"Warlock-exclusive weapon: the Fallen Longsword! Length: 1.67 meters. Width: 0.03 meters. Internally inscribed with high-grade Energy Convergence Runes, Fire Brand Runes, Darkness Amplification Runes… Estimated finished grade: High-grade Magical Item!"
The Chip projected a phantom image of the longsword that spun ceaselessly before Leilin, with dense strings of data listed all around it.
"The blueprints are all done. All that's left is to find the materials and actually forge it…" A look of delight crossed Leilin's face.
But once he sank his consciousness into his sea of consciousness, that joy quickly faded.
After two years, the silver crystal in his sea of consciousness was just as solid as before, though it had subtly decreased in size.
The spiritual power he had released had elevated his strength from that of an ordinary First-rank Wizard to roughly the peak of the First-rank.
As for the cracks at the edge of his sea of consciousness, they still hadn't fully healed.
However, the mark left by the Third-rank Wizard Evik had already been completely expelled by Leilin.
But the sheer stubbornness of the spiritual power imprint left by a Third-rank Wizard had somewhat exceeded Leilin's expectations. He had originally estimated it would take around two months to fully purge the imprint, but in reality, it wasn't until a year ago that he managed to completely eliminate every trace of Evik's imprint from his sea of consciousness.
"Perhaps! I should find an opportunity! To make contact with the wizards of the underground world!"
Due to his severe injuries before, Leilin had only been able to perform at the level of an ordinary wizard and had chosen to lay low. Now, having recovered to peak First-rank strength—a level considered top-tier throughout the entire Dark Poles Domain—he naturally wanted to venture out.
Moreover, the agonizingly slow progress of repairing his sea of consciousness was enough to make Leilin frown deeply.
He intended to go outside and seek methods that could accelerate the process. Otherwise, relying solely on the slow grind of time—heaven knew how long he would have to wait.
At the thought of this, a wave of frustration instantly flooded Leilin's chest.
His expression shifted, and he untied a black waterskin from his waist and took a sip. Only then did his face gradually relax into a bitter smile. "And! I must find a way to control the emotional instability that comes with being a warlock!"
For warlocks, the ancient bloodlines brought them not only immense power but also a torrent of negative emotions.
These emotions lurked deep within their blood and even their souls, surfacing from time to time to wreak havoc and plunge warlocks into extreme emotional turmoil.
For wizards who prized rationality and possessed an intense desire for control, this was practically unbearable.
As such, Leilin had been searching for a solution to this problem as well.
"The South Coast's heritage suffered a discontinuity. Very little has been preserved from ancient times—even warlocks are only mentioned in passing fragments. It's unlikely any solution still exists there. But this place is different!"
A gleam of hope lit up Leilin's eyes. "This is the Dark Poles Domain—a part of the first underground layer! And because of the severing of trade routes, it hasn't been influenced by outside forces, so the ancient heritage has been relatively well preserved. If there's any place outside the Central Continent that might hold research materials on warlocks, this is absolutely one of them!"
Leilin stroked his chin again at the thought.
"Botte Town is ultimately too remote, and the resources of the Crow's Cry Wasteland can only attract a handful of apprentices at most—I've barely seen any wizards here. It looks like I'll have to push deeper into the Dark Poles Domain…"
Botte Town was merely a small town in the grand scheme of the entire Dark Poles Domain. In over two years of living there, Leilin had hardly seen a handful of wizards.
Above the town were larger cities, tiered one level above another, and at the very top sat the Eastern Domain Capital!
Leilin was certain that those cities harbored large numbers of wizards!
The rules of the underground world differed somewhat from the South Coast. The existence of wizards was fairly public here—they didn't deliberately hide away in remote corners to isolate themselves from the world.
But those who wielded power naturally held exalted status. Even nobles had to bow when they encountered them.
"Although the entire Dark Poles Domain has only about half the population of the South Coast, the widespread dissemination of advanced Meditation Methods—along with their simplified versions—means the rate of wizard appearance here is still quite high. The wizard social stratum here is similar to the South Coast's. The real question is how many Third-rank Wizards there are, and whether Morning Star Wizards exist…"
Leilin rested his chin in his hand and sank into deep thought.
On the table, the candlestick emitted a dim yellow flame, casting Leilin's shadow long and wavering against the wall…
The next afternoon, Little Lobarton arrived at the shop right on time.
"You're punctual! I like a child who understands the rules!"
Leilin had nonchalantly taken over Weilin's usual spot behind the counter. He yawned and pointed toward the storeroom. "Your job is to move those anvils to the clearing out back!"
"Boss! Isn't that…" Weilin's face contorted as he struggled to hold back his objection, finally unable to contain himself. He pointed at the storeroom and said to Leilin, "Aren't each of those anvils heavier than Lobarton himself?"
Following his finger, through the half-open storeroom door, one could see rows of head-sized iron anvils.
These were the raw materials Leilin used for smelting—their density was extremely high, and their weight was nothing short of terrifying.