The speed at which Leylin escaped was extremely quick, and after just half a day, the tall, thick walls of the Nightless City were within sight.
At this point, his right hand had already completely healed. The frightening vitality of a Warlock was proving its worth.
Only after entering the Nightless City did Leylin breathe a huge sigh of relief.
The Gargamel was the result of the concentration of evil intentions by the Ancient Spirit Slayer Sect. Although it was unknown why that Gargamel had been sealed there by the Magi of the sect, based on the calculations from the battle with it, Leylin could say that this monster's strength was equivalent to that of a rank 2 Magus!
Although Leylin couldn't hold his own against it, there were a couple rank 2 Magi in the south coast that could. At the very least, the leaders of large scale Magus organisations and powers definitely had at least this level of power.
AD
At that moment, within the Nightless City, the trading centre of the south coast, there were quite a few Magi with this kind of strength.
Leylin was sure that if the Gargamel were to chase after him, the Nightless City was sure to have the means to stop it!
However, he had another plan in mind.
The old witch was trapped in the secret plane together with that terrifying culmination of evil. From the looks of it, her chances of survival were meagre.
However, it was a fact that she held the position of elder in the dark Magus organisation that Leylin was affiliated with—Thousand Meddling Hands. Her status was obviously higher than that of an average member, and she was also able to contact the hidden rank 2 Magus heading the group!
With her death, there would be loose ends that needed to be tied up.
If possible, Leylin would obviously want to take possession of everything the old witch owned.
AD
In a light Magus organisation, this would naturally be impossible. However, in the case of Thousand Meddling Leaves, as long as he revealed a bit of his might, it would be enough to subdue the ambitious Magi who wished to take over this position.
"Hello? Is this Leylin?"
At this moment, a secret imprint that resembled a four-coloured ring emerged from Leylin's waist. A man's voice was transmitted from it.
"Hello, Lord Decarte!"
Leylin could make out the owner of this imprint. It was the head of the Potioneering team, Decarte! His tone naturally became respectful.
Previously, all of the missions that Decarte needed Leylin to complete had been issued to him by Leylin's current leader, Martin
"Ugh, the secret imprint seemed to have had some sort of interference, and I couldn't contact you at all. Did you go somewhere far away?"
Decarte's questions were transmitted to him from the secret imprint.
"Yes. I'd accepted a friend's invitation to explore a small ruin..." Leylin's answer was half true.
"No wonder! Many of these ruins left behind by Magi will automatically block out all forms of communication. In there, a secret imprint is merely a useless decoration..." No matter if Decarte actually believed him or not, the voice from the secret imprint sounded convinced.
"My apologies for making my lord worry about me. Might I ask what you require of me?" Leylin was puzzled as he spoke to the imprint.
"Yes, there's something that I need. A few elders and the head have issued orders that Four Seasons Garden has entered the highest state of alert. All Magi will have their vacations cancelled! Upon receiving this message, you must report to the headquarters within 24 hours! All who do not do so will be viewed as traitors, and will be punished by the law enforcers!"
AD
Decarte broke out the earth-shattering news.
"What?"
Leylin was in shock, causing him to take a few steps back.
The Four Seasons Garden wasn't stupid, and issuing such an order could only imply one thing. Something was going to happen to the entire south coast.
"I'll be there in time! Can you tell me what has happened?"
Leylin sucked in a few breaths of air and calmed himself down before inquiring.
"The whole situation is a little complicated. You can ask Martin about it when you're back. There's only one thing I can tell you—war! A war is approaching..."
"I don't have any more time left. Just remember to come here as quickly as possible! In war, the weak ones who don't have organisations to rely on are usually the first to die!"
*Pop!* With his last word, the secret imprint dispersed into countless bright sparks, drifting through the air around Leylin.
Decarte's sounded serious, which caused Leylin's heart to sink.
When compared to these strong organisations, the conflict at the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was but a small matter.
To have caused the Four Seasons Garden's Potioneering team head to be so flustered, there was only one possibility—that an incoming war was going to rock the Magus World!
Leylin suddenly remembered some information about Magus' history.
After the ancient times had passed, it was the current period. During this current period, two huge wars had occurred. These two events had affected the Magi, and basically all species in the entire south coast. The Magi suffered massive casualties, and the humans were obviously more affected, with numerous empires annihilated.
These two wars were named the First and Second Great Magus Wars!
Now, it seemed the Third Great Magus War was about to begin!
