Chapter 191 - 406 - 414

Interdimensions Experiment

"Duke Gilbert has already told me in detail about the dangers related to the cosmic gate!" Leylin had a smile on his face, but his expression was as resolute as ever.

"But if we don't communicate with other worlds and obtain their unique knowledge and resources, how can we improve? In the pursuit of knowledge, I'm willing to do anything!" Magi desired truth more than any other being did.

Having seen Leylin's expressions, Robin let out a long sigh, "In that case, prepare the designated protective gear and memorise the escape spell…"

Gilbert's basement laboratory, the core of the region.

Scribbles of detailed and complex runes and graphics dotted the four walls. Leylin need only slightly take a glance to discover that there were quite a few high-level runes he himself had yet to see.

"High-level air isolation rune! And this flawed rune pattern! It seems like I have seen this previously in the ancient records of Twilight Zone…" Leylin let out a gasp of surprise, and at the same time ordered the A.I. Chip to record all of the runes down.

At that point in time, a layer of black film appeared atop him. Like a protective suit, it enveloped his entire body, not leaving the smallest part uncovered.

Moreover, after having entered the area, he had experienced at least three sterilisation-like procedures.

This biochemical clothing could effectively isolate any pollution that would be passed on from other worlds through the cosmic gate. Hence, it was an essential piece of equipment for experiments on it.

"Just based on the meticulous preparation, one would be able to tell the complex and terrifying nature of cosmic gate experiments…" Leylin sighed once again. His eyes could not help but once again gaze at the center of the laboratory.

At the center, a large area of starlight was giving off bright rays. The interior seemed to contain something, but given Leylin was unable to see clearly given his current eyesight.

"That is the physical state of a cosmic gate. Just opening one would exhaust my resources greatly, maybe even making me bankrupt…"

Leylin silently contemplated in his heart. The energy consumption of a cosmic gate was just too terrifying. After giving it some thought, he realised that even he, with his vast funds, could not endure such a thing. It was no wonder that some Morning Star Magi would become bankrupt after studying cosmic gates.

"Quick! Prepare the experiment!"

Robin had a layer of protective film around his body as well, and was going about his preparations at a table in the corner.

In reality, they were still some distance away from the real gate to the Star Realm. Duke Gilbert was at the center of it all, where a circle of magic runes was radiating a golden glow.

The students, including an old man, whose spiritual force had reached the Crystal Phase, could only wait outside this circle, unable to advance further.

"The running time of a cosmic gate is very precious. Currently, it is at its lowest limit and can only allow the passage of spiritual force coordinate markers! All of you, come try one by one!" Duke Gilbert's voice echoed.

"Leylin, it's the first time you're taking part in experiments like these! You can just observe what I do first!" Robin said from beside him.

"Yes!" Leylin's eyes radiated a sparkling blue glow, and he stared at Robin's movements attentively.

Duke Gilbert took out a piece of golden crystal, and threw it towards the centremost blue flame.

*Boom!* The golden crystal collided with the blue flames, and instantly a violent reaction occurred. A large amount of golden light was radiated, which was immediately absorbed by the blue flames.

Blue rays of energy extended towards the loops of the spells before finally arriving before the few rank 3 Warlocks and forming a mercuric mirror that caved in slightly, one that had at its center a black ripple.

"This feeling! It's quite similar to that of the ancient teleportation spell formation, but it possesses a greater degree of disorder and violence…" Leylin compared the two in his mind.

A bright silver ray of spiritual force emerged from Robin's head, and rapidly formed a flower bud in the air. Runes were formed on the surface which quickly went into the mirror.

"This spacetime positioning experiment is extremely simple. With the repeated casting of coordinates into cosmic gates, we might stumble upon a different world, or it might be picked up by an intelligent being. Generally speaking the probability is extremely low, and there may not even be a single case of success within ten thousand tries!"

"Then isn't this just trying our luck?" Leylin rolled his eyes in his heart, and was somewhat speechless. However seeing Robin's pale face, he knew that things were not as easy as what he had said.

"In the past, it was impossible for me to use my spiritual force to sense movements in the Twilight Zone through teleportation spell formations but now I have to use my spiritual force to explore the world! The difficulty level is incomparable! Even though I have already reached rank 3, and have the support and help of other Magi, I'm afraid the difficulty levels have not decreased much…"

*Boom!* Suddenly, an explosion sounded from Robin and he immediately took a few steps back, face pale.

"We have failed! My spiritual force coordinate marker met with spatial dysfunction, and has been completely extinguished!"

What they were doing now was sending the coordinate marker made from spiritual force to the cosmos between the various worlds to float in between, and they could only hope for good luck for the spiritual force to land in another world.

But the gaps between the worlds were fraught with dangers. The most fundamental was that of spatial interference, and there could even be a few strange beings that specifically stay within this space, who would not only destroy the spiritual force markers but even follow the markers back upstream, retaliating by launching an attack on the Magi who had sent out the markers!

As a result, Duke Gilbert would have to be watching on the side.

The destruction of the spiritual force marker was a common occurrence. Robin failed twice after, which caused his face to become as pale as a corpse.

'With the amount of spiritual force that he exhausted in this experiment, Robin will have to rest up for a few days and spend time meditating to recover completely!' Leylin thought to himself.

Like Robin, many other students in the laboratory had failed many times, and not one of them had successfully found an alternate world.

But there were still many differences between them. A female Warlock who possess a Vapour Phase spiritual force managed five attempts before she had to retreat to a corner to recover. Meanwhile, Robin was at his seventh attempts, while the white-haired old man, the strongest of the bunch, had made more than ten attempts.

"The disparity within rank 3 Warlocks is simply too huge!" Leylin let out a sigh in his heart after having seen this scenario.

"Phew! I can't do this anymore! It's your turn!" After having failed once again, Robin's face was so pale that the blood vessels below were visible. He immediately retreated, and Leylin took over his position.

"You must have understood what was happening from your observations before this, right? It's very easy, just simple usage of your spiritual force!" Robin retreated to the side, and swallowed a purple capsule which made him look better instantly.

"Alright! Let me do it!" Leylin eagerly walked forward, and large amounts of bright silver spiritual force were condensed into silvery-white seed-shaped substance.

Constructing a coordinate marker from spiritual force only required a simple usage of spiritual force, and any ordinary rank 1 Magus could do this easily.

Under Leylin's control, the silvery-white seed slowly floated beyond him, and touched the indentation in the mirror.

*Bloop!* As if falling through a layer of water, the silvery-white seed instantly penetrated the mirror.

However, instantly, Leylin's face registered a change. He immediately felt his connection to the marker weakening. It took a large amount of spiritual force to maintain the connection.

Rays of silvery-white spiritual force repeatedly disseminated from his sea of consciousness, and he managed to maintain a faint connection to the marker.

'No wonder only those at rank 3 or above can participate in this experiment! Just one attempt could drain the life out of most rank 2 Magi!' Leylin sighed in his mind. Suddenly, he could feel the spiritual force seed he'd scattered coming under the control of a frantic tsunami, only able to float and sink with the waves. He was unable to pick a path to advance.

'If it's like this, everything depends on luck!' Leylin smiled grimly; if he could not even control his spiritual force, of what use would anything be? The only option was to pray that he was lucky.

"Hmmm? Not good!" At this instant, two large air tides collided in the silver space, wedging his marker in between them.

Leylin tried to move the marker away, but it was to no avail. He could only watch as the two air tides collided, giving rise to a huge storm and extinguishing his seed.

"Ugh!" Leylin held his head. The instant he had lost his spiritual force seed, his head felt as if it had been sliced apart by a knife. The spiritual force in his sea of consciousness was also depleted by a third.

'Does this mean that I can only condense these coordinate marking seeds and try my luck for three times at most in a single session?' Leylin was rendered speechless. With the experiment being completely dependent on pure luck, and no way to increase the success rate, his seniors had a huge advantage when compared to him.

It was no wonder that Duke Gilbert had solicited the help of so many students. The greater the number of attempts made, the greater the hope to succeed. However, the chances were still low and completely dependent on luck.

Leylin subconsciously reached for his waist pouch, before quickly withdrawing his hands.

The Coin of Destiny could only make predictions about matters beneath the Morning Star realm. Once the matter involved the crossover of various worlds, no matter how slight the contact, the coin would be completely destroyed without being able to make a single prediction.

"You failed? That's normal! Try again!" Robin encouraged him.

Leylin rolled his eyes at Robin, and once again condensed a spiritual force marker, sending it through the lens.

A Plan

'Huh? Things are going much more smoothly this time!' Leylin was amazed for a moment, and then fell back into silence.

In the middle of that thought, his spiritual force symbol had entered turbulent space again. An eastern wind soon picked it up, sending it forth into the distance.

What awaited it in the distance was a terrifying fire whose aura was slowly but surely increasing.

Through the response from the symbol, Leylin vaguely saw an incomparably enormous world. Surrounding this world was a membrane of sorts.

"Really? Is Lady Luck on my side?" Although Leylin had his doubts, he continued to dash forwards with his spiritual force.

"Who is it? This is the Blazing Flame King's territory, get lost!"

A loud rumble was heard, and Leylin felt a powerful aura that caused his symbol to crumble apart.

*Thump thump!* Leylin stumbled a few steps backwards, blood oozing out from both his nostrils.

"What happened?" Robin immediately stepped towards Leylin and supported him.

"I seem to have discovered a world, but was blocked at the edge and attacked by a self-proclaimed king!"

"Oh! That is the Blazing Flame World! It is under the control and protection of the Monarch of Blazing Flames, Breaking Dawn Magus Aragorn!" Robin's expression showed both understanding and indignance.

"They were already under his subjugation! " Leylin remarked with his eyes opened wide.

