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Ellinel Market

After the green flames died down, what was left behind was a pile of white dust.

Leylin's expression was extremely solemn as he lightly dabbed on the dust. * Hu! * The dust swirled in the air, transforming into a female's face, "Enemy! Enemy!"

"This pathogen contains the poison of an aggrieved soul, no wonder it is so strong!" Leylin shook his head, took out a green-coloured potion, and splashed it onto that female face.

* Sssii! * The human face rapidly turned into white mist, vanishing completely into thin air.

"A.I. Chip, initiate scan!" Leylin ordered.

[Beep! Scan complete. Result: Pathogen in Host body has been completely eradicated!]

Hearing the A.I. Chip, Leylin's face finally revealed his relief.

He stretched lazily and touched the scars on his body, "It's a little unsightly! If Neela were to see these, what would her expression be like?"

After rummaging through the big chest, he found a potion and downed it.

A dozen minutes later, Leylin's superficial layer of skin quivered and forced out the layer of scars and dead skin replacing them with glossier skin.

"Once I got rid of the pathogen, healing the scars on my skin is just a matter of a few potions!"

Leylin touched the scars which were extremely faded now, "I estimate that after one more dose, these will be completely gone!"

Leylin then took out the remainder of the unfortunate black bear's paw and rewarded himself with a good meal.

While eating and drinking until he was full, the sky outside had already dimmed. Leylin lit a small fire inside the cave and began to think of the journey ahead.

"Doris has finally been disposed of. There aren't any pursuers remaining so I can rest easy while travelling!"

"The academy's mission isn't really important. After all, I have 3 years to complete it. I wonder how the academy is faring right now?" Although Leylin could enquire about news concerning Abyssal Bone Forest Academy in the market today, he did not dare to.

Who knows if there might be spies around. If he were to expose his identity, wouldn't that be like walking right into a trap?

He could only wait till he journeyed through half the kingdom before he could safely begin making inquiries.

Such a huge matter will definitely be a hot topic at Magi gathering points. He only has to be careful not to expose any information about himself.

"All of these could be dealt with later, what's important is to hurry and change all the potions into magic crystals. It is simply too inconvenient to lug all these huge chests around!"

Leylin patted the solid hard wooden chest. He thought of the miserable brown horse days ago that seemed like it would die anytime. He smiled bitterly.

"I can't go to the Walker family's market anymore. After all, I have just sold a number of potions there!"

Leylin mentally called up the map and located his current position.

"From the academy to Eastwoods Province, I have to travel through 5 other provinces. I can sell potions along the way. At best, I can only sell potions until Jersha Province.

On the map, the Jersha Province was midway to his destination There were two more provinces separating Eastwoods Province from it.

If he were to sell his potions all the way to Eastwoods Province, wouldn't that mean giving away his itinerary and purpose? Leylin wouldn't be so foolish as to do that.

Although he sold his goods along the way, others may not be able to discover it. After all, the trades did every day were numerous. Leylin, however, would rather be a little more cautious in safeguarding his tracks.

As for Jersha Province, it was in the central region of Poolfield Kingdom and was accessible from all sides. Other people would not be able to guess Leylin's destination at all.

"En!" Anyway, there is still time. If it's necessary I can reroute to further locations. In any case, I must be careful never to reveal my identity!"

Leylin looked the points marked as Magi gathering spots and entered into deep thought...

Two odd months passed.

On a path to Jersha Province, a sturdily built black horse carrying a wooden chest and a black robed man could be seen cantering along.

The black robed man had bright red hair and was extremely handsome.

This was naturally Leylin in disguise.

Ever since that time, as Leylin journeyed, he found some Magi gathering points or some small scale trading sites time to time, where he sold the potions he brewed.

As he only sold a few each time, he did not attract the avarice of other experts. Occasionally, some foolish acolyte blinded by greed would waylay him, but they were completely not his match at all. The most dangerous instance was when a level 3 acolyte brought a group of other acolytes to surround him. Still, Leylin managed to evade them with the help of the A.I. Chip's detection capability.

Through these trades, he acquired a few precious materials, and many books on specialised Magi knowledge, greatly enhancing the data bank of the A.I. Chip.

In these past two months, he finally recorded all the Shadow and Dark Element spell models he purchased previously. He then completely obliterated the contents of the book.

This lightened his luggage tremendously.

After selling a huge portion of his potions and getting rid of those bulky spell books, Leylin could fit all of his belongings into one chest.

According to his projections, he could simply travel with a knapsack after selling the remaining potions.

"I have underestimated the popularity of potions. Right now, I have amassed over 2,000 magic crystals. If not for purchasing information and other miscellaneous items, I might have gotten over 2500 magic crystals!"

Leylin stretched his hands and felt around his robes. A sack of hard texture travelled to his hands. He could not help but smile.

"Fortunately, there are high-grade magic crystals in this Magus World. One piece can be exchanged for 100 ordinary magic crystals. Otherwise, I would have a problem carrying all those magic crystals..."

"A.I. Chip, stat update!" Leylin ordered.

[Beep! Leylin Farlier, level 2 acolyte and Knight. Strength: 2.7, Agility: 2.8, Vitality: 3.0, Spiritual force: 4.6, Magic Power: 4.0. Status: Healthy] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.

"En! Strength and Agility increased. This is the result of continuous stimulation of my internal Knight energy. After it stabilises, I can begin to gradually take on the next phase of Knight's training. This should raise all my stats to at least 3! As for spiritual force, it only increased a little. This was the only return I got after a number of life and death situations. Magus training, as expected, is only going to get more and more difficult!"

Leylin sighed and mentally projected the map again.

On the huge map, Jersha Province was in the central region of Poolfield Kingdom. There were many small Magus families here.

Although this was the capital of a regular human kingdom, it attracted all sorts of travellers, many wandering Magi, and even criminal Magi.

These Magi, because of their radical opinions, or some other matter, were exiled from their previous association, faced with persecution, or even put up on bounty lists. They turned into wandering Magi, often making them very dangerous people.

"In Jersha Province, it just so happens that there is a huge Magus market controlled by the Redbud family, one of the three big families supporting Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. I will definitely be able to obtain the latest news here!"

In these past two months, Leylin had secretly made inquiries about the various news related to the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. However, the information he got were all rather vague. He only knew that it was at war with some factions to its west. As for its opponents, and how the academy was faring, everything was extremely hazy.

"We're here, Ellinel Market. I'll sell my remaining potions and ask about news of the academy before resuming my journey."

Leylin decided.

...

In a tiny village's ruined wharf.

"If not for the intelligence report, I would never have believed that the first Magus market in the Poolfield Kingdom would actually be hidden underneath a regular human village".

As Leylin scanned the village's surroundings, a lifeless atmosphere greeted him.

"The Magus market should be below here since there are signs of occasional radiation emanating from it. The villagers above are also definitely sickly, where some might even die suddenly. How would they be able to flourish? I'm afraid after a dozen or so years, this village would become another ghost town!"

Leylin adjusted the grey robes on his body and covered his facial features, before coming to the entrance of a hut made of bricks.

The corroded door let out a dull noise as Leylin knocked lightly.

"Who are you?" An icy voice sounded from inside.

"I am a wandering acolyte, who wishes to have a look at the market!"

* Creak! * The large door opened and revealed a black robed figure.

Leylin was shocked; he felt murderous intent oozing from the black robed figure. This may be a very obscure concept but if one killed too many of their kind, they will definitely be different from others. The feeling that this black robed figure gave Leylin was that many experts of the same level died in his hands.

"As expected of a large market, even the guard is so fierce!" The black robed figure emitted the energy waves of a level 3 acolyte. He even carried a one-time use magical item. It could not escape the A.I. Chip's detection, though.

"No matter if it's your first time or not, I will enumerate the rules. Any fights inside the market will be deemed as a provocation by the Redbud family." The black robed figure said icily.

Only then did Leylin notice the Redbud insignia on his sleeves.

"I understand!" Leylin nodded his head.

"Alright, the fee would be 1 magic crystal!"

After Leylin paid the entry fee, the black robed figure tapped lightly on the fireplace, and steel machinery rumbled. The fireplace swung to the right revealing a flight of stairs going downwards.

