Chapter 1719 - WMW 93

"What's most important now is to figure out the general geography of Purgatory World!"

Leylin's face was extremely solemn, hidden beneath the Mask of the Dreamless. He only had about two years left, and the Purgatory World had quite a few continents. He had to determine where the Snake Dowager was. If she'd gone to another continent, it would take years of journeying to find her, which was something he just would not accept.

"It's a pity that those merfolk sailors aren't that intelligent, and even the Beholder didn't seem to be very knowledgeable. In order to gain more precise information, I'd have to rely on the concealed rank 3 Magus…"

*Knock knock!* At this moment, the door was lightly rapped.

"Come in!"

"My Lord!" The merperson from before reservedly bowed towards Leylin, "Esteemed guest, Lord Geiger Dole has invited you to dinner with him!"

'Dinner?' Leylin grew slightly confused by that. It seemed like the healing process he'd gone through had taken quite a bit of time.

"Of course, let us be off!" However, he reacted in time. This Geiger Dole should be the powerful being he'd sensed on the ship before. With his identity as one who gave the orders, he should have great understanding of the Purgatory World.

Leylin had now recovered about half of his original strength, which was enough for him to take control of the fleet of ships and even search the soul of the rank 3 Magus.

However, this was the Purgatory World. Leylin needed to keep a low profile, and the bloodline force he had as a Warlock was best not exhibited.

If not, the chances of the Snake Dowager finding him would be increased by a great extent, which would be very disadvantageous for him.

Besides, now that his safety was guaranteed, Leylin was willing to provide something of equal value to these people who had helped him, in exchange for what he wanted.

Whatever it was, using violence to solve problems might be simple at the beginning, but it was easy to get addicted to this method, resulting in the firm mindset of using violence for all situations. Leylin felt that he hadn't gotten to that point yet, but it was necessary that he change.

"My lord, please come with me!" The merperson led the way respectfully, while Leylin followed behind at an average pace while speaking once in while.

Most of the time, Leylin was the one asking questions while the other party answered. It didn't seem abrupt at all, as if he trusted Leylin and even bared his soul without reservations.

Occasionally using dreamforce and all sort of confusion techniques didn't make Leylin feel the least bit ashamed.

It was a pity that the merfolk weren't that intelligent and information about their world was less important than filling their stomachs.

Hence, Leylin heard things like "the meals of the basic sailor aren't that tasty. That kelp should be fed to Beagle Beasts!", "The caviar of the Liszt Fish is the best!" "The large Tamaha Spur Octopus during the flood season have the most tender flesh!" and similar information, which rendered Leylin speechless.

"These merfolk probably have gotten off their ship once or twice. They move about only on the ship!" Leylin clutched his forehead, giving up on conversing with him further to gain intel.

"Looks like if I want to do anything, I'll need to deal with that Beholder…"

With this thought, Leylin followed the merperson to the top-most floor in the hold of the ship.

A scarlet carpet, white tablecloth, silver tableware and a candle holder had Leylin feeling like he'd returned to Earth and its aristocracy.

The four walls with decorations used by different races as well as this person of another race at the main seat reminded Leylin that this was Purgatory World.

"Hehe… welcome, Exemplary from afar! I am Geiger's father, and my name is rather long, so just call me Geiger Dole…"

Sitting at the head of the table was a large Beholder. Compared to Geiger, the body of this Beholder was even larger. Some of the tendrils on the ground were snow-white, and seemed to be ageing.

However, the dense spiritual force undulations that it emitted showed that it had reached peak rank 3 if using the rating of the Magus World.

"Greetings, Geiger Dole. I am 'Ley'. Thank you so much for your help!" Leylin introduced himself, and then sat at the other side of the table.

"A spiritual energy that isn't half bad. Such purity means there's a possibility of developing into soul force, which seems quite similar to the Spirit-Sucking Creature in the legends…"

Leylin sized it up, realising that the spiritual energy it emitted was different than that in the Magus World.

"The owner of our Eden trading company is a very benevolent and just sage. I imagine they would not mind us saving you. On the contrary, if they were to find out that we had met someone in need and ignored them, they would probably get mad!"

Geiger Dole, who was in the middle, chuckled and then transmitted a spiritual force undulation, "Serve the dishes!"

A few female merfolk from the kitchen carefully walked out holding earthen jars that emitted heat. One of them stood beside Leylin and placed the head of the jar towards Leylin's silver bowl, beginning to pour.

"This…"

Leylin was slightly disconcerted. Seeing this dish that he had no clue was soup or the main course, he began to hesitate slightly.

In front of him was clearly soup. Amidst the dense and creamy light green soup were reddish and white eyeballs floating.

These eyeballs' shape and size were similar to humans, and Leylin frowned slightly.

"A.I. Chip, scan!"

A flicker of blue appeared in Leylin's eyes and quickly scanned the soup in front of him.

[Beep! Scan completed. Derived composition: Protein, glutamic acid, high-energy albumin. Unknown trace element determined to be from the eyes of a physically large tribe. Great effects in regaining energy and can restore some spiritual force.]

"What? Dear guest of mine, do you not like it?" The Beholder Geiger Dole opposite him ate with gusto, its many tendrils agilely using the ladle and making slurping sounds.

"The Merfolk Eyeball Soup from the Deep Gem Coral Sea is quite famous…"

"Oh, I was just wondering about that!" Leylin laughed and scooped up some soup. No matter what the taste was like, it would at least give him nutrition and help him restore spiritual force, which was not bad.

"Could it be because it has such a large eyeball that it has a huge desire for the eyes of other creatures?"

Seeing how the other party was devouring the food, Leylin judged him silently.

With the dinner, time passed quickly. Leylin and Geiger Dole chatted.

While conversing, Leylin astutely found that Geiger Dole had secretly made inquires and spied on his history, and had even set up discreet spells that would detect lies.

Leylin could understand where it was coming from, since it was strange for there to suddenly be a strange being in the middle of the deep ocean.

However, what kind of wily old fox was Leylin? He not only did not reveal his past but spoke in a roundabout way, obtaining much information from it.

After the dinner, Leylin returned to his room and closed the cabin door.

"A.I. Chip, how is it?"

Immediately after, Leylin half-lay on the bed and closed his eyes, silently communicating with the A.I. Chip.

[Beep! Conversation from before has been recorded. Deleted 68.23% of useless portions and obtained definite intel. Beginning reorganisation.]

Soon enough, a 3D projection of the map was projected into Leylin's mind.

As he had been able to see a rough outline from outside the barrier to the world, the map was now more intricate with information from Geiger Dole, and even the precise scale had been obtained.

There were seven gigantic continents in Purgatory World. Each had an area as large as the Magus World's central continent. Between each continent, there was an enormous sea, and there large organisations within the sea that even rank 6 Magi did not dare intrude on.

Around the continents and sea were a series of small islands that were like gems and pearls on beaches, decoration for the ocean.

[Determined host's location!]

Nearby the hail continent, a blue shipping route had been clearly marked out. The area where the route began was where Leylin was situated, marked with a red dot.

At the heart of the shipping route was a fragmented mark of an island, as well as a sign with Magus letters— Elias Port.

"The hail continent?" Leylin stroked his chin and sunk into deep thought.

"Based on what Geiger Dole said, the hail continent is land governed by another race filled with barrenness and primitivism. Many areas still have yet to develop and find joy in killing as well as giving up offerings."

"On the Hail continent, there is one species with the most beings around, and that is the high-energy snakes! It's rumoured that deep inside hail continent, there are temples for all snakes!"

"If I didn't guess wrong, the Hail Continent should be the Snake Dowager's territory!"

Leylin's eyes suddenly sparkled with light.

While traversing through the world barrier, he intentionally moved based on his bloodline and landed near his bloodline source. It seemed that while he was slightly off, he wasn't that off.

If not, if he were to land on some other continent, Leylin would just die of tears if he had to travel such a distance.

Meanwhile, Leylin was pondering other things that Geiger Dole had mentioned.

"Based on what it said, there is a 'dignitary' leader on each continent. They have the power to destroy the continent and are worshipped by all races and turned into a religion of sorts! The Beholder tribe evidently worship the ancient Trial's Eye…"

Leylin thought to himself.

-x-X-x-

As its World's Will was in disorder, the Purgatory World was a very suitable place for powerful existences from other worlds to migrate to and settle in easily.

From the distant past to the present, it wasn't just the Snake Dowager who had moved here with all her kin. Over the years, seven 'dignitaries' had appeared amongst the powerful natives and intruders. They each held control over one continent and did not interfere with each other's rule of their respective continents.

Many commoners treated these dignitaries like legends, and even gods to be worshipped. And to some degree, they were indeed quite similar to gods and perhaps even surpassed them.

'But… are there only seven existences who possess laws in the Purgatory World? What kind of joke is that? Forget those living in seclusion, these oceans are even larger than the continents! It would be even more suspicious if there weren't a few dignitaries occupying these vast oceans!' The more he thought about it, the more Leylin felt there was to the Purgatory World, and the more he felt it would become a huge variable in his plans.

'I need to find a way to make use of these dignitaries, or at least stop them from spoiling my plans… There's also the World Will, which could be the most important…' His brows furrowed tightly in thought.

...

