The entire South Coast wizard community had been thrown into unprecedented chaos.
Though Leilin Farell had been staying at the
Each day, he could obtain the latest news from the South Coast through Damian, the butler left behind in Nevernight City, as well as other channels.
The entire South Coast had been utterly set ablaze by the appearance of the Ganges Secret Realm!
All wizards — whether organized, rogue, or even fugitives — were rushing toward the Ganges Great Plains with reckless abandon.
The Ganges Secret Realm was the largest secret realm ever discovered on the South Coast.
With an area exceeding ten million mu, it rivaled the combined size of all previously discovered resource-type secret realms, and possibly even surpassed them!
Countless wizards sought to claim a share of this feast.
Even a small windfall from such a secret realm would be enough to cover a normal wizard's expenses for decades! Moreover, a wizard organization capable of establishing a secret realm of this caliber would have been a renowned power even in the ancient era.
Obtaining a legacy of this level could very well help a wizard break directly through their bottleneck and glimpse the realm of a Third or even Fourth-level Dawn Star
This staggering temptation drove not only the rogue wizards of the South Coast into a frenzy, but even long-retired elderly wizards were drawn out, making their way toward the Ganges Great Plains.
The massive influx of wizards quickly led to conflicts with the major wizard organizations controlling the entrance to the secret realm.
Chaos, slaughter, alliances, betrayals — scenes like these played out ceaselessly across the Ganges Great Plains.
Many small wizard organizations and lone wolves even formed alliances to stand against the major factions of both Black and White Wizards.
In the midst of this turmoil, Leilin urgently needed to bolster his strength for self-preservation.
These hastily produced Brand Swordsmen, while somewhat reminiscent of disposable knockoff products, were sufficient for Leilin's needs.
In critical moments, only oneself was truly reliable. Other organizations and powers — heh.
Besides, the Four Seasons Garden didn't appear to be faring too well at the moment either.
The massive influx of wizards into the Ganges Plains had caused widespread public order disruptions and local chaos. The Four Seasons Garden not only had to contend with the battles inside the secret realm but also had to dispatch wizards to maintain order at the entrance, leaving them increasingly short-handed.
The most obvious sign was that the number of wizards at the Four Seasons Garden headquarters had already begun to noticeably decrease, and several leaders with Second-rank Wizard strength were frequently nowhere to be found.
Clearly, the defensive power of the Four Seasons Garden had started to thin.
Leilin's mind had even briefly entertained the idea of notifying the Thousand Leaves Hand to come and pull off a heist here.
But this thought was dismissed by Leilin in the blink of an eye.
Setting aside the binding contract with the Eye of Judgment, the Second-rank Wizard guarding the secret realm hadn't been withdrawn either. To forcibly attack such a secret realm would require at least the intervention of the Second-rank Black Wizard behind the Thousand Leaves Hand.
Leilin was currently just an ordinary member of the Thousand Leaves Hand — at most, he had a fearsome reputation. He had no standing to contact such an existence.
The old witch had promised last time to transfer the Elder position to Leilin afterward, but unfortunately, with her trapped inside the secret realm, that promise had naturally become void.
Though Leilin felt it was a pity, he didn't particularly regret it.
Back then, being able to escape with his own life had been fortune enough. Considering anything else was completely impractical.
He only wondered how the old witch and her spirit daughter Jay were faring inside the secret realm?
And then there was that Gegewu! As an evolved form of the resentment wraith abomination, this terrifying creature possessed not only the formidable strength of a Second-rank Wizard but also many eerie and unpredictable methods.
Leilin's destruction of the secret realm entrance last time couldn't have held it back for long.
If it broke free, it would surely make the already chaotic South Coast even more turbulent!
However, if that Gegewu ever discovered Leilin's trail, it certainly wouldn't let him go — after all, Leilin had essentially played it for a fool last time.
Because of this, Leilin's desire for strength burned even more fiercely.
"Brand Swordsmen! As long as I complete this experiment, I'll instantly gain two subordinates with strength equivalent to a full wizard — and they'll be fearless and expendable!"
A faint blue light flickered in Leilin's eyes.
"Chip! Scan the data!"
"Ding! Task established. Commencing data collection on the target. Detailed scan initiated!" The Chip faithfully executed Leilin's command.
"Ding! Target data: Strength: 29. Agility: 24. Constitution: 35. Spirit: 19. Branded Rune: Flame Extension (male-only). Effect: Capable of storing a large quantity of fire-attribute energy particles on the body's surface and releasing them during combat, adding flame damage to each attack. Can also be released in a single burst with power equivalent to a First-level Wizard Spell, Lava Fireball — estimated power: 30 degrees!"