"Even the style is reminiscent of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy!" Leylin shook his head.

After entering the tunnel, the fireplace swung shut, and the passage dimmed once more with only a few lamps dimly glowing in the depths.

Leylin descended the stairs. After he felt he had gone a dozen metres underground, a huge cavern emerged.

The market was extremely huge. It was the size of several football fields. The ceiling was studded with some kind of stalactite that made Leylin wonder if they were natural.

In the middle of the market, buildings built using grey rocks were lined up in a row. Surrounding them was a circle of wooden huts. As for the street stalls, they were actually rather sparse.

Magi and acolytes wore robes of various colours; white, black, and grey-robed people could be seen stepping in and out of the shops.

Leylin began to understand the rules of the Magus World a little better.

Normally, official Magi would either wear black or white, and acolytes would wear grey. White represented the factions that were more peace loving, for example, the healing arts and the like. As for the black robes, they leaned more towards combat, and their dispositions were rather strange too.

Of course, these are the conventionally attired ones. There were also some Magi who wore various odd looking costumes that were rather bizarre.

Lowian's Teachings

"Sir, do you need someone to show you around? I only charge 1 magic crystal!" Clamored the little boys and girls who crowded around Leylin.

"No need for that!" Leylin immediately refused.

After visiting a lot of markets, he found out that these guides did not require that much payment. Some of the families controlling these markets even provide free guides to help patrons move around.

The first time he entered a market, he gave a little boy a magic crystal. This was a huge deficit for him.

As for ordinary markets, they were considerably smaller. Circling for a few times would be enough for anyone to become familiar with the place. There were even signs around. So under normal circumstances, patrons do not require guides at all.

Leylin casually strolled inside the market. Later, he walked towards the largest Potion's Shop.

"Greetings Sir!" A white-bearded geezer smiled and bowed.

"I wish to sell a batch of potions. Their prices may be a little high!" Leylin was extremely direct.

"Please follow me!" The old geezer was startled. He immediately brought Leylin to a small booth at the back.

After closing the door, Leylin felt the energy waves generated by an isolation spell formation.

"Our shop extends confidentiality towards our guests. Moreover, we also employ the best safety measures..."The white-bearded geezer smiled as he explained.

"Not bad!" Leylin nodded his head, being able to avoid the crowd was extremely beneficial to him.

There were two sofas within the booth, and between these was a small wooden table with two hot piping drinks on it.

"Please have a seat!" The geezer gestured.

Leylin sat down and reclined on the sofa. He lifted the cup and sniffed lightly, "Powder of Tillan Beans with black pearls added, very beneficial for an acolyte's meditation!"

"Your achievements in Potioneering have left me speechless!" The old geezer's eyes widened in shock.

"Thank you. I have been inside an experiment lab for a year until now working on something important. Please appraise these potions for me!"

Leylin handed over a sack to the old geezer.

The old geezer opened the sack, and immediately cried out, "Eh?!"

In the sack was the remainder of Leylin's potions, each and every one of them glowed resplendently.

"Please wait a minute!" The old geezer took out a monocle and placed it over his eye.

After what seemed like half an hour, the old geezer looked a little exhausted and rubbed his temples after he put the monocle away.

"37 hemostasis potions, 45 antidotes, silence potions...These potions are all of the good quality and have been preserved well. I can give you 900 magic crystals for them!"

"Very fair!" Leylin gently nodded his head.

The old geezer then stored the potions for safekeeping and counted out 9 high-grade magic crystals which he handed over to Leylin.

"Sir, you must be a Potioneering Master? Please keep this; you will be able to enjoy a 10% discount on items and services in our shop. We can also offer a higher price for other potions you may have..."

The old geezer said as he presented a purple card to Leylin with both hands.

Leylin glanced at the card and then pocketed it swiftly, "I'll keep that in mind!"

The old geezer then sent Leylin off. As they bade farewell, Leylin casually asked, "As you know, I've just finished my experiments. Are there places where I may inquire about the latest news on the Poolfield Kingdom?"

The old geezer stared blankly for a while before answering, "If you wish to learn some secrets and the latest intelligence, Gandor's Grocery Shop would be your best choice. Although his temper is a little wacky, but he's the most informed..."

According to the old geezer's direction, Leylin came to Gandor's Grocery Shop.

As he entered, the things inside the shop were very untidy, and various items were lying around. There were even many that the A.I. Chip could not identify.

One thing stood out though, no counterfeit products were inside. This piqued Leylin's interest.

"Who?" A voice sounded from behind the counter. Following which, a geezer, who appeared as if he was on the brink of death, popped out from behind it.

"The geezer from the Potion Shop recommended this place to me. I wish to gather the latest intelligence regarding the Poolfield Kingdom.

"Same old rules, only after buying an item in my shop will you will be able to obtain information from me." The half-dead geezer lips did not move but a mysterious voice could be heard from him.

"Alright! I'll simply pick anything I fancy!" Leylin wanted to pick an item at random.

"No can do, it is I who will choose for you!" The half-dead geezer sniggered.

"No wonder business is so bad here!" Leylin rolled his eyes, "Go ahead then!"

The half-dead geezer rummaged through a shelf at the back of the shop. The wooden shelf made a creaking sound. It looked like it would collapse any moment. Leylin was even worried about him since the shelf looked like it could collapse at any moment.

"I found it!" The half-dead geezer took a black coloured scroll from the shelf.

On this scroll were characters that Leylin did not recognize at all. Its corners were extremely frayed and looked like mice had chewed on it.

"This is a fragment of The great Magus Serholm's spell. I'll sell it to you for only 1,000 magic crystals, an absolutely worthy deal, what do you think?" The half-dead geezer eyes glittered.

"This could even be the inheritance of The Great Magus Serholm! Perhaps, you could advance to high-level Magus after you buy it..."

Leylin was left speechless as he took it in his hands.

"A.I. Chip! Scan!"

[Beep! Confirmed: Carbon dating, document comparison analysis shows this page is composed of human skin! Belongs to: Lowian's teachings: 89.5%, Blue Cobalt rare book: 56.5% and Serholm's writing: 21.7%]

"There exists something like this? A.I. Chip, what is the strength of the geezer opposite me?"

[Estimated level 3 acolyte, based on energy wave emissions, Confirmed: he is in a process of reconstructing his physical body. Degree of similarity: Zombification: 86.6% and Aggrieved Soul Transformation: 45.6%]

Leylin pretended to scrutinize the page for some more time before looking up at the geezer, "This seems like a remnant of the Lowian's teachings. You actually lied to me?"

"How can this be?" The half-dead geezer hurriedly lamented. A flash of shock crossed his eyes, which immediately changed into a cajoling expression.

"Even if it is the Lowian's teachings, this assuredly belongs to Sir Rookmanst, a rank 2 Magus, 2 years ago, this same fragment was sold for 700 magic crystals. So, how about I sell it to you for that price?"

Leylin shook his head, " Lowian's teachings were written in an advanced-coded language. Only an official Magus will be able to decipher the code. Ordinary acolytes will definitely not be able to."

"Furthermore, although the contents were written in code, but their page numbers were written in the Angema language to make it more obscure!" Leylin pointed to the page number at the bottom.

"Look at this, it's only page number 12! According to , the first 30 pages of Lowian's teachings contained only records of his experiments, and insights penned when he was still an acolyte. Only when he turned into an official Magus, did he chance upon an inheritance and he began to display a terrifying talent! As for this overpriced page, the page number should at least be beyond 100 to be believable!"

"Transactions among Magi are based on the premise that the exchanged goods are equal in value. This derelict page of yours is not worth 700 magic crystals. According to my estimate, 70 is its highest asking price." Leylin concluded.

"Yikes...Hahaha! Today's weather isn't bad!" The half-dead man tried putting up a front but finally gave in to Leylin's unwavering gaze.

"Alright, I never expected to meet a very erudite scholar! Take your pick then!"

"No need, I came here to gather intelligence! I'll just buy it at a fair price." Leylin held onto the black coloured page and placed 7 middle-grade magic crystals on the table.

Although the coding on this derelict page could only be deciphered by an official Magus, Leylin wished to give the A.I. Chip a shot at breaking the code. After all in terms of processing ability, Leylin was confident that the A.I. Chip's ability was much better than even an official Magus', despite this being his first attempt at such.

