"You… you actually dare to imprison me! I, Jocelynn Leena, swear it! I will absolutely never let you off!"
This wizard called Jocelynn Leena wore black robes, had curly hair, and had applied extremely heavy makeup to her face with black chalk. Two large, sunken dark circles ringed her eyes, making it look as though she hadn't slept for days.
She was also adorned with many peculiar silver rings, some of which were fastened directly onto her skin, and her ears had several piercings.
All in all, she looked like one of those rebellious teenage delinquents.
"Jocelynn, is it?"
Leilin stood by the door and snapped his fingers.
The iron door closed by itself as though it were alive, and simultaneously, chains crawled across it and locked the iron cell automatically, branding a black serpentine symbol onto it.
"I don't care who you are. But as a Dark Wizard, you recklessly attacked one of our Four Seasons Garden resource points. I am hereby arresting you for theft and attempted robbery. After that, someone will come to take you away. Once you arrive at White Wizard headquarters, you'd better start thinking about how to escape the stake…"
Leilin spoke expressionlessly, then turned to an apprentice beside him and ordered, "I've temporarily sealed their spellcasting ability. Keep an eye on them until the Defense Unit arrives to take over!"
"Yes, sir!" The apprentice bowed deeply.
Leilin's strength, over the past few days, had been staggering even from the mere fraction he'd shown. Every Dark Wizard who had come to challenge him — whether apprentice or full Wizard — had barely lasted a few rounds before falling to him outright.
The prisoners captured each day were nearly enough to fill the fortress dungeon. Leilin had been forced to notify the Defense Unit to come and collect prisoners every few days.
"This level of strength is beyond what any ordinary Wizard could ever hope to reach!!! This Lord Leilin must be some incredibly important figure!!!" the apprentice screamed inwardly while bowing his head low.
Leilin paid no attention to the apprentice's thoughts, and even less interest did he take in the hysterical cursing from the captured female Wizard behind him. He shook his head and left the underground dungeon.
"You just wait! My uncle will absolutely never let you off…"
Inside the dungeon, Jocelynn was muttering hatefully. "My uncle reached Semi-elementalization twenty years ago! He entered this secret realm with me too. Once he learns what happened here, he'll definitely come to rescue me! And when that happens, I'll—"
"All right! Jocelynn! Can you be quiet for a moment?"
At that moment, a voice tinged with helplessness and a bitter smile came from the cell opposite.
A curly-haired middle-aged man stepped out from the shadows and gave Jocelynn a greeting, his face wearing an expression of extreme embarrassment.
"Uncle… Uncle Ruge, what are you doing here…"
Jocelynn covered her lips, her face going almost completely blank with shock.
"Actually! I was brought here three days ago!" said the curly-haired man named Ruge with a bitter smile.
"The guardian Wizard of this castle — that one called Leilin — has likely already reached the peak of First-level. I could feel an aura of terror from him that I've only ever sensed in those top-tier Wizards…"
Jocelynn was dumbfounded. Her only hope had been captured and brought here before her. And just now, her curses and defiance suddenly seemed as laughable as a clown performing a farce.
…
"Here are the mandala petals collected today. They've been preserved with magic — the freshness will hold for more than fifteen days…"
Leilin gestured toward a neatly arranged pile of materials beside him, then pointed at several Wizards nearby wearing black robes with their hands and feet bound by iron chains. "Also, these are Dark Wizards captured recently. Send them off together!"
"Yes, sir!"
The one receiving the handover was also a full Wizard, accompanied by several teammates of the same rank. Yet in Leilin's presence, they couldn't help but bow low, even addressing him with honorifics.
In the Wizard World, whether White Wizard or Dark Wizard, the principle that the strong were paramount was the most universally accepted rule.
This squad leader was only at Semi-elementalization himself, and Leilin had already handed over several Dark Wizards of that level to him.
In combat, capturing a full Wizard alive was clearly far more difficult than simply defeating or killing one.
Having fully grasped Leilin's strength, the squad leader could no longer put on any pretense in front of him. Every time he came, it felt as though he were reporting to a superior officer.
"Mm! Three full Wizards, one of whom is female, and additionally thirteen Wizard Apprentices…"
The female Wizard was naturally Jocelynn. But now her face was ashen, her spirit listless, as though she had suffered some devastating blow. She no longer dared to provoke Leilin any further.
The squad leader quickly recorded everything, then signed his name on the form.
After that, he couldn't help but perform a Wizard's salute to Leilin.
"Lord Leilin! Your merit already far exceeds mine. Once we return to headquarters, your rewards and contribution points will all be distributed at once!"
Inside the secret realm, this was essentially wartime. The prisoners Leilin captured could be converted into straightforward merit.
And merit could be exchanged not only for many specialties unique to the恒河 secret realm from the major White Wizard factions, but also for unique products from other academies.
For example, advanced academic knowledge, improved spell models, rare potions, and more.
"Mm!" Leilin nodded.
By his estimation, the merit he had earned — converted into Magic Stones — would amount to several million at the very least. And before long, he would be able to leave this place entirely.