Deep within the Wisteria Tribe's village, inside a cave tucked into the corner of the great black mountain.
White quartz emitted a faint glow, and patches of moss spread across the surfaces, carrying traces of living energy.
At the far end, in a deep pit of white bones, Jillian's chrysalis form had fused perfectly with the cross-shaped pedestal, revealing graceful lines and a beautiful face—like the most exquisite work of art.
"This silent, evolving form is quite similar to a certain
Leilin's eyes glowed with the Chip's light as he reached out and touched the statue, sensing the small soul at its core that radiated attachment.
It was small only by Leilin's standards—in truth, it possessed the spiritual power of a fifth or sixth-rank Wizard.
"You sensed my arrival?"
A hint of a smile crossed Leilin's face. "Since you've actually proven useful for my research, I'll give you a little gift!"
A point of dark crimson light emerged from Leilin's fingertip, trailing two elegant streams like butterflies dancing through the air, tracing a peculiar arc before landing on the shoulder of the chrysalis sculpture.
*Pop!* The crimson light flickered, and the moment the speck of light touched the statue's surface, it melted in, merging with the entire sculpture.
The whole chrysalis trembled, and its eyes seemed to gain a new spark of vitality.
Sensing the soul's recovery accelerate, Leilin turned and walked away without a second thought. "Keep at it... little Jillian..."
Rule-level beings enjoyed vast and lengthy lifespans, and it was foreseeable that if Jillian could not soon advance to the same seventh-rank existence, this meeting would likely be their last.
"So this is what it feels like to be an immortal? Solitude... and transcendence?"
A trace of melancholy passed through Leilin's eyes as he thought of many people—Biji and Guofate from his apprentice days, and many more enemies.
Most of these wizards had long succumbed to the erosion of time, falling into the cycle of death.
"But... even so, I will continue to pursue the path of the extraordinary. To become truly eternal!!!"
Leilin flicked his robe and strode out of the cave without hesitation.
"Chip! How did the previous investigation go?"
[Ding! Dream-world native cell analysis complete: 100%. World origin force frequency analysis accelerating...]
The Chip's mechanical voice resonated in his mind.
"Not even a specific timeframe? It seems a native sample below the rule level simply can't contribute much to the research..."
Leilin sighed.
Studying the decay patterns of dream power, mastering dream power completely, and making it the cornerstone for fusing with rules at the eighth rank—this was Leilin's primary purpose in coming to the Dream World. The Chip's research and analysis were all centered around this goal.
Unfortunately, an experimental subject and template equivalent to a sixth-rank Wizard could not advance his current research. Only the organic structures and life forms of true seventh-rank rule-level beings could offer Leilin any inspiration.
"That makes sense. The rule-level forms after the seventh rank are truly integrated with the world itself, intimately connected—completely different from everything before. To study the shifts in world origin force, one can only start from these rule-level beings..."
"But traveling and observing more will always yield something..."
Leilin sent out a pulse of spiritual energy, summoning the one-eyed dragon Bodak, who had wandered off to who-knows-where.
"Get Gabidoli. We're ready to leave!"
"Leave? To Marcy City-State?" Bodak scratched his head. "I don't think a place like that would have anything you're looking for... All the treasures in this territory, all those sparkly little lovelies—none can escape my nose..."
Bodak had already guessed that Leilin was pursuing something, but with his limited understanding, only gems and crystal ores radiating dazzling light could be called "treasures." As for civilizations or epics—those were merely entertainment. The one-eyed dragon race, with the magnificent background of the Utroch World and their vast inherited memories, held such things in utter contempt.
"I'm warning you again! You've already angered one Catastrophe Lord—don't even think about provoking a second one. Otherwise, I'll be the first to deal with you!"
Leilin suddenly turned back, a trace of fathomless darkness flickering in his eyes.
That pure terror made the one-eyed dragon cower slightly. "Fine, fine. Don't worry, I won't be that stupid... Besides, Dream Demons like to collect dreams—I have absolutely no interest in that sort of thing..."
"I suspect the latter is the real reason you haven't targeted their treasury!"
Leilin rolled his eyes, then waved to the young hunter Gabidoli. "We're over here..."
"My lords!"
