"I'm afraid the conditions here are still inadequate for the last bloodline purification and activation process!" Leylin scrutinised the entire laboratory, the crystal-like ground as well as the unique radiance emitted by the walls.
Such an environment was a good location for experiments even for a Morning Star Magus.
Even so, some of the steps required to activate an ancient bloodline were very troublesome, and even posed a certain amount of danger. It was still best that these sorts of experiments were conducted in one's Magus Tower.
But there was still a period of time before Leylin's Magus Tower could be completed, hence it was still necessary to remodel and reinforce the place as appropriate.
As he looked at the muddled breeding pool, he was no longer bothered by the yells and struggles inside it. Instead, he gave a few orders to the formation genie before leaving the place directly.
"Morning Star Magus Tower!" Although Leylin had only been gone a short period of time, the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan had undergone many changes.
The number of Warlocks in the place had increased. With the war having calmed down, many refugees from other territories had fled here. On top of that, there was now a tall tower built in an eye-catching position.
This Magus Tower was not only a few times larger than his old one, it was also filled with a sense of terrifying grandeur, its peak appearing to pierce through space itself.
This was the Morning Star Magus Tower than the Oakheart Clan and the other bloodline Warlock families of the Ouroboros Clan had cooperated to build for Leylin.
Although the construction of the tower could not be completed this soon, the rough framework had already been set up.
A large number of high-ranked Warlocks, as well as Magus craftsmen and formation Magi from other regions surrounded the Magus Tower, working tirelessly.
"Your Grace!" Faisal and Parker immediately came to greet him at Freya's side.
"You guys have done well during this period of time!" Leylin smiled at Freya before speaking to Faisal and the others.
"It's because we adopted Your Grace's blueprints and followed your advice. We're confident that we'll be able to complete the construction more quickly than normal." Faisal reported respectfully.
There was still a slight shock in his heart. In his view, with Leylin being able to promote to the Morning Star realm at the mere age of 200 or so, his talent as a Warlock was incomparable to begin with. What he did not expect was that Leylin could actually focus on both the construction and formation spells whilst undergoing Magus practice. It made Leylin seem monstrous.
Of course, those thoughts were hidden within his heart. He definitely couldn't show them on the surface.
"Good! Pass down my command: the work is to be halted every night. I want to handle it personally, in a more in-depth manner," Leylin said plainly.
"Could it be that you want to…" Faisal's eyes sparkled, and he left shortly after.
"Now, who can overthrow you?" Leylin looked at his own Morning Star Magus Tower, a confident look emerging on his face.
His previous Magus Tower had been destroyed by the Oakheart Clan, but now they'd had to pay with a Morning Star Magus Tower instead.
Furthermore, Leylin was now confident in his own strength. Even in the entire central continent, there were not many who could destroy his Magus Tower again. He also would not allow himself to fall into such a low.
Leylin looked at the huge landmark-like Magus Tower and a slight joking expression flashed in his eyes. "Perhaps, after millions of years, this Magus Tower will come to symbolise me. Let it stand here forever!"
...
Deep in the night. There was not a single Magus around the Morning Star Magus Tower anymore, even Faisal and the others had left the place long ago.
They understood that the Magus Tower was the core of a Magus' power. Surely Leylin had some secrets that he would set up, and the fewer that knew the better.
Moreover, the intense radiation of a Morning Star Warlock would exert great pressure on them. It would be safer to avoid it.
Leylin walked alone inside the empty Magus Tower.
Most of the runes and spell formations hadn't been set up yet, and many of the basic amenities were also unused. The Tower right now was just an empty shell without a defence.
"A.I. Chip! Begin scanning the entire Magus Tower, slowly adjust the radiation power!" Leylin commanded.
[Mission acquired, beginning synchronisation! Adjusting…] The A.I. Chip immediately responded.
Accompanying the A.I. Chip's sound, a 3D structure appeared before Leylin. A brilliant radiance was also emitted from his body that began to merge with the entire structure.
Compared to the previous time where his radiation spread out without discrimination in Scarlet Crescent, destroying everything, Leylin was currently extremely careful in controlling it. This process allowed the Magus Tower to slowly accept it and adapt.
High ranked Magi could revitalise ancient materials through their radiation, and even produce many anomalies. This was common knowledge in the central continent. Although Leylin's Magus Tower made use of high-quality materials, he still needed to use his radiation to unify the materials in order to let it reach its peak condition.
Many rumours held that there were often ghosts, vengeful spirits, and other such things where Magi lived, a byproduct of the changes a Magus' radiation caused in the surrounding territory.
Leylin was currently strengthening his Magus Tower, and at the same time leaving his own mark on it.
Even if it was deliberately held back, the radiation of a Morning Star Magus was a disaster for weaker Magi. This was why Faisal had immediately transferred those Magi away as night arrived.
As for other times? Based on Leylin's control, as well as the compressive abilities of the point mass, he had long since become able to securely lock up the radiation in his own body. Since he didn't leak the slightest bit, there would be no problem.
If someone looked from outside, they would see a beautiful view. Standing out from the surrounding darkness, a Morning Star Magus Tower seemed to be wrapped up in a colourful radiance. Even the dark sky was dyed with its colours.
If they got closer, they would hear an increasingly clear hiss of a giant serpent, causing one's hair to stand.
What accompanied the hissing of the giant serpent was another sound which seemed like a singing curse yet at the same time like a worshipping voice. It surrounded the entire Magus Tower, making it seem mysterious.
Because Leylin had joined in himself, the construction of the Magus Tower had been sped up. The building seemed to be morphing day to day.
...
"It has finally reached this point!" Leylin's pupils gleamed with excitement as he watched the gold creature in the large confinement room.
Now, the blood-sucking loach had completely lost its previous image. Instead, it had transformed into a terrifying creature that was similar to the golden dragons from legend.
Golden scales covered its entire body, their glimmer making it seem as if it was a god from the ancient times. On its forehead was a rune in the shape of a sun, emitting a blazing light.
Leylin had a premonition– if it was not for him suppressing this beast all this time, the first thing the creature would do was probably to transform into a gigantic fireball, rising from the ashes and advancing to the Morning Star realm.
In other words, this was a Morning Star creature!
Now, creatures of this level were already very rare. If it were placed among the circles of Morning Star Magi, it would probably cause a huge sensation, even more so encouraging the emergence of another bloodline Warlock clan.
Upon seeing Leylin, the golden dragon howled and a blood-red light flashed in its pupils. It immediately turned towards him, emitting an aura unique to the dragon race.
The layer of glass in front was instantly drowned in a brilliant golden flame.
The tempered glass warped under the extreme heat, cracks beginning to form on its surface.
"Oh! You deliberately kept your firepower a secret, huh. This level of intelligence already surpasses that of a wild beast!" Leylin laughed without much ado. As he watched the golden dragon displaying its invincible might, he could not help but think of the ancient Sun's Child, wondering what rank of power and influence it possessed!
"What a pity! I created you, and I can also destroy you at any time!" A chill suddenly appeared in Leylin's pupils, making the golden dragon retract its neck.
"Blood seal!" A crimson radiance flashed in Leylin's eyes as his right hand reached out to grab the golden dragon.
*Bang!* Immediately, a large amount of blood began to flow out from beneath the golden dragon's scales, turning it red in a moment. Its original dignified roar had been replaced by a pitiful cry.
"Even locked to 35% of its bloodline, it's still so terrifying?" A hint of worry flashed across Leylin's face as he watched the shrieking creature.
The experiment that he had performed on the golden dragon previously out of convenience had immediately allowed him to understand the stubborn nature passed down through its bloodline.
'However, this sort of attitude verifies the Wisdom Tree's hypothesis. Now all I need is extended research, clinical trials, and then…' Leylin stroked his chin and made up his mind.
'But the good thing is that the bloodline of the Sun's Child has been completely activated. It's the bloodline of an ancient rank 6 creature after all, and even a drop is enough to create another Morning Star creature!' The corner of his lips curled up in a slight smile.
"Now, onto the final phase…"
...
*Boom!*
A ball of golden blood which was the size of a fist floated in the air like a fireball. It released a terrifying amount of light and heat, slowly raising the temperature of the room.
The temperature was so high, in fact, that space itself distorted, rifts appearing near the blood. This was the unstable phenomenon resulted from the burning of the sun's flame.
"Activate!" Leylin said emotionlessly as he watched the scene.
A great amount of light emerged with a whoosh, strengthening the surrounding walls. Many runes shot out one one after the other, locking the blood down. At this point, it looked like a miniature sun.