A chilly wind blew across the deck, and the sky was filled with shining stars. The moon here seemed to be much larger than the one in the Magus World, and it even glowed with a purple radiance.

*Moo… Moo…* Great sounds of breathing came from under the speeding ship, and white streams of water sprayed out from it on occasion.

"Mister Ley!" "Good Morning, Lord Ley!" Many of the merfolk sailors immediately bowed to Leylin after seeing him come their way. He waved his arms and sent them away, coming to the side of the deck to watch the black surface of the water. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking about.

Below the surface of the water was a large silhouette of what seemed to be some prehistoric creature. Though he could only see only one scale and half a claw [1 Bits and pieces] of it, it still showed off a frightening strength.

'What an enormous body it has, and so full of life force too!' Seeing the image of the creature from the A.I. Chip's scans, as well as the data that had been gathered, Leylin sighed in praise.

'Compared to an Evil Eye like Geiger Dole who is limited to rank 3, this being seems to be the most powerful on this ship. With this beast here, dangerous creatures wouldn't dare to provoke these sailors…'

"Mister Ley!" Geiger Dole dragged his many tentacles across the ground and arrived at Leylin's side. His current expression was more respectful than it had been before.

After all, this Mister Ley was an extraordinary exemplary that was not at all inferior to his father, this was something that his father Geiger Dole had told him himself. That alone was enough to earn his respect.

"Mm…" Leylin only nodded slightly, but Geiger did not find this attitude strange. Exemplaries and other mysterious beings naturally had short tempers, and Leylin's indifference was already a better attitude than most.

"You're interested in our Godric?" He asked with a smile as he came to the edge of the deck. His large eye peered down at the shadow under the ship.

"Godric? Is that its name?" Leylin's interest was piqued.

Noticing Leylin's attention, Geiger put more effort into his explanation, "Godric is the name we've given these creatures. In our ancient language, the word Godric means large and powerful; we named them this because mature Godrics are often as powerful as Morning Stars. Though this one is only an infant and likely won't mature further, we Evil Eyes had to send out quite a few elders to subdue it."

Geiger had a rather proud expression while mentioning that point, "Getting the Godric hasn't just helped the ship avoid trouble. It's even allowed us to speed up even when there's no wind. It's really saved us from a lot of inconvenience."

"It's not bad!" Leylin nodded.

"But it's also because of this Godric that we can only sail along the Hail route. More faraway places like the Deep Valleys, Path of Bones, and Golden Coast have Godric communities, so we can only give up on them…" Geiger's tentacles rose in what seemed to be regret and sorrow.

Leylin knew very well that some intelligent creatures hated seeing their kin enslaved. If the ship was spotted, they were likely to face ferocious attacks. It seemed like it was because they were aware of this that they avoided the areas where Godrics could appear, and only used this shipping route. Though there was still some risk of danger, it was much better compared to the dreadful problems they faced before.

"So you intentionally sealed its growth to block its breakthrough to Morning Star, so it wouldn't become uncontrollably powerful?" Leylin shot a glance at Geiger who was beside him, but did not say more.

The law of the jungle ruled supreme, be it in the Magus World or other unknown worlds. From Leylin's experience, the commoners of the Magus World were considered to have higher standards of living compared to those of other worlds.

However, the commoners and even the nobility of the Magus World did not enjoy lives as good as the ordinary people from his previous life. However, Magi led rather satisfying lives which were perhaps even better than the citizens of his previous life. Yet the chances of joining the Magus community and overcoming one's commoner status was practically negligible.

'In a highly powerful and mysterious world like this one where only the strong survive, the weak can only form organisations to band together and rely on social order…' Leylin looked absentminded, but he was deep in thought.

The robotic voice of the A.I. Chip snapped him out of his reverie. [Beep! High-energy radiation discovered at a distance of 18762m. Target determined to be hostile.]

'There are dangerous beings even in coastal waters? If it doesn't care about the Godric it must be powerful…' Leylin's eyes flashed slightly. He suddenly exclaimed, "Mister Geiger; if I were you, I'd retreat a little!"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Although he was slightly confused, Geiger still obediently followed Leylin to the heart of the deck.

"Something huge is heading for us rapidly." Leylin didn't conceal anything as he spoke bluntly. After all, mysterious beings and Exemplaries had their means of detection, and even Geiger would've realised it soon enough. He just thought to do them a favour.

Whatever be the case, they had saved him and allowed him on their ship. As long as there wasn't a conflict of interest, he had to repay them.

"Something huge? What do you mean? Wait… Monster attack?" Geiger was stunned at first, but he immediately began to roar. Terrifying spiritual force encompassed the deck, and even spread outwards.

"Attention, crew! Protect our goods! If we lose anything I'll turn you into fish soup for tomorrow!" Hearing this command, the merfolk on the deck froze for an instant before beginning to pull the mooring ropes as if they'd gone mad. Some of them darted into the warehouse.

Just as the situation on deck grew chaotic, a dark red light covered the entire ship and calmed the merfolk down.

"Prepare for enemy attack! It should be a deep sea being, see if the Godric can scare it away!" Geiger's voice resounded throughout the ship. He then thanked Leylin.

Leylin was half-hearted in his assistance, more interested in such spells that could envelop the area. 'Let's see… There's Soul Appeasement, Maximise Potential, Natural Instinct…' Though paths to power varied in different worlds, Leylin would rather analyse such things from the viewpoint of spells.

Seeing the calm merfolk sailors having their strength and agility enhanced, Leylin could obviously notice the changes to their power.

'According to what I learnt from our discussions, the Evil Eye tribe is more like a community of bloodline creatures. Their power grows with age, and they can even awaken some innate abilities.

'But I can't just ask about the Purgatory World's paths to power, they'll grow suspicious…' Leylin stroked his chin in thought, 'Just as well. Though there'll be a little danger, I'll get to see the power of this world's natives, as well as how they channel energy. Anything else will have to wait until I get to Port Elias or the Hail Continent so I can understand in detail…'

*MOOO!* A low voice that sounded like a cow's came from under the ship while Leylin was still speculating what was happening. A gigantic black figure rose from the depths of the ocean, appearing in its entirety before Leylin.

This sea monster was absolutely enormous, and looked similar to a manta ray with many irregular brown stripes everywhere on its body. There were many thick iron shackles firmly binding it to the body of the ship.

The Godric roared, and terrifying sound waves burst out in a specific direction. A large figure slowly emerged from that spot, starting with many metallic spikes that looked like sharp blades rising from the surface of the sea. The creature parted the water into two long white sea waves.

The large head that poked out was like that of a fish, and two pectoral fins followed. The beast's entire body was covered in a metallic jet-black luster, and its orange eyes were like searchlights in the deep ocean. A bloodthirsty, ruthless aura erupted from its body.

-x-X-x-

"Could this be… the Thornback Ironwhale?!"

Traces of fear could be felt in Geiger's spiritual force, "How's that possible? How can there be deep sea predators here when we're so close to the coastline?"

The Thornback Ironwhale was a large being unique to the deep sea. Every single one of them had immense strength upon maturing, but their most terrifying characteristics were their temperaments. Once one set its sights on a target, it wouldn't lose track of it until it managed to seize it.

The Thornback Ironwhale's terrifying aura overwhelmed even the Godric's, and it was the reason for Geiger's fearful expression.

"Watch out!" Just as Leylin gave the warning, the Thornback Ironwhale charged forth, its large metal thorns piercing deeply into the Godric's body.

*Moooo!* The Godric cried out in pain. As the two gigantic beasts collided, huge tremors travelled throughout the ship.

"Ah…" Under such tremendous force, Geiger collapsed to the deck, unable to hold his weight. His numerous tendrils wrapped around the mast like vines.

Geiger was still in quite good shape. In the moment of the collision, there were a few merpeople sailors at the sides of the deck that had been sent flying off by the huge crash, letting out piercing screams as they fell into the waters. Along with their kinsmen in the sea, they were drawn into the battle between the two gigantic creatures. In the end, they were turned into mincemeat. All that was left of them were traces of red on the waves.

Usually, the chains fastened around the Godric were immensely helpful for sailing. Now, however, they were no more than a huge burden. Noticing this, Geiger immediately commanded, "Break the chains!"

A few sturdier mermen soldiers pounced on the control valve with furious eyes, using a thick hammer to split it open.

*Crash!* The Godric's gigantic chains then broke away, and the tremor on the ships lessened greatly.

"Turn the ship at full force! Leave this sea region!" At some point, Geiger Dole's voice could be heard at the bow of the ship, body floating in the air. Great spiritual force undulations swept the area and even forcefully took control over the merpeople sailors, causing them to begin to work with reddened eyes.

*Creak! Creak!* The large ship suddenly turned around and left the two large beasts behind.

Water kept splashing into the air, and terrifying sounds could occasionally be heard from under the sea. Even though they were under the effect of magic, a lot of sailors trembled in fear.

"Prepare the cannons at the bow of the ship! We need to eliminate that Thornback Ironwhale, or it won't let us off until it sinks us to the bottom of the sea!" Geiger Dole exclaimed as he flew towards the scene of the battle. Geiger had evidently regained his composure and scared the sailors witless, making them work even more intensely.

