236 - 243
Enchantment
"Don't worry, we won't abandon you!"
Giant tossed a detailed map that had a route marked out in red to Leylin.
"After completing your mission, follow this route, and you'll definitely be able to leave safely before any other Magi find out. The Lord behind us will divert Reynold's attention, and we'll provide support as well."
Giant spoke calmly, even going out of his way to mention the rank 2 dark Magus supporting Thousand Meddling Hands. It was obvious that he was trying to threaten Leylin.
Leylin was silent for a while. "I will try…"
If it was much too dangerous, he wasn't going to risk his life for this organisation!
"Alright! You'll find that this is a very simple and effortless mission!" Giant smiled, "After finishing this, you can rejoin us as a dark Magi! How about it? Which academy or organisation do you want to join? Just tell me."
Leylin shook his head. He had no such plans yet, and he still did not entirely trust Giant's words.
If one was not shrewd when dealing with dark Magi, it was certain that they would be taken advantage of so thoroughly that every last bone of theirs will be gobbled!
"Alright! To ensure that things go well, you will need to sign this!" Giant threw a black scroll to Leylin.
"Hm?" Leylin looked through the contents of the scroll and was amazed. "A Trial's Eye contract? After I have taken the solvent of the Nefarious Filthbird's feathers, you still dare to use this?"
"This is a special contract that the Lord behind us specifically made for you!" Giant pointed out, emphasizing the last three words. "Also, that solution was the very last one in our organisation. If you can find another, we can only blame it on our bad luck."
It looked like he was quite confident about this.
"Hehe… in that case, you're the first person who dares to do something like this!" Leylin scrutinized Giant and smirked.
At the same time, the phantom giant serpent suddenly opened its mouth wide and bit towards Giant!
*Rumble!*
As it neared Giant, the phantom giant serpent suddenly collapsed and turned into a mass of shadow, slamming against Giant's green fog and producing the sound of waves crashing on the shore.
"Haha… I was just cracking a joke! I'm but a regular member in the Thousand Meddling Hands, so how would I dare to pit myself against elders like you?"
A bright, gentle smile suddenly appeared on Leylin's expression!
"You'll become an elder soon enough! After this operation, I can nominate you!" Giant spoke after a moment's thought.
"In that case, thank you!"
Leylin lightly tapped on the scroll, and the imprint of a black snake instantly appeared on it.
*Rumble!*
The apparition of the Trial's Eye gave Leylin the feeling that this was even more powerful than the one that Reynold had summoned the previous time.
Under its emotionless gaze, the scroll in Leylin's hands began to spontaneously combust.
Green flames enveloped the scroll.
The moment after the scroll completely burned up, a ray of light that represented the contract and its restrictions flew into Leylin's mind.
Afterwards, the apparition of the Trial's Eye automatically dispersed into the air.
He had skimmed through the contract. The only conditions were that he could not help the Four Seasons Garden; there weren't any harsh conditions. After all, they still needed his help and could not go overboard.
"It didn't detect traces of the acts of the Nefarious Filthbird?" Leylin wondered.
He then left the area without a word.
Only Giant was left standing quietly in the basement as if he was waiting for something.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Minutes later, Giant's body, which was covered in green fog, began to shudder violently, and the wall behind him suddenly exploded!
After the dust settled, a large portion of Giant's fog had dispersed, revealing a giant figure that was up to 2 metres tall.
"Crazy! That person's a lunatic!"
Giant murmured to himself and proceeded to laugh maniacally. "Haha… Good! Interesting! Things are getting more interesting!"
He then transformed into a green fog and drifted out of the area.
Behind him, the basement gave way and dust filled the air…
The next day, Leylin punctually arrived at Reynold's office at seven in the evening.
"Lord Reynold!" He knocked on the door gently.
"Come in!" From behind the door, Reynold's gentle voice was heard.
Leylin took in a deep breath and pushed the door open. Reynold was seated on a chair of vines, wearing a pair of spectacles as he drank a green beverage. Beside him was a little round table and a similar chair.
"Leylin, you're here! Take a seat!" Reynold pointed to the chair beside him.
"Many thanks!" Leylin bowed once more and sat near Reynold.
"Here! Try the juice of the Jaded Daro Flower! We're just having a private conversation now, so don't be too reserved!" Reynold seemed just like a hospitable old man.
As if a little embarrassed, Leylin gave a slight smile and drank from the cup on the table.
The refreshing scent of nature pervaded his taste buds and extended throughout his four limbs. Leylin felt as if warm water was rinsing his body and making him feel rejuvenated.
"How is it? It tastes pretty good, right?" Reynold asked with anticipation.
"The collections of an elder like yourself are pretty good!" Leylin praised sincerely.
"Haha…" Like a child who had received a compliment, Reynold laughed aloud brightly.
"Here, let us have a friendly chat. Leylin, you seem to be from the Chernobyl Islands right? I went there once when I was young. Resources are scarce in such a barren land, and it's lacking in Magi…"
Reynold was a very entertaining speaker, and he began to chat with Leylin about his past experiences.
As they spoke leisurely, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, an hour had passed.
All of a sudden, Leylin suddenly smelt something very sweet.
"What is this?"
"It's a type of incense from the Wetland Gardens. It's said to be useful in replenishing one's spiritual force, and is a favourite of the Magi there."
Reynold explained lightly, his voice seemingly less and less discernible. A thread of silver spiritual force slowly extended.
Leylin's expression became slacker and he could feel his eyelids becoming heavier. He eventually fell asleep.
Seeing Leylin in a deep sleep, a smile appeared on Reynold's face.
He took off a ring on Leylin's hand and inspected it closely.
"Ring of Sobriety? Looks like it has a few other effects that can defend against probings! There are seven different potions smeared on it as well. Looks like you've prepared well, but it's a pity…"
Reynold glanced at Leylin with a victorious smirk.
"The juice of the Jaded Daro Flower, as well as the pollen from the Intoxicated Dragon Petals, are something even a rank 2 Magus might not be able to withstand. What use is a mere ring and potion?"
These two items were a special combination that Reynold had picked out specifically for Leylin. Some of them even had to be transported from the secret plane, and he had used up a portion of his allowance as the chairman to obtain the items.
This had delayed his plans and allowed Leylin to have the chance to wreak havoc in the Four Seasons Garden.
Of course, since he had paid such a huge price, the effects were superb.
A peak rank 1 Magus was an existence that even a rank 2 Magus like Reynold needed to be careful of! Also, these Magi also had special methods, and might have had a high resistance against hallucinations and enchantments. What was more troublesome was that Leylin was still a member of Four Seasons Garden, so without actual evidence, Reynold could not do anything that might have severe aftereffects.
As an experienced, veteran rank 2 Magus, this was not a problem for Reynold. Now, using a special concoction, he had made Leylin pass out.
In addition, these two ingredients were not harmful to the body, and at most, they would cause Leylin to faint. His resistance to hallucinatory magic would be temporarily lowered, but after this, his body would ultimately benefit in the long run. Hence, Reynold was not going against the contract with the Trial's Eye.
"Even so, the effects of this type of hallucinogen will not last for a long time. With his body, he'll awaken in about half an hour, so I have to be quick.
The vined chair under Reynold began to move until Reynold was right in front of Leylin.
"Open your eyes and look at me!"
Reynold spoke lightly, his voice having a strange effect that made one feel dazed.
As he spoke, silvery white rays of light shot out of his eyes. This was the appearance of the solidification of his spiritual force!
Upon hearing Reynold's words, Leylin's eyelids flickered and then opened.
"Your name?"
Reynold asked, the silvery white rays so intense that they seemed to be on the verge of piercing through Leylin's eyeballs.
"Leylin Farlier!"
"Where were you born? Do you have any relatives?"
...
The questions Reynold asked were quite simple at the beginning, and as time went on, he went deeper and increased the difficulty.
Soon enough, after tens of questions, he got into the heart of the matter.
"Why were you wanted by the Lilytell family?"
Reynold asked gently, with some tremors in his voice.
"It is because in order to obtain an inheritance from a ruin, I killed Bosain Lilytell!" Leylin answered in a dazed manner, unable to control the words that spilled out of his mouth.
"What inheritance?" The silver light in his eyes became more concentrated.
"An inheritance that contains incomplete information about the Branded Swordsmen! There's also a high-grade magic artifact." Leylin answered.
"Is that so?" Reynold shifted his glasses.
"Branded Swordsmen? A branch of the ancient Magi?" He sized up Leylin's body.
"A tall and strong body with some brands on the surface. It seems quite similar to the legends…"
As his vitality was amazingly high, the muscles on Leylin's body were now very obvious, and he had a terrifying amount of strength within. If he tried to impersonate a Grand Knight, nobody would doubt him.
"In that case, what is your relationship with the Thousand Meddling Hands?" Reynold came to the key question.