"Alright! Alright! What do you want to ask?" The half-dead geezer sprawled on the table and ate the magic crystals one by one. Leylin was rather shocked by this scene.

"I require a lot of energy. If you were to give me another 1,000 magic crystals I would've definitely completed my physical body's restructuring..." The half-dead geezer's expression was resentful.

Leylin shook his head, "Tell me news about Abyssal Bone Forest Academy!"

"Abyssal Bone Forest Academy! You are an acolyte there?"

"Only some interest in the happenings over there. Besides, I don't want to suffer any collateral damage from the war!"

"Alright!" The half-dead geezer did not ask anymore. "I graduated from there too. Now Abyssal Bone Forest Academy's situation isn't that great. I heard that Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle teamed up to go against Abyssal Bone Forest Academy in this war..."

The half-dead geezer spoke endlessly.

Half a day later, Leylin walked out from the grocery shop with an extremely miserable face. "I never thought that the situation would already be this bad. It seems like I need to stay out here longer than I expected."

According to the half-dead geezer, the reason for the war had long since been forgotten. What mattered was that Sage Gotham's Hut and Whitewoods Castle were factions on the same level as Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. Their alliance placed Abyssal Bone Forest Academy in a disadvantageous position. Right now, the academy could only rely on its defence spell formation to resist.

"A.I. Chip, how long will it take to decode this page?"

Leylin felt the derelict page of the Lowian's teachings. Although it was made from human skin, Leylin still wrapped it well and kept it within his robes.

[Beep! Analysis in progress! No comparable code found in the databank. Will require conjecture...Estimated time to completion: 93 days 13 hours!]

"3 odd months? I can do that!" Leylin stroked his chin as he casually strolled around the market.

What he had told the half-dead geezer earlier was the truth, but Leylin simply wanted to gamble upon the A.I. Chip's abilities. Even if it did not work out, the information the half-dead geezer had provided was worth at least 20 to 30 magic crystals.

Although the page number of the Lowian's teachings' derelict journal page was pretty low and contained mostly information for acolytes, for a level 2 acolyte like Leylin, it still was pretty useful.

There may even be some of Rookmanst's meditation techniques, experiment records or even some discovery of resources. If he could discover them, Leylin would benefit immensely.

In any case, the processing capabilities of the A.I. Chip were very impressive. Leylin had not even used half of its capabilities, just letting it sit idle for most of the time. He might as well use this downtime for deciphering the code.

Slaves

Leylin's footsteps did not stop until he walked out of Ellinel Market.

The exit was at the side of the village and was actually beneath a stack of hay. It was also guarded by a black-robed man with theRedbud insignia.

"A.I. Chip! Initiate area scan!" After walking out of the village, Leylin ordered after walking out of the village.

A faint light blue screen was projected in front of Leylin's eyes, clearly identifying a sneaky figure tailing him from behind. In the whole light blue projection, the red dot was extremely obvious.

[Target's identified. strength estimated at level 2 acolyte. No magic artifact detected!] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.

"Only a level 2 acolyte huh? Seems like it's not any huge faction, but only an avaricious dog after some wealth!"

Leylin's eyes flashed coldly, "If I didn't have other plans ..."

The level 2 acolyte tailing Leylin seemed to be extremely patient. Only after Leylin was a dozen miles away from the vicinity of the market did he make his sneak attack!

* Whoosh! * Suddenly two balls of mud rose beneath Leylin's feet, turning into two yellow-brown coloured hands that tightly held down Leylin's ankles.

A dagger suffused with purple light immediately stabbed towards Leylin's back.

"Success!" yelled the sneak attacking acolyte whose face was flushed with joy. He belatedly realised that Leylin had mysteriously dissolved, turning into a vine with thorns that coiled around his body.

The thorns mercilessly dug into flesh. The acolyte could even feel the vine come alive and was greedily feeding on his blood.

"Damn! It's a golem! What is this spell! Shadow Embodiment? Leeching Vines?" As the acolyte lost huge amounts of blood, he increasingly became muddleheaded.

"Ah! You can't do this! Please...Please spare me..."

The acolyte pleaded. Alas, the immediately the vines squirmed and sealed his mouth.

* Bang! * The spell's effect disappeared, and on the ground was left the shrivelled corpse of the acolyte.

Against his enemies, Leylin was never merciful.

...

The second day, Leylin once again visited the market.

"Sir! Do you need a guide? I only require 1 magic crystal!" The noisy little kids were still clamouring at the entrance.

Today Leylin had changed his clothes. And to conceal himself even further, he changed his appearance too.

Although his previous face was a fake, there was no guaranteed special spell effect that could penetrate and see through the cloak.

As for energy waves and the sort, Leylin was not too worried about it. Yesterday he deliberately avoided official Magi, so his energy waves would never be recorded.

To capture the energy waves generated by the spiritual force, an official Magus has to make enough preparations beforehand. There wouldn't be any Magi who had nothing better to do.

"You'll do!" Leylin randomly picked a little girl.

"Thank you! Sir, I am extremely familiar with this place!" The little girl was a little overjoyed. She wore a white coloured dress and looked to be somewhat thin.

After tossing a magic crystal to the girl, Leylin said slowly, "I wish to enter a higher leveled area!"

His voice was modified to sound different from the day before.

"A higher leveled area? You mean...The second level?" The little girl asked a little hesitantly.

"Of course!" This was the point to the experience Leylin patiently amassed after coming to the market many times. These markets weren't very huge, and Leylin always felt that something was missing. Certain precious resources were absent in these markets too. These little children guides most likely stood here waiting for powerful customers to bring them to the more concealed areas.

"Since you know about the second level, then you should also understand that if you don't have an item worth over 1000 magic crystals or a guarantor, you will be denied entry."

"Naturally I do! Lead the way!" The little girl raised her head, yet she was unable to discern the expression behind Leylin's cloak. She could only lower her head and lead the way.

"Although there should be many official Magi on the second level, there is no choice. The two ancient formulas, Azure Potion, and Tears of Mary, plus many of their ingredients have not been collected yet. If I can't even find it here, biggest Magus market, then there is completely no chance anymore. I can only look for substitute ingredients!"

Leylin's expression was rather dark. As he journeyed, he sold potions along the way and did his utmost to collect all of the ingredients of the two ancient potions. However, he was met with little success so far. Ellinel Market was the second largest gathering of Magi after Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. If he couldn't find what he needed here, then Leylin was completely helpless.

Leylin followed the little girl. They arrived at a rather deserted alley.

She used a stone found on a wall corner of the wall to knock.

* Bang! * The alley's walls shifted, revealing an underground passage.

"Here it is!" The little girl said softly, as if very afraid.

"Lead the way!" Leylin followed the little girl and they continued walking downwards. Several minutes later, they reached a door at the end of the passage.

Two level 3 acolytes wearing blood red robes were standing guard. According to the A.I. Chip's scan, they carried magic artifacts on their bodies. This slightly startled Leylin. At the same time, he was filled with curiosity towards the market behind it.

The little girl went forward and exchanged a few words with the two acolytes before walking back to Leylin. She curtseyed, "Most respected Sir, I can only lead you this far!"

When she finished speaking, she hurriedly ran back up the flight of stairs disappearing into the darkness.

"It seems like there is something in this premium market that terrifies her!" Leylin thought indifferently as he walked towards the two acolytes.

"An item of proof, or an item worth at least 1000 magic crystals!" A red robed acolyte said icily. Standing before them, Leylin could somehow sense the wails of aggrieved souls hovering around them.

"What terrifying people!" Leylin thought inwardly. He tossed over a small sack containing 10 high-grade magic crystals.

The red robed acolyte opened and looked before tossing the sack back to Leylin. He then opened the door behind him.

Leylin walked in unhurriedly. Only after the large door closed behind him, was he inclined to observe the area in front of him.

This field was most likely beneath the market earlier. Its surface area was smaller, only having a street traversing it.

From time to time Magi walked past. Since it was not very crowded, the distance between passersby was rather far. There were almost no level 1 acolytes here. Level 2 acolytes too were very few. Most of the people here were level 3 acolytes. Their bodies all radiated strong energy waves. Official Magi too were rather common.

