After finishing looting everything from Number Five's body, Leilin finally turned his attention to the black mask in his hand, his expression growing somewhat grave.
"The Chip's control won't last much longer. Once the drug's effects wear off, the controller behind the scenes will receive word immediately…"
The powder he had prepared only worked once on the Star Shard Bugs, and once its effects faded, those bugs would most likely relay all the previous information straight to the central control room.
This was something Leilin absolutely could not allow. The mere thought of that Morning Star Wizard lurking behind the curtain sent a chill down his spine.
Fortunately! The other party still didn't know his identity. As long as he destroyed the evidence cleanly enough, they wouldn't necessarily be able to track him down.
With that thought, a wisp of green flame descended onto the mask and burned ever brighter.
From the mask came extremely faint crackling sounds — sounds that would have been impossible to detect without the Chip's assistance.
After confirming that every last Star Shard Bug had been eliminated, Leilin set one more fire, reducing the entire scene to ash. Only then did he let out a cold laugh and depart.
…
Leilin's retreat had been timed with perfect precision. He missed seeing Leo's frenzied expression upon arriving at the scene.
He was extremely careful along the way, avoiding any location that might be under a wizard's surveillance. He didn't even take an Airship, instead traveling overland on foot — going so far as to cross through several danger zones to do so.
By the time he reached a safe area beyond Blue Mountain City's sphere of influence, news of the upheaval among the upper echelons of the Oakheart Family had already made its way here.
Reading the reports that followed — Blue Mountain City placed under martial law, the Airship network sealed off, and a massive wizard roundup underway — even Leilin couldn't help but silently congratulate himself on having retreated early enough.
He couldn't have cared less about how frantically the Oakheart Family might react, nor did he have any intention of spreading the word.
Revealing the secret of the Star Shard Bugs might deal a heavy blow to the Oakheart Family, but it would offer Leilin very little benefit.
This secret, kept in hand, was a fine bargaining chip.
In fact, Leilin was already looking forward to the day, after he advanced to the Morning Star Wizard realm, when the so-called King of Blue Mountain would be willing to pay whatever price was needed to keep him silent.
Of course, before he had actually achieved that advancement, trying to use something like this as leverage against the other party would be nothing short of suicide!
Without taking an Airship, Leilin's journey home proved exceedingly long.
Even so, to be extra cautious, he took a wide detour before sneaking back into his own territory.
It wasn't until he entered the Wizard Tower and heard the mechanical voice of the Tower Spirit greeting him that Leilin finally relaxed completely.
A steaming cup of coffee sat on the table, its rich, sweet aroma wafting through the air.
Leilin sat there with an expressionless face, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the tabletop.
After returning to a safe place, reflecting on his recent actions and carefully listing out his problems and gains was something Leilin had always done, and it was precisely this habit that allowed him to navigate the treacherous Wizard world smoothly.
His gains from this trip were enormous — enough to shock any number of Crystallization-stage Wizards — but at the same time, the forces he had offended were extremely troublesome, and the slightest carelessness could lead to his downfall.
The fury of a Morning Star Wizard was terrifying. If Leilin were discovered, not only would he suffer, but his family and friends would face dire consequences as well.
"I've severed all the leads. Only 'Blood Hand' went to the auction house, and at the private trading gathering, I wore a completely different face. Afterward, I destroyed all the evidence. Finding me through these channels is virtually impossible!"
Leilin was highly confident in his own methods and the Chip's concealment technology.
"As for divination spells and the like, they're inherently imprecise and become completely ineffective against higher-ranked Wizards. On top of that, the shielding effect of the Wizard Tower..."
What worried Leilin most was actually this aspect.
Ordinary investigative leads wouldn't work, but if combined with mysterious and unpredictable magic, the resulting effect could be terrifying.
Divination spells in particular were practically irrational in nature — unless your level vastly exceeded the caster's, any Wizard willing to pay the price could learn everything about you!
"Fortunately! Divination Wizards are rare to begin with, and accurately predicting someone who is shielded by a Wizard Tower and has reached the Third-tier Liquification stage like me? An ordinary Wizard has absolutely no chance. Even a Morning Star Wizard who specializes in divination would have to pay an enormous price!"
With the Chip's database and his own practical experience with the Coins of Destiny as backing, Leilin's understanding of divination spells far surpassed that of an ordinary Wizard.
"And the Blue Mountain King isn't a divination Wizard to begin with. Getting a Morning Star-level divination Wizard to pay such a steep price is simply impossible in the short term... While I have this opportunity, I must advance to the Crystallization stage immediately. If I can stall until I reach the Morning Star realm, that would be even better..."
Divining the location of a Third-tier Liquification Wizard versus a Crystallization-stage Wizard required a completely different cost. What Leilin needed to do was push his own strength as high as possible, making accurate prediction of him unattainable.
Powerful energy radiation was enough to disrupt everything!
Furthermore, if Leilin managed to advance to the Morning Star realm during this period, becoming a Morning Star Wizard himself, then all of this would be a trivial matter.