"Yes! A few of the famous Breaking Dawn Magi here have already attacked and conquered some worlds with horrifying accomplishments. We even suspect that it is the spoils of these wars that have allowed them to enter the Breaking Dawn realm…"

"Afterwards, the Breaking Dawn Magi and their subordinates will protect the conquered world, stopping us from spying on them. On top of that, the guardians and other Radiant Moon Magi use their spiritual force to invade unconquered ones, at the same time destroying our spiritual force symbols!" Robin's smile was forced and bitter.

"Therefore, avoiding probes by those formidable powers and camouflaging our spiritual forces until the time is right are topics that are very valuable for research!"

"Ah! " At this moment, the rank 3 old man looked as if he had provoked something, stumbled backwards and looking upwards, shouted :"Be careful, it is heading this way!"

*Ji Ji!* An unpleasant sound transmitted out from the mirror in front of him.

A huge tentacle stretched out from within the mirror. It appeared to be some species of octopus, but without suction pads on the pure black tentacles, it looked extremely illusionary.

"Intimidating Gaze! Toxic Bile!"

Despite facing possible death, the rank 3 Warlock showed no fear. He extended his domain and under his manipulation, Toxic Bile manifested itself and became a trident, piercing through half the body of the black octopus-like creature.

*Peng!* The mirror shattered into pieces as the octopus succeeded in squeezing its way through. It's skin was filled with eyeballs all over, making it a horrifying and gross sight.

*Phush phush!* The highly toxic black poison fork had pierced straight into the body of the octopus, yet no injuries were inflicted.

"Innate skill of virtual transformation! This is most common attribute among the living creatures in space!"

Leylin momentarily remembered what he had recorded.

Soon after, a huge ball of pitch-black smoke was puffed out from the mouth of the octopus and started to attack in the form of infrasonic waves. Leylin immediately retreated to a distance.

The old man yanked the crystal crucifix that he wearing and held it up in front of himself.

*Thud!* Beneath the octopus' black tentacles, the crystal crucifix proved to have no effects and it was penetrated through easily.

The octopus came face to face with the old man and pounced on him. Countless big and ferocious teeth started appearing beneath.

"A pretty good creature!" However, the octopus did not came into contact with the old man's face. It was grabbed firmly by yet another palm.

*Snap! Snap!* Multiple sharp teeth were gnawing on the hand, producing a spine-tingling sound, yet there seemed to be no effect at all.

"A space creature! One that has not been seen before! This experiment is indeed valuable!"

Gilbert was full of smiles as he manipulated a layer of blue flame in his hand to cover the entire octopus.

After the ignited flame shrunk considerably, what remained in Gilbert's hand was a blue crystal ball with a black octopus swimming within it. It looked like a pocket-size ornament.

"And these too!" Gilbert took a deep breath.

A huge hurricane was generated, and Gilbert sucked up the smoke that the octopus had puffed out into his stomach.

In a flash, the smoke that had caused them so much trouble vanished into the thin air.

"Truly a Morning Star Magus!" Leylin exclaimed with a tense gaze.

"Great! It's all thanks to Lucian for this successful experiment. I will remember your contributions. As for the rest of you, everyone will get ten thousand contribution points!"

Gilbert then declared the conclusion of the experiment. Looking at his expression, Leylin was sure Gilbert couldn't wait to lay his hands on the newly captured strange creature for experiments.

"The astral plane might be dangerous, but the gains are rich too!" Leylin felt gloomy from the bottom of his heart.

While walking out of the laboratory, Robin smiled and turned to Leylin to make introductions: "This is Lucian, and this is Kesha, they are both my fellow students!"

Lucian was in fact the old geezer who was in the Crystal Phase. As for Kesha, she too was a rank 3 and Leylin gave both of them a respectful greeting.

Lucian and Kesha extended a warm welcome to their new junior before leaving. Both of their spiritual forces had been exhausted considerably and they needed to rest and restore their strength. especially Lucian; he was almost seriously hurt in the process hence he was in a dull mood.

Leylin understood Lucian's feelings, but he was left speechless after he had to adopt nine more purification processes after the appearance of the strange creature.

At the trading hall of the clan, bright twinkling lights were being emitted from the huge screen. Some fixed assignments and resource exchanges appeared on it from time to time.

Leylin intentionally looked for the poster selling the life seed. Little did he expect to see there were many messages left under it. That it was a popular item for sale left Leylin speechless.

He only looked at the messages for a short while before turning elsewhere.

After numerous promotions to a higher position, the processing capabilities of his brain had strengthened immensely. He was now comparable to a regular computer. With just a few glances, he could assimilate the information that he needed from the huge screen easily.

"Rank 3 Vapour Phase spell formation, a must-have item for supplementing the vitality and strength of a Rank 3 Magus. Sale price: One hundred thousand contribution points!"

This was exactly what Leylin needed now.

Cultivation of a Rank 3 Magi was to further compress and concentrate the already small spiritual force seed.

Firstly, the bright silver spiritual force would be turned into vapour, after which it would enter the liquid phase and finally crystallisation.

At the final stage, all of the spiritual force would be condensed to a single point, the point mass. This was the raw material required for advancing to become a Morning Star Magus!

Leylin was currently stuck at the beginning stage of rank 3 and had not even entered Vapour Phase.

"With the help of this spell, together with medication and the right meditation techniques, it should only be a matter of time before I enter the Vapour Phase!" Leylin reckoned.

There was a door for every stage within the 3rd Rank. And once a Magus reached the Hydro Phase, they would be allowed to experience entry into the astral gate independently with the assistance of the Magi tower.

Of course this wasn't a door built specially for the astral plane. It was built for eventual interplanar exploration in the future.

"Mentor Gilbert might be willing to trade the astral gate blueprint with me for a favourable price! However, it will be very difficult to acquire the astral stone…"

According to his Mentor, the so called astral stone was a necessary material when building a astral gate. The origins of the astral stones were unknown, and the Morning Star Magi kept them within their own circle. Thus, it was seldom seen outside.

Experiments on interplanar travel depleted the energy within these astral stones, and they would then have to be replaced. Thus, Morning Star Magi didn't have enough of them on hand for their own use, leave alone selling them outside.

Given their sky-high price, even if Gilbert were willing to sell some to him, Leylin wasn't sure he had the financial capabilities to buy them.

Leylin skimmed over the screen at a lightning-quick pace, looking out for anything associated with experiments on the astral plane. Unfortunately, high-grade research like that would not normally be put on sale. Even the rare piece was immediately gobbled up for a very high price!

Leylin stroked his chin in contemplation. 'Looking at the current circumstances, interplanar travel was a hot topic in the central continent. Although the weaker Magi did have some knowledge of it, most of it was still a big secret!

'It isn't realistic to expect to buy a astral stone, and the Vapour Phase spell formation is expensive as well. It's a better idea to slowly accumulate contribution points as I grow my spiritual force!'

Leylin thought about the one hundred thousand contribution point reward that Gilbert had handed out today, and exclaimed that such extravagance was indeed worthy of a Morning Star Magus. A few more visits to his experiments and Leylin would be able to afford the Vapour Phase spell formation.

It was a pity that most Magi believed in the principle of equal exchange. Leylin's income today was a payment for the help he rendered, and there was a bonus due to there being gains from this experiment. Gilbert was not one to just randomly reward his students some points.

'I need to accumulate contribution points, and get a hold of some spiritual force potions that work for rank 3 Warlocks!' Leylin set these two short term goals.

"It would be the wisest, most compatible and safest way through potions!"

Leylin looked at the screen. There were many highly paid requests for Potion Masters to concoct various potions. There were also contracts available for long-term patronage.

Precipitating 3 years

Potions Grandmasters were rare in the south coast, and at that time, Leylin was only a rank 1 Magus. Thus, he needed to avoid doing things that would leak his secret and lead to trouble.

But the central continent posed no such problems. Even the Ouroboros Clan alone housed a few reputable Grandmasters, not to mention the entire continent.

Furthermore, Leylin had already become a rank 3 Warlock, and his strength now was leagues ahead of what it was before. With Gilbert as his back-up, he had no cause for fear. Thus, it wasn't much of a problem to reveal a bit of his prowess in the field.

It was still important to keep it a secret on the whole. Leylin's Potioneering ability was honed over many years by personal tests and A.I. Chip simulations. In addition to the Chip's assistance during the act itself, he'd reached a level of skill that bordered that of the most respected Potions Grandmasters, a mysterious and unfathomable realm.

But it was unnecessary to show his complete prowess. On top of that, through Potioneering, he could get hold of the majority of the recipes from the central continent for free. Moreover, most were exclusive, and would contribute greatly to Leylin's database.

Leylin hoped from the bottom of his heart that, after acquiring all the information the central continent had with regards to Potioneering, he will have a breakthrough in his skill!

...

3 years later.

Leylin was in his manor in the Ouroboros Clan headquarters. Because of the many people and slaves in the region, the manor was not as empty as it once was. Once it had started functioning properly, clean-cut slaves and coquettish maids were walking about everywhere.

There were even some acolytes mixed into this sea of people.

Leylin had gathered all the gifted people in his territory and brought them here. He normally left his Warlock vassals to guide them, and only came out to teach himself when he was in a good mood.

This arrangement of Leylin wasn't well received by the acolytes but they stayed on for the opportunity to work under him. Some of the acolytes and Magi even specially moved to his territory.

Inside the specialized living area, Leylin was conversing with Robin.

"Honestly speaking, Leylin, your Potioneering ability has greatly surprised me!" Robin was playing with the test tube in his hand. The purple liquid inside rippled and reflected a myriad of colours.

Leylin had granted himself both wealth and fame through the selling of potions and Potioneering for his clan members over the last three years.