Leylin had specially reinforced this secret chamber, with the express intent of locking the bloodline of the Sun's Child. From how it looked, the effect wasn't rather bad.
He nodded secretly before looking at the A.I. Chip's status screen.
[Beep! Completing the genetic makeup of the Sun's Child, beginning imitation, deducing according to the meditation technique, Wing of the Sun…] The A.I. Chip intoned loyally.
-x-X-x-
The Wing of the Sun was a top-grade meditation technique that was meant to complement the bloodline of the Sun's Child, and was abstruse and unfathomable. Even the A.I. Chip had not been able to analyse it.
Now, however, the combination of the real bloodline of the Sun's Child and its DNA sequence worked together to solve the many difficulties that had been confounding him.
With the Dragon King's Mystic Might he had obtained in the past, he now also had the Void Phantom, which came to two complete meditation techniques. This meant he had a decent, accurate database to draw upon.
The simulation of the fifth level of Kemoyin's pupil saw some progress once more.
Seeing that his main objective was satisfied, Leylin couldn't help but sigh with relief. "Rank 6, top-grade creature— Sun's Child!"
Leylin observed the blood that was like a little sun, and began to furrow his eyebrows. With this and the Wing of the Sun, he could instantly create a powerful Warlock family.
Warlocks with a bloodline stemming from a rank 6 creature hadn't yet appeared in the central continent.
"If another Warlock or Magus were to find out, things would get complicated for me…" A wry smile appeared about Leylin's lips.
How could it be only 'complicated'? The moment this news leaked, even if malicious Warlocks weren't an issue, it was highly likely that the Breaking Dawn Monarchs would be alerted.
After all, they would not want to see the rise of another Breaking Dawn bloodline Warlock, which would affect the current equilibrium of power.
"It's a pity… If not for my bloodline being permanent, I would long since have used the Sun's Child's bloodline…" Leylin heaved a long sigh.
But his eyes immediately cleared up, "Classify this area as a forbidden region of the highest grade, confidentiality rank X. Anyone who comes in here besides me is to be killed. No exceptions!"
His voice was cold, as if every word of his carried with it chilly air that contained millions of ice shards.
"Understood!" The spirit genie's similarly unfeeling voice sounded. Perhaps only beings that lacked human intelligence would not understand the terror that was Leylin.
"On top of that," Leylin looked at his empty surroundings, gently stroking a crystal ring on his finger. *Whoosh!* Five translucent phantoms appeared around him like a breeze, as if voluntarily squeezing out from the void. There were no energy waves, just five pairs of bloodshot eyes staring at him as their owners half-kneeled on the floor.
"Protect this place well. Any who dare intrude are to be eliminated immediately," Leylin said as he sent out a spiritual command through the ring on his finger.
The five phantoms nodded speechlessly, and immediately disappeared into the air. With them concealed, even the A.I. Chip could barely discern their auras.
"These Void Assassins are pretty useful. It's a pity that there are only eight left…" Leylin was full of admiration as he watched the assassins disappear, touching his chin.
These eight Void Assassins were naturally his gains from Scarlet Crescent.
He had carefully checked before. Every one of these Void Assassins had the strength surpassing a Crystal Phase Magus. Their method of travelling through the void was stealthy and hard to defend against. Even a Morning Star Magus would be in danger if five of them acted in tandem, ambushing him.
With these defences, he could somewhat relax.
'I can't keep it here, and I need to use it as soon as possible. Alternatively, I can wait till the Magus Tower is completed and deposit it there!' Leylin pondered.
Using the bloodline of the Sun's Child to perform experiments on bloodline ignition was too much of a pity. Leylin still had other uses for this blood. The bloodline of an ancient rank 6 creature was an invaluable treasure.
"Next is to amass more strength and push for the advancement of my soul force. The best would be for the A.I. Chip to represent soul force numerically, which will make everything much simpler…"
Leylin subconsciously looked at his status.
[Leylin Farlier, Rank 4 Warlock. Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 50, Agility: 45, Vitality: 65, Spiritual Force:506.9, Magic Power: 506 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force). Soul Force: ???]
After entering Morning Star, the aim was to make progress in regards to the soul. His spiritual force and other stats would no longer undergo major changes.
At this thought, Leylin looked into the progress of the A.I. Chip's simulation of soul force and found it to be stuck. He couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"The analysis of soul force cannot be done in a day or two…" A thread of understanding rose in Leylin's mind.
...
Five years passed in the blink of an eye. The original Ouroboros Clan had now completely stabilised.
Though the other allied forces still occupied a part of the territory that had belonged to them, a larger war had not occurred. From how a few organisations were silently withdrawing their forces, the general situation was progressing positively.
Those Warlocks seemed to have forgotten their hatred from the past and the situation at Phosphorescence Swamp stabilised as they continued with their lives and research.
And yet, the subconscious bloody glint that remained in the depths of their eyes proved that the traces of the war were still present.
Or rather, the seeds of revenge were buried deep in their hearts. They were lying quietly in wait for these seeds to grow, until the day they began to thrive and became strong and healthy!
Leylin couldn't wait to see it happen, and even added fuel to the flame.
From his perspective, the bloodline Warlocks before led far too comfortable lives, particularly the Kemoyin nobility. They spent their days in their territories intoxicated, not spending any time on their Warlock training.
Thankfully, after this war, most of these vermin had disappeared, leaving behind many capable and hardworking descendants, each of them outstanding. These talents were the strengths and assets that he regarded as important.
As long as he could lead these Warlocks and complete their revenge, he might instantly gain their undying loyalty. That would allow him to completely control the Ouroboros Clan, and even the return of the three Dukes would not change anything.
Through these five years, Leylin had extended his authority to all aspects in Ouroboros Clan. He had even secretly influenced many Warlocks of the new generation, and they completely accepted his rule, thinking it was normal for things to continue like this forever.
Faisal and those few bloodline families had become smarter after the attack, and Leylin could find no opportunity to deal with them. That was rather regretful.
However, no matter how long he tried to delay matters, there were things that needed to be done...
"Blood Extraction!"
Above a geographical basin holding an ethnic group, Leylin wore a luxurious platinum Magus robe that was actually a piece of magic equipment.
His expression was stern as he reached out his hand, and a formless giant vortex appeared in the air with a grab.
Large amounts of blood beaded down, turning into a stream as it gathered in his hands. It formed a highly concentrated crystal that looked similar to a ruby.
Below him, a giant tribe of a different race had suffered heavy casualties. Besides a few high-ranked Magi, almost nobody had survived. All of them had their blood drawn and turned into dried-out corpses.
"This bloodline drawing method is truly tyrannical!" Leylin nodded.
The Arcane Art he was using to extract blood came from his own bloodline inheritance. In ancient times, it had only been a convenient spell to draw blood on a large-scale. However, with his modifications, as well as the power from the soul force of a Morning Star, the effect was truly terrifying. Its strength was enough to destroy a country.
That was not all. The bloodline gems gathered from the bloodline extraction were also a very important resource for Warlocks.
Crimson light flashed in Leylin's eyes as he tucked away these concentrated crystals that sparkled like blood diamonds.
"You of a different race! You dare—" A roar full of denial and pain sounded out, bringing with it energy waves at the Morning Star realm.
"My job is done. The rest is your business." Leylin bowed with a smile, and retreated to the back.
"Leylin, you really know how to goof off!" In front of him were a few Morning Star Warlocks. The burly man who was the head teased Leylin, but still went forward.
"Who exactly are you? Why did you come here?" The rays of light dimmed, revealing the Morning Star that had hastened over. It was a giant formed of flames, eyes full of fury.
"There's no reason. If you want to blame something, blame yourselves for occupying this area!"
The burly man sneered, the phantom of a large black goat that was thousands of metres tall emerging from his back. This goat not only had the horns of a demon, but also a torso that was similar to a human. However, it was full of black fleece, looking to be like the demonic satyrs of the underworld.
"Morning Star Warlock?" The giant fire elemental elder couldn't help but blurt out.
Following that, others in black clothing stood up before him. The Morning Star auras they similarly emitted caused the fire elemental elder's pupils to shrink.
*Rumble!* The few Morning Star Warlocks surrounded him, in an enormous formation. The energy undulations extended to the horizons, and even dispersed a few large dark clouds.
...
Once everything was over, the burly man from before approached Leylin, "Lord Leylin's blood extraction truly is worthy of its reputation. Here is your reward!"
The burly man tossed a little pouch full of astral stones to Leylin, "The total comes to 13423 grams of astral stones. Check the amount!"
