A sweep of his soul power, and everything about Firr was laid bare before Leilin.
"Your physical injuries have mostly healed. Your sea of consciousness still needs nourishment. I recommend the Giant Serpent Spirit Potion! Crystallized wizards like you are already rare in our Ouroboros Circle..."
Leilin sighed.
After the great battle, the originally dozen-plus crystallized wizards had been reduced to a miserable seven or eight. Even his senior, Luxi, had unfortunately perished at the hands of the Man-eating Flower Legion.
With only a handful of survivors remaining, every single crystallized wizard was a precious asset to Leilin, now that he was the one in charge.
"Thank you, my lord!" Firr bowed, looking very subdued.
"Oh! Right! There's one more thing! For my Morning Star Ceremony, I'd like the Blood Snake Family to host and organize it..."
Morning Star Wizards held an extremely elevated status on the Central Continent, and advancing to that rank was incredibly difficult. Each new one was cause for great celebration, worthy of inviting friends and acquaintances, and could even become a grand event for the entire continent.
By established custom, every newly advanced Morning Star Wizard had to hold a ceremony like this. It was a declaration of strength—and for the Ouroboros Circle in its current state, it was even more important.
The bloodline wizards, trapped in their bewilderment, desperately needed a shot in the arm.
"It would be our family's honor!" Entrusting the ceremony to her family was naturally a sign of his regard. No matter how you looked at it, this was hugely beneficial for the Blood Snake Family. As its matriarch, Firr could not refuse, nor did she have any reason to.
"At the ceremony, I also plan to announce something!" Looking down at Firr, who was biting her lip with a strange expression on her face, the corner of Leilin's mouth suddenly curved into a wicked grin.
"What news?"
"After the ceremony, I will hold a grand wedding—and you will marry into my family!" The moment these words left Leilin's mouth, they struck like thunder, leaving Firr completely stunned.
"Marry into... the family?" Firr murmured, repeating the words. Her childlike face held a trace of confusion. Leilin was a newly joined wizard with no bloodline family to back him.
"Yes, the Farell Family! Right now there's only me on the Central Continent—but I believe it will eventually become the foremost family in the entire Ouroboros Circle, and even the foremost among all bloodline wizards!"
Leilin touched his nose.
Although the family currently consisted of just him alone and looked rather sorry, Leilin didn't mind in the least.
After all, a family that boasted a Morning Star Wizard could hardly remain ordinary. With his pure bloodline, the probability of his descendants advancing would be far greater than that of other wizards. It wouldn't take long before the Farell Family became the greatest in the Ouroboros Circle!
The Central Continent was vast. Even though Leilin now controlled the entire Ouroboros Circle, he still needed to cultivate forces that were entirely his own. And what could compare to a family he built himself? Compared to outsiders, blood ties added an extra layer of binding—an extra measure of security.
Moreover, now that he had advanced to Morning Star, he no longer worried about his pure bloodline being exposed. He now had more than enough strength to protect himself.
Since he needed a female wizard to bear his bloodline, Leilin had naturally chosen Firr. First, she was properly virtuous. Second, she had always been kind to him. Third, she was quite attractive. So what was there to hesitate about?
"What if... I refuse?" Firr bit her lip, still somewhat unwilling in her heart. Though she liked Leilin, she didn't want it to happen this way.
"Refusal is not an option, because I am the master of the entire Ouroboros Circle!" Leilin's voice brooked no argument.
Firr's eyes reddened, but then Leilin gently took her hand.
"I know—you're a little unhappy because you'd rather be the one to marry me, not the other way around. Am I right?" Though Leilin's words were somewhat convoluted, they cut straight to the heart of Firr's feelings.
Deep down, Firr still hoped to bring Leilin into the Blood Snake Family as a husband. But that was obviously no longer possible.
Setting aside the fact that the current Leilin would never agree to such a thing, even before he had advanced to Morning Star, he had always been the one telling others what to do—never the other way around.
He had to admit that, deep down, Leilin was quite chauvinistic. He could only be the one to marry Firr, to give of his own volition—not to owe his wife gratitude, much less marry into her family.
"You already knew, so why..." Firr raised her head with tears clinging to her cheeks, her voice a petulant complaint.
Seeing her like this, Leilin knew her knot had been mostly untied. He burst into hearty laughter: "Because I'm stronger than you! That is fate!"
In the Wizard World, the strong prevail—and that was an unshakeable truth.
Seeing that Firr had fully resigned herself, Leilin softened his tone and comforted her: "Don't worry! I'll naturally look after your family. In fact, when we have children someday, I could even send one of our offspring to join the Blood Snake Family..."
This was his way of making amends. After all, Firr had given much to Leilin, and he could not fail to return the favor.
But Leilin's nature remained the same—it had to be his gift, freely given, not something she asked for.