300 - 307

Goat-Horned Earth Dragon

"Your goal is to become a Grand Knight! The distant stars are your goal!"

Leylin's voice was filled with emotion, causing Baelin's blood to heat up.

"Though your Knight training method came from me and is said to be the best of the best even by the standards of Grand Knights, you lack something important that the strong possess!"

"The strong? Something important?" Confusion appeared on Baelin's face.

"Exactly! That is real bloody battles and confidence. The Knights who lacked the training methods you have developed their unrivalled confidence through constant bloody battles, smoothly stimulating their life energy and becoming Knights! You lack this process…"

"Hence, you need to take on an even more difficult task to stimulate your potential!"

Leylin's expression looked like he was trying to tell Baelin it was all for his own good. "How about it? Can you see what I'm doing for you?"

"Though I don't understand, it seems cool!" Baelin clenched his fists, "I'll work hard, my lord!"

Next, this little fool who had been duped by Leylin began to truly prepare to leave the following day.

Seeing him in a frenzy of preparation, Leylin shook his head as he gave a gentle smile.

"Youths really forget things quickly. He was duped so easily…"

However, to make use of Jenny, this noblewoman, to enter the capital, Leylin didn't mind helping them.

"Your sword…" Leylin took Baelin's steel sword, which he had been holding. Having gone through numerous forging, it still held a cold glint, but a chip the size of an ant had appeared on the blade.

This kind of nick could only be formed from countless strikes made by a Knight using his full power. It was evident that Baelin had met with more dangers in the Woody Wastelands than just those Explosive Flaming Wolves.

"What's wrong, my lord?" Baelin's expression displayed his puzzlement.

"This sword is too old and not suitable for your expedition. I'll give you a new one!" The corner of his lips lifted in a smile.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, my lord!" Baelin was so excited that he was almost incoherent in his gratitude.

After this battle, he finally discovered how difficult it was to groom a knight. On one hand, there was the secrecy of the breathing techniques, and on the other hand, there were the immense expenses in training and obtaining equipment.

Equipment forged by experts had a value of over 100 Gold. However, after explosively using his life essence a few times, a chip had appeared.

Wouldn't regular weapons have simply snapped?

Knights grew through battles, and he wondered how many of these weapons would have to be used for this growth.

Baelin had originally intended to repair this sword and continue to use it. After all, he was used to living in poverty and couldn't bear to waste resources. However, Leylin had simply given him another one!

"Don't worry, I'll send the bill to Ms. Jenny."

However, Leylin's next words caused Baelin's grateful heart to burst into smithereens, "She's the daughter of the Marquis and probably has more gold than their family will ever need. It doesn't matter if they pay a little, right?"

Leylin tossed a new sword to Baelin.

"Aw, my lord! Can't you let me continue to feel touched by your actions for a while longer?"

Baelin lamented, though his hands were not the least bit dissatisfied as he caught the sword.

*Clang!* Baelin gently caressed the sword, the blue edge of the blade having detailed, complicated patterns, and a cold air was emitted from it.

Based on his intuition after working here for so many years, Baelin could tell this was absolutely one of the best steel swords in the shop.

What he didn't notice was that before his lamenting, Leylin's palm had stroked the blade of the sword and left behind a dull red imprint.

This imprint had been carved into the sword itself and disappeared, and Baelin had not noticed at all.

...

Jenny's team had rested and reorganized themselves in Potter Town and set off.

Though most of the adventurers and mercenaries who had followed her the last time had died or been injured, there was no lack of people who were so poor that they wanted to take the risk and strike it rich.

Jenny had simply given out a large amount of gold and gathered enough people. Of course, their strength was nothing much.

She had little choice. In Twilight Zone, the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon was a very rarely seen high-energy being. Only recently had people found traces of it in the Woody Wasteland.

If she let this opportunity go, she had no idea when she would get another chance to come across it.

Even if Jenny could wait, Marquis Argus — who was being tormented by poison — could not wait that long!

"Baelin, we're depending on you!" There was another person in the group, and it was Baelin in his new armour. He had repaired it through the night, and he was somewhat able to continue using it. On his back was the sword that Leylin had messed with, giving him a very brave and formidable aura, and even caused some girls in the town to throw him coquettish glances.

Now, however, with just a word from Jenny, Baelin was elated.

Feeling the reverence of the adventurers around him, as well as the ardent pleas from the noble girl, Baelin felt like he had downed several bottles of strong alcohol, and was beginning to feel giddy.

"I never imagined I, Baelin, would have such an impressive moment!" Baelin nodded as he glanced at Jenny, admiration apparent in his gaze, "Don't worry, I'll definitely obtain the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud!"

"Sigh, that pitiful fellow!"

Seeing Baelin so crazy over his young miss, James, who was standing to one side, couldn't help but sigh under his breath.

So what if he was a Grand Knight? With the might of the Argus Family, they could easily summon a dozen of them! The person they really cared about was Sir Leylin, the person backing Baelin!

In Twilight Zone, only the mysterious lord Magi were suitable for his young miss to bow her head to.

"In addition, our young miss is an acolyte! Though her level is low, not just any regular person can do it."

James sighed even more deeply.

The aptitude to become a Magus was a very mysterious thing. However, after many years of research, Magi found that if one of the parents was a Magus, there was a high likelihood that their descendants would have an increased aptitude. If both were Magi, the chances of acolytes could even rise up to 33%!

In addition, within this group of acolytes, there was a higher chance of them having outstanding talent.

For this reason, unless there were exceptions, any females in noble families who had the aptitude to become a Magus were not allowed to marry outside of their family. Their only fate was to marry their close relatives and produce an heir who would have greater aptitude!

The Argus Family might be happy to have a female peasant with an aptitude to become a Magus marry into the family. However, they would absolutely not tolerate it if Magi in their family married outside, even if they were merely acolytes!

Of course, neither Baelin nor Jenny was thinking that far.

Even Baelin himself had automatically gotten serious after entering the Woody Wasteland, blindly hurrying in order to preserve energy.

He had grown up in Potter Town and naturally knew of the terrors here. Many areas that seemed to be safe ground might take the lives of any adventurer at any time.

He was Baelin, someone about to become a Grand Knight! How could he die here?

"There's something in front!"

All of a sudden, the team in front cheered, and Baelin immediately braced himself, approaching them.

"We discovered this! Come take a look!"

Jenny had changed into garments suitable for hunting and now looked more capable and experienced. She was now pointing at a large footprint on the ground as if she had seen some treasure.

Baelin crouched down. In front of him was a footprint almost a metre long.

The owner had left a very deep footprint, with four claw marks sunk deeply into the ground.

"There are five joints in the middle toe, and the smell is correct. This is it! This was left behind by a Goat-Horned Earth Dragon!"

James had also approached them. After using some strange item in his hands to probe it, he spoke to Jenny with conviction.

"What are we waiting for?"

She had a smile on her face. Though her target was right in front of her, she did not impatiently forge ahead.

"We'll find a place to set up camp for today! All scouts are to move out and follow the footprint, and you must find the lair of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon!"

Jenny's purpose in coming here was to obtain the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon. This special plant only coexisted with the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon, and it was hence necessary that they find its lair.

"I shall reward anyone who can find the lair of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon with a hundred gold coins!"

In order to find the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud as soon as possible, Jenny did not mind giving out large rewards, and it immediately resulted in loud roars.

Many adventurers who were originally not scouts left as well, wanting to try their luck. If they received this reward, and if combined with their own savings, they could practically retire already.

"They…" Baelin had a look on his face that showed he couldn't bear to watch these adventurers leave.

He was not an idiot. In contrast, he was rather intelligent and knew Jenny's intention in doing that.

These adventurers lacked strength or any special abilities. Their only function was to act as cannon fodder and bait!

Now that they had entered the territory within which the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon was active, they would inevitably attract its action with all these adventurers running around.

They would be able to find the dragon as long as they followed the blood-curdling screams or blood.

"It can't be helped, Baelin!" Jenny laughed bitterly, "I'll make it up to their families later…"

When the sun descended, three people did not return.

Jenny was overjoyed as she chased in the direction that the three had moved in.

"Here!" Baelin picked up a rock on the floor, his expression complicated as he looked at the blood stains and some bits of cloth on that stone.

Pursuit

Under the bright, flickering torchlight, there were traces of the chaos that had occurred, such as blood and remnant flesh.

It was obvious that before having its meal, the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon had toyed with its food.

At this sight, the faces of the adventurers around darkened.

Outside of this site, there was a long line of bloodstains, causing it to appear as a bloody trail.

