. In addition, there's a large difference between being energetic and sending myself to my death!"
Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud
"Don't worry. You're my employee after all; I won't just send you to your death like that."
Leylin waved his arms, saying things that were not helping Baelin calm down.
"I've already received more information. Jenny and the rest were trapped in a valley by Explosive Flaming Wolves, and temporarily will not meet with any danger…"
"I even prepared this for you!" Leylin passed a bag of medicinal powder to Baelin.
Baelin curiously sniffed at it, and then choked, sticking out his tongue, "What is this?"
"Stimulating medicinal powder! It can cover the smell of your live body scent and prevent the Explosive Flaming Wolves from finding you."
Leylin gave a brief explanation, and that alone caused Baelin to light up, looking at the bag in his hands like it was filled with gold coins.
"Think about it. If you sprinkle the powder on yourself and walk into the valley, you'll be able to rescue the princess easily. Reputation, power, money and even beautiful girls — they'll all be yours…" Leylin's voice was enticing.
"But…" Baelin struggled, but his tone was already not as resolute as before.
"No buts!" Leylin looked serious.
"This is an order. Baron Joseph has given me the rights to authorise this. To save Jenny, I can give out orders to any peasant of Potter Town!"
Leylin glanced at Baelin, obviously with bad intentions, "I remember that you're a free resident of Potter Town, am I right? Do you want to go now, or do you want to be demoted to a slave and then go?"
In the face of Leylin's methods using both the carrot and stick, Baelin could only raise his arms in protest, "All right, I'll go!"
"That's the way!" Leylin nodded in satisfaction.
That afternoon, Baelin had an expression like he was going to his death and, under the gazes of many residents of the town, he entered the Woody Wastelands.
Meanwhile, Leylin was lounging on a deck chair, his eyes closed as he took pleasure in the brightness given out from the sun stone. There was even a pot of hot tea and some snacks.
"A leisurely afternoon! I like this!"
Leylin contentedly poured himself a cup of black tea and blew away the rising steam.
"Shouldn't the Explosive Flaming Wolves have long since migrated from the Woody Wastelands? And they bumped into them? This is getting increasingly interesting…"
He felt reassured sending Baelin. Not taking into consideration the fact that Baelin was just one step away from becoming a Grand Knight, just the powder Leylin had given him was enough for Baelin to return unscathed, as well as save Jenny and her companions.
"But this is just the start!"
Leylin had a feeling that the power struggle in the circle of aristocracy around Jenny had become very troublesome. It would involve everyone around her involuntarily.
However, this level of trouble was just like a few children playing house. If not for him feeling quite bored, as well as needing a reason to enter the eastern capital, he wouldn't even bother playing with them.
The situation was just as Leylin predicted.
Two days later, Baelin energetically burst in, excitement apparent on his face.
"My lord, my lord, I did it! I successfully rescued Ms. Jenny and her companions! Haha… I'm a hero!"
"If you failed even with the powder I gave you, you'd be an idiot!" Leylin rolled his eyes, and then glanced at the entrance, "Are there customers?"
Next, Jenny, her butler, and the others walked in in a pitiful state. There was only one guard left, and his right arm was in a sling.
He could tell that they were in a difficult situation in the Woody Wastelands. However, they had directly come here without finding a chance to clean themselves first.
Though there was still some dust on her, Jenny's face was still quite clean as she curtsied towards Leylin, "I heard from Baelin that it was all thanks to Sir that he was able to save me. Jenny is here to express her thanks! Sir's powder is extremely miraculous, and even James couldn't tell what the components were."
"It's nothing much. It's part of my collection while I was still an adventurer!" Leylin put up his arm, evading any further explanations.
He was clear of the intentions this noble girl had in coming here. One part of this was to thank him, but more importantly, she was here to invite him to obtain the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud.
At this thought, Leylin shot a glance at Baelin.
Under his gaze, the young fellow ducked his head, embarrassed.
This naive young man betrayed Leylin after being taken in by Jenny and the rest, leaking the information that Leylin used to be a powerful adventurer.
"Mister…" Jenny's smile was forced as she ground her teeth, kneeling on the ground, "Sir! I'm here for the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud. It's not for my mother, but for my father. He…"
Then, there came the expected story of the power struggle between nobility.
