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Picking up Scraps

"Lily's Cosy Cottage?" Leylin looked at a shop's signboard made of oak leaves and written in both the continent's characters and elven language.

Compared to all the other shops, this shop was evidently more attentive to details. Even the corners had greenery with plants and flowers sprouting, emitting pleasant flora scents.

"Welcome!'

As he stepped foot into the shop, a boyish-looking elf greeted Leylin genuinely with respect and a smile, "Respectful customer, how can I be of service to you today?"

"Oh, I am just looking through, I see you sell many miscellaneous things here?"

Leylin's eye swept over to the sales counter. There was a huge clutter of spell materials like ore, furs from living creatures, scrolls and other handcrafted articles. There was great variety, but almost all of them were without tags and placed haphazardly. And despite that, it looked like an organised mess.

"Yes, from the islands of the south coast to Sky City, everything in existence can be found here!" The elven shop owner beamed and replied proudly.

"Really?" Leylin plastered a smile on his face. These days, the number of objects that could garner his attention had been dwindling. However, from his observations a moment ago, he did notice some valuable materials on display. For a tiny shop like this, it was rather rare.

"Eh?!"

Leylin was about to exit the shop when an item in a corner caught his attention.

"Is this item for sale too?" Leylin casually picked up a spell scroll.

It was a very old scroll covered with dust and marks of damage. Wrapped up between both the horizontal axles was not common spell paper but some kind of beasty skin, with a hint of glossiness in the texture.

Leylin unfurled the scroll and saw the records of a rank 2 spell model. It looked like it was well used as the content had become very faint.

Magi could use their spiritual force to break and extract the knowledge and spell models within scrolls, and many methods of learning included the use of them. When a scroll was repeatedly used for study, it would eventually deteriorate to this state.

Magi required the spell model's structure to be stable, and would thus demand extreme precision and quality. Hence, a scroll in such a condition would have totally lost its value.

Afterall, an unstable spell model could prove to be fatal!

As such, this old scroll had just been left there, unsold for a long time. Thus, seeing Leylin pick this up, a light of puzzlement flashed in the elven store owner's eyes.

"This is the spell model of a rank 2 spell— Hand of Illumination. The original price was five thousand magic crystals, but since it is your first visit here, my offer is three thousand magic crystals! Just three thousand magic crystals and it will be yours!"

"Is that so?" Leylin gave a smile that was not a smile and looked at the elf till he felt somewhat ashamed and hung his head down.

The price quoted had exceeded way past the original value of the scroll, causing the usually noble and elegant elf a little embarrassment. However for the sake of his livelihood, he had to do it.

"You are a wind elf, right?"

Leylin could feel the wind elemental particles hovering around the opposite party. It was unusually light and graceful, so Leylin couldn't help but ask.

"Yes! Yes, my Lord!" The middle-aged store owner lifted his head. There were many Magi who could recognise him as an elf, but not many were able to specifically identify him as a wind elf.

"The wind elven tribe is rumoured to be close to going extinct in the continent. I didn't expect to meet one here!!"

Leylin smiled and rolled up the scroll. He picked up a black ore from the sales counter, "Including this item, a total of three thousand magic crystals!"

The elven store owner scrutinised closely and upon confirmation that it was just an ordinary ore that wasn't particularly valuable, he nodded his head in agreement.

Noticing the shame in the elf's eyes, Leylin did not criticise further. After settling the transaction, he left the shop.

"Sigh… even a graceful and elegant elf cannot escape from nature's laws…" Leylin turned around to take another look at the exquisite door of the shop.

According to ancient legends, the elves had migrated here from the other world and had many different branches elsewhere.

Among the elves, the moon elves, gold elves and wind elves possessed the highest grade of bloodline, similar to the nobles of the human race, possessing high prestige and good reputation. They were also regularly depicted as protagonists in the works of many poets.

As for the dark elves and such, they were regarded as the odd-one-outs among the race, hence not comparable to the rest.

And so, for a noble and elegant wind elf to fall to this stage, Leylin couldn't help but sigh under his breath.

"But, since you are the one who started this, you can't blame me….."

Leylin laughed as his palm stroked the cover of the scroll. The strange texture of it made him gleam with joy as his eyes lit up.

[Beep! After the database comparison, item confirmed as the epidermis of an ancient creature— Horned Rhinoceros!] the A.I. Chip reported and Leylin's mood lightened.

Although the spell template on the surface of the scroll was not very useful, the material used was remarkable. An ancient living creature, the Horned Rhinoceros was similar to the Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Both of them could reach Morning Star in their adulthood. The epidermis contained a high level of spell resistance and was a necessary material for many Morning Star Magi equipment.

For Leylin, being able to obtain this for a mere three thousand magic crystal was indeed a fabulous deal.

Not only that, but the ore he'd picked out was also made of a high-grade material— secret silver! Although it was embedded under layers of ore, Leylin's A.I. Chip was still able to detect it.

'This small shop made a huge loss from our transaction, their two most valuable items had been bought by me…' Leylin sniggered silently.

After his promotion to Morning Star, and after attaining the supplementary assistance of soul force, his A.I. Chip's probing capabilities had increased by leaps and bounds, and could be considered unprecedented in history.

Very few items could hide their true form from its scans at this juncture.

As such, his current advantage was too huge. Even if he did nothing substantial every day and just browsed the multiple shops casually, he might be able to pick up items that were needed for his Morning Star research and breakthroughs.

'It's just…' Leylin stroked his chin, 'Doing so would be too pompous and would attract the wrong kind of attention. If the secret of the A.I. Chip is leaked, there might be more trouble…'

"Besides….." Leylin's pupils sparkled.

He helplessly shook his head and arrived in front of a teleporting spell formation at a crossing, where two Magi were waiting.

These two Magi had obvious characteristics of a different race. One had a head that resembled that of an octopus while the other's body was covered with wolf fur.

Leylin walked up and gracefully made his salutations. "Lord Paul, Lord Phillip! It's been a long time…"

"We hope we are not imposing on you, Lord Leylin!" Paul laughed and pointed at the ore Leylin held in his hand, both exhibiting a tacit mutual understanding.

"Morning Star Magi are indeed not easy to deceive, your soul force's probing ability is commendable, detecting the secret in this ore so quickly! "

Leylin rolled his eyes silently but did not mind it much.

After all, the probes by his own A.I. Chip were usually done covertly and until now had not been discovered. Other Magi would have thought that he had depended on his acute soul force to uncover the treasures, and so it wasn't considered a big deal.

"Yes, we apologise for interrupting your leisure. Our social gathering is about to begin, come…" Philip courteously replied.

Leylin didn't reject him, "Sure, please show the way!"

He was absolutely sure that the entirety of Creevey City had a specialised spell that was used for detecting Morning Stars. However, he did not use any spell to alter his own appearance and energy waves, as he was confident in his abilities and was certain he would not be easily discovered.

After some careful consideration, he concluded that it was understandable.

Creevey City was the main headquarters of the entire Warlock Union, it held a lot of symbolic importance. They'd provoked their fair share of Morning Star Magi already. If they didn't have an increased alertness and powerful warning system, the prosperity of the city was going to short-lived.

Leylin unenthusiastically thought about this as he followed Paul and Philip to the front of the teleporting spell formation.

These two made no attempt to conceal the energy waves on their bodies, and caught many looks of reverence. The Warlocks voluntarily stepped aside and left a wide berth for the huge teleporting spell formation, so much so that only the three of them were left using it at that moment.

No matter where they were, Morning Stars carried a terrifying amount of prestige.

Rays of silver light flashed, and when the scenery was visible again Leylin found himself at an unfamiliar place.

Every building was short, and the concrete slabs on the road had many depressions on them, appearing very shabby. Even the density of energy particles in the air appeared to be very weak, similar to the rest of the central continent.

"Surprised? For the core area of the Creevey City with its four elements to be so simple and crude is unexpected?" Paul remarked as he led Leylin onto another path.

*Ka-cha!* When Leylin stepped foot on one of the slabs, it seemed to come alive, floating up and carrying Leylin forward at the speed of lightning.

"A little, yes!" Leylin nodded his head in agreement.

"To the core of the castle!" Paul spoke to the concrete slabs and all three accelerated.

Once that was done, he looked back at Leylin, smiling as he explained, "Due to the limitations of our bloodline, we Warlocks in the central continent have experienced a long period of darkness. As such, many of the Masters suggested during the construction of the city that the core shouldn't be too extravagant, and needs to be equipped with a good sentry system."