"Many thanks!" Leylin sighed heavily. This time-consuming and very lengthy mission was finally over.
Besides concentrating on his own research, he would take on a few missions from time to time from the Morning Star region, earning astral stones to purchase other items to nourish the soul.
The task this time was a mission to help the burly man suppress the fire elemental elder.
"Hmph! These tribes actually worship an elemental being from another world! Even death cannot wipe out their sins!" The burly man scolded, still angry.
-x-X-x-
Listening to the mission leader's complaints, Leylin remained silent.
The large-scaled tribe that he had massacred was not a fire elemental tribe. However, they had obviously been influenced by the fire elemental Morning Star to the extent that they formed a faith that worshipped fire.
It might have to do with them being of a different race, but Warlocks obviously did not give them preferential treatment, nor were they tolerant towards them. Though the Warlock Union claimed to take in those with all bloodlines, that was merely talk. It sounded nice to listen to, but those who believed that were fools.
Leylin knew how things worked in the union. If they were a race protected by a Morning Star, they might have some status in the Warlock Union, and could help their own people.
However, if they were a race without the protection of a Morning Star, then they would probably have to struggle pitifully, enduring exploitation and oppression.
After all, the leader of the Warlock Union was a mighty bloodline Warlock!
They did not think themselves human, but nor did they think themselves to be of another race. Hence, their attitudes towards completely different races seemed rather hypocritical. Especially for beings like these who hadn't even joined the union and sided with the enemy; there was no consideration for them.
Of course, Leylin did not bother with these trivial matters. He had taken on and successfully completed the mission, and had thus gotten the rewards. It was that simple.
The time spent on investigation and combat was already annoying him. In addition, with his experience from his previous world, he was beginning to feel concerned.
Why would a Morning Star-ranked fire elemental elder appear here? He had even bewitched many tribes to be on his side. If not for them finding out and eliminating him in time, this entire region was likely to have fallen into chaos soon.
And yet that wasn't what worried him the most. The other party had already begun spreading a religion, and that put him on his guard.
Recruiting believers and propagating religious beliefs was a very dangerous signal. Leylin, who had experience from his previous life, understood the gods that the westerners worshipped purely based on some misinformation, legends, or even utter nonsense.
This act of preaching was evidently different from that of high-ranked Magi, and it wasn't the sort of primitive worship of uncivilised communities. Real gods, and not only one at that, were spreading their own religions!
It was not just the worship of fire. A plot was also afoot to revive Beelzebub, the Sovereign King of Gluttonous Desires. It all gave Leylin a very bad premonition.
Even though Leylin rarely bothered with religion in his previous world, he wouldn't get this wrong. Of course, this was just a conjecture, he had no idea what the real World of Gods was like after all. Most documentation from the ancient era did not touch on this.
The appearance of the World of Gods was the beginning of the ancient Magus World's decline. Hence, the amount of books that had survived that era were the fewest. This was why Leylin had yet to gather much data on it despite his status.
This could, therefore, be a misunderstanding on his part, but Leylin did not want to continue down that line of thought.
No matter how superficial his thinking might be, he knew that the real gods in the World of Gods were, at the very least, at rank 6 and above. They were existences who had grasped a certain power or law, and such great strength was what Leylin needed to look up to. The moment he were to be caught up in giant complications like this, only death awaited him. With his current strength, at least, he would amount to nothing.
Leylin had always stood by the motto that one could only accept responsibility equivalent to their strength. That was how he had been able to live till now. He knew himself well; the games and contests between the gods and Magus world? Let the higher ranks take care of it. In any case, there were still many Breaking Dawn Monarchs in the central continent!
Rejecting the burly man's sincere attempts at urging him to stay, Leylin travelled through the astral plane, instantly arriving back at Phosphorescence Swamp.
Blue light flashed, and Leylin's figured broke through the enormous astral gate.
"The feeling of long-distance teleportation is really…" Leylin shook his head and laughed. The spatial pressure that had almost killed him while he was at rank 2 was like a cool breeze to him right now, not affecting him much.
"Welcome home, master!" A green elf similar to the tower genie from before flapped its wings and flew above Leylin.
"En!" Leylin nodded. The A.I. Chip linked with it, and he then knew all the recent events in the Magus Tower like the back of his hand.
The large astral gate behind him stopped humming, and the light from the blue flames above it began to fade.
After the light completely dissipated, the astral gate returned to its state of an unadorned stone gate. The teleportation from the Morning Star area required the astral gates of both sides to be linked simultaneously. Leylin had obviously entrusted this task to his loyal tower genie.
"You did well!" Leylin nodded in praise.
"It's my honour to serve master!" The tower genie had inherited the A.I. Chip's partial intelligence, and had an icy expression. There were no fluctuations in its voice.
Leylin had long since gotten used to this. After all, one could not have very high expectations of a program. He was pragmatic; it would never betray him due to the A.I. Chip's commands, and that was what was important!
Outside the astral gate were many laboratories and binding rooms. A few terrifying adamantine and mithril puppets, even Void Assassins on occasion, would appear in the corner every once in a while.
Streams of black air seemed to constantly flow down the walls on both sides, bringing with them a mysterious lustre and colour, causing the decorative oil paintings to change slightly.
This was the inner section of Leylin's Magus Tower. With his own participation, as well as the 'selfless' financial aid from the Oakheart Clan, the construction was already completed.
On top of that, the other party had supplied a large amount of astral stones and helped Leylin build an astral gate of his own, the one he had just exited.
Based on the intelligence he had, the Oakheart Clan had practically exhausted their reserves and even sold off many properties to build the tower and gate. It was a huge setback for them.
Leylin obviously cared little about this. Instead, he was very satisfied with this Morning Star Magus Tower.
Furthermore, with the influence from his radiation, the entire Magus Tower had somewhat gained a life of its own. The tower body was now very harmonious, and automatically generated a few shadow servants, dark serpent tentacles and the like, perfecting the defensive abilities of the building.
Suddenly recalling something, Leylin told the tower genie, "Tell your mistress that I'm back, and that I plan to have dinner with her tonight!"
"Your will shall be carried out!" The tower genie bowed, and quickly retreated.
Evening, in the hall of the Magus Tower. There were brilliant lights and vibrant colours everywhere. A few high-ranked Warlock maids who were lucky enough to be selected to enter the Magus Tower were tense as they worked busily, laying the long dining table with intricate gold and silver cutlery, candles, and the like.
While everything was completed with nervousness, Leylin held Freya's hand and walked in slowly.
"Your Grace! My Lady!" A few maids immediately bowed to Leylin and the woman at his side.
Beside him was obviously Freya of the Blood Serpent Family. She had married Leylin years ago, and now dressed like a noble. She looked very poised, and had an inborn noble temperament, though there was a trace of gloom between her eyebrows.
"I know what you're worrying about…" Leylin couldn't help but console her in a tender manner after noticing it, "But I think there might be a chance for my bloodline to become even more perfect, or perhaps advance to an even more powerful realm. Hence, my bloodline still isn't mature, and the children borne of this will become a regret. None of us want to see this, do we?"
After listening to Leylin's explanation, Freya seemed to feel better, revealing a smile that even enchanted the maids.
Leylin chuckled. His previous words were half-truths.
However, through the Scarlet Crescent ruins as well as the conversation with the Wisdom Tree, he now had an idea as to how he could solve the issue of his bloodline shackles. Hence, he was in no hurry to leave behind children.
If not, he would be harming his own blood.
When he advanced to a higher level, the descendants he had would definitely have a higher starting point and potential. This would be beneficial to both of them, and even if Freya were puzzled by this, Leylin would still persist.
"I'll listen to you!" Freya pursed her lips and laughed, and then got Leylin to sit.
Within the Ouroboros Clan, Leylin was an existence that could hide anything from the masses. His will was the will of all the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks in the Ouroboros Clan. Freya naturally did not say more.
Furthermore, in the deepest part of her heart, she was very trusting of Leylin; this would affect the Farlier Family, after all.
"By the way, how are Parker and Faisal? And Snoopy too; was his trip to the Demon Garden successful?"
Leylin spoke to Freya while eating the delicacies that the chefs had thoughtfully prepared. Most of the time, he was the one asking the questions, while Freya answered.
When the heartwarming dinner was over, and while Leylin was enjoying his black tea, Freya finally asked, "Leylin… How long are you going to stay here this time?"
A trace of anticipation flashed in her pupils.