...

Leylin inhaled deeply and walked down the street...

Half an hour later, Leylin walked out of a stone hut with a Potion sign, his face had obvious signs of joy.

They had the main ingredients Kroft mentioned, as well as the rest of the ingredients, "It is indeed the largest market!"

The main ingredients of the two ancient potions, Azure Potion, and Tears of Mary, were the most important. As for other ingredients, they were easier to acquire. Being able to buy them all at once exceeded Leylin's expectations.

Leylin spent more than half of the 1000 magic crystals he prepared to purchase these ingredients. He was still satisfied, though, and felt that the expense was worth it.

Putting away the ingredients, he anticipated that he had to find a safe place and begin brewing the potions. His mood was rather good. He even felt inclined to stroll around a bit.

The goods here were obviously of a higher grade than the market above. Leylin even saw a low-grade magic artifact dagger for sale.

However, the price was at least 400 magic crystals, which immediately made Leylin stop feeling lucky.

Suddenly, Leylin heard noisy clamouring voices travelled over leaving Leylin a little startled. He tracked these voices and made a new discovery.

"Slave market?"

What Leylin saw in front of him was a large fenced area. Many stark naked slaves were standing behind fences. Their faces showed either numb indifference or extreme humiliation as they let the acolytes and Magi take their pick.

"Just right! I'll need a few slaves myself!"

Leylin wanted to stay in Extreme Night Town for around 3 years. He could not manage many things by himself. Originally, he planned to recruit a few guards and servants when he got there, but a few high-grade slaves were now conveniently available.

After all, they were all raised or controlled by Magi. This lent their owner better security and assured functionality.

"Sir! What do you think? Do you need a female slave for your bed?" Look, these are all good quality ones, some are even of the nobility.

A slave trader looked as Leylin walked forward. The slaver hurriedly patted the ample breasts of a group of female slaves behind him, which carried a rippling wave effect.

Behind him were a dozen utterly naked noblewomen. Their skin was extremely smooth, and their figures were quite vivacious. Even if they were slaves, their aura of nobility could not be stifled.

"How did they end up here? I mean, as nobles, wouldn't it be troublesome?" Leylin was a little curious.

"Please don't worry, these are all nobles who fought and lost in battles. Their fiefdoms have long since been usurped and their families destroyed. They are legally under the death sentence. There will absolutely be no trouble at all.

The trader smugly explained.

Leylin looked behind a noblewoman who was being dragged away. There was obviously a noble young lady standing there. He could not help but think of the young noble lady he met previously in the woods. If her revenge failed, who knows if she'll be sold at this place too.

"How are they? Buy a couple, and it's up to you how you play them! After you're sick of them, you can use them for your experiments. Even if they die, it's not a problem!" The trader did his utmost to entice him.

Leylin shook his head, "I wish to purchase a few guards, preferably of a Knight's level. Also, I will need a few assistants for my experiments!"

"If it's like this!" The trader stroked his chin, "What you're looking for are premium slaves, and their price will be extraordinary! Of course, those who are able to enter here are customers with strength. Please follow me!"

Leylin walked behind the trader and saw many slaves. Some of them were well-built youths while some were still children. They were all staring outside from behind the fence looking fearful. From time to time a few Magi pointed at them or even walked forward to inspect them.

Leylin even saw a group of Magi surrounding a few beastmen and marine species slaves, bidding over them.

The trader pulled Leylin to a large tent, and called a fatty over, "This is my friend, Dylan. Right, he has some premium goods."

Leylin did not know what Dylan whispered to the trader, but after a while, the trader laughed heartily as he walked away. Only then Dylan smile towards Leylin and said, "Most respected guest, I have already understood your requirements! We just received a new batch of premium slaves, please follow me!"

Subordinates

Leylin followed Dylan into a large white-coloured tent.

A smell of incense inside permeated the air. It masked the musky unwashed odor of the slaves and various bodily excrement. Despite this, the atmosphere was much better than outside.

The slaves in here wore some thin clothes that could somewhat cover their private areas.

Dylan brought Leylin to a few extremely muscled guys, "They were all raised and taught by a Knight! How do they look? I dare say these definitely meet your requirement!"

Leylin nodded his head and walked towards a large bald guy, "A.I. Chip! Stat Scan!"

[Beep! Target's Strength: 3.1, Agility: 2.8, Vitality: 2.9, Spiritual force: 1.5. Status: Dowsed in neurotoxin!]

The other Knight level slaves' stats were more or the less similar. Leylin observed that their pupils were widened and somewhat dispirited.

"The mind of these Knights seem to have been affected by something..."

Dylan hurriedly smiled apologetically, "Knights' resistances are always higher than normal, to meet the various needs of our customers, we are unable to use standard marking to control their consciousness! They have all undergone constant brainwashing and corporeal subjugation. Furthermore, they were controlled by drugs, turning them into high-level servants. Although they might not be as bright as regular Knights, they are still able to understand some simple commands.

Branding of the consciousness was what official Magi used to control their servants. However, it was somewhat ineffective if acolytes were to use it.

Dylan obviously noticed Leylin's strength before offering this batch of goods to him.

"It's not bad, what's the price?" Leylin asked.

"100 magic crystals each!" Dylan replied.

Leylin nodded his head and picked out two with the best stats. After paying the magic crystals, he received a scorpion-like organism from Dylan.

"The sting of this Desert Scorpion contains a unique poison. These poisonous secretions from this scorpion were used on your two slaves. If they do not take the antidote produced by the scorpion in 10 days time, they will die horribly! Of course, this is should be used as a last resort to control them. After all, during their training, they have already been brainwashed to obey their Master's commands! Now, the lives of these two Knights are yours!"

Dylan respectfully handed the box containing the scorpion's sting.

Leylin nodded his head and kept the box. "Also, I require a serving maid, one who can take on the role of assistant during experiments..."

As Leylin walked out of the market, two Knights wearing armour and a delicate yet pretty maid followed behind him.

The maid's eyes were limpid and she wore a black cotton dress. According to Dylan, this maid received extensive training since she was young. She was more than capable to take on the role of an assistant for simple experiments. She met Leylin's requirements rather well. Moreover, she had taken the Mandara Flower's essence, which could counteract the radiation from a Magus. This kept her looking youthful.

The cost was her life span, which was shortened to only 30 years.

"Ellinel Market did pretty well in designing this level. We can actually choose our exits freely. However, this is a service only premium customers may enjoy!"

When Leylin and his servants appeared, they were no longer at the small village. They were at the outer walls of a city.

This was a premium service provided by the Ellinel Market, but there was also a fee for it.

If this helped him avoid more trouble, it was worth it for Leylin who was not very strong right now.

"Master!" The Knights and the maid knelt and saluted him.

"En!" Leylin nodded his head indifferently, "Do you have names?"

The two Knights looked at each other, and their eyes dimmed eventually, "No, please grant us one, Master!" The maid too shook her head and indeed seemed rather pitiful.

"You will be called Greem! He pointed to the larger Knight. "You will be called Fraser!" This was another Knight.

"As for you!" Leylin looked at the beautiful maid, "Anna will do!"

"Thank you for granting us names, Master. We will loyally engrave it in our hearts!" The three subordinates knelt on the ground and kissed Leylin's shoe.

"Alright." Leylin waved his hands and got them to stand. He then looked at his surroundings.

It seemed to be a small forest, and there was even the silhouette of a large city ahead. It was, at least, ten times bigger than the city he was in earlier. The entrance had carriages and carts going in and out. It seemed to be flourishing.

"Greem! Go buy a horse carriage in the city, I'll wait for you here!" Leylin tossed a black purse to the larger Knight.

"Also, buy some goods for our journey, as well as some clothes!" Leylin instructed him.

Even since he destroyed his chest of spell books and sold all his potions, His remaining possessions amounted to over 3000 magic crystals all in all. His luggage too was reduced by more than half. He could fit all of them in a knapsack. As for the camping items he used previously, he already destroyed them before going to the market to save himself the trouble of going back.

"Yes, Sir!" Greem took the money purse and bowed slightly as he was about to leave.

"Also, don't call me Sir from now on, Young Master will do!" Leylin touched his youthful face and was somewhat stumped.

