According to Gu Bule's account, he was a wizard from the Central Continent.
Yes—the homeland of the Crimson Great Wizard! The very core of the wizard world's surface! The holy land of wizards—the Central Continent!
As for why Gu Bule had fled here, Leilin had no desire to pry into the matter. What truly interested him was the route the man had taken to arrive.
If he retraced that path in reverse, wouldn't he be able to reach the Central Continent?
At the thought, Leilin immediately posed the question.
Gu Bule's face flickered with brief hesitation, but he respectfully provided the truth: "In fact, the top of this underground world is the Central Continent! I used a research journal passed down through my family to pinpoint an exact location where subterranean lava erupts. After calculating the magma recession period, I came through the lava channel to reach this place…"
Through Gu Bule's account, Leilin gained a rough understanding of how he had entered.
It was largely consistent with what Leilin had previously theorized, and it also explained the horrific burn marks on the man's body—even with precise calculations of the lava eruption's weak points, the flames and extreme heat along the way were far beyond what an ordinary Formal Wizard could endure.
If Gu Bule hadn't managed to snatch a Life Vine Fruit by sheer luck, he would likely have ended up as nothing more than a charred corpse!
"Good! The trouble with the Dark Elves and Dwarves has been taken care of on your behalf. Consider this your reward for providing the information so readily!"
Leilin flicked his hand, tossing the Life Vine Fruit into Gu Bule's arms.
"Thank you, my lord!" Gu Bule's face lit up with gratitude. For him, simply keeping his life was already a tremendous gain. As for this fruit brimming with life force, it was nothing short of an unexpected blessing.
Sizzle!
Fine red blood vessels sprouted from his fingertips, burrowing into the fruit's interior and drawing out vast quantities of life essence.
As waves of vibrant green light flickered across his body, the burn marks on Gu Bule's skin healed at a rapid pace. Even the scars gradually faded before vanishing without a trace.
Watching this scene, Leilin was immediately reminded of the parasitic organism of the Manxter Giant Serpent he had encountered during his apprentice days. The two abilities bore a certain resemblance to each other.
Moreover, this method of directly absorbing life force seemed to offer certain insights for Meditation Methods like Life Siphon.
Of course, these were minor matters.
Once Gu Bule's condition had visibly improved, Leilin toyed with the Black Snake Emblem in his hand and asked, "By the way—what exactly does this mark signify?"
"What? My lord doesn't know?" Gu Bule's reaction surprised Leilin even further. But the man quickly caught himself and calmed down: "No matter—after all, the bloodline cannot be faked!"
Seeing the puzzled expression on Leilin's face, Gu Bule promptly explained: "This is the insignia of our organization—the Ring of the Ouroboros!"
"The Ring of the Ouroboros?" Leilin nodded. The name was indeed vivid and evocative. "Is it an organization that unites Pureblood Warlocks?"
"Yes! Moreover, the Ring of the Ouroboros only accepts Comorin Giant Serpent Warlocks or those descended from their bloodline!" Gu Bule answered with certainty.
"And as a highest-rank Comorin Giant Serpent Warlock, the moment you join our Ring of the Ouroboros, you will immediately be granted a rather exalted position…" After a glance at Leilin, Gu Bule added.
"If that's the case, then I have nothing to hide!"
Leilin smiled. "In truth, I am also a wandering wizard who came to the Dark Poles Region by chance. The Comorin Giant Serpent Warlock inheritance was something I obtained from a ruin—and it was there that I first saw this mark of the Ring of the Ouroboros!"
Leilin spoke candidly, though it was clearly a deflection that revealed not even the most basic information. Still, Gu Bule wisely chose not to press further.
Instead, he shared a great deal of knowledge about the Central Region with Leilin.
Through Gu Bule's account, along with records of the Central Continent found in ancient texts about the primordial era, Leilin finally gained some understanding of the wizard holy land he had long yearned for.
The Central Continent was the core of the entire wizard world's surface, spanning an impossibly vast area with an extraordinarily abundant supply of rare resources!
There, Formal Wizards could be seen everywhere—Second-rank Wizards were merely the elite! As for Third-rank Wizards, their status was equally prestigious, but they were further divided into ranks by strength. Only Morning Star Wizards were the true powers!
On the Central Continent, only forces that had a Morning Star Wizard at their helm could consolidate and expand. As for the small organizations founded by Second-rank or Third-rank Wizards, they would usually crumble in short order—a mere flash in the pan.
"Does that mean our Ring of the Ouroboros also has a Fourth-rank Morning Star warlock in its ranks?"
This was what interested Leilin the most.
After all, the other party was also a Comorin Giant Serpent Warlock who had even reached the Fourth rank. This pointed the way forward for him!
"Indeed!" Gu Bule was visibly pleased by Leilin's use of "our," his tone and expression growing noticeably warmer.