AD
Leylin's scrunched up his brows and wrinkled his forehead.
For him, it was entirely possible to accumulate information and resources, and with the A.I. Chip, he would be able to constantly break through his bottlenecks and improve further.
As a result, Leylin had hoped to be able to develop in a more peaceful and stable environment until he would reach a bottleneck.
In the previous great wars, acolytes were cannon fodder. Even official Magi fell and died in swarms, resulting in the alternate name of the wars: the Magus World's Death Grinder.
Leylin wasn't sure that he would be lucky enough to escape unscathed!
Wars of this scale affected the entire south coast, and nobody had been able to escape. As long as one was a Magus, he or she would be involved in it.
Unless... If he left the south coast and passed through several extremely dangerous regions, and set off for a new place, he would be safe.
"I shouldn't scare myself. It might just be a conflict between the Four Seasons Garden and another Magus organisation!"
Leylin, who had been standing by the city gates, suddenly smiled gently and walked right inside.
AD
He'd thought it through. No matter what happened, it had absolutely nothing to do with him.
After all, he was a member of Four Seasons Garden's Potioneering team! Unless Caesar's entire hunting team was annihilated, research personnel like him wouldn't need to be on the battlefield.
If this was a war with other Magus organisations, with the Four Seasons Garden's background, it would be impossible to be thoroughly annihilated. If he were to defect now, it would be an extremely foolish decision that would offend the Four Seasons Garden for no reason.
If the Third Great Magus War was to happen, the entire south coast would become a battlefield, and no area would be safe.
Decarte's words were a reminder as well as a warning.
Great wars never began with both sides going all out. It would start with them using small groups and neutral parties to eliminate all other elements, and then they would be able to fight freely, without fear of others taking advantage of the situation.
Wandering Magi and indecisive small organisations were definitely the first to be used!
Leylin didn't want to lose his backing and live a life where a crisis was always imminent.
As a result, it was necessary for him to return to the Four Seasons Garden.
Leylin was confident that he had hidden his skills well. In the eyes of the Magi in the Four Seasons Garden, Leylin was merely a newly advanced Magus who was talented in Potioneering and training!
If the leaders of Four Seasons Garden were stupid enough to get Leylin to be cannon fodder, then at the most, he would just leave and cut all connections between them.
Leylin was confident he would be able to leave the Four Seasons Garden's headquarters without alerting the rank 2 Magi there.
After thinking this entire matter through, Leylin achieved a calm state of mind. Only then did he have the mood to survey his surroundings.
At this moment, Leylin discovered a difference in the Nightless City!
The Nightless City's large gates had all been opened wide. Giants, which were usually rarely seen, could be seen wearing animal hides that did not fit them, and holding huge wooden stakes. They were entering the city in twos and threes.
AD
With every step they took, the ground slightly shook.
The number of people in the Nightless City had increased by around 50%, causing a few passages to become congested.
However, whether they were regular humans, acolytes, or even some official Magi, their expressions were dark. In particular, there were a few official Magi who had a deep sense of distrust in their eyes when they saw unfamiliar Magi.
In the first zone of the Nightless City, shops that used to be bustling despite their unorganized placement saw a sharp decrease in price of raw materials. Defensive items, potions, and the like, on the other hand, were experiencing an increase in price. Many shops had already put up signs saying they were sold out.
Though Leylin had expected this, seeing this scene in person definitely had an effect on his mood.
All this was evidence of the scale of the impending war that would affect the entire Magus World. Leylin would definitely not be able to escape this!
Leylin's footsteps seemed to become a bit heavier as he passed through several gates and entered the third zone of the Nightless City.
In the region where the villas were located, the originally lively place was somewhat deserted. There were no signs of the cheerful Magi who used to hang around the various gardens. Several flowers that used to be tended to in the flower terrace were listlessly lowering their heads, with some even showing signs of wilting, which gave off a bleak atmosphere.
"Master!"
Once he returned to his own villa, Damien, the level 3 acolyte who worked as his butler, welcomed him.
AD
"I'm fine! Did anything strange happen in the Nightless City recently? Tell me everything you know!" Leylin immediately asked while he threw his cloak to Damien.
"Yes! Damien was just about to do so!"
There was a worried expression on his face.
"A day before, rumours about the start of a third Magus war started spreading around the Nightless City. At the beginning, nobody took it to heart, but as time passed, the fact that no organisation stood up to refute this claim has Nightless City in a frenzy..."