Gabidoli had changed into different clothes—at least there weren't as many patches. His face had been cleaned up, revealing a few freckles, cheeks flushed with excitement, and clever, bright eyes.
He now knew that Leilin and Bodak were absolutely extraordinary figures. Even a simple guide job like this had earned him a great deal of envy and jealousy back in the village—including from Hussein.
If he could win the favor of these two lords, whatever they casually let slip through their fingers would be enough to sustain him for a lifetime.
"My lords, I will fulfill my duty as your guide!"
Gabidoli straightened his chest, gripped his black spear tightly, and made his solemn promise.
"Just a guide!" Bodak scoffed dismissively from the side.
"This time might be a bit different from before—we'll be flying. You just need to point us in the right direction..."
Leilin reminded him.
"Fly? Flying?" Gabidoli's head spun, and then his jaw dropped as he watched Leilin's figure rise into the air.
Even though the tribespeople here generally possessed the physique and spiritual power of standard Wizards, that didn't mean they could fly—unless they had evolved a pair of wings. The rules of the Dream World were quite harsh, but for the likes of Leilin, it was a different matter entirely.
"Stop gawking, kid..."
Bodak grabbed him by the collar, and Gabidoli felt a powerful rush of air slam into his face as the ground vanished beneath his feet.
*Thud!* His grip loosened, and his black spear plummeted, lodging diagonally into the soil below.
"Watch yourself, kid—if you fall, don't blame me!" Bodak sneered, suddenly discovering an excellent way to torment Gabidoli.
How about a 360-degree spin in midair? Or a few somersaults? Supersonic speed? That would probably make the kid vomit last night's dinner out of his nostrils.
Bodak grinned wickedly...
Unfortunately, reality proved that a young man's adaptability was remarkably swift—especially for someone like Gabidoli, whose tribe survived in the brutal wilderness.
By the time the three arrived at Marcy City-State, the youth Gabidoli's face had completely lost its initial pallor, replaced by an excited flush.
"That was amazing! If I could fly, even Demon Wolves wouldn't be able to escape my hunts and arrows!"
He looked at Bodak expectantly. "My lord, can you teach me how to fly?"
"Oh! Damn it! Damn it~! Can I strangle him?" Bodak glanced at Leilin.
"Of course not—unless you want this trip to end right now..."
Leilin looked at Gabidoli, who had been frightened by Bodak's killing intent, and wore a kind smile. "Don't be scared. Uncle Bodak is just joking with you!"
"That joke isn't funny at all!" Gabidoli grumbled, but quickened his pace and moved to Leilin's side.
"Tch! Ignorant people always make even more foolish choices..."
Bodak turned his head away in disdain.
His gaze drifted to Marcy City's massive triumphal arch, constructed from marble and white jade, and the tall surrounding walls topped with elite warriors. The thief's instinct in him began to stir once more.
"Tsk tsk... I didn't expect a bunch of Dream World remnants to have this kind of wealth. What a shame—for a city like this, I only need three alchemical hours to ransack it..."
"Behave yourself and don't attract any hostility!"
Leilin held his forehead, beginning to seriously question whether bringing Bodak along had been the right choice.
"Marcy City-State is governed by its citizens. Every hundred days and nights, the citizen class gathers at the central open-air debate forum to elect a new round of consuls and tribunes..."
"Citizens? Them?"
Leilin glanced along the street. Near the gardens and marble fountains, he could occasionally spot a few of the citizens Gabidoli had described.
They were dressed cleanly and neatly, draped in white sashes fastened with silver rings, their expressions lazy and leisurely.
Especially when they saw outsiders like Gabidoli, the contempt that emanated from the depths of their eyes—the disdain that came from the very depths of their souls, seemingly embedded in the very genes of their bloodline, determined from the moment of birth.
"Yes, they are the citizens of Marcy City-State, with ample food and servants to attend to them..."
Gabidoli lowered his head. Where the food and servants these non-working citizens enjoyed came from was easy to guess—they were obtained through the exploitation of countless tribes like Gabidoli's.
To put it bluntly, the miserable condition of the other Dream World natives was only half due to environmental factors—the other half could be laid at the feet of these Marcy City-State citizens.