Chapter 1682 - WMW 55

"Morning Star Magus?" Leylin looked doubtful as he glanced at his Mentor.

"Yes. Only the massive spiritual force of Morning Star Magi can withstand the consumption as you step over. In addition, many dangers in various worlds are unable to be dealt with by regular Magi. At the very least, you need to be at the Morning Star realm." Gilbert looked stern.

"With your current spiritual force, with the help of the spell formations and the astral gate, you'll at most be able to approach a few Magus Worlds and receive a few sections of incomplete information even if you drain all your spiritual force. You may not even be able to obtain all of the information."

Gilbert shook his head.

"If you really must do this, you could aid me in my experiment regarding projection of coordinates."

After that, through Gilbert's explanations, Leylin found out some fundamental information on how to use the astral gate.

This experiment of crossing over to different worlds consumed a lot of energy, and there were rules when it came to transporting objects. In general, receiving information through spiritual force consumed the least energy, but the moment any substance was to be transported, the consumption would increase several times. If a Magus were to go over, the energy required was tremendous, to the point that it might even cause Morning Star Magi to exhaust themselves!

In reality, in both ancient and recent times, there were so many Morning Star Magi who had consumed large amounts of resources and energy only to find a desolate world, ending up with nothing despite their efforts.

The astral gate had always been a place where fortune and danger coexisted.

The Magi in the central continent seldom travelled over. They preferred to send out a few spiritual force coordinates, as well as use things like teleportation spell formations.

This was similar to setting down fish bait, and then waiting for the other side to accept it.

Though the chances were so small that they were below one in ten thousand, there was a real possibility of intelligent beings receiving the spiritual force tokens that were floating in spatial cracks.

Next was to bewitch these beings and then gather information regarding these other planes and determine their coordinates. If this information was determined valuable enough, Morning Star Magi would then open the true astral gate and then travel there in great numbers, seizing control of the plane!

"Why does it sound like we're doing the same thing as a cult, as if some satanic summoning ritual?" Leylin was bewildered.

"It is something like that! Those devils or whatever they are come from a different plane near us. They like to gather spirits through this method. If not for them concealing themselves so well, we would have long since used the coordinates and tried to kill them!"

A killing intent rose in Gilbert's eyes.

"Well then, Mentor. I would like to enter your experiment with the astral gate!" Leylin immediately requested.

"Alright. While I am experimenting, you can be my assistant, observing and studying by my side." Gilbert watched Leylin's resolute gaze and nodded.

...

After leaving Gilbert's villa, Leylin was in a very good mood. Not only had he gathered many ancient secrets, he was now qualified to participate in the space experiments.

"In the future, I want to make my own astral gate!" Leylin decided.

At the very least, he would need to go to that Purgatory World at least once. He would gain a solution for the shackles of his Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline there.

Of course, this was the hope of the entire Ouroboros Clan. Leylin's mentor, Gilbert, and the two other Morning Star Warlocks were crazily searching for the coordinates of the Purgatory World.

It was a pity that the multiple worlds and coordinates were like the numerous stars in the sky. With their method of trial and error, it was impossible to know how long it would take from them to find Purgatory World.

However, Leylin had plans of his own. He would not mention them yet.

"Leylin!"

Around a corner, Leylin heard a voice and halted his footsteps, seeing a blonde middle-aged Magus walking over. However, there was no longer the calm and dignified look he had had. Instead, he was flustered, and even the energy fluctuations around him were unstable, as if he had gained injuries.

"What is it?" Leylin was in no mood for this sheltered Warlock who had once threatened him before, Woody.

"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have someone backing you, you gigolo!" Woody's expression was terrible, looking as if he wanted to gobble Leylin up.

"Gigolo?" Leylin's heart jumped, and he had a bad feeling about this.

"Woody! Aren't you starting yet?"

A female voice that made Leylin's hair stand. He then saw that Warlock Freya from before, pulling at a pet that seemed to be a black sheepdog.

Upon closer inspection, Leylin realised there were complicated black patterns on its face, its eyes flashing with intelligence. However, all that was inside them was now despair, frenzy and an unspeakable dread.

"Morphing technique! This is—Johnny!" Magi naturally did not recognise people by their appearances. The familiar spiritual waves immediately allowed Leylin to tell the true identity of this sheepdog.

"This is—Crazy!" Seeing the dog leash around the sheepdog's neck, Leylin could confirm Johnny even had thoughts of suicide.