"Probably longer. The missions from before are finished, and there are still a few experiments that have to be done in the Magus Tower…"
Leylin began to speak endlessly while beating around the bush. Freya's palms were under her chin and her eyes were full of worship, almost emitting stars as she smiled gently and listened.
*Ka-cha!* This comforting moment did not continue for long before it was interrupted. When the sound of glass breaking was heard from Freya's body, her expression changed drastically.
"This is the necklace Mentor, Duke Emma left for me. Inside is a thread of her soul flame!"
Freya yanked out a platinum necklace that had a large blue gem at the center. The blood-red flames leapt out, but at this moment seemed to have withered.
-x-X-x-
The spiritual flame of a Morning Star Magus had an intricate relationship with their body. Its strength also reflected the time the Magus had remaining.
That Freya's necklace had encountered such a situation meant the original body of Blood Duchess Emma had likely been dealt severe damage in the foreign world.
Trauma would weaken a Magus' vitality, which in turn caused such a change in the spiritual flame they left behind.
"Mentor… Mentor!" Freya's eyes turned red as she covered her mouth, but Leylin's secret imprint twinkled before he could try to console her.
"Yes, Faisal?" Leylin frowned as he tapped the secret imprint open.
"Your Grace, my Mentor… the spiritual flame of the First Elder was extinguished a minute ago…" Faisal's voice was husky. It was as if his heart had sunk, and he was feeling hopeless.
"Extinguished?" Leylin touched his chin. If the spiritual flame had been extinguished, the Morning Star Warlock's originally body must have perished.
The only thing that supported the First Elder's group was that he was still alive. There was still hope for them to return from the foreign world.
And now, that final hope had been shattered. Faisal's change was understandable.
"But what happened? Wasn't it all good until now?" Leylin felt puzzled, it seemed like a conspiracy was afoot.
Another connection request came up before Leylin could end Faisal's secret imprint call, and Kesha's panicked voice sounded out.
"Leylin! Leylin!" She called his name directly, forgetting about his current status. It showed how desperate she was.
"What happened?" The ominous feeling in Leylin's heart grew stronger.
"... Forgive me, Your Grace!" Kesha paused to correct her misbehaviour before continuing, "It's Mentor. The spiritual flame Duke Gilbert left behind has grown extremely unstable, and is flickering strongly. I… I'm very worried…"
"I got it!" Leylin nodded, and his voice turned serious and solemn, "Pass down my orders, all Crystal Phase Warlocks are to report to the meeting room. We might be in trouble..."
The Warlock elites were now congregated here instead of residing in their own territories. Since they were all in Phosphorescence Swamp, they could gather immediately after Leylin's orders were passed.
Leylin reckoned that these people would not have come so fast if it was not related to their teachers.
"Duke Farlier!" The panic-stricken Warlocks calmed a little upon seeing Leylin dressed in his huge robe.
"Please, sit down and be at ease!" Leylin sat at the head chair. With his battle experience, he had long since acquired a dignified aura that turned the meeting room solemn.
"Thank you, Your Grace!" A number of Crystal Phase Magi bowed and settled down in order.
By virtue of being his wife, Freya occupied the seat next to Leylin, a fact that left some of the rest in envy.
Leylin sighed while looking at the handful of Crystal Phase Warlocks in an upright position. The last war had caused tremendous loss to the Ouroboros Clan, and the loss of their elite forces was especially tough to recover from.
It would take at least a few hundred years for them to recover to peak condition.
"Schadt, report!" Leylin said after glancing across everyone and called for Schadt only when everyone settled down.
"Master!" Schadt wiped off the fog that was on his thick spectacles, bowing to Leylin immediately after he stood up. He spoke in a dignified manner, "The spiritual flames of the elders that we'd kept in our technical department started fluctuating vigorously 24 minutes ago, and the First Elder's has completely died out. I'm afraid that…"
Leylin too felt somewhat frustrated and aggrieved. After all, this was the fall of another Morning Star Warlock.
Even though Schadt did not continue his words, Faisal and one of the Crystal Phase Warlocks had lowered their heads. Losing the First Elder was definitely a huge blow to their morale.
"I've asked the other two Morning Star seeds as well. It's not just a single spiritual flame that flickered, it's all of them. The other two elders must be in the same plight as the First Elder in the foreign world…"
There was not much to say for now. After Schadt sat down, the rest of the Warlocks placed their focus on Leylin.
Upon seeing their reaction, Leylin cleared his throat, "Schadt, have the coordinates of the foreign world been confirmed?"
"My apologies! The technical department and I have been working on this problem endlessly. There are two possible coordinates on our list, I will send them to you after this!"
A tinge of shame surfaced on Schadt's face. This incident was a humiliation to the entire technical department. They had been overconfident and bragged that they were going to solve the problem in a few days' time, but took them nearly five years. It was such a dereliction of their duty.
The Crystal Phase Warlock who had tears in the eyes just like Faisal slammed the table and shouted, "Schadt, you old fogey! Are you pulling strings and intentionally not revealing the coordinates of the foreign world?"
The moment he heard these words, Schadt fumed with rage. "Nonsense! I vow in the name of everyone in the technical department, never have I orchestrated something like that!"
Before, he'd suffered in silence because it had been difficult for him to locate the coordinates. Afterwards, there seemed to be another strange interference that added to the complexity, leaving him grasping at his hair.
'Could it be the interference of another organisation that is not eager to see our Dukes being saved?' A thought surfaced in Schadt's mind, but was quickly suppressed as it was too sinister a plot.
However, Faisal remained silent. Hid reaction affirmed the Warlock's suspicion, but before he could snarl at him, Faisal dragged his arm with force.
"What the hell are you doing, Faisal!" The Crystal Phase Warlock growled.
"Watch your manners, Marquis Ordofol!" Faisal's voice was equally low, but it carried within an undeniable order.
"I'm sorry, I acted out of line! Please forgive me, Marquis Schadt!" The Warlock's face blushed, but he stilled apologised to Schadt and bowed to Leylin who was in the head seat, "Please forgive me, Your Grace!"
"Never mind!" Leylin waved and stared at Faisal with intrigue until sweat glided down his cheeks.
Leylin took a last look at the Warlocks before he spoke in a low voice, "I have come to a decision, I will set off tomorrow to rescue the Elders!"
There was a minute of pause, which then quickly recovered as excitement and joy could be seen in everyone's eyes.
Still, they did not dare to show their emotions. They kept reminding Leylin not to fall for tricks.
"My dear…" After all the Crystal Phase Warlocks had been dismissed, only Freya was left behind, her eyes filled with worry.
Emma was her Mentor, but Leylin was her dearest husband. This situation was complicated, like a spider web that pulled her heart apart.
At last, she asked, "This time round… is it going to be dangerous?"
"Yes, there will be danger, but it's a chance too! Trust me, I'll bring your mentor back!" Leylin gave Freya a reassuring, heart-warming smile.
Seeing Leylin with such confidence, Freya felt more at ease. However, she had missed the trace of complication in Leylin's eyes.
After returning to the Magus Tower, Leylin went straight to the astral gate and fell into deep thought.
"This time... I'm afraid that I really have to make the trip!" Leylin was very clear on the fact that there were voices asking for his help being circulated in the Ouroboros Clan, and they had grown stronger now.
He had suppressed these messages as long as he could. He had to do something now, otherwise the entire Ouroboros Clan might fall apart.
Luckily, he had already gotten what he wanted during this period of time. Even if the other two Morning Star Warlocks returned, his power in the clan was unshakeable.
Also, Leylin was not too worried about the trip as he had already formed a more complete strategy after getting to know the existence of the puppetmaster behind the scene.
...
Almost at the same time, high up on a throne that was made from eternal darkness and rumbling thunder.
The rank 5 Magus that had a moon rune on his forehead was exchanging thoughts with someone through telepathy.
"How are things going with the Ouroboros Clan?"
"Everything has been prepared and we are ready to take action! As long the opponent enters the foreign world, we can block him completely from this world and wipe out the entire Ouroboros Clan!"
"You disappointed me the last time. I do not wish to see it again!" The Radiant Moon Magus warned with great dignity.
"There is no need to worry, Master!" The Morning Star conscient dispersed on its own, and the Radiant Moon Magus sat still in the throne, pondering.
"Was it really that kiddo in the ruins of Scarlet Crescent? What an interesting pup!" A mysterious voice sounded in the air, but the Radiant Moon Magus did not seem surprised at all.
"I wasn't quite confident, but Siebel's already dead; he's the most suspicious!" Radiant Moon Magus spoke in a cold tone, "I have to get him!"