The number of high-ranking Magi and Magi of affiliated clans seeking for Leylin's Potioneering had been on a steady increase.

And Leylin wouldn't reject their offers most of the time, though his success rate was a little lower than the Potion Grandmasters of the Ouroboros Clan, Leylin's fee was much lower when compared to theirs. Besides, many Potions Grandmasters had already filled their schedules with requests and were unable to take on any more requests.

Precisely because of this, Leylin was able to come across the recipes for a large number of rare potions, which added to his Chip's database as well as his own skill.

"I just have a slight interest in Potioneering. After all, I started my time as a Magus by becoming a Potions Master's acolyte!" Leylin laughed weakly, his eyes and expression tinged with nostalgia.

"That itself is extraordinary! And I have to mention that it's more than impressive for you to keep up with your meditation technique while making vast improvements in your Potioneering skills!" Robin looked closely at Leylin, "Your spiritual force is almost ready to move on to the Vapour Phase, isn't it?"

"Indeed! I'm about to buy a Vapour Phase spell formation and plan to try and break through soon!" Leylin nodded with confidence. He had nothing to hide.

He'd earned a lot of contribution points through Potioneering. With that and his own resources, Leylin had indiscriminately bought spiritual force potions for his own use from the Ouroboros Clan. With the fourth layer of Kemoyin's pupil as a guide, Leylin's path had been clear of any obstacles. With a distinct aim, his spiritual force had improved significantly in this period.

The resources of the central continent could not be compared to those of Twilight Zone and the south coast. In addition to the energy-rich environment, it was much easier for Magi to break through and better themselves here than elsewhere.

"Mm! A Vapour Phase spell formation costs roughly 100,000 contribution points. With the addition of the necessary materials for it, the total will come up to about 150,000! Do you have enough? If not, I can lend you some for now!" Robin said in goodwill.

"Thank you so much!" Leylin laughed.

Although Potioneering was a very profitable business, Leylin had only been in it for a very short time. He'd even spent a huge number of contribution points to purchase spiritual force potions. Thus, he was not so well-off.

The Ouroboros Clan allowed one to exchange magic crystals for contribution points, but there were some considerations that led to Leylin not considering that path. One of them was a fixed limit on the number of crystals a Magus could trade for.

"Oh and here is the information I plan to handover to the clan! Help me do an appraisal!" Leylin chuckled as he handed a folder to Robin.

After skimming through, Robin lifted his brows and looked back at Leylin, straightening his back in astonishment. "You… You actually want to bestow your high-grade potion of tranquility to the clan?"

The high-grade potion of tranquility was an improved version of the one Leylin acquired from the great Magus Serholm, which helped to suppress the emotional instability of Warlocks. Of course, what he offered the guild was the rudimentary version that was not based primarily on the Icy Scorpion's Breath. But it still proved relatively impressive in repressing the emotions of high-rank Warlocks

The emotional instability of high-rank Warlocks was quite obvious. Although there were some methods and potions to control them circulated inside the Ouroboros Clan, the Magi could never have enough.

As long as the root of this problem was not dealt with, such medicine would always be in high demand. In the past three years, Leylin had refined and manufactured vast quantities of high-grade potions of tranquility, turning them into one of his biggest sources of income. That he was willing to sell the formula left Robin extremely surprised.

"Of course!" Leylin laughed as he shook his head. He did not have the time to concoct and sell potions of tranquility for money. Furthermore, this was an advanced potion! Normal Potions Masters would not be able to achieve a high success rate at concocting it. It would still be easy for him to return to the business to earn contribution points if he wished.

"Just this alone is worth around 25,000 contribution points. Looking at you now, it doesn't seem like you lack points!" Robin laughed bitterly.

"I wish! Honestly, I was thinking of borrowing some from you, senior! I still have a shortage of them!" Even as he said this, Leylin slyly lifted the corners of his mouth, making Robin feel a little closer to him.

At times, the bond between two people can be improved through the act of mutual support.

"Oh! You won't be able to support your Magus Tower's construction much longer, will you?" Robin's expression changed into one of understanding, and Leylin just chuckled bitterly.

The construction of Leylin's tower was more or less done over the part three years and now it was mostly down to the detailing and decoration of each floor.

And Leylin's expectations were exceptionally high. The materials selected were practically the most premium ones and the resources exhausted were comparable to a chain of mountains.

To be honest, Leylin's weath was enough to sustain the following add-ons to his tower but he didn't want to be completely transparent. So the facade of a poverty-stricken individual was absolutely necessary.

"Ah… Leylin, I told you so! Why did you not set your standards lower back then during the planning process, or build it here at the headquarters directly? It wouldn't have resulted in this situation then!" Robin consoled.

"No!" Leylin shook his head with a resolute tone.

"The Magus Tower is a reflection of the rank of its Magus. If I were to build one, I will do it with the best of my abilities! Moreover, I have to think about the future. The Tower being in my territory will act as a deterrent to the surrounding forces."

"Makes sense. But it is still unwise to use up all your resources for it! I almost prostituted myself when I was building my mine, even with my family and the clan's resource…." Robin pummeled his chest, fear lingering in his voice.

Leylin could only roll his eyes at the near-promiscuous flashback as Robin moved on to the main concern, "Anyway, how much were you thinking of borrowing?"

"I'd like to ask, how much are you able to lend, senior?" Leylin asked as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth…

In a short while, Leylin arrived at the trading hall of the Ouroboros Clan with a large number of contribution points in hand.

After spending the past 3 years here, Leylin was already familiar with the place and headed straight to his destination upon arrival.

'A.I Chip, Report my current status!' Leyin silently said in his head.

[Leylin Farlier, Rank 3 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent Strength: 23.6, Agility: 20.1, Vitality: 39.1, Spiritual Force: 240.5, Magic Power: 240 (Magic Power synchronized with spiritual force)]

The A.I Chip faithfully processed and sent the information.

As a Magus, spiritual force and magic power were the most important numbers. Vitality was the foundation upon which spiritual force was built and sustained, and had to be strong enough; otherwise, the Magus' body would collapse.

When his strength and agility reached their maximum, Leylin temporarily took his focus away from them and raided for potions and alchemist spell formation in the clan that can boost his Vitality resulting in his terrifying increase to nearly 40.

Looking at these numbers, Leylin felt that his own body terribly surpassed many high-energy beings. Not only was his rate of recovery alarmingly fast, he was able to take on any Magi below rank 2 unarmed!

His bulky physique made cultivating his spiritual force a piece of cake, and he was already prepared to break through the bottleneck that was the Vapour Phase.

"A.I Chip! Simulate my current shape and compute the conditions needed for me to move on to the Vapour Phase!"

The Completion of the Onyx Castle

Leylin immediately commanded the A.I. Chip again.

[Task established! Initiating simulation, preparing main stats…] The A.I. Chip rapidly operated, and projected a 3D hologram in front of Leylin, which faintly resembled himself.

Apart from gathering and analysing large amounts of data, it could also run breakthrough simulations and obtain concrete probabilities and numbers. This was what made Leylin different from other Magi, who could only make deductions based on rough estimates of probabilities and slipshod experiments, or even through luck! And this was one of the reasons for Leylin's successful breakthroughs every time.

[Beep! Simulation completed! Conditions for breakthrough: sufficient spiritual force, the bloodline essence of the Corrosive Lizard, three portions of Purple Leaf Snake scaled-fruit, and a complete Vapour Phase spell formation! Success rate: 86.9%!]

The A.I chip presented this to Leylin.

"A close to 90% chance of success is enough!" Leylin clenched his fist tightly.

As they did not have the precise calculations of the A.I Chip, other Magi could only gather some materials that would help in the breakthrough. One would already thank the heavens if they had more than a 50% chance of success, let alone such an accurate forecast.

Leylin felt that after the A.I. Chip had fused with his soul, it had improved with his own progress, and its strengths had been amplified largely. Its predictive ability now greatly surpassed even the best A.I. Chips of his previous world.

In other words, his current A.I. Chip, even if placed in his previous world, would be too sophisticated to be copied.

"The Purple Leaf Snake Scaled-fruit and the bloodline essence of the Corrosive lizard are the most commonly used supplementary materials when Warlocks attempt to make their breakthroughs, and can be found in the trading hall. Even though they are pricy, I can still afford it!"

Having saved up money as a Potions Grandmaster for three years, and with the huge loan from Robin, Leylin could be said to have ample funds.

'After this, I'll have to return to my territory to make the breakthrough, as well as to take charge of the construction of the Magus Tower!' Leylin thought to himself.

A Magus Tower was being constructed next to Onyx Castle. This tower could be said to be his actual foothold in the central continent, and even as he was Potioneering for the majority of the past three years, he had not once loosened his watch on the construction of the Magus Tower.

Furthermore, the basic structure was already complete. The remaining portions, such as the installation of the elemental pools, adjustment of the spell formations and the like would have to be done by himself. The other Warlocks could only assist, after all, Leylin would not give anyone access to the secrets of the core of his tower.

'The ability of a rank 3 Vapour Phase allows the activation of rank 4 spell scrolls. Then, we can even purchase a Scroll of Life from Mentor, that can be used to construct the entire intellectual core of the Magus Tower. Hopefully Mentor's price won't be too hefty…' Leylin thought casually, while looking for the data from the screens to carry out his transactions.

Even though he seemed preoccupied, under the tremendous assistance of the A.I chip, all the resources chosen were top-notch, and even the Vapour Phase spell formation was successfully obtained.

However, during the transaction, he had also obtained some news that made him frown.

"Miranda and Freya returned after completing their task? But they were seriously injured? Why is that so?" Leylin asked. These two were rank 3 Hydro Phase Warlocks. With the addition of their bloodline, their strengths were a few levels higher. That they would be seriously wounded had piqued his curiosity.

