On the banners carried by this company of pure-white knights, a dazzling family crest was emblazoned.
The crest's border was formed by lush sunvines, and above a great sword and shield sat a crown-shaped emblem, representing the family's deep heritage and illustrious lineage.
"That's the Sunvine Augustus family!"
"The famous Marquis family!"
"That's their Silver Knight Order — has someone important from the Sunvine family set out on a journey?"
The surrounding residents and travelers entering the city buzzed with discussion, while Weilin's expression was complicated.
"I'm leaving now!" Janni said, gazing steadily at Weilin.
"Huh? Uh! I know!" Weilin replied dazedly. Only now did he begin to feel just how vast the distance between him and Janni truly was.
"Let's go, my lord!" Weilin took a deep breath and made his decision.
"We'll be staying in Augustus City for a while. I won't tell you our exact location, but I'm sure you'll be able to find us, won't you?"
Leilin winked at Janni, then disappeared into the stream of people entering the city, taking Weilin with him.
Janni let out a deep sigh, her hand unconsciously tightening around the bundle containing the dragon blood flower buds.
"My lady! As soon as we received your message, we immediately reported it to the clan patriarch. Now, under the patriarch's orders, we have come to welcome you home!"
The commander of the Silver Knight Order approached Janni and produced a red ruby medallion.
"Good! Let's enter the city quickly. This time, I've finally fulfilled my mission — I've gathered the dragon blood flower buds for Father!"
Janni murmured.
Then, as she was respectfully escorted by the commander into a luxurious carriage, the young noble lady could no longer hold back, and a single tear slipped down her cheek…
The capital of the Dark Polar East Domain occupied an enormous area, with a permanent population of at least a hundred thousand. Of course, the vast majority of these were ordinary people, but even so, the city enjoyed great prosperity.
Because it was underground, some of the goods sold here and the architecture displayed a style completely different from the South Coast. In Leilin's view, it seemed as though defensive capabilities had been taken to the extreme — not only was the entire capital a massive fortress, but even each individual household was built to wartime defensive standards.
"So the living conditions for underground humans aren't all that great — perhaps even worse than for ordinary people on the South Coast…" Leilin observed, a contemplative gleam flickering in his eyes.
For ordinary people on the South Coast, most surface dangers had long been controlled or driven off by Wizards, and there were no races that could truly compete with humanity. Living conditions were naturally superior.
But here it was different! In the Dark Polar Domain, besides humans, several other intelligent races existed — they had even established their own kingdoms!
And the enormous Dark Beast Tide, forever lurking in the darkness, was the common enemy of all intelligent beings!
Under such brutal competition for survival, it had become the norm for houses and buildings to forgo aesthetics entirely, prioritizing defense above all else!
"My lord! What are we doing here?"
Weilin carried a bundle on his shoulder, a great sword strapped to his back, looking every bit the valiant warrior — yet his face was filled with bewilderment.
He had left Bert Town for the sole purpose of escorting Janni back. Now that Janni had been safely delivered, he suddenly felt hollow inside, as though something important was missing.
"First, let's find a place to rest. Then we'll rent a house!"
Leilin smiled at the bustling crowd. "After all, inns in the capital aren't cheap. If we want to stay here long-term, we'll need to buy or rent a place…"
"Stay long-term? Does that mean… we'll be staying here permanently? We're not going back?"
Weilin couldn't quite articulate what he was feeling. But staying long-term? That would mean he and Janni could live in the same city from now on! When he thought about it, that didn't sound bad at all!
"Hmm? Is there anything left in Bert Town worth holding onto?"
Leilin looked at Weilin with a half-smile until the young man shyly hung his head.
The poor fellow actually believed Leilin had decided to stay here for his sake, and was immediately filled with gratitude.
Unfortunately, this was entirely Leilin's own decision.
After recovering a portion of his strength, Leilin was eager to make contact with the underground
Moreover, the circle of official Wizards was an entirely different world from that of ordinary apprentices. As for the apprentice marketplaces in Ailin's memories, Leilin had absolutely zero desire to visit them.
But in the capital of the East Domain, there would certainly be many Wizards and academies for Leilin to gradually make contact with.
What's more, that old ancestor of the Sunvine Augustus family — Siegfried — could be an excellent starting point!