"He's just a Kemoyin Serpent Warlock, even if he had any trump cards, the bloodline shackles will be his Achilles heel!" the mysterious voice sounded in disdain.
-x-X-x-
"Mmm!"
The Radiant Moon Magus nodded his head, and he suddenly felt a lot less uncertain. "That's right! Even though the rascal has immense, inexplicable strength, the bloodline shackles will be enough to stunt his growth. Kemoyin Warlocks can reach the peak of rank 4 at best, after which he won't have any room to grow…"
"Keke… you're right. Who would still care about a rascal that's confined to the Morning Star rank?"
The mysterious voice suddenly changed to that of a lady, gentle and soft. "Your real enemy is…"
"Shut up!" The Radiant Moon Magus who had originally been sitting down stood up abruptly, looking sinister, "Shut your mouth this instant! Don't you know that as long as you mention his name, even if it is unintentional, he will be able to detect it? The power of a King isn't something a person of your lowly status can belittle."
"Fine… but isn't it just a Breaking Dawn Magus?" The female voice replied indignantly, and she felt rather uneasy. It was as if everything that she had said carelessly today was inappropriate. This mysterious intuition had been left behind by the host of the body before her.
"I don't care about who you were before. Now you're but a damaged soul… " The Radiant Moon Magus' voice was cold and assertive.
"But don't we have the same interests currently? I can help you, and in return you can offer me…" The female's voice trailed off...
Leylin did not know explicitly that Jupiter's Lightning's Radiant Moon Magus had already made special arrangements to deal with him, but anyone with a brain would be able to infer it. As a result, he had to make preparations for his imminent trip.
An enormous satellite hung in the sky, looking about to fall at any moment. It was surrounded by a nebula in the vast universe.
"Please take a look at this contract. You can sign here if there are no problems."
Leylin rarely used his real identity, but now he was doing so. He was having a conversation with three other Morning Star Warlocks, with an already drafted contract on the table.
Leylin picked up a cup of coffee and talked to the Warlocks opposite, "During the period of time when I'm away, I would appreciate your help in guarding the Ouroboros Clan in my place. Also, I would like you to prioritise helping my wife Freya and the tower genie should they require any help. Any questions?"
In front of him were Paul, Philip, and another stranger.
Since he was looking for protectors, it was naturally better to rely on allies. There was no need to ponder much about Philip. He had the bloodline of the ancient Wind Wolf, and was hot-blooded. And with respect to Paul, after being taken advantage of by Leylin the previous time he now admired him even more. Based on hi's words, his people respected highly intelligent beings. Leylin immediately thought of the rumours of them being fond of sucking up souls and drinking brain juices, and could not help but shudder. However, since they had already signed the contract, there wouldn't be any issue.
The last Morning Star Warlock was a good friend Leylin had made recently— Mars. With these three in control, the might of the contract as well as the supervision and urging of the Morning Star area, Leylin was rather assured of the safety of the Ouroboros Clan after he left.
Everyone was familiar with each other, and the conditions that Leylin had offered were very generous. Though the terms of the contract were harsh, the three Morning Star Warlocks signed the contract without hesitation.
"Good luck!" Philip patted Leylin's shoulders. Out of the three of them, he was probably the one who hoped the most for Leylin's success.
"Many thanks!" Leylin was comforted as he punched Philip in a friendly manner. Ever since the happenings at Scarlet Crescent, the Wind Wolf Lair had not only lost a Morning Star Warlock, Palesa, their most important fighter Cybel had been beaten down to become a regular Morning Star, and had to withdraw and conceal himself.
A lot of pressure weighed on Philip's shoulders, and Leylin had lent him a hand. This had gained him Philip's gratitude, and the Wind Wolf Warlock now treated Leylin like kin.
These were Philip's words, of course. However, Leylin obviously did not believe that and rolled his eyes in secret.
Of course, the relationship on both ends had gotten increasingly better, and had even surpassed that of Leylin with the Wind Wolf Lair and Spirit Circle. That was the uncontestable truth.
...
Phosphorescence Swamp, within the Morning Star Magus Tower.
After sending everyone away, Leylin came before the astral gate alone.
"Tower genie! Once I leave, seal the Magus Tower immediately. Do not let anyone enter, and await further instructions!" hr instructed. He had prepared a lot of things for this expedition.
This was different from the previous experiments where he just projected spiritual seeds. He was on a rescue mission, and needed to move with his real body. This was extremely dangerous, and he could be completely lost in another world. Hence, the astral gate had to be kept completely safe!
Nobody would trust someone else with a job like this. He could only leave this to the tower genie which had no human emotions.
In actuality, Leylin had prepared another safeguard. Even if this tower genie were rendered ineffective, he wouldn't end up stuck in another world. However, this was one of his deepest secrets, something only he could know.
*Rumble!* With Leylin's order, the Magus Tower shut down, runic chains and defensive layers sealing off each and every pathway. Large numbers of puppets and void assassins with red light in their eyes began to patrol the area rigorously.
"Leylin, you must succeed and come back safely!" Outside the Magus Tower, Freya's hands clutched tightly at her white dress as she prayed in her heart.
Beside her stood Parker, Snoopy and a few other high-ranked Warlocks, all watching the Magus Tower that was being completely shut down. Their expressions were complex.
Leylin obviously did not bother with this. His focus was entirely on the astral gate in front of him.
Leylin had already calculated the coordinates of the world that Gilbert and the other Dukes were lost in long ago. However, this was only for his own consideration, thus he had not announced it and even interfered with Schadt's work in secret. This went on for five years.
Now, it was necessary that he rescue the two Dukes right away.
Apart from Emma, Gilbert was his mentor and had taught him a great many things. The feelings and relationship between them was enough for Leylin to take this risk.
Besides, that was another world!
"Even if it's a trap, they handed over the coordinates of another world!" Leylin was emotional. Even the lowest-grade world was definitely more powerful than a plane! The resources there were plentiful, enough to make Morning Stars and even Radiant Moons go green in envy.
"You didn't mind revealing the coordinates of a world just to trap Mentor and the rest. I wonder what your expression will be like if I completely take control of that world?" A slight smile appeared across Leylin's lips. It was as if he could already see the flustered, exasperated look of the Radiant Moon Magus of Jupiter's Lightning.
A ball of light that looked like a star floated out from Leylin's hands and disappeared into the astral gate.
*Rumble!* Through the connection of the astral gate, Leylin's soul force seemed to come into contact with an extremely complicated and tremendous world.
The aura of sulphur and flames could be seen spilling over in copious amounts at the edges of the world.
The astral stone reserves that acted as the energy core rapidly decreased, almost falling to a level that would issue a warning.
Through some sensing, Leylin could confirm that this world was very far from the Magus World. Just the consumption from opening the astral gate once would leave one tongue-tied and wide-eyed.
"An aura full of flames and sulphur?" Leylin was startled at first, but immediately eased up. "It's no wonder that Mentor and the others mistook this place for Purgatory World. If not for the memories from ancient times, I'd be misled too…"
"Tower genie, maintain the energy reserves required for the astral gate. Be prepared to retrieve us immediately!" Leylin's voice was low.
"Understood!" The tower genie that was like a green elf immediately nodded.
"Prepare for the crossing of the main body," Leylin took in a deep breath. Though he had experienced teleportation to the Morning Star area, the idea of travelling such a long distance still had him slightly worried.
[Beep! Beginning collection of data. Establishing folder in database.] The A.I. Chip immediately intoned. This was very rare, but expected. Even if it was an A.I. Chip, it lacked first-hand research materials, and they could be supplemented at this moment.
"However, using myself as a guinea pig is really rather…" Leylin rolled his eyes. The lights on the astral gate got increasingly brighter until he was eventually swallowed into it.
*Rumble!* The bright tail of a blue beam appeared from the spire of the Magus Tower like an aurora, streaking through the dark skies like a magnificent meteor.
"It's beginning!" Freya's felt her heartstrings tighten.
"It's beginning! Activate interference procedures. Things must be the same as before. Break off all of his communications and make him lose his way as well!"
In a jet black world crack, Collins, who Leylin had seen several times before, was talking to a group of technical staff who were fiddling with some instruments. There was a large amount of data showing up on the screen.
"Energy interference mode activated!"
"Warping forcefield structure completed. Interference can be engaged at any time."
"Energy particles taking form. Beginning tracking of trajectory and intercepting opponent…" Multiple high-ranked Magi acted like the most cautious scientists as they quickly operated the instruments in their hands, reporting various data.