The gist of it was that her two uncles coveted her father's position as Marquis, and had used a strange toxin to harm him. In order to heal her father, this young girl had no choice but to bring her butler and guards to search for a cure.
"Mister Leylin, my father is a benevolent and wise leader! If the title of Marquis and its associated territories were to fall into the hands of one of my uncles, the people under him would definitely meet with a calamity. Please help them…"
Jenny pleaded, giving a very thorough and brilliant act of a pure, kind-hearted innocent victim. Baelin had already clenched his fist, and Leylin kept shaking his head.
He naturally knew about the conflicts there were between the upper class. After growing up in that circle, even the most innocent child would be influenced.
Besides, could there be an absolute right or wrong in these power struggles?
On the surface, however, Leylin had a righteous expression, "I admire the kind and fair old Master Marquis. I am duty bound to help. Baelin!"
"Huh? Yes!" Baelin suddenly felt like something bad was going to happen. This was an intuition he had developed after being cheated by Leylin on countless occasions.
As expected, Leylin ordered, "Go accompany Miss Jenny and enter the Woody Wastelands again until you obtain the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud!"
"I knew it! I knew this would happen!"
Baelin roared in his heart, but upon seeing the grim look on Leylin's face and the pitiful young girl, he could not bring it upon himself to reject.
"Alright then…"
Letting Baelin help was evidently not on Jenny and the others' agenda. However, after seeing Leylin's courteous but obvious refusal, this bright young girl knew it was impossible to get Leylin himself to act. She could only retreat regretfully.
"Can you tell if he's a Magus?"
On the way, and after ensuring that there were no passers-by around them, Jenny spat out coldly. Her voice was cold, and her expression haughty. Where was that frail and delicate young girl seen only a few minutes back?
"I'm not sure. I couldn't tell! If an official lord Magus really wants to conceal himself in front of me, I definitely won't be able to tell at all!"
The butler, James, who was a level 3 acolyte, forced a laugh.
"Not being able to tell would be the best clue! A retired, powerful adventurer who was able to teach Baelin to become a knight in a year, his strength must be far beyond our imaginations!"
Jenny was astute.
"Not bad! I probed into this matter, and that young lad, Baelin, is quite lucky. The breathing technique he's training in is at least that used by Grand Knights."
James sighed in admiration. Upon hearing this, the eyes of the guard behind Jenny darkened.
He had risked his life for the Argus Family for so many years and gone through many loyalty tests before he was conferred a Knight's breathing technique. He was only lucky enough to advance after bloody battles, and listing to this story gave him the urge to kill Baelin.
However, he quickly buried this at the bottom of his heart, not daring to think about this further.
Supporting Baelin was a lord who seemed to be an official Magus! Even the Argus Family would not dare offend him.
Though the Argus Family was a Marquis family with a high standing, this was only so by regular people's standards.
In the eyes of Magi, the well-known Sun Vine Family was just as significant as a speck of dust.
Even in the entire Argus Family, there was only one rank 1 Magus whom they all respected. There was no need to choose who would be considered more important, an official Magus or a guard who was just a Knight!
"My Lord!"
After Jenny and her companions left, Baelin immediately gazed at Leylin with tears in his eyes, like a puppy that had been abandoned.
"Give it to me!" He stretched his hands out.
"What?"
"That secret potion, which is a powerful treasure! Don't you want me to obtain the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud?" Baelin thought it was only right that he received this.
*Bang!* He was struck heavily on the head by Leylin's wooden sword, causing him to grimace from the pain.
"Baelin!" Leylin stood up, his tone sincere.
"After this experience, you should know where your strength lies, right?"
"Of course! Thanks to the guidance from my lord, I am now a Knight!"
Now that they were talking about business, Baelin's expression became solemn. Though he had gotten past the pack of Explosive Flaming Wolves with Leylin's powder, the Woody Wastelands had more dangers than just the wolves!
When he had split a large stork into two halves with a single strike, Baelin realised he had been played by Leylin. He had long since advanced to become a Knight!
In addition, through conversations with Jenny and the rest, he found out that Leylin had taught him very precious things!
Hence, though Baelin appeared frivolous out of habit, he revered Leylin more and more.
"Being a Knight is just the start, and it's not the end!"
Leylin put his hands behind his back, putting on the airs of a powerful person.