"Sorry! This is a secret! Even I am unable to get any news!" The peddler who had transacted with Leylin was a skinny Magus with a huge grin on his face. He did not dare offend Leylin; after all, Leylin was a big customer, and he had previously earned a huge sum from a previous transaction involving potions of tranquility.

The Magus came closer and lowered his voice, "However, reports say that a mysterious person attacked them when they were exploring some ruins! This left the second elder furious, and he swore to find the culprit…"

"So it's like that!" Leylin nodded, and quickly completed the transaction.

He had to return to his territory as soon as possible to make the breakthrough. He'd merely asked out of curiosity; no matter how chaotic it was here, it would not affect him.

...

Onyx Castle.

Construction had been completed in the last three years. The entire structure was built out of sturdy granite, and was reinforced by earth-elemental spells that closed up the gaps between the underlying rocks. From the outside, the entirety of Onyx Castle looked grand and expansive, exuding a feeling of deterrence. This was the core of Leylin's territory.

With the amount of reinforcement it had gotten, Onyx Castle could last a few thousand years at the least. After seeing it, Alesandor remarked that he could hold the fort against fifty thousand elites with just a few thousand man, but of course this only applied to regular humans.

The castle was carpeted in cashmere. Silver cups and golden lampstands were everywhere. The place was filled with a flowing light, and its luxury was something few royal palaces could rival.

If a commoner were to use the castle, it might have stirred up criticism and attacks from other jealous leaders. But since the lord of the castle was a strong Magus, there would be no problem.

The strength Leylin possessed was enough to let anyone with negative intentions despair. The people would only compliment the nobility of its lord, and not for a moment have any designs on it.

"Looks like Royce and Alesandor have taken care of this place fairly well!" Leylin slowly walked into the castle.

He looked at the castle's surrounding farmland. A lot of it was already being cultivated, and large windmills were turning slowly as farmers cleared the earth of weeds.

These were slaves he had previously purchased, with a portion of them being leaders.

In the process of the construction of the castle, a portion of the outstanding slaves and citizens had received rewards in the form of land. Since then, they had settled down and built a relatively prosperous area.

Soldiers and tall knights patrolled the place from time to time.

Royce and Alesandor who were appointed and nominated to oversee politics and military matters respectively had exhausted their time and effort into building a foundation over here due to the temptation of status and territory. At least in Leylin's eyes, the Onyx Castle looked more or less like a Marquis' palace.

"Welcome home, my Lord!" Once they neared the main gate, Kubler quickly hurried out. He was wearing a butler uniform and looked very energetic, with Royce and Alesandor following behind him.

"Mmm! Well done!" Leylin nodded his head slightly, and acknowledged Kubler's work. He was not one to leave the power in the hands of only two people, and hence he'd left Kubler here as well.

Even though he could be sure that Royce and Alesandor would not dare to betray him, corruption was inevitable. However, with Kubler around, Royce and Alesandor would not dare to cross the line.

"Master! The latest survey has been completed. Within your territory, there are a total of 13,572 soldiers. The total population is.…"

Before Kubler could finish his sentence, Leylin waved his hand and interrupted him. "Write a report about that stuff and hand it over to me later. For now, follow me. I want to look at the progress on the Magus Tower!"

Leylin had invested in the Magus Tower more than ten thousand times what he had invested into Onyx Castle! He would naturally devote minimal attention to it, instead electing to let the A.I. Chip scan progress reports every now and then.

"As you wish, Master!" Kubler followed Leylin in his rightful position. Meanwhile, Royce and Alesandor exchanged glances and could only smile grimly.

A small distance from Onyx Castle, atop a mountain, was a huge piece of construction land with various workers running about.

Because they were building a Magus Tower, they could no longer use ordinary human slaves. Ordinary humans were useless when it came to certain special construction materials, not to mention the possible contamination caused by long-term contact with such materials. Even with a purification tower, ordinary human slaves would perish within a short period of time!

"Hurry! Quicken your pace! Or else there won't be any alloy rods for dinner tonight!" A youthful Warlock with an iron whip in his hands was shouting in a strange language.

Warlock acolytes, and even some formal Warlocks, were doubling up as foremen and architects in the construction site, rushing a few strange slaves to speed up their work.

These slaves were large in stature, with hard skin the colour of stone.

These slaves were from the Stone tribe. Leylin had previously deciphered a book written in the Turin language from the pocket dimension of the Ancient Spirit Slaying Sect. In it there was content left behind by the craftsmen of the Stone tribe.

The Stone tribe was a type of human race. Because of their naturally large stature in addition to their stony exteriors that were as powerful as defensive spells, they could be said to have tough bodies. They were the species ancient Magi favoured to be construction slaves. Much of the construction in the Ancient Spirit Slaying Sect was done by them.

The members of the Stone tribe spoke in the Turin language, mentioned by the young Warlock, which was a difficult one to learn. Still, for Magi, it was no big deal.

The Stone tribe existed in Twilight Zone and the south coast, but Leylin had not expected them to be present here as well, let alone being sold as high-class slaves!

For the construction of the tower, Leylin could only grit his teeth and buy a large batch of these slaves. It cost him no small amount!

Leylin's arrival naturally attracted the attention of some Magi. Not long after, an extremely good-looking and youthful Magus came before Leylin and bowed respectfully, "Master!"

What was shocking was that his voice sounded extremely aged, which was not consistent with his appearance.

"Rise, Parker! What's the progress on the construction of the tower?"

Attempt At Vaporisation

In his three years in the Ouroboros Clan, it was not as if Leylin had done nothing but brew potions.

Through the support of Robin and a few other seniors, he'd gathered a few henchmen and organisations under him.

In the Ouroboros Clan, it was a fixed tradition for lower-ranked bloodline Warlocks to support higher-ranked bloodline experts.

Leylin was a pure-blooded Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, and even had a Morning Star mentor. He could be said to have boundless potential, and it was obvious that some Warlocks would want to side with him.

Of course, as he was still not as strong yet and had not done anything to gain himself a reputation, no powerful people would side him. This Parker in front of him was Leylin's biggest gain!

Parker had been introduced to him by Robin. He was a Black Horall Snake Warlock, and his limit was rank 3. Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks would obviously not become someone else's subordinate and become a vassal.

Besides, Parker had only just entered rank 3 and had not even reached the Vapour Phase. Due to his age and the injuries and poison accumulated in his body due to his adventurous lifestyle, he had lost all hopes of advancing.

He had joined Leylin's side to make preparations for his family.

Despite all that, Parker was a rank 3 Warlock, and was Leylin's strongest vassal. Thus, Leylin naturally treated him well, and even took in his grandson as a disciple to strengthen their bond.

"The main structure of the Magus Tower has been completed. It's exactly the same as is in your blueprint, but the energy circuit and spell formations need to be done by yourself, my Lord. I wouldn't dare make that decision myself."

Parker had experienced much in his life and knew what could be done, and what could not. Just these few sentences pleased Leylin a lot.

Leylin couldn't help but turn towards the construction site.

A tall black spire had already taken shape, possessing a vast power within, as if making its presence known to the whole world.

Parker continued with his report. "Also, we have already stocked up on many of the materials to create the elemental reactive pool and garden. There's also something regarding the Faens Family…"

"The Faens Family?" Leylin's brows furrowed. That was Freya's family. It was said that there were signs of their bloodline declining, and it had been a long time since any descendant had awakened their Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline. For this reason, Freya was now going around looking for pure-blooded Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, and had thus considered Leylin.

"What do they want?" Leylin asked, suddenly alert.

Of course, he was even stronger than before and was not afraid of her. However, this was still troublesome.

"The Faens Family sent people to contact us, hoping to sell a large amount of materials for the construction of the Magus Tower at a low price. I've seen them, and they are all top-grade materials and of great quality… They have even expressed their intentions in helping construct the tower, my Lord! In times of need, they also offered to send over manpower…"

Parker made sure to note Leylin's reaction as he made the report. Rumours were already circulating about the previous incident, and he himself wondered whether his master had chosen her.

Leylin twitched upon hearing the news. He glared at Parker, which resulted in him lowering his head deferentially.

"We can purchase everything at full price, we don't need their discount. As for any assistance they provide, reject it all," Leylin commanded. Though he knew the other party was expressing goodwill, just thinking of their goal caused Leylin's expression to warp. He had to resist rolling his eyes.

"Understood, master." Parker acquiesced, though he felt a tinge of pity.

The Faens Family was prestigious amongst the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. They went back a thousand years, and had an unfathomable background. If he had their sponsorship, the construction of the Magus Tower would go much smoother.

However, Leylin would definitely not agree to it.

If not, the Faens Family would definitely throw out more bait and lure him into a trap.

Though he could be ruthless, taking all the bait but not caring about them, that would be too shameless of him. Leylin believed that unless he was in dire straits, he would not do such a thing.

After all, all the resources he had plundered from Twilight Zone were more than enough for him to use for himself as well as to construct the Magus Tower. Since his needs were all taken care of, Leylin would not even consider this. It was much too shameless.

It was now night.

In the large Onyx Castle, candles and oil lamps were used everywhere to illuminate the area. There were even illumination spells such as Eternal Light in several areas, filling the interior of the castle with light. From afar, the castle was like a large, dazzling column of fire, overflowing with radiance and heat.

All his subordinates and vassals were gathered in the ballroom. After enjoying a sumptuous meal together, Leylin returned to his bedroom alone.

This was the most secure area in Onyx Castle. Not only were there many regular elite human troops patrolling, if one went further in, some specific detection spell formations and guard Warlocks would appear.

