Leilin followed Robin past one peculiar structure after another, their designs most uncanny and endlessly varied. Before Leilin could even take a proper look at one, Robin was already leading him to the next.
Rounding a corner, they spotted another Wizard in black robes trimmed with gold approaching from the distance.
And on his face, there were rings of mysterious dark patterns.
"Joey!" Gubule, who had been trailing behind Leilin, immediately clenched both fists and shrank fearfully into the shadow of Leilin's back.
"Greetings, Lord Robin!" Joey walked up to Robin and performed a nobleman's bow.
"Count Joey! Come, let me introduce you — this is Leilin, a Level Three Wizard who is about to join our Ouroboros Ring!" Robin said with a smile.
"So it's Lord Leilin!" Joey returned the bow. "Although this is our first time meeting, I have a request — might I ask whether the Lord would be willing to grant it?"
"If it concerns Gubule, then I'm afraid I must decline," Leilin answered immediately.
"What a pity!" Joey said nothing more, his tone indifferent, without the slightest trace of frustration or anger — which sent a chill down Leilin's spine.
"And what if I said this was my wish?"
Just then, another voice cut in.
"Lord Wood!" Every Wizard besides Leilin and Robin bowed at once.
Leilin regarded the newcomer: a middle-aged man with golden hair, his face radiating both sunlight and resolve, yet carrying a heavy air of authority. And within him, Leilin sensed the same Komori Giant Serpent bloodline as his own — one that even overshadowed Robin's by a measure.
"This Gubule is a criminal who stole a precious treasure of mine. I expect you to hand him over!"
Wood's eyes locked onto Leilin, and a wave of pressure rolled outward.
Gubule's face turned ashen. The moment he saw the smug look on Joey's face, he understood — the man had learned of his defection to a new master and immediately brought in the backing from behind.
"Now then — will you hand him over, or not?" A flurry of thoughts flashed through Leilin's mind in an instant.
On the surface, unlike Joey, who was a Horalar Black Snake Wizard, Wood was a bona fide Komori Giant Serpent Wizard — a noble bloodline, and one who had already ascended to the higher echelon of Level Three. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, it made more sense to give up Gubule.
To trade a single Level One Manxter Wizard with no hope of further advancement for the goodwill of a Level Three Komori Giant Serpent Wizard — that was the kind of deal that hardly required a second thought.
It was only upon understanding this that a smug expression surfaced on Joey's face, while Gubule's complexion turned ashen.
"Sorry! I refuse!"
And at that moment, Leilin's voice rang out, pulling Gubule back from the brink of despair.
"My Lord!" Gubule let out a long breath of relief deep in his heart, a faint stirring of emotion rising within him.
"Oh?" Wood's gaze, sharp as a drawn sword, pierced straight toward Leilin. "Have you thought this through?"
"Of course! I've thought it through very clearly!" Leilin met his eyes without the slightest hesitation.
In his previous life, there had been the concept of "worldviews," and Leilin's personal value system had long since crystallized — it was the principle of maximum benefit! Whenever faced with a choice, he would weigh his own interests and select the best possible outcome.
This "maximum benefit" wasn't limited to tangible, visible gains. It also encompassed intangible things like reputation, feelings toward family and love, and so on — all of which were factored into the calculation. The specific ratios, of course, varied from person to person.
Some people believed love was priceless, so their choices would naturally lean toward love. Others valued love at fifty thousand or a hundred thousand, and would make their trade-offs accordingly.
Take, for instance, the choice between working or going on an outing with family. Leilin might value a day of work at one hundred, but a family outing, while costing three hundred in lost productivity, brought inner happiness worth six hundred — a net gain of two hundred. Comparing the two, the choice to spend time with family was obvious.
By the same logic, if work yielded a thousand while the family outing was only worth three hundred total, then continuing to work was equally a no-brainer.
"Right now, handing over Gubule would earn me some goodwill from Wood and help lay a foundation for my early days here. But in the long run, the cost would far outweigh the benefit!"
"Gubule followed me and brought me to the Ouroboros Circle. In exchange, I protect his safety — that aligns with a Wizard's principle of equivalent exchange! If I were to abandon him now, not only would my reputation suffer, but my own internal value system would be shaken to its core!"
"Besides, this is clearly a probationary period, with all those seniors watching from above! If I come across as too cold-blooded, it will surely disappoint them! That would be detrimental to my future development, and the losses from that would far exceed the consequences of offending Wood!"
Although Wizards tended to be cold and rational, those who governed organizations from positions of power still needed to champion hope, passion, and sacrifice — because if the lower ranks didn't strive, didn't burn with fervor, and didn't sacrifice, where would the resources to sustain the higher-ups come from?
The very essence of any organization was the inequality between its upper and lower tiers!
All things considered, Wood was merely a Level Three warlock. Once Leilin joined, his status would be roughly equal to Wood's — at worst, slightly weaker in actual strength. Would Wood really dare do anything about it?