Ailin stood there alone, and not a single Wizard spared him a glance.
This feeling of being left out had come upon him for the second time. And the first time? Naturally, it was when his soul aptitude had regressed and his engagement was called off.
That had been the darkest moment of his life. Thank heavens he still had it!
Ailin gripped the black ring in his hand tightly.
"Grandpa Merlin? When do you think I'll reach the height of that Lord Leilin?" Ailin asked silently in his mind.
He wasn't trying to curry favor or anything like that.
In Doron City, he was nothing more than a lowly apprentice, while the other was a lofty Second-Rank Wizard — it would be a miracle if he even remembered him!
"Relax, it's only Second-Rank, isn't it?" Merlin continued to carry on Leilin's bad habit, boasting inside Ailin's mind. "As long as you find those two Children of Destiny and stir up the currents of fate, the power of the Sacred Light Candlelight will shoot right up. Second-Rank, Third-Rank — it'll all be a piece of cake!"
"Then in that case! I need to pick up the pace!"
Ailin clenched his fist and gazed into the distance, hope filling him in an instant...
To Leilin, Ailin's affair was nothing more than a minor episode during his journey.
Although Ailin was a chess piece he had casually placed, he hadn't asked the boy to join the caravan or anything. After all, he already had Merlin keeping watch at all times — that was more than sufficient.
Moreover, he didn't want to be too blatant about it and let Ailin or anyone else catch on.
Leilin lowered his head slightly, concealing the fathomless gleam in his eyes.
……
After more than half a month of travel, the caravan entered the Central Region.
The journey had been entirely uneventful — nothing of note occurred along the way.
The caravan was made up entirely of Wizards, with no shortage of official mages and even peak First-Rank practitioners. With Leilin, a Second-Rank Wizard, overseeing the group, it was fortunate enough that they didn't go looking for trouble — no fool would dare provoke them.
Thanks to the use of magic, the caravan not only moved at impressive speed but also had no trouble traversing treacherous terrain.
Gorges, swamps, cliffs, and precipices that would be insurmountable for ordinary people were nothing more than a few levitation spells to the Wizards.
"So this is the Dark Polar Central Domain? It really is far more prosperous than the Eastern Domain!"
Leilin lifted the carriage canopy, glanced at the neat fields lining the road and the occasional farmer here and there, and nodded.
The Dark Polar Central Domain was the heart of the entire Dark Polar Domain. Wandering Dark Beasts were rarely seen here, and the population density was far greater.
But now, Leilin could occasionally spot a few messengers in leather armor riding past at speed. The farmers mostly wore grim expressions, the air thick with the scent of imminent war — the Dark Polar Northern Domain had been breached! The armies of the Dark Elves, along with Dwarves, Goblins, and even Dark Beasts from beyond the borders, could now march straight from the Northern Frontier into the Central Domain, bringing tremendous trouble.
It was precisely because the Central Domain lacked strength, especially elite Wizards, that the call to mobilize had to be issued to the four outer domains, summoning the academies to migrate.
"My Lord! The heads of several mid-tier academies have come to bid farewell; they will be returning to their respective domains!"
At this moment, a Wizard from Nature's Alliance arrived to report.
"Let them go! There's no need for them to make a special farewell," Leilin said with a calm, indifferent command.
Immediately after, a great clamor rose from the distance. Some smaller caravans, like tributaries, began to split off from the main body of Nature's Alliance.
"A pity!" Leilin watched these mid-sized and small academies parting ways and let out a sigh.
The resource points in the Central Domain were indeed good, but they had to be bought with one's life!
If these academies could survive the great war, the territory they gained would naturally be their reward. But if their strength was severely depleted or their entire forces wiped out, then reclaiming those gains would happen without a moment's hesitation.
Though the resources of the entire Central Domain were abundant, they could not possibly support this many academies.
Only through the selection of the battlefield could the true winners emerge, laughing last! Even so, many academies had come. Though they knew this was a gamble, they had not hesitated to place their bets, hoping to reap great rewards in the Central Domain.
"I wonder how many of these academies will remain after the war?"
Leilin sighed softly and closed the window.
"Pass the order: advance at full speed and reach our territory as soon as possible!"
On the surface, Leilin was still here to represent the interests of Nature's Alliance, so he issued the order casually.
"At once, my Lord!"
The command was quickly transmitted down through layers of magical signaling. The roars of land dragons and horned horses echoed continuously as the speed of the entire caravan picked up again.
……
Meanwhile, in another direction, several travel-worn figures also entered the borders of the Central Domain.