"Hurry! Prepare it!" Geiger's large vertical pupil was filled with blood vessels, and its tendrils seemed to turn into powerful whips that kept hitting the merfolk, hurrying them to carry a large and heavy harpoon that was around 5 meters long above the cannon.

"The Thornback Ironwhale has the metallic skin ability, with an effect similar to physical damage reduction. We need to use this!" Geiger produced a few black and white spotted stones and began to rub them together as if he was starting a fire. A layer of black and white light suddenly enveloped the steel fish.

'Oh? It's using temporary enchanting techniques? What is the medium? Is that a sacrifice or a scroll?' Leylin's eyes gleamed as he watched from the sidelines.

The enormous monsters kept roaring at the other end of the battlefield, causing huge waves that resulted in the ship swaying violently.

The Godric of the fleet was no match for the Thornback Ironwhale. Although it had the potential to reach the Morning Star realm, the sad truth was that after being treated as a slave for many years and being specially sealed, it could no longer completely develop its bloodline power.

The same didn't apply for the Thornback Ironwhale. For all of its life, it had grown up in the treacherous deep sea and was extremely experienced in fighting.

Hence, at the very start of the fight, the Godric had a huge chunk of its flesh bitten off by the Thornback Ironwhale. That was not all, the whale's sharp iron thorns also left many wounds on the Godric's body.

An enormous amount of blood flowed out from the Godric without stopping. The blood shed by the merfolk from before was nothing compared to this, as the entire region was dyed red with the Godric's blood.

*MOOoo…* The Godric's thunderous voice gradually became weaker, and there was even a pleading note in its voice.

"Damn it!" At this moment, Geiger Dole had rushed to the site to support the Godric in battle. After witnessing the scene unfolding in front of him, his large pupil immediately went completely red with rage.

The Godric was still the valuable property of the Eden trading company. If anything happened to it, or worse, if it died, then the amount that needed to be paid in reparations would be astronomical, enough for the company to go bankrupt. Geiger and his crew could be sent to some barren or dark region to be forced labour. On fleets like this, there was a shipment of very valuable goods which absolutely could not be lost.

Geiger Dole immediately acted in violent rage. A great deal of formless spiritual force turned into whips as it was pulled from the void. The seawater in the surrounding area converged to form a large wall of water.

"Mm?" At this moment, Leylin froze on the deck, as if he had discovered something.

"Is there any problem, Lord Ley? What do you think of this situation?" Geiger transmitted to Leylin after noticing his actions. Although he was extremely busy, he'd kept his eye on the area.

"Oh! There's a stalemate right now, and with your father and the Godric working together you have an advantage." At first, Leylin consoled him. However, he then spoke in a solemn voice, "Nevertheless, the Thornback Ironwhale has a high resistance against spiritual attacks. You need to be careful!"

According to most theories, the larger a monster that relied on its physical strength, the more it would be lacking in terms of the spirit and soul. This Thornback Ironwhale was obviously an exception to that rule. Not only did it have a high resistance against Geiger Dole's spiritual force attacks, it could also reflect them back at him.

"The Thornback Iron Whale already has the steel willpower trait. If it goes crazy again…" Geiger was filled with unease, "Mister Ley…" He looked at Leylin expectantly.

"Mm, don't worry. Since you went out of your way to help me, it's only natural for me to return your kindness!" Leylin nodded, and hearing this made Geiger relax considerably. He then began to operate the cannons himself, and aimed at the giant Thornback Ironwhale that was fighting both the Godric and Geiger Dole.

With a loud bang, the giant cannon roared. The force of the recoil sent the ship backwards by a large distance, and even caused the stern to sink slightly below the water.

A thunderous explosion, like the roar of a monster, rang out. A black ray that was tens of meters long shot out, striking the triangular fin on the Thornback Ironwhale's back.

*Roar…* Large amounts of blood spurted out, and the whale let out enraged howls.

*Pak!* At this moment, a chain filled with runes was pulled until it was stretched out.

"Now's the time, pull!" At the other side of the chain was the ship from before, Geiger's spiritual force undulations intensified to the limit as he howled in anger.

The ship was pulled with such force that the hull started to shake abruptly. A game of tug of war was now happening between the Thornback Ironwhale and the ship, hindering its movement. As this opportunity revealed itself, Geiger Dole launched his final attack from the air.

"The King of Evil's True Eye, Death Ray!"

Tremendous amounts of dark red rays appeared from Geiger Dole's large vertical pupil, piercing into the eyes of the Thornback Ironwhale. It suddenly closed its eyes and its body started to convulse and thrash wildly, as if it was having a fit.

*MOOOO!* The Godric immediately roared, and charged towards the Thornback Ironwhale.

After shooting that ray, Geiger Dole seemed to have spent all his energy. He slowly fell to the deck, even the tendrils on his body no longer able to help in maintaining a standing position.

"Father!" Geiger immediately came over, using his many tendrils to help his father stand up.

*Roar!* Following its berserk howls, the Thornback Ironwhale's eyes flew open once more. However, there was now a significant amount of blood pouring out from both eyes.

"The Thornback's Bloodthirsty Berserker transformation! I never thought it would awaken its bloodline!" Geiger Dole stared at the outburst of strength from the Thornback Ironwhale as it sent the heavily injured Godric flying; his complicated feelings couldn't be masked by his spiritual force.

Geiger Dole saw the crazed Thornback Ironwhale charging towards the ship and immediately came before Leylin, pleading with him, "Mister Ley, please help us!"

"Don't worry!" Leylin revealed a good-natured smile from behind the Mask of the Dreamless, and arrived before the giant cannon.

Due to the iron chains and the harpoon anchoring it, the whole fleet's movement was restricted. It was as if there was a deep sea demon that was tugging on the chains, trying to pull the entire fleet into the sea.

'This World's paths of power seem to be reliant on awakening one's bloodline innate abilities as well as on sacrifices… I can't use anything too outstanding, otherwise it'll raise suspicion…' Having decided what action to take, Leylin came beside the chain and placed his palm on its surface.

The ice cold metal was shaking slightly, and only now was Leylin able to deeply understand the immense strength of the Thornback Ironwhale while in its enraged state.

The best spell model for the situation was transferred to him by the A.I. Chip, and immediately after a dim layer of light covered his hands. "Metal Animation!"

The whole length of the iron chain seemed to transform, and it began to ripple like a wave down from the top of the chain until it reached the other end.

-x-X-x-

The enormous Thornback Ironwhale roared, and didn't charge at the ship again. Its gigantic body continued to spin in place, and it finally began to start twitching.

The merfolk on the deck, and even Geiger and Geiger Dole, were completely stunned as they watched the scene.

This terrible deep sea creature that had nearly destroyed their entire fleet had been left like this with one strike from Mister Ley? They couldn't even understand what method he had used! For a moment, they gazed at Leylin with reverence.

However, it was as if he didn't notice that at all. His eyes were still locked on the struggling Thornback Ironwhale.

After a short while, the whale's struggling grew less and less pronounced, until it finally became completely still. Clouds of black smoke emerged from the harpoon wound it had sustained.

*Whoosh!* The enormous harpoon returned suddenly, bringing with it a white lump of brain matter.

By the time the harpoon was back on deck, Geiger Dole was shocked to find that it had already transformed into a giant palm of steel,. The hand sifted through the brain material of the whale, before finally passing a solid black lump of material to Leylin. Immediately afterwards, it withdrew into the opening of the cannon and returned to being a harpoon once more. It seemed to have lost all of its previous vitality.

'What terrifying power!' Geiger Dole felt a trace of fear in his heart. 'That type of living metal, once it entered his body…' just the thought of it made him shudder all over.

From Leylin's view, it was foolish to wish the entire world would know about every impressive fight one fought. A Magus was someone who grasped the power of the truth, and ought to know how to use a minimal amount of power to reap the maximum amount of benefits.

As a result, he only modestly shook his head and said, "My current strength doesn't count for much…"

"It's all thanks to Mister Leylin's strength that our fleet survived! If not for you, I'm afraid our fleet would have suffered great losses this time." Geiger Dole expressed his thanks sincerely.

"Mm… Also, this is the Thornback Ironwhale's most valuable resource," Leylin raised the dark solid in his hand, a fishy smell spreading from it.

"Congratulations, Mister Leylin! This is the essence of the whale, a resource unique to the Thornback Ironwhale. It's very rare to see such a big piece!" Although Geiger Dole said this with some envy, he didn't have any sinister thoughts. If Leylin was a normal person, he would have already snatched this kind of precious material away and thrown him into the ocean to feed the fish. However, he didn't have the courage to do this to Leylin, in fact he wouldn't even think of it.

"Oh," Leylin nodded, and simply tossed the whale essence to Geiger Dole. "Treat this as compensation for allowing me passage on your ship."

This type of material wasn't worth much in Leylin's eyes, so he'd given it away without thought. However, Geiger felt that Leylin was shrouded in mystery. An adventurer who could so easily give away such a treasure was likely to be very strong.

Under Geiger Dole's command, the fleet of ships then arrived at the place where the battle had taken place and began to strip the Thornback Ironwhale to pieces. Every part of a rank 3 sea creature's body was precious, not to mention the special whale essence. This was worth up to five times more than the original goods they were carrying!

Leylin did not care about that sort of thing, but it was serendipitous for Geiger and Geiger Dole.