He closed his eyes inside his bedroom, and the general situation in the castle entered his vision. He could not help but nod. "Looks like Parker and the rest are doing quite well."

The defence of Onyx Castle was not bad. Though it was far from perfect, it was impossible for rank 2 Magi to sneak in.

'To truly make Onyx Castle a strategic stronghold against Magi, it might take over a hundred years to strengthen the defensive spell formations bit by bit. The radiation unwittingly given off by high-ranked Magi residing here has to affect the whole castle and strengthen it…' Leylin rubbed his chin as he pondered.

The higher ranked a Magus was, the easier it was for them to affect their surroundings. Leylin believed that just by emitting the terrifying might of their bodies in the castle, Breaking Dawn Magi could affect the quality of the castle itself. The powerful members of the Magus World could even give the castle a life of its own, having it give birth to many strange creatures.

These were the best foundations in creating defensive spell formations. As long as one subdued the castle's spirit and enslaved all the strange creatures, the defence of the castle would reach its peak.

With his own radiation, he could achieve a similar effect. However, the time taken would be more than a century.

If numerous Magi were to reside here, this time could be shortened.

Hence, the older a Magus' castle, the more profound the strength of the defence. There would also be many strange occurrences that even the Magus family occupying the castle would not be able to explain.

But now? There was still a long way to go on his own.

Leylin calmed his thoughts and conveniently pressed some button on his bed. With a mechanical sound, the large bed in front of him opened up and revealed a passageway that led downwards.

Leylin walked in expressionlessly. After he entered, the machine closed itself and no trace of it could be seen from the outside.

The path was long, and by the time Leylin had walked to the end, he had reached deep underground. It was at least several thousand meters below the surface.

At the end of this path, there was a standard underground laboratory. The surrounding stone walls were full of runes that prevented energy from dissipating and isolated all auras.

"Though this is still very crude, it's good enough." Leylin waved his hand as he entered the laboratory, and a defensive screen of light closed off the pathway. This screen was still flickering with a glaring light, and it was obvious that it concealed an extremely powerful defensive spell formation.

This was a temporary laboratory Leylin had constructed. Before the Magus Tower was done, some secret experiments could be done here.

Leylin patted the spatial pouch on his waist, and silver rays lit up. Three items appeared on the ground.

One was a giant green crystal that contained a spell formation. Within the transparent crystal were a few runes that were constantly shifting like a fog.

Another was an irregular black vessel in the shape of a shell. It held within a it green blood that emitted a nauseating smell.

The last was a set three purple fruits that looked like apples, although they had a fine layer of snake-like scales on top.

"A vapourisation spell formation, blood essence of the Corrosive Lizard, and Purple Leaf Snake-scaled Fruit." Leylin extended his slender fingers, looking through these items once more.

The A.I. Chip cooperated with a scan, and then relayed the news that there was no mistake.

"Let's begin!" Leylin muttered, sitting cross-legged at the heart of the vapourisation spell formation. With a flick of his hand, two pieces of pure magic crystal essence entered the groove in the spell formation.

The vapourisation spell formation trembled, and the runes within began to undulate violently.

[Host body beginning attempt to break through the bottleneck of the Vapour Phase. Beginning real time monitoring] The A.I. Chip's robotic voice followed soon after.

"Next is the blood of the Corrosive Lizard." Two streaks of black shot out of Leylin's eyes, disappearing into the black shell.

*Plop Plop!* The green blood began to bubble, mist rising and forming a large green lizard in the air. On its skin were numerous signs of corrosion, and its white bones and internal organs could somewhat be seen.

*Hiss hiss!* The green lizard's front claw scratched at the earth, as if it was eager to give something a try.

As if provoked by the Corrosive Lizard, Leylin felt the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in his body begin to stir.

Banquet

Leylin's pupils turned amber in an instant.

As if it had been provoked, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in his body operated frantically, emitting mysterious energy. This energy was nutritious to him, and thus his body immediately absorbed it.

Under the effect of these mysterious substances, Leylin's spiritual force began to increase; slowly, but surely!

"This is the power of the Kemoyin bloodline! Warlocks definitely have a huge advantage in this regard!" he exclaimed.

The Giant Kemoyin Serpent was a terrifying ancient species, adults of which possessed Morning Star strength. In other words, until a Kemoyin bloodline Warlock attained rank 4, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline in his body would release a large amount of power to help in his advancements.

All bloodline Warlocks would receive this aid, but not all bloodlines were created the same. For instance, a Black Horrall Snake bloodline would exhaust its aptitude when helping the Warlock rise to rank 3, and could not help with the advancement to the Vapour Phase or further breakthroughs. It would even become an obstacle to the Warlock's progress.

"It is likely that the improvements of Warlocks, and my previous personal breakthroughs were largely attributed to this mysterious energy. Of course, the bloodline shackles thereafter is also largely due to this cause!" Leylin ordered the A.I Chip to record the nature and content of this particular energy so as to allow for future study.

At the same time, under the influence of the boiling Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline, a terrifying phantom in the shape of a black snake had appeared behind Leylin, exuding a powerful and cold majesty.

Thankfully, Leylin had gone underground and even set up a spell formation specifically to isolate his aura. Otherwise, he would definitely have alarmed the nearby Magi and Warlocks.

*Hiss* The enormous lifelike Giant Kemoyin Serpent phantom flicked its tongue, and rushed towards the Corrosive Lizard.

Compared to the enormous snake, the Corrosive Lizard was alike to a pitifully small rat. Even its roars had been suppressed into whimpers.

*Rumble!* The giant snake phantom opened its big mouth and swallowed the Corrosive Lizard whole.

"Hmmm?"

Just at the instant when the giant snake shadow had swallowed the Corrosive Lizard, Leylin felt the bloodline strength in his body surge, as if it had become more concentrated. A large amount of strength began overflowing from his body.

The A.I. Chip showed that his spiritual force had begun to skyrocket.

255… 267… 289… It only stabilised at a value of 299.

The abrupt surge of spiritual force caused Leylin's vision to blur even as his brain ground to a momentary halt.

"Compress!" A spell entered the Vapour Phase spell formation. Very soon, a resplendent glow erupted from the spell formation and enveloped his body.

The originally violent bright silver spiritual force in his sea of consciousness shrunk under the pressure.

The large amounts of spiritual force particles, under repeated compression, gave off a greater bright silver glow, and in the end slowly gathered together to form… a fog!

That was spiritual force in Vapour Phase, the result of a successful compression of his bright silver spiritual force! Leylin was overjoyed at the sight.

Originally, the bright silver spiritual force was only an indistinct glow. But now, it had become corporeal!

After the first trace of spiritual force had taken shape, the rest of the spiritual force followed suit, and the conversion became much easier.

Leylin shut both his eyes tightly. The energy around him shrunk, but it now held increased longevity and was more terrifying than before.

*Kacha! Kacha!* Light glowed from numerous cracks that appeared on the spell foundation surrounding him, until eventually it crumbled into dust.

It was at this instant that Leylin opened both his eyes. All the spiritual force in his sea of consciousness had been converted into a thick fog!

[Ding! Host has entered the Vapour Phase! Spiritual force has experienced changes, re-tabulating results!]

The A.I chip intoned, and not long after a set of data was projected before Leylin's eyes.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Warlock (Vapour Phase). Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent, Strength: 23.6, Agility: 20.1, Vitality: 39.1, Spiritual force: 251.3, Magic Power: 251 (Magic power in synchronisation with spiritual force)]

Even though his spiritual force had reduced from before, it actually gave Leylin a sense of relief.

The surge previously was just a surface phenomenon. Not only was the additional strength hollow, it was not consolidated. The quality of that type of spiritual force was very low. If not for having been compressed into a vapour, it would have actually impeded further progress.

And now, even though the total amount had decreased, the quality had increased quite a bit!

"Vapour Phase!" Leylin lightly waved his hand, and a foggy spiritual force immediately appeared at his fingers.

This was the first time that his spiritual force had taken a physical form. The bright silver previously was just an indistinct glow, but this haze now was tangible!

Just that alone showed how tremendous the changes to his spiritual force had been.

"This is but the beginning! Rank 3 Magi at the Crystal Phase can actually directly condense their spiritual force into crystals that would not dissipate easily. Even after long-term storage, these crystals could be used to replenish their spiritual force, or even sold to others…"

According to a few deductions of the A.I Chip and Leylin's own conclusions, this was his future path.

[Warning! Warning! More than 12.6% of the Host's cells are injured! Immediate treatment suggested!] The emotionless voice of the A.I. Chip sounded out and Leylin stumbled, almost falling to the ground.

"This must be the after-effects of the surge and sudden concentration of spiritual force. I'm afraid that, apart from my cells, even my sea of consciousness might have been affected slightly!" Leylin smiled wryly, and thereafter waved his hand once again.

The three sets of Purple Leaf Snake-scaled Fruit that he had bought appeared in his hands.

"Thankfully Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks have a lot of experience, they even knew of some suitable medicine. The A.I. Chip ran some simulations as well…" Leylin swiftly swallowed a fruit.

The exterior of the fruit had fine scales that felt like hard ice to his gums and teeth.

When it entered the stomach, the icy sensation of the fruit immediately disappeared, instead being replaced by a flow of warm heat that swiftly spread throughout his body. Leylin's cells were like humans that had almost died of thirst in a desert, rapaciously sucking up this warmth.

[The agent's cells have absorbed an unknown strength, and are currently in recovery! Current damage: 9.6%]

The damage reported by the A.I Chip was decreasing, and eventually stopped at around 2%.

Minor damage to the body was the most cumbersome to heal. Even with the best medication, Leylin could only heal himself down to 2% damage, after which it wasn't easy anymore. After breaking through, Vapour Phase Warlocks would have to treat the damage over a long period by using the radiation they emitted during constant practice.

