Of course, even within a dark wizard organization, there were certain rules to follow.
If Leilin kept going like this, he'd eventually make everyone nervous, and they'd team up against him before he could make another move.
So Leilin needed to create a pretext first — something that would make his attacks look justified.
In truth, even if the Viper hadn't come to provoke him that day, he'd already planned to pick off a few of the weakest wizards and blow the whole thing up afterward.
After that, he could openly use revenge as his excuse to kill and seize their treasures!
But that was about as far as he could push it.
Leilin figured that after this job, the other dark wizards would start getting antsy. He couldn't keep it up indefinitely.
"You really are something..." the old witch suddenly sounded wistful. "It's been ages since I've seen someone as calm and unhinged as you, young man..."
"Nah! I'm just a little more energetic!" Leilin flashed a bright smile.
"What about you? When's that shipment of goods coming in?"
At the mention of this, the old witch's expression turned serious. This was the whole reason she'd partnered with Leilin in the first place — and the reason she'd gotten dragged into the mess.
"Today's haul was excellent — especially with two formal wizards' souls in the mix. I should be able to whip up the first batch of finished products pretty quickly!"
"Send me a message when they're done. I've been staying in Nevernight City these past few days!" Leilin nodded.
Then he walked over to the bald Viper and dispelled the face-concealing spell on him, revealing the gaunt features of a middle-aged man.
"It's him!" the old witch blurted out behind him.
"You know him?" Leilin's interest was piqued.
"Not personally — I've just seen him around a few times!" The old witch sounded somewhat reflective. "He's the leader of a small white wizard faction in the city. Pretty good reputation, actually. I heard he's got real expertise in mutationology — who would've thought he was a dark wizard underneath!"
"That's how it is. Dark wizards love wrapping themselves in a respectable identity — same as you and me!"
Leilin's figure slowly melted into the darkness...
In the days that followed, Leilin settled into a comfortable life in Nevernight City.
He had to admit, Nevernight City truly lived up to its reputation as a mega wizard city. The perks available exclusively to wizards gave him quite the experience.
Splashing sounds — steaming hot tea poured from a delicate silver teapot into a cup adorned with purple filigree patterns. The rich aroma of black tea drifted lazily through the grand hall.
Leilin lounged languidly in an armchair, with two beautiful maids in revealing outfits — one behind him and one at his feet — their pale, boneless hands working their way over various parts of his body.
"Not bad, right? My girls really know their stuff, don't they? I could send a few your way..."
A red-haired old wizard beside him spoke while directing a maid to feed him grapes. Around him, a full retinue of eight or nine maids attended to his every need, crowding around him like stars circling the moon.
"I'm telling you, Leilin — your villa is way too bare-bones. You don't even have a single gatekeeper. It's downright embarrassing when you're socializing with other formal wizards..."
Cleo squinted his eyes, a blissful expression plastered across his face.
"Quit trying to push your maids on me all the time!" Leilin laughed helplessly. "But you probably know a few merchants in that line of work, right? Hook me up sometime!"
It wasn't normal to have absolutely no staff in the villa, and besides, Leilin figured he could use a few servants who could run errands in Nevernight City.
"Sure thing! I'll take you to the city's slave market tomorrow. They've got everything you need — and they even stock slaves from other races!" Cleo looked at him as if to say, 'It's about time you came around.' And when he mentioned other races, a lecherous grin crept across his old face.
Leilin was speechless watching this shameless geezer.
He casually picked up a newspaper-like sheet from the table, and a bold headline immediately caught his eye.
"Nine-Ring White Tower Branch Attacked! Devastating Losses!"
"Tragedy! Dark Wizards Assault the Tower Heights — No Survivors!"
"War Declared! Dark Wizards Have Pulled the Curtain Open on the Third Wizard War — What Should You Do? Tune in as our special guest Nicolas Kechitelra gives you the full breakdown..."
The entire paper was filled with the chaos Leilin and his crew had stirred up just days ago.
Every report ran sensational headlines. Some even framed the whole thing as a dark wizard provocation — a prelude to the third great wizard war.
"See that? Every day's news has been nothing but this. The Nine-Ring White Tower really took a beating this time — losses of at least a hundred million Magic Stones..."
Cleo the wizard looked rather pleased about it all. Maybe he had some grudge against the Tower.
"Tsk, tsk! A hundred million Magic Stones! If only every last one of those were mine!"