The ordinary people living in the White Wizard Domain enjoyed far better treatment than those in the Black Wizard Domain.
In fact, even the honored Wizards allowed them, through unremitting effort, to obtain the right of residence on the second level and below of Sleepless City.
However, in Leilin's view, this was merely a difference in management philosophy.
The Wizards of the Black Wizard Domain treated ordinary people as weeds by the roadside, rarely managing them and only harvesting from them when the need arose.
The White Wizards, on the other hand, regarded ordinary people entirely as their own assets, and thus were willing to invest considerable time and effort into managing them in order to extract greater profits.
Even in the most enlightened parts of the White Wizard Domain, the status of Wizards far surpassed that of ordinary people—and the gap was even wider than the distance between commoners and nobles.
Leilin had witnessed scenes where people who looked like great nobles would respectfully step aside and bow deeply upon seeing even a Wizard Apprentice.
Leilin didn't particularly care about such matters. Today's test had been quite draining, so he planned to enjoy a lavish meal and then visit Krio's home once more to ask some other questions.
After all, the old man was easy enough to talk to, and since Leilin wasn't planning to ask about anything secretive, he would naturally be happy to entertain him.
Thud!
"Ah!"
Just then, a little girl in a white dress, chasing after something that resembled a ball, ran straight into Leilin's leg.
Leilin stood perfectly still, of course, while the little girl stumbled backward and fell.
The girl stared wide-eyed at Leilin in his leather armor and burst into frightened tears.
The crowded street went quiet in an instant. Ordinary people scrambled to the sides, and even a few Wizard Apprentices exclaimed things like "Full Wizard!" before stepping back and bowing respectfully.
"My lord! Please forgive my daughter's unintentional offense!"
At that moment, a slightly portly nobleman rushed to Leilin's feet and knelt, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, his body trembling uncontrollably.
In Sleepless City, Full Wizards held enormous power. Even killing a few ordinary people at random would result in nothing more than a fine of Magic Stones from the City Administration.
If Leilin had been in a bad mood and simply killed them both right there, they would have died for nothing.
The portly nobleman kowtowed repeatedly while pulling his daughter to her knees. "Quickly! Bow and apologize to my lord!"
The atmosphere of impending doom immediately reached the little girl, who stopped crying and stood there in a daze.
"It's fine."
Leilin picked up the ball from the roadside and placed it in the little girl's hand, gently patting her hair with his right hand.
"It's nothing at all. Don't worry about it."
"Thank you, my lord!" "Thank you, my lord!"
A wave of blissful relief—the kind that comes after surviving a catastrophe—filled the fat man's chest, and even the little girl seemed to let out a breath of relief.
"Don't be so reckless in the future!"
Leilin offered the nobleman a few casual words of admonishment and then strode away from the scene under the awe-struck gazes of the passersby.
"Don't be so disobedient next time. This time we were lucky—you met a kind Wizard. Otherwise..."
The nobleman wiped the sweat from his brow while scolding his daughter.
The little girl in the white dress watched Leilin's departing figure, her face filled with envy and longing.
...
Nine days later, in a spacious room.
An elderly Wizard with pure white hair and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses was carefully examining several documents in his hands.
Within a perfectly transparent crystal ball, numerous lines of text were displayed.
"Leilin Farell! Native of the Keli Archipelago, joined Black Bone Forest Academy in the year 20987 of the Sacred Era Calendar!" Behind the text was an image of a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, bearing some resemblance to Leilin as he appeared now.
On another crystal ball nearby, Leilin's entire history at Black Bone Forest Academy was recorded in detail—everything public was included, and there was even a rough speculation as to how Leilin had fallen out with the Lilisite Family.
"Mm! So it was over some sort of inheritance ruin? That does fit the situation."
The old Wizard nodded.
"Shall we have him hand over whatever disciplines or materials he obtained from the ruin?" asked a Wizard beside him with a third eye on his forehead.
"There's no need. Every Full Wizard has their own secrets. We must learn tolerance and patience; otherwise, every Wizard in the entire organization will feel endangered, and it will ultimately lead to a split!"
Along the South Coast, there were also some Wizards who had advanced through their own explorations. If the Four Seasons Garden did this to Leilin today, it would certainly generate ill will among other Wizards, and the losses would outweigh the gains.
"But according to Wade's report, this Wizard called Leilin carries an aura somewhat different from ordinary Wizards—he may have advanced along some ancient path..."
The three-eyed Wizard was somewhat reluctant to let it go.
"The branch paths found in certain inheritances are not as good as you might imagine..."