"No! There's no rush! I have an even better way!"
Leilin smiled faintly. "Besides, there are still some matters here that I need to settle…"
Gu Bule's heart lurched with anxiety. Could his master really intend to wait for the eruption period a hundred years from now?
For a Manxter Giant Snake Warlock like him, two to three hundred years was the absolute limit. A hundred years! That was still an incredibly long time!
But…
Gu Bule glanced at Leilin, the master he now served.
As a vassal, what could he do when his master gave an order? He could only smile bitterly.
"I'm heading out for a bit. You stay here and monitor the magma flow data at all times. Contact me through the arcane imprint. Also, use the special rocks here as materials and fabricate one of these according to the blueprints!"
A faint blue glow flickered through Leilin's eyes. In an instant, a blueprint materialized and was transmitted into the crystal ball.
After examining it, Gu Bule's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly bowed his head respectfully. "As you command, my master!"
"Mm."
With that, Leilin's figure dissolved into a streak of shadow and vanished from the spot.
A beam of black light streaked across the sky, scraping against the air with a shrill screech.
Even with his earlier preparations, time was running short. He had to move quickly!
In the northern reaches of the Dark Extremity, within the Nature's Alliance Academy.
Xiling sat behind an enormous, opulent desk, lazily stretching and revealing her flawless curves.
Though reviewing documents and handling administrative affairs every day was tedious and exhausting, she took genuine pleasure in it.
Every time she considered how a single stroke of her pen—even an offhand remark—could alter the fates of countless apprentices and even wizards, every cell in Xiling's body trembled with excitement, leaving her faintly aroused.
"It's just a pity that my position still isn't fully consolidated…" Xiling glanced down at her smooth, flat belly, a look of unconcealed frustration on her face.
"What? Still complaining about not having conceived my heir?"
A young man's voice suddenly echoed through the office.
"Your… His Excellency the Holy Light, Guardian of All the Realm!!!"
The other female wizards and clerks in the office, upon seeing Leilin appear, first knocked over stacks of documents and teacups before remembering to bow, their eyes shining with barely concealed excitement.
"Mm." Leilin nodded faintly, waving his hand.
Soon, all the wizards except Xiling withdrew in silence, without making a single sound.
"Yes!" Xiling met Leilin's gaze without the slightest fear.
This powerful, impeccably handsome man still looked energetic, but his clothes were slightly disheveled and dusty—had he been through a frantic rush of travel and toil?
As a woman of keen observation, Xiling noticed this immediately.
"Leilin, you've already reached the pinnacle of the Dark Extremity. Just one final step, and you can transform the entire Dark Extremity into a Wizard Kingdom! Passed down through generation after generation!"
Xiling's voice trembled with excitement and allure. "A child! All you need is a child—a symbol of your legacy and succession!"
A misty haze seemed to veil her eyes as she threw herself into Leilin's arms.
In the past, Leilin would have surely engaged her in a passionate battle without a second thought. But now, Xiling noticed that his expression was calm—as placid and undisturbed as an ancient well.
This discovery plunged Xiling into immediate terror. If she lost Leilin's favor, she would lose everything. This was precisely why she so desperately wanted a child of his.
Yet before she could devise any means to secure his affection, Leilin's words cast her straight into the abyss.
"I'm leaving!"
"Leaving?" Xiling's mind spun dazedly. "Going where?"
"Away from here! Away from the Dark Extremity!" Leilin spoke word by deliberate word, making sure Xiling heard every syllable.
"Have you lost your mind? Why would you leave? You're the king here! You're my sun and my stars, my everything…"
If Leilin were to leave? Just imagining the scenes that would follow was enough to plunge Xiling into overwhelming dread. She clung desperately to Leilin, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
But in the next moment, a hand as cold and merciless as iron pushed her away.
Xiling steadied herself, looking at Leilin's expressionless face.
"You know, I was never really a wizard of the Dark Extremity to begin with. I only ended up here through a mishap!" Leilin spoke slowly.