Leylin did not interfere with the resource gathering, only watching them break down the Thornback Ironwhale as they cut out pieces of its flesh and skin.

Simultaneously, the Godric was once again called back to the ship, with groups of merfolk sailors roaming around its body, applying a gelatinous material to its wounds.

This continued for nearly a day. Although the majority of the Purgatory World's daily cycle was night, the bright moonlight made it seem like day. By the time the fleet had set sail once again, the smile in Geiger Dole's large vertical eye was so pronounced he was almost squinting. They'd had no choice but to discard some of the miscellaneous low-value goods in order to lighten their shipment weight.

The Godric had recovered from most of its injuries as well and had regained its vitality. It pulled the ship even against the strong headwinds and after the sails had been let down, even the larger ships ran at a decent speed.

An unbroken group of islands appeared on the horizon after the third sunrise, looking like a string of pearls. A few white seagulls let out excited cries as they circled the sky.

"Port Elias? We've finally arrived!" Leylin was leaning against the mast, looking at the nearby waterway.

This was the last supply point on the Hail Continent route, and was a prosperous port. Surveying the area, Leylin was pleased to find many boats. These boats had aged model numbers similar to Geiger's, and there were even metallic warships in the place. There were also many ships far larger than the ones in Leylin's party.

It wasn't just alchemy technology, magic drove the extraordinary ships as well. Leylin even saw a pirate ship that was entirely under the control of undead creatures, with numerous skeletons and flame spirits manning the deck. A tattered black skeleton flag that was triangular in shape hung from the top, reeking of a bloody and savage aura. However, what surprised Leylin the most was that they weren't attacking the other vessels.

"This area is the domain of Port Elias. Under its protection even pirates obey the law. Even if they readily commit crimes in the deep seas, they must obediently restrain themselves in this place," Geiger kindly explained, "Although Mister Leylin possesses awe-inspiring strength, it is better to abide by Port Elias' rules. After all, there are some strong people overseeing Port Elias, who possess power comparable to those of the Star rank."

"Mm, I understand. Thank you for your kindness!" Leylin nodded. He had understood the power ranking of the Evil Eye tribe completely, and they weren't as strict as the Magus World about it. They simply judged strength by age.

The tribe members only had a few stages of strength. There was the stage of infancy, followed by adolescence, adulthood, and at the peak were the elders. There was less than one Elder Eye among ten thousand Evil Eyes.

As for Geiger's description of the port overseers having strength on par with the Star rank and things like that, those who were talked about in that way could be considered Morning Stars. Although a thorough classification was impossible, it was still possible to understand the rankings to some extent.

Once someone was labelled a Star rank, in the eyes of the Evil Eye tribe only the oldest of the Elder Eyes could compete with them.

Geiger was considered to be in his adolescence, possessing a strength similar to rank 1 or 2 Magi. As for his father, Geiger Dole had entered adulthood, and roughly had the strength of a rank 3 Magus. Their innate racial abilities gave them a slight edge over Magi of a similar rank.

"If there is nothing else Geiger, let us part here," Leylin said as he looked at the fast approaching port and the densely populated ships, some of which were unique.

Hearing that Leylin wanted to leave the fleet made Geiger anxious immediately. "Lord Ley! Did we do something lacking in respect? Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Leylin was, after all, someone who possessed great strength but wasn't greedy. No matter which ship's captain he met, they would try to rope him in. And although Port Elias was already very close to the mainland, they still required a month of sailing. If they ran into any danger, Leylin would be a safeguard.

"My apologies. I wish to stay in Port Elias for some time, and enquire after my own fleet. Although the chances of my companions surviving is very slim…" Leylin's eyes seemed to grow dazed, and seeing him like this Geiger could say nothing more. After all, it was only right and proper to search for one's companions.

When Geiger Dole received this news, his tendrils immediately blanched white at their ends. He moved on deck. "Mister Ley will be leaving? What a pity!" A feeling of reluctance and regret was transmitted with his spiritual force undulations.

"I've already dallied here far too long. I'd like to thank the Eden Trading Company and the two of you once more for your selfless help. May the glory of the Purgatory World be with you!"

Having spent some time exploring it, Leylin already knew the conversatory etiquette of the Purgatory World. He spoke without a single mistake, and seemed like a real native.

"What a pity! Since it's like that, please accept this gift!" Geiger Dole waved his hand, and a merman immediately handed a scroll made of skin to Leylin respectfully.

This scroll even had a fine layer of fish scales on top of it, and the light it reflected was dazzling. It looked extremely bright and beautiful.

Leylin reached out and took the scroll before gently unfurling it. The scroll unfolded to show a light yellow map, next to which were some simple rules.

"This is a map of Port Elias, and it includes some matters to take note of, I trust that it will be of some use to you!" Geiger Dole sent over a wave of spiritual force.

The A.I. Chip scanned the scroll, and committed the information to Leylin's memory in a flash. He wouldn't ever forget this information now, but he still rolled it up and put it away, and expressed his thanks, "Many thanks. This map will be very useful to me!"

"We will be resting and restocking our supplies here at Port Elias for a while. If Mister Leylin has any other needs, please don't hesitate to come and find us..."

-x-X-x-

Geiger Dole and his son appeared to be completely cordial towards strong individuals, and Leylin only responded with a smile.

"Attention! Attention! You have now entered Port Elias! This area is under the protection of the mighty master of the void, the Flapwing, the Dignitary of the Asak Continent: the almighty Nefarious Filthbird! We advise that you abide by the Port's rules, lest you suffer the wrath of the Port's guardians and the Supreme's punishment!" A mechanical voice transmitted the message onto the ship, carrying a trace of a threat with it. Geiger Dole, however, was evidently used to this and did not react.

After all, the port was being protected by a powerful Dignitary, so they could only follow the rules.

"The Nefarious Filthbird?! Asak Continent's Dignitary?!" Leylin's eyes flickered slightly as he looked towards the top of the Port and saw a giant statue of a bird atop an enormous mountain.

"Isn't this place near the Hail Continent? How can the Dignitary of another continent spread its influence all the way here? Unless…" Many ideas ran through Leylin's mind. On the surface, however, Leylin was calm and collected as he followed Geiger Dole off the ship and into the docks.

There was a flood of people on the ground, and the clamour in the place was spectacular. Even the air in the region seemed to be sizzling slightly. The fishy smell of sea trade, the odour of livestock and other assorted scents blended into a stench that could make anyone feel nauseous. Even Leylin's brow creased a little in response.

*Crash! Crash!* A huge mechanical arm rumbled monotonously, grabbing goods from the holds and decks of the ships and transporting them down. At the end of the endlessly operating transport belt was a gigantic body and, and next to it were tall and very muscular humanoids. They shouted as they transported the boxes of raw goods away. From time to time, the urging and condemning of a yardmaster could be heard.

If they used extraordinary magical power, the entire process could be sped up considerably. However, without even considering whether that would be cost-effective, why would those extraordinarily powerful people condescend to perform such menial tasks?

"Mister, your ship was confirmed to be an ancient type 3 model, accompanied by a huge life form of rank 5 physical status. You will need to pay…" At this moment, a flexible-looking giant octopus that was holding a notebook, a fountain pen, and other such tools arrived in front of Geiger Dole.

"I know, I know!" Geiger Dole waved his hand, throwing a little black bag to the octopus. Furthermore, Leylin saw Geiger Dole stuff a pink pearl into one of the octopus' tentacle suckers. The pearl disappeared in a wink and Leylin was left speechless. Apparently, no matter what era it was, this sort of thing was unavoidable.

"Alright then, Mister Geiger Dole, Mister Geiger! I shall take my leave first."

As soon as Geiger Dole finished his procedures, Leylin bid them farewell with a smile and, shortly after his figure disappeared into the bustling crowd.

Geiger Dole and Geiger looked in Leylin's direction, and they couldn't help but covertly exchange spiritual undulations with each other for a while.

"Mister Ley left just like that?" Geiger still couldn't resign himself to this.

"Cheer up, son!" Geiger Dole's spiritual undulations were transmitted over, "Even without our help Mister Ley had enough strength to arrive at the continent by himself. It was only a matter of time. Furthermore, we have already benefited a lot from the Thornback Ironwhale he gave us, so we shouldn't make too many unreasonable demands. Fair trade and complying with the law, that is what our almighty senior, the Trial's Eye, has taught us. We must follow his doctrine thoroughly.

"Yes, you're right, Lord Father." Geiger's vertical eye showed his low spirits, as did his tendrils. "However, I still feel like it's a pity...."

"Lord Ley's departure is actually good for us!" There was still a trace of dignity in Geiger Dole's large vertical eyes.

"What do you mean?" Geiger didn't seem to understand.

"I am afraid the secret Mister Ley carries isn't a small matter. Although I haven't made in-depth contact with him, I'm already near the bottleneck of the Elder Stage, and even with my spiritual sight Mister Ley was still shrouded in fog. Occasionally, his aura makes me feel oppression and fear that not even the Elders can generate."

Geiger Dole still seemed to have some lingering fear, "If such a person were to have an outburst and attack us, it would be a disaster to the fleet and the entire Eden Trading Company! Now, however, he decided to leave us of his own accord. Since we're still on friendly terms, it's good for both parties."