"I see!" Leylin nodded.

Warlock Gathering

Bloodline Warlocks could make use of their bloodlines to advance rapidly, experiencing no real bottleneck at ranks 1,2, or even rank 3. All they had to do was wait for their bloodline to mature. They left regular Magi far in the dust, their rate of advancement extremely terrifying. However, there was an obvious disadvantage.

Bloodline shackles! This curse hounded bloodline Warlocks eternally, causing them to be forever unable to surpass the power of the source of their bloodline!

It was impossible to notice this disparity at the lower ranks, and wasn't especially obvious even at the Morning Star realm. However, once one entered the circles of the Radiant Moon realm, there were few Warlocks who had the bloodline to advance that far. Hence, Magi were superior to them at that point.

Once the terrifying Breaking Dawn Magi came into the picture, the gap between the two was made even more apparent.

Due to the emotional instability from their bloodlines, they were rash and quick-tempered, often offending many Magi. On top of that, many of their bloodline experiments were considered taboo, which resulted in the discontent of many.

As a result, when the Warlocks fell, the Magi joined forces and held them down.

Under these conditions, the original Warlocks in the south coast and Twilight Zone died out.

The situation was slightly better in the central continent. Just as the Warlocks were pressured to the point that they were practically at death's door, the reopening of the astral gates helped the Warlocks bring in new blood.

In the ancient era, the splendour of Warlocks had come from the support of bloodlines from other planes.

Though they had not completely regained the glory from the past, there were a few Warlocks who had successfully reached rank 5 and therefore preserved the inheritance of Warlocks.

Creevey City had been built under those circumstances.

Even the core region was made of buildings passed on from ancient times, and had not been altered. It held traces of the progress in its history.

"The glorious efforts of every bloodline ancestor should be studied and revered…" Leylin couldn't help but praise from the bottom of his heart.

If not for the perseverance of the high-ranked Warlocks in the past, all of these traditions would have been destroyed. His environment would be millions of times more difficult to endure than it was now. Hence, Leylin was full of sincere gratitude towards them.

*Click!* While they were in the middle of their conversation, the three concrete slabs landed in a depression within the square of a simple castle, setting themselves inside steadily. They seemed to fit perfectly, with no gaps at all.

"This is the core of power in Creevey City— The Blood Stronghold!" Paul presented to Leylin. The three Morning Star Magi left the square, approaching the gate to the castle.

Leylin naturally began to size up this ancient castle. Its black walls were mottled, bringing about with it the aura of ancient times. Though it looked shabby and was not even comparable to his previous Onyx Castle, the powerful energy undulations and the ancient aura was something that his castle lacked.

"Haha… welcome, welcome! Lord Leylin, we've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Outside the gate to the castle, a middle-aged Caucasian man with silver hair had been waiting for a long while. After seeing Leylin, his eyes gleamed as he immediately went forward to shake both of Leylin's hands.

His palm was extremely thick and warm, full of power. It was akin to the stream of water under a layer of ice, the strength buried within the depths by the layer of ice.

His starry eyes seemed as clear as spring water, and there seemed to be a sense of affinity between them that affected even Leylin.

'Is he really taking me in sincerely? Especially since we're meeting for the first time?' Leylin revealed a smile, looking extremely touched, while he was astonished. Though he was also a Morning Star Warlock, the other party was probably overdoing it by being so enthusiastic.

At this thought, he silently commanded the A.I. Chip, 'Scan!'

With the bonus from his attaining soul force, the A.I. Chip's capabilities at energy scanning had become even more outstanding. It could even catch hold of some information from Morning Star-ranked Warlocks.

Under the scanning of the A.I. Chip, the human form before him turned into a 3D image and was projected in front. Data constantly updated itself at the side.

As expected, even if the other party was a Morning Star Warlock, they were still unable to discover the undulations from the A.I. Chip. Leylin, who saw this, could now completely relax.

[Target is a Morning Star Warlock! Determined affinity to be with illusory elements.]

The A.I. Chip's first conclusion allowed Leylin to make some guesses.

[Beep! Energy undulations have been discovered, determined to be passive illusions. Target can automatically form an illusory force field around his body, causing all beings in the vicinity to develop favourable opinions of him.]

'As expected. An illusory ability due to his bloodline? It's even able to affect Morning Star Magi. how terrifying…' Leylin silently put up his guard even as he put on the sunniest smile he could. He acted as if he now had an even better impression of the burly man.

Upon seeing this, Paul and Philip exchanged a glance, laughing as if they had reached a tacit mutual understanding.

This burly man had inherited the bloodline of the ancient Illusory Crystal Scorpion, a creature whose formidable illusory abilities entered the realm of the terrifying. Even Radiant Moon Magi had previously been affected by his illusions.

Besides, he hadn't even unleashed all his abilities, merely his automatic force field. Even if Leylin did discover this, he still had an excuse.

It was impossible to use just these illusions to manipulate a Morning Star Magus, but if he could influence someone secretly and give hints to the other's mind once in a while, the other party would unknowingly work in his favour. That was very much possible.

At this thought, the grins that Paul and Philip had on their faces became even brighter.

For young Warlocks, this was a test to enter the core area. At the same time, it was a test of loyalty. It couldn't be helped, since after the attack by the Magi, these Warlocks were now paranoid.

"I'm Leylin. Leylin Farlier. It's an honour to be able to meet you!"

Leylin snickered in his heart, though his expression looked strangely sincere as he bowed with a noble's etiquette.

"Haha, we're all bloodline brothers. Just call me Jalon."

Jalon and Leylin began to discuss things affectionately, and he secretly sent Paul a gaze that told him he could relax. After the assurance, Paul and Philip could put their hearts at rest.

"You were the only ones left for the gathering. Come in!" Jalon stood by the gate and invited them. The three immediately entered.

*Po!* As if having passed through a formless layer of water, Leylin immediately felt the excitement boil in his blood once he entered the ancient castle. It was as if he had reached a very comfortable area, his body unconsciously relaxing.

"This…" He revealed a look of astonishment. This was practically a heaven for bloodline Warlocks!

"You must be surprised," Jalon said with pride. "The bloodlines of all Warlocks will resonate with the Blood Castle, to the point that their bloodline will even mature faster when here!"

There was no need for any more words. Leylin immediately understood how important this place was for lower-ranked Warlocks. It was a godly place that could halve the time one needed to advance!

The Blood Castle was huge, but there was no such thing as a servant here. It seemed rather empty, with at most a few puppets and shadow servants. The barrenness surprised Leylin.

Jalon brought Leylin and the other two deep inside the castle and opened a giant golden door. He then loudly informed the many Warlocks inside, "Come! Let us welcome our newest comrade— Leylin Farlier of the Ouroboros Clan!"

"Welcome! Welcome!"

"Come on. Cheers!"

Behind the giant golden door was a large ballroom. There were giant crystal chandeliers all along the ceiling, gemstones glittering with kaleidoscopic light.

The many Warlocks in the ballroom were separated into their own little cliques as they spoke in low voices. Occasionally, one of them would go and lead a few dances.

A few musicians that had been summoned as slaves through necromancy were seated in a corner, performing elegant and graceful music.

When Jalon interrupted them, the ballroom first lapsed into silence. It was short-lived, however. The Warlocks' gazes flitted over to him, and they began to cheer for the entrance of another comrade.

Leylin immediately felt a twinge of fear, but ultimately relaxed. 'The number of Morning Stars here nearly exceeds the total number I've ever met before. Looks like this is a circle that one can only enter once they have a certain amount of power…'

Leylin returned greetings every once in a while, and he couldn't help but sigh ruefully when looking at the number of Morning Star Warlocks here.

Warlocks who could advance to the Morning Star realm clearly had bloodlines that surpassed the bloodlines of ancient creatures of the Morning Star realm. This fact was pretty obvious.

Leylin carefully distinguished between the mess of tyrannical auras in the hall.

'The Savage Rhinoceros, Water Monkey, Ancient Velociraptor… There are too many. There are still many completely foreign bloodlines as well! These must be bloodlines of Morning Star creatures from other planes.' Leylin looked around politely, but he was completely startled inside.

Like every other Warlock, most of those present here looked incredibly stunning. Even the unique characteristics of their Morning Star bloodlines had no effects on their external appearances, and instead added a feeling of natural strength.

"Come, Leylin, let's go sit! We need to discuss Jupiter's Lightning." Paul brought Leylin along to greet each circle individually, and then pulled him into a corner.

