Crash!
Crystal-clear spring water, as transparent as glass, flowed ceaselessly from a white pitcher.
Below the white vase stood a beautiful semi-nude marble statue modeled after a graceful long-haired lady. Her eyes held an expression of languid reverie as one hand tugged at the hem of her skirt while the other held the white pitcher upside-down.
The spring water pooled below, forming a small basin where colorful pebbles and little fish reflected shifting patterns of light.
Beside the basin lay a small flower bed bursting with all manner of unnamed blossoms. The various fragrances blended together without clashing, producing a peculiar scent that was wonderfully refreshing and invigorating.
Leilin strolled casually through the garden before returning inside the villa.
This was the villa he had just rented for a year, located at No. 56 Leviathan Avenue on the third tier of Polar Night City.
Between the various tiers of Polar Night City, extremely strict rules were enforced.
The third tier and above were reserved exclusively for official Wizards to reside, gather, and trade. Apart from them, only certain designated servants were permitted entry.
The villa occupied a generous plot of land, and its defensive magical arrays were quite formidable — at least in Leilin's estimation, ordinary Third-rank Apprentices stood no chance of breaking in. Even an official Wizard would need to expend considerable effort to destroy the place.
Still, Leilin intended to thoroughly modify several sections and add a few more layers of defensive formations.
He had never quite trusted the arrays provided by Polar Night City.
Several other Wizards lived in the vicinity of Leilin's villa. Just moments ago, a red-haired old man had greeted him, seeming like a decent enough fellow.
Click!
The sound of a copper key sliding into the lock echoed, followed by the creak of a wooden door swinging open.
Leilin strolled leisurely through the villa with his hands clasped behind his back.
The entire villa had three floors — two above ground and one basement level. The laboratory was well-equipped with up-to-date furniture and furnishings, making Leilin feel he was getting his money's worth.
The bedroom was on the second floor, complete with an open-air balcony.
Leilin stood on the balcony, gazing out at the scenery in the distance.
The sun sank westward as the dark curtain of night gradually descended.
Hum! Hum! Hum!
Along the roadside, one orange lamp after another blazed to life in succession, their glow stretching ever further into the distance.
The scattered points of light converged and merged, ultimately forming one enormous luminous body.
Bright yet not blinding radiance filled the entirety of Polar Night City.
"No wonder Trithorn City is also called Polar Night City!" Leilin exclaimed.
Even though he had seen this kind of arrangement countless times in his previous life, the Wizard World was different. Powering all these lamps required staggering amounts of energy. Presumably, only the ceaseless geothermal energy provided by the volcano could barely meet the demands of the entire city.
Click!
An incandescent bulb flickered to life inside Leilin's room.
"This is all free energy supplied by the public center. They certainly don't lack funds!"
Leilin shook his head and issued a command: "Chip, scan the entire villa and attempt to modify the defensive magical arrays!"
Following Leilin's order, a faint blue light flickered repeatedly in his eyes, glimmering softly.
"Recording complete. Overall villa layout has been documented. No scrying-type magical traces detected!"
The Chip's feedback came promptly.
"In accordance with the subject's request, modifications to the villa's magical arrays are underway. Estimated post-modification optimization: a 13% increase in formation effectiveness…"
The Chip then projected several locations requiring modification into Leilin's field of vision.
"Magical formations are extremely precise mechanisms. Once modified, any previously hidden elements will be completely exposed…"
Wearing a confident smile, Leilin began pulling various materials from his waist pouch to modify the villa's magical formations.
By the time he finished rushing through the work, it was already past midnight.
Leilin set up an additional layer of warning sigils outside the bedroom before half-collapsing onto the soft bed.
The constant奔波 of recent days — particularly the need to arrange contingencies against pursuit by the Lilisite Family — had left Leilin's mind in a state of considerable exhaustion.
Now that he had finally reached his destination, even the Lilisite Family would not dare act openly within Polar Night City. Leilin felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and his spirits lightened considerably.
"Come to think of it, ever since leaving the Academy, all I have left on me is this little bit…"