"We obey!" The three of them knelt on the ground.

Seeing the figure of Greem leaving, Leylin suddenly turned and asked Fraser, "Do you have any inkling of the time before you became a slave?"

Fraser had brown hair and blue eyes, and his body was littered with scars. Moreover, his age could not be determined, but he seemed to have had an abundance of experiences and suffering.

"I can't remember anymore! Every time I try, I feel a splitting pain in my head." Fraser touched his forehead as if trying to recall something. His visage crumpled with pain.

"So it's like this!" Leylin surmised that it could be the influence of some drug or spell that was only effective on normal humans. Right now he could probably break it if he spent some time on it, but he absolutely had no intention of doing so.

After all, his objective was to acquire subordinates, not to seek trouble. Those who were captured as slaves were the losers of battles and wars. If they were to recover their memories and seek Leylin's help, what should he do then? Even if they don't, who knows if they will continue remaining loyal to him.

"How about you?" Leylin looked at the shy Anna.

Anna's skin was extremely white and gave off a milky glow. It made Leylin impulsively want to touch her. Her face too was extremely exquisite like a doll's.

"Anna has been raised by a merchant since childhood, and was eventually sold to Sir Dylan..."

"For a maid like her, it was naturally more convenient to groom her at a very young age. Moreover, she had to learn various knowledge, and grooming of etiquette. Only then would she deserve the fondness of those higher ups. Of course, she had to take some lessons in pleasing men. Anna looked at Leylin who was still shrouded in the cloak, unable to discern his countenance. However, based on the voice alone, deduced that it should belong to a younger person. She could not help but blush.

What lessons have you taken before? How much do you know about the Magi?"

"I have learnt and , but...but only some preparations of simple ingredients. Anna is not an acolyte. For experiments that require the use of energy particles, I am powerless in that area...My apologies, Young Master!" Anna's fingers clenched her dress and seemed discomfited.

"That's not bad at all." Leylin was actually satisfied.

He had many secrets. Letting an outsider join his experiments was inappropriate. Helping him with basic preparations was already good enough.

If he wanted a Magus assistant, he or she must be at least acolyte level. This level of a slave is extremely expensive and was always riddled with problems too.

Although he did not see any in the slave market, Leylin knew that some other place in the market, there would be another slave market that specialised in selling acolytes as slaves.

After all, for many Dark Magi, it was only acolytes who could resist radiation, were to best subjects for their experiments.

As to sources of such acolyte slaves, they made use of war criminals or prisoners.

If Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was completely defeated, and the headquarters seized, then the fate of all the acolytes in the academy- apart from the ones backed by strong factions- will most likely end up as slaves.

As for people like Leylin who escaped earlier, he could only draw a clear line between himself and the academy in future. And take the four seas as his home, becoming a pitiable wanderer.

"Right now, I can only pray that the academy wins... Even if they lose, I hope they don't lose badly..." Leylin looked towards the west, his expression a little grim.

Seeing Young Master become pensive, Anna and Fraser bowed their heads too, not daring to utter a word.

With the noise of rolling wheels gradually getting closer, Leylin could see a Knight driving a horse carriage, the appearance seemed to be Greem.

The horse carriage was pitch black in colour and did not have much in the way of patterns on it. The merchants who sold the carriage did not know if Greem belonged to the nobility, so they did not dare inscribe on the carriage. However, it looked extremely sturdy. A couple of large black horses were pulling it, dashing rapidly towards Leylin.

"Young Master!" Greem got down the carriage, and handed the money purse back to Leylin with both hands, "The carriage cost..."

"No need for further discussion." Leylin took it over, and then threw the money purse to Anna, "In the future you will deal with the finances, if there is not enough then ask me!"

"Yes, Young Master!' Anna carefully kept the money purse.

In it were only a few gold coins used by normal humans. Leylin only required a little effort to get as much as he wanted. What he was concerned about were the magic crystals, the currency used in the Magus World.

It was a pity that even in the South Coastal Regions, magic crystals were in extremely high demand as currency. After visiting so many markets, Leylin could see shops exchange coins for magic crystals, but never the other way round.

These were his subordinates in the future. After thinking for a while, Leylin undid his hood. and revealed a dashing face. His appearance, however, was still in its slightly altered state.

"You will be my trusted aides in the future, so take a look at my true appearance!"

The reason why Leylin disguised himself was to buy and sell resources. Right now since all his potions were sold, he did not need a disguise. These people also had to meet Leylin daily, so they will definitely see his true appearance–so the sooner the better.

After Leylin removed the spell, the muscles of his face twitched, and returned back to his original youthful visage.

Seeing Anna and the rest nod their heads, Leylin commanded, "Let's set off towards Eastwoods Province!"

Roran City

On the wide road, a horse carriage rapidly sped by. In the driver's seat sat two large guys wearing metallic armour and long swords. One look and people got the message that they were not to be messed with. Farmers in the vicinity scurried out of their way.

Inside the carriage, the smell of wood and lacquer mixed together and was somewhat unpleasant.

Leylin's nose wrinkled as he caught a whiff of perfume. Seeing that Anna was blushing beside him, Leylin smiled and beckoned, "Come here!"

When she drew near, Leylin made her recline halfway, then lay his head on her chest.

His hands conveniently roved around Anna's thighs. The thin cotton fabric could not hide her beauty. Leylin felt as if both his hands were touching a piece of warm and soft jade.

Savouring the softness he was leaning on, and hearing Anna's panting, made Leylin feel extremely content. He sighed, closed both his eyes and stayed still.

He had had been feeling on edge lately, as he had to exercise prudence after every trade. This occupied a lot of Leylin's thoughts. Now that he did not have to do so anymore, Leylin could finally take a break, and obtain ample time to rest. He even had two Knights to take care of the trouble.

Naturally, the two Knights would be sleeping outside, leaving the interior of the carriage to their master and the maid. Leylin was no gentleman. Moreover, Anna was also quite a beauty and excelled in that area. Idling away in the carriage, he naturally had already bedded her. There was even a faint trace of dark red blood on the cabin's floor.

As a maid bought by Leylin, how could Anna resist her master? All along the journey, she served him wholeheartedly and tried various positions with him, which also satisfied a few of his fetishes.

"Thankfully I am a magician. I can use magical herbs and undergo meditation to continuously recover and increase my vitality. With the previous Leylin's sad physique, I would most likely have aged prematurely..."

Leylin ordered mentally, "A.I. Chip, show me my stats!"

[Leylin Farlier, level 2 acolyte. Strength: 2.7, Agility: 2.8, Vitality: 3.0, Spiritual force: 4.6, Magical Power: 4.0. Status: Healthy]

"Four to five months have passed, and I persisted in meditation everyday. To think that there was only an increase of 0.2..." Leylin's expression was a little unsightly, "I have to hurry to my destination and settle down to try brewing the ancient potions. Who knows when I will meet the requirements for advancing?"

All acolytes encounter a bottleneck when advancing to level 3. Even a fifth-grade acolyte like Jayden still requires years of training in order to breakthrough.

After analysing the conditions needed to advance, mastering the spells and brewing reactive elixirs became trivial. Only getting past the 7 spiritual force bottleneck remained baffling for countless genius acolytes. Even official Magi did not have good solutions to address this aspect of spiritual force cultivation. Only constant painstaking meditation had any effectiveness or maybe the use potions and the sort could be an alternative. The cost of these, unfortunately, could not be borne by the typical acolyte.

Right now Leylin too was stuck on the same spiritual force bottleneck.

"A.I. Chip! How is the analysis of the two potions? And what is the progress in deciphering Lowian's Teachings?"

[Beep! Azure Potion analysis progress: 100%, Tears of Mary analysis progress: 78%, Lowian's Teachings analysis progress: 63.7%] The A.I. Chip's voice intoned.

"The Azure Potion has been fully analysed long ago. Unfortunately, the main ingredients are now completely extinct. Finding substitutes requires countless experiments. As for the Tears of Mary, it has been at 78% for 3 months now with no signs of progress at all. Could some crucial procedures be missing?

Leylin's brows furrowed; the A.I. Chip's processing ability was extremely powerful. The progress in analysing the ancient potion Tears of Mary analysis stagnated at 78%, which made Leylin rather surprised.