"Follow it!"

With Jenny's command, the group lifted their torches and did as asked.

Twilight Zone was underground and was shrouded in darkness all year around. However, the surviving humans had yet to evolve and have night vision, thus, torches were one of the essential items when exploring in the Twilight Zone.

"The footprints are more concentrated here!"

Baelin lifted his torch with one hand, the other tightly grasping the handle of his steel sword. His joints had turned a little white from using too much strength.

A piercing stench was beginning to pervade the air, to the point that Baelin associated it with the time he had worked at a horse stable when he was younger.

Next, with the illumination by everyone, a small hill made of black rocks appeared. At the foot of the hill was a large cave that extended deeply into the side, hollowing it out.

"We can't fight it in its lair. We need to lure it out!"

Jenny decided after looking.

With this dim lighting, it was bound to affect the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud if they were to fight in the small lair. If the bud was damaged, there would be no point even if Jenny and the rest killed the dragon.

"Don't worry, the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon has very low intelligence and is very sensitive to the smell of blood. We can use that and set up a trap."

James stood out at this moment and under his command, the adventurers set up a simple trap outside the cave.

As resources were limited and they couldn't alert the Earth Dragon inside, James chose the simplest trap — poison!

A black being that looked like a goat was forced to drink an entire bottle of a red potion, and was laid across the cave. Its four legs were tied together, and its main artery was slashed open causing fresh blood to spurt out. A small puddle of blood was quickly formed on the ground.

The adventurers beside it had long since put out their torches and patiently waited aside, not even daring to breathe loudly at this point.

Baelin's hands were on his sword, glancing at Jenny, who was extremely nervous, and James, who looked grim. He himself looked determined.

*Thud thud! Thud thud!*

Only ten or so minutes passed, but in the hearts of everyone present, it felt like centuries had passed. Finally, just when the adventurers were beginning to get impatient, dull footsteps and slight tremors of the ground could be felt.

"It's here! Get ready!"

The adventurers who were lying in wait outside ducked their heads, retrieving their weapons and bow and arrows, aiming them at the mouth of the cave.

"Hah…"

The sounds of heavy breathing resounded, followed by an increase of the concentration of the strange smell by more than ten times! The goat that was bait could only give a miserable shriek.

*Crunch! Crunch!*

Along with the sounds of chewing, the bleating of the goat stopped.

"Is this the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon?" As he was now a Knight, Baelin's eyesight was very good. With just the faint light, he could somewhat see the figure of this monster.

This monster was about fifteen to sixteen metres long, and its four thick limbs supported its large body, its sharp claws scratching out a long straight line on the ground.

Above its yellow eyes, two curved black horns were grown, like the symbol of a demon.

With the opening and closing of its mouth, sharp teeth constantly meshed together and chewed the goat into bits, flesh and blood flying.

"On my command. Go!"

James swung his arm, and a rock the size of a fist was thrown to the side of the dragon.

*Rumble!*

Next, large amounts of light and warmth were produced from the stone, like a sun that had fallen to the earth.

Radiance dispelled the darkness and descended upon this piece of land.

"Roar… roar…"

Under the intense glare of the sunlight, the adventurers present closed their eyes, tears on the verge of falling.

The Goat-Horned Earth Dragon that was used to a life in darkness roared instantly became enraged.

"Quick! It has now been temporarily blinded. Move!"

Baelin was clear that when these beings used to the darkness suddenly came into contact with light, they would definitely be blinded for a period of time due to not being used to it, and this was the best time for them to make their move!

Besides, the function of the sun stone was to fill the area with light, which made it more helpful in allowing the group of them to exhibit their abilities!

"To create this chance, Potter Town gave out a year's supply of sun stones. What a waste!"

There were definitely many adventurers who thought the same way as Baelin, but this thought passed through their minds for a brief moment. Then they roared, brandishing the weapons in their hands and charged towards the huge monster in the middle of the site.

Under the illumination of the light, even the brown scales and veins on the muscles on the back of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon could be seen very clearly.

*Xiu Xiu!*

The first to attack was a group of mercenaries with bows and arrows. They were obviously a team, wearing a set of uniform with ice-cold glints of their iron arrows being emitted.

The sharp arrowheads brought with them tremendous force as they pierced into the back of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon.

*Ka-cha!* The Earth Dragon constantly snarled, and most of the arrows were flung away. However, there were a few that obstinately stayed on its back.

"Kill!" By this point, the adventurers had also charged to the front.

"Roar, roar!" The dragon thundered, suddenly turning back and flicking its tail!

The tail was like a large mace sweeping across the area, and the mercenaries that charged up flew away. A few were struck by the tail, and their blood dyed the sky.

"What an astute sense of hearing and smell!" Baelin exclaimed in admiration. The eyes of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon were very small and had almost completely degenerated. With the sudden piercing bright light, it couldn't see anything at all, but all beings that lived in the darkness naturally had their unique ways of distinguishing other objects.

Baelin stepped away, dodging the sweeping motion of the steel tail and raised his sword, a thin ring of light produced around him.

"Cross Blade!" In a moment, he used Leylin's secret killing technique for cross blades.

The immense light formed a cross, slashing towards the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon that was still snarling.

The fierce, immense air pressure attracted the attention of the Earth Dragon and it lifted its right forelimb, mercilessly clawing in Baelin's direction!

Large black claws clashed with the cross-shaped light, and the sound of glass shattering could be heard in the air.

"Roar…" The Earth Dragon kept snarling, its large black claws disintegrating the move and smacking towards Baelin.

"How powerful and quick!" Baelin exclaimed in admiration and used his sword as a shield in front of him.

*Dang!*

The large claw and steel sword clashed, producing a loud sound and shock wave. Baeflin felt an immense force transmitting from the sword and the sword was almost sent flying.

"Ah!" He gritted his teeth, holding onto the sword for dear life, using the force from the dragon to fall back.

*Roar!* The Earth Dragon was clearly enraged, once again brandishing its steel tail and chopping two mercenaries that had charged forward in two!

The two mercenaries howled, their halved bodies still squirming on the ground, intestines spilling out onto the ground. This gory scene immediately intimidated the rest of the mercenaries and adventurers and they retreated, not daring to take a step forward.

"What should we do? James, that Goat Honed Earth Dragon is almost about to return to its cave. We need to think of a way!"

"Soon! Soon!" James now had his eyes fixed on the dragon, constantly chanting.

"Roar!"

At that moment, the body of the Earth Dragon that had almost halfway returned suddenly changed! Bubbles of pus began to swell and burst, revealing yellow pus.

"Woo woo…" The Earth Dragon's voice became low and it began to wail in anguish.

"This is a high-energy bacteria solution especially brewed for the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon. It can lower the defence of its epidermis!"

James briefly explained to Jenny, quickly chanting some incantations.

A powerful undulation from energy particles was constantly produced from the old man, who had only seemed to be a butler.

"This is… a mysterious expert! So, Lord James is actually an esteemed Magus!" The adventurers around exclaimed.

In the subterranean world, Magi were widely known and worshipped.

"Mostar Corrosive Ball!" As the incantations ended, James waved his right arm.

A large blue ball arced in the sky, precisely landing on the back of the dragon.

The blue ball spread out, turning into large amounts of sky blue liquid that mixed with the yellow pus. Immediately, it produced a large amount of heat and began to corrode downwards.

"Roar!" The Earth Dragon's pitiful shrieks increased in pitch, and large amounts of steamed flesh fell from its back.

"What are you waiting for? This is the moment where its defence is at its weakest!"

James placed his hands behind him, looking like an expert. The adventurers seemed to have just awoken from a dream and charged forward once again.

This time, with James' work, the Earth Dragon's speed dropped, and the skin and scaly defensive layer had mostly disappeared. The mercenaries could easily slash and create a gaping wound with their weapons.

In just a moment, the entire situation was reversed.

Breakthrough

"Wooh wooh…"

Under this attack, the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon kept howling and suddenly turned. Uncaring of the serious injuries it had sustained and the people who were pursuing and attacking it, it crawled back into the cave!

"This is bad! It wants to escape!"

Jenny cried out in alarm, and she immediately brought out the bow and arrows which seemed hand-made, that had been on her back.

She took out a green arrow from her quiver, resting it on the bow.

*Weng! Weng! Weng!*

One after another, the various rings she had on her hand began to light up.

"Precise Aim!" "Keen Edge!" "Gale Technique!"

All sorts of buffs were applied to Jenny.

"Miss- Miss Jenny is also a Magus?!" Baelin, who was not far away, gaped, thinking he might be in a dream.