Deceit
*Rumble!*
Just as Reynold was using the illusionary spell to interrogate Leylin, a mighty energy wave fluctuation came from afar.
This fluctuation was so immense that even the buildings had mildly shook.
"What? A sneak attack?" Reynold stood up abruptly.
A layer of white light which seemed to be a communication device shone on his body in an instant.
"What's happening?" Reynold asked indifferently.
"It's the dark Magi! We suffered a sneak attack from the dark Magi! The first and second defense lines have already perished. We're currently at the third line of defense!"
From the communication device, the image of a fair-skinned burly bloke who had donned a military uniform was projected.
This was the leader of the defense team who was specially assigned to defend all of Four Seasons Garden. The expression on his face was wrought with fright and worry. It seemed that the dark Magi had placed him under great pressure!
A simple and tiny issue.
"I will mobilise the fighting and hunting teams to your area as soon as possible, you…" Reynold replied to the communicative device.
Suddenly, his face darkened.
Through the projection of the communication device, he could see a gigantic black hand land from the skies and mash the burly bloke between its fingers.
"Ah…" The burly, fair-skinned bloke cried out miserably as he produced large amounts of milky white flames.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
A large number of miserable looking faces appeared on the gigantic black hand, their mouths opening wide as they swallowed the milky white flames.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
The bone-chilling sounds of gnawing sounds were heard. After swallowing the white flames, they actually began to gnaw at the burly, fair-skinned man's body.
"Jejeje…"
In midair, solidified silver spiritual force appeared and formed a human face.
"Reynold, my old friend! Why aren't you coming to greet me?"
The face sneered.
Immediately after, the huge black hand swept the area and made a mess of the Four Seasons Garden's defensive line. Under the tyrannical abuse of a rank 2 Magus, the ordinary rank 1 Magi were as insignificant as ants.
*Pak!* The armrest of Reynold's vined chair was kneaded until it broke.
*Shua!* In a flash, he turned into a green figure and rushed out.
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!*
After he left, his vined chair squirmed and constantly twisted, gradually turning into something that resembled a human. It stood by Leylin who was still unconscious as if keeping guard.
*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
Huge undulations from the magic that were even more immense than before travelled over. This was an intense fight between two rank 2 Magi.
As they fought, they moved further and further away as if deliberately trying to avoid this area.
In Reynold's office.
All of a sudden, Leylin who had been unconscious, suddenly opened his eyes.
At that instant, his eyes turned amber.
Innate spell formation—Eye of Petrification!
The vined human that had been keeping watch over him immediately turned into a grey stone statue.
After his second bloodline transition, this spell and Kemoyin's Scales had evolved.
Leylin surveyed the area and stretched lazily, fixing the Ring of Sobriety that was on the round table back onto his finger.
"Though the process was a little unexpected, nothing bad happened."
Leylin's eyes were very clear. Where were the traces of him being caught in a hallucination?
Previously, Reynold had used a few ingredients and set up a trap, which had indeed cause him to fall into a hallucination.
But that was just for a moment. The power of the bloodline of the ancient being, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent, was flowing in his veins and devouring all external substances!
His vitality of over 25 degrees had made it easier for him to quickly come back to his senses.
At that time, Leylin had beat Reynold at his own game and pretended he was still in a daze, thus lowering Reynold's guard.
With the help of the A.I. Chip, his breathing, his body's situation, and waves of his spiritual energy had been feigned spectacularly, which even deceived Reynold.
All that nonsense about the Branded Swordsmen was obviously just that—lies. With the adjustments made by the A.I. Chip, making up runes was a simple matter.
Only now did Leylin have the time to really look at the rank 2 Magus Reynold's office.
Based on his interests, the office was made of plants. The bookcase and window, as well as the tables, chairs, and even a few strange books were all made of plants.
The entire setup was very clever and wasn't very big, giving off a cosy and tiny feeling.
"Where is the place at which I need to place the spell design for it to activate?" Leylin mumbled to himself, producing a scarlet crystal from his pocket.
The crystal now was emitting a bright red and was boiling hot.
"Is this… some sensing technique?
Leylin touched his chin, using the crystal to discern the direction in which he should be moving.
He eventually found out that when he pointed the crystal at Reynold's desk, it would emit the brightest light and be the hottest, to the point that he felt his hand was being burnt.
Following the crystal, he came before Reynold's desk.
This was a large green table with rings on it that indicated the age of a tree.
*Weng Weng!*
At this moment, the crystal in Leylin's hand exploded in a ring of light and mysteriously hovered in the air.
"This is… a spell formation that is triggered automatically!" Leylin's eyes widened, and he pointed his right hand at the crystal, causing tendrils of black gas to crawl onto it like snakes.
*Crash!*
Under the shine of the scarlet crystal, the dark green desk suddenly shook, and most of the papers, quill, ink and various items on top of it rolled off of the surface.
The surface kept squirming, and the various types of plants making up the table began to grow and extend.
*Pak!* The green desk was split into two, and under these two parts, numerous plants grew and acted like little feet which scurried away.
In the place where the desk had been, there was now a huge pit.
In the heart of the pit was a huge sealing spell formation that was shining with all sorts of runes that were floating around.
On the surface of the spell formation, there were a few gaps. After making some comparisons, Leylin figured that the spot right at the middle could fit the red crystal.
"Classified information like this actually got out, and there was even a spell design specially made for this…" Leylin mumbled to himself.
All of a sudden, something strange happened!
The scarlet crystal that had been hovering in midair suddenly burst out into blood red flames, zooming like a fire arrow towards the part of the formation that was caved in.
In the crystal, there was a requirement that required it to make contact with the spell formation before it was activated.
Combined with Giant's obvious attempts at hiding the truth, Leylin could easily tell that it wouldn't be good if the crystal activated.
However, there was no sense of flustering on his expression. Rather, there was a profound look on his face.
"I've been waiting for this!" He reached forward with his right hand!
"Snake Binding!"
The little black snakes that had been crawling on the crystal immediately began to squirm and turned into a huge snake ball, securing the red crystal within.
Black gas pervaded the area, on the verge of concealing the red light the crystal was emitting.
*Weng Weng!*
The red crystal constantly expanded, and Leylin seemed to hear a sound of unwillingness from within.
"As expected, there's even a backup plan! It's a pity…"
Leylin rapidly chanted incantations and sprinkled some light blue powder into the air.
"Freezing River!" As he finished the last syllable of the incantation, a light blue light surrounded the snake ball.
*Tssss!* White threads of mist were produced, and on the surface of the snake ball, the white mist condensed and turned into a layer of thin ice.
The amount of ice became greater and greater, until, at the end, a thick layer of ice had been formed around the snake ball. The entire snake ball seemed like it had turned into a huge ball of ice.
The red rays of light that the crystal had been producing was now completely contained within.
As if it had lost its detection abilities, the large spell formation in the pit ceased its rumbling, and all sorts of runes ceased to move on the surface of the formation.
*Shua! Shua! Shua!*
Three large ice pillars were like pylons, or perhaps chains, as they connected with the blue ball of ice.
"Hn! The power of this sealing spell formation is not half bad!" Leylin nodded in satisfaction.
This sealing spell formation was something he had gained from blackmailing Pierre at the Four Seasons Garden. It was definitely something worth being kept safely in the warehouse as it was quite effective. It looked like Pierre had not given him inferior items to go against him.
Leylin then shifted his attention to the spell formation that was caved in in the middle.
"A.I. Chip! Compare the runes on the spell design!"
A blue ray of light brightened in his eyes and shone straight at the spell formation.
A huge amount of data flashed past Leylin's eyes.
Countless runes and designs were currently being compared.
The red crystal from before was merely a key. The runes used on it were strange, and Leylin previously had no way to tell its function from the runes.
But now, both the key and the keyhole were here. Hence, he was able to make comparisons between the runes on both ends and tell the rough functions of the spell formation and crystal.
Seconds later, the A.I. Chip's conclusion appeared before Leylin.
"The part that's caved in is a sealing formation, and the crystal's function is to detonate?"
A cold look emerged on his face as Leylin read through the first two lines. "Very good, Giant! Just you wait!"
The A.I. Chip's robotic voice continued to intone.
Scapegoat
[From the energy emitted by the spell formation, analysis shows that the probability of a body of consciousness residing in the spell formation is 78.9%.]
The A.I. Chip's conclusion was presented before Leylin.
"A body of consciousness?!" Leylin's eyes sparkled.
"Can you compare it with the database and find out what sort of body of consciousness it is?"
[Searching… Beep! There is no such information in the database. Comparing with Host body's existing memories…]
The A.I. Chip operated quickly.
Seconds later, a new conclusion was shown to Leylin: [The body of consciousness emits an aura that comes from the Eternal River Plains' secret plane. Determined to be a special being from the secret plane itself! Compatibility with large platinum gate of entrance to the secret plane: 67%.]
