"Heh heh... for my humble work to earn the admiration of
At that moment, the door at the base of the White Tower swung open, revealing an old man dressed in linen, looking at Raylin with a warm smile — he had clearly heard the praise Raylin had deliberately made audible.
"I am Siegfried Augustus! A pleasure to meet you, Wizard Raylin!"
The old man's expression turned solemn. He bent at the waist and performed the formal greeting between Wizards.
This form of salutation clearly dated back to ancient times — Raylin had only ever seen it described in old texts — but that didn't stop him from following suit. "Raylin! A pleasure to meet you, Wizard Siegfried!"
Only after both had exchanged salutations did Raylin finally get a proper look at Wizard Siegfried.
The old man's linen garment was extremely loose and casual, looking as though it could be pulled off with a single tug — far more relaxed and comfortable than the lavishly dressed nobles outside.
At first glance, Siegfried gave Raylin no impression of being a hidden trump card of a great family; if not for his right hand, he might well have been indistinguishable from any ordinary rural farmer.
Yes! The right hand! Siegfried's right hand was unmistakably a mechanical arm that gleamed with a metallic sheen — gears and welding seams were clearly visible on its surface.
"Click! Click!"
Siegfried flexed his right hand. "I'll just call you Raylin! I lost my right hand permanently during a magic experiment. A transplant surgery is still possible, but I find a mechanical arm far more useful!"
Boom! Next, Siegfried's right palm suddenly split apart, transforming into multiple mechanical probing arms. Silver tweezers, scissors, and other tools were mounted on them, swaying through the air like shimmering silver tassels.
"What do you think? This was custom-built for me by my old friend, the Goblin Grandmaster
"Very impressive!" Raylin nodded. Instruments of such precision were exceedingly rare even on the South Coast, and he offered his praise without reservation.
Unsurprisingly, praise from a fellow Wizard of the same rank left Siegfried thoroughly pleased.
Next, he invited Raylin into his laboratory for a proper tour.
"Siegfried, have you set up an energy particle pool here as well?"
Owing to Raylin's refined manner of speech and scholarly air, the two quickly became friends, addressing each other by their given names.
This was a sign that their relationship had grown one level closer.
Raylin was casually touring Siegfried's laboratory when he stopped before what looked like a small pond, his eyebrows rising as he examined it.
The pool was ringed by solid black metal engraved with intricate patterns, and at its center churned a pool of earthy-yellow substance.
Massive energy fluctuations pulsed continuously outward from the pool.
"Yes! I built an Earth Element energy particle pool here! It cost me virtually every resource I'd accumulated over nearly a hundred years!"
A pained expression flickered across Siegfried's face before being replaced by unmistakable pride.
"After constructing the elemental particle pool, the concentration of earth-element particles here rose by fifty-five percent! Combined with my Meditation Method training, the effect is remarkable!"
The uses of an elemental particle pool went far beyond that. At critical moments, a Wizard could directly draw upon the energy stored within the pool to replenish himself or even strike at enemies!
For this reason, any Wizard who possessed an elemental particle pool saw a general boost in power when fighting on their own home turf.
With his half-elementalized Wizard strength, Siegfried could almost match a fully elementalized Wizard operating at sixty to seventy percent capacity within the White Tower.
"Oh! Right! I haven't even introduced myself! I'm an honorary professor of the Earthflame Society. What I cultivate is their internal Advanced Meditation Method — Power of the Earth! It's divided into three stages: Earth, Lava, and All Things! I'm still stuck at the Earth stage. Progressing with an Advanced Meditation Method is just brutally difficult…"
As he finished, Siegfried gazed at Raylin with naked curiosity, clearly eager to learn more about this visiting Wizard.
*It seems exchanging experience with Advanced Meditation Methods is a tradition among the formal Wizards of the Dark Extreme Region…* Raylin's mind raced, and he gave an embarrassed smile. "I come from a very small faction called Godara. We specialize in studying the habits of ancient serpentine creatures — extremely niche! The Meditation Method I practice is also an incomplete Advanced Meditation Method called Holy Light Candleflame, and I'm currently stuck at the first tier as well…"
He then briefly outlined the first tier of Holy Light Candleflame along with its difficulties, though he naturally kept quiet about its peculiar ability to glimpse the future.
"Whew… Raylin! Your Meditation Method is really incomplete!" Siegfried stroked his beard, eyes bright with intensity. "How about this — why not join the Earthflame Society? Our Advanced Meditation Method is far more complete than your Holy Light Candleflame, and we could exchange notes…"
"I'm sorry!" Raylin shook his head slowly. "Switching Meditation Methods is far too dangerous. I've already advanced to first-tier Wizard through Holy Light Candleflame. In the short term, I can't possibly purge its influence on my Spiritual Power. Besides, I want to carry on the Godara faction and fulfill my teacher's dying wish."