"Wooo!" After seeing Woody, the sheepdog began to whimper even more, as if hoping its original owner would save it.

Woody paled in anger, but did not do much.

He then gritted his teeth, bowing slightly to Leylin, "Marquis Leylin, please forgive me for my previous offences. Please do whatever you please with Johnny."

Having said this, Woody immediately turned to leave, disappearing after turning a corner.

"How is it? Do you like my gift? To change him into this form, it used up a precious morphing scroll I got from my Mentor!" Freya pulled the black sheepdog till it reached his side, anticipating his reaction.

"I…" Leylin could only force a smile.

He had heard from Robin that compared to the wanton Miranda, Freya kept her chastity and did not do anything to charm male Warlocks into becoming their toys. However, in order to improve the bloodline in her family, she would go around looking for suitable candidates.

At this moment, she seemed to have chosen him! The earnest look on her face seemed to be giving Leylin a headache.

Though she was a student of the Second Elder and was thus doted on, for her to become hostile to another Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock and even punish members in the same circle as she was in, she would definitely be under immense pressure.

Of course, as a Warlock, she had inherited emotional instability and perhaps would not think too much of her actions.

Through the A.I. Chip, Leylin noticed the unstable aura on Freya's body. It was apparent that pressuring Woody was not such a simple task, and both sides would suffer losses. The reason Woody had automatically conceded was because his bloodline instability was not flaring up. He knew how to weigh his benefits.

"I- Whatever! Do whatever you want with Johnny!"

Looking at the whimpering sheepdog on the ground, Leylin really sympathized with it.

"Also, here are two things for you!"

Leylin passed her a high-grade healing potion, as well as a high-grade potion of tranquility.

He was not one to accept favours from others. A healing potion was a small matter, but what was more important was the high-grade potion of tranquility. This was the strengthened version of the potion of tranquility, and Leylin had even added parts of the Icy Jade Scorpion's bloodline. Though the effects were reduced, it was still very effective for Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks.

He really hoped this potion could slightly inhibit her crazy tendencies and stop her from bothering him.

Watching Leylin seemingly fleeing and disappearing along the road, Freya caressed the two potions in her hands and smiled, "It's great as long as you have a good impression of me! You'll be mine."

...

If Leylin knew what Freya was thinking, he would probably regret his actions. Now, however, he had found Robin.

"Hm? You want to take a look at your territory?" Robin looked at Leylin in front of him.

"Yes! Mentor Gilbert has finished his teachings, and all that's left are preparations for the astral gate. There's nothing left for me to do, so I want look at the territory."

Leylin spoke. After his current trip, Gilbert was done with teaching him. He was a rank 4 Warlock and had numerous tasks to carry out. On top of that, he had to focus on his research and could not continue coaching Leylin.

Before conducting the astral gate experiments, a lot of time was needed to prepare the materials, adjust the frequencies and the like.

Leylin wanted to make use of this time and first leave the headquarters. A part of it was because he wanted to see his territory, but another reason was because he was really a little scared and wanted to hide outside.

"Oh, it was Freya!"

Robin thought for a moment and suddenly began to laugh. He seemed to have some knowledge regarding what had just transpired.

"She's actually not half bad! She hasn't had a partner in the past, and her mentor is also a Morning Star Warlock. You should just marry her!" Robin even teased as he suggested.

"If I really want to marry someone, I can take her into consideration, but you know…"

Leylin's lips quirked in a wry smile. Though Freya was doing all she could to get into his good books, her final goal was to make him a breeding machine. Even if they did become companions, she would want him to marry into her family. How could he stand this?

In the deepest part of his heart, Leylin believed himself to be a male chauvinist, and he could not stand for this.

"That's true. Besides, you're still young!" Robin thought for a moment and then nodded, as if having expected this.

"Young? I'm almost a hundred!" Leylin was speechless.

"Haha, I'm almost five hundred, and I've had 24 wives! I've married into several families." Robin's expression showed his experience in this area.

"When you're at my age, you'll think little of this sort of thing."

-x-X-x-

The wind blew, bringing about with it a refreshing feeling.

Leylin rode on a horse, looking at the scenery on both sides. Great numbers of farms joined to form a large field which many farmers were working on.

At the two sides of the roads, purification towers could be seen everywhere.