"So that's the case! Mister Ley was actually this powerful?" Geiger looked at his father. Suddenly, he became aware that there was still a lot of things left for him to learn.

...

'A.I. Chip, what's the progress on the data collection?' Leylin leisurely strolled around the streets while secretly communicating with the A.I. Chip.

[Beep! Collecting data on the outside world… 79 new species were discovered… 34 species match information on the database, 25 unknown. 20 species are completely foreign organisms.] The A.I. Chip's reply was lightning quick, and it projected a great amount of data in front of Leylin.

In ancient times, the Magus World was incomparably powerful and had taken over many worlds. Ancient Magi had even made contact with the Purgatory World, which meant that it was possible to find the descriptions of some lifeforms in the large amount of ancient data that the A.I. Chip had collated.

Leylin opened an image at random and, from the picture, a ball of thick black mist that did not have a fixed form emerged. This was a member of an alien tribe he had seen earlier.

[Blackmist Clan, a semi-elemental lifeform. Enjoys living in environments full of darkness particles, suspected to be native to the Shadow World. In ancient times they had migrated to many other worlds, and there are currently 12 subspecies that have been discovered.]

The many passersby on the street did not make a fuss over the appearance of the ball of black mist, so they were clearly accustomed to it.

In addition to the Black Mist Clan, Leylin had discovered many ancient tribes that were recorded in the ancient books and even some completely unknown creatures. All these existences lived harmoniously and prosperously in Port Elias.

Different tribes had different lifestyles. This could cause some contradictions and disrupt harmony, especially for those kinds of dark existences at these docks, but Leylin didn't notice any intense conflicts or fights. It was clear that they were under strong suppression.

'In terms of biodiversity and number of special species, the Purgatory World has probably surpassed the Magus World…' Leylin's expression was slightly grave.

Just the power of laws that the Purgatory World's seven dignitaries possessed was enough to crush the surface Magus World. If not for the Magus World's World Will suppressing foreign laws to a terrifying degree, perhaps it would already have been conquered by powerful beings from other worlds.

'No. I'm afraid the World Will's suppression wouldn't be enough to deter the Snake Dowager and the others,' Leylin stroked his chin, 'Even if they've been suppressed, entities that wield laws can very easily deal with Rank 6 Breaking Dawn Monarchs. Only creatures of equal rank could make them worry… Could it be that there are some rank 7 or greater Magi from ancient times still in the Magus World?'

'Perhaps they are hiding in a secret location and have become enough of a formidable force to intimidate other worlds. No! It they were on the surface, no matter how low a profile they kept, rumors of these entities would have spread, unless… they are underground!' Leylin's eyes suddenly lit up.

The Magus World still had a deep and vast subterranean world. Even the powerful Magi from ancient times had only explored and discovered seven layers of this underground world.

Going into the subterranean world was too dangerous even for the ancient Magi. If an Abyssal Matriarch-ranked existence appeared in the seven layers of the subterranean world, it was enough to rival the strongest Law Magi. Therefore, ancient magi were not able to completely control the subterranean world they had discovered.

If it was like this within the seven layers then how about even deeper underground? Leylin suddenly felt somewhat fortunate, the underground of the Magus World was indeed deep and no one knew what terrifying existences or shocking secrets were hidden there.

He had boldly cooperated with the Lyas family to develop the underground, and as expected it was a sensible decision. Otherwise, if they attracted the attention of some powerful existence, let alone Magi who wielded laws, even with the assistance of the strongest Breaking Dawn Monarchs there would be no profit left for him and Eam to make. All the influence would be taken over by others, and it would be working for nothing.

This outcome was something he could never accept.

'Although the probability of the power of laws appearing in the first layer of the subterranean world was small, there would definitely be Magi on the level of Breaking Dawn! Then there was that King Arthur who had established the Arthur Empire. He had to be a Breaking Dawn Magus, and could even be a powerhouse among the rank 6 Magi!'

Leylin's eyes twinkled without end, 'Boldly exploring the subterranean world, even if only the first layer, is truly an irrational thing to do before reaching rank 6.'

With this thought, Leylin couldn't help recalling that Thorned Thunderbird Warlock clan's elder- Eam Lyas.

Perhaps Eam was indeed making preparations to explore the subterranean world, and was waiting for Leylin to return?

However, right now it was impossible for Leylin to return in the short term, and the earlier treaty was merely an agreement of intentions. The most crucial point was that Leylin had not agreed on a specific time to explore the subterranean world with Eam. Thus, it could not be said that he was violating the contract.

'I'll have to ask you to wait a bit longer, Eam. Wait for me to advance to Breaking Dawn, then I will definitely go and fulfil our agreement!' The corners of Leylin's mouth curved into a smile.

-x-X-x-

Port Elias not only had the title of the Pearl of the Hail Continent, but also housed so many different races that even Leylin was left overwhelmed. That was not all; both sides of the busy road were filled with multiple shops, selling anything from the lowest quality armour and protective gear to the highest grade equipment such as high-grade sealing scrolls and other things. Everything one might need was present in these shops.

Based on Leylin's understanding, the beings in Purgatory World were of varying races, each relying on their physical bodies and bloodline specific innate abilities to battle. There was no need for them to train themselves; their bloodlines would increase their strength with the simple passage of time until they reached their peak.

Of all the systems, only two were used throughout the whole world: sacrificial offerings and beast spirits.

These offerings meant sacrificing something, or someone, to a certain dignitary. After obtaining their blessing, an inhabitant would have their power increased in some form, be it a pure boost to their strengths or mysterious new abilities.

The path of offerings was more like an exchange in Leylin's eyes. The natives would offer up items that were of value to their chosen dignitary, and in turn, they would these dignitaries help the natives increase their strength. Such methods were very similar to the gods in the World of Gods, while still being somewhat different.

Since he hadn't delved deeply into the subject, he couldn't be certain what exactly the difference was. Perhaps it had to do with the devotion that these beings held for their chosen dignitaries, but they did not request the beings to bring offerings every day or at fixed intervals. There were even some that could rely on their support even though they hadn't offered anything at the time; although there was the need to have offered something of extraordinary value to the dignitary prior to that. This was a distinct difference from the gods of the World of Gods.

'It looks like even power systems from the World of Gods were assimilated during ancient times, and those past rank 6 in the Purgatory World have made some changes to them…' Leylin touched his chin.

In this enormous universe, the Magus World and the World of Gods were like two extremes. They were the greatest in size and held the most powerful beings.

These two worlds had real information about existences up to rank 8 in power. The primordial entities deduced that only when one of the two managed to seize the other's resources and gain their laws, power systems, and their knowledge that they could advance to eternality, to rank 9.

This was what sparked the Ancient Magus War. Having already advanced to the peak of rank 8, there was nothing else that would attract the attention of the Magi in the myriad other worlds. Only the guidance and understanding necessary to reach rank 9 would ignite their desire to fight for it, no matter how slim the chance!

Of course, as these two worlds were about equal in power, the result was that both sides were severely crippled. The collective strength of the Magus World deteriorated greatly, and the World of Gods had gone so far as to completely seal itself.

It wasn't just these two worlds that were involved in the war, countless smaller and weaker worlds suffered from collateral damage as well. Their unique strength and advancement systems had been leaked, and through real battle experience the systems were refined to become more accessible.

The path of offerings was something Leylin believed was an evolution of the system of faith that the gods used. They removed the restrictions between gods and their followers, and turned it into a system of equivalent exchange. It was only after these changes that it fit the Purgatory World's circumstances.

After all, not every world's laws were suitable for the spread of religion.

As for the second common method, the path of beast spirits, Leylin had previously listened to some explanations about it from Geiger Dole.

As the Purgatory World was a home to various races, with numerous ferocious beasts and high-energy entities occupying it, some intellectual beings invented the concept of hunting these ferocious beasts and extracting their souls. After doing so, these would be sealed into the user's body, summoned during battles using certain techniques.

Since sealed beasts differed in strength, it created different ranks for these beast spirit masters. On top of that, when one's beast spirit magic reached a higher rank, the corresponding beast spirit masters would be able to seal even more spirits.

Ancient legends even spoke of a beast spirit master who had reached an unprecedented realm. He had sealed innumerable beast spirits at the level of Morning Star all over his body, and had enough power to destroy a whole continent!

The energy from the sealed spirits could even aid in the cultivation of a beast spirit master, allowing them to reach a higher rank faster.

"Offerings and beast spirits are the main power systems in Purgatory World," Leylin mumbled to himself, his eyes scanning for shops with related material.

These two strength systems could be considered the main paths to power of the sentient races in the Purgatory World. Looking at how vast the world was, it wouldn't be strange to find that smaller branch races had their own systems. Leylin wouldn't even be surprised if there were magic inheritances here.

With a long period of data collection, and adding on the current lightspeed thought process of Leylin's own brain, he'd learnt much of the common languages in the Purgatory World with the help of the A.I. Chip. At the very least, daily conversations were already no issue.

'Here it is,' he though soon after setting his sights on a shop that looked like a huge open clam. He then walked in.

He could sense a powerful aura pervading the shop, and given its location and the attitudes the pedestrians had towards it he reasoned that this shop would have something worthy of his attention.