"These formulas that Professor Kroft gave me should be correct. If the A.I. Chip could not analyse them after all this time, it might have met with some difficult question that was beyond the parameters of the databank...Tears of Mary! Tears!" Leylin guessed.

"Could it be...That this ancient potion formula has something to do with a soul?"

After all hearing the name of this potion, one will easily associate it with some ill-fated event.

As for Lowian's Teachings, the progress was rather good. Although the creator used extremely complicated coding to ensure secrecy, the A.I. Chip was least daunted by the complicated computations.

Leylin roughly knew the general contents of this scroll through reading the previous portions that have been analysed.

"Unfortunately, though this item is not bad, I can only make use of it when I become a level 3 acolyte!"

Leylin shook his head and got rid of these distracting thoughts.

Suddenly, the horse carriage stopped.

Leylin's brows furrowed as he asked, "Did something happen?"

"Young Master please be at ease, it is merely a group of bandits who have blocked the path!" Fraser has already gone over to take care of it!" Greem's voice travelled through the wooden wall.

* Ping Pang! Bang! *

As expected, moments later it seemed that negotiations failed. The sound of various weapons clashing could be heard. After a few profanities and continuous wailing, Fraser's voice was heard saying "It's settled." The horse carriage once again resumed the journey.

This kind of an outcome made Leylin feel very satisfied.

The reason why he bought two Knights and a maid was so that all the trifling matters would be handled by them, allowing him more time to focus on researching spells and doing more experiments.

These matters along the way were trivial. Leylin had the faint outline of a plan that would require the participation of many people to accomplish. And these 3 people were at the core of it.

"Young...Young Master!" Anna who was behind him, let off a low pant.

Only then did Leylin realise that his hand slipped. While he was deep in thought, his hand had unknowingly touched Anna's private part.

Leylin smiled and withdrew his hand.

Seeing that Anna's face was still flushed, he said, "Right now Young Master is occupied with something! I'll have time tonight to play with you..."

These intimate words made Anna somewhat shy as she lowered her head.

Pretending not to see the temptation right in front of him, he said "A.I. Chip! Transmit the fully analysed Azure Potion formula!"

Leylin always drew a clear line between entertainment and research. At the most crucial moment, he would definitely not be infatuated and lose the will to improve.

...

Seeing Leylin had already closed both his eyes, Anna's eyes dulled. She then rearranged her clothes back to its former neatness and tried her best to adjust her body so that Leylin could rest more comfortably..."

Night fell after what felt like a moment.

Leylin regained consciousness after meditation.

"Young Master! There is a city not far from here!" Greem's voice travelled over.

"Where are we now?"

"According to the markings on the map, we should have already entered Eastwoods Province. This is Roran City, which is situated at the provincial borders!"

The crashing sounds of things being rummaged sounded, as Fraser spoke.

"Roran City huh?" Leylin muttered to himself and adjusted the map stored in the A.I. Chip.

On the faint blue map, a red coloured line was linked with many cities. Roran City was towards the west of Extreme Night City, only several days' journey.

"After half a year of travelling, we are finally arriving huh?" Leylin felt a little rueful.

The reason why he chose this place earlier was its distance from Abyssal Bone Forest Academy- he wouldn't be affected by the conflicts taking place over there. Another consideration was that only by being far away from the academy, would he be able to conduct a few prohibited experiments.

After all, he had the A.I. Chip in his body and also the process for many of the experiments were very unusual. If he had experimented at the academy, using the remnants or rubbish, the possibility of being discovered was inevitable.

However, Leylin felt less restrained ever since he had left- like a caged canary that was set free and soared into the sky.

Leylin opened the carriage door, and a gust of cold wind blew in.

"The feeling of freedom!" Leylin looked at the city, which seemed a little desolate, and the nearby farmers. He could not help but smile.

"First, find us a place to lodge in We'll set off tomorrow morning!"

Leylin gave the orders. In the wild, it was natural to either stay in the horse carriage or inside a tent. However, since they had reached human habitation, Leylin naturally did not want to deprive himself of this chance.

The black-coloured horse carriage entered the city under the respectful gaze of the guard.

To the people in Eastwoods Province, having a horse carriage, guards, and a maid, elevated Leylin to the level of idle nobility.

In fact, Leylin was indeed a descendant of nobility. It was just that it was not this continent's nobility.

Leylin never considered using the dukedom title from Chernobyl Islands here. However, the status of a noble could indeed greatly reduce problems.

After finding a place at a local inn for lodging, Leylin called an attendant over.

"Do you know where I can hire people here?" Leylin played with a gold coin in his hands.

Seeing Anna behind Leylin, and staring intently at the gold coin in Leylin's hands, the attendant could not help but to gulp down a mouthful of saliva.

"Most respected Sire! If you require attendants, the employment marketplace beside the city lord's Manor would be your best choice. There, you can hire strong warriors, proficient housekeepers, and even various maids and stable hands..."

"Very good! Bring me there tomorrow and this gold coin will be yours!" Leylin smiled.

This time, he could stay in Extreme Night City for a long period. Leylin naturally wanted peace and quiet. He required people who could carry out his bidding. Since he did not want to be controlled by others, he would not be able to avoid wielding his own influence.

With Anna and the two Knights as his core retainers, and hiring a few more from Roran City, his retinue would be more or less complete.

Although he could hire more people in Extreme Night City, they will definitely be infiltrated. As for Roran City, although it could not be avoided, it was good to reduce the numbers and influences to a minimum.

Dinner was white bread with vegetable soup. Although the shop owner had already taken out the best items to serve Leylin, it was still somewhat lacking compared to the academy's cafeteria.

As Leylin was eating, many customers in the shop hid in the corner. They wore grey or brown coarse robes. Their gazes carried respect and fear.

Looking at the empty space around him, Leylin smiled bitterly.

Roran Hawks

The next morning, Leylin was guided to the employment marketplace in Roran City by the attendant.

The employment marketplace was beside the city lord's castle, so the public security there was not bad. At the very least Leylin did not see any brawls taking place.

Along the way, there were many people who looked at Leylin and his group. They were especially interested in Anna, who was behind Leylin, as she was an exceptional beauty, and was even more so after some dressing up. Fortunately, they did not dare try anything funny for they were rather fearful of Greem who was covered in steel armour.

"Sir! This is the employment marketplace in Roran City. All the people you require can be found here, besides you can also issue any mission related hiring..." The attendant explained to Leylin's group of three.

As for Fraser, Leylin made him stay at the inn to look after the horse carriage and luggage.

Although the important possessions such as potion ingredients and magic crystals were on Leylin, if they were to lose a few items like gold coins and the sort, it would prove rather troublesome.

Leylin surveyed the employment marketplace before him.

In his view was a large field, with groups of stable hands, mercenaries and the sort squatting on the ground, waiting for some employer to hire them.

Leylin knew that there had to be a slave market too, however it could not be displayed blatantly out in the open. After all, even a Magus market had to organise one covertly.

However this was well within Leylin's plans, he only wanted an entourage to hire here, so his requirements were lower.

"Young Sir, may I help you with anything?" As Leylin entered the marketplace, a group of traders and merchants swarmed around him. They were obviously dazzled by Leylin's lavish attire and shouted themselves hoarse as they tried to promote their products.

"I need a group of mercenaries to escort me to Extreme Night City, and also to guard my estate there. The contract duration would be at least two years!" Looking at the fervent traders, Leylin stated his requirements.

After reaching this part of the continent, Leylin realised that the novels, in his previous world talking about mercenary groups and bandit gangs and the like, were all nonsense.

Apart from a few large cities that Leylin was yet to visit, in Roran City and other smaller city marketplaces, there were no such groups to speak of.

All such employment, assassinations or similar missions, were arranged at the local bars or trade offices, some locations were even extremely bizarre.

"After all, the costs have to be factored in, and, if the remuneration does not even cover the cost of operations, there wouldn't be any fool who would be willing to toss their gold coins into the water!"

"Then could I inquire if you have any requirements regarding the number of escorts and their strength?" A skinny man with a shiny bald head squeezed through the traders and asked loudly.