"Platinum gate?" Leylin's eyes widened, suddenly thinking back to the platinum gate that seemed like an ancient existence, right across from the headquarters. Incomplete spiritual force waves were emitted by the gate!
"From the looks of it, I'm afraid that the platinum door has already evolved to have its own intelligence. However, it was removed by Magi from Four Seasons Garden and sealed here. Hence, its spiritual force waves gave me such a strange feeling…"
Leylin slowly came up with the entire process that led to this result.
Though he had no idea why Four Seasons Garden sealed the consciousness of the entrance to the secret plane, there were only a few reasons that Leylin wasn't going to bother wondering about.
What he was more focused on was what would happen to the entrance to the secret plane if its consciousness was destroyed.
After all, the red crystal that Giant gave him was no unsealing spell design! Instead, it would control the spell formation as well as the consciousness within, and destroy them together!
"A.I. Chip! Simulate the consequences of the destruction of the secret plane's body of consciousness."
Leylin spoke quietly, his expression dark and dreadful.
[Beep! Mission established, beginning to compare with high-level patterns. Importing data…] The A.I. Chip intoned loyally.
After which, the result was placed before Leylin.
[Based on simulated experiments and remnants, if the body of consciousness is damaged, the possibility of the platinum gate being destroyed is 79.8%. Entrance will automatically close and be sealed shut. Another 15.2% chance of the opposite happening. The entrance will then become a public entrance and be open to any living beings… the last 5% possibility has unknown consequences!]
Leylin, who was silently reading the conclusion, suddenly understood everything.
The most important part in the battle for the Eternal River Plains' secret plane was the acquisition of the entrance. Seven entrances had been discovered, with four being controlled by the light Magi.
This control referred not only to the Magi army set up on the outer areas but also to a certain key that could control the opening and closing of the entrance!
From the looks of it, these keys referred to each gate's core body of consciousness!
"If I detonate this area, there's a large probability of Four Seasons Garden's entrance disappearing. The dark and light Magi will then hold the same number of entrances and there won't be any disadvantages when trying to take over the secret plane."
Leylin could easily tell the intentions of the dark Magi.
These Magi were planning to destroy the entrance here!
Gaining control of the entrance meant obtaining a large amount of land, plentiful resources, as well as a huge number of troops. Most importantly, the speed at which spoils of war were transported would be increased!
Light Magi currently held possession of four entrances. Whether in terms of the areas with radiation or potential battle power, they exceeded the dark Magi by a large margin. Hence, the dark Magi had to think of ways to make up for this handicap!
Even if this place was not destroyed, it was still necessary to rob this place from the light Magi. They would rather have this place become a public domain than let it be controlled by the light Magi!
"Shrewd! A very, very clever plan!"
Leylin, who had made sense of this whole situation, couldn't help but praise the person who had come up with this operation.
However, as the very last chess piece in this game, he was in a very difficult position.
If he destroyed the body of consciousness now, the gate to the secret plane would immediately be damaged and perhaps permanently lose its abilities. This may or may not be a good thing.
Leylin, who had completed this task, would be held in high regard by the dark Magi, but the light Magi would definitely not let him off so easily.
This was a decision that he needed to think through carefully. Just for that little bit of merit, was it actually worth it to offend the entire light Magi alliance?
"Is there still… a need to consider any further?"
Leylin's eyes brightened.
"From this crystal and the extremely opportune timing, it looks like there's someone in the shadows controlling everything. This person also has to have a high position in Four Seasons Garden, or else it'd be impossible for him to do this much… I'm almost sure of who it is! Once this operation is over, he'll be the one reaping the most benefits. I might even be labelled as a traitor and be chased to death, while he will get the most merits for everything…."
Leylin's lips quirked in a cold smile.
Since ancient times, a spy's position was the most difficult. Even if they succeeded, if the person who instigated the operation was not willing to tie up loose ends, the spy would be the one who would stand to lose the most!
Besides, compared to a lowly spy like him, there was another spy with a higher position, had been in Four Seasons Garden longer, and was an even more loyal choice.
If there were conflicts of interest between them, who would Thousand Meddling Hands choose? This was a rhetorical question.
Besides, the contract he had signed with Giant only specified that he could not help Four Seasons Garden, but the reason he was doing this was for his own benefit. With his own desire to get some benefits from Four Seasons Garden, it was evident that he would not suffer any backlash from going against the contract's terms.
Afraid that Leylin would not agree, Giant did not dare to make the conditions too strict. If the conditions stated that he had to destroy specific things, then Leylin would definitely investigate further and could decide not to sign the contract at all.
"Shatter!"
Leylin clenched his fist while facing the blue ball of ice!
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!" Countless shards of ice fell from the ice ball, and immediately after, innumerable cracks appeared on the surface of the ice ball.
*Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!*
Finally, the entire light blue ball of ice cracked and along with it, the red crystal dispersed into powder.
This spell design that would cause the spell formation to implode was destroyed by Leylin, just like that!
Leylin had thought this through.
It was alright to betray Four Seasons Garden. At most, he would have become the enemy to one more organisation, but destroying the gate of the secret plane would mean offending the entire light Magi alliance!
The current Eternal River Plains' secret plane was a huge chunk of flesh that dark and light Magi alike were waiting for an opportunity to swallow into their stomachs!
The gate to the secret plane did not belong to just Four Seasons Garden, but the entire light Magi alliance! Four Seasons Garden was but one of the characters who would look over the entrance. The moment Leylin destroyed the entrance, all light Magi forces would lose their advantage in this battle!
Since ancient times, destroying a person's livelihood was akin to murdering one's own parents. For Magi, the secret plane was a huge gold mine where one could obtain a limitless amount of top grade materials! If he pitted himself against the light Magi like this, he would be chased to the ends of the earth and there would be no end to it!
On top of that, all of the light Magi powers would be working together to exterminate their enemy! The dangers of this operation were way above that of the times previously when he had gathered spirits and plundered brazenly!
In the south coast, light Magi were at the top. If the entire light Magi faction was against him, it was impossible for Leylin to stay alive. All he could do was find a deserted place and live a hermit's life.
If he had connections in the dark Magi alliance things would still be fine.
This operation would be a huge gain on the dark Magi's side, and based on his huge contribution, he would have a comfortable life with the dark Magi.
It was a pity that Leylin had entered Thousand Meddling Hands halfway through and was not as trustworthy. Otherwise, he would not have been deceived into doing this.
Besides that, he had no backing in the dark Magi alliance and rather, had some foes within!
After all, Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was a member of the dark Magi alliance. He had brazenly killed off the elder of the Lilytell family, Metallic Lunatic Marb, which resulted in a blood debt!
After considering the matter carefully, Leylin concluded that exploding the gate to the secret plane did not benefit him at all, and he would have actually become the scapegoat!
Leylin was definitely not going to do something that would harm his own interests.
Hence, with one last look at Reynold's office, he ruthlessly left!
...
*Rumble!*
Within the headquarters of Four Seasons Garden at the Eternal River Plain's secret plane, immense energy waves from spells exploding could be felt everywhere. Mixed within those sounds were miserable cries and maniacal laughter.
The dark Magi's attack, this time, was very fierce and they had quickly made their way to the centre of the headquarters.
Hence, Leylin found very few official Magi along the way. Nobody bothered to interrogate him either, so his whole journey out was very smooth sailing.
Many Magi in black cloaks were freely venting their dark desires, and some Magi could be seen bursting into flames.
The violent flames engulfed the area and turned the prosperous and busy trading centre into a sea of fire.
The official Magi of Four Seasons Garden were doing their utmost to hold back the dark Magi while awaiting support.
The Magi who had chosen no sides were around mostly to look on without lifting a finger, while only a few who were on good terms with Four Seasons Garden chose to participate in the battle.
Magi were a bunch of cold people, and seeing that the dark and light Magi were participating in a large-scale battle, most of the Magi present chose to look after their own hide and observe.
This was obviously the case for acolytes.
While official Magi were fighting, they did not even have the chance to intervene. Usually, just a stray wave of magic from an official Magus could cause a large number of deaths.
"Things seem to be rather chaotic!" Leylin laughed without care.
Though he was wearing the attire that belonged to Four Seasons Garden, the expression on his face was very composed and as cool as ice, as if everything happening here had nothing to do with him.
"Magus Leylin, what are you doing?"
At this moment, a figure rapidly appeared before Leylin. It was Dolorin.
This vice team leader of the defense squad cut quite a sorry figure, his white robes torn into shreds.
Blood Rogue's Appearance
"Magus Leylin! In my authority as the vice team leader of the defense squad, you will temporarily be expropriated! Those darned dark Magi bastards are plundering our headquarters and killing our family and friends. I need you! Let us go and resist the enemy!"
Dolorin looked as if he was in a frenzy and was burning with rage. It looked like he was truly loyal to Four Seasons Garden.