Jalon had long since taken his leave. Here, multiple long sofas had been shifted to form a circle. The Morning Star Warlocks seated her had frightening energy waves coming off their bodies.

These Warlocks had very distinct features.

Among them, some had octopus heads, clearly Warlocks of the Spirit Circle. Besides them were a thin old man and young girl, who had the traits of ancient Wind Wolves.

Transaction Plane

It was obvious that all the Morning Star Warlocks in this group were from Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair.

If this was in the past, Gilbert and the other two were likely to be part of this company. However, currently, Leylin was walking up there alone.

"Lord Leylin, let me introduce you!" Paul and Philip pulled Leylin down to sit, before Paul started the conversation.

"These are the two eldest Warlocks in Spirit Circle, Lords Blair and Brunn!"

"It is my pleasure to meet you two!" Leylin said while bowing respectfully. The appearances of spirit Warlocks were so eccentric that even Leylin could not figure out whether those two were brothers. Their octopus heads made it much harder to differentiate between the two.

Philip also introduced a few others to Leylin. "This is the eldest Warlock of our Wind Wolf Lair, Lord Cybel. Beside him is his granddaughter, Palesa!"

"Greetings, Your Graces!" It was obvious to Leylin that the conversation here would mostly centre around Cybel. After all, even his granddaughter was of Morning Star status, showing that he was not a simple fellow. The aura of his bloodline was so concentrated that it caused even Leylin to feel fear.

Only such a bloodline could produce offspring who were also Morning Stars.

"You're Leylin? Gilbert's student?" Cybel slowly opened his eyes, seemingly from a long period of rest. This contrasted with Palesa who was looking at him from the side, her gaze full of curiosity.

Leylin seemed to be too young even for a bloodline Warlock.

"Yes!" Leylin admitted.

With a Morning Star mentor as their leader, there was no doubt that Leylin would benefit greatly from joining their team.

"Since you are Gilbert's disciple, you're no stranger to us," Cybel nodded his head, "Philip, pass him the astral coordinates!"

"Yes, Sir!" Philip solemnly passed Leylin a ball of light that resembled a star.

"What is this?" Leylin exclaimed. His pupils shrunk, and the A.I. Chip immediately started analysing it.

[Beep! Discovered astral coordinates. Recording information in astral experiments database.] The A.I. Chip responded immediately.

"This is an astral coordinate, one that is attached to a miniature plane. Do you know what a plane is?" Cybel's explained slowly.

Leylin recalled a description in an ancient book he'd read as he replied, "It is a place that is not high enough in rank to be called a world. It is a tiny space where the rules are fragmented and incomplete, but the worth of any plane greatly exceeds that of a pocket dimension."

The difference between a plane and a pocket dimension that could only be located within a world was that a plane could directly take root in a turbulent dimension, and also had the potential to grow into a world, just that it was extremely rare.

Some planes had absolutely no signs of any living soul, but some others nurtured the existence of many powerful beings, and were not much different from worlds, just like the plane the devils resided in.

"That's right! This is one such plane. It's the plane where transactions take place between Morning Star Warlocks!" Cybel exclaimed.

"A transaction plane?" Leylin's pupils shrunk.

"Yes. Don't you find it extremely troublesome that every time we gather, we have to travel such long distances, especially when a specific material is required for the transaction? A few Radiant Moon Magi thus gathered to create a miniature plane right next to the Magus World, as the headquarters and base of transactions for Morning Star Warlocks."

Cybel slowly revealed what was going on behind the scenes. Were it not for his being a Morning Star, and also a bloodline Warlock, Leylin would never have the opportunity to obtain this information.

"However… even if it is convenient to have a transaction using an astral gate, the energy it uses up…"

Astral gates opened up passages to a different plane. The energy they consumed to make this possible was extremely overwhelming, especially if an object or even a living organism had to pass through. The amount of energy required might even exceed the value of the object itself, which was shocking enough to make any Magus puke blood.

"Hehe… that's only when we connect to distant planes…" Cybel shook his head, "The amount of energy required to connect to a plane naturally increases with distance. Forget transactions of goods, even the cost of exchanging spiritual force messages will not be worth it. However, a transaction plane is a different deal. It's located right at the edge of our world, so the energy required to open a gate to the place is so little it's practically negligible. Were it not so, we wouldn't have used such a thing either…

This explanation was very logical, and Leylin nodded his head in agreement. But on the inside, he was shocked by the Warlocks' magnanimous gesture.

To forcefully seize a plane and hook it up at the edge of the Magus World as the core of transactions impressed Leylin quite a bit. The strength and spirit of these Radiant Moon Warlocks was amazing.

"Once you set up your very own astral gate, you can use these coordinates after branding them on. What you'll find inside will definitely be a good surprise…" Cybel was speaking extremely slowly, as if he'd fall asleep at any moment. Yet, Leylin nodded seriously, "Thank you, Your Grace!"

Judging from how one needed to be at the Morning Star realm to even participate, the things he could find there would definitely not disappoint him. Furthermore, it would definitely suit bloodline Warlocks especially. On top of that, the mode of transaction was very convenient, and one could even complete the transaction from within their own Magus Tower, which would be incomparably swift.

Were Gilbert still here, Leylin would have acquired these coordinates the moment he advanced. But he wasn't. Cybel granting him these coordinates was no small matter, and hence Leylin sincerely expressed his thanks.

Cybel closed his eyes with a grunt of affirmation before moving on, "Paul, it's time to talk about Jupiter's Lightning."

Just the mere mention of the name turned all the Warlocks present pale. The deterring power of a Radiant Moon Magus was truly terrifying.

"I do not understand, what is it exactly that Jupiter's Lightning has against my Ouroboros Clan? I apologise for my lack of knowledge, I spent all my time before this focusing on my promotion, and rarely participated in such affairs…" Leylin's question revealed his own shortcomings.

"We understand. Breaking through to the Morning Star realm does take up all of one's time and energy. It is fully understandable that you didn't take notice of anything else. Let me explain the situation." Leylin's specious response and overly young age immediately made Paul think that he had gotten an answer out of Leylin. He told the story from the very beginning.

"You can see for yourself that this so called union is only a very loose alliance. There's actually a lot of smaller circles within it." Paul took a sip of the green beverage on the table and pursed his lips.

"Yet the three of us—Spirit Circle, Wind Wolf Lair and your Ouroboros Clan—have always been collaborating with each other. Exactly three years ago, we took control of a region that we had been coveting for, banishing the small Magus organisation already present there!"

"We originally only thought that they were a small organisation, and we didn't expect that they actually had the backing of Jupiter's Lightning. This was how we invoked their wrath…"

Even though Paul's explanation seemed simple and direct, Leylin felt there was more to it. There was likely to be something in that region that neither side would want to give up on, perhaps some top secret or some other substantial benefit.

Magi were shrewd people. If not for such a thing, they would have solved any dispute long ago. It was impossible for something so minor to become such a big deal.

"After that, we surrounded that region and began our attack on Jupiter's Lightning. However, they, too, struck back, ambushing the three elders of your clan…" Paul's expression was gloomy. One could easily tell that their clan hadn't had an easy time either during the series of attacks.

"Jupiter's Lightning has a Radiant Moon Magus. How exactly did we manage to endure their attacks?" Leylin finally asked the question that had been stewing in his mind for ages.

"We'd managed it due to the alliance between the three Kemoyin Dukes and Lord Cybel. The three Kemoyin Dukes were already accomplished enough to match up to a Radiant Moon Magus. With the addition of Lord Cybel, we even held the advantage…"

Paul sighed before he continued, "However, now…"

Leylin's expression sank. He realised that with the loss of three Morning Star Warlocks, they were currently in a precarious situation.

"What would you want me to do about the impending war then, my Lords?" Leylin was cautious, already prepared to immediately reject them if they asked him to do anything dangerous.

The moment Cybel, who was sitting in the centre, opened his eyes, it was as though a ray of lightning had streaked through the place. The glow was so bright it hurt Leylin's eyes. "Even though Jupiter's Lightning has harmed three of our comrades, we will never admit defeat! We won't let them off!"

"I've already sacrificed quite a bit to invite a Radiant Moon Warlock to help us suppress the Radiant Moon Magus on their end!" He exclaimed, giving them some extremely important information.

"A Radiant Moon Warlock?!" Leylin cried out involuntarily.

