"Thank you so much!"
Leilin offered a smile of gratitude.
Frey took his arm and pulled him onto the long sofa beside them.
At this somewhat intimate gesture, Leilin's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't pay it much mind.
"What exactly did you call me here for?"
Leilin didn't believe Frey was the kind of person to summon him without good reason. If it were Milanta, maybe.
"The Infernal World — have you heard about it?" When it came to business, Frey set aside all other expressions and grew solemn.
"I've heard a little. Master and the others seem to have found some leads and are searching for the exact coordinates!" Leilin's face turned equally serious.
"In truth, the search is nearly at its goal. According to my teacher's plans, I'm afraid we'll all have to go to headquarters to participate in the experiment!" Frey said with a bitter smile.
"That's a duty we cannot shirk!" Leilin looked grave and earnest.
"It's just… I have a bad feeling…" A look of worry crossed Frey's face. "The Infernal World was an extraordinarily powerful world even in ancient times. How could it be found so easily? And even if it were found, how could anyone bypass the Guardians to enter?"
"Surely Master and the others have already thought through those problems…" Leilin weighed his words carefully.
"I hope so!" Frey let out a long breath, then seemed to recall something. "It's been unsettled outside lately. Be careful. Take these…"
She pushed a box toward Leilin. He opened it to find rows of translucent crystals arranged neatly inside.
"Spiritual Power Crystals? And completely stripped of your own imprint?"
Leilin was mildly surprised. Naturally, a Crystallized Wizard could preserve their own Spiritual Power Crystals for later use. But these crystals' pristine purity meant that Frey had not only washed away all the elemental conversion within them, but had also withdrawn her own spiritual imprint entirely.
For a Crystallized Wizard, that was tantamount to forcibly reducing one's own Spiritual Power. It wasn't something that couldn't be recovered, but it was extremely inconvenient nonetheless.
Spiritual Power Crystals with their imprint removed could be used by other Wizards and allowed rapid replenishment of Spiritual Power. They were rare treasures, always serving as a high-denomination currency that circulated only among Crystallized Wizards and above.
For Frey, who had only recently reached Crystallization, this gift was exceedingly valuable.
"Don't refuse it. You've earned it. I still haven't thanked you for the Bloodline Crystal from last time…" Frey cut off whatever Leilin was about to say.
"Thank you…"
Leilin fell silent for a moment, then finally offered a word.
…
A pitch-black carriage rolled slowly out of the gates of Blood Snake Ancient Castle.
Inside the gilded cabin, Leilin gazed at the box in his hands, a rueful smile forming on his face.
"She's thoughtful, at least…" He sighed softly. In times as turbulent and treacherous as these, for her to still remember him stirred a small measure of goodwill in his heart.
Moreover, this very carriage had been provided by Frey for him to ride in, since she had noticed he'd come alone.
"When I have the ability someday, I'll return the favor!"
Leilin made a silent decision.
…
"Is the target confirmed inside?"
Not far away, the ground rippled and two yellow figures emerged. "Confirmed. The one sitting inside is the Bloodline Marquis of the Ring of the Ouroboros — Leilin!"
The second figure's voice was hoarse.
"Heh heh… This is a Wizard that the Demon Hunter himself secretly placed a high bounty on! And his strength is only Liquefied!"
The first figure let out a cold laugh immediately.
"Everything's set. Once he enters our ambush zone, we strike at once!" The hoarse voice carried a bloodthirsty edge.
"Hm?!"
Leilin, who had been resting with his eyes closed inside the carriage, suddenly opened them, a playful smile playing across his lips.
"Someone wants to go after me?"
Though he hadn't heard their conversation,借助 the Chip's terrifying detection capabilities, Leilin could clearly identify the traps hidden in the nearby woods. Even though the enemy had been careful enough to set up three layers of concealment arrays, to Leilin these formations looked like sieves, riddled with gaps. The Wizard fluctuations hidden within them blazed as obvious as torches.
"Julian!" he called in a low voice.
"What is it, My Lord?" The coachman outside answered promptly.
"Keep this speed. We have a group of friends ahead who need entertaining!" Leilin's voice was deep and calm, and he was certain the Wizards on the other side had heard every word.
"At once, My Lord!" Julian's voice remained perfectly steady, as if he weren't worried in the slightest.
The lavish carriage rolled past the stretch of forest beside the road at a constant pace, seemingly oblivious to everything around it.