*Xiu!*

Jenny released the arrow in her hand, and a streak of green flew from the bow.

*Pu!* The green arrow of light struck an eye of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon, resulting in a large amount of red, greenish blood spurting out.

"Roar!!!" The Earth Dragon turned back sharply, charging in Jenny's direction.

"Good! This is it!" Jenny's expression revealed her excitement.

"No, leave!" On the other hand, James at the side had paled.

"Roar!" The Goat-Horned Earth Dragon thundered, spitting out a black ball of light.

The large ball of light exploded mid-air, black droplets of flames sprinkling everywhere.

"Ah!" "My eyes!"

The black droplets landed on the mercenaries' bodies, instantly causing serious injuries. The many adventurers began to howl, and the circle which surrounded the dragon immediately had a hole.

*Hah! Hah!* The Goat-Horned Earth Dragon stimulated its energy to every part of its body and it swelled, and its skin turned red.

Its speed rapidly increased and it charged in front of Jenny.

"Protect the miss!" The one surviving guard brandished his sword with his left arm and dashed forward.

*Ka-cha!* The Earth Dragon opened its mouth full of sharp fangs and biting down, it had the knight in its mouth, constantly chewing. Blood and flesh fell from the gaps between its teeth.

"Ah…" Jenny was so shocked that her legs buckled, and she fell to the ground.

She was but a level 1 acolyte. That attack with the bow was only effective with the bonus from all the rings she had. After that attack, the pitiful amount of spiritual force she had was almost exhausted, and it was not possible to pull off another attack.

Jenny was now a fragile, helpless girl of the nobility as she was paralyzed on the ground, awaiting her unknown future.

"Awoo!" The Goat-Horned Earth Dragon did not have any thoughts of taking pity on her, opening its mouth wide. With its sharp teeth filled with flesh and blood, it snapped its jaws and made to bite her.

"Am I going to die? I'm sorry, Father…" Jenny's mouth was half open, a teardrop rolling from her right eye.

*Dang!*

The acute pain she had been expecting did not appear, and Jenny opened her eyes, stunned. All she saw was a strong figure in front of her.

"Hey! In Knight stories, there will always be a knight appearing whenever the princess is in trouble, right?"

Baelin laughed, ruthlessly chopping forward with the sword in his hands!

The large steel sword hacked at the surface of the dragon's head, producing some sparks. Baelin bellowed, life essence bursting out. On the surface of the armour, there seemed to be a protective layer formed of light.

*Roar!*

The Earth Dragon retreated a few steps, snarling at Baelin.

"Oh my! This is the real life version of a brave knight fighting against the evil dragon!" Baelin shot a glance at Jenny behind him, and then took a look at how much life essence he had left, a helpless smile about his lips.

*Whoosh!*

A black figure constantly attacked the Earth Dragon, and everyone else could only see the dust flying at the centre of the site, as well as the constant howls from the dragon.

Under the immense pressure from the Earth Dragon, Baelin felt all that Lord Leylin had forced him to learn suddenly bursting out as he became more proficient at some techniques.

At this moment, he suddenly felt empty, as if he had lost all of the power he just had.

"The burst of power from the secret technique is used up, and my life essence has been exhausted!"

Baelin's heart sank, and a black shadow like a steel mace pierced through the armour of light, mercilessly slamming on his chest.

*Ka-cha!* The steel armour caved in, and Baelin flew backwards, a large amount of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"No!"

At the moment he was about to die, he seemed to see the gigantic shadow of the Earth Dragon, as well as heard a sorrowful wail.

"What a short life! However, I have no more regrets!"

With a gentle smile, he froze into his image of Jenny crying hard while on the ground into his memory.

"How can my student die in such a pointless way?"

Just as Baelin was about to fall unconscious, time seemed to stop, and his surroundings turned black and white. His body seemed to be stuck in mid-air.

"It's Lord Leylin's voice! He's finally acknowledged me as his student!" Baelin was overjoyed, his thoughts on this while he was on the verge of death.

Next, he felt the steel sword on his right hand constantly becoming warmer till it became burning hot as if he was holding a soldering iron.

*Weng Weng!* The sword constantly shook, and a crimson rune appeared on its own accord on the blade.

"Ahh!"

Baelin felt a stream of heat being transmitted from the steel sword, rushing to his lower abdomen where his life essence was congregated.

*Bang!* Like the sound of a bottle exploding, the bottleneck to becoming a Grand Knight — the issue which had been bothering Baelin for a long period of time — was crossed!

Life energy that was at least ten times more powerful than before congregated from the life essence at his lower abdomen, and flowed through Baelin's limbs.

"Shaaa!"

Baelin held his sword and slashed forward. On the surface of the steel sword, red rays from the rune suddenly brightened, and the sheen from a sword streaked through the sky, appearing in front of the Earth Dragon.

Under the black and white rays that had frozen time, the Earth Dragon was motionless, allowing Baelin to aim a slash at its neck.

*Whoosh!*

A cold wind blew, and the black and white faded, returning to the usual colourful world.

*Ka-cha!*

A fine red line appeared at the Earth Dragon's neck.

This line began to spread till it covered the entire neck, and then reddish-green blood constantly flowed out, the gigantic head of the beast fell to the ground.

*Rumble!* After losing its head, the huge body of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon crashed to the ground, like a little earthquake, causing a large amount of dust to fly.

"What happened to him?" Jenny felt a little dizzy.

"He broke through! He broke through the bottleneck of a Grand Knight!" James mumbled to himself, and then helped Jenny up.

"Haha, I knew I was a genius! How could I just die like this!"

Baelin, who had escaped death, patted his chest and began to laugh.

Seeing him in this state, Jenny felt there was a fire in her chest, almost causing it to explode.

"You idiot!" Jenny threw a white handkerchief at Baelin's face. Leaving him alone, she entered the cave with James.

"Why is she being like this?" Baelin held the handkerchief in a daze, bewildered.

The surviving mercenaries and adventurers silently cleaned the area.

They had lost a lot of people, and many of them were their friends or even family!

It was very quiet on the battlefield, and not one animal came to disturb the silence.

The sun's rays were extremely annoying for the beings that were used to the darkness. Potter Town of Twilight Zone had made use of this aversion and used the sun stones to disperse the creatures of darkness, and could thus develop.

James had considered this at the beginning when he threw out the sun stones.

Ten minutes later, Jenny and James came out with excitement.

"Is this the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud?"

Baelin noticed the plant that seemed like a flower in Jenny's hands.

This red flower was the size of a bowl, and there were webs that seemed like blood vessels and veins on the petals. It looked very bizarre.

Jenny carefully held the flower bud, as if she were holding some treasure that was as valuable as a city.

"Yes! With this, my father can be saved…" Jenny finally relaxed.

Ever since her father had been poisoned, immense pressure had been put on the shoulders of this young girl. Now, she could finally heave a sigh of relief.

"Thank you!" Jenny was so emotional that she hugged Baelin, leaving him stunned at the spot.

"And all of you!" Jenny turned back to the adventurers and mercenaries, "Your loyalty and devotion to your role has earned you your rewards! I will give out twice the amount promised, and five times that for those who have died!"

"Thank you so much, my lady!" "A kind and generous person!" "May the lord of darkness protect you!"

As expected, Jenny's declaration made everyone present cheer.

They packed up and began their journey back.

On the way back, Baelin kept swinging the steel sword in his hand, wanting to find any strange marks on it. However, after that one burst, this sword had used up all its energy, and no matter how much Baelin prodded it, it did not exhibit any strange features.

"What a fool! However, only a person with a one-track mind like him is suitable for my cross blade breathing technique!" Baelin's actions were all seen by Leylin, who was in Potter Town, through a transparent crystal, and he shook his head.

Beside him, a test tube full of reddish green liquid was thrown aside like rubbish.

"There's not even a sliver of a powerful bloodline in there! To think it even had the word "dragon" in its name!" Leylin sighed.

Farewell

Not all myths and folklore were true.

On the contrary, many myths have been altered, some even to the extent of the subjective thoughts of the storyteller, hence they were unusually laid with errors.

Only Leylin's A.I. Chip could analyse and sieve out the most accurate version of the myth from the myriad of mythological information available.

As for now, after the blood analysis of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon, Leylin discovered that there wasn't a single trace of an ancient bloodline in it's blood!

Evidently, the myth of the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon being borne from a giant dragon and another demonic creature was false!

However, Leylin did not harbour much hope from the start. Even if the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon were to contain traces of an ancient bloodline, this strength that did not even reach the stage of an official Magus did not fit his requirements at all.