A Rank 5 bloodline Warlock was one of the highest ranking Warlocks in the entire continent. And a rank 5 Warlock could even defeat Breaking Dawn Magi! That sort of person was extremely rare, and none of them had even shown up for the gathering. For Cybel to be able to acquire one's assistance caused Leylin boundless surprise.

Due to the reinforcement by the Warlock's bloodline, he would definitely far exceed a Magus of the same rank. Jupiter's Lightning's Radiant Moon Magus would be no match.

With the amplification by the bloodline, the best Radiant Moon Warlock would make even a Breaking Moon Magus wary of them. This ensured that the heritage and status of Warlocks was passed down in the central continent.

Such characters were the foundation of every Warlock organisation's strength. It was not easy to ask one for their assistance. And yet, Cybel had managed to do exactly that. This made Leylin wonder what sort of conditions he'd offered to make that deal.

Leylin rubbed his chin as he looked at his surroundings. Even though this was not the first time they'd heard this news, all the Morning Star Warlocks had excitement written on their faces.

Cybel turned fierce. "Our mission is to join forces and eradicate all the remaining Morning Star Magi in Jupiter's Lightning at once, and then seize Crystal Mountain completely!"

"Agreed!" "Agreed!" "I have no objections!" The Warlocks present at the scene all nodded simultaneously in agreement. Afterwards, all the attention was placed on Leylin. It was time to hear his stand on the matter.

"If it isn't too dangerous, I'll agree. However, first, I'd like to take a look at the memorandum and crystal records!" Leylin's face was filled with gloom, but he still eventually agreed to it.

Changes in Contract

After the banquet ended, Leylin decided to stay at the Blood Castle for a while. During this period, he constantly received intelligence about the situation at Crystal Mountain.

The Crystal Mountains was the main area where the conflict with Jupiter's Lightning happened, a mountain range that was located near the aisle of Arcelor. The Crystal Mountains were named so because of its production of a type of high energy crystal ore.

This ore could, to an extent, replace magic crystals as a power source for puppets, or to build formations and artifacts. This led to a decent demand for the ore, which kept the prices high.

It could be found everywhere on Crystal Mountain, even on the surface. This made extracting the ore easy, causing the place to be regarded as a natural source of wealth.

Of course, even so, it could only entice weaker Magi. It wasn't nearly enough to draw the eyes of Morning Stars.

Ore mines of such quality were already present in Jupiter's Lightning, Spirit Circle, and even within the Ouroboros Clan. It wasn't worth a fight between Morning Stars.

The real worth arose from a rumour about the place. Legends recounted that this was originally the headquarters of an ancient large-scaled Magus organisation— Scarlet Crescent. During the war, the ancient Magi had peered into the future and decided to conceal the entire region with spell formations. They left their heritage there, and it would only appear when it was time.

Many Magi had brushed this off in the beginning in mockery, calling it nonsense. But on-site inspections by Cybel and the others revealed that those remains indeed existed, and even hid enormous wealth!

Jupiter's Lightning had learned of this information at the same time. As such, there was a disagreement about the ownership of Crystal Mountain. Battle soon ensued.

Both sides had shown restraint in the beginning. The battle was restricted to a small spatial rift, and only involved those at or above the Morning Star rank.

But when the Radiant Moon Magus found himself at a disadvantage against the combined forces of the three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks and Cybel, he felt extremely embarrassed. Thus, this matter abruptly intensified.

What followed was the three Dukes being lost in the astral plane, and the allied armies besieging the Ouroboros Clan in the midst of trickery.

Were it not for the unexpected factor called Leylin, the Ouroboros Clan could possibly have been annihilated in this tempest, ending the legacy of the Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks in the continent.

'You merely had a small disadvantage, and your revenge was already so vicious…" Leylin had already formed an image of the Radiant Moon Magus of Jupiter's Lightning. He was a cruel, petty man. Normally, such characters were not to be feared, but once one fellow possessed such enormous abilities, Leylin would dread meeting him.

"According to rumours and the data collected by mentor and his team, the surfacing time of the remains of the Scarlet Crescent would be when the sun, stars and moon converge and when the arc of Oake appears…"　

Leylin put down the 'top secret' documents, and the A.I. Chip began calculations.

[Time format identified to be from the ancient era. Converting into the calendar used by the central continent, date is approaching soon…]

Leylin stroked his chin, "No wonder the struggle got so violent that they even wanted to get me involved…"

As for the intentions of Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair, he was very clear on what they wanted. They might have made some pact with the three Morning Star Warlocks of the Ouroboros Clan previously, setting regulations about the distribution of the spoils.

The other party in the pact had disappeared, but the contract still stood. And yet, they were unwilling to just transfer these benefits to him.

As such, getting him involved and having him represent the Ouroboros Clan, they wanted to rework the pact imminently. If they didn't they'd have to share all the benefits they painfully acquired with Leylin, and it was not a welcome thought.

However, even Leylin agreed with this matter. Simply put, the benefits were meant to be for the three Morning Star Warlocks. And now, although the benefits had been reduced by a little, they were meant solely for him.　　

He was, after all, the sole representative of the Ouroboros Clan, possessing the right to negotiate on their behalf. Thus, it was understandable that they'd give up a few things to garner his support.

In this scenario, the gains of the Ouroboros Clan, on the whole, would reduce, but he would have good profits himself. With that being the case, why wouldn't he agree?

"Lord Leylin, are you there?" Paul's voice suddenly sounded from outside.

"I'm here!" Leylin replied as he opened the door.

"If you have made your decision, we can proceed with the contract alteration ceremony!" Paul smiled as he conveyed the message.

"Certainly!" Leylin nodded his head and followed Paul to the hall.　

Those present numbered five. Along with two spirit Warlocks were Cybel, Palesa, and Philip. In the centre of the tiny hall was a long table dressed with a red tablecloth. On it was the contract, along with a goose-feather pen and ink.

Leylin trembled the moment he stepped foot into the hall. He felt as if he'd entered a boundless domain, one filled with an air of righteousness.

"This is the domain of righteousness! This place was the witness when we signed the contract with the three duke the last time too…." Cybel explained.　

Contracts made among Morning Star Magi could not be broken. With the included effectiveness of this binding, the pact was absolute. No wonder Cybel, that old monster, still had no choice but to follow the rules and make allowances for Leylin, getting him to alter the contract.

Leylin walked towards the table, scrutinising the slight differences between the old contract and the new.

The new one halved the Ouroboros Clan's benefits, causing Leylin to knit his brow. But under the column that noted the beneficiary, the name had been changed. The names of the three Dukes had been replaced with Leylin Farlier.

The three Dukes had placed the condition upon Cybel that, were they to die, the benefits would be transferred to the Ouroboros Clan. Now, it was all being handed over to Leylin.

"How is it? If there is any problem, feel free to tell us. We will address it and make the changes right away!"

The urgency in Cybel's tone was evident; the time for the revelation of the remains was drawing near, after all. If they hadn't even solved internal issues, how were they to vie over other things?

Leylin closed his eyes for a second as he pondered before asking, "The contract states that additional spoils will be distributed on the basis of military strength and contribution. Exactly what are the criteria?"

"Of course, it will be based on the achievements of the Morning Stars!" Cybel answered without hesitation. In his opinion, the troops below the Morning Star realm weren't even worth consideration.

"Very well. I wish to add another clause, regarding emergency evacuations. In the event that one encounters an irresistible strength, namely an opponent at the Radiant Moon realm, we are permitted to use any methods we wish to exit the battlefield. This will not change the distribution of the spoils. Any objections?"

Leylin presented himself like one who specialised in law and litigation. Cybel and the others were stunned and they exchanged glances with one another. 　　

"If that is what you wish, sure!" Cybel nodded his head, and Philip immediately stepped forward, making the alterations with the goose feather pen.　

"I have no other issues!"　

After ironing out some disputes, Leylin finally nodded his head in agreement. He took out a seal from his chest and stamped on the contract. 　　

*Weng!* After the seal was stamped, an image appeared on the light yellow paper. It was that of a black snake biting its own tail swivelling around unceasingly. 　　

This was the official seal of the Ouroboros Clan. It was originally held and controlled by the previous three Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks, and now it was in Leylin's hand. 　

Fortunately, due to some unknown reasons, the three dukes had signed the contract under the Ouroboros Clan's name, otherwise, Leylin would not have been able to make the amendments.

After the last seal had been stamped solemnly by the last Morning Star Warlock on the contract, the power of righteousness in the hall rose to the limit.　　