Of course, that was a minor price to pay for the breakthrough.

...

The Onyx Castle was holding a banquet to celebrate Leylin's breakthrough.

It was, of course, a gathering of Warlocks. The only ones invited had been Robin, a few other seniors, and other members of the Ouroboros Clan that Leylin had connections with.

This was another tradition of the central continent. Leylin originally should have held the banquet upon the completion of Onyx Castle, but he had decided to delay until the Magus Tower had been built completely.

Now, however, Leylin's breakthrough called for a celebration, so he decided that he might as well hold a banquet to take care of both obligations.

In the wide hall, large chandeliers hung up high from the ceiling, radiating a bright glow that was a mixture of spells and man-made flames.

The numerous Warlocks were all gathered in a hall. Since Leylin's status was not too low, there were many Warlocks who attended the event.

Furthermore, because of the added value of their bloodline, all the Warlocks had were good looking, and even the old men looked handsome.

Many female Warlocks wore gowns with plunging necklines, revealing their snow-white back and cleavage, whereas the male Warlocks wore black swallow-tailed coats. From time to time, they would talk over a drink or invite the females for a dance.

At the corner of the large hall, a band was performing with all their energy, and next in line were poets and dancers.

"Haha… Leylin, I knew you would succeed! Even though advancing to Vapour Phase is an obstacle for ordinary rank 3 Magi, Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks like us will never face such a problem!" Robin laughed dramatically.

Given how high this junior's innate talent was, he was becoming increasingly important to the short Warlock.

Even at the banquet, the differences in ranks between the various Warlocks was very obvious. The few rank 3 Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock Marquises, including Leylin, had gathered in a circle and none of the other Warlocks would dare to interrupt them. A few rank 1 or rank 2 Warlocks with pure bloodlines had the fortune to listen at the side, but even they had no right to speak.

With regards to the other circles, Leylin needed only to make a toast and say a few words, but the guests in this circle required his personal accompaniment.

Not only were there seniors like Robin, Lucian and Kesha around, there were a few merchants whom they had good ties with along with their children. They were essentially his Mentor, Duke Gilbert's, influence, and hence good connections would have to be made.

Speaking of which, Leylin was more familiar with them, and had held a few transactions with them, and even coordinated on some experiments.

"This is the younger generation of my family. Come and see Uncle Leylin!" Kesha called forth two of her nephews and nieces. Those two youths though looked a bit reserved and flushed, but still respectfully bowed and said, "Uncle Leylin!"

"Mmm! Hello, you two!" Leylin said, his face stiff. He was not even a hundred years old. These two Warlocks with pure bloodlines, who were their family's hopes, were probably older than him!

"Senior Kesha's 2 nephews and nieces have a very rich bloodline within them, looks like they have a bright future ahead of them!" Leylin complimented, which had caused Kesha to beam with delight.

Lamia Hair

Much to his chagrin, Leylin had discovered that even though the Ouroboros Clan had a long heritage and was a large, powerful organisation, there were many traditions and complex regulations that were very tedious.

Especially in terms of hierarchy; nobody knew whether it was inherited from the Giant Kemoyin Serpents, but their hierarchy was very rigid.

Previously, even if they were all Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, Kesha who had reached the Vapour Phase would pay no attention to someone like Leylin. Yet, the moment he made the breakthrough himself, here she was, her attitude having flipped completely. This had dumbfounded Leylin.

Lucian was the same. He who was at the Crystal Phase was the strongest here, and sat quietly in a corner, drinking smugly. Unfortunately, everyone had already accepted such behaviour as a norm.

Even if he rolled his eyes internally, Leylin understood that he could only do things according to the rules.

"Senior Lucian has always been like this. He has suffered a lot previously, and just can't bring himself out of it!" Robin transmitted after noticing Leylin's gaze.

"Actually, he's extremely delighted at your breakthrough. Normally, he wouldn't even deign to take a glance at a banquet invitation!"

Perhaps because he was Gilbert's butler, Robin's communication and observation skills were outstanding. Just a glimpse at Leylin in his peripheral vision and he'd realised things, explaining Lucian's attitude.

"Don't worry, I understand!" Leylin smiled wryly. Even if Lucian decided not to show him respect, he could do nothing about it.

Even with all his trump cards, Leylin could at most deal with a Hydro Phase rank 3 Magus. With that kind of difference in strength, it was useless to talk about it. Had Lucian not considered his Mentor Gilbert and the fact that it was Leylin's first invitation, he might not even have come.

"Oh, right! Let me introduce you to my apprentice, Snoopy!" A reserved youth walked up at Leylin's introduction, a dimpled smile on his pockmarked face.

"He… Hello distinguished masters!" Snoopy greeted all the Magi, stumbling on his words.

A few rank 3 Warlocks merely nodded aloofly and did not pay much attention, and even Kesha's 2 younger generations looked down on him.

They could see Snoopy's Black Horrall Snake bloodline at one glance. Even though a rank 3 Warlock bloodline was considered a big deal even in the central continent, those with higher bloodlines thought nothing of it.

Immediately, they linked this sight to Leylin's top subordinate, Parker and guessed the motives behind Leylin's acceptance of this apprentice. They would naturally not pay any more attention, but on account of Leylin, they had nodded their heads in recognition.

Fortunately, Leylin had only brought Snoopy out for exposure, and quickly dismissed him after he had bowed to everyone.

Snoopy's response was quick, and his withdrawal was even faster. With a tinge of embarrassment on his face, it appeared to Leylin as if he was fleeing.

"This is the hierarchy of Warlocks!"

Leylin sighed internally. In comparison, though Kesha's 2 younger generations were slightly lower in strength, because their bloodline was distinguished and there was the possibility of making a breakthrough to rank 4, they would immediately receive more attention. Even the rank 3 Elders would consider this normal.

For Warlocks, even though bloodline could not determine your lowest achievements, it could dictate your greatest.

Take for example the two Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks Kesha had brought along. They needed only to put a bit more effort and spend more time, and it would be child's play to reach the Vapour and even Hydro Phase. However, the advancement to the Crystal Phase depended on one's innate talent. As for the breakthrough to the Morning Star realm, innate talent alone was not enough. There was a huge amount of luck to be factored into it!

After all, they were not first generation Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. Their bloodline was not as pure, and could not allow for the adults to easily advance to rank 4.

In actual fact, in the entire Ouroboros Clan, there were already no more absolutely pureblood Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. Their bloodlines had faded with the passage of time. For the three elders to break through to the Morning Star realm required not only a large amount of resources and effort, but also a stroke of luck.

Leylin did not know how pure his bloodline was, but the A.I Chip and the recognition by the few seniors and Mentors seemed to suggest that it was not too bad.

In fact, he had immense confidence in the bloodline purification skills of the A.I Chip.

During the period of time he was in the Ouroboros Clan, he had discovered that even in the central continent, there were no microscopes here that could form images at the genetic and atomic levels.

Their research at most halted at the cells. Their best microscopes could at most see the structure of a cell.

Previously, the A.I Chip had directly extracted the part of the genes that belonged to the Giant Kemoyin Serpent from the bloodline essence of the Black Horrall Snake, and reconstructed them.

Leylin even suspected that the bloodline within his body could compare to that of a first generation Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock!

Mind you, that was a bloodline that allowed a Warlock to progress to the Morning Star realm automatically as he aged.

Leylin's own improvement had been too rapid. He was only a hundred years old, an infant among Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. Thus, he did not have a deep enough understanding of the frightening potential of his bloodline.

Still, it took way too long for Giant Kemoyin Serpents to mature. If he was to advance at the same rate as his bloodline would let him, he would only be a rank 1 Warlock as of now. With the passing of time, he would feel his spiritual force growing slightly even if he did nothing but sleep all day. After finishing semi-conversion and complete conversion, his strength would soar. At about 500 years of age, he would become a rank 3 Warlock. As for a Morning Star Warlock? That would take him until he was 900 if he only depended on his bloodline.

In other words, Leylin's current improvement was rapid to the point that his bloodline could not keep up with him.

'Even if I have almost 900 years of life according to the A.I. Chip, the risks with waiting that long are way too high!' he thought as he stroked his chin. On top of that, Leylin can't be sure that the purity of his bloodline was enough for a breakthrough to the Morning Star stage by the time he reaches 900.

As such, he would continue to work hard!

At the very least, his bloodline shackle would not retard his progress before he hit rank 4, and he would be able to advance to that realm without any obstacles.

"Penny for your thoughts?" His introspection had obviously drawn Robin's attention.

"Oh… It's…" Leylin summarised his ruminations on his bloodline growth, obviously concealing his conjecture on its purity and instead diverting the conversation to how he could develop his bloodline.

"…So, you wish to find out whether there are any medicines or materials the Ouroboros Clan uses to speed up bloodline growth?" Robin looked at Leylin, and did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Many Warlocks depend on the strength of their bloodlines when using their meditation techniques to slowly improve in ranks. A case like yours, where the host's strength surpasses that of the bloodline's growth is extremely unlikely…"

"Unlikely, but not impossible!" Leylin was determined. The central continent had many groundbreaking talents, and the Ouroboros Clan was where Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks congregated. There must be a way!

Still, any solutions that existed were sure to be extremely precious and hidden. Leylin had never seen such a thing in the trading hall.

"Indeed. Like you, Leylin, our organisation has had a few Warlocks in the past whose strengths far surpassed their age!"

Kesha interrupted, "And they used a top-notch precious material to increase the growth of their bloodline to remarkable results!"

"What material?" Leylin's eyes glowed.

"Lamia Hair!" Kesha did not intend to leave Leylin in suspense, and gave him a specific term.