Back in Nightless City, he was clear that even if he could obtain and purify the blood from creatures that contained an ancient bloodline, the creature had to be of a certain level to be of use.

As for this standard, after the analysis from the A.I. Chip, the conclusion was that these creatures needed to have the strength to at least rival a rank 3 Magus!

In other words, even if the Goat Horned Earth Dragon were to contain traces of an ancient bloodline, Leylin had to find one that was the equivalent of a rank 3 Magus. Then, with the help of the A.I. Chip, the purification of the ancient bloodline would be achieved.

"Aaah, a rank 3 Magus!"

Leylin smiled wryly; he had only recently advanced to a rank 2 Magus and the spiritual force he received from his meditation technique were extremely little. Most of the increase in spiritual force came from the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's bloodline.

Although there was nothing wrong with a Warlock relying on the strength of his bloodline, Leylin did not want his foundations to be unstable.

Furthermore, he had advanced to a rank 2 Magus by the age of 40. This speed was extremely astounding on the south coast. Even back in the ancient times, it was considered remarkable.

Hence, spending more time for a better foundation was something that he had to do.

As he was now, it was unlikely that he could win against a creature with strength equivalent to a rank 3 Magus, even with the help of his ancient bloodline. Those kinds of creatures were terrifying existences, to the point where most rank 3 Magi would not dare to face off against such creatures directly.

After a brief sigh, Leylin let go of the notion of collecting ancient bloodlines.

After all, the Giant Kemoyin Serpent's bloodline was enough for him right now.

Moreover, even if he lucked upon another ancient creature's bloodline, it would only be a very valuable research material for him. Once a Warlock has chosen an ancient bloodline, there isn't any way to change it.

"However, things do not seem to stop here!"

Leylin, who was observing Jenny through the crystal ball, frowned as if discovering something.

Under the control of his spiritual force, the images in the crystal ball began to change from Jenny's party to the top of a different hill.

At this moment, under the shroud of darkness, there were two black figures conversing on the hill.

"Can't you do your job properly? You actually let them get the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud?"

The man who spoke had a gruffy voice and his silhouette was extremely fuzzy. He even wore a mask to hide his features.

However, Leylin's gaze pierced through the darkness and the mask to see the countenance of the man.

The face belonged to a sinister-looking old geezer that had a black skull branded on his forehead. It seemed to have been branded using a hot piece of metal. There were also writhing burn marks that filled the surroundings of the skull.

Moreover, there was an energy wave that was not weaker than James. He was a level 3 acolyte and apart from having no magic artifact, his strength was not below that of James.

"I… I did not want that to happen to…" The youth beside him shuddered, and even he started to stutter.

"The earlier Explosive Flaming Wolves were already extremely risky, if we were to strike again, they would most likely discover us. Moreover, the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon was extremely difficult to lure… Your subordinate, I, thought that the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon alone would be enough to stop those people…"

"Although the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon was still in its adolescent stages, the might it had far exceeded that of a level 3 acolyte, only an official Magus would be able to take it down!"

The old geezer acknowledged the young man's deduction.

"So then, how did they manage to kill the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon?" The youth was puzzled. "Even if a Knight manages to breakthrough, he would at the very most be a Grand Knight, which wouldn't be enough to change the outcome…"

"I can sense that the air was filled with extremely strong energy waves… It's definitely a powerful existence aiding them secretly…"

The old geezer looked miserable. The strength revealed was only the corner of an iceberg, yet it could make his hairs stand on end. It felt as if as he had returned back to his life as a helpless child. He had this premonition that if this force wanted to kill him, it would not have any trouble at all. As for the ability to be able to do that, the person behind this force must have reached the might of a rank 1 Magus!

"What should we do? Should we continue?"

The frightened youth went into shock. He knew the identity of this old geezer, but this was an existence that could make even the old man tremble in fear. That existence ought to be an even more powerful magician.

Once he thought of this, cold sweat began to drip down his body. He had an urge to turn around and run, never to participate in such a mission again.

However, very soon he mocked himself for this thought. Being a covert member of this large organisation, how can one leave that easily? Just from the information he held at his fingertips, he was already familiar with the nature of the big boss. If one wants to run or retire, the only way to do it was to lie in a grave.

"No matter what, we cannot allow that girl to bring the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud back to the eastern region! This is the command of the big boss!" The old geezer was extremely stern.

"Let's go…"

His cloak swiveled as he vanished into the darkness with the young man.

"Interesting! How very interesting!"

Leylin smiled wryly after seeing this scene. He had no interest in the petty struggles of these mortals but felt rather intrigued by the one pulling the strings from behind.

Power determines everything! In this subterranean world, for the Argus Family to be this powerful, there must definitely be an official Magus supporting it from behind the scenes!

Perhaps, this is an opportunity to interact with the Magi in the subterranean world!

Leylin rubbed his chin and entered into a deep thought.

...

"Teacher! Teacher! I have returned!" Baelin dashed in quickly into the little shop with forge and anvils, smiling triumphantly. "I have also advanced into a Grand Knight and plucked the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud for Jenny!"

As for Leylin, he sat at the counter concentrating on brewing his tea filled with yellow fellow petals and green buds, all this while not lifting his head.

"After cultivating in the breathing technique I've taught you, you managed to advance into a Grand Knight only now? What a big idiot you are! Also, when have I ever accepted you as my disciple?"

Baelin's smile turned stiff.

"So… So when I slain that Goat-Horned Earth Dragon I heard your voice!"

The youth began to mutter to himself, "Back then you have admitted that I was your student, and even helped me to defeat…Argh!"

*Pak!* Leylin used a vine to lash at Baelin's head.

"This is your imagination, kiddo! Want to be my student? Cultivate for another ten thousand years first!"

Under the relentless verbal abuse, Baelin's head drooped.

He was extremely embarrassed now and had the urge to find a hole and hide in it. After slaying the Goat-Horned Earth Dragon, he knew that he had hallucinated, but he still wished to make use of this opportunity to make Leylin his master. These were also incited by Jenny and James.

Evidently, this shameless plan of his failed!

Leylin would never acknowledge him as his student, which left Baelin standing there, not knowing what to say.

"Haha… Mister Leylin is really a strict teacher!"

At this moment, Jenny walked in and reduced the awkwardness for Baelin.

"I am just educating this silly little chap!" Leylin smiled humbly.

As for Baelin, he heaved a sigh of relief and stood at the side.

"Actually… For Baelin to be able to advance to a Grand Knight at his age, he is considered to have a remarkable talent! Even in the aspects of the more mysterious arts, I believe he will have exceptionally great talent…" Jenny deliberated, "Mister, why don't you give him a chance?"

Although Baelin did not quite understand what Jenny meant, he still looked gratefully at Jenny.

"I am rather strict when it comes to the selection of my students!" Leylin shook his head and expressed his rejection on the matter.

Hearing that, Baelin lowered his head again.

As for Jenny, she could only give a comforting gaze to him.

"Your purpose of coming here wouldn't only be to speak about this, would it?" Leylin sipped on his tea, with no intention to brewing a cup for Jenny as he asked.

"Actually, picking the Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud was only made possible with the help of Mister Leylin. Also, regarding the Explosive Flaming Wolves, I have come here to express my heartfelt appreciation!"

Jenny curtsied and smiled wryly, "With your capabilities, Mister, I don't think I can offer you anything that you'll need. However, in the future should you require the assistance of the Argus Family, please send along your requests! I, Jenny Argus, solemnly swear by the name of the Sun Vines, that I will not refuse your bidding!"

Jenny's face turned solemn as she made an oath.

"Also, I have come here to bid farewell to you, Mister!"

"Wait!" Before Leylin could speak, Baelin opened his mouth in shocked, "Jenny, you… you're leaving?"

The Resolution Of A Youth

"Yes!" Jenny nodded.

"The Dragon-Blooded Flower Bud will perish soon, and my father will not be able to hold on much longer with his illness!"

"Alright then! I wish you a safe journey back to your home!" Baelin smiled with reluctance.

"Thank you!" Jenny did not speak further.

"Alright! The eastern capital is where the Argus Family is, I will pay a visit in the future!" Leylin sipped on his tea and stretched his right hand, gesturing as a gentleman.

"If Mister can come, then it would be the happiest thing that happened to Jenny!"

Jenny smiled, "How about returning home with me? My father would definitely be excited to be your acquaintance!" She looked at Baelin, "Of course, big brother Baelin, can come too!"

Hearing this, Baelin grew nervous as he looked eagerly at Leylin.