As a large light Magi organisation, Four Seasons Garden had a very strong sense of unity.
Hence, even under such circumstances, many official Magi, and even acolytes, were willing to risk their lives and fight.
"My apologies, but I won't do it!" Leylin unenthusiastically spoke.
"What did you say?" Dolorin became wide-eyed, unwilling to believe what he was hearing.
"I said I won't! I am now the patrolling inspector at the headquarters! Just my position alone means that I have the same level of authority as that dead team leader of yours. Even he didn't have the power to command me to do anything, much less you."
Leylin squinted, causing Dolorin to seethe with rage.
"You… you dare…" Dolorin gestured at Leylin, his finger trembling.
Though his lips twitched, he did not say a word. Leylin's reason could not be refuted, and with his current position, he did not have the authority to order Leylin, who held a higher position, to do anything.
"Well then, Lord Leylin! Where are you going?"
Dolorin suddenly asked with his fists tightly clenched and his eyes fixed on Leylin.
"Are you trying to mind my business?" Leylin's spoke in a low register as he looked at this burly man.
"Of course not! It's just that an envoy just came down from the headquarters and is standing guard at Experiment Zone 3. I think you might want to see him?" Dolorin lowered his head, though his words showed he had no intents of backing down.
"An envoy from the headquarters?" Leylin furrowed his brows. This was a key position and represented the will of the entire Four Seasons Garden. This person obviously had a position that was much higher than his temporary role as a patrolling inspector.
"Why wasn't I informed of this? Who is it?" Leylin asked on.
"It's Lord Reynold's personal disciple, Lord Wade!" The name that came out of Dolorin's mouth was unexpected, but at the same time logical.
"So it's him! No wonder!" Leylin nodded.
Wade was a Magus who had been raised in Four Seasons Garden, from when he had been a regular human till he became an acolyte and then further became a Magus. His entire being had a close connection to Four Seasons Garden, and he was definitely loyal.
On top of that, the person in charge here was Reynold, who was also his teacher. In terms of communication and connections, he had a natural advantage.
"It's going to be troublesome to have an envoy come down at this time…" Leylin's heart lurched.
Immediately after, Dolorin stared straight at Leylin. "My lord, think about it…"
"Since it's an envoy from the headquarters and the situation is somewhat dire now, I'll have to meet him!" Leylin said indifferently.
Surveying the area, he noted that the dark and light Magi were immersed in battle and nobody had the time to pay any attention to him.
Also, they were in a corner and there was little chance of them being seen from afar.
After having noted this situation, the expression on Leylin's face became calmer as he tucked his hands into his sleeves.
"That's good… Ah…"
What appeared on Dolorin's face was glee, followed by a complicated glint in his eyes, as if some sort of evil plan was brewing in his mind. However, all of this was immediately destroyed by a pair of flaming, crimson palms.
These crimson palms had blood red flames that went through Dolorin's innate defense spell formation like paper and pierced right into his chest.
A flash of disbelief passed Dolorin's face before he turned into a pile of ashes under the blood-red flames.
Leylin calmly retracted his hands. He was now the number one being who was second only to rank 2 Magi. Dolorin was a rank 1 Magus who was not even at the peak yet. Leylin had gone all out and mounted a sneak attack, and hence Dolorin had been killed in a single attack.
From within the ashes, a hint of grey light rose and turned into a grey skull that pounced towards Leylin.
"Oh! A secret imprint? I never expected Dolorin to have something like this!"
Blood red glints flashed by his eyes and two crimson rays shot out of his pupils which landed on the imprint in a straight line.
*Sssii!* Large amounts of white mist rose, and under the crimson rays, the skull imprint dispersed. It turned into little grey spots that disappeared into the air.
This was the same type of imprint that Bosain and Torash, who had both been killed by Leylin, possessed. This was an imprint that Magi used to mark those they wanted to take revenge on.
When Leylin was still an acolyte, it was exceedingly difficult to remove this type of imprint the moment he made contact with it. It was also easy for Magi to track, which was why he had used the most direct and simplest way to kill those two acolytes.
But this was now different! Leylin had advanced to a peak rank 1 Magus! The imprint of a regular Magus could easily be removed with a little spiritual force.
He was only fearful of the secret imprint that rank 2 Magi personally set up. A rank 1 Magus imprints was not a worry to him.
"Shadow Clone!" After doing all this, Leylin was still not content and pointed at the pile of bone and ashes.
A black shadow clone crawled out from the shadows and entered the ashes.
The shadow clone that was now mixed with the ashes extended, grew bigger, and became another man who was similar to Dolorin.
Their faces and attire were practically the same, though the shadow clone's skin was black. It was weird and rather terrifying.
"Shapeshifting spell!" With a stretch of his hand, milky white light converged in his palm and shot to the clone's body.
Under the effects of the shapeshifting spell, the clone's skin instantly turned fair, and even gave some colour to its face. It looked just like Dolorin.
"Go! Show your face to the Magi in Four Seasons Garden, and then find an opportune time to die in battle!" Leylin instructed.
The shadow clone which had turned into Dolorin bowed towards Leylin and dashed off quickly.
"Trying to make me cannon fodder by getting me to see the leader at this time?"
Leylin glanced at the ground, where Dolorin had once been, a tranquil expression about his face.
"Whether it's killing dark or light Magi, none of this has any meaning. The real treasure is waiting for me! Time is running out and I don't have time to play around with you."
Leylin's original intention was to take advantage of the chaos and seize some benefits, but Dolorin had schemed for Leylin to meet the envoy from the headquarters hence Leylin had no choice but oblige.
This was the complete opposite of Leylin's intentions. Hence, Dolorin must die!
"It's about time for Blood Rogue to appear!"
Leylin murmured to himself, rays of light appearing in his right arm and turning into a crimson mask. His robes also underwent some changes and turned into a shade of crimson, a stark contrast to the original white, and looked as if it had been stained by fresh blood.
His aura also changed, reeking of bloodlust and evil.
Just looking at him was enough to cause official Magi to break out in cold sweat.
Leylin's other identity in Thousand Meddling Hands, Blood Rogue, now made its appearance!
After having transformed into Blood Rogue, Leylin identified a direction and rushed in the direction of the Merit Point Exchange Hall.
One would be an idiot not to seize benefits when possible!
The battle at the Merit Point Exchange Hall was also the most intense, with various spells and energies flying all over the place.
Within the rubble, Magi of the defense squad in the white robes of Four Seasons Garden and Magi in the black robes of Thousand Meddling Hands were now tangled together.
All sorts of pieces and fragments of resources were strewn all over the ground. There was even an intellectual crystal ball that had been discarded in a corner within the rubble.
"Hm?"
From the corner of his eyes, Leylin discovered a few hidden black figures who emitted energy waves that belonged to acolytes! They must be incredibly reckless to even think of participating in a battle between Magi.
These figures lay in wait at the sidelines of the battle, their greedy little eyes fixated on the items strewn all over the ground.
Even if they were to pay their life for this, there was no guarantee that they would be able to obtain these items in their lifetime. Taking advantage of the chaotic situation, a few of the more daring acolytes actually began to have designs on these items.
*Rumble!* An icy blue ray of light dispersed, and the remaining waves of energy hit one of the acolytes present.
This acolyte didn't even have the chance to make a sound before he turned into an ice statue amidst the blue light.
Such a miserable scene scared away a large number of acolytes.
There were, however, a few lucky acolytes who successfully left the battlefield after retrieving some resources and ingredients.
Though the official Magi present had discovered their presence, they couldn't be bothered with these existences that were as unremarkable as ants.
Making use of the Magi's reasoning, these acolytes betted their lives and struggled towards this hint of an opportunity! They did this despite knowing that if any official Magus found them an eyesore, they would immediately lose their lives!
Leylin suddenly reflected upon this and realised that a Magus' path was full of blood and cruelty.
He strode forth at a measured pace and entered the heart of the battle.
"It's Lord Blood Rogue!" "Lord Blood Rogue is here!" The Thousand Meddling Hands' Magi present immediately gasped.
Amidst them was a huge black rodent-like Magus who quickly got rid of its opponent and bowed before Leylin.
"It's actually Lord Blood Rogue! It's been a long time!"
The huge rodent now had green eyes that were the size of longan fruits and looked ready to bootlick any given moment.
Ever since Leylin had displayed his exceptional battle strength in previous fights, combined with Bald Venom's disappearance without a trace, this large rodent had analysed the situation well and apologised to Leylin. It had also sent a large number of precious items.
From then on, it would eagerly approach Leylin and greet him, acting just like his servant.
Holy Angel
"En!"
When facing this large rodent-like dark Magus, Leylin only nodded slightly.
"You're just in time. There are some areas that require your natural talent. Stay beside me!"