The new contract gradually floated into the air, glowing a beautiful golden yellow as the old contract silently turned into a pile of ash.　　

"Alright, let us discuss the next arrangements…" 　　

With the contract successfully altered, Cybel and the other Morning Star Warlocks seemed to have been refreshed with confidence and started to develop positive feelings for Leylin. Cybel impatiently urged everyone to begin planning battle strategy; he clearly couldn't wait.

Leylin plastered a smile on his face, but deep inside he rolled his eyes.

'How could I not alter it? I'm alone, unlike the three mentors. If I'd persisted, I would end up with nothing in the end, even attracting the malice of your two organisations…'

Weighing his options, Leylin had ultimately chosen to alter the contract. It was the best option under his current circumstances.

He believed that even if the three Dukes were to return from 'Purgatory' they would not be displeased by his decision.

"Within Jupiter's Lightning, other than the Radiant Moon Magus, there are over ten Morning Stars…" In the middle of a room that resembled a command center, Cybel slowly explained the details of Jupiter's Lightning, and Leylin was finally exposed to their strength.

"The other party's leader will be pinned down by the Radiant Moon Warlock on our side, don't worry. We just need to take care of the remaining ten plus Morning Star Magi.

"Many of Jupiter's Lightning's important territories and missions required Morning Star Magi to oversee them. As such, I suppose not more than nine Morning Star Magi will be at Crystal Mountain!"　　

Cybel seemed to be very familiar with information about Jupiter's Lightning. He either had a specialised channel of information, or managed to ambush a spy.

"Spirit Circle can take care of three!" Paul remarked with surety.　　

"Very well, Palesa and Philip will hold up two of them. That means we are down to four Morning Stars!"　

Plan and Operation

Cybel glanced at Leylin.

"I can take on three. It won't be a problem to take care of the remaining one, right? After all, you managed to kill Demon Hunter Cyril. I look forward to witnessing you opening the battle with your great skills, hopefully ending quickly and assisting others!"

"No problem!" Leylin stroked his nose.

Cybel seemed to be at the peak of the Morning Star realm and could even take on three Morning Star Magi at the same time. No wonder the other Warlocks respected him so.

After the deployment had been settled, Cybel heaved a heavy sigh, his tone tinged with regret.

"Actually, Leylin, if your mentors were present, we would be at a great advantage. Pity… But it's all too late now! Besides, you and you alone can take care of this matter, we can only furnish you with logistical assistance!"

"It would be good enough to have all of this!" Leylin quickly declared.

It was fundamentally impossible for one organisation to interfere and provide military support to another. It was an extremely easy way to seize power.

In the event that Cybel had deliberately tricked Gilbert and the rest, causing them to perish in their search for 'Purgatory', it would be too late for the Ouroboros Clan to even shed tears.

Although the possibility of this happening was slim, prevention was better than a cure.

As such, Cybel and the rest had to remain low-key to avoid attracting suspicion.

"Alright! We'll set off immediately, and head towards the Crystal Mountains. This time, we need to get our hands on the historical remains of Scarlet Crescent!" Cybel waved his hand in the air, emanating a heroic spirit.

The other Morning Stars' eyes gleamed with a thirst for success.

...

At a Magus military base.

The entire place was covered with detection towers and barriers, sinister-looking steel puppets and bio-beasts alongside fangs and cannons.

From time to time, spiritual force undulations of Crystal Phase Magi could be felt as they swept through the area on patrol. In fact, there was even the terrifying aura of an occasional Morning Star Magus, causing the most ferocious of mutated beasts to be petrified and whimper in fear.

"We do not know the concrete location of the historical remains, though we do know that there are a total of thirteen likely sites. Five of them are in our hands and the rest are with the opposite side. This place is one of their military bases. The ones keeping watch here are the hunter Borick and the Marine Giant Siebel…"

The silhouettes of Leylin and Philip appeared at the heavily guarded military base.

"The convergence of the sun, stars and moon and the appearance of the Oake's arc is very soon!"

Leylin's eyes sparkled. With the help of the A.I. Chip, his calculations of the star's trajectory was much more advanced and accurate than the many astrologers on the continent.

The lower right corner of the A.I. Chip's interface stated the time clearly: 1 hour 24 minutes!

Ridiculously, Cybel and the others believed that the historical remains would appear in these two days and they were seizing the military bases everywhere.

It requires a huge amount of calculating and researching to determine where the remains would appear. Even Jupiter's Lightning along with Cybel and his men could only conclude that these thirteen locations were likely.

As for Leylin, he was certain that this base was more than 80% likely to be the location!

This was due to the amazing processing power of the A.I. Chip. With him joining the union, Cybel had revealed all information associated with the place. Thus, unknown to him, Leylin was able to determine both a time and a place for the reappearance.

Leylin guarded the secret of the A.I. Chip fiercely and would obviously not reveal anything. He only fought for the opportunity to be bestowed this mission and then watched Cybel assign the subsequent missions.

"It's almost time to start!" Philip looked at the pocketwatch in his hand.

Leylin turned to look at the Wind Wolf Warlock. According to his calculations, this location looked to be the entrance to the historical remains, and Philip along with himself would, unfortunately, be the first Magi to enter and explore.

'With him here, Cybel and the others will be attracted to come over. I will have no need to worry about being a lone soldier…'

Leylin was very generous. Besides the point that it was mentioned in the contract that one should not attack their own ally, he would not be able to pocket such huge portion of historical remains alone.

The starting time Philip spoke about was the time they'd agreed on to launch their combined offensive. Before the Radiant Moon Magus from the Jupiter's Lightning was pinned down, no one was willing to make the first move.

At this moment, a wave of frenzied energy passed through the area. It was close enough to hear the rumbles from where it passed.

Leylin could faintly see the image of a three-headed golden-yellow lion appearing, dragging a Magus whose body was covered in lightning images into a struggle.

"This is the power of the Radiant Moon?" Leylin looked at the golden lion and his face revealed a faint sense of loss.

This was a rank 5 Warlock, someone who walked the path of the bloodline as well! The guidance he could get from this was incomparable to anything else.

"This is the clone of Lord Wayde, the 'Golden Lion'!" Philip's tone was filled with respect, and Leylin's eyes opened wide in amazement.

"What?" He pointed at the lion's golden heads in disbelief; they were spouting fire, ice, and lightning at the same time. "This is just a clone? How formidable is his true form?"

"We Warlocks are rightfully much stronger than the Magi!" Philip proudly declared, "Lord Wayde is one of the main pillars of support of the Warlock Union. His true form is feared even by Breaking Dawn Magi. One clone is enough to deal with a mere Radiant moon Magus."

During their conversation, Leylin saw that the aura that emitted from the phantom of the three headed lion formed a lightning cage that dragged the Radiant Moon Magus into a spatial rift.

"Damn! Be careful, I'm sure they have more cards up their sleeves!" The moment the rift began to close, an unwilling violent yell was transmitted that echoed throughout Crystal Mountain.

The men at the base Leylin was at had been initially woken by the strong energy undulations. Now the uproar was even more direct, and two streaks of strong Morning Star undulations appeared.

"To draw away the enemy, we will have to expose ourselves, this is an inevitable price to pay!"

Philip heaved a deep sigh, "It's our move now!"

"Indeed!" Leylin nodded his head in agreement. Soon after, he saw the image of an ancient Wind Wolf the size of a mountain manifesting behind the other Warlock.

This enormous green wolf's body was covered with a layer of spike-like fur, all standing on end with a steely lustre. Its eyes were glowing with a bloodthirsty aura, and a huge storm covered it, forming a bizarre form of armour.

"Rank 4 spell— Storm Annihilation!"

Philip's voice was deep and gloomy. He did not have the courage to use the Morning Star Arcane Art in the central continent, however regular rank 4 spells were not off the table.

The phantom wolf howled in sync with Philip.

The distant and gloomy howl was extremely piercing and travelled far. Huge wind elemental particles violently came together forming a strong convection current and finally creating a strong violent storm.

Storm Annihilation! This was exactly what Leylin had employed at the West Seas Canyon to destroy the Azure Mountain King's clone. It had appeared here once more, this time at a much larger scale.

"Stop it!" A flustered and exasperated voice emerged and two streaks of light shot over.

"Haha… It's too late…" Philip laughed heartily, hastening the effect of the Storm Annihilation to mercilessly crush the military base.