Raylin's tone left no room for argument.
He knew this was merely a casual invitation from Siegfried, not something to be taken seriously. Moreover, with no real understanding of the Earthflame Society, he had no intention of joining the organization rashly.
"Mm! That's true. Apprentices can still switch Meditation Methods, but once you advance to a formal Wizard and your Sea of Consciousness solidifies, changing becomes an enormous headache!"
Siegfried nodded with solemn understanding. It seemed his earlier offer had truly been nothing more than an offhand remark.
As for Raylin's origins? He harbored not the slightest suspicion.
After conducting a soul search on Elin and spending two years living in Bert Town, Raylin had thoroughly familiarized himself with the daily habits, customs, and manner of speaking of the underground humans, leaving not the slightest trace of suspicion.
Moreover, Wizard Apprentices were exceedingly numerous underground, and ultra-small academies with only one or two Wizard legacies were beyond counting — perhaps one day, a Wizard who couldn't find a suitable apprentice to inherit a Meditation Method would simply see that academy fade into obscurity.
And a Wizard who happened to be lucky enough to obtain a high-grade Meditation Method could in turn be regarded as the founder of a new academy lineage.
Therefore, even though Siegfried had never heard the name Gudalla, he simply assumed Raylin was some minor academy's disciple — perhaps even a lone successor, a miserable Wizard who was the entire academy's worth all by himself. A hint of sympathy crept involuntarily into his eyes.
"High-grade Meditation Methods not only start easy but grow increasingly difficult the further you advance, and they also place very high demands on the cultivating Wizard's constitution and soul. Finding an apprentice who is a perfect match for a high-grade Meditation Method is simply far too difficult..."
Raylin nodded in deep agreement.
A high-grade Meditation Method might allow one to advance by leaps and bounds during the apprentice and first-rank Wizard stages, but the further one progressed, the more arduous advancement became. Moreover, finding a Meditation Method that was a perfect match for one's own circumstances was something that required a great deal of luck and good fortune.
Even for Raylin, he had not originally been suited to the Eye of Komoyin — it was only after a post-natal bloodline transplant that he had gained the qualifications to cultivate a high-grade Meditation Method!
Of course, however difficult advancing with a high-grade Meditation Method might be, it was still far better than the Wizards on the South Coast who relied entirely on resources to brute-force their way up.
Siegfried's Wizard Tower was divided into five levels. The lowest level was a guarded corridor patrolled by alchemy puppets, and the second level housed storage rooms and utility chambers.
The third level contained his Wizard's garden, as well as the breeding rooms and cultivation chambers. The fourth level held the laboratory and the elemental particle pool. The final fifth level was where his bedroom, reception hall, and similar quarters were located.
Now, after Raylin had given the Wizard Tower a brief tour, Siegfried invited him up to the fifth level.
"Well then! Care to tell me what brings you here, Raylin?"
After sharing a leisurely afternoon tea and exquisite pastries, Siegfried and Raylin each settled into their sofas. The old man's eyes glinted with a shrewd light as he asked with a smile.
"Actually..." Raylin chose his words carefully.
"I've been wandering around the Wailing Waste region and haven't been particularly well-informed about the Wizard community in the capital. When I heard from Jenny that someone like you existed in her family, I was moved to pay a visit!"
"Of course, her and her father's fervent invitations certainly played a part as well!"
"Ha! You're refreshingly honest!" A pleased smile spread across Siegfried's face. "As for the affairs of those beneath me, I've never liked to meddle. In my eyes, they're a pack of wild wolves, and only the wolf alpha selected through brutal competition is worthy of leading the entire Augustus family!"
Forcing one's own descendants into ruthless competition in order to select those truly capable of wielding the family's reins!
Such blood-soaked words instantly revealed the cold and ruthless worldview of a Wizard who had lived for such an extraordinarily long time.
In truth, Lin could somewhat understand Siegfried's way of thinking. In his eyes, his true kin had long since perished, and these bloodline descendants were nothing more than strangers with a distant connection!
And precisely because of that, he could so coldly regard them as beasts — even commodities!
"However, since that little fellow Lucas recently presented me with something of some use, I let a bit of my stance slip, and he received a great deal of support!"
Siegfried calmly recounted the internal strife within his family. "Of course, if you, Lin, choose to back Jenny's side, I can immediately make Lucas give up any such ambitions!"
To Siegfried, Lucas was merely a junior with a somewhat closer connection, whereas Lin was a true peer who stood on the same level — someone he had interacted with for a long time!
Therefore, to strengthen their bond, sacrificing a small portion of Lucas's interests required no deliberation whatsoever!