Due to this incident, Leilin's return journey was delayed, and he went back to Blood Snake Castle to recuperate.
"Thank you for everything this time!"
Furei sat beside Leilin, pouring tea for him personally, her face showing deep gratitude.
Their target had clearly been Blood Snake Castle all along — ambushing Leilin was merely an afterthought. Had Leilin not stepped in when all six Crystallized Wizards launched their assault at once, Blood Snake Castle would likely have suffered devastating losses from the surprise attack.
"It's nothing. As friends, it's only natural that we help each other!"
Leilin said with a smile.
"Just friends?" A flash of disappointment crossed Furei's face.
This immediately put Leilin in an awkward position, and he steered the conversation elsewhere: "Even if other guests had been present, they absolutely would not have allowed those wanted criminals to run wild like that…"
In yesterday's battle, aside from Feyn whom Leilin had captured, all five other Crystallized Wizards were killed. Once word of this terrifying feat spread, it immediately silenced numerous voices, and even at the headquarters of the Ring of the Ouroboros, it caused quite a stir.
The sole prisoner, Feyn, was naturally escorted back to headquarters, while the lion's share of the spoils went to Leilin.
Compared to Furei, who still had to look after her family affairs, he had it much easier — everything he confiscated was his to keep. He had truly struck it rich, and there were even quite a few pleasant surprises among the haul.
The only thing that puzzled Leilin somewhat was why Furei hadn't invited the other visiting guests to help take their enemies down together.
If she had managed to recruit a few more high-ranking sorcerers, Leilin himself wouldn't have been forced to reveal his true strength back then.
"Those people…" A bitter smile appeared on Furei's face, and she actually looked rather pitiful for a moment.
Seeing this expression, Leilin immediately fell silent. He could guess at some of the situation.
Furei had always been a lawless and unruly sort, and with a powerful, protective master backing her, she had certainly offended quite a few people. Most of them would probably prefer to watch her fail rather than lend a hand.
Moreover, the Ring of the Ouroboros was riddled with competing factions, and recently the shadow of war had been looming, creating instability throughout the organization. In such an environment, Furei couldn't even find a single trustworthy ally from outside — the cutthroat nature of political infighting was often more terrifying than war itself.
"Has the situation really deteriorated to this extent?" Leilin rubbed his chin.
"Yes. Right now, the only person I can truly trust is you!"
Furei's eyes reddened slightly as she leaned against Leilin's shoulder.
"Let's pause for a moment!" Leilin shook his head with a bitter smile. "I understand that you want to vent, but what's the meaning of putting mistletoe powder in the candles?"
Mistletoe was a rare plant in the
For Wizards, it even had the miraculous effect of increasing the probability of conception, which made it widely sought after.
Furei puffed her cheeks and moved to sit aside, showing no embarrassment whatsoever on her face — only the look of someone flushed with rage.
Since she knew Leilin was an Apothecary Grandmaster and possessed the technology for preserving Life Seeds that had left even Milanta at a loss, her actions clearly weren't about forcing the issue, but the implication was unmistakable.
Leilin played dumb, making her so furious she could barely stand to look at him.
"Master! News from headquarters has arrived!"
Just then, the door opened and Julian walked in, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
"There are no outsiders here. Speak," Furei nodded. Before others, she had regained her former authority.
Julian glanced at Leilin, a flicker of understanding in his eyes, but his expression remained serious.
"According to headquarters' order, Lord Leilin will become an Enforcer of the Ring of the Ouroboros, responsible for patrolling all districts! He holds the authority to execute bloodline nobles below the rank of Marquis, and even for those above Marquis rank, he has the authority to detain them!"
"This…" Furei could hardly believe it.
"They're putting you on a hot seat!" She immediately saw through the higher-ups' intentions behind this arrangement.
"But for me, there are no other choices, are there?" Leilin shrugged.
"According to headquarters' order, My Lord, you must proceed to headquarters as soon as possible to accept the appointment!"
Julian bowed slightly. The Enforcer of the Ring of the Ouroboros certainly wielded great authority, but one misstep could offend a great many people. He wasn't optimistic about Leilin's prospects.
But the fact that such an appointment had been made showed that the internal situation of the entire Ring of the Ouroboros was no longer favorable — it had deteriorated to the point where they had no choice but to use an outsider like Leilin to clean house.
"It looks like I'll have to leave!"
Leilin stood up and gave Furei a brief embrace. "I'm off!"
"Mm. I'll be heading to headquarters to see my master as well. Be careful!" Furei's eyes actually reddened this time.
"Don't worry. Very few people are capable of outmaneuvering me these days!" Leilin's smile was brimming with confidence.
……
Phosphorus Marsh, inside the headquarters of the Ring of the Ouroboros.