The violent winds whistled. In the face of a storm that had the ability to destroy anyone below the Morning Star realm, the heavy guard of the military base was a joke.

Countless puppets and the mutated beasts turned to dust, followed by a huge number of Magi and buildings runes etched into them.

"Stop them, don't let them rescue the others!"

Philip and Leylin firmly obstructed the way of the two Morning Star Magi, stopping them from helping the others.

Soon after, the black storm was over, the original military base razed to the ground. The ground itself had sunk down a few layers.

In front of a Morning Star, everyone else and any spells cast were as good as nothing!

"You… " Two silhouettes emerged, glaring at Leylin and Philip.

One of them was a dwarf with a huge wooden bow on his back, the other a blue-skinned brute who was over three meters tall.

An enormous amount of pressure was released from both their bodies.

"Hunter Bolix and Marine Giant Siebel!" Philip gave a wide smile, revealing the sharp teeth in his mouth, "I want the Hunter, you can have the Marine Giant!"

The dwarf with the wooden bow smiled sarcastically as dark green whirlwind sprang forth from his body. He was a Wind Element Morning Star Magus and had been dissatisfied with Philip for a long time.

"No problem!" Leylin moved a few steps to the side and obstructed the way of the blue giant.

"Let's change the battlefield, shall we?" Philip eyed the opposing dwarf with provocation in his eyes. The huge phantom wolf exposed its sharp teeth.

"Humph!" The dwarf opposite him snorted coldly, grabbing the huge wooden bow from his back.

Space cracked apart in the between them, forming a huge rift. The spatial ripples were as if a curtain that was being drawn, and Philip and Bolix were gone in the next moment.

"We do not need to change location, let's settle it here!" Leylin locked eyes with the giant in front of him and smirked.

As the damage from clashes between Morning Star Magi was great and extensive, they usually made their moves in spatial rifts to prevent harming the Magus world.

With Leylin's words, Marine Giant Siebel's face hardened.

For a Morning Star Magus to dare to fight in the open, they were either crazy or absolutely confident in their power control. Evidently, this Warlock was of the latter category.

Marine Tribe's Original Form

Leylin chose to battle here right away. He was confident in his energy control, and on top of that, he didn't want to move too far away. It would be too tragic if he failed to be the first one to detect the reappearance of the remains.

He was also prepared to try out an interesting idea.

For Marine Giant Siebel, Leylin's attitude was nothing but a provocation. He shot Leylin a piercing gaze, and soon released the massive power of his domain.

The power of one's domain would only be perfected at the Morning Star realm. The effects of amplification and suppression would intensify, and the range of effect would also be extended. Morning Star domains were a far cry from rank 3 forcefields.

Turbulent, vast and immeasurable!

White ocean waves and the crystal clear sea surface formed a horrifying scene.

The depths of the ocean were darkened by the frantic waves, giving one an ominous premonition.

The enormous tides engulfed Siebel, completely hiding his body. Yet, his voice was transmitted clearly, "This is my domain— Ocean!"

In a split second, the ocean engulfed the entire area, burying the alpines and the wreckage left by Philip's spells.

The boundless blue ocean roared at Leylin in rage.

'A real Morning Star domain, and the rules he controls are those of the water element…' A glimmer of blue light flickered across Leylin's eyes as the A.I. Chip recorded all data about the fluctuations and the power of the domain.

Siebel's aura rose quickly in this ocean, causing Leylin to be thrilled.

"So you're of the marine tribe. No wonder your domain is such, changing the battlefield to be underwater." Leylin's voice trembled a little. It managed to traverse the depths of the ocean, but there was no reply.

The marine tribe was a non-human species. However, they cohabited the Magus world with humans. They occupied the ocean while the humans occupied the land. It wasn't like there weren't any wars, but most of the time it was peaceful.

There were legends and records about a Great Magus Serholm who led all human magicians and fought off the enemies from the ocean.

There were also Magi amongst the marine tribe, but they were extremely rare, as their chance of advancement was even lower than humans.

To be able to meet with a Morning Star Magus of the marine tribe thrilled Leylin. He was puzzled as to why Siebel was a part of Jupiter's Lightning, but soon came to a realisation.

Despite the fact that Jupiter's Lightning had the help of a Radiant Moon Magus who was one of the top forces of the central continent, it was difficult for even them to nurture a Morning Star Magus.

Other than resources and experience, luck was an important factor in becoming a Morning Star Magus.

Given their high status in the central continent, it was extremely hard for any faction to have ten or more Morning Stars like Jupiter's Lightning did. It was impossible to rely on training their own, so they would recruit foreign Magi as well.

The auras of the previous bowman and Marine Giant were pretty much impure. Leylin was rather puzzled back then, but now it looks like they could be from a different tribe or are hybrid Magi!

The enormous waves surged into the sky, forming two dark blue crystal-like hands that gushed down towards Leylin.

The sharp increase in the air pressure formed unstable currents and caused the space in the region to be unstable.

[Beep! Data about the Ocean domain has been fully recorded!] Leylin smiled upon hearing the mechanical voice of the A.I. Chip.

"Corrosion!" Gently, an ancient Byron runic chant slipped out of his lips.

*Hiss! Hiss!* A large amount of uneven black pores appeared on the dark blue hand, corroding almost the entire arm within a second as if turning it into a beehive.

*Crack! Crack!* The gigantic arm lost its support and fell apart in the air, soon turning into a huge stream of water that merged back into the sea.

"In the name of the Warlock! My power of bloodline!" Leylin chanted out loud as a crimson barrier appeared on his body.

"Absorption of bloodline!" Blood red lightning flashed across his eyes, piercing through the pitch dark ocean as it revealed everything. Meanwhile, aiming at a specific spot, Leylin stretched out his right hand and made a grasping motion with great force.

An invisible air current appeared, causing a massive whirlpool in the middle of the ocean.

"AAAH!" a voice bellowed in agony from the whirlpool.

"All bloodline creatures will be under my bloodline's control, show up now!" said Leylin, and the blood red glow on his hand converged in his hand as he lifted his right hand into the air.

Water gushed up into the sky and rained down like a huge fountain as a gigantic blue figure slowly appeared from the middle of the whirlpool.

Numerous veins protruded from the blue skin, as if about to burst out at any moment. The wriggling veins looked like earthworms, sending shivers down one's spine.

The giant groaned in agony, forced out of the sea while being battered by crimson lightning.

"Multilimb Strength!" Leylin's eyes glittered, and the humongous phantom of a Multi-Armed Race member appeared behind him. This phantom was much clearer than the previous ones, every single scale and pore on his body distinguishable.

Even after reaching the Morning Star realm, this foreign Arcane Art could be of great use.

Leylin even felt that combining the nourishment of his spirit with the body refinement of Multilimb Strength, he would be able to reach the peak of the Morning Star realm at a much quicker pace, and would end up far more powerful than the rest.

The phantom punched out in tandem with Leylin.

Even a single arm of the humongous phantom was as large as Siebel. It felt like seven huge mountains appeared out of thin air and came crashing down at the same time when all seven arms smashed towards him.

Siebel placed both arms in front of his chest, forming a dense shield of water that was to reduce the shockwaves from the attack. However, it was all in vain. The water shield was destroyed under the force of the phantom's arms.

*Bang!* Siebel was shot backwards by the explosive force of the collision.

At the same time, threads of luminous blue liquid shot out from his pores and gathered to form a thumb-sized ball that landed on Leylin's palm.

"The bloodline of a Marine Giant at the Morning Star realm!"

Leylin nodded with satisfaction and kept the bloodline in a test tube. This was a rare material for bloodline experiments, and could earn him a good sum even for his current realm.

"You are not an ordinary Morning Star Warlock. Who are you?"

As Siebel regained consciousness, he stared at Leylin cautiously. With the amazing defensive and recuperative abilities of a Morning Star Magus, this sort of injury was nothing to him. Yet, Leylin was completely relaxed as before, clearly indicating that this wasn't his full strength.

Siebel gazed at the black haired Morning Star Warlock in front of him, running through all the top ranked Morning Stars in his mind, but did not manage to match the face to anyone. That is, until he recalled some more recent information, something that detailed Leylin's background.

"You are Leylin Farlier! The Morning Star Kemoyin Warlock of the Ouroboros Clan! The one who killed Demon Hunter Cyril!" Siebel was in shock. Demon Hunter Cyril was considered a powerhouse among Morning Star Magi, but he'd been easily slain by Leylin.