"Yes, my lord!" A glint of glee appeared in the large rodent's eyes, and it quickly stood at a short distance behind Leylin.
It was very clear that in this large-scale war, even for official Magi, the probability of death was not low.
In order to protect itself, besides trying its hardest to raise its strength, the rodent Magus also had to have strong backers to protect itself. This was a method of survival!
"Who is that?"
The opposing Four Seasons Garden Magi asked in suspicion as they naturally could not recognise Leylin as he was right now.
"It's Blood Rogue from Thousand Meddling Hands! It's said that his crimes are insane, and in just the short span of a year, he's already committed nine major crimes and has been labelled as a notorious criminal on the wanted list!"
Another old light Magi stared hard at Leylin, eyes revealing an unspeakable fear.
Leylin merely laughed gently and approached them, while the two dark Magi respectfully backed off.
"I'm only going to say this once! Move!" He spoke brazenly to the light Magi.
"Are you crazy?"
Seeing Leylin actually dared to threaten a whole group of light Magi, even a few Magi from the Thousand Meddling Hands thought Leylin to be crazy.
However, the large rodent and the rest who knew Leylin better could feel their scalps numb as they retreated a few steps.
"Once Lord Reynold returns, the whole lot of you insane dark Magi will… ugh…"
A light Magus stood out and spoke righteously.
However shortly after, a translucent, black, giant serpent seemed to travel through space and appeared in front of him. Extending its mouth, which was full of sharp teeth, it bit down upon his neck.
*Ka-cha!* A piercing sound was produced, and this light Magus' innate defence formation was destroyed to pieces in less than a second under the snake's bite.
After that, the python directly bit the Magus' unprotected nape! The spinal cord was ripped to shreds, and flesh and blood flew everywhere.
"Honestly… are all of you deaf?"
The light Magus' corpse fell to the ground with a loud thud, and Leylin's blood-red robes seemed to produce crimson rays of light. He faced the light Magi in front of him and spoke peacefully.
"Just- Just what level of… This power far exceeds that of the semi-converted Magus that he had been."
Upon having seen Leylin kill an official Magus in one blow, the large black rodent behind him couldn't help but be shocked. From what he knew, in Thousand Meddling Hands, there were only a few peak rank 1 Magi, such as Giant, who could do this. However, another person had joined their ranks — Blood Rogue!
It even went so far as to guess that Blood Rogue right now might have surpassed Giant and the other elders. At this thought, with a gleeful, and an even more intense gaze that could be seen on its slender and hollowed face, it stared at Leylin's figure.
"Togo! He actually killed Togo!"
A female Four Seasons Garden Magus looked at Togo's corpse, evidently in disbelief, and went insane.
"I'll kill you!"
With a crazed look upon her face, she was then wrapped up in a bundle of milky white light!
*Ka-cha!*
Under the shroud of light, her clothes split and revealed the curvy body of a young woman.
At the same time, layers of clean white feathers sprouted out from her back, eventually forming a pair of large white wings.
"The holy form! Looks like she's going to go all out!"
The surrounding Magi were surprised, and all of them had varying reactions.
Some chose to retreat, others rushed in from the sidelines, and even more light Magi came in and surrounded Leylin.
"Holy Judgement!"
As if an angel had descended upon the earth, the female Magus' face shone with a holy light. Her eyes turned pure gold as she pointed straight at Leylin.
Light! Pure, clear holy light formed a knight's lance, accompanied by a holy chorus in the background. Along with a huge spurt of energy, it charged towards Leylin!
"Kill him! Let's kill him!"
Immediately after, the surrounding light Magi produced their best spells, and colourful magic rays rushed towards Leylin like a wave.
In the face of such an attack, the black rodent immediately retreated, while other dark Magi had long since hidden themselves away.
Leylin wasn't their superior and lacked the authority to command them.
In addition, as a dark Magi who had commited crime after crime, even if there was a leader who ordered them to go forth, they would disobey.
"At critical times, they're a bunch of unreliable fellows! It's good that I wasn't counting on any assistance from them."
Leylin raised both arms and loudly chanted a few syllables.
*Hualala!* A bright crimson colour stained his hands; the red was so concentrated that it looked like fresh blood on the verge of dripping down.
"It's appeared! The magic that gave Blood Rogue his name — Crimson Palm!"
A few dark Magi who were concealed a distance away yelled in awe.
"Die!" With a cold glint in his eyes, his two hands mercilessly scratched forward!
*Boom!*
Two blood-red phantom claws emerged and charged towards the holy lance and the wave of magic.
*Rumble!* On the surface of the crimson claws, large amounts of blood-red flames rose to the skies, virtually turning the sky crimson.
*Rumble!*
The flaming, sharp phantom claws slammed into the lance as well as the onslaught of spells, which produced a huge sound.
Black mushroom clouds formed and rose above the explosion; the aftershocks constantly spreading and shaving off a few layers of earth.
*Weng Weng!*
Countless amounts of black smoke and ash flew about, fully blocking the scene within the explosion.
*Ku! Ku!*
All of a sudden, two phantom claws that seemed slightly damaged charged through the layer of smoke and out of the explosion area.
Huge crimson claws grabbed at the angel in the sky!
Light! Large amounts of clean holy light transformed into crystal-like armour, automatically equipping itself to the female Magus.
She now had on crystal armour and a pair of large white wings, looking as if an ancient goddess of war had descended upon the earth.
In contrast, the large crimson claws seemed like the hands of a demonic god from the depths of hell, mercilessly grabbing towards the war goddess!
*Ka-cha!*
Large crimson claws crashed into the armour, emitting the sounds of something cracking.
Under the disbelieving gazes of the many Magi present, the solid crystal armour that seemed to be a product from the heavens was torn into shreds by the crimson claws. They fluttered like butterflies before they turned into little spots of light that disappeared into the air.
After which, the crimson claws ruthlessly caught hold of the female Magus.
The wings behind her back were forcefully ripped off, where pieces of pure white feathers drifted to the ground as if it was snowing.
The huge crimson claws immediately gripped her fiercely.
*Pa!* Like a watermelon that had been gripped so tightly that it exploded, the female Magus burst into pieces, blood flowing unceasingly. The liquid was absorbed by the huge claws, which caused its appearance to become more terrifying and evil.
[Beep! Power of Crimson Palm has reached the limits a second time. Layering effect achieved. 1. Crimson Flames: the crimson flames from Crimson Palm can be used as an area of effect attack. 2. Bloodleech: Every time Crimson Palm is used to kill an opponent, the power that is consumed will automatically be replenished after absorbing the opponent's blood.]
The A.I. Chip's voice sounded in Leylin's ear.
"Oh! Does that mean that every time I kill someone, Crimson Palm has the ability to automatically replenish its power and that the Magus doesn't have to do it himself?"
Leylin was astonished. This spell was something he had obtained from the great Magus Serholm's Book of Giant Serpent.
It looked like the great Magus Serholm truly was deserving of his rank as a Morning Star Magus. Just a random rank 1 spell had such frightening effects.
After having absorbed the female Magus' blood, the phantom crimson claws that had begun to turn dull and start to dissipate seemed to have received some powerful nourishment, and suddenly burst with crimson light!
The flames that had already died down began to burn furiously upon the claws.
*Boom!*
The crimson claw pressed down!
A huge palm imprint appeared on the ground, with flames burning around it.
The giant claw slapped a few Magi from Four Seasons Garden, and due to the crimson flames, they turned to ashes.
One strike! With just one strike, Leylin had killed countless official Magi!
If such battle achievements were to be spread, his name would be known throughout the south coast and even go down in history!
"Blood… Blood Rogue is actually so strong! Has he advanced to a rank 2 Magus already?!"
The dark Magi of Thousand Meddling Hands were startled by Leylin's ferocious strike and were also stunned into silence for a long while.
*Shua shua shua!*
Upon seeing Leylin's attack, innumerable light Magi completely lost their confidence. Using various types of spells, they transformed into wind or giant birds, amongst other animals, and rapidly left the area.
Leylin merely stood where he was, not bothering to give chase.
For him, killing light Magi was useless. What was more important was to steal resources!
*Boom!*
Yet another large claw was sent out and uncovered a passageway from the rubble.
Leylin went on a wild rampage, like the fiercest animal in ancient times, and based on the memory of the route that Pierre had taken, he destroyed all the traps and spell formations along the way.
In just a moment, he came before the huge resource warehouse from before.
Under his fierce flames, the huge metal door was melted into a liquid that flowed freely on the ground. With his hands clasped behind his back, he brazenly walked into the large resource warehouse.
"My Lord! After you!"
The dark Magi who had followed Leylin here did not dare to be indolent even in the face of such a huge room of treasure. Rather, they respectfully allowed him to have the first browse through these spoils of war.
Killing Pierre
Leylin unceremoniously began to search through the large resource warehouse as the smallest and most valuable items all disappearing into his robes.