Before long, Leilin had taken Weilin to the southern wealthy district of the capital and rented a two-story villa.
The villa occupied a considerable area. Its walls were thick and tall, while the windows were small and few in number.
Inside the tall iron fence bristling with thorn-like iron spikes, there was also a small garden and training ground.
A villa of this caliber was considered quite excellent throughout the entire East Domain capital — ordinary merchants and minor nobles simply couldn't afford the costs here.
But for Leilin, this was pocket change.
Never mind the large quantity of Magic Stones he carried — the gold fearls he had received from Janni alone were enough for them to live comfortably here for several years!
Back in Bert Town, Janni had swept nearly all the expensive weapons from Leilin's shop to equip her mercenaries and adventurers. And finally, to thank Leilin for saving her and Weilin for his help, she had presented him with a generous sum of gold coins and jewels.
For a Wizard, such mundane currency was entirely optional, so Leilin spent money freely. It was precisely this incentive of gold fearls that had made the search for a villa and the handling of paperwork go so quickly.
"Ha! Hmph!" A steady, powerful shout rang out.
Leilin set down his coffee and newspaper, looking through the window at the training ground in the courtyard.
On the training ground, Weilin was bare-chested, his lean, solid muscles on display as he practiced his swordwork.
Since settling in, this young man had become even more diligent than before — every single day he trained himself as though possessed. Recently, he had even confided to Leilin his desire to join a mercenary group and hone his skills out in the world.
"Still dreaming the knight-and-princess dream, are you? Interesting…"
Leilin watched the young man with great amusement. "If I were to meddle a bit, it might actually come true for him. But what would be the point? The beauty of a story lies in its unknowns!"
For Leilin, Weilin was nothing more than an errand boy and handyman taken on a whim, to whom he had happened to teach some knight training techniques. The young man certainly wasn't worth investing so much thought into.
On the contrary, Leilin was quite enjoying the spectacle now, curious to see how the story between Weilin and Janni would unfold.
Through the revelation he had accidentally received from the Sacred Light Candle, he knew that neither Weilin nor Janni were ordinary people. To be more precise, they were perhaps some of the most important protagonists of this entire Dark Polar Domain.
And such a life was destined to be anything but ordinary!
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Leilin's face. "Here already?!"
Right on cue, the doorbell rang from the front gate!
"Who is it?" Weilin grabbed a white towel from the wooden rack nearby, wiping the sweat from his bare torso, and ran over to open the small panel on the door.
And then he saw the girl he had been seeing only in his dreams.
"Janni… Janni, what are you doing here?" A look of delighted surprise spread across Weilin's face.
"What? Not happy to see me?" Janni said with a smile.
"Happy? Of course I'm happy!" Weilin immediately threw open the gate. Janni walked in dressed in noble attire, so beautiful and dignified that Weilin could barely breathe.
Janni had clearly been carefully groomed for this visit. Her elaborate gown shimmered with light, adorned with all manner of tassels and decorations. Large ruby pendants hung from her ears, and a necklace of brilliant small diamonds sparkled around her neck.
"What's the matter? Don't you recognize me?" Janni giggled, spinning in place.
"No! I mean… you're too beautiful today!" Weilin's face instantly turned as red as an apple.
His flustered reaction drew stifled giggles from the several maids behind Janni, and only then did Weilin notice the maids and a few knights accompanying her.
This discovery cast a slight shadow over his heart, but he quickly concealed it.
"Janni! Has your father's illness improved?" Weilin asked.
"Thank you for asking! It's much better, but the situation is somewhat complicated. I came today specifically about that matter — and of course, to see you too!" Janni glanced around the room.
"Where is Master Leilin? I'd like to speak with him!"
"He's right inside! I… I'll go announce you!" Weilin suddenly felt an urge to cry.
"No need to announce me — I heard everything."
Snap! The window opened to reveal Leilin's upper body. "Please come in, beautiful lady!"
Facing this official Wizard, Janni did not dare to be careless. She curtsied lightly, lifting the hem of her skirt, then instructed her servants to wait outside before entering the house alone.
In the sitting room, Janni and Leilin sat facing each other, small porcelain cups of coffee placed before them. Weilin stood behind Leilin.
The entire living room held only these three people.
With a wave of his hand, Leilin sent a ring of dark energy particles sweeping outward, instantly enveloping the entire hall…