This accomplishment was much more challenging than a win-lose in an ordinary face-off and Siebel was well aware of that.

'For now, the best case scenario is that I keep up my defence and sustain myself. I might even have to request reinforcements!' He smiled bitterly at his own thought. Just then, a ring of pearls glowed around his waist, and he heard urgent voices shouting around, "It's the Third East Region, we need immediate reinforcements! We're under attack by Spirit Circle! "

"West Region calling for reinforcements, three layers of defence have been destroyed! Damn it, the Warlocks seem to be fully concentrated in this region! "

"No, you bloody liars! Cybel is in our North Region, we should be the ones getting reinforcements! Ahhhh…"

The transmitted voices had a lot of interference, and there were also loud sounds of explosions in the background that added a violent shudder.g.

Siebel's heart hit rock bottom. Knowing that Cybel was here as well, he felt hopeless.

"So this is your plan?" Siebel looked fixedly at Leylin, but could not get any details off that expressionless face.

"Even if it is so, I signed an agreement with Jupiter's Lightning. Don't think you can get rid of me so easily!" Siebel thought in his heart and roared out a jumbled chant of sacrificial phrases.

The serenity of the ocean was broken again by the violent movement of water as large amounts of it gathered around Siebel. When the rumbling ended, a monstrous creature that was a thousand metres tall appeared in front of Leylin.

The monster had the head of a cow, the body of a human and tentacles for feet. It growled like a raging bull.

"This is your original form?" Leylin fended off the water bullets, looking at the humongous form of the magician and chuckled.

Scarlet Ruins

The marine tribe were not humans. Born of the ocean as they were, their bodies were like a manifestation of the laws of nature.

Those of the marine tribe seen on the continent were similar to humans, and had at most a few scales on their bodies. However, that was only the form they used specifically to communicate with humans. This monster that had appeared in front of Leylin was over a thousand meters tall, and it was the true form of the marine tribe.

After he revealed his true form, the undulations from Siebel's body surged wildly, inspiring much greater terror than before.

Leylin, however, revealed a grin of excitement. 'A.I. Chip, begin calculating the trajectory of the homing light rays!'

Endless blue light glowed in Leylin's eyes, and most of the A.I. Chip's power was allocated to this task.

[Setting up model of opponent. Calculating trajectory.]

Siebel in his true form growled wildly, and soul force at the Morning Star realm mixed with enormous amounts of seawater, compressing it into just a centimetre wide ball. Flickering with a blue light that transcended any normal brightness, it reached Leylin in the blink of an eye.

"Good timing!" Leylin burst out in laughter. Bloodline power and soul force converged in his palm, the formidable energy undulations finally colliding with the blue ball with a rumble.

The air buzzed and trembled, but there were no intense explosions or spatial cracks that appeared, causing the marine tribe Magus to be confused and his movements to slow.

*Shua!* At this moment, the blue ball of energy was enshrouded by crimson light as it streaked through the horizon like a meteor.

The light arched in the direction it headed, similar to a rainbow that suddenly filled the heavens.

"Oa-Oaker Arc!" A shout of disbelief was let loose from the marine tribe Magus' lips.

He raised his head and saw a bizarre scene. A giant sun suddenly emerged despite the fact that it was night, fusing with the moon and the brightest star, Venus.

The dazzling yet harmless light formed a thin line that descended to the earth.

*Rumble!* The air was unstable, and it seemed as if another large space was 'squeezed' into the place, causing the two spatial forcefields to overlap.

"It's a success!" Leylin rejoiced covertly.

Using the A.I. Chip's terrifying calculation abilities, he had mixed the opponent's strength with his own, causing the time of opening of Scarlet Crescent to be brought forward.

This had not been his original intention, but he had suddenly been inspired after seeing the other party's Morning Star Magus. It ended up being an advantage for him.

The early arrival of the ruins would likely cause the specific plans of the the person behind all this to be affected.

The more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it was to Leylin.

"This– this– this is… the ruins of Scarlet Crescent!" The Marine Giant's eyes grew wide as he mumbled in disbelief.

Though he knew it was possible that the ruins could appear at any of the 13 strongholds, it was too much of a coincidence that it had appeared where he was.

Seeing the image gradually becoming more distinct and forming a spatial passage glimmering with dark silver light, Siebel hesitated. However, he still choose to contact the other Magi and even their leader, the Radiant Moon Magus.

However, when his soul force touched the communicative device, Siebel was suddenly startled.

Their leader, the Radiant Moon Magus, was still in a spatial rift! Messages would definitely not be able to pass into the place. Even his other comrades were busy with the Morning Star Warlocks from the other side. The situation wasn't going well, but where could he go to find reinforcements?

Seeing the look of hesitation on his opponent's face, Leylin chuckled and had no intentions of continuing.

Though he was certain he could kill his opponent, he would need to use his Morning Star Arcane Art, and it would consume too much time. This was not the time and place.

Thus, like pulling open a curtain, Leylin's hands pushed at the spatial crack and he walked in without the slightest hesitation.

After Leylin completely vanished into the spatial crack, Siebel gritted his teeth and spoke a few sentences to the communication imprint. He then followed and allowed the spatial waves to swallow him.

The bodies of Morning Star Magi were able to go through even spatial turbulence. Spatial passageways like these that were similar to teleporting to pocket dimensions generally had no specific teleportation spell formation, and could only be entered through force.

"What? The ruins have already appeared? So quickly?"

The Magi of both sides who were battling at the other strongholds seemed to receive the information at the same time. They, who were stunned by this sudden news, stood opposite each other for a moment without acting, then immediately rushed in the same direction.

At this moment, in the outer regions of the rift in the world.

Boundless stars and vortices were part of the background, filling it with a sense of vastness and might.

Here, it was as if a great war on the same level as that of ancient times was being replayed. A majestic lion that had a body of golden fur and three heads that kept spouting flames, ice and lightning suddenly stopped, seeming to be deep in thought.

In front of it was a Magus with a luxurious pitch-black magic robe, a strange moon-shaped rune on his forehead.

"Hehe… Wayde, you made an error in your calculations. Though you might be able to stall me, someone else is benefitting!"

This Magus was obviously the great rank 5 Magus of Jupiter's Lightning. Now, however, his expression held a rare expression of exasperation.

This strange creature was not Wayde's main body, but one of his most powerful clones. It had inherited the innate skills of the ancient clans, and its strength almost reached rank 5. Even he would find it difficult to take this being down, and might even be suppressed here.

"It's a mistake on the astrologer's part! It has nothing to do with the original plan!" A middle-aged man's icy words sounded from the middle head of the three.

"Furthermore, I'm different from you. I'm just a clone…" The three-headed lion raised its claws, looking pleased.

"Could it be that you…" The Radiant Moon Magus' expression suddenly changed as he tried to break through the seal and return.

"Trying to leave? How could it be that easy? Stay!" The three-headed golden lion roared, its three gigantic mouths opening.

A terrifying suction force similar to that of a black hole shot towards the Radiant Moon Magus. Even the rays of light in his surroundings were not spared as they were all sucked in. Howls and cries of indignance sounded every once in a while.

In the main world, a golden meteor streaked through the horizon.

Within the golden rays was a male Magus with long flaming hair that looked like a golden sunshine. His body and face seemed to be formed entirely of gold, and was full of dignity.

Meanwhile, however, he seemed to be deep in thought.

Outside, in the direction of the ruins of Scarlet Crescent, two groups of Morning Star Magi, and even Philip as well as Hunter Bolix, returned to their factions. After persisting with the confrontation for a while longer, they still charged into the spatial passageway at the same time.

The air suddenly became tranquil, and only the deep depressions in the ground and large puddles of water proved that there had been a battle of Morning Stars here.

Due to the extremely intense spell radiation, the region would be barren and void of life for a long period of time. There could even be formed a range of phenomena that would attract creatures of different planes, becoming another fearful area that would become famous in the central continent.

*Whoosh…* The air rippled as a breeze blew past, revealing the sudden appearance of another human figure.

"What's going on? I calculated the timing based on the records of the ancestors. How could it have been brought forward?" A simple-clothed old man with a full head of white hair muttered, eyes without focus.

"The opening of the Scarlet Crescent ruins was initially an opportunity for our organisation to rise, but unexpectedly such complex issues are involved in there…"

The old man began to mutter to himself, "First was the discovery of our secret, causing several Warlock organisations and Jupiter's Lightning to covet it. It even resulted in a war, and the diary that stated the time of appearance of the ruins was wrong. What exactly is going on?"