'Welcome to my shop, revered Alabaster Devilsnake, descendant of the Dignitary Snake Dowager!' A voice sounded in Leylin's head the moment he entered the shop. It surprised him; although he was still using the Alabaster Devilsnake's bloodline to conceal himself, it was very rare for someone to have the ability to even notice that layer of concealment.

The shop owner clearly took him for a member of the Alabaster Devilsnake family, and sounded rather humble. After all, Alabaster Devilsnakes grew to rank 5 upon maturity. In addition to their being descendants of a dignitary, they had a very high status.

"Where are you?" Leylin surveyed the interior of the clam, which was just a white space with multi-coloured lights floating in the air.

Information appeared in Leylin's mind. This was not spiritual force, but an even more mysterious kind of communication.

[Beep! Detected soul force undulations coming through. Deny or accept?] At this moment, the A.I. Chip's prompt was transmitted.

Now, Leylin had found a lifeform that could use soul force directly.

"State your name!" Leylin's lips did not move, but mysterious soul force was sent out. There was even a chaotic luster in Leylin's eyes, which let him immediately discover the energy core located in the middle of the white space.

A green bundle of light was hidden within the layers of the void, with countless green soul force threads that linked it to the room.

"The customer was able to find my core?" At this moment, the information transmitted from the core held a trace of alarm. "Also, this energy is soul force?!" It was clearly shocked by Leylin's ability to use soul force and was extremely afraid.

"This is the first time I've seen someone do something as stupid as allowing others into their own body," Leylin placed his hands behind his back and began to browse the shop's items, occasionally using soul force to communicate with it.

"Don't you know that once someone who can use soul force discovers your soul core, they could destroy you in an instant?"

Once the words left his mouth, Leylin felt the whole place shudder, especially the core. It was then that a trembling soul appeared.

"Lord Alabaster Devilsnake, please forgive me!" A little white person came out of the core and grovelled at Leylin's feet.

"Don't worry, I'm just an ordinary customer," Leylin couldn't help but console this being after seeing it on the verge of fainting.

'Ordinary customer? Can ordinary customers use soul force? Do they posses such a terrifying aura of power?' The little person's thoughts were bitter, but it could only follow behind Leylin carefully.

"Though your methods can scare other races who don't know about the soul force system, this is still far too risky!" Leylin lectured it as he grabbed a blue bundle of light.

A roaring snarl was transmitted from the bundle of light. Through the blue screen, Leylin could faintly see a small and exquisite sea fish. Its mouth was like a sharp pike which shone with a little luster.

"This is the Golden Pike Trout. This beast spirit is very suitable for beginners seeking to become beast spirit masters!" Seeing Leylin seemingly interested in the beast spirit, the little person immediately went beside him and began to introduce the fish with a fawning expression on his face, "If my Lord likes it, I can…"

Suddenly, the thought that drawing in a person that could take control of his life and death had the little person apprehensive and in fear. Perhaps even if Leylin wanted to take everything in its shop for free, it would be forced to agree.

"No thank you! This sort of thing is useless to me." Leylin waved his arms.

"Do you have anything with a general introduction to the pah of offerings and beast spirit spells? The more detailed the better!"

"Yes, yes I do!" The little person smiled and waved his arms. Two tremendous red bundles of light flew over. The rays dissipated and revealed a cow horn bugle and a pink shell.

Leylin picked up the bugle horn and immediately received a prompt from the A.I. Chip.

[Discovered spiritual force data interface. Accept or deny?]

Evidently, the two items were like crystal spheres in the Magus World, acting as a medium to store information.

-x-X-x-

'Accept!' With a thought the cow horn bugle in Leylin's hand was enveloped in a layer of light that slowly turned it to ashes.

Many images and words appeared in Leylin's mind, getting recorded and analysed by the A.I. Chip. Soon after, the same happened to the pink shell.

Two new documents were stored in the A.I. Chip after this process, making a look of satisfaction to appear on Leylin's face.

The little person, however, looked heartbrokenly at the pile of ashes. Gathering the complete set of information, as well as finding an expert to record it into a storage system, had taken a large amount of effort and wealth.

[Beep! New folders recorded: 'Path of Offerings' and 'Beast Spirit magic' (incomplete)] The A.I. Chip's prompt appeared. Leylin could understand the incompleteness, after all a tiny shop like this wouldn't normally have such profound information.

When he saw that the techniques led all the way to the Morning Star level, Leylin was slightly shocked. In the Magus World it was extremely rare to own a high-grade meditation technique with four complete layers. This was certainly the greatest treasure you could find within a small scale shop like this.

On the surface, however, Leylin still furrowed his brows in dissatisfaction. "This information seems to be incomplete…" he said, causing the little person to quiver in fear.

"My lord, my lord! These two sets of information were sent over from the Hail Continent. Both have been inspected by the Holy Land, and are most certainly complete. With these, one can cultivate to the Morning Star level. There's no doubt about it!" The little person exclaimed resolutely.

'Morning Star? It seems as though the Purgatory World follows the Magus World's ranking system.' Leylin nodded and asked, "Then how would I be able to get techniques above the Morning Star level?"

This question seemed to put the little person in a difficult spot, "My lord, there are various races with techniques above the Morning Star level, but these are considered absolute secrets. Even getting this set of information was quite risky."

The little person had spoken immediately upon seeing the grim look on Leylin's face, and he continued, "Wait, my lord, I know! You can definitely find something within the Holy City of the Hail Continent, which is also the city of the Snake Dowager's descendants. Furthermore, you belong to the Alabaster Devilsnake clan, so you'll make it inside without any problems."

'The Snake Dowager's Descendants? Holy City?' These names surprised Leylin. This was probably the Snake Dowager's base camp.

Though Leylin still needed more information, revealing his unfamiliarity with the Holy City would raise suspicions. Moreover, killing this little person to shut his mouth would attract guards and make things even more difficult.

"The Holy City is too far away. Are there no other methods?" Leylin's eyes narrowed as he sized up this little person in front of him.

"I'm sorry my lord, but there really are no other ways!" The little person had a suffering expression, and Leylin confirmed that he was telling the truth and did not pressure him any further.

Immediately after, Leylin proceeded to wipe the store clean. The little person's life was in Leylin's hand, so he could do nothing about it.

'Hm? A map of the continent? Though it doesn't seem to be very detailed, it will still prove useful…

'This should be the beast spirit of a Godric. So even souls of Morning Star beings can be collected? Though it's only in its infancy, this spirit can still be used.'

"I'll also take this, and this, and that," Leylin's insight allowed him to eliminate all the good things from the shop.

"My- My lord!" The little person called out in a sobbing tone. He felt desperate as he saw all his collection of treasures disappearing, and he secretly regretted letting Leylin even enter his shop.

Leylin found the little person's manner hilarious, "Who do you think I am? Do you really think I'd rob you and have you call for the garrison or the guards? After all, I know the rules of Port Elias well!"

Leylin's words frightened the little person even further, "Respected lord! This little one didn't mean to…"

"Alright, alright! I already told you I'd pay, so just take this," said Leylin as he threw a bag of pink pearls to the little person.

Neither magic crystals nor astral stones could be used as currency in the Purgatory World. Thus, Leylin wouldn't take them out and risk revealing himself.

Since the Purgatory World was not unified, there were all sorts of currencies and measuring systems in the different dignitaries' territories. Consequently, bartering was still the main strategy in long distance trading.

While on Geiger's ship, Leylin had gathered many deep sea items using his own strength. Although it was just for fun, he had collected quite a few good ones with the A.I. Chip's assistance and his soul force. Geiger was left stunned when he discovered this, and ended up purchasing most of Leylin's items with a pile of pink pearls.

Leylin was also willing to sell them, and in exchange receive items of equivalent value that could be used in this world.

These pink crystals were very popular here and had very high value. One small bag was enough to buy everything in this shop.

"Many... Many thanks, my lord! Oh, my lord, you are like the stars in the sky, the darling of the many dignitaries! Your greatness, selflessness, impartiality and fairness will be immortalised in song and spread throughout the myriad of worlds..."

Seeing that Leylin was serious about a fair transaction and was not threatening him, the little person became emotional. A song of praise for Leylin sprang from his lips immediately, but that only made Leylin shudder with goosepimples.

"Alright, alright, now our deal is complete, I'll be off!" Unable to tolerate the little person's singing, Leylin took his items and left. After all, sound transmitted through soul energy was worse than harsh noise.

*Crash!* After he left, the two large shells outside the shop closed and abruptly began to move, falling into the ocean nearby and splashing water everywhere.

"Hm? Why is Old Cripple's shop closing so early today?" A few passersby were astonished, "Doesn't he find joy in prying into his customer's secrets? There was even that saltwater octopus who was scared to the point of going mad…"

Soon after, they seemed to have thought of something, and they looked at Leylin, who had just walked out of the shop, with reverence. However, he quickly squeezed into the sea of people and disappeared without a trace.

"It seems like this shop has quite a reputation? Though it doesn't seem to be a particularly good reputation," Leylin shook his head speechlessly, and went further inside the port.

He could now confirm that the Snake Dowager was the dignitary that ruled over the Hail Continent. He had to thoroughly plan how to conceal himself from her and how to break his bloodline shackles.

The first thing he had to do, however, was to settle down in Port Elias. The night curfew here was very strict and if he did not get proof of his residence before night fell, he would probably be forced to leave. However, he was only a pink pearl away from resolving this issue.