"My apologies! I have no desires to travel right now!" Leylin declined without hesitation, once again making Baelin look down in dismay.

Hearing this, Jenny turned silent for a moment, before she curtsied and took her leave.

"What's wrong? If you have nothing else to do then get to work!"

Leylin roared at Baelin.

"Yes, Boss!" Baelin replied dispiritedly.

"Hehe… Youths!"

Leylin grinned silently.

This eastern region was one he would definitely pay a visit to. It was not only the centre of the mortals' government, but it was also a gathering place for the Magi. It was rumoured to have large scale magic bazaars too.

However, going there of his own choice and being invited were two entirely different concepts.

With Leylin's strength right now, he could do whatever he liked, but it would often attract some unwanted problems.

Furthermore, his injuries had not healed completely. Before finding enough methods to curb the emotional instabilities of Warlocks, he did not wish to have a high profile.

Hence, entering the area inhabited by Magi in the eastern region through the Argus family, was a wise choice.

Through the earlier spying done, Leylin had guessed that Jenny's road back home would not be smooth sailing. Evidently, Jenny had the same feeling, hence she invited Leylin to travel back with her.

Leylin understood that the most precious things were often unobtainable. Hence he would let Jenny encounter setbacks and beg him before he would help her, creating a false impression in front of her.

Moreover, there was an even better reason now!

Leylin glanced at Baelin who was nurturing his sorrow at the side before his lips curled up at one corner of his mouth.

A Magus who was fed up with the dangerous Magus world and was starting to live in seclusion under his apprentice's involvement with a girl, would once again enter the fray of the Magus world. Yes, it seemed like a pretty good excuse to return!

As for the age? Magi never bothered with appearances nor age.

As for Leylin, he could also use his bloodline to change his aura, eyes, body shape and appearances in minute proportions, allowing him to look much older than he was. This was enough to fool many Magi.

...

Jenny journeyed with haste. Once she left the town after bidding Leylin farewell, she continued her journey hurriedly.

"Why? You wish to go after her?"

Looking at the horse carriage that was gradually turning smaller in the horizon, Baelin stood rooted to the spot. Leylin could not help himself but mock him.

Provoking this youth daily was part of Leylin's amusement outside of his cultivation and research.

"I'll definitely go to the eastern capital. Definitely, but not now!" A flame of hope seemed to start burning in Baelin's eyes.

"Boss! No, my lord! Please train me more rigorously! I want to be a man whose name will shake the eastern region, and then look for Jenny there with these achievements."

Baelin half-knelt on the ground, a great ambition, and thirst for power burning in his eyes!

"Haha, that's good! I like that look in your eyes! Don't worry, I'll give you an even more 'rigorous' training… " Leylin seemed to be harbouring some evil designs.

Originally, in such situations, perhaps a young man from a small town would train himself for many years and would then enter the eastern capital, and then take the Marquis' daughter as his wife. It would be just another common occurrence.

But it was unfortunate — or perhaps one could call it inspiring — that, contrary to Baelin's own expectations, he would soon be reunited with Jenny!

The night that Jenny left, Baelin, who had been tortured by Leylin for an entire day and was about to crawl into his pitiful bed and get some sleep, was woken up by the sound of a fierce banging on the door.

"Baelin! Lord Leylin!" This was a woman's voice, filled with fear, and it also belonged to the voice of someone Baelin would never forget.

"It's Jenny!" He quickly got up at lightning speed and opened the entrance to the shop.

Jenny was standing covered in blood, with James lying on the ground. However, there was a large hole on this poor old man's chest, with some arrows on his back. By the looks of it, he would not be able to live past tonight.

"Baelin, get Lord Leylin! Save…"

Upon seeing Baelin, Jenny relaxed and immediately collapsed in a dead faint.

"Hey! Who's going to tell me what's going on here?" Seeing the soft female body in his arms, Baelin looked ready to break down.

Wait! Wasn't this how it usually went in tales involving Knights?

Where was the counterattack? Where was the wait? Where was the whole thing about meeting in the capital?

Baelin hugged Jenny tightly, his mind unable to work.

However, at this point, a warm blood gushed out and spilled into Baelin's hands, causing him to come back to himself.

"Lord Leylin, we have a problem!" The fearful, hoarse voice of the young man seemed to resound throughout Potter Town.

Blood and flames! The glinting from a knife, and then the dazzling rays from rank 0 spells!

This was the last thing James had seen.

Though he had long since known of the malicious ways of Jenny's two uncles, he had never imagined that they would be so gutsy as to ambush them right in the open, that too on the main street!

Under the sudden attack, Jenny's temporary guards could not even withstand a single blow.

If not for them relying on the Marquis' magic artifact that the Madam had secretly left behind for their use before they left, he and Jenny would not even be able to flee!

After that, they returned to Potter Town, escaping and fighting back on the way.

James had simply fainted after telling Jenny to obtain Sir Leylin's help.

"This is…"

James opened his eyes, bewildered as he stared at the yellow light and the ceiling that he did not recognise.

"Sir James, you're awake!" Baelin, who was at the side, quickly came over and tipped a bowl of green liquid into his mouth.

"Ugh…" Within the green liquid, there were numerous roots and suspicious things that looked like bugs floating on top. It looked extremely disgusting and the smell that seemed to come from a sewer assaulted his nostrils, almost causing this old man to black out.

"What's this?" After being forced to drink two large gulps, James finally got the chance to push away the large bowl in Baelin's hands.

He swore that even if he were to die, he would not want to smell this thing again.

"It's some herbal medicine that Lord Leylin instructed me to boil. It's very helpful towards your injuries!" Baelin pushed the bowl towards him, looking helpful.

"No, thank you so much for your help! Does this mean that I'm in Mister Leylin's shop? How is the young miss?"

James immediately asked.

"Don't worry, Jenny is very safe!" Baelin was a little confused, "Do you think you could tell me what happened?"

He was extremely curious towards the events that had befallen on them, but he felt sorry if he were to call Jenny awake, which was why he was still rather confused about the situation.

"What else could have happened?" James forced out a smile, and then gave a short summary of how Jenny's two uncles had arranged an ambush.

"That's vile!" Baelin felt aggrieved as he mumbled and then pounded on the table.

*Pak!* The sudden force that exploded caused the wooden table to be fall apart.

This loud sound also attracted the attention of another person.

"Sir Leylin, it's all thanks to you this time!" After seeing Leylin enter, James struggled to get up and bowed.

James himself knew how severely injured he was. After all, it was caused by another level 3 acolyte.

However, being able to treat such injuries, Leylin's identity had even become more mysterious.

"James, you are still sustaining injuries, so no need for such formalities!" Leylin smiled gently before tapping on Baelin's head.

"Let us step out and let James have some more rest…"

"Oh! Okay!" Baelin who seemed to be dreaming got up and as he stepped through the door, he comforted James. "Sir James, you should recuperate here quietly, we're safe here…"

"Of course! I have no doubts about that!"

James replied. How can a place that had an official Magus not be safe? If so, are there any safer places out there?

Apart from that, if Leylin wished to help them, Jenny and those two uncles of hers caught in the internal strife were only as significant as specks of dust.

"But what should we do to get Mister Leylin to help us?" James pondered.

Through some discreet inquiries made during this period, he had a little more understanding of Leylin.

Amongst the people that James knew, this Lord Leylin was aloof, proud and disliked troublesome matters, hence he seldom appeared in public places. The mortal items were just like floating clouds to him.

Apart from training Baelin each day, there was no other recreation that Leylin would partake in.

"Baelin! Right, Baelin!" James clapped his hands, an indescribable light in his eyes…

...

"Speak! What's the matter?"

Leylin looked at Baelin, who seemed to be struggling within during the journey to the training grounds, and smiled.

"My lord, I'd like to take your leave for a period of time and escort Miss Jenny to the eastern capital!"

Hitchhike

The young man's voice was resolute; his fists were clenched and his face flushed. Faint rays of light radiated from his body.

"So stubborn. Are you sure you won't go back on your words? The moment you go to the eastern capital, I probably will no longer teach you!"

Leylin had a toying expression on his face.

"A Grand Knight isn't anything much. There are probably a whole dozen in Jenny's family. Let's not even talk about the dangers on the way that will probably cause you to lose your life. What are you planning to do after you send her back? Be a captain of some guards at the Argus Family? Or perhaps, even worse, become a mercenary?"

"Have you thought of all these?"

Leylin asked.

Baelin had turned pale, but his voice was steady, "I know all that! But… but if I don't send Jenny home safely, my heart will never be at ease. I know this for sure…"

"Fine! You can leave, but you are to never return."