"The brand's energy nodes are operating normally, with minor localized wear. Estimated time until complete breakdown: 1,540 hours!"
Under the Chip's atomic-level microscope, everything branded onto Number Three's body was laid bare before Leilin's eyes.
"So these hastily produced Brand Swordsmen only have roughly two months of lifespan?" Leilin stroked his chin. "And there seem to be some deficiencies in agility and spirit as well…"
"But as disposable cannon fodder and consumables, they're more than qualified enough!"
Leilin mused silently.
He then planned to use the Four Seasons Garden to convert all his accumulated Contribution Points into male human Great Knight slaves.
On these two hastily produced Brand Swordsmen, Leilin had also implanted numerous measures to ensure his absolute control over them.
However, due to limitations in spiritual power and other factors, the number of Brand Swordsmen he could control simultaneously was estimated by the Chip to be no more than five!
Unless one or more of those five Brand Swordsmen died, creating vacancies, Leilin could only then deploy his methods again to bring other Brand Swordsmen under his control.
This situation wasn't ideal, but it was the best Leilin could manage.
As a First-level Warlock directly controlling five Brand Swordsmen — each boasting strength respectable even among First-level Wizards — if word of this leaked, it would undoubtedly shock the entire South Coast!
"Compress!"
After completing the data collection and experiments, Leilin pressed a strange symbol in his hand and slapped it directly onto Number Three.
Immediately, the massive fire-element energy particles hovering around Number Three dimmed rapidly. The energy fluctuations emanating from Number Three's body began to weaken as well, ceasing only when they reached the level of a Great Knight.
This was a technique Leilin had obtained from the spiritual power compression data the old witch had provided.
By using external force to suppress the energy fluctuations within a target's body, a deceptive concealment effect could be created.
Brand Swordsmen were Leilin's hidden trump card, and he naturally didn't want them discovered by others so soon. Temporary concealment and disguise were therefore necessary.
Leilin then repeated everything he had done with Number Three's Great Knight body on Number Two.
After instructing these two Great Knights to remain in the laboratory and perform guard duty, Leilin leisurely departed and made his way to the Four Seasons Garden Library.
The original library had occasionally seen a few full wizards or apprentices come to read and exchange ideas. While foot traffic was considerable, everything had been orderly and exceedingly quiet.
The current library, though still very quiet, now felt decidedly desolate.
The desks and seats that had once been occupied were now completely empty. Leaves and petals from the Garden drifted onto the surfaces from time to time, lending the entire scene an air of eerie stillness.
"Sir!" An elderly librarian still faithfully manning his post behind the library desk straightened up the moment he saw Leilin — particularly the insignia on his person — perked up, and bowed respectfully.
"Rise. Quite empty in here," Leilin remarked, leaning casually against the counter.
"The apprentices have all left on missions. Right now, the Four Seasons Garden is at its emptiest in all my years of service!" the elderly librarian said with a bitter smile.
"Missions? Now? Could it be — the Ganges Secret Realm?" Leilin found it hard to believe.
In wizard combat, apprentices were nothing more than cannon fodder. Apart from forming large-scale wizard formations where they might serve some use, at all other times, apprentices were simply targets that wizards could hunt at will.
This move by the Four Seasons Garden struck him as rather unwise.
"Of course they wouldn't be going deep into the secret realm!" the elderly librarian quickly explained for Leilin.
"While many of those heading to the Ganges Secret Realm are full wizards, plenty of reckless rogue apprentices have also come to try their luck! The great wizards naturally can't be bothered with the likes of them, so that's where our apprentices step in…"
"Besides, the Ganges Secret Realm is simply enormous. As long as you're somewhat lucky and don't encounter an opposing full wizard, a Third-rank Apprentice still has a very real chance of withdrawing safely after gathering a large haul of resources… So there have been quite a few fearless Third-rank Apprentices who accepted our organization's collection missions and ventured deep into the secret realm…"
It was clear that this elderly librarian was well-informed. Some of the details he shared were things even Leilin himself hadn't been fully aware of.
"Thank you," Leilin said with a nod of thanks. "Get me an access pass. I need to enter the library's secret chamber."
He then handed his identification credentials over the counter.
The old man processed the request with practiced speed, and before long returned the credentials to Leilin. Along with them came a translucent crystal card.
"The reading rate inside the secret chamber is ten Contribution Points per hour. I'd advise you to keep an eye on the time and leave before your points run out…"
The old man explained a few more points of note to Leilin.