Because of Leylin, this old man whose origins were unknown was beginning to have doubts in his outlook of the world.

However, his education from a young age and the philosophy he had developed over the years allowed the old man to quickly regain his calm.

"No matter what it is, my ancestor was a member of Scarlet Crescent. My organisation is also one of the branches that has inherited part of the teachings of the ancient Scarlet Crescent organisation. This ruin should be ours!"

The old man's expression instantly turned vicious, and a halo of resplendent starlight burst forth.

The spatial passageway opposite began to tremble as if it had sensed something. It, too, shot out a large amount of light, fusing with the splendour on the old man's body and absorbing the whole bundle of starlight, leaving nothing behind.

...

"What a strange setup!" Leylin currently had his hands behind his back as he strolled along a spatial corridor filled with starlight, his own body shrouded in crimson.

There were multiple spatial rifts that caused turbulence within, but they could not cause even a ripple on his body.

"To completely isolate this region, I can only wait until a specific time. Only then can I enter the passageway through the spatial flow…" Leylin's eyes were full of praise. "Such an intricate set-up, as well as space-division spells. This is truly frightening."

The Morning Star realm that he had reached was only the bare minimum of ancient times. There was still a long way ahead, and he would naturally not feel conceited or complacent.

On the contrary, the more he knew, the more Leylin felt that the information he had acquired was much too little. He became increasingly humble.

The power who had set up such a spatial spell formation was an existence he needed to look up to and learn from…

Radiation

"Now, the ruins seem to be nearby, but in fact…" Seeing the indistinct space in front of him, Leylin shook his head. He'd just found the entrance. It wouldn't be easy for him to achieve his goals and enter the place without using the right way.

The others that had come afterwards were in the same situation.

After all, it wasn't likely that they'd find the successors of Scarlet Crescent, so Leylin and the other Magi didn't bother to deduce the proper way to go in.

With them being Morning Stars, as long as they found the entrance it would only be a matter of time before they broke in.

However, the rules of space were powerful and mysterious. Leylin could only manage to survive in here for now, and he needed to deduce a plan to break through this spatial defence. The other Morning Stars who came after him were also stuck in the same dilemma.

Thus, time was one of Leylin's advantages against the rest of the Magi.

This was why he'd used Siebel and made the ruins appear in advance. Although they had an agreement about the distribution of the spoils, that was only on the whole. As for who got what, it was largely dependant on who found it first.

Wandering in the spatial passage was like taking a walk in outer space, nebulae of different shapes everywhere. There was even a silver spatial storm every now and then and spatial turbulence whizzed by on occasion.

Threads of a dubious black material were even coagulating around the passage, forming mysterious black buds and gave off a dangerous vibe.

After walking for who knows how long, Leylin suddenly missed his footing and felt like he was falling down from up high. Even more strangely, he felt like he was rising up afterwards.

After the strong sense of weightlessness passed, Leylin found himself standing in a little garden. The black buds he saw before covered the flowerbed, some even making it onto the hedges. A wooden board covered in tentacles was posted in a corner, the words on it faded.

"Flowers full of malice and danger…" Leylin muttered to himself. The A.I Chip searched the database but found no such ancient plant.

Suddenly, the black flower buds trembled and bloomed, showing a crimson pistil.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!* Like a chain reaction, masses of black buds bloomed, and the garden was instantly full of black petals flying in the air, red pistils emanating a threat like the tongues of snakes.

The faint sense of an ancient curse made Leylin frown.

"This! Is it a final defence against intruders? Or… is it a warning?" Leylin smiled, and his pupils turned into vertical slits that glowed red.

The next moment, a strong and violent radiation was emitted from his body!

This was the radiation of a Morning Star Warlock's body, containing the power of the bloodline of the ancient Giant Kemoyin Serpent. Leylin kept it repressed in his everyday life, but now he let it all out, and it caused a horrible change.

A layer of rainbow-like five-coloured light shone with green and orange fluorescence, filling the whole garden.

The air turned hazy, and the scene distorted. After the radiation passed through, the entire space seemed to become still, and the faint smell of rust permeated the air.

The original colours of the garden were also diminished with the radiation, leaving only black and white. It started to look like an old photograph.

A cracking sound rang out as a slight fracture appeared in a corner. It spread across the whole grayscale garden, leaving spatial cracks everywhere.

And then, like the falling of a glass bottle, a low and jarring sound rang out as the whole garden was shattered apart, exposing the dark void filled with spatial storms.

The storms roared, devouring all those fractures.

The silver storms continued to mince the garden for a few minutes before the ruins were visible once again.

The black buds in the middle had disappeared, leaving a few broken petals on the ground. It gave the environment a sense of gloom.

Leylin's pupils returned to their original colour with a flash of strange light.

This burst of strength had taken a toll on him, but he had no choice but to employ it to maintain his time advantage.

The full strength of a Morning Star Magus was enough to affect the normal functioning of many formations! On top of that, Leylin was not any Magus, but a Warlock with the bloodline of an ancient organism! Combining his own power with that of his Kemoyin bloodline, the power of his radiation was much greater, to the extent of even attracting extradimensional creatures.

Leylin stared at a point in the void, silent. Over there, a conscient, or rather, a group of conscients, was coming through slowly! Although it was invisible, Leylin could sense the being through his soul force.

"Creatures from a higher dimension? Or a plot of Scarlet Crescent?" Leylin's eyes showed surprise.

"Outsider! What have you come here for?" A conscient entered Leylin's mind through the connection of soul force. The voice was that of an old woman, but it was interspersed with much more, the roars of multiple other creatures.

"To find the truth!" Leylin said with a low voice, providing an ambiguous answer.

"The truth? Even those of Scarlet Crescent were still pursuing it. You've come to the wrong place…" The voice sighed.

"I didn't come to the wrong place. The ways of the ancient Warlocks will be a valuable reference and their experiences will save me time…" Leylin's soul force countered the unknown creature sharply.

He could sense that this creature did not have a normal body. It was just a ball of light emitting a strange power, perhaps a creature hiding its true body in a higher plane.

Even so, after confronting Leylin's soul force for a while, the will seemed to yield, "Follow the Path of Quandary, it will lead you to your answer…"

As the voice faded, the sound of movements could be heard as a brand new aisle appeared in a corner of the garden. The floor was made of grey stone, and black specks spread out along the floor like numerous insects. They had the figures of twisting faces.

Scanning with his soul force, the outline of the Path of Quandary appeared in Leylin's mind. After ensuring that there was no danger, Leylin bowed to the void and stepped directly onto the path.

The sound of footsteps could be heard as the black garden disappeared from sight the moment his feet hit the stone floor. All that remained was a long sigh.

...

"Soul Whip!!!"

Massive invisible waves of energy swept through the air as dozens of giant swamp monsters trembled. It was as if they were tortured by some invisible whips, and they hit the floor after a while, their unconscious eyes filled with fear.

"My lord! This seems to be the Maze Lock, we are in a defensive trap of Scarlet Crescent!" Paul reported to Cybel. Although both of them were Morning Star Magi, their powers were far apart, and thus they had widely varying statuses.

"This is the Naraku Type 2 maze, a kind of maze liked by those ancient Warlocks. There should be nine levels, each level having its own keys and riddles. We must break through them one by one, or we'll never get to the end…"

Cybel nodded. He'd obviously studied up on these things. Beside him, other than Paul, the Warlocks from Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair had all disappeared. And a few unfamiliar Morning Star Magi were just watching everything detachedly.

"Well, it's our turn this time. According to our agreement, you are up next time!" Cybel took several green gems from the swamp monster as he spoke to those Morning Stars.

"Of course!" their leader replied, his eyes cold. This Magus with a golden headband had no sense of fear even when confronting Cybel.

Seeing this, Paul smiled bitterly in his mind.

The sudden appearance of the ruins of Scarlet Crescent rendered most of their plans useless. The entrance of the ruins contained some mysterious spells cast by ancient Warlocks, and those who entered through abnormal ways would encounter barriers. The dispersion made Paul feel depressed. Were it not for Cybel, he would have been killed here.

After all, they were mortal enemies before, and that was still true.

Paul sighed, even the tentacles on his head seemed dispirited.

He would be safe following Cybel, but there wouldn't be any gains. Leave alone those Morning Star Magi, even Cybel would leave him with nothing.

Compared to his resignation, the Magi on the other side were hysterical.