"Good. Begin immediately!" Collins swept his hand down viciously. It was as if he could already imagine Leylin's features contorted by terror, and the pleasure of vengeance immediately flooded his heart. He could not help but burst into laughter.
"We're here!" Even though he was still in the midst of teleportation via the astral gate, Leylin was still clear-headed. The A.I. Chip was now sending him warnings.
[Detected unknown forcefield reaction. Determined to be interference particle ripples!]
"I've been waiting for you!" An intelligent glint flashed in Leylin's eyes.
-x-X-x-
Knowing that it was a trap, those who still jumped straight in were idiots!
Leylin was obviously not an idiot. Since the other party had revealed that they had the ability to interfere with astral gates, Leylin obviously would not ignore them.
In fact, in these five years, he had been silently surveying the other world. He had even attempted projecting spiritual seeds, all in order to thoroughly understand the other party's ability to interfere.
Through the five years of probing that seemed to only last a day, he had long since understood the methods they could use like the back of his hand. He'd even prepared a contingency plan.
"It's offensive pattern number 3. Activate corresponding countermeasures!" Leylin's eyes glinted with intelligence.
[Task initiated. Spatial anchor being projected. Tracing target's coordinates…] The A.I. Chip began to operate methodically.
A layer of mysterious spatial undulations was emanated from Leylin's body.
[Target coordinates have been determined. Proceed with attack?] The A.I. Chip asked with a robotic voice.
"Yes!" A smile appeared about Leylin's lips.
*Bang!* *Boom!* A glass meter exploded, and many pieces of apparatus burst into flames. Collins, who was watching on, was about to go berserk.
"What's going on? Who can tell me what's going on?" Collins roared, his eyes red.
Even Breaking Dawn Magi would find it difficult to obtain this high-grade spatial interference apparatus. This time, so many pieces had readings that went off the charts, and his master would probably murder him.
"The other party seems to have grasped some sort of spatial technique and is counter-attacking!" An old man pushed at the lens in his glasses and concluded.
"Are you kidding me? Do you know how valuable research on spatial techniques is? How did he get it?" Collins' first reaction was that of disbelief.
"But that's the only explanation! If the other party's spatial knowledge reserves are vaster than ours, we'll probably have to be on our guard against the following spatial attacks!" The old man spoke rapidly.
"Spatial attacks?" Collins was stunned, and immediately after, saw the earth-shattering spatial turbulence that submerged the area...
"The effects aren't half bad!" Listening to the prompt from the A.I. Chip, Leylin's mood immediately improved.
Arcane Arts and knowledge regarding spatial coordinates were obviously insanely expensive. They were rarely seen, even in the Morning Star area.
However, he had the A.I. Chip and did not need very complete information. Hence, he had purchased just a few incomplete ones.
Though he could not be considered a great master in this area, attacking a few guys who were similarly newbies wouldn't be a problem.
"You dare—" An enraged voice sounded. Another Magus with a black moon rune on his forehead suddenly appeared at the boundary of the world, trying to intercept Leylin.
"I am your opponent!" Along with the sounds of a lion growling, another Warlock with hair that seemed to be cast out of gold appeared in front of that Magus.
"Wayde…" The Radiant Moon Magus called out in a low tone, his expression revealing his fear.
"The other plan has been launched! Is that the Radiant Moon Magus from Jupiter's Lightning?" Leylin turned and took a glimpse, storing the other party's appearance in his memory.
*Whoosh!* As he was breaking through the protective sphere of a world, enormous astral forces had been activated and Leylin felt himself go dizzy. His body seemed to turn into a streak of light and then completely disappeared.
Compared to a prepared teleportation formation, the strength one required to move freely about the astral plane was much higher.
The huge pressure was as if a slab of steel was pressing down on Leylin's body.
Cold, stifling, frenzied! Leylin immediately felt his bones creaking, and the defensive aurora on his body began to shatter bit by bit.
'Perhaps even the pressure tens of thousands of meters under the sea can't compare to this…' This was the last conscious thought Leylin had. Before he completely fainted, the only thing he could do was to use Multilimb Strength and cover his body with dark green energy.
...
In a world of lava, large crevices could be seen in the earth, magma surging inside like a network of red rivers.
Space distorted on the surface of a large black rock, forming a translucent gate of light. It incessantly generated lightning in the surroundings.
The lightning crashed down more and more frequently as the entire area was filled with a dazzling white light.
*Boom!* The white light exploded, forming an eye-piercing radiance. When all the light vanished, the original gate of light and the lightning had all disappeared, leaving behind only charred traces that recounted the strange events that had just occurred.
"Hah… I've finally entered!" Leylin furrowed his brows, sensing the large amount of fire elemental particles surrounding him. "This concentration… Magi would believe it if someone said this was the fire elemental world!"
Intense pain could be felt from various parts of his body, causing him to groan and bend his back.
"A.I. Chip!" Leylin immediately ordered, "Check my current condition!"
[Beep! Host body's soft tissue damage is at 30.87%. Fractures found at 7 areas, and signs of bruising observed on internal organs. Immediate treatment is recommended!] The A.I. Chip loyally intoned, transmitting a 3D human figure to him. The blue image held many signs of wounds.
Even with Leylin's current vitality, he was still injured to this degree. Other regular Magi would probably have completely disappeared without a trace.
His astonishing vitality and Warlock bloodline were slowly mending the injuries in his body, allowing his tightly furrowed eyebrows to relax.
"That was really dangerous. I almost died outside the protective sphere…" While recalling what had just happened, Leylin couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.
The protective sphere! This was the edge of a world, and even included part of the void. It could be said to be a large world's strongest defence!
In general, every world had this protective sphere, though its strength varied. The most famous protective sphere was probably the World of Gods' crystal wall.
Its powerful isolation ability was enough for even Magi at ranks 7 and above to be forced to return in defeat. It included a large world and various planes, forming the World of Gods' unique culture of strength. It even cut off attempts at peeping from other worlds, save for that one time when the ancient Magi had invaded them.
Before reaching the Lava World, Leylin was able to regain consciousness with the protection of Multilimb Strength, preventing him from being in a bad situation.
If one wanted to use a metaphor, a large world's protective sphere was like customs upon entry to a country. If Leylin had not woken, he would need to force his way in, and would definitely be met with attacks, especially from the malicious intent of the World Will.
The method Leylin had employed this time was akin to slipping through a barrier. He had not been discovered by the World Will, and the focus on him was evidently minimal, which would aid in his later movements.
"And this!" Leylin pulled a silver necklace full of astral light from his neck. After sensing that the connection was undamaged, he could completely relax.
This necklace represented his connection with the astral gate in the Magus world. As long as the connection there was not broken, he could teleport back at any time through the gate.
Right when Leylin had left the Magus world, Collins' attack had been in order to completely cut off this connection, leaving Leylin stranded in another world and unable to find his way home for eternity.
Gilbert and the other two had been defeated using this method.
Of course, Collins had been made a fool of by Leylin, and would probably not be able to emerge for a long time. The largest danger had been obstructed by Wayde, and Leylin finally had some time to do what he wanted.
Saving the two dukes also fit with Leylin's plans for benefits.
After all, he was not strong enough to go head to head against Jupiter's Lightning. He needed a few other people to relieve the pressure, and Gilbert and Emma were very good candidates for this.
Furthermore, Gilbert was Leylin's mentor, not someone he could abandon so easily.
After considering for some time and finding the best way out for himself, Leylin still chose to come forward and save them.
"But… This world is so huge. Where am I to find them?" Leylin watched the lava lake that stretched as far as he could see, as well as the burning clouds in the sky, and couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
[Beep! Testing surroundings…] At this moment, the A.I. Chip immediately projected the analysis of the surroundings before Leylin.
"This…"
Leylin's soul force was sent out to explore, and he immediately sensed the difference from what he was used to. In the Lava World, his spiritual force seemed sluggish, a result of the laws of this world not being harmonious with his own.
"As expected, with a switch in worlds, the dimensions, energy levels and even the the interactions between particles are starkly different. The changes in laws are definitely a huge obstruction to Magi who travel between worlds."
A thread of understanding flashed in Leylin's eyes. This was the precious experience that many ancient Magi had gathered through their blood and sweat.
"Thankfully, I've already condensed my point mass. Soul force is still useful in most worlds, and only needs some slight alterations. If it was still spiritual force, I'm afraid…" Relief rose in Leylin's heart.
Soul force was a high-grade power, and could be used in many worlds. Its practicality trumped that of spiritual force.