The rodent who was following him took advantage of Leylin's high position and managed to obtain quite a few valuable items.
Once he was satisfied with his loot, Leylin returned to the doorway and spoke to the rest of the Magi who were anxiously waiting, "The rest is all yours."
"Many thanks to Lord Blood Rogue!"
After the Magi present bowed to Leylin, they cheered as they impatiently dashed into the warehouse, plundering as they liked.
"What a pity! If I had some magic artifact that could store items in another space dimension, you wouldn't be getting anything from here."
Watching the large storage warehouse get ravaged, a feeling of pity overcame him.
Even if he couldn't use these things, they could be exchanged for magic crystals and the like.
However, time was short and he could not afford to keep many items on his body, so they were able to benefit from this.
"Rodent! Come here!"
Leylin spoke indifferently.
"My Lord, what may I do for you?" Upon witnessing Leylin's battle achievements, this Magus, Rodent, was already fully in awe of Leylin and was even ready to sell its body to him.
"You specialise in detection, right? I remember the last time while we were surveying the entrance to the secret plane, you were the first one to discover it."
Leylin spoke matter-of-factly, but from the sharp glint in his eyes, it seemed as if he had already seen through Rodent's entire being.
"It's just an effect from the shapeshifting spell…" Rodent's heart chilled as it smiled dryly.
"Good! Find me the current location of this smell!"
Leylin raised his index finger, and tendrils of blackness were emitted and turned into thin little black pythons. They quickly appeared before Rodent and bit onto its nose.
"Ah…" Rodent gave a miserable cry, but the intense pain it had been expecting did not register. Instead, the smell of a Magus had travelled into his mind.
"It's him! Bring me to him!" Leylin's voice was very calm and it was impossible to tell if he was agitated or gleeful. However, this situation evidently unnerved Rodent further.
"Yes! Yes, my Lord, I'll bring you there now!"
Rodent sprawled flat on the ground, nose right on the ground as he sniffed hard.
After a few minutes, he confirmed a direction, "It's here. Please follow me, my Lord!"
Concealed under the the crimson mask, Leylin lightly chuckled. What he had given Rodent was the scent of Pierre, who was in charge of the merit points exchange centre.
As the first Magus to be exploited by Leylin, his scent had been kept for future purposes.
But from what he had heard from Pierre, what he had plundered was not the main warehouse. The real one was something that even Pierre did not have the authority to bring others into.
This was an opportunity that was hard to come by!
Leylin gathered that the items in that main warehouse were definitely top-grade items or ingredients that Four Seasons Garden had found in the Eternal River Plains' secret plane.
If he managed to obtain all of that, it would likely be enough for him to advance to a rank 2 Magus and even above that.
At this thought, his breathing began to silently roughen.
The large rodent-like Magus had no real talent in terms of fighting skill, but it was his skill in detecting an opponent that Thousand Meddling Hands required his expertise for.
Leylin followed this large rodent and bypassed several secret passageways. There were, of course, several alarms and magic traps, but they were all destroyed by Leylin.
The main function of these traps was to alert the light Magi of intruders, and summon a large number of Magi from the Four Seasons Garden.
As they went further in, even Reynold would be startled into action. With a rank 2 Magus like him around, things were as safe as it could be.
But the situation now was different. Four Seasons Garden's headquarters at the secret plane was now in a state of confusion and chaos. Reynold, the rank 2 Magus in charge, had now been lured away by a rank 2 Magus from Thousand Meddling Hands.
In a situation where the main forces were gone, just a few dull traps and spells were just a joke to Leylin!
"We're here! My lord, if my senses don't fail me, the owner of the scent is within this passageway."
After going through a maze filled with traps and crossroads, the large rodent pointed to a green passage at the opposite side and stated with confidence.
This passageway looked extremely narrow, to the point that only one person could cross at a time. Within the passageway, there were innumerable vines that twined together to create a green wall, and there were even powerful energy waves emitting from it. The aura it emitted was vaguely familiar and was something that Leylin had felt not too long ago — it belonged to Reynold, the rank 2 Magus!
"It can't be wrong! This is the place!"
Leylin inspected the restriction spell formation put into place, his heartbeat quickening.
As the person in charge at the merit points exchange centre, Pierre would definitely return to the main warehouse and oversee it. As this place was kept in a secret location and had a large number of defensive spell formations, it was much safer as compared to the outside, where danger lurked in every corner. Hence, Leylin was eighty percent sure that he had chosen to hide out here.
Leylin had gotten Rodent to find his scent and was betting on this happening! Now, with the appearance of Reynold's, a rank 2 Magus, defensive spell formations, it confirmed his conjecture.
Even if it wasn't the main warehouse, there were sure to be valuable things around if a rank 2 Magus had attempted to prevent others from going in there.
With a lengthy whistle, his hands turned red and he activated the full power of Crimson Palm. Huge blood-red claws carried crimson flames about it as they struck the wall of vines.
*Rumble!
Immense energy waves shot in all directions, and the passageway shook a little, rocks and dust falling from the ceiling.
After the dust cleared, the rodent-like Magus who was hiding behind Leylin saw a hole that was as large as a basketball above the entrance on the wall.
This hole was pitch-black inside, with traces of crimson flames burning and extending within.
*Crash!* Green light flashed and the entrance seemed to come to life, innumerable tendrils twisting together and filling in the hole. Rays of green light was emitted from the vines and they were entangled together, green and right mixing together before they died down.
"The defense formation set up by a rank 2 Magus is indeed not simple!"
Leylin sighed in admiration, with no hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Crimson Palm was just one of the spells he used to conceal his identity. It was definitely not representative of what he was capable of!
The current him had already approached the realm of a rank 2 Magus. Even if he were to meet one, there was a high chance of him escaping. A formation set up by a mere rank 2 Magus was naturally not anything he worried about.
"A.I. Chip! Have they been recorded?"
Under the mask, a hint of blue flashed in his eyes as he enquired inwardly.
[Recorded 89% of the information regarding the spell formation. Currently simulating experiments and calculating its weak point.]
The A.I. Chip intoned loyally and then presented a few points where the amount of energy present was scarcer.
Usually, when a defense formation was not activated, it was difficult for the A.I. Chip to obtain such specific data. However, through Leylin's attack using Crimson Palm, the formation began to operate and displayed all sorts of energy waves that the A.I. Chip scanned and gathered in detail. This was how it was able to see through it and ascertain its weak point!
"So that's it!" Leylin peered closely at the diagram pointing out the places where energy signals were weaker, and the crimson rays were produced from his hands once again.
"Crimson Palm!" The giant blood-red claws struck again! Sharp, large flaming apparitions hit the entrance amidst the vines, 3cm below the centre of the door.
*Bang!* The entrance began to shake fiercely, and large numbers of vines devoted their energies to repairing the harm caused.
"Hah!" Leylin's arms did not stop moving as the crimson claws were used again, striking a few areas on the door.
*Creak! Creak!* The door could not bear the abuse and even the veins began to slow in their movements.
"Now!" Blood-red light flashed in his eyes.
*Rumble!* The areas on the door that had been hit began to burn fiercely with crimson flames, forming straight lines and converging.
*Weng Weng!*
A huge crimson fireball appeared, and with a specific frequency, it bombarded the very middle of the vined entrance.
*Tsssss!*
As if someone had torn countless pieces of parchment, the green-vined entrance crumbled in pieces. The original healthy green turned into a wilted yellow as if its life force was drained as each piece fell to the ground.
*Ka-cha!* The whole entrance was in shatters.
Leylin's footsteps did not stop and he immediately entered.
Following behind him was the Rodent Magus who seemed to be struggling with its decision to follow. Its foot raised several times, but in the end, it took a huge breath and left this place.
"You actually found this place?"
After going through the passageway, Leylin came into a place that seemed like a small warehouse. The first thing he saw was someone dressed like an appraiser. He even had on gilded glasses and was standing there silently.
At this moment, the expression on Pierre's face was strange; he looked as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He smiled, "I've been worrying about how to tell my superiors about you breaking into the exchange centre. I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore…"
He then gave Leylin a profound look. "You must be someone I know well, to be able to get here so quickly! Could you tell me your real identity?"
...
Leylin did not seem to have any intentions of letting Pierre die knowing his secrets. *Boom!* He fiercely took one step forward, and dark energy particles wrapped he and Pierre within like a fog…
*Sssii!* Thick fog spread, but there was not the slightest sound produced from the inside.
Minutes later, Leylin walked out calmly, and then entered the treasured warehouse that belonged to Four Seasons Garden.
Leather Pouch
After Leylin left, the fog gradually dispersed, leaving behind a greyish-white statue of a Magus.
This statue looked exactly the same as Pierre, with a look of astonishment on his face.
*Pak! Pak!*
Innumerable cracks began to extend across the statue like spider webs.