"A.I Chip!" Leylin recited internally: "Query the database for Lamia Hair!"

Collecting data and books was habitual for him. Naturally, he hadn't slacked off on it in his time in the Ouroboros Clan.

The Ouroboros Clan was a major power of the central continent. Its library had a rich collection of data, and since Leylin was a Marquis, he had little restriction on what he could read, and had thus expanded his database significantly. What was remaining was naturally not too big a problem.

Although he could not claim that he knew everything about the central continent, the knowledge he had accumulated in this period would not lose out to that of a scholar who was a few hundred years old.

[Lamia Hair: It is an ancient precious material. Legend has it that a strand of hair from the ancient Lamia has a extremely horrifying ability. Rank: 3, Rarity: 4, Description: The Lamia was an extremely tyrannical being in ancient times. Other than strange spells, they were experts at controlling lower serpents to attack, and normally lorded over snakes! Legend has it that they were direct descendants of the Snake Dowager, and were comparable to Radiant Moon Magi in adulthood!]

Leylin saw the description given by the A.I Chip and could not help but smile wryly.

A description in terms of rank and rarity was standard on the central continent. Rank 3 indicated that the material was only effective for rank 3 Magi, while the rank 4 rarity meant only Morning Star Magi could get their hands on one.

Needless to say, the assessment on how it could compare to a Radiant Moon Magus in adulthood shocked Leylin completely.

A Radiant Moon Magus was at rank 5! They exceeded Morning Star Magi by one full rank, and there were few Magi on the central continent who possessed such strength.

How would Leylin, who could not afford to offend even a single Morning Star Magus, dare to think of a plan involving Radiant Moon Magi?

Of course, the strength of the beings themselves was one matter, the resources were yet another.

"For senior Kesha to mention it, could it be that Mentor has strands of Lamia Hair?" Leylin's eyes lit up. The ancient Lamia had been extinct for a long period of time. But some remains could have been discovered by Magi, and it would be extremely normal to obtain these resources as a result.

The Forgotten Land

"It looks like you're extremely familiar with this material, Leylin. At the very least, you should've read up on something similar before!"

Kesha first nodded her head, before smiling wryly, "Lamia Hair can nourish the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline within our bodies. I won't go into detail, but it's useful enough to have others fight you for it. Nobody who has some will want to sell it! Moreover, it will be used up the moment someone discovers it. The reason I know of it is that Mentor Gilbert had obtained such a material when he was younger…"

This was an eye-opener for Leylin. Given how much the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline had deteriorated by now, the current generation's bloodline could not be considered extremely pure. At the bottleneck before the Morning Star realm, the current bloodline in the Ouroboros Clan could only provide a tiny bit of help.

On the other hand, once nourished, this bloodline would have been strengthened greatly. Not only could it allow weaker Warlocks to advance rapidly in rank, it would lay a solid foundation for their future breakthroughs.

Perhaps this was the primary reason for Duke Gilbert's successful advancement to the Morning Star realm.

Leylin could only sigh, helpless. This type of top-notch material was not easy to acquire, and one required both sufficient strength and fortune to get their hands on it.

At that very instant, Leylin noticed that Robin's expression had warped. Leylin put it into memory before beaming and changing the topic.

Leylin's study in Onyx Castle.

The banquet had already ended, and an attendant had currently led Robin here, opened the door and entered before retreating with a bow.

Leylin was sitting on a couch, the glass in his hands filled with dark red wine that was rippling under the light.

"The wine produced in this year is actually my personal collection! Does Senior Robin want a glass too?" Leylin swirled the wine in the glass.

"Of course!" Robin sat down on another couch and picked one up for himself.

After pouring a small amount, he swirled the wine as well, his face expressing his enjoyment. "Grape wine brewed during the harvest year! It's a rare sight these days!"

"Parker and the rest sent it over to me. Apparently, it was a tribute from some royals in the vicinity!" Leylin laughed. He was not interested in anything that was purely for enjoyment, and moved on to the main topic after some pleasantries.

"When the matter of the Lamia Hair came up today, Senior, you seemed to have some thoughts about it?"

"Mmm!" Robin squinted his eyes and deeply inhaled in the fragrance of the red wine.

"Since senior was willing to come over, the information must be something that can be shared. Please state your conditions!"

"Good, that's the Leylin I know!" Robin praised before taking a sip. He continued, " There is no price or the like, but I need you to keep what you hear today a secret. This information cannot be leaked!"

"No problem, I swear upon the honor of my royal bloodline!" Leylin's face was solemn as he made an oath.

When two parties were at a certain level of strength, even casual agreements would be binding, let alone an oath like this. It made Robin smile.

"I do have some clues about the Lamia Hair!" Before Leylin could inquire further, he continued, "I received information that in the Eastern region of the Forgotten Land, a pocket dimension was found!"

"The Forgotten Land!" Leylin stroked his chin. The A.I Chip swiftly scoured the database for information related to the Forgotten Land.

The damage output of a Morning Star Magus was immense. Their final techniques held power akin to nuclear bombs, and had the ability to wipe out countries. Thus, the central continent had signed a peace agreement that forbid the wanton usage of final techniques, restricting Morning Star Magi from using their full strength.

Still, even with such a contract, some disputes escalated to the point that battle was inevitable. Clashes between Morning Star Magi still occurred, and devastated the land every single time.

In Twilight Zone, two Morning Star Magi had inadvertently destroyed the passages linking it to the rest of the Magus world, isolating the place for thousands of years.

Even in the much vaster central continent, with Morning Star, Radiant Moon and even Breaking Dawn Magi watching over, such battles would still cause a large amount of damage to the area.

Moreover, some regions would be damaged to the extent that there was no return. All sentient species would go extinct, and elemental particles would start leaking whenever someone visited the area, causing the strength of a visiting Magus to drop greatly.

Gradually, some of the affected areas became lands of death. Only strange species and convicts who could not mix with the rest would bear the hardships of the environment and settle down there.

The Forgotten Land was one such place.

Legend has it that in such vile conditions all the beings would strive to promote their strength, and evolve in a horrifying direction. Over time, they would form an extremely strange race, and the place would be fraught with dangers.

"What pocket dimension?" Leylin asked, getting a bad premonition.

Pocket dimensions were naturally not rare in the central continent, and the Ouroboros Clan itself had the powers to construct one themselves. Although the major powers of the central continent were focused on interdimensional travel, rank 2 and 3 Magi still built pocket dimensions.

But the resources in the Forgotten Land were extremely poor normally. That a pocket dimension, a type of region known for being rich in resources, had appeared there would lead to a lot of competition and bloodshed.

"The pocket dimension must have been damaged during the clash between Morning Star Magi. Due to its regenerative abilities, a small portion of it was preserved and was unearthed recently!"

Robin placed the wineglass down, his face solemn yet tinged with greed.

"Even though the subordinate who had discovered the mysterious region was under a very powerful curse, and died painfully immediately after handing me the intelligence, at least I obtained some information! If you would look at this!"

Robin took out a black leaf. Once it appeared, Leylin felt the bloodline within his body throbbing. He suppressed the peculiar reactions of his body and took it.

Even though it was an ordinary leaf with green veins, there was an aura lingering on its surface that caused his pupils to dilate.

Even though the aura was very feeble, it could not in the very least conceal the strong essence behind it, and even caused Leylin to be fearful.

"The aura of the Lamia! Legend has it that the Lamia could control giant serpents through spells, no wonder I feel uneasy!" Leylin sighed a long breath of relief: "Did this leaf come from the pocket dimension?"

The ancient Lamia was a terrifying being at the Radiant Moon realm. Even though there were half-human half-snake species in the Magus world now, the ancient Lamia was an entirely different species!

And only the threatening aura of the Lamia could make Leylin feel terrified.

"Yes!" Robin nodded.

"According to my intelligence, there is a huge pocket dimension there filled with resources. It belonged to a Warlock organisation of ancient times. As you know, as long as it's a Warlock organisation, due to the bloodline limitations of Warlocks, they are the most passionate about collecting bloodlines to mix and modulate in their experiments. As a result, you will be able to find many materials Warlocks urgently need!"

"I get it now. You wish to explore, but you don't have sufficient manpower?" Leylin had understood Robin's plans.

Even though there was a certain level of danger, he was still prepared to journey there. The temptation of the hair of the Lamia, alongside many other bloodline resources, was sufficient to have him brave the danger.

"Yes! Apart from you, I have also invited Kesha along!" Robin nodded his head.

Even though they were all rank 3 Warlocks, the Kemoyin bloodline and the Black Horrall Snake bloodline had a very big difference.

Under him, there was a younger generation of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline who had just advanced to rank 3, and the rest of his subordinates could at most act as assistants, and were not very useful.

"Looks like there are more risks!" Leylin leaned back.

As to why Robin did not invite Lucian who was at the Crystal Phase, or even directly reported it to Gilbert, Leylin did not need to think much to understand the reasons why.

Robin himself was at the Hydro Phase, and with Kesha and Leylin at the Vapour Phase he could suppress them easily. If they were to call Lucian, how would they distribute the potential yield?

And if he were to inform their Mentor, there might not be many resources left for him.

Of course, Robin had made the decision after examining their strength. He had felt that if the three of them were to join forces, they would be able to obtain the resources in the mysterious region. Even if they were to meet obstacles they could not overcome or were not able to succeed eventually, there was still time to invite Lucian or Gilbert then.

"I have no questions! When do we set off?" Leylin asked.

"There's no rush. I have to make preparations on my end as well. I need about 2 more months. After 3 months, let us gather at the headquarters and set off together!"

Robin said the specific timing, and at the same time placed a document on the table. "This is the intelligence regarding the Forgotten Land and the pocket dimension. You should have a look at it, and prepare yourself accordingly!"