...

When night fell, Leylin was standing on the balcony of a luxurious private room in a hotel. He was gazing at the specks of light in Port Elias, and the faraway lighthouse in the distance and the pitch-black sea.

Near the port, many bright and beautiful images of every kind appeared, filled with enchanting splendour.

"It really is a prosperous and beautiful port…" Leylin's eyes seemed to be filled with a deep expression as he sighed lightly.

After closing the curtains, he laid half his body down on the soft sofa and sank into deep thought. The Snake Dowager was an unavoidable obstacle he had to overcome if he wanted to break the bloodline shackles. Fortunately, she resided in the Hail Continent.

'With my concealment techniques as well as the cover provided by the Mask of the Dreamless, I should probably be able to hide from any large-scale soul sweeps she attempts. Even within the Hail continent's Holy City of snakes, I might be able to hide myself as long as I don't meet her personally…' Leylin's eyes glinted.

Not even beings who comprehended laws could quickly scan an entire continent, let alone detect the life of every creature within it. Only if she reached Rank 9 would the Snake Dowager be able to do so.

Right now Leylin was emanating the aura of an Alabaster Devilsnake. With this layer of concealment, he could travel through the Hail Continent as if it was his own back garden.

Due to his research into bloodlines, Leylin was confident enough that even an Alabaster Devilsnake itself would not be able to unveil his disguise. Unless, of course, he came across a Rank 7 Alabaster Devilsnake or an Emperor. Leylin knew, however, that the Snake Dowager would not allow the existence of such a creature.

"It looks like it's necessary to risk entering the Hail Continent! I'll need to change my appearance." Leylin had not altered his appearance on Geiger's ship, and afterwards he had just hid under his cloak in Port Elias.

To be safe, he decided to change his appearance to sneak into the Hail Continent.

"I'll need to add another layer of concealment to the Mask of the Dreamless. In the Hail Continent, there will definitely be descendants of the Alabaster Devilsnake with mixed blood. I just need to keep resembling them completely…"

After thinking it through, Leylin looked gloomily at the large gray animal statue on the tall mountain through his window, "What does the existence of the Nefarious Filthbird here signify?"

This was a port that belonged to the Hail Continent, yet people still followed the Nefarious Filthbird. Leylin could not understand it, but the implications presented here were worth ruminating over.

-x-X-x-

Based on the information that Leylin had obtained, various dignitaries ruled over the different continents in the Purgatory World.

Although the Hail Continent was the territory ruled by the Snake Dowager, there was a port that worshipped the Nefarious Filthbird in close proximity to it. This could only be some sort of test and provocation.

'The Snake Dowager and the Nefarious Filthbird must definitely be on bad terms!' Leylin nodded as he recalled the scene where he'd gone through the barrier of the Purgatory World.

'But I have the feeling that things aren't quite so simple…' Leylin stroked his chin as he thought of something, 'That father and son pair, Geiger and Geiger Dole are rather suspicious!'

As they were Beholders, they worshipped the ancient Trial's Eye. This port, however, was under the protection of the Nefarious Filthbird. Even if entry into the port was freely allowed, it was still rather strange for them to come here.

Of course, in an era of pirates navigating the open seas, there were bound to be stolen goods; prosperous and free ports were areas where they could dispose of them safely. If Port Elias could shelter even the most evil and fierce pirates, allowing the Beholders to trade here would be fine.

However, Leylin still felt that something was slightly amiss.

Previously during the Thornback Ironwhale's attack, Geiger Dole had only used the bloodline abilities unique to his race, and did not reveal any skills related to the path of offerings or spirit beast magic. It was as if he did not know anything about them, and he was obviously hiding something.

'In that case, I can finally put that plan into action! It was something I originally came up with while I was bored, but…' Leylin touched his chin. Even if they had not come to his aid, Leylin could still have reached the port alone. Geiger Dole had only provided information, service and a ride to Port Elias. By helping them fight against the Thornback Ironwhale and gifting them its resources, they were now even.

"A.I. Chip, begin!" Leylin commanded.

[Beep! Mission established, beginning connection with stardust bugs. Collecting information!] the A.I. Chip's robotic voice loyally intoned. A multitude of glowing lights flickered in front of Leylin, turning into a screen. A variety of sounds were transmitted as well.

After bidding farewell to Geiger and Geiger Dole, Leylin had secretly left behind a few stardust bugs on their bodies, to ensure his secrecy would be maintained. With neither of the two having reached the Elder phase, the Morning Star realm, they couldn't even discover the stardust bugs let alone get rid of them.

At this moment, the screen zoomed in on a scene. In a cellar-like area, orange-yellow candle light flickered, showing Geiger and Geiger Dole's large pupils.

'Hm? This…' Leylin immediately focused on the scene with interest.

The A.I. Chip analysed the spiritual force communication, translating it into words that were displayed on the screen.

At the back of the cellar was a third figure. They were clad in a large cloak that did not reveal their race or gender.

This person seemed to hold a very high status. Geiger could only kneel in a corner while Geiger Dole reported respectfully, "My lord, this time there were no issues with the transportation of our goods. Although we met a Thornback Ironwhale, the casualties were minimal!"

"Also, along the trade route we met with a humanoid Exemplary who called himself 'Ley'. Not only does he have powerful magic abilities, which allowed him to face the Thornback Ironwhale head on, he's also proficient in metal alteration spells…"

Geiger Dole did not hesitate to betray Leylin, and no thoughts of protecting him seemed to cross his mind.

"Ley? What an unfamiliar name! A powerful humanoid? There doesn't seem to be any information about him in the nearby seas!" A robotic voice came from the cloaked figure.

"Nevertheless…" Its tone changed, causing Geiger Dole's tendrils to quiver.

"Are you not aware that, based on the rules of our organisation, should you find anyone at or above rank 3, you are to rope them in or even make them accept the 'Holy Eye Baptism', so they too can feel the greatness of the mighty ancient Trial's Eye?"

Seeing this lord on the verge of flaring up, Geiger, who was kneeling on the ground nearby suddenly exclaimed, "My Lord! The truth is, we already did all we could to keep that Mister Ley around, he, however, seemed to be very resolute in going on his own way. As we were afraid that he would notice anything, we did not press him further to stay…"

"Geiger!" Immediately after, Geiger Dole turned back and shouted, a whip of spiritual force had already formed.

Alas, it was too late.

"You seem to be... dissatisfied with my reprimand?" The dark figure shot Geiger a cold glance; along with its words, the temperature in the cellar lowered.

*Hss… Hss* With a terrifying hiss, the faint image of a giant snake appeared from under the cloak, and abruptly bit Geiger.

*Pak!* Geiger's large, only eye enclosed in many bloody veins. Numerous tendrils shrunk back, leaving only a ball of meat, unceasingly rolling on the ground.

"My Lord, I beg of you, please forgive Geiger's rashness!" Geiger Dole's giant eye quickly touched the ground.

"Make sure this never happens again." The black figure looked completely calm as it watched Geiger screaming and rolling on the ground. Ten or so minutes later, the giant snake finally withdrew its teeth and dissipated into a white light.

"Geiger, quick, apologise and thank our lord for his benevolence!" Countless tendrils extended from Geiger Dole's body and helped Geiger up. Geiger's eyes were now filled with fear, and the aura on his body had decreased in strength; his soul had evidently received some damage.

"Many– Many thanks, my lord!" Geiger struggled as he spoke, even his spiritual undulations were intermittent.

"Mm!" The black figure moved its head, and its tone immediately changed, "The transport of the goods this time is very important. It's an important material that my master needs to resist the power of chaos, thus it cannot be lost. Although you only sent the spare portions, it's not bad…"

"We are grateful for the blessing of our dignitary, the Trial's Eye…" Geiger and Geiger Dole answered solemnly.

"After resting here, send these supplies to the Hail Continent. This port is protected by evil and chaotic power, and although most wouldn't expect us to come here and make use of it, we still shouldn't delay…"

The black figure looked grim as it spoke, and the Beholder pair agreed. At the end, as if in passing, it suddenly asked, "Did you check the origins of that Ley?"

Hearing the topic that had caused him to be punished again, Geiger shrunk back while Geiger Dole laughed wryly, "He seemed quite mysterious to me. While he wasn't clueless about the Purgatory world, there was something off…"

"I have received intel from the Holy City. The dignitary of the Hail Continent, the mighty Ruler of All Snakes, has secretly set up a bounty, offering a large reward for a Magus from another world…" The black shadow suddenly brought up something else, and only Geiger Dole's gigantic eye blinked.

"Does my lord think that Ley could be that Magus from another world?"

"I can only say that it's a possibility. No matter how small the chances are, it's still worth investigating. After all, the ruler's rewards are very generous and our organisation is on rather good terms with the Holy City. As their allies, it is our duty to help them, right?

The black figure then looked at Geiger Dole, "Since he'll be staying at Port Elias for a while, lead me to his location so we can pay him a visit and proceed with the final verification."

"Understood, my lord!" Geiger Dole bowed respectfully.

...

The screen flickered off, and Leylin was left silent.