*Crack!*
Immediately after, the stone sculpture broke into little pieces with a loud sound.
Leylin was now a peak rank 1 Magus. With the added bonus from his bloodline, even a regular peak rank 1 Magus was not a match for him when he went all out.
However, he did not have any time to waste on thinking about this. His eyes were already attracted to the items before him.
This warehouse was incredibly small and was only a dozen or so square metres.
On a stone counter, only three items laid there. Though they looked to be unremarkable, they must be something of value for them to be placed here.
Leylin scrutinised the items on the counter.
On the left most was something that looked like a leather pouch. It was completely black and even had some detailed silver designs. Though it looked very ordinary, it seemed to have a slight wave that was rather unique emitting from the pouch. Even the Giant Kemoyin Serpent bloodline within him had a strange response to it.
"From this feeling, it probably implies that this was made using the material from some kind of ancient creature."
Leylin rubbed his chin, the gears in his brain turning, "Something made by the hide of some ancient being. It doesn't seem to be any offensive-type magic artifact either. Could it be…?"
In that moment, a slight possibility flashed past Leylin's mind, causing his breathing to become a little rough.
"A.I. Chip! Scan the decorative designs on the pouch and compare it with pictures of ancient beings!"
[Bepp! Mission established, initiating scan…]
The A.I. Chip loyally intoned. Now, with a specific catalogue to refer to, the A.I. Chip immediately found an answer.
[Results of comparison: Ancient Creatures- Similarity to the skin of Void White-Eyed Snake: 92.6%. Tailless Ouroboros 46.9%. Void Raven: 12.3%]
"As I thought, it's the Void White-Eyed Snake!" Glee emerged on Leylin's face.
Even in ancient times, this sort of ancient being was extremely precious. This was due to the Void White-Eyed Snake's innate ability that had to do with space! Hence, its skin was often used to manufacture all kinds of storage items.
"A.I. Chip! Look up all information there is regarding the Void White-Eyed Snake!" Leylin ordered.
[Void White-Eyed Snake! Ancient being, the darling of the void. After maturing, it can awaken its abilities that have to do with space, gaining a powerful innate skill similar to travelling through time! Its skin is often processed and made into storage items due to the void runes that naturally form on its body. Able to contain items that are a thousand, or even ten thousand times the size of its main body. However, due to excessive hunting by ancient Magi, it became extinct in the middle of the Ancient Era. Source: The Illustrated Handbook of Ancient Beings, World Magus History, 37th revision.]
"As I thought, it's the legendary space-type magic artifact!"
Leylin's eyes were fixed on the black pouch with a fiery gaze.
For a large organisation like Four Seasons Garden, this item was not essential and only served to raise its value. However, for a Magus like him who was used to travelling alone, it was an indispensable item!
If he had had the pouch previously, he definitely would not have left anything behind for the other dark Magi and instead, chosen to take everything for himself.
Especially in his situation where he was planning to escape at any moment, his agility would increase by a large amount.
One could say that of all the items in this treasure trove, if he really needed to make a decision, Leylin would unhesitatingly choose this one!
However, Leylin could still contain his desires.
Suppressing the impulse of making his move immediately, he glanced at the two items beside the black pouch.
In the middle of the stone counter was a very thick, black volume that looked like a dictionary. At the side, one could see it was tattered.
"This must be the book that Four Seasons Garden obtained from the Eternal River Plain's secret plane. As this was left behind by the Magus who constructed this secret plane, it must be even more valuable."
These were items that only large-scale organisations had a use for. If a Magus like him who worked alone set his hands on this, it would only backfire on him.
At the most right, beside the thick volume, there was a black honeycomb that looked somewhat like a charcoal briquette. On the bumpy surface, there were beads of dark green pearls embedded in the holes. It looked rather bizarre.
"Though the volume is the most precious items out of these three, the pouch is still the highest priority to me!"
Leylin solemnly approached the stone counter.
All items stored in a Magus' warehouse were sure to be guarded by defense spell formations. Not only would they be set up around the item, the item itself would also have a spell formation on it.
These spell formations usually had the ability to self-destruct, and the moment the method of approaching it was wrong, the item would be destroyed and cause the thieves to leave with empty hands.
However, dark Magi like Leylin were used to these situations and all had talent and skill in unsealing these spell formations.
Leylin, who had been in the other warehouse, had used dark Magi's unsealing techniques and successfully obtained a few treasured items.
However, the setup of this spell formation was evidently more complicated than that in the other warehouse. This was especially so for these three items, which definitely would have additional spell designs on it.
With runes that bound the items to the counter, even Leylin, who had help from the A.I. Chip could feel a headache coming on.
"It's a pity! This is the main warehouse and even that dead man, Pierre's token and his authority is useless here!"
Leylin heaved a sigh and, from a small pouch, carefully poured the purple powder into his hands.
*Whoosh!*
Gusts of wind suddenly blew in the room, and little purple drafts were produced from Leylin's hand, gathering at the surface of the stone counter.
This was an unsealing spell design he had obtained from Thousand Meddling Hands, specially designed to deal with these sort of self-destructing seals. After modification from the A.I. Chip, its effectiveness had increased many times over!
However, along with the A.I. Chip's modifications, the difficulty in using this spell design had risen over ten times. One needed to be very precise and strict, and one could not be even a millisecond too late. In other words, it was a zero-error precision technique.
Hence, on the south coast, perhaps only Leylin was able to use this unsealing method.
Purple gas flowed like water, coating the counter.
The runes on the counter merely flickered a little and then died down, not detecting any abnormalities around.
Waiting until the moment purple enshrouded the counter, Leylin's eyes flashed resolutely.
"Now is the time! Magic transformation!"
He fiercely chanted a few awkward-sounding syllables, and strange ripples suddenly began to flash upon the counter.
*Weng Weng!*
The purple streams of air solidified in a moment, turning into black, sticky liquid that surrounded the counter.
Only at this moment did the runes on the counter react and it struck back with its more powerful and violent attack. A series of lights exploded, almost breaking through the thick black liquid that shrouded it.
"Cover!" Under Leylin's instructions, the black liquid was like oil and completely covered the counter, rays of lights from various runes completely disappearing under it.
"Now!"
Leylin produced thin blue threads from his right hand, which flew out like silk, and bound the black leather pouch.
The thin blue threads seemed alive as they went towards the leather pouch, a series of slight popping sounds emitting as they moved.
Most of Leylin's energy was spent on this unsealing spell design, to the point that his forehead was drenched with sweat.
Finally, the silk-like threads bound the leather pouch tightly and looked like a blue cocoon.
Leylin grabbed with his hands, and the blue cocoon automatically flew away from the counter and into his hands.
"Alright! It's a success!" Leylin exclaimed gleefully. Now, the black oil-like fluid seemed to be unable to cover the runes on the counter any longer, with hints of light passing through.
"I'll be quick about this. Once more!"
Leylin pointed again, and thin blue threads headed for the honeycomb-like coal briquet.
For Leylin, the book in the middle was likely the diary of the ancient Magus who created Eternal River Plain's secret plain. If he obtained it, it would only cause him endless troubles. Rather than fighting for that, he should take a gamble on something else!
The thin blue threads were soft and yet firm as they edged towards the honeycomb-like coal briquet.
All of a sudden, the counter trembled, and much of the black liquid was flung off.
A series of yellow rays from runes were revealed.
*Weng Weng!* Yellow runes flew into the air, pouncing on the two remaining items on the counter.
"Go!" Steeling his expression, the black oil that covered the counter began to boil, transforming into a small black shield, situated atop the coal briquet.
*Ka-cha!*
The yellow rune slammed into the little shield and, seemingly having gone against a firm hindrance, it bounced off.
At the other side, the yellow rune flitted into the black volume due to the lack of obstruction.
*Huala!*
The surface of the black book flashed and began to split bit by bit. Within a few seconds, the entire book automatically turned into flying ashes.
*Pak!*
At this moment, the blue threads finally bound the coal briquet and it flew into Leylin's hands.
*Rumble!*
Immediately after, the entire counter crumbled before Leylin, turning into dust.
Protection
Looking at the self-destruction of the stone counter and the black volume, Leylin's expression did not contain even a trace of pity.
As far as he was concerned, the biggest reward was already in his hands, so even if he was not able to get the other treasures, he felt no regret.
*Bang! bang!*
Two blue cocoons disintegrated right in front of Leylin's eyes, exposing the two items that were within them.
Leylin calmly took them both.
The Void White-Eyed Snake's snakeskin used to make the black leather pouch felt soft to the touch, and continuously spread a warm feeling to Leylin.
The silver designs upon it felt as if they were alive; they continuously moved about on the surface of the leather pouch, emitting a brilliant and dazzling radiance.
"It is worthy of being known as the Void White-Eyed Snake, or as the rumors call it, the darling of the void. A fully grown snake has its own space runes on its body…"
Leylin sighed in admiration, his fingers constantly caressing the surface of the leather pouch.