Leylin looked at this toy of his that was full of righteousness and gave an ultimatum before returning to his room.

*Boom!*

The door slammed shut, leaving Baelin standing outside, silently.

"Thank you, Baelin!" At this moment, a small, cold hand covered Baelin's calloused palm.

"Jen..Jenny, you…" Baelin began to stutter as he spoke.

A finger that was equally icy — and was rather fragrant — was placed upon Baelin's lips.

"You don't need to say anything else!"

Jenny mumbled, and then rested her head on Baelin's shoulders.

"When I was younger, what I liked the most was leaning against my Father's body and resting my head on his chest. Now, can you lend me your shoulders to rest on for a while?"

"Of-of course. It'll be my pleasure to…" Baelin stood there in a daze, his nostrils breathing in the fragrance from Jenny's hair. He did not dare move even a muscle.

...

A night passed and Baelin looked at his crush who had left his side, and also the trace of dampness on his shoulders, before smiling wryly.

"Let us set off!"

On a mini horse-carriage carrying goods, Baelin wore rugged cloth and dressed as a horse keeper. As for Jenny and James, they were hiding inside a compartment of the horse carriage.

On the four sides of the horse carriage, large torches were lit, dispelling the darkness in the surroundings.

"Don't worry! They won't be able to discover you!" Baelin tried his best to console them.

As for Jenny and James, they could only look at each other and smile wryly.

As the Lord Marquis's condition was worsening, Jenny and James only had a short respite to nurture their wounds before continuing on the journey.

Their employed adventurers and mercenaries were slain in the earlier journey, which made it obvious to everyone that someone was obstructing Jenny and her party. There were no more fools stepping forward to be their valiant protectors.

Furthermore, even the Baron who had lost a Knight and most of his elite troops felt a deep remorse. The way he looked at Jenny now was as if he was seeing the god of plague.

To him, the sooner Jenna — who was like a magnet for bad fortune — left, the better it was. In any case, it would be best that none of the incidents were to happen in the area he oversaw so that he can be acquitted of the blame.

This attitude was even more apparent after he received an anonymous letter from the eastern capital. It was to the extent of rejecting to grant Jenny an audience with him.

In this feudalistic area, it was like many small kingdoms which were independent. After seeing the Baron act this way, all of the Potter Town's citizens did not offer any help to Jenny thereafter.

For this small horse carriage, Baelin had to fork out three times of the market price to purchase it.

The seller even stressed that he would only sell to Baelin; he did not want to even have a buyer-seller relation with Jenny!

They simply had no confidence that Baelin could complete this simple purchase!

However, what else could they have done to ensure their safety?

Looking at the shops selling torches and the weaponry shop which were closed, Jenny and James were in dismay. As for Baelin, he looked even sadder.

However, he clenched his teeth and looked at Jenny sitting behind him, before cracking his whip.

*Pa!*

The horse carriage began to move, taking the three passengers out of this town.

"Wait a minute, can I hitch a ride?"

Just when the town behind Baelin gradually grew smaller and when his indecisiveness was at its peak, he heard a voice that sounded heavenly to the ears.

"Bo…Boss!"

Baelin rubbed his eyes and looked at Leylin wearing black robes with a small knapsack. Immediately, his eyes were filled with guilt and excitement, relief and many other expressions.

"Lord Leylin! We're extremely grateful for you coming with us!"

At this moment, Jenny and James popped out from the narrow compartment of the horse carriage and smiled, as if relieved of a heavy burden.

From the looks of it, if this mysterious Mister Leylin was to join them, what more did they need to worry about?

It was evident that Jenny and James had joy on their faces no matter how hard they tried to conceal it.

Through Baelin, they have successfully made Leylin, this mysterious person who was most likely a Magus, come with them. Even after returning to the eastern region, involving Leylin in their scheme was extremely beneficial!

As for these petty schemes, Leylin had not even needed to guess before he knew their train of thoughts. However, he did not express it explicitly and allowed Baelin to escort him up the carriage.

With this powerful expert Leylin holding the fort, the other three felt much better in an instant.

They threw away all that was used to conceal themselves, and also changed the interior of the horse carriage to make it seem like it was carrying passengers instead of goods. They no longer had to squeeze into that small space throughout the journey.

* Da Da Da!*

The wheels of the horse carriage spun as the two old horses galloped with all their might to travel forth.

"Master Leylin, why are you willing to give up on your shop and come with me to the eastern capital?"

Baelin glanced at Leylin who was resting at a side, restraining himself as much as he could before he asked.

"Of course it's for you, you fool! How can I be reassured if I let you go alone?"

Leylin opened his eyes and spoke indifferently.

"Bo-boss, I'm so touched…" Baelin choked with emotion, sparkling tears gathering in his eyes.

"If you thought I'd say something like that, you're gravely mistaken!" Immediately after, Leylin's next words caused Baelin to be stunned.

"Business at Blazing Hammers is not doing well. I've been wanting to go to the eastern capital and find a suitable place to do some business or open a branch. Since you're going, I'll go too since you're already going there."

"No, you must be lying to me! You must be here because you're worried about me, right Boss?"

Baelin looked ready to breakdown, while Jenny and James looked like they wanted to laugh, but did not dare do so.

"Just think whatever you want to think."

Leylin stared, speechless, at this fellow who was a bit too egotistical.

He spoke indifferently and snuggled into his clothes, seemingly entering a deep sleep.

However, in his heart, he thought, "A.I. Chip, show me my current stats!"

[Beep! Leylin Farlier. Rank 2 Warlock, Bloodline: Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Strength: 21.1, Agility: 14.4, Vitality: 27.9, Spiritual force: 77 (104.3), Magic power: 77 (Magic power is in synchronisation with spiritual force) Status: Sea of consciousness is fragmented. Part of spiritual force is solidified.]

Over these two years, Leylin constantly used potions to heal his injuries. At this point, the injuries on his body had mostly recovered.

However, healing the damage done to his sea of consciousness and his spiritual force was a very slow process, causing Leylin to start feeling impatient.

Hence, after his emotions due to his Warlock bloodline had erupted, he had decided to go to the eastern capital and find a way to increase the rate of this process.

After expelling the mark from the rank 3 Magus Alric, he could now release part of his spiritual force and return his strength to that of a peak rank 1 Magus.

Whether in the south coast or in Twilight Zone, Magi with this power could go on a rampage. As long as one did not meet with a Magus above rank 2, they were basically tyrants!

Though the Twilight Zone had a lot of high-grade meditation techniques, there were still some differences in the overall strength as compared to the south coast.

Leylin, who also trained in a high-grade meditation technique, was very clear about these differences.

The high-grade meditation techniques passed down from ancient Magi could help a Magus get stronger at every rank with all sorts of amazing powers along the way, but there were still a few obvious disadvantages!

After training up to a certain point, regular mortal resources were of no use to them, and only bizarre or even items from another world would be able to help one progress in one's meditation technique. If not, one would get stuck at some point.

In ancient times, Magi took over world after world and amassed vast amounts of resources. Also, the connection between Twilight Zone and the external world still existed, so this wasn't a problem. However, the troublesome matter was: Not only had Twilight Zone lost its supply of resources from other worlds, it had even lost contact with the subterranean world itself!

Certain high-grade meditation techniques were extremely harsh when it came to the materials needed, and they also could not be substituted!

Hence, though the percentage of Magi here was a lot higher than in the south coast, there was probably the same number of rank 2 Magi on both sides.

As for rank 3 Magi, Leylin guessed they would be even lesser in number here than in the south coast!

After all, the higher the rank of a Magus, the rarer the materials they needed. This was even more so for Magi who used high-grade meditation techniques.

Without the help from these precious resources, Magi could only use time and make the occasional tiny amount of progress in these techniques. Such a speed would be enough to make a Magus have a nervous breakdown.

Most Magi used most of their lifetime and still could not break through the first level of their meditation technique, and were filled with unwillingness to accept their fate and were full of regrets at the time of their deaths!

Stationed Troops

But Leylin's advanced meditation technique, Kemoyin's Pupil, also required specific resources. If it wasn't for the fact that he got his hands on the meat of the ancient Thousand Eyed Starfish by pure luck, then even Leylin had no clue how long it would have taken him to completely remodel his heart, and thereby become a rank 2 Magus.

Besides, compared to other advanced meditation techniques, the criteria for Warlocks were much harsher!

One mustn't forget — to train in Kemoyin's Pupil, one must first possess the ancient bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent!

Just this one prerequisite was enough to stump most acolytes!

