Chapter 19: Balance

The top third floor of Deep Blue is the exclusive domain of Liana Morninglight, where uninvited guests are strictly prohibited. However, if someone dares to trespass, they will face magical puppets wandering between floors, each possessing the strength equivalent to a level-15 warrior. These puppets attack any intruder not recorded in the magical core. Only by defeating these puppets, challenging a dozen magisters, and finally overcoming Liana Morninglight can one plunder the lair of the legendary mage. At least, that's the theory.

The legendary mage is quite fond of spaciousness, so she occupies a vast area alone. At this moment, in a corner of her exclusive domain, intermittent screams echo. In the dim and lengthy corridor, the screams reverberate endlessly, making the unaware shiver in fear. Yet, those who know the truth react entirely differently.

Minny emerges from the end of the corridor, walking briskly. She is still a young girl, and her hurried pace, tightly pursed lips, slightly furrowed brows, and slightly tense body, as if ready to dodge something at any moment, reveal her dislike for the gloom and eerie atmosphere of the corridor. However, this area is themed around darkness, gloom, and dampness, personally decided by the always correct Princess Liana Morninglight, so no one dares to object. At this moment, a faint scream sounds again in the corridor. Minny recognizes the voice and reveals a sneer, spitting vehemently.

At the end of the gloomy area lies a prison complex covering over a thousand square meters, with more than ten prison cells of various sizes and functions. In the center of one cell, Landov is stretched out and hoisted high on a torture rack, stripped naked. A shirtless jailer, with muscles coated in grease and reflecting a sickening shine, is wielding a five-meter-long whip, striking Landov's body blow by blow. The jailer is a black man, his leather shorts frayed at the edges and stained with large patches of dark brown, unknown whether it's human or creature blood.

If one could ignore the violence and gore and observe carefully, they would find the jailer's skill extraordinary. The long whip lashes out complex trajectories in the air, cracking loudly, and then falls on Landov's tender buttocks with a terrifying whistle, leaving vivid red bruises on the small area. The bruises swell high but do not break, ensuring neither severe injury nor multiplied pain. Standing four meters away, the jailer wields the five-meter whip, and the whip marks left on Landov's tender buttocks are evenly distributed, almost filling every inch of available space, with only occasional overlapping marks without breaking the skin. From a distance, it resembles an abstract painting, filled with countless chaotic color blocks and lines, yet exhibiting an inexplicable beauty. Such skill is already masterful. If this jailer were placed outside, he would also be considered a formidable figure.

Landov's buttocks have swollen considerably, and his face is a mess of tears, snot, and saliva, distorting his handsome features. As an outstanding descendant of an ancient noble family, Landov is not lacking in bravery and endurance. However, the punishments in the gloomy area are prepared for formidable races such as infernal demons, abyssal devils, various dragonkin subspecies, hybrid orcs, polar gray dwarves, etc. Humans, especially mages not known for their physical strength, are like a bowl of plain water to these punishment masters, offering no taste at all. For instance, the jailer whipping Landov has already broken his will with the simplest whipping. It's worth noting that the prison cell where Landov is hoisted is quite large, containing a total of sixteen sets of torture devices, and the jailer is skilled in using nine of them.

After the whipping ends, Landov's convulsions do not stop, and he cannot even fall into unconsciousness. Waves of intense pain strike without peaks or valleys, without any pause or interruption, continuously the dam of his sanity, as if he will plunge into the abyss of despair in the next moment.

All the injuries are concentrated on the buttocks that Minny once reminded him to take special care of, so the immense humiliation nearly drives Landov insane. Fortunately, he is also a person of strong will and does not completely break down until the end. However, after the whipping ends, he is too weak to feel ashamed anymore. During the punishment, even more embarrassing things have happened to him. He only hopes that this matter does not spread. If it reaches Liana Morninglight's ears, his apprentice position will surely be in jeopardy. Thinking about life after being expelled from Deep Blue, Landov suddenly feels a deep chill. He dares not even imagine how to deal with the future days. Falling from a lofty position to the mud is a disparity not everyone can bear. Now, Landov finally realizes that what makes him different is not his appearance or talent, but the title of being Liana Morninglight's disciple and his family background.

For a moment, fear and regret consume Landov's mind, making him even forget to curse Minny's buttocks.

In one of Leiana Chenxi's favorite leisure halls, a black-skinned slave standing over two meters tall was bent over, carrying a massive golden circular basin on his back, filled with a wide array of fresh and rare fruits. Some were plump and emanated an enticing gloss, while others were oddly shaped and strangely colored. There was a vast variety, many of which were not in season or even from different dimensions. At the top of the pile, within a crystal cup, were several precious items usually guarded by super-tier magical beasts. This large basin of fruit, probably weighing several dozen kilograms, was Leiana Chenxi's snack for the day.

The black-skinned slave walked with heavy steps along the path paved with gravel, then passed through a grove of brilliantly colored trees and across a vast, lush lawn before reaching several tables and chairs placed beside a small lake. Compared to the eye-catching fruits and container, the furniture was simple, even the decorations were in solid colors, unpretentious yet immediately giving a sense of comfort and relaxation.

Leiana Chenxi was lazily reclining on a soft couch, throwing fruits into her mouth one by one. Beside her was another golden fruit basin, now nearly empty. The black slave placed down the fruit basin, took away the old one, and returned along the same path. Though called a leisure hall, this area exceeded one thousand square meters, equipped with a complete ecological and heating system, making it feel like being in the most comfortable wilderness.