These were specifically to remove the unwittingly emanated radiation pollution from the bodies of Magi. This allowed regular humans ad Magi to exist in harmony.

Robin did accede to Leylin's request in the end, even sending another Warlock to bring Leylin to his own territory.

"Marquis Leylin, confirmation of your title as nobility and your proof for your territory has been handed down. From hereon, your title shall be recognised throughout the central continent. The plains to the east of the Black Lustre Mountains are all yours. All the regular people living here are automatically your subjects." The white-haired rank 2 Warlock said.

"Give me the map." Leylin got off the horse, and Kubler immediately unfolded a slightly yellowish rolled-up map.

With the map, the outline of the territory was even clearer. Not only was the area large, including a few fertile fields, there was even a coastline and a few good ports.

A Marquis of the central continent naturally had more gold than one in the south coast. The range of his territory was even comparable to a large kingdom of the south coast.

Of course, for Leylin who had been the Guardian of Twilight Zone and ruler of fifty million people, he was not moved the slightest.

Meanwhile, Kubler and the rank 2 Warlock's expressions were full of envy.

If the produce from the vast area in this territory was turned into resources for Magi, it would be a huge source of revenue for regular rank 3 Warlocks.

"Kubler, look for a few skilled administrators and build a governing structure. Oh, and also, for my seal of nobility, design it like my secret imprint." Leylin instructed casually.

Kubler lowered his head respectfully, expressing his understanding.

Seeing this, the white-haired Warlock glanced at Kubler with a hint of envy in his eyes.

From his perspective, Leylin was a Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlock and was the student of a Morning Star Magus. He had boundless potential, and Kubler was his first vassal and was trusted. It was natural that his status would rise as time passed.

At Robin's side, even if he tried to climb through the ranks for his whole life, he could only enter the elite circle.

With this comparison on both sides, he was even more envious and jealous.

"Master, as a Marquis, you will need a castle to be the core of your power," Kubler warned timely.

"En! Buy a few slaves, and with food and money as their pay, recruit a few people to help with construction. It should be done here." Leylin pointed at a place on the map.

This was a field close to the coastline, one that was within walking distance of a port.

"Understood, kind master!" Kubler praised.

In reality, after the Ouroboros Clan had conferred all this to Leylin, he had now gained authority over the life and death of all beings in his land. He was even allowed to make his own army and kingdom.

In the central continent, commoners could be forced to bring their own food when conscripted, being forced into labour. They themselves would have to take care of logistics after wars.

Leave alone food, Leylin was even giving out a pay. This made him benevolent beyond compare.

"Name the castle 'Onyx Castle.' Gather a few scholars and architects. After the design is done, bring it to me." Leylin was not in the least concerned about these small matters, giving Kubler free reign.

What he really paid attention to was at the bottom, "Beside Onyx Castle, I am planning to create a Magus Tower."

"Magus Tower!" The two beside him immediately gasped. This would be insanely expensive.

"Yes, and it should be made with the highest of standards!" In Leylin's eyes, Onyx Castle was a place where regular people would place their focus. This Magus Tower would be the his true residence.

"Why not construct it at the headquarters? Not only will you be supported with resources, it can even help guard the clan," Kubler proposed.

"No!" Leylin shook his head. Though constructing it at the headquarters would net him technological support as well as resources, he would have to incorporate it into the joint defense system.

Leylin had far too many secrets. How could he stand to reveal them to anyone else?

In addition, a Magus Tower was a prerequisite to experiments on cosmic gates. Hence, Leylin made up his mind and decided to construct it alone in his territory.

"In that case, the blueprint and expenses…" Just the thought of it made Kubler feel faint.

"I'll complete the design myself. As for the expenses, don't worry about it." Leylin smiled slightly.

He had milked the entirety of Twilight Zone for all its worth. Though it was far from the wealth that the central continent had, when all of it was concentrated on one person, it was still rather terrifying.

His magic crystals had filled an entire spatial ring, and he also had all types of precious materials. This was enough to cover the cost of constructing a Magus Tower, and this would be no ordinary tower, but one constructed based on the highest standards!

How could a regular Magus Tower contain Leylin's ambitions?

In addition, high-grade Magus Towers would be able to boost a Magus' own strength, and were a place where many experiments would be conducted. Hence, many high-ranked Magi would plan to make their own Magus Towers.