"Got it! See you 3 months later at the headquarters!" Leylin nodded, and got up to send Robin out of the study room. After which, he sat down and did not utter a word.

The A.I Chip was swiftly scanning the documents Robin had left behind, and was carrying out comparisons and making deductions.

"There are no problems with the data, looks like Robin is sincere!"

Leylin stroked his chin.The data related to the Forbidden Land which Robin had provided was generally similar in content to the data the A.I Chip had collected, and was even more comprehensive and detailed.

"Quicksand! What a weird name for an organisation. Is that a Warlock organisation?"

Quicksand was the organisation that created the pocket dimension. Legend had is that it was a Warlock-based organisation, but it was unlike that of the Ouroboros Clan which only accepted Warlocks of the same bloodline. Instead, it was heterogeneous, and would accept Warlocks of any bloodline. As a result, the condition of the members was extremely complicated, and there were even some members with bloodlines that were only heard of in folklore!

And this pocket dimension seemed to have been constructed by the Quicksand Organisation, as a place meant for experimentation on the modulation and combination of bloodlines.

Of course, no matter how formidable Quicksand once was, it had disappeared in the ancient final war, and was now an abandoned mysterious region.

But Leylin delved deeper into his thoughts.

Noah

"Perhaps the Lamia Hair within the pocket dimension was not obtained by capturing an ancient Lamia. There might have been someone who advanced their own Lamia bloodline to the extreme and has even gone through atavism, thus leaving this item behind."

When a Warlock's bloodline was concentrated to its limit, it would transform into its original form. Once this process was over, a Warlock would discard their original appearance as a human, and completely turn into a creature alike to his bloodline origin.

By that time, the Warlock would no longer be human. Even those with the same bloodlines would not be able to tell that it was a Warlock who had gone through such a process.

In other words, if Leylin did so, he would truly turn into a Giant Kemoyin Serpent.

"Hm… Forget it."

Leylin imagined himself as a giant serpent, only able to swallow raw food everyday and looking for female serpents whenever he had to sate his desires, and it made his whole body shiver.

'The Morning Star morphing technique is enough. I have no desire to really become a giant serpent,' he decided.

He pursued strength and dominance, as well as his own freedom. If the option was that he obtained unequalled strength and yet suffered for eternity, it was fine if he was not unrivalled.

In addition, the closer he was to the source of his bloodline, the greater the suppression of his mind by higher members of his race.

In the ancient war of the Icy World, the Snake Dowager was the only thought in mind. Many Giant Kemoyin Serpents who risked their lives and battled with beings from other worlds were more than aware of this. Leylin did not want to be controlled by someone after all his efforts and become cannon fodder.

Of course, all this was far into the future. Right now, all he was focused on was using the Lamia Hair to nourish his bloodline, allowing it to mature faster and bring him to the Morning Star realm.

In the central continent, rank 3 Warlocks were respected, but only Morning Star Magi held any actual clout.

Only after reaching the Morning Star realm could he perform experiments on astral gates alone, attempting to travelling between various places and worlds. This was the only method for Leylin to solve the issue of his bloodline and could not be substituted.

After thinking about it for a while, a silver light flashed in his hands, and a dull gold coin appeared.

'If I go to the pocket dimension, will I be able to get all that I want and leave safe and sound?' With this thought in mind, Leylin tossed the Coin of Destiny in his hand.

*Pak!*

The coin landed steadily on the back of his hand, revealing the image of a luckbird. At the same time, slight cracks appeared on it.

Noticing this situation, Leylin kept the coin away, and a flash of excitement could be seen on his face before he turned serious.

'It'll work out, but the power of a Morning Star will hinder me?' The Coin of Destiny was a unique magic item that Leylin had sacrificed blood and tears to make. It had the terrifying ability to predict the future, but could not be used when powers at the Morning Star realm and above.

Every time a prediction involved a being with Morning Star strength, the coin would crack further and further until it would eventually be destroyed.

Leylin had a feeling that after losing this Coin of Destiny, he would not be able to create another for a long time.

'What does this prophecy mean? Is there a Morning Star creature slumbering in the pocket dimension, or will there be Morning Star Magus outside who'll interfere' Leylin rubbed his eyebrows, the many possibilities flying through his mind and giving him a headache.

The Coin of Destiny was a non-living thing and its prophecies were vague enough to baffle him on occasion.

In addition, destiny could not be grasped so easily. Even the coin could make some wrong predictions, especially in a place like the central continent where almost every area was overseen by Morning Star Magi. They would affect destiny even more.

Morning Star strength was already able to slightly affect the force of the river of destiny.

The strong grasped their destiny. This was an eternal truth.

Hence, the prediction of this coin could only act as a reference and might not be accurate. Blue light flashed in Leylin's eyes, and all sorts of possibilities streaked through his mind…

About two months had passed in the blink of an eye.

Leylin was now in front of the black Magus Tower, with various runes and strange metal plates on the ground.

"Enchant!" Foggy spiritual force congealed to form a solid rune pen that carved out refined, complicated patterns on the metal plates. All the patterns combined to form a dazzling spell rune and imprint.

After the last stroke was completed, the many metal plates were shrouded with dim light.

"Your enchantment techniques have probably reached the level of a master and are not far from those of a grandmaster, my Lord. My respects towards you!" Parker glanced at the enchanted metal plates, of which almost all had been done successfully, his expression revealing his admiration.

The young man in front of him had reached the Vapour Phase before he turned a hundred, leaving him biting the dust. His knowledge in potioneering had even reached the level of a grandmaster. It seemed like his enchantment knowledge was also not to be underestimated, at the level of a master!

'Looks like my master's future will be hard to predict!' Parker suddenly had this thought. 'This is good too. I've made the right choice!'

Leylin cared little for Parker's thoughts. He glanced at the enchanted metal plates that he had worked on, looking satisfied.

In actuality, with the support from the A.I. Chip, what he was least afraid of was complicated things like this. His skills in enchantment and alchemy had long since reached the level of a grandmaster.

He had even intentionally failed a few so that he would not be seen as terrifying.

He would be considered a genius if he could be one or two steps ahead of everyone. However, being ten or more steps ahead would cause panic, and he would be seen as a freak. Leylin obviously did not want that to happen.

"Parker, spread these isolation plates within the positive and negative energy elemental pools based on the blueprint from before. Is that understood?"

Leylin took a white towel from a deferential Snoopy and wiped his hands as he spoke to Parker.

The Magus Tower was now completed with the efforts of the Stone Tribe men. The next order of business was to carve defensive runes and activate spell formations.

The Warlocks that sided with Leylin were like him, spending all their time adding these runes on all sorts of materials. After inspection, they were stored until the building's construction was completed.

"Understood, master." Parker respectfully bowed 90 degrees, leaving Leylin flabbergasted. This new vassal of his seemed to be even more respectful than before.

However, this was to be expected. The might of a leader was built from strength and obedience.

"Also, I'm planning to leave. When I'm not around, you're in charge of everything regarding the construction of the Magus Tower. A few supportive facilities have been built. However, the activation of the spell formations will wait until I'm back, I'll do that myself," Leylin commanded.

These miscellaneous matters could be passed on. As long as he was the one checking everything and activating the spell formations, there was no problem.

The last step, which was to give life to the structure, was enough for Leylin to make the whole Magus Tower perfect and even have a spirit of its own. If there were any issues, all would be known to him.

"Understood. Master, are you going on a long journey?"

The Magus Tower was only half-done, and it was the lifeblood of a Magus. Usually, nothing could move them from the tower, which was why Leylin's actions were very strange.

"Yes! I'm going to the headquarters, but it is not certain how long it will take." Leylin glanced up the sky, into the distance.

He had a reason why he had to go there. The temptation of the Lamia Hair was too much for him. In addition, besides the last few steps, the construction of the Magus Tower now was all about the details. There was no need to stay here and supervise.

...

A few days later, outside Phosphorescence Swamp.

"Haha, Leylin, you're finally here. We've been waiting for you!" Upon seeing Leylin's figure, Robin immediately moved over and gave him an enthusiastic hug.

"My apologies. I had some work to do so I'm a little late." Leylin had an apologetic look on his face as he greeted Kesha.

Besides Robin and Kesha, there were nine other Warlocks whose auras made it evident that they had reached rank 3. Leylin couldn't help but sigh in admiration at these Warlock families who had accumulated their bloodline and strength for a long time. Just a casual request would call forth many powerful Warlocks.

"This is Noah. You've seen him at the banquet before." Robin laughed as he pulled Leylin aside.

"Uncle Leylin!" This young man named Noah had wine-red eyes that were very memorable.

This young man was Robin's nephew, and he had a very concentrated bloodline. He had already reached rank 3 and Robin thought highly of him. Leylin had also seen him once before at the banquet.

As for the rest of the rank 3 Warlocks, Robin merely skimmed over them.

Headed by Leylin and the other three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, the eight other Black Horrall Snake Warlocks were also at rank 3 but had a lower status.

Out of these eight rank 3 Warlocks, Robin had brought over five, and with his nephew added in he held the most authority in this small group. Kesha had brought three Black Horrall Snake Warlocks from her own family over. Those rank 1 descendants from before had not appeared at all, and it was probably because she knew this expedition would be dangerous, and it was pointless to bring them along.

Leylin was alone and looked quite pitiful.

Out of all his subordinates, only Parker was somewhat acceptable. However, he was useless in this expedition, and might even have hindered them. Leylin though it'd be better if he just stayed and looked after domestic affairs.

"Alright. Since everyone is here, let's go! The Forgotten Zine is very far from here, and it will take a month by airship." Robin waved his arm in high spirits.