If Leilin hadn't been to the underground, he would never have believed this was the home of a Morning Star Wizard.
In the study, Leilin met Duke Gilbert, who had not a single hair on his head or face.
"Master!" Leilin bowed respectfully.
"Mm! You've actually achieved Crystallization. Not bad! Not bad!" Gilbert nodded, his lightning-like gaze sweeping over Leilin for a long time.
"It was just luck!" Leilin naturally refused to admit anything at this point, attributing all credit to the vagaries of fortune.
Fortunately, Gilbert didn't press the matter.
He picked up the quill pen on the desk and scratched away on a piece of parchment, then finally stamped it with his own Arcane Imprint.
"Here! From now on, you are an Enforcer of the Ring of the Ouroboros!"
Gilbert handed the freshly written appointment letter to Leilin, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: "Our organization has had some internal issues recently that need your attention."
"Understood, Master!" Leilin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
In the past, Gilbert would certainly have probed much deeper. Although Leilin had prepared the appropriate cover stories, he hadn't expected the old wizard to let things go so easily.
Noticing that Gilbert was still wearing protective equipment that hadn't been fully removed, Leilin's mind stirred, and he asked: "About the Purgatory World…"
"Yes! We've already discovered its spatial trajectory. With a bit more time, obtaining the world coordinates is only a matter of time!"
Gilbert's eyes lit up, and he even showed signs of gesticulating wildly.
"Thousands of years of searching by the Ring of the Ouroboros are finally about to come to an end. Once we enter the Purgatory World, we Comoin sorcerers will never have to worry about bloodline deterioration again, and we may even break through the shackles of the sorcerer's path and ascend to a higher plane…"
Leilin remained silent, watching his visibly delighted master, finding himself at a loss for words.
With the Chip as his trump card and the hope of the Cold Ice World of the Extreme Dark Region, he naturally didn't share the same deep understanding and painful experience of bloodline shackles that the Ring of the Ouroboros's sorcerers had.
It now seemed that thousands of years of bitter waiting and longing had consumed Gilbert entirely.
For the three Elders at present, every other conflict was trivial. Even if the Ring of the Ouroboros were on the verge of destruction, it paled in comparison to the Purgatory World.
That was why Gilbert had been willing to let him off so easily.
"Alright, act quickly. If necessary, you can seek help from Lucy and
Gilbert was clearly in a great hurry. In just the short time he'd spent talking with Leilin, his Arcane Imprint had flared several times. In the end, he practically shoved Leilin out the door, surely diving right back into his laboratory afterward.
For reasons he couldn't quite explain, seeing Gilbert in this state gave Leilin an oppressive feeling.
If Heaven wishes to destroy a man, it first drives him mad. Though this was a proverb from his previous life, it applied just as well here.
With the shadow of war closing in, several Morning Star powerhouses had locked themselves away — no wonder the enemy had grown arrogant enough to attack right at their doorstep.
Leilin sighed bitterly to himself, but there was nothing he could do.
When the Morning Star powerhouses didn't show their faces, it made things extremely difficult for those of them below. Though Gilbert had now granted him a portion of the authority, it was clearly a hot potato of a task.
"Pike! Gather your best subordinates and report to headquarters immediately!"
Gilbert had only given him a title without even assigning him a single subordinate, which left Leilin quite speechless.
Fortunately, he had cultivated some capable people in his own domain, and now was the time to put them to use.
A Comoin sorcerer holding the rank of Marquis occupied a position within the Ring of the Ouroboros that was indeed comparable to a minor feudal lord, with numerous sorcerers pledging their allegiance under his banner. If given more time, Leilin could even assemble his own elite sorcerer corps — he was confident it would be no worse than the Blood Snake Sorcerer Corps.
"At once, Master!"
Pike's voice through the Arcane Imprint was steady and resolute, clearly having caught wind of something.
"Good. I'll be waiting for you at the manor!"
After a few more words, Leilin terminated the connection.
As a Marquis, he maintained a massive manor within the Ring of the Ouroboros's headquarters. Though its facilities couldn't compare to his Wizard Tower at Black Castle, they were more than sufficient for an ordinary high-ranking sorcerer.
More importantly, these facilities were provided free of charge — Leilin didn't have to spend a single Magic Stone!
As a result, Leilin had kept the manor as his foothold at headquarters.
After dismissing the two stationed Wizards, Leilin retired to his room and sank into thought.
After a moment, he waved his hand, and numerous items materialized. The vessels all shimmered with terrifying magical power, making the entire room glow with radiant light.
These were all his spoils of war. His opponents had been Crystallized Wizards with exceedingly abundant resources, which had given Leilin quite a few pleasant surprises.