After a long while, a wry smile appeared on his face, "As expected, it seems that no matter how cautious I am, it's easy to be seen through. I can't use this appearance anymore…"

This current identity was what Leylin intended to use while learning the customs of the Purgatory World. Once he perfected his speech and could blend in with the natives, this appearance would then be abandoned. Now, however, he had to do this earlier than planned.

'What I never expected was that something I had set up just as a precaution would become useful to me!' Leylin looked grim, 'Also, evil and chaotic power? Weren't those the characteristics of the Nefarious Filthbird? Based on the battles with the Trial's Eye in various worlds, I'm not surprised that organisations that belong to the Trial's Eye have malicious intent towards this port. What's more, it looks like they even have support from the organisations in the Hail Continent…' He did his best to connect the dots.

'It appears like Geiger Dole is a small part of a large plan set in motion by a subordinate organisation of the Trial's Eye. The timing was just right for me to get involved in it…

'Although I was prepared to change my identity, I think it's better to make this organisation disappear…' Leylin had no conflict of interest with Geiger Dole before, so he naturally didn't mind being kind to them. Now, however, since it'd been revealed that they would threaten his core, he would take no pity on them. He had decided to eliminate them.

'I can't do it by myself though, the target is simply too large., there should be a better way…

Perhaps this is an opportunity! An opportunity to infiltrate their organisation, and enter the core of the Hail Continent!' Leylin's eyes brightened.

This was a territory protected by the Nefarious Filthbird. The moment the protectors of the port found out there were a bunch of believers of the Trial's Eye sneakily plotting against them, what would the consequences be like?

There was no need for precise information. Just spreading some misleading rumours would be enough for the two sides to become hostile, and even attack each other.

No matter what the result of the battle would be, they would definitely not have any time to think about Leylin's whereabouts.

-x-X-x-

'Still…' Leylin stroked his face which was covered by the cold Mask of the Dreamless, a mask which had traces of golden-red lines engraved upon it, 'This mask is too conspicuous. It wouldn't be good for hiding.'

A wave of pure white light suddenly emanated from Leylin's body. Within the radiant and dazzling light, dense white scales appeared on the Mask of the Dreamless, and a bloodline aura unique to Alabaster Devilsnakes unceasingly strengthened.

In the end, the whole mask became illusory and disappeared into Leylin's skull. However, a thin layer of white scales replaced the mask.

After the flash of light, Leylin's face underwent a huge transformation. His brows became thinner and longer, his now crimson eyes emanating terrifying light. His tongue grew slightly forked, and finally his teeth became incomparably sharp and menacing.

He continuously radiated dreamforce, and it condensed to form a thin layer around him.

Leylin fashioned a mirror of water and looked at his new appearance in the reflection with satisfaction, 'A mixed-blood descendant of the Alabaster Devilsnakes should look like this.'

A layer of serpentine skin and many white scales were left on his face, forming complex and intricate patterns that gave him a unique aura. He now looked exactly like a half-snake, a hybrid between a python and a human.

In the end, pretending to be a mixed-blood was a simple task with the A.I. Chip's abilities and the blood of an Alabaster Devilsnake.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!* Leylin listened quietly to the dull sound of a gigantic copper clock hanging at the heart of Port Elias.

The large clock rang twelve times. Its piercing rings ceaselessly rang out and caused the glass window to shake slightly.

'It should be midnight.' Leylin put on a black cloak, quickly disappearing from the balcony. Since he had already changed his appearance, it was obvious that he would need to give up this residence. Besides, there was much that he needed to do in the depth of the night.

As for the port's nightly curfew, it certainly was not as important as the preparations he needed to make.

'The dark night is the perfect cover for a great many things' Leylin gazed at the round moon in the sky emitting blue light, and chuckled slightly. His figure melded into the darkness.

...

What really happened that night would become an everlasting mystery. The only thing the residents of Port Elias knew was that the next morning, the guards in charge of security were encircling a warehouse.

Many patrols and battleships surrounded all of the Eden trading company's ships in the sea. Even the Godric had been attacked, and its low roars rolled out with the white waves of the sea.

"What is this? We are honest merchants. The Eden trading company has always traded legally, you can't do this." Seeing the guards ready to attack, Geiger collapsed in fear but Geiger Dole maintained its calm. One of its tendrils was waving a badge around as it released intense spiritual force undulations, "Do you see this? This is the badge of your vice-captain Ayker. We are his guests. You can't—"

"Ayker was captured long ago" an indifferent voice sounded from the back as the troops split in two, creating a passage. A human-like being with grey feathers stepped forth, exuding the aura of someone who had been a leader for a long time. The armour he wore had an image of the Nefarious Filthbird's wings on the breastplate.

"There's no need for you to wait for help. Ayker has been charged for corruption and colluding with the enemy, he's as good as dead." This being from a different tribe stared at Geiger Dole coldly, its eyes filled with bloodlust, "You damned Beholders, we open the port to you and you dare to conspire against our leader's rule? Even the fires of the ninth level of hell cannot cleanse you of your sins!"

'Elias' governor? Isn't he the one in charge of the chaos troops?' Geiger Dole's eye went cold, knowing that his cover had been seen through, "How did you find out about us?"

Piercing red light shone from his large eye, stunning a few guards for a moment.

"Dead people don't need answers. Take them out, leave none alive! In the name of the almighty Flapwing!" the governor ordered coldly. The guards beside him roared with a fanatical expression in their eyes. They pounced forth while brandishing their weapons.

These guards were all natives of the continent, devout worshippers of the ruling Nefarious Filthbird. The Beholders were their greatest enemy.

"True Eye of the Nefarious Monarch, Death ray!" Rays of death that were even more terrifying than before burst out from Geiger Dole's eye. A few giant sea lions nearby crumbled to the ground, and even their soul undulations were completely destroyed.

This time, Geiger Dole did not collapse after using the rays of death. A few ash-grey tendrils extended from his body, at the very tip holding eyeballs of an unknown creature.

"Almighty Ruler of Justice! Protector of all Contracts! Selfless Judge, Extraordinary Dignitary! The Trial's Eye that has existed across the past, the present and the future, accept this offering from your humble servant!"

Geiger Dole released strange spiritual force undulations, causing the air to shimmer. A multitude of light rays transformed into a small spell formation. An orb of red flames floated atop the spell formation, wrapping around the animal eyes in Geiger Dole's tendrils.

*Tss…* A shadow of the Trial's Eye appeared behind Geiger Dole, and its expression showed approval. Threads of pure energy surged forth from this phantom, pouring into Geiger Dole's body.

"Ah…" Having gained strength from the Trial's Eye, Geiger Dole's body expanded. A berserk aura was released, and any weakness from before disappeared completely.

*Swish!* Large pure-white tendrils grabbed a guard with the head of an ox, lifting him into the air. Geiger Dole snarled, and the guard made pathetic sounds as the tendrils slowly tightened around him. Blood and crushed bones leaked out of the gaps, dripping to the ground.

"A rank 3 Sacrificer, we've caught a big one!" Elias' governor looked extremely solemn as he watched Geiger Dole who seemed to have gone insane.

In addition to the abilities of his own race, Geiger Dole had evidently trained the Path of Offerings to the third rank. The Path of Offerings seemed very simple, as it only required a suitable item to sacrifice in exchange for power. However, it was quite troublesome when it came to raising one's rank.

After all, there weren't that many things a dignitary would covet. A rank 3 Sacrificer not only had offered something unique to the dignitary, but also devoutly followed the dignitary's doctrine. In other words, this was someone who had been brainwashed.

For the Trial's Eye, a rank 3 Sacrificer was a devout believer that should have its wishes answered very quickly.

Furthermore, other than the territory of the Dignitary they followed, Sacrificers weren't welcome in any other places. Hence, when the Thornback Ironwhale appeared, Geiger Dole decided not to show his power as a Sacrificer.

After all, using this power would show that he was a crazed believer of the Trial's Eye. A person with that status would not be accepted in a free port like Elias. Sacrificers of this rank had to be closely monitored any time they went to a continent that was not under the rule of their dignitary.

"A Rank 3 Sacrificer can use the power of their dignitary to reduce fatigue and replenish spiritual force. If one becomes a Sacrificer of the highest rank, it is said that the dignitary will even be willing to share the power of laws."

Elias' governor muttered to himself as Geiger Dole went crazy, "As expected, that enormous eye doesn't harbour good intentions. He even used such a high rank Sacrificer to infiltrate our territory..."

At this thought, the governor's face went grim and he patted his chest. With a deafening roar, a giant bear over ten metres tall sprung out of his chest. This giant bear had coarse orange fur all over its body. Its paws were very big and had dark, thick fingernails. At its chest, white fur converged to form a strange rune.

"Beast spirit magic summoning technique- Berserk Boltbear!"

*Crackle! Crackle!* The white lightning rune flickered on its chest, and sparks converged on the bear's paw. The paw was now sheathed in powerful lightning. The giant bear summon snarled, smacking downwards with its sharp lightning-enhanced claws.

*Crackle!* *Rumble!* The roof of the warehouse was completely lifted and sent flying away, and thick smoke spread out on the ground, which rumbled as if an earthquake had occurred.

Once the dust had settled, a huge pit was left behind on the ground, with scorch marks around the edges.

The Berserk Boltbear continued to roar thunderously, and with a single swipe a red figure was sent flying out.