However, there were few who could afford to make one themselves without feeling the burden it would put on them. Others would need to live and accumulate resources for hundreds of years before they could even dream of regular Magus Towers. As for top-grade towers? They could only dream about those.

"I'll need many male slaves and stonemasons for the construction of the castle and tower. Do you have any means of getting them?" Leylin glanced at the old Warlock.

"Of course." The old man bowed, "Actually, there are a few specific channels my master has access to. They provide half-beasts, gnomes, dwarves, and adult slaves."

"En! Then I'll leave that to you. I'll need at least ten thousand people. The method of payment shall be with magic crystals."

The moment Leylin's words were heard, a hint of elation could be seen in the old Warlock's eyes.

The central continent used gold and silver as their currency. Magic crystals were higher-grade currency that would have a higher exchange rate in the black market. By doing this, he would definitely be able to make some profit secretly.

Of course, Leylin no longer cared about such trivial profits. If this could motivate the old man into working even harder, then so be it.

...

No matter what they had once been called, Leylin had decided to rename these lands the Onyx Castle Plains. This land was now the heart of his developing territory.

Under observation by overseers touting whips and clubs, groups of adult slaves transported large pieces of granite across the lands.

The granite had been divided into equal sizes from a nearby stone quarry and was then transported here, being piled up to to form a large castle.

Leylin's Onyx Castle had two layers of city walls as defence. The outer layer was slightly lower than the inner wall, and there were many sentry towers, watchtowers and the like.

Outside the Onyx Castle, there was also a channel forming a very wide moat.

The building was mostly constructed by piling up granite. Near the end, he would invite Magi proficient at manipulating earth-elemental energy particles to reinforce the structure and fill the parts between the granite, forming a large body. After that, he would get a few renowned sculpting masters to do more work.

After the construction was done, it would definitely not lose out to the grandeur of common nobility.

To complete the Onyx Castle, many slaves and the people that Leylin had recruited would put all their effort into working day in and out.

The meals that Leylin provided were not bad, with black bread and fish soup. For slaves and poor peasants, all these were hard to come by. Hence, they worked even harder.

"Master, ten thousand male slaves have been transported over. A part of them are at the stone quarry, while the rest are here." Kubler followed behind Leylin, seeming like a very calculating housekeeper.

As Leylin was paying with magic crystals and could be said to be rich and overbearing, not caring about the source, he was the best client for slave traffickers.The old man from before had also worked doubly hard, and soon enough, ten thousand slaves were bought.

This was not a small number, and thus helped Leylin gain a deeper understanding of the power Robin had.

"We need to use these slaves efficiently. We need to divide them into classes. Those who are diligent and proactive can get a small piece of land after construction is completed. They can become my farmers or soldiers. As for the lazy ones and the rebels, they can be a slave till they die, or we can just kill them."

Leylin spoke indifferently. He had gone through a lot and had much experience in administration. Everything he said had Kubler nodding along.

"Tell me the progress of the construction."

"Master, with this rate, your castle can be completed in spring next year. The entire cost comes up to around 1.5 million gold coins."

Kubler lowered his head and gave it a thought, and then announced a number that could cause a few normal kings to faint.

"Alright, that's not bad." These were trivial matters. Leylin let it pass through his ears and did not think more into it. The construction of the Onyx Castle was not the most important thing. What was more terrifying was the blueprint in his hands.

Kubler was fearful and apprehensive as he looked at the blueprint in Leylin's hands.

This was the structure of the Magus Tower that Leylin had designed himself.

The entire Magus Tower would be constructed with blurite metal, which was a stable alloy created by Magi. There would be a total of three layers underground, with laboratories, summoning and binding rooms, and a huge negative energy reactive pool at the bottom-most layer.

On the ground, the first floor would be the living room. The second would be the master bedroom and library. The third would be the Magus garden and ecological laboratory. The fourth would be the storage room, and the highest would have a positive energy reactive pool that would be the counterpart to the underground negative energy reactive pool.

Almost all energy particles had positive and negative properties. This sort of energy pool would seize countless energy particles and be a costly structure that could gather energy.

-x-X-x-

In Twilight Zone, Siegfried had been extremely proud of just the earth-elemental energy particle pool that he had saved up for over hundreds of years.

However, Leylin had basically constructed energy particle pools of various elements, and even made two pools for each element.

This terrifying consumption was enough for Kubler to want to faint.