Whether it was the south coast or Twilight Zone, there were very few beings with ancient bloodlines. They were practically extinct!

Any acolyte that wanted to obtain a bit of the essence from an ancient bloodline would find this task even more difficult than advancing to become an official Magus!

Take Kemoyin's Pupil for example. If one does not try to obtain the bloodline of the Giant Kemoyin Snake or the Black Horrall Snake and instead settled for the next best thing, even getting blood from the matured Mankestre Snake, which had the strength of an official Magus, was an impossible task for level 3 acolytes!

High-grade meditation techniques had very harsh requirements, and they were not something that Magi from remote areas, such as the Twilight Zone, could fulfill.

Hence, though there were more ancient inheritances left behind here than in the south coast, the power on both sides was about the same, or perhaps the Twilight Zone's power was inferior to the south coast's.

"With the passage of time, everything is advancing!"

Having thought this through, Leylin couldn't help but sigh.

Though the south coast had not been able to gain the full inheritance, the Magi of the younger generations were just as talented and as good as the ancient Magi were at researching.

In a situation where they lacked specific resources, they had independently come up with another way for Magi to advance: using Grime Water and breaking through by way of stimulation through a rank 1 spell model.

Though this took a toll on a Magus' life force and even hindered their future, the price to rise to rank 1 and 2 was still affordable.

At least compared to high-grade meditation techniques which required precious materials, though there were many needs for resources using this simplified version, these could be satisfied using materials from the south coast itself. This had thus allowed for the prosperity of the south coast.

The top-grade materials were all gathered and collectively provided to Magi with high-grade meditation techniques, guaranteeing that they could develop their top-notch battle power and maintain their governance.

"Things are improving over time! Though the choice of the Magi in the south coast in using the simplified version was not the best choice, it was likely the most suitable for the land of the south coast."

Leylin sighed.

Although the amount of ancient inheritances on the south coast were not incomparable with those in Twilight Zone, he had never seen so many Magi who were so fixated on the power of the ancient Magi. They would kill each other in order to receive even a part of a broken inheritance.

"But the Magi of the Twilight Zone have a lot of Magi training in high-grade meditation techniques, which proves that there must be even more resources from ancient times here than in the south coast. This might be a chance for me!"

Leylin brightened up.

For him, gathering high-grade meditation techniques, filling up his database, completing Sacred Flame, and simulating the content of the fourth level of Kemoyin's Pupil were some of his goals. His other purpose was to gain precious materials from the subterranean world, as well as items that might be helpful in progressing in high-grade meditation techniques.

"Be careful now, the hills which we were ambushed previously are ahead!"

At this moment, James spoke and broke the silence.

Baelin immediately gripped his longsword. As for Leylin, he did not even budge an inch.

To him, an ambush from a level 3 acolyte was just a joke!

The horse carriage continued forward, and very soon, hills surrounded them on both sides. The large trees which grew to the skies projected sinister-looking shadows on the ground, which was also the perfect place for an ambush.

On the ground, there were large amounts of footprints and traces of blood; even the surrounding rocks and trees were covered with numerous arrows and scars made from sword slashes.

Although the ambush happened some time ago, even with people covering up the tracks, it was not too difficult to imagine the gruesome scene that had happened.

Upon seeing all of this, Jenny's body quivered and she immediately went back to the horse carriage.

As for James, he heaved a sigh, "Miss Jenny is but a fifteen-year-old girl. All of this is too grim and too early for her…"

"Since she was born and raised in a noble family, she has enjoyed the elegant lifestyle and glory of being a noble. However, she also must undertake the responsibilities of one, regardless of her age or gender. This is her calling…"

At this moment, Leylin who had been simulating the high-grade meditation technique Sacred Flame spoke with wisdom.

"Lord Leylin's words possess a philosophical element to them!"

James smiled and praised, but Leylin eyes lit up.

Just then, he had tried a different simulation of the Sacred Flame. After hearing James speak, he replied with his own feelings. However, when he did so, there was no doubt behind his words.

"Is this the power of Lady Fate? I seem to have glimpse part of her silhouette

Leylin grinned.

He already had some understanding that Sacred Flame was linked with the powers of destiny. The way to advance was also extremely bizarre. One had to absorb a mysterious item at the peak of where destinies clash before advancing.

As for fate, it revolved around the world.

It is no surprise then that in legends many heroes were always supported by one or two Magi who could read prophecies. It was all for mutual benefits.

Only by being with these 'main characters' who were destined for great things would the powerful strength of destinies converge.

Every time they were to make a huge decision, it was when the convergence of fate was at its peak. For Magi cultivating in this high-grade meditation technique, they first had to appreciate this great power and even be swept by it. To these 'children of destinies', the Magi had to attempt and adapt to change the outcome. During this progress, they often had to obtain mysterious, yet specific, items in order to advance and level-up their meditation technique.

"Fate and foretelling! What wondrous might!"

Leylin's gaze swept past Baelin, Jenny, and James. It seemed like, amongst these three, there was someone who would be able to change the entire history of the Twilight Zone!

However, as Leylin had merely simulated Sacred Flame and did not actually train in this meditation technique, as well as it being incomplete, he could not tell who would be the person to change history.

Even so, Leylin knew for sure that the methods of the Botelli Family in using their ancestors' spirits by force was a very malicious practice!

"Sacred Flame! What a wondrous meditation technique!" Leylin could tell that even in ancient times, high-grade meditation techniques that could foretell the future were very, very rare.

However, he had no intentions of changing his meditation technique!

Not taking into consideration the incompleteness of the meditation technique itself, Jenna's strange demise was still vivid in his mind. He did not want to become the next Jenna. Besides, he did not trust this ability that could tell the future. In Leylin's eyes, the future constantly changed and could not be fathomed. Even if he could occasionally catch hold of a few scenes, it did not necessarily mean that he could control the future.

This was a difference in philosophy, and one where Magi had the most varied opinions!

For this reason, even if Leylin changed his meditation technique to train in Sacred Flame, he would definitely not be enlightened and might even cause significant damage to his sea of consciousness due to the technique itself.

However, Leylin was still drooling at the mouth within his heart about this ability.

Even though the prophecies might be false, under many circumstances they were important references and supplementary information sources.

"Perhaps after completing the Sacred Flame technique and propagating it, I can strip off some of the power from the people who have cultivated in it and create some some item with magical properties."

Leylin suddenly came up with an idea, and the moment it was formed, it took root deep in his mind.

"Exactly! If I do this, while training, I can still see the situation and obtain information firsthand and constantly perfect the technique. Even if I fail, I'll only lose some spiritual force and a bunch of resources, but I won't suffer much damage. If I succeed, I'll be the envy of even rank 3 Magi."

The carriage passed a hill with no troubles and then came to a field.

James and Baelin, who had been extremely nervous and on edge the entire time, heaved sighs of relief.

It was impossible for them to be ambushed on flat ground, which was why they could relax.

*Lu lu!*

Just as Leylin was pondering about his thoughts, the sounds of horses galloping from a far distance could be heard. A bright ray of light appeared on the horizon far away, and it quickly turned into a black cloud.

Many Knights wearing black leather armour on dark horses charged swiftly like a hurricane. They held onto the reins with their right hands and in their left hands they held onto blazing torches.

Very soon, many Knights surrounded the small horse carriage that Baelin's party was in.

"Garrison troops from the Lilan castle? Madmen! Crazy! They actually deployed troops to surround us…"

There was incomparable fear on James' face before it quickly turned into despair.

Magi were extremely powerful and could regard regular humans as ants. However, this scenario of surrounding regular people using troops was different.

To high level Magi, no matter how many regular humans there were, it was but one more death word for them. Just the radiation emitted from Magi's bodies would leave the regular humans to die in anguish.

However, James, who was an acolyte, did not have such terrifying strength.

He had once thought of a scenario: if he were faced with a hundred or less troops, he could deploy guerrilla warfare and kill them all. However, if there were more, he would not be able to do that.

Earthquake

A Magus' spiritual force and magic power were not infinite.

Even if they had extraordinary strength, they would still suffer from natural limitations.

Even if James was a level 3 acolyte, when faced with a troop of a hundred elite soldiers, he could only retreat.

The opponent's side had too many people, and even if they lined up for him to kill them, his pitiful amount of spiritual force and magic power would not be sufficient to kill them all.

And if these soldiers were all replaced with cavalrymen?

Hopelessness had already started invading James' heart. Being surrounded by that many cavalryman, the most he could do was to escape by himself with that magic artifact of his, leaving behind Jenny.

But, we have Lord Leylin with us now. There shouldn't be any problem.