"Number of people huh? Around 10 to 15! Their strength only needs to be equivalent to the average guard's standard. The only request I have is loyalty and honour! As the mission might extend over 2 years, I will have to issue a contract, and the salary is to be given monthly!"

Leylin said blandly.

"In that case, I have a group of mercenaries here that fits your requirements!" The bald trader smiled.

"The Roran Hawks mercenary group has just finished their vacation. Moreover, they are citizens of Roran City, so their reputation can definitely be assured of!" The bald trader explained.

Leylin noticed that when the baldy mentioned the Roran Hawks mercenary group, the crowd all turned silent. There were even respected and envious looks. It seemed like the Roran Hawks had a large reputation around here.

"Alright then! Bring me to have a look at them, the commission will definitely be given to you later!" Leylin said.

"Please follow me!" The bald trader led the way, bringing Leylin out of the marketplace.

After the attendant in the inn received his gold coin, he bade his farewell. Anna and Greem followed closely behind Leylin; the current group of four walked on for about half an hour before reaching the southern part of the city.

Having reached here, the surrounding buildings were constructed differently. If the central part of the city was modelled after the city lord's castle, with the buildings being extremely imposing and respectful, then the southern part of the buildings were multi-coloured with various styles. Very much like residential estates.

"This seems to be the area where the free citizens of the city gather!" Leylin muttered as he looked at the crushed rock laid into a pavement, and the small flower terrace and stone-made lamp.

"You have a good eyesight, Sir. Those who live here are predominantly the traders and free citizens of Roran City. The Roran Hawks mercenary group also reside here!"

"Are you not going to bring us to the training grounds of this mercenary group?" Green asked at the side.

"Respected Sir! Roran Hawks mercenary group is only a small unit, and their number does not exceed 30. Their reputation is only spread within Roran City. It is only a casual alliance formed by their leader. The cost of renting some space for them to train would have made their mission earnings obsolete. Thus, who would be willing to do that?" The baldy said with a wry smile

"Normally, the members are each busy with their own matters. They gather only when they receive a mission!" Saying which, the baldy looked at Leylin, and smiled apologetically, "Although the Roran Hawks Mercenaries are few in number, most of them are retired veterans. Moreover, their leader was once a middle ranked troop leader in the army, and his strength is not bad..."

Obviously, the baldy was worried about Leylin being prejudiced against the mercenary group, but these matters could not be concealed either, so he could only say before they found out.

"A middle-ranked troop leader huh? I am looking forward to meeting him!" Leylin smiled, he actually did not really mind who he hired in Roran City, as their roles will primarily be to run errands for him in future.

"We've arrived!" The baldy brought Leylin and the rest in front of a two-storeyed villa. Within a circle surrounded by a rosewood fence, there was a small pond and garden. There was a type of small white flower, their petals being extremely small, but with a dense aroma, a middle-aged lady was currently watering the flowers.

"Hello! Madam Lariette! Is Fayern around? I have brought some business for him!" The baldy greeted the lady watering the plants.

"Of course, he's around, my dear friend!" Before the lady got to respond, a bold and unrestrained voice sounded from within the house.

A large guy wearing a white-coloured shirt walked over and hugged the baldy.

"My dearest Fayern! Let me introduce to you- this is Sir Leylin who came from the central part of our city. He wishes to employ your Roran Hawks mercenary group to escort him to Extreme Night City!" The baldy explained to Fayern.

"Hello! Respected Sir, if you choose to go to Extreme Night City, then the Roran Hawks mercenary group would be your best bet. We have traversed the route over 100 times, and recognise every rock, nook, and cranny on the path."

Fayern bowed slightly towards Leylin and laughed as he spoke loudly.

Leylin noticed that this group leader's eyes had been sizing up the three of them. Especially lingering on Greem for a while, as if discovering something. However, he overlooked Leylin.

"A crude outer appearance but his inner qualities are astute! He is also a Preparatory Knight!" Leylin observed, and at this moment, the A.I. Chip scanned Fayern's stats.

[Name: Fayern. Strength: 1.8, Agility: 1.5, Vitality: 1.7, Spiritual force: 1.4]

These stats amongst Preparatory Knights was only considered average, however from Fayern's callus and multiple scars on both of his hands, it can be seen that he has bountiful experience as a mercenary.

"We can discuss this later, won't you invite us in to take a seat?" Leylin smiled and gestured towards the villa.

"Oh, of course, I will! Please enter!" Fayern patted his head and moved his body while bowing. His right hand stretched, making an invitation for them to enter.

After exiting the garden, it was soon the living room of the villa.

The floor was painted red, and on one the four surrounding walls there hung a rusty and stained cross blade. Beside it was a skull belonging to an elk, with bent antlers that were intertwined and had a jet-black lustre.

Fayern cordially invited Leylin and the group to have a rest on the sofa in the living room. He also asked Madam Lariette to give Leylin and the rest a beverage similar to black tea and then began to discuss the details.

"I heard from Nigel that this respected Young Master wants to go to Extreme Night City? If it is not inconvenient, could you tell me the reason why? Please forgive me, only after assessing the risk can the group make preparations for it..." Fayern's tone was rather sincere.

Leylin sipped on this beverage similar to black tea- it was rather sweet and salty and thus he did not like its taste- before he placed the cup down.

"Regarding the mission, this time, I only wanted to start some business there and require manpower for security. Do not worry about any other trouble!" Leylin looked at Fayern, while the latter was rather embarrassed and looked down.

Obviously, Fayern assumed Leylin was the bastard son of a noble who had lost in a power struggle and was sent away.

"The reason why I hire you was because the people in Roran City will not be easily bought when compared to those in Extreme Night City. Moreover, I have received news that there were some interesting events recently happening within Extreme Night City..." Leylin smiled and said.

"Interesting events?" Group Leader Fayern guessed, "Is it about the incident where the vegetation near the surroundings of Extreme Night City suddenly withered? "

"Correct! A forest, the size of a small village, suddenly withered. It really makes one worried. Because of this incident, I believe it is necessary to increase the strength of the guards."

"Concerning the earnings, I can give each a monthly salary of one gold coin. However, each one must sign an employment contract for agreeing to follow my commands for at least 2 years or more."

Leylin interlocked the 10 fingers of his hands, as he gave his opinion.

Fayern's face was indecisive, clearly he was making a choice. After being silent for some time, he struggled to say, "The other matters will be alright, what about the mission duration?"

"Although the period of two years is rather long, you don't really have to always stay at Extreme Night City. I promise you during any idle period, I will grant them leave to visit their loved ones. Also, if they want to bring their wife and family over to Extreme Night City, I can also arrange an appropriate position for them..." Leylin's voice reverberated in the living room.

"Sir, I have seen your sincerity. I would like to talk it over with a few of my brothers; after all, I do not run the mercenary group alone. I can give you an answer tomorrow, so please be rest assured, Sir!", said Fayern as he stood up and bowed slightly.

"Good! We will wait for good news from you!" While Fayern saluted, Leylin calmly got up and together with his servants and the bald trader, left the villa.

A Visit

A golden object arced, flashing in the light, and landed in the arms of the bald trader.

"Take this; it's the commission that you deserve," Leylin said

"Many thanks for your conferment, most respected Young Master!" The baldy hurriedly bowed.

"Next, I need a housekeeper and two people who can keep accounts well! If you're able to find them for me, this gold coin is yours!" Leylin flicked a gold coin on his hand.

"Let me think! Let me think!" Seeing that it was another gold coin waving its hand at him, the baldy suddenly became lively. He began muttering incoherently while grabbing his bald head and racking his brains. "That's right! Old Welker! Old Welker was a housekeeper for a Baron before. Recently, He has been saying that he wants to come out again to make a living!"

The bald trader said.

"Very good! Bring me to him!" Leylin nodded his head approvingly.

Two days later, in the morning. While the mist still had not completely dissipated, there was still some frostiness lingering in the cold morning air.

* Creak! * Roran City gates opened slowly, and a horse carriage emerged from between them.

A dozen odd mercenaries, wearing broken armour and carrying metal spears and bows, escorted a large horse carriage as it slowly left the city.

In front of the horse carriage, Fayern was leading a brown colored handsome steed. Behind him was a 20-year-old mercenary carrying a red-coloured flag. On it was embroidered the image of a hawk; the insignia of the Roran Hawks mercenary group.