Leylin estimated that if he still used spiritual force here, he would probably have to deal with the awkwardness of not fitting in. He might even need to cultivate it from the beginning and turn his spiritual force into the spiritual strength unique to this world. Though there would be no bottleneck, it would definitely require a lot of effort.
Now, with the use of soul force, this issue was mostly solved.
"It's no wonder that ancient Magi placed Morning Star as the minimum rank to attack other worlds. So there's this factor!" Leylin touched his chin.
[Beep! Data on surroundings completely gathered. Generating elemental map. Analysing world's laws. Beginning fine-tuning of host body's soul undulations…]
-x-X-x-
Over five years of progress and the addition of a large amount of information on the soul from Leylin's end that he'd acquired through trade and missions, the A.I. Chip's analysis on the soul had reached a whole new level.
Though it still could not completely enumerate soul force, it was not far from this goal, and could perform many unbelievable deductions and integrations.
Things like altering the soul undulations being emitted by him were only one part of it.
'Mm! The concentration of fire elemental particles is the highest here. If I modify the spell models of the Magus World, I might achieve an even more astounding bonus to my power!' Leylin touched his chin and watched the elemental map, his eyes glowing.
Meanwhile, his aura had already begun to change. A dim layer of light flickered into existence and quickly covered his body. The entire space seemed to distort for a while, but at the same time, it seemed as if nothing had happened.
Leylin suddenly sighed deeply, and his body seemed to incorporate itself seamlessly into the surroundings.
"I've finally rid myself of that feeling of being spied on! World Will…" he sighed, tone showing his relief. "Luckily, the protector of this world is similar to the consciousness of Gaia, and not some living being. If not, I wouldn't have been able to dupe them so easily…"
After travelling to another world, there was an issue of how to deal with the ill intent from the world.
The undulations of Morning Star Magi were as obvious as a lit torch in the darkness. It would definitely attract the attention of the world, and things would be even more troublesome in a world that was not their own.
If he completely infuriated the World Will, it was like inviting a god of death to his side. It would bring about unceasing bad luck.
Even Morning Star Magi would be played to death, forget anyone else.
Leylin's aura changed, and he was now just like the occupants of this world, not standing out in the least.
"This way, I have completely descended into this world. I wonder where Mentor Gilbert and the others are…" Leylin furrowed his eyebrows, and a tremendous and terrifying soul force was sent out to scan the surrounding areas.
Though soul force had no form and was intangible, the instant a Morning Star power exploded, the entire space would seem to halt, and even the lava would stop roaring.
The world was a fiery red! With the spread of his soul force, he could see much more of the lava river network. This place seemed like it was near a crater, with practically no signs of life.
The reason why he said there was practically none, was because Leylin had found a plant.
This was a plant similar to a Black Metal tree. The roots were fixed firmly in the ground, almost entering the lava, and the whole trunk had a black luster. Even the high temperature of the lava did not cause this tree to wither at all.
"At least there's some signs of life, or else I'd have assumed only elemental beings could survive in this world…" Leylin nodded, but his expression suddenly changed as he glanced in a direction.
There, he had keenly felt the undulations of some being, and it was a large one at that!
"The aboriginals?" Leylin chuckled. His body merged into the air, and began to move in the direction that the energy had come from.
Not long after, he reached his destination and watched a large battle.
At one side of the battlefield was a group of beings, each two to three metres tall and looking similar to humans. Even when boiling hot lava made contact with their glistening black skin, it did not result in a large reaction, which meant their resistance to heat was very high. They also had a single little horn on their heads.
There were about ten or so one-horned beings, holding black lances and other weapons as they surrounded and attacked a giant monster.
This monster was completely red. There was a thick layer of rocks on its body that looked like a shell, lines of lava flowing down like little streams.
It was ten or so metres tall, looking like a large worm with its lower body submerged in lava. It seemed to be a being that lived only within the lava.
*Pak!* With a ferocious sweep, several of the one-horned beings were flung away, and the creature spat out a golden liquid from its mouth. The liquid was of an unbelievably high temperature, and the moment the liquid landed on the ground, it began to burn fiercely. Even the one-horned beings were in trouble, and those that had the golden liquid splashed on them immediately showed signs of burns appearing on their bodies.
"Kkngsg_fkamg-..." The few leaders of the one-horned race immediately began to yell using a very strange method. They did not seem to employ vocal chords, instead making sounds directly from the lower abdomen. It was similar to the ventriloquists from his previous world.
"As expected, I can't understand it at all…" Leylin was speechless, but luckily, issues like this were not a huge problem. Secretly following them for a period of time and having the A.I. Chip analyse their language would work, but Leylin had an even better method.
*Whoosh!* A thread of dim soul force quickly disappeared into the head of a one-horned being who was heavily injured.
"Ugh…" That one-horned being began to struggle vigorously, and yet could only whimper uselessly. His fellow clansmen thought he was crying out in pain, and hence this did not arouse their interest.
Meanwhile, images flashed in front of Leylin's eyes like in a movie.
Soon enough, this being's entire life was presented before Leylin, from his birth, including his growth, to his death. Everything was clearly recorded by the A.I. Chip.
[Beep! Identified unnamed language. Saving in database!]
[Beep! Generated map of vicinity, as well as basic information on Lava World and the races…]
From the great amount of memories, the A.I. Chip had found much useful information and began to organise them systematically, sorting them into the corresponding fields of knowledge.
"Good! Set the name of this unnamed language as 'Lava Language' and transmit it to my memories!" Leylin immediately used this function.
In less than a second, Leylin had learnt the language of this world. Though they had different bodies, that was a problem easily solved by magic and some illusions.
Only at this point did the meaning of the yells of those one-horned beings emerge in Leylin's mind accurately.
"Wook'ma, leave!" A being with a body larger than the rest of the one-horned clansman stood in front of the lava worm, pushing a one-horned being with a smaller stature away.
*Chik chik…* The giant lava worm roared, opening its mouth and swallowing this one-horned being.
The one-horned being called Wook'ma was stunned as she sat on the ground, eyes losing their focus.
"Damn it, Wook'la's finished. The ceremony is a failure. How were we so unlucky as to encounter a lava worm?"
The other one-horned beings' faces were filled with remorse, and one of them began to curse, "It must have something to do with Klin clan. When the time comes, I'll definitely kill them…"
Hearing this, bitter laughs sounded from the other one-horned beings. In this situation, being able to survive was already a luxury. What was the point of saying things like that?
The terrifying spit of the lava worm had already reached Wook'ma, and it was much too late for rescue attempts. A few of these clansmen closed their eyes, unable to watch.
Wook'ma had only just grown to adulthood, and was usually a passionate, bright child. To think she would die here… A few other young clansmen were already roaring while they pounced forward.
*Roar!* The expected pain did not come, and Wook'ma opened her eyes curiously, finding a strange being in front of her.
This being looked very strange. He had no horns, no black skin, and physically looked small. He looked about the size of a three or four year old in the clan.
However, it was this small figure that had easily blocked the attack of the lava worm, and from the opponent's howls, there was a trace of… fear?
Yes, Wook'ma was sure of it. The powerful lava worm was actually afraid of this little thing.
"Are you alright?" The weird being in front of her spoke, using the language of her tribe. Wook'ma naturally understood.
"I- I'm fine! Are you of the ant tribe? Though you don't have their feelers, your skin colour and physique match!" Wook'ma seemed to have forgotten the danger in front of her and began to strike up a conversation with Leylin.
Leylin was speechless at the actions of this tribe, and instead exerted strength in his arms.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!* A giant red hand that was ten or so metres long fished the lava worm up easily. Its five fingers exerted a force one by one, causing the lava worm to roar in pain.
Layer after layer of rock fragments peeled off and fell from its body, and by the time the magma armour had disappeared, its physique had obviously become much smaller. Even its aura had strangely weakened.
"Hm? Interesting." Leylin watched the magma shell dropping off. The golden liquid from before was transported through a series of complicated pathways through which its effects were amplified, turning from ordinary lava to the powerful golden lava.
"An amplification spell formation? But I don't see any resemblance to one…" Leylin's eyes shone with interest, the large hand exerting more force. More layers fell from the lava worm's body.
Yet another layer of magma fell, and the lava worm was now only two or three metres long. Its aura suddenly weakened till it could not match up to the most ordinary one-horned clansmen.
'A.I. Chip, remember these patterns!' Leylin secretly commanded. There were many paths and research methods in these other worlds, and also ample experimental materials. All of these were things that Magi would go berserk over, and also one of the main reasons they were willing to risk death to explore other worlds.