"What a pity that the Void White-Eyed Snake is not a creature with a bloodline. Otherwise, even though this leather had been solidified by the ancient Magi and lost all its vitality, I still could have attempted to purify its bloodline…"
Leylin sighed regretfully, and then he looked at the thing that resembled a honeycomb-shaped coal briquet.
A dark green, pearl-like object was embedded in the surface of this honeycomb shaped briquet—something that strangely resembled an eye—and after looking at it, Leylin abruptly felt some dizziness.
"This thing is very strange! It seems that I must look for more data in the future so that I can analyse this thing's components…"
Leylin vaguely thought as such. A thread of spiritual force crept out onto the surface of the leather pouch made from the Void White-Eyed Snake's skin.
*Crash!*
The knot at the neck of the leather pouch broke open, exposing a really dark green hole. Leylin even momentarily felt as if his own spiritual force had locked onto some odd space.
The size of this space was not very large; it was only the size of two or three rooms. On all sides, there was a vast expanse of white lustre. Furthermore, the space runes that he had previously seen on the leather pouch were continuously roving about on the surface.
Through his spiritual force, Leylin felt that he could seemingly place any lifeless object in this space.
Following which, he immediately looked at the honeycomb briquet beside the pouch.
*Xiu!* The honeycomb briquet quickly faded from his palm and soon a hexagonal object with countless pearls on its surface hovered in the space that he had explored before.
"This is a curiously unusual feeling. Moreover, the weight of the leather pouch has also not increased…" Leylin weighed the pouch.
Just as he was about to close the leather pouch, a message was sent through a thread of spiritual force from deep inside the pouch.
"Successor! Congratulations on getting my final work of art—the Insatiable Bottomless Pouch! I originally created this item so that it could become a magic equipment that would allow my name to be known through the ages! Unfortunately, it was stuck at the level of a high-grade magic artifact! I hope you will treat it properly and also help to upgrade it…..a namesake of myself, Meypes!"
"Meypes! I have not heard of such a name; he must have been a Potions Master from ancient times!"
Leylin also took the full measure of the first high-grade magic artifact that he had taken into his possession.
In the south coast, inferior grade magic artifacts were used by acolytes and mediocre rank 1 Magi. O the other hand, semi-converted elemental Magi and peak rank 1 Magi all used medium grade magic artifacts.
Only rank 2 Magi or those genuinely privileged might have a high grade magic artifact!
As for those magic equipment that were superior to magic artifacts, they were the highly kept secret treasures of every large powerful faction! Even Leylin hadn't heard of any information pertaining to them.
And now, even Leylin had a high-grade magic artifact. Even though it was not of the offensive type, it provided him with assistance and was of much more worth than an offense-type magic artifact.
Leylin swept a glance over the other goods in the surroundings.
Surrounding the black counter, there were several small wooden shelves. Although there were not many items on top of these shelves, and they weren't comparable to those 3 items on the black counter, if they were to be placed outside, they would still be good things that would attract the attention of semi-converted elemental Magi or even peak rank 1 Magi!
"Since I am here, these all are mine."
Leylin laughed, and a great amount of black fog turned into small snakes, which then pounced onto the shelves all around him….
A dozen or so minutes later, Leylin, with a smiling expression on his face, walked out of this store.
This time around, his harvest was plentiful. Even though some precious items were destroyed due to magic spells, what he had seized amounted to 80% of the hidden treasures!
Those several precious materials inside caused a sparkle in Leylin's eyes. There were even some materials that his currently updated database did not have any records of.
Leylin made a concrete estimate that the value of those materials would amount to at least 10 million magic crystals.
"These resources are more than enough to help me advance and become a rank 2 Magus, and will also be beneficial to me for a long time …"
Leylin felt the black leather pouch that had been tucked away in his bosom, and the grin on his face only intensified.
His biggest gain this time was this Insatiable Bottomless Pouch, a storage-type, high-grade magic artifact. As far as rank 2 Magi were concerned, they could only obtain such an item through good fortune; it could not be sought after!
Currently, the leather pouch tucked in Leylin's bosom had a dusty, weathered surface, making it look like an unremarkable item. The previously seen illusory silvery space runes were now completely concealed.
After having received the message of the Potions Master from inside the pouch, Leylin could easily control the leather pouch and had modified its exterior form.
Currently, when seen from the outside, this leather pouch just appeared as an ordinary leather waist pouch, with no energy waves. This ensured that people would not associate this pouch with a spatial artifact
Apart from that, this space had a size equivalent to 2 or 3 rooms. After Leylin had stored inside all the goods he had previously taken from that storehouse, and also added the stuff that he had on his person, all of it only occupied one corner of the space.
This leather pouch would be of enormous assistance to Leylin in future trips and adventures.
"Oh! Rodent! That is one clever chap…."
Leylin saw that Rodent had been missing for a long time and that the entire passage was deathly still; the floor of the passage was strewn with broken bricks and dust from the damaged wall.
At a far off region, minute tremors were felt from the bombardment of spells.
Of course, during this time, on the surface, the Thousand Meddling Hands' dark Magi and the Four Seasons Garden's light Magi were still fighting for their own goals.
"Not bad, it is time for the dark Magi to retreat!"
Leylin calmly felt for his golden pocket watch, saw the time, and sneered.
He, who had been long within the Thousand Meddling Hands, knew that although the dark Magi's attacks were fierce at the start — so much so that even white Magi couldn't resist — it was solely because they were covert and sudden attacks. After the passage of some time, the light Magi union would surely send some assistance.
Additionally, the dark Magi were basically very selfish, and after having gotten what they came here for, they were hardly willing to do their utmost in the rest of this battle.
"Anyways, Giant and the 'Boss' behind him must be wondering why I haven't yet destroyed the huge metal gate's consciousness."
The Eternal River Plains' secret plane was a very stable land, especially around the two regions' huge metal gates.
Leylin perceived that the runes on the metal gate alone were very problematic. Moreover, the huge metal gate had been made from some kind of recovery metal; it had the ability of automatic recovery. Unless that entire metal gate was destroyed in a split-second, or an attack that was an unusually high degree of power was used to bombard the gate, it would automatically rebuild itself.
According to A.I. Chip's estimations, only rank 4 Morning Star Magi or Magi of higher levels could destroy the entrances to the secret plane.
However, in the current south coast, it was unknown whether Magi of these ranks still existed or not!
Leylin shook his head, and then chose a path, before vanishing into the darkness.
...
*Sssii!*
A whirlwind of green fog spiraled forth, tearing down on the building, and causing large noises as it eroded the building.
There was an occasional magic radiance that flashed past, and all under the green fog was turned black until the building crumbled. Afterwards, the green fog turned into a green liquid.
Within the centre of the green fog, Giant was crushing the heads of the Four Seasons Garden's Magi with his palms.
"What is going on? Why hasn't it detonated yet?" he looked in the direction of Reynold's office, his look one of impatience.
If the core of the consciousness of the metal gate was destroyed, a psionic storm would occur, and the secret plane's entrance would receive irreversible damage.
But now?
Giant looked in the direction of the metal gate, where it was still standing majestically at the core of the Four Seasons Garden's headquarters. Even if random magic spells used by Magi during this battle had hit the gate, they only caused slight fluctuations; it was just like the oceans of ancient times, it concealed within it a ginormous power and existed calmly for countless years.
"It seems Leylin has faced some problems inside! But, I still have a backup plan …"
A strange expression flickered upon Giant's face.
...
Inside Reynold's office.
At this moment, from the headquarters outside the plane, Wade hurried here, along with some magicians.
Seeing the intact seal, this golden-haired Magus couldn't help but let loose a sigh of relief. "Mentor said that the seal is still intact and that there is no problem within the core consciousness…."
Immediately, he yelled at the magicians behind him, "Quickly, stand guard here. The danger level is 5A! This command is issued jointly by Mentor Reynold, and myself, the envoy of headquarters!"
"Agreed, my Lord!" All the magicians behind him bowed in acceptance, and they all scattered to protect the spell formation within the office.
These magicians all wore blood-red colored armour, which was inscribed with designs of thorny brambles. Their every move emitted a bloody aura, causing the other Magi's hearts to palpitate.
This was Four Seasons Garden's core power — the Four Seasons Corps! Every member of it was a powerful Magus with an elemental conversion of 60% or more, was proficient in many kinds of secret techniques that could increase their power to the equivalent of an elemental essence conversion of 70% or more, and could also use cooperative attacks.
This time, if it were not for Wade being made the envoy from the headquarters, they likely wouldn't have even come.
"My Lord, should we also allocate some people to go to the merit points exchange center? According to information, previously, the S-rank criminal from the Thousand Meddling Hands, Blood Rogue, had made an appearance there…."