This was not all. Kubler knew what his master was planning. Not taking into consideration the tower itself and the spell formations for each level, it was the intellectual core that Leylin was planning to make, one using a Domore Crystal and a fourth-grade magic scroll that could give the crystal life.

A fourth-grade magic scroll was not something that could be bought with magic crystals. If not for Leylin's status as Gilbert's student, he might not have even found a way to obtain it.

With a tower genie, all the defences of the tower would coordinate with each other. This intellectual being that would only recognise one master would be a great helper for a Magus.

After all these resources and materials were brought out, Kubler believed that this Magus Tower would not be unpresentable even for a Morning Star Magus to live in.

Its defensive abilities would be able to hold on for a long time against the joint attacks of multiple rank 3 Magi.

"The construction of the Magus Tower is a large project. With the people we have now, we can only make some preparations. After the Onyx Castle is completed next year, I shall live here and watch over the building of the Magus Tower."

In Leylin's plans, the Magus Tower was something long term that would take more than a decade to complete.

The blood, sweat and resources put into it could not be calculated, but after all was said and done, he would have a solid foundation in the region.

The amplifying effect that Magus Towers could provide for Magi was considerably frightful, especially for a high-grade building like this. Leylin reckoned that as long as he was at the Gaseous Spiritual Force stage and within the scope of the tower, he would not need to be afraid of any rank 3 Magus, even if they were at the Crystallised Spiritual Force stage.

Of course, if the offender was a rank 4 Magus, even one of the disgraces that did not possess a final technique, they could destroy him.

The terror of Morning Star Magi was something he had really understood through experience.

If those true Morning Star Magi used a final technique, half of his territory would be wiped out, and his Magus Tower would be useless. Unfortunately, he would be done for immediately.

"Kubler, have you found the people I asked you to look for?" Leylin glanced towards Kubler.

He had gotten Kubler to look for talents at administration. Also, he needed many more vassals that would help him build up his power. In addition, when construction of the Magus Tower began, he could let them come and take over, and thus save him some strength.

As long as he personally took the last step of giving the tower genie life, he would be able to have complete control of the tower, and there would be no other issues.

"Master, my apologies." Upon hearing Leylin's words, Kubler's heart sank and he quickly knelt.

"What's wrong?"

"There are many talents, and even a few came in answer to the recruitment. I have taken them all in. As for vassals, all my friends have the Mankestre Snake bloodline and may not be able to meet your needs."

Kubler looked ashamed.

His clan of friends were obviously of the same rank as him. If he were to bring them to Leylin, it was just seeking death. He would obviously not do so. Higher-ranked Warlocks would naturally want to serve Leylin, but he lacked the connections and could not get into contact with them.

"En! That's true." Leylin stroked his chin, having guessed the reason. He considered looking for Robin, where he would surely be able to recruit a few Warlocks.

He could not even consider Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. However, among the rank 2 and even rank 3 Warlocks, there were surely some who would think this was a dream come true, even going as far as hugging onto his leg, crying and yelling in hopes of getting the position.

"Let's look at the talents you recruited who can take care of our internal affairs."

"Understood, master." Seeing that Leylin did not punish him, Kubler relaxed and brought Leylin to another makeshift camp.

Here, a few regular humans whose auras were so very weak, waited in trepidation to meet with Leylin.

Leylin even felt that if he did not intentionally moderate himself, just the radiation from his body would kill all these people, and it would not be a peaceful death.

Of course, out of all these regular humans, there were one or two acolytes. However, in Leylin's eyes, they were just slightly-larger ants and were not much different.

"Greetings to the Marquis of Onyx Castle!" A few of them called, and then bowed respectfully to Leylin.

He scanned them and realised most of them were elderly, with one of them being a resolute-looking middle-aged man.

"Announce your name and capabilities." Kubler saw Leylin's expression and shouted.

"I am Saltcliffe, proficient in internal affairs." This was an old man.

"My name is Royce, and I'm adept at training troops. I was once the commander in a dukedom." This was the middle-aged man.

"My name is Alesandor, and I'm proficient at internal affairs and law." This old man was brimming with the waves of an acolyte, and Leylin shot him a second glance.

"Alesandor, have you taken the blue berry essence before?" Leylin's nose wrinkled and he suddenly asked.

This blue berry essence was a special secretion of plants, and had the effect of lengthening the lives of acolytes who were below official Magi. However, their strength would be fixed, and they would never be able to improve.