James glanced at Leylin and forced himself to calm down.

A situation where a squadron composed of magicians and civilian troops fighting each other has never before occurred in the history of Twilight Zone.

After all, no lord would stupidly provoke an official Magus.

Moreover, as far as Magi were concerned, they could use stealth and cast spells and could easily end the life of the perpetrator, so why should he unnecessarily waste his time?

If Lord Leylin really was an official Magus, then they need not be worried about this danger.<\i>

James inwardly comforted himself with these encouraging thoughts, and then he heard Baelin's nervous, almost-filled-with-fear voice asking, "Who are you all?"

Although he had advanced and become a Grand Knight, but it was evident that his attitude had not adjusted to this fact. After looking at the expressionless and dense army, the small city resident's heart welled up with fear.

With the horses neighing in the background, a small path opened up among the ranks of the calvary. An old fellow wearing a black Chinese suit, and with the mark of a human skull on his forehead, walked out.

"Rhodes, it really is you! You went as far as to dare station some troops here, are you not worried about being punished?" The expression on James' face was an odd mixture of fury and regret.

"My beloved older brother, it is me!" Rhodes sneered.

"Older brother?" The stunned Baelin had only now discovered that if that sinister mark branded on Rhodes' face was removed, he would closely resemble James.

"We are all employed by the Argus Family. Thus, there is no need for the soldiers to face off against each other with swords." James tried one last compromise.

"Brother James! It's because I want to prove that I'm better than you! Even in the aspect of choosing my leader! It will definitely be the next head of the Argus Family!"

Rhodes' expression seemed to express a deep-rooted hatred.

"If it is about the matter that happened during our childhood years, I will apologize to you for that. I can even kneel before you. Nevertheless, Rhodes, one must not enter this vortex, as it can kill you…"

"Heehihihiheee… saying these things now, what's the use?"

Rhodes gave an eerie smile and came over.

"All of you… Annoying!" Leylin, who was in front of the carriage, frowned, expressing his dissatisfaction.

Just as he had thought over and improved his plan, it was suddenly disrupted by this Rhodes and soon, an evil fire approached Rhodes.

"Is this Lord Leylin?"

Rhodes gave a deep bow. In front of this person who had a high certainty of being an official Magus, he did not dare to be disrespectful.

"This is an internal affair of the Argus Family. Moreover, our family's Lord Siegfried is also a respected Lord Magus. He also wishes he can meet you…"

"No! You lie! Grandpa Siegfried has been deceived by you."

Leylin still did not respond. Jenny jumped up, in a straight sudden manner like the tail of a kitten when it was frightened or angry.

"The official Magus of the Argus Family is known as Siegfried, eh? It seems he is the common ancestor for both these troops…"

Leylin felt some pity for this Magus.

His own descendants, for the sake of gaining power, were beating up each other. Maybe all of this gives him a headache. Or maybe he doesn't care about such things.

After all, a Magus' lifespan was very long. By the time a few generations have passed by, whatever affection and such emotions that said Magus had towards his family would have become very diluted

"I do not care who has Siegfried's backing, but, I believe you are blocking my way. Now, step aside at once!"

Leylin frankly chided him. The one Rhodes mentioned was just a level 1 Magus, who certainly couldn't induce fear in him, but he was extremely disgusted with Rhodes' attitude.

"Hic..." This kind of scolding, clearly made Rhodes feel deflated and he stood there looking foolishly around him. His face also turned red.

His every effort and achievements were like jokes in the eyes of his family.

This is unfair! Again I hear such a tone. And again I am being subjected to such an expression. And in my childhood, my older brother was also the same. Why is he stronger than me in everything? Why do all the good things happen to him and not me?<\em>

Rhodes's eyes turned redder.

Moreover, it isn't clear whether that Leylin is an official Magus or not. There exists a probability that he is just someone that slut Jenny hired to scare me.<\em>

Rhodes firmly waved his hand, "Charge!"

The multitude soldiers received the order and immediately charged forth.

Even if you are an official Magus, so what? Facing so many Knights, your spiritual force wouldn't last long. After this mission is done with, if worst comes to worst, I will just hide myself within the Argus Family and live comfortably. Anyways, with me under Lord Siegfried's protection, what can you do?<\em>

Rhodes eyed Leylin resolutely, his face turning the shade of an abnormally faint red.

"My lord! Jenny! You both please go ahead." Baelin then pulled out his long sword and his whole body swelled up like a balloon. He resembled a small giant as he blocked the carriage from harm.

After the enemy made their charge, he made his battle preparations and roused the secret Knight techniques that Leylin had instructed him in.

Also, the reason behind Rhodes's unusual facial change was immediately accurately revealed within Leylin's eyes.

"His pupils are unusually dilated. The blood flow in his brain has accelerated by 34%, a clear symptom of damage to his spirit."

Seeing the deranged-looking Rhodes, Leylin was somewhat clear on why the opponent was acting so unbridled.

The studies of Magi were extremely dangerous. Any forms of expression could very well sacrifice the Magus' life into it. Furthermore, once there was a slight mistake in important matters that concerned the consciousness, meditation, and spiritual force, many detrimental outcomes could be created.

This Rhodes, clearly received some harm to his sea of consciousness when he advanced to become a level 3 acolyte. He cannot completely control his spirit and his emotions, and so he appears rather nervous.

However, the reason why Rhodes went mad is only a small matter. Leylin only gave him a slight gaze before he focused his attention on the charging cavalry, his mouth displaying a slight sneer.

The charging troops had approximately 200 people. It seems as if the entirety of the Lilan Castle had come to battle. All of them had donned excellent quality armor and the pikes and huge battle axes they wielded carried a sharp, cold glint.

Two hundred mounts charged forth and the ground started to quake and under this mighty launch, Baelin only resembled a small, bemused ant.

This kind of battle formation would even cause a Magus to frown, but Leylin stood calmly as if nothing of importance was happening.

"Why do you all always use a common man's way of thinking against a Magus?"

He lightly sighed and a faint khaki-colored light fell to the ground from his hands.

*Hissssss!* This light was as tiny as a firefly, and it looked as if a puff of breath blown on it would extinguish it.

After the khaki-colored light appeared on the ground, it promptly vanished from sight, as if it had fused into the soil and immediately ripples of tremors began to disperse out from the place where the light blended into the soil.

*Bang! Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang!*

The tremors began to extend in all directions as if several dominoes had been struck down, and the tremors gained and dispersed more and more power. Finally, there even occurred an earthquake.

*Crrrrrrrrrackkk!* The ground began to split open. The huge shockwaves made the Knights feel as if they were caught in the crossfire of bullets.

The surroundings quickly looked like as if there were waves from the sea surging forth causing continuous tremors.

"Argh!" "Earthquake!" "My horse" "Save me, my legs are broken!"

The rifts began to open from the Knight at the forefront before they soon covered the ground of where the whole cavalry was.

Along with the tremors, many horses stumbled and even threw their Knights atop them down.

The ear-splitting bone cracks, the neighing of the horses were all covered by the tremors that the earthquake caused. Only Baelin and James with a certain level of physical ability could barely make out the noise.

*Rumble*

The shock wave swept away all the soldiers and still continued on further till they dissipated.

As for the consumption of this spell, it was barely five spiritual force points.

Magi wielded intelligence! Not brute strength! What Leylin did earlier was to calculate the conditions of the surroundings, before using very little force to cause a devastating earthquake using the butterfly effect.

Just one strike! A crushing defeat! More than two hundred cavalrymen were now dead. The wails of the injured and broken bits of limbs left Rhodes in utter shock.

"He…How can he be this powerful?"

Rhodes roared within his heart before he frantically turned away to escape.

"Baelin! Go capture him!" Leylin pointed at Rhodes. However, Baelin stood there stupefied, not moving an inch.

"Aren't you going?" Leylin flicked his finger, only to have a translucent palm slap the back of Baelin's head.

"Oh! Okay!" Only then did Baelin regain his senses, running towards the direction Rhodes had escaped in.

"Mister Leylin! No, Lord Leylin! Pardon my presumptuous question… But what is your rank as an official Magus?"

Just then, James paid his respects to Leylin using the most revered formality, with Jenny following suit behind.

"Me?" Leylin grinned, "I'm just a rank 1 Magus who is shuffling his feet in front of the door of truth…"

"So you are indeed an official Magus! Please pardon our disrespect to you earlier!"

After hearing the words from Leylin's own mouth, Jenny and James sighed in relief. They once again bowed to Leylin before an uncontrollable glee filled their eyes.