Greem rode close to the horse carriage having given up the driver seat. The person who sat there instead was a white-haired geezer. Although he faced the wind and his hair was blown about wildly, his clothes were impeccable and without any creases.

He was the housekeeper that Leylin got– Old Welker. Earlier, the Baron he served had gone bankrupt, hence, he became jobless. He was in the same boat as the bald trader who visited him and joined Leylin's party.

Going from Roran City to Extreme Night City only required 7 days. Roran Hawks mercenary group was worthy of Fayern's praise. They were extremely familiar with the route and could even find lodging along the way, saving them from the hassle of setting up camp.

7 days later, the group safely arrived at Extreme Night City.

Leylin lifted open the hanging screen on the horse carriage and saw that the clouds ahead were rather dark. The layers of cloud were crowded together, completely blocking any sunrays. It seemed that it would rain soon.

There was also a shadow cast on the surrounding bushes and grasses, which made it look very gloomy.

"Fayern!" Leylin walked out of the horse carriage's door, "Didn't you say that Extreme Night City has a large area of vegetation that withered? Which area was that?"

"Young Master!" Fayern grasped the reins firmly and reduced the pace of the horses to match the pace of the horse carriage.

"Extreme Night City is enormous. These mysterious happenings only belong to a small portion in the eastern part. Normally, we try our best to detour around that area. After all, humans have also done their best to avoid danger..."

"Where is that forest?" Leylin leaned against the side of the door as if he was enjoying the scenery.

"The eastern part of Dark Night Woods is closer to the core of the city!" Fayern looked at Leylin and he lowered his voice and said, "Dark Night Woods had an abundance of certain herbs. Ever since the withering event, however, the supply of herbs in Extreme Night City has decreased by 30%!"

"Is that so?" Leylin smiled. Extreme Night City was considered a large city in Eastwoods Province and one of the pillars of its economy was the herb industry. Now, it seemed that most likely the City's Lord and his officers were worried about the situation.

"Dark Night Woods? I'll remember it!" Although the woods in the kingdom were rather dangerous, this was only true for normal humans. Leylin even traversed his academy's Abyssal Bone Forest, so naturally he was not worried about the present dangers.

"Did any of the herb gatherers disappear in the withering zone?" Leylin asked suddenly.

"Herb gatherers? You mean various hired hands, bandits, and adventurers?" Fayern shrugged his shoulders, "The woods are full of dangers, and a few people dying is very normal, so who knows?"

As the two conversed, the horse carriage slowly approached Extreme Night City.

The city walls were not very high, yet they were extremely thick. It seemed to be made by piling granite rocks, and was extremely sturdy.

The guard at the city gates recognised Fayern and allowed the horse carriage to enter after payment of the toll fee.

"Let's find lodging first!" Leylin ordered briefly.

...

Night approached, and Leylin sent Anna, who was serving him, away and stayed alone in the inn's room.

Opening the window, a cold gust of air blew in. The outside was extremely dark, and there were few lighted lamps.

Leylin closed the door and took out a blue coloured crystal ball from the sack he carried at all times.

This crystal ball was extremely small and let off a strange glow. In the centre of the glass were many golden specks of light that continuously rove about like little fireflies.

"Activate!" Leylin muttered an incantation.

The specks in the crystal ball started to shift about until finally forming a strange symbol.

This symbol was rather curvy and swirled continuously. It finally looked like an eye that was bloodshot.

Leylin's expression was extremely solemn. First, he turned the symbol towards his face allowing his somewhat skinny face to be reflected onto the crystal ball.

"Shadow Calendar, Year 1032, Month of the severe cold, Day of the ravens weeping." Leylin enunciated slowly in an extremely distinct voice.

"Today, I have arrived at Extreme Night City and am currently residing at Hoof's Inn." Leylin turned the crystal ball so the surroundings were reflected into the symbol inside. He then walked over to the windowsill and soaked up the imagery outside.

"Currently, news has it that the withering area belongs to the east area, Dark Night Woods. As of this recording, there have been no reports of any member's death. Tomorrow I will prepare to set off and enquire, maybe gather new information."

"The above-mentioned records are by level 2 acolyte, Leylin Farlier!"

After he finished speaking, Leylin wiped the crystal ball with his pale white fingers. *Hehe! Hehe!* From within the crystal ball came a strange sound, like a kid's laughter. Following which, the eye symbol flickered and disappeared, turning back into countless golden specks of light

The crystal ball was given by the academy to Leylin to be used as proof of having undertaken the mission.

The crystal ball was able to record a few scenes and voices. All that Leylin had to do was to record every important event during the mission. He could then hand it over as proof upon returning to the academy.

Of course, the crystal ball's controlling right was with Leylin. As long as he did not want to activate it, the crystal ball would not be able to record anything without his magical support.

This was why Abyssal Bone Forest Academy dared to allow their acolytes to go out on long-term missions without fear of being duped.

"From Fayern's description, the withering danger zone is not that huge. I'm afraid that it could either be some tree demons or organisms that feed on humans. A level 2 acolyte would be more than enough to deal with them!"

Leylin weighed things carefully, "I don't have to be that frantic, I still have over two years! I should first send some mercenaries over to have a look..."

"The most important thing at hand now is to settle down here. Moreover, I have to visit a 'friend'... Leylin's lips curved into a mysterious smile.

Although the location of Extreme Night City was rather remote, it was close to a few Magi resource points. There was even a magic crystal mine nearby that was being excavated. Of course, the resources were already exhausted, but they still attracted a good number of wandering Magi and small families. It even gave rise to a small scale Magus market and was indicated on the map Bicky gave.

Moreover, within the short span of time, while they were entering the city, the A.I. Chip had already picked out several energy waves emitted by other acolytes. It seems that there were quite a few acolytes living in this city.

This was extremely normal, as wandering magicians or those who were reclusive preferred remote towns to settle in, and to better conceal their identities.

Of course, due to having longer lifespans, appearance and radiation emissions, they cannot stay in the same area for long, often changing locations after a few years.

While Leylin was thinking thus, he yelled, "Anna!"

"Young Master, what are your instructions!" Not long after, Anna entered wearing a beautiful red dress. As she curtseyed, her snow white calves were revealed.

"Prepare a gift; I want to pay someone a visit tomorrow!"

"As to the specifics, Welker will tell you!" Leylin yawned and stated blandly.

After dismissing the somewhat disappointed Anna, Leylin casually set up an energy particle array as an early warning device before he blew out the candles and entered dreamland.

The next morning, Leylin left with Anna who brought along a beautiful hat.

"Is this the gift that Old Welker picked?" Leylin took the cap and gave it a once-over, realising that it was made of beast hide. It was very smooth to the touch, and there was also a feather stuck on it.

"Housekeeper Welker said that in Extreme Night City, Sticking the Night Hawk's feather on a leather cap represents peaceful intent and friendliness. It is the gift of choice when paying a visit for the first time!" Anna put on a rather frightened expression.

"Young...Young Master! Are you going to visit another 'Sire'?" Anna's voice became somewhat shaky.

"Yes! He is also an acolyte!" Leylin lowered his voice so that it was only audible to Anna and himself.

After he spoke, he saw the young girl's shoulder trembled. Leylin smiled, Anna was sold to a Magus before she was resold as a slave. It seemed to have been a traumatic experience for her.

"If you're afraid, you can always go back first!" Leylin moved forward and embraced Anna's slender waist.

"No! Anna wants to go together with Young Master!" Anna forced herself to smile.

Leylin shook his head, "Follow me if you want to!"

Extreme Night City's construction was somewhat gothic with sharp spikes on the roof tops. The pavements were also layered with smooth rocks giving the impression that Extreme Night City was one of the wealthier cities around.

As Leylin and Anna neared the eastern side of the city, the people's outfits here became much more urbane than that of other places and the decorations on the buildings became more gorgeous too.

"It seems like the east of Extreme Night City is where the nobles and scholars congregate."

Leylin looked at the clusters of flowers on both sides of the road. There was even an outdoor fountain. He could not help but smile as he said to Anna.

Afterward, the two of them came to a white-coloured two storey villa. On the door plate was hung, "Cecelia Main Street, 59".