"Yes, my lord. I am now only a hundred and fifty, and I have a hundred or so more years to work under you."

Alesandor was truly a magician who knew the way they thought.

What Leylin needed was long-term support. Regular old geezers would be so old they could not move in ten or so years. What use were they?

"Very good. You and Royce, from just now have been recruited." As for the old people who were experienced but on the verge of death, they could only take their leave regretfully.

After they left, Royce and Alesandor bowed once more, "Master!"

This was the etiquette used when vassals greeted their masters.

"From hereon, you are all my subordinates. Royce is in charge of security and the army, while Alesandor will take care of internal affairs. As long as you work hard, I will bestow upon you titles and your own land, and also take in your descendants to work for me."

As nobility, Leylin naturally knew what they wanted, and want to use it to motivate them to work diligently.

As expected, after hearing his promise, Royce and Alesandor both knelt in gratitude, kissing the ground under Leylin's feet. "I shall offer my loyalty and respect, even if the world were to end."

"En! You can go. Kubler will give you more details." Leylin waved his arms.

He was in no mood to deal with this, and could only pass on his authority to someone else to make decisions.

If this was in the middle ages in the previous world, doing something like this would mean certain death. He would be made a figurehead by his subordinates, or even killed, but it was different here.

Leylin himself held absolute power and did not have to worry about what his subordinates thought.

Under the deterrence of Magi, those two would not dare to have any strange thoughts or plans.

"It's about time I return. Not only do I need to gain experience from Mentor Gilbert, it's best to obtain a spell formation to vapourise my spiritual force."

Leylin looked at his stats.

[Leylin Farlier. Rank 3 Warlock, Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 23.6, Agility: 20.1, Vitality: 35.7, Spiritual force: 215.3, Magic power: 215 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force).]

After entering rank 3, the effects of the Giant Serpent's Breath Potion had weakened.

Though the environment in the central continent was much better than in Twilight Zone, after using such great amounts of resources, his spiritual force was now stuck, still around the level where he had just entered rank 3.

However, Leylin was confident because the clan was a group formed entirely out of Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks. There were many formulas and products used to raise a Warlock's spiritual force.

In addition, with Gilbert's help, he would soon reach his current goal.

The Vapour Phase spell formation would thus become essential.

*Buzz Buzz!* Rays of light were emanated from the suspended imprint on Leylin's body, forming a scarlet rune.

"Mentor Gilbert's ready now? Alright, I'll get back as soon as possible!" Leylin spoke to the secret imprint and then called Kubler over, telling him to oversee the project while he made his way back.

Phosphorescence Swamp.

The black swamp held within an aura of death, occasionally generating green flames.

Leylin walked atop the swamp, feeling his body jubilant and excited, and could not help but nod. "As expected of the final choice made by the clan amongst many others. This environment with the particles around is very suitable for the advancement of those with Kemoyin blood."

The headquarters of the clan were similar to before. Many Warlocks resided, lived and researched in this small Magus city.

Leylin went straight to find Robin and found out that Miranda and Freya had received a mission recently and had left. Knowing they were no longer in headquarters, he could not help but sigh in relief.

"Haha!" Seeing Leylin like this, Robin as a senior could not hold back his laughter.

After the teasing, the two dove into work.

"The astral gate experiment is very dangerous. The creatures from other planes could be terrifying existences with strength surpassing that of Morning Star Magi. In the White Terror incident 214 years ago, the great pioneer, Morning Star Magus Borrell, made contact with another world recklessly and met with a fearsome consciousness formed from terror. Not only did he fall, all his descendants died as well. Even if they were not on this continent, they met the same fate. I hope you can reconsider."

-x-X-x-

"Duke Gilbert has already told me in detail about the dangers related to the astral 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

This biochemical clothing could effectively isolate any pollution that would be passed on from other worlds through the astral 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 astral 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 Leylin was unable to see clearly given his current eyesight.

"That is the physical state of a astral 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 astral 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 astral 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 astral 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 astral 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 astral plane 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 attempt, 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.

'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.

Leylin took a glance at Robin, and once again condensed a spiritual force marker, sending it through the lens.

-x-X-x-

'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 Fiery 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 ten 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.

-x-X-x-

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 a 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 would 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 wealth 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. When I build one, it must be the best of the best! 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 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!' Leylin 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!"

-x-X-x-

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?"

-x-X-x-

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.