Five or six Grand Magi were gathered around Leiana Chenxi's couch, reporting on important events that had occurred recently. According to their order of importance, the recent events mainly concerned financial balance, Randolf, and Aiden Grey.

One of the Grand Magi succinctly and quickly described the entire Deep Blue's income and expenditure situation for the winter. Before he finished, a large cherry that was being thrown towards Leiana Chenxi's mouth suddenly stopped in mid-air. Then, Leiana Chenxi's bright, unparalleled eyes fixed on the Grand Magi, releasing an instant, dragon-like oppressive aura that made all the Grand Magi present feel somewhat unstable on their feet.

"What did you say? We had a loss last season?!"

This Grand Magi responsible for finance was quite unique in his race, being the sworn enemy of humans: a Polar Grey Dwarf. There were very few Grey Dwarves with magical talent, and even fewer who could attain the level of Grand Magi. However, the Grey Dwarves' innate abilities for accumulating wealth and being meticulous made them perfectly suited for managing accounts. He immediately lowered his head slightly, avoiding the direct gaze of the legendary mage, and cautiously replied, "Yes! But the loss is not significant, less than 600,000 imperial gold coins..."

Leiana Chenxi immediately interrupted him, "That's still a loss! I remember I robbed a few dragons in the middle of last year and invested some of the proceeds into Deep Blue's operations. Why is there still a loss? Have you identified the reason?"

"The reason has been identified, but..." The Grey Dwarf Magi hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something but holding it back.

"Speak!" Leiana Chenxi's voice rose again.

The Grey Dwarf gritted his teeth and said resolutely, "The reason is that you have been in a good mood recently..."

The cherry continued its flight, disappearing into the depths of Leiana Chenxi's small mouth. The legendary mage furrowed her pretty little eyebrows, thinking seriously for a moment before slowly saying, "But for the next period, my mood might be even better. Let's put this aside and talk about the next matter!"

Another human magi immediately stepped forward and said, "Randolf has been punished as you instructed. What should we do with him now?"

"What's your suggestion?" Leiana Chenxi lazily played with a water fruit in her hand, seemingly not very interested.

The human magi said, "His talent is quite good, with an overall rating of exceptional. Moreover, he is the son of Duke Soram of the Holy Tree Dynasty, and Master Crus also once affirmed his talent as a constructor. Therefore, my suggestion is to retain his apprenticeship."

The legendary mage snorted and said, "Does that Crus even have the courage to call himself a master? And he even added the prefix 'Holy' to his name! Putting that aside, when has this old man ever been accurate in judging people! We already have a future great constructor; we don't need to cultivate someone who is mediocre and just waste resources! We lost quite a lot of money last season! So, follow the original decision and send Randolf back."

"But he is the son of Duke Soram..." the human mage cautiously reminded. Even in the Holy Tree Dynasty where powerful individuals abound, Duke Soram was a pivotal figure. The Duke himself bore three illustrious titles: Dragon Slayer, Giant Terminator, and Inferno Hunter, just a step away from legend, with the potential to ascend to legendary status at any moment. If the two sides truly turned hostile, it was not certain that Duke Soram would necessarily lose to Liana Morninglight.

Liana Morninglight impatiently waved her hand to cut him off, saying, "Randolf is Soram's son, but Soram doesn't have just one son! And apart from Randolf's mother, the remaining eleven of Soram's wives will stand with us! Alright, I remember that among Soram's sons, there are two with decent talent who won't embarrass me too much. Let's give them priority for this self-funded apprenticeship spot. As long as Soram pays half of the originally planned sponsorship fee, he can secure this spot."

"With this sponsorship fee, Deep Blue won't be in the red, right?" Liana Morninglight turned to the grey dwarf, her face already full of anticipation.

The grey dwarf quickly did the calculations, frowned, and said, "It can only cover the spring season. Because your mood is bound to get better and better in the coming days."

Liana Morninglight turned serious this time, her small hand grasping the fruit bowl but forgetting to throw any into her own mouth. She pondered, and finally said somewhat painfully, "My mood... this... can't be controlled. What should we do now? Those dragons are already very poor. I just visited them one by one last year, so there won't be much to gain from visiting them again now. And they're moving farther away, so it's quite a hassle to find them..."

"Should we... add another self-funded apprenticeship spot?" the grey dwarf suggested tentatively.

Before Liana Morninglight could respond, another elderly mage immediately objected, "This won't work! How can we casually sell the apprenticeship under Liana Morninglight, which is so noble and important? One could be considered a makeshift arrangement, but adding another? Too many nominally direct apprentices who don't match the reality would severely damage both your reputation and Deep Blue's!"

"Reputation is a matter of the future, while the loss is right here! Moreover, as long as one can become your apprentice, even if just a self-funded one, they will absolutely be sought after by countless talents. Can you bear to see our youngest and most beautiful princess unable to rejoice freely? Furthermore, there's also a future Grand Armor Craftsman among your students! Beside this dazzling sun, other stars will pale in comparison." The grey dwarf was almost jumping and shouting.

Liana Morninglight raised her small hand again, and all the mages fell silent, waiting breathlessly for her decision.

After swaying between the deficit and reputation multiple times, Liana Morninglight finally made a painful decision: "Let's add another self-funded apprenticeship spot!"

To balance the psychological burden, Liana Morninglight immediately shifted her attention to Grey, saying, "Now, let's see what the future Holy Armor Craftsman has done."

The financial pressure instantly elevated Grey's prospects from a Grand Armor Craftsman to a Holy Armor Craftsman.