*Boom!* The last of the magma slid off, and the lava worm that had seemed enormous had turned into a fat, meaty worm that was just over a metre long.
-x-X-x-
"Thank you for saving Wook'ma, revered Powerful One!"
Rather than the young female, two other one-horned beings came forward with their right arm on their chest, doing a strange action.
"May I know the Powerful One's name?"
Leylin noticed an investigative glint that had been concealed well in their eyes. There were even traces of suspicion, but he had already come up with a plan.
"I am Ley, of the winged people! I am currently travelling to learn more about different cultures, so there is no need to thank me. The great will of lava was the one who orchestrated all this…"
With the memories of that one-horned tribal, Leylin's speech was just like that of the Lava World's aboriginals, and his disguise was seamless.
The so-called winged people were a shield Leylin had found for himself.
Through the other party's memories, he had found that all the different races of Lava World looked totally different from regular Wooks, and only the winged people tribe were somewhat similar. As for the wings? With his skills in magic as a Morning Star, creating two wings was too simple.
"So you are a friend of the winged tribe! Welcome to the Blazing Thorn Land!"
The winged people were a peace-loving minority in the Lava World. They were usually scattered throughout the land, and did not cause any trouble with any large organisations. Hence, these two one-horned beings, even if they didn't let their guards down completely, lost a lot of their suspicion. They invited Leylin enthusiastically to a city nearby to rest.
Leylin, who had other intentions, naturally rejected them for a while, before going with the situation and agreeing.
Overjoyed, the two clansmen immediately used whatever they had at hand and conducted a banquet in Leylin's honour.
What surprised Leylin the most was that their meal today was the lava worm. It had to be said that when one repressed the disgust at placing the lava worm's meat in their mouth, the expected terrible taste did not appear. The meat was actually similar to chicken, and also had a fragrant and sweet juice; it was a rare delicacy.
This was especially true in the Lava World. Food that had high water content was actually one of the rarest ingredients!
"Lord Ley, thank you so much! Also…" Wook'ma thanked Leylin with a tone full of admiration, passing over a large portion of the meat of the worm.
"What is it?" Leylin answered, finding the situation funny.
"May… May I see your… wings? I've heard that the wings of the winged people are the most beautiful things in the world!" Wook'ma's eyes were full of admiration, but that only had Leylin feeling like laughing and crying at the same time.
"The most beautiful? I'm afraid us winged people can't take that title, but I can fulfill your request." Leylin nodded, not caring if this was just the pure fantasies of a little girl, or if someone was trying to sound him out.
After he stood up, the clothes on his back tore open, revealing a pair of large, snow-white wings. When spread out, they were a good four or five metres long, and the wings that looked like that of an angel wrapped Leylin within. At the edges of these fine, pure white feathers, there were traces of a golden luster.
'With this appearance, I could even pretend to be an angel in my previous world…' Leylin thought with a laugh. At the same time, he saw that behind Wook'ma, who looked full of admiration, the other two one-horned clansmen were surprised.
Based on their previous conversation, Leylin knew that one was called Wook'e, and the other was Wook'bor. They were part of the largest one-horned clan nearby, the Wook Clan.
In the Lava World, matured one-horned clansmen had to hunt for food by themselves, a rite of passage.
However they had been unlucky, or rather been plotted against. That was why they had encountered a lava worm, and an enraged one at that. If not for Leylin acting, these people might all have died here.
"Mister Ley, I heard that you're a traveller. Can you tell me stories about other places?" Wook'ma's hands were under her chin as she laid on her stomach in front of Leylin like a curious baby.
Combined with her almost three-metre-tall stature and horn, she gave off an appearance that would scare any regular child into crying in his previous world. The contrast was stark.
"This… Please wait for a while. I still want to discuss something with your uncles!" Leylin smiled. All the information he had obtained had come from the unlucky guy who had died. If he was asked about some other matters, that might expose his identity, and he had hence quickly changed the subject.
"Alright! Wook'ma, go to bed. We still have things to discuss with Mister Ley!"
Wook'e stood up. He sent the pouting Wook'ma away and chuckled, finding this embarrassing, "My apologies, Mister Ley, she's only a child!"
"Indeed, I don't blame her," Leylin shook his head. The glint from his eyes made the two clansmen afraid to look him in the eye. "But… Why did you try to probe me?"
"Nothing gets past Mister!" Wook'e and Wook'bor exchanged a glance and began laughing wryly.
The blazing bonfire gradually died out, and only the red lava river in the distance slowly emitted dark red rays. The flickering flames covered the faces of these beings, giving a feeling of light and darkness being unable to be determined.
Leylin, who was listening to these two speak, also had a grim expression as he nodded or shook his head from time to time, looking to be deep in thought.
...
The next day, Wook'e and Wook'bor announced that Leylin would temporarily join and return with them. This immediately resulted in many cheers, with Wook'ma's the loudest.
Seeing Wook'e and Wook'bor's confident expressions, Leylin had the urge to laugh.
Last night, they had told him about some conflict between organisations and some persecution they were facing. Though Leylin had not understood much, nor could he be bothered to, his expression looked like he understood completely. His outward hatred immediately netted a favourable opinion from these two.
From the looks of it, they seemed to think of him as a reliable power. Or rather… as a saviour of sorts?
Leylin found this hilarious, but had to endure it.
"Mister Ley, what are you thinking about…" Wook'ma immediately began to cling to him, and Leylin pressed against his forehead with nothing to say.
Leylin could work independently and find where the large creatures gathered, searching the strongest one's soul and therefore obtaining more information in a convenient manner. However, this would cause a huge ruckus and arouse needless suspicion, as well as the attention from the world's will. The cons outweighed the pros.
Even without attention from the world's will, the Lava World was a world and definitely had someone with a battle might of at least the Morning Star realm. The moment he besieged and enraged large powers, even Leylin could not be certain he would be able to escape safely.
His motive was to save the two Kemoyin Dukes, which was why he had to maintain a low profile until he found them.
Though this method of blending in was slightly troublesome, the advantage was the safety, and there weren't any loopholes.
What allowed Leylin to feel at ease was that time flowed different in other worlds and in the Magus World. One year might have passed in the Magus World while only a month or even a few days had passed here, which was why he still had plenty of time.
"Since Jupiter's Lightning set up a trap here, they must have found this world's coordinates long ago and occupied an area here…"
Leylin's thoughts began to gain clarity.
"Perhaps even that Radiant Moon Magus has quite a few clones here in charge. They might have set up some traps and are waiting for me to get caught, which is why I can't make mistakes…"
After following the group for a few days, a silhouette of a black city could be seen in the distance.
That was a giant city of rock. Whether it was the houses or city walls, they were all made of giant black boulders. Though the city wall was low, the men of another race who were standing tall above it were robust and valiant.
"We're home!" Many single-horned clansmen immediately cheered, but at the thought of their siblings who had died, they could not help but begin to lower their heads and weep.
...
'This is a place where intelligent beings gather, but my soul force has yet to make any discoveries of them…' His concealed soul force swept through the place, but Leylin's expression did not change despite his sighing inside.
In a palace constructed of large black rocks, Leylin saw the leader of the one-horned race's Wook Clan. These leaders were usually called the "Intellectual One."
"Revered Intellectual One, please accept the blessings of a guest from far away!" Following custom, Leylin placed a few portions of lava worm meat in front of a wrinkled one-horned being as a gift.
At this moment, only the two of them were in the large palace. Wook'e and the rest had long since hurried back.
"Lava worm? These beings usually like to stay in lava and seldom come out. After being aggravated, they will explode with terrifying lava attacks. It's all thanks to you that Wook'ma and the rest could return safely!"
The elderly Intellectual One nodded, grabbing at the lava worm and beginning to eat without reservations. Juice splashed everywhere and fell from the corner of its mouth, droplets landing on the straw mat.
This was a tradition of the one-horned race. Enjoying the gift in front of the guest was a sign of respect.
Leylin appeared to be sitting at a side respectfully, though in actuality, his soul force had already covered the surroundings.
"This intellectual being has pretty good abilities, at the strength of a rank 1 or 2 Magus. It's a pity that it's still too weak…"
The old one-horned clansman obviously did not notice Leylin's gaze that held pity, and when it was done with the meal, it touched its lips. "Well then, is there anything I can help you with? Just say the word!"
"Of course! I have a difficult problem that I need your help with…" Leylin smiled slowly while softly stating his request.