Listening to the mission leader complain, Leilin remained silent.
The large alien tribe he had previously slaughtered was not a Fire Element tribe, but had clearly been swayed by that Morning Star-level Fire Element Elder, even developing a faith akin to flame worship.
They might have been aliens as well, but the warlocks showed them no special treatment or leniency. Although the Warlock Alliance claimed to accept all bloodline bearers, that was clearly nothing more than a slogan — something you heard and let pass; believing it would be foolish.
Leilin himself understood the ins and outs of it well. If a tribe had a Morning Star protector, it might hold some standing within the Warlock Alliance and be able to help its own people to some degree.
But if a tribe lacked a Morning Star protector, it would likely have to struggle bitterly while enduring a great deal of exploitation and oppression.
After all, the ones in charge of the Warlock Alliance were still those lofty Bloodline Warlocks!
They neither considered themselves human nor alien, which made their attitude toward purely alien races rather ambiguous.
Especially toward traitors like these, who had not joined the Alliance but had defected to the enemy — there was even less room for sentiment.
Of course, Leilin had no interest in getting involved in these messy affairs. For him, he had accepted the mission, completed it successfully, and received his reward — that was all there was to it.
The prolonged reconnaissance and combat had already left him feeling somewhat weary, and experience from his previous life gave him a sense of unease.
How had a Morning Star-level Fire Element Elder ended up here? And to have lured so many alien tribes to its side — had it not been discovered and eliminated in time, it would have likely caused enormous chaos across this region.
But what worried Leilin most wasn't even this. The thought that the being had actually begun spreading a faith immediately put him on guard.
Gathering followers, spreading faith — this was an extremely dangerous signal! Especially for Leilin, who possessed experience from a previous life and had gained knowledge of the Western
This kind of proselytizing was clearly different from what high-level wizards would do, nor was it the primitive nature worship of savage tribes. This was true deities spreading their faith!
Not only this flame worship, but also the previous resurrection and conspiracy of the
Although the Leilin of his previous life had rarely dealt with religious knowledge and matters, he wouldn't get something like this wrong!
Of course, this could very well be nothing more than his own wishful speculation. After all, he didn't know what the true Divine World was actually like. Many ancient documents didn't cover this subject at all.
And the moment the Divine World had appeared, it immediately led to the decline of the
Therefore, this could all be just a misunderstanding, but Leilin didn't want to get any more involved.
Even as limited as he was, he knew that any true god from the Divine World was at minimum a sixth-tier or above existence — one who had mastered a certain authority or law of reality. Such power was something Leilin could only look up to in his current state. If he were to become entangled in such a massive vortex, with his current strength, he would be walking a dead end.
Taking on only as much burden as one had the ability to handle — that had always been Leilin's principle, and the reason he had survived this long. He still had a clear sense of his own limitations. As for the chess game between the Gods and the Wizard World? Let the tall ones bear that burden. After all, not to mention the underground, even the Central Continent still had so many Radiant Sun Throne bearers!
Declining the large man's sincere invitation to stay, Leilin used the Star
A flash of blue light, and from the vast and boundless Astral Gate, Leilin's figure emerged.
"That feeling of long-distance teleportation is really…"
Leilin shook his head and smiled. The spatial pressure that had nearly killed him back when he was second-tier now felt like a gentle breeze against his face, having no real impact whatsoever.
"Welcome home, Master!" The green fairy — identical to the previous Tower Spirit — flapped its wings and flew to Leilin's side.
"Mm." Leilin nodded. As soon as the Chip connected with it, he gained complete knowledge of everything that had recently occurred in the Wizard Tower.
The massive Astral Gate behind him ceased its rumbling, and the blue flames upon it began to dissipate.
After the light faded, the Astral Gate reverted to its ancient stone door state. Teleportation via Morning Star Space required both Astral Gates to connect simultaneously, and on Leilin's end, it was naturally operated by the utterly loyal Tower Spirit.
"Well done." Leilin nodded approvingly.
"It is my honor to serve the Master!" The Tower Spirit, which had inherited the Chip's semi-intelligent program, still wore its cold, expressionless face, its voice showing not the slightest fluctuation.
Leilin was long used to this — after all, one couldn't expect too much from a simulation program. He was a pragmatist, and the fact that it could never betray him due to the Chip's programming commands was what truly mattered.
After leaving the room housing the Astral Gate, there were numerous laboratories, containment chambers, and the like. Several terrifying adamantine and mithril golems, and even Void Assassins, periodically materialized along the corridors.
On both walls, wisps of black airflow seemed to flow continuously, carrying a mysterious luster and color that caused subtle changes in the decorative paintings.
This was the interior of Leilin's Wizard Tower. Thanks to his own contributions and the selfless patronage of the Orkut Family, it had been fully completed.
They had also supplied a large quantity of Astral Stone, helping Leilin construct an Astral Gate that was entirely his own — the very one he had just used.
According to intelligence reports, in order to build the Wizard Tower and Astral Gate for Leilin, the Orkut Family had nearly depleted its original reserves and even sold off many of its enterprises. The entire family appeared somewhat demoralized as a result.
Leilin, of course, had no intention of concerning himself with that. On the contrary, he was extremely satisfied with this Morning Star-level Wizard Tower.
Moreover, after prolonged exposure to his subtle radiation, the entire Wizard Tower had undergone a degree of animation, the tower body forming a harmonious whole. It had even spontaneously generated Shadow Servants and Dark Snake Tentacles, thoroughly perfecting the tower's defensive system.
"Notify your mistress that I have returned. I will be dining with her tonight!"
As if remembering something, Leilin instructed the Tower Spirit.
"Your will shall be carried out!" The Tower Spirit bowed and swiftly withdrew.
That evening, in the great hall of the Wizard Tower, everything shimmered with dazzling light. Several high-ranking warlock handmaidens who had been fortunate enough to be selected into the Wizard Tower bustled about nervously, laying out the enormous banquet table and the exquisite gold and silver tableware, candles, and other items atop it.
After everything was completed in tense but orderly fashion, Leilin walked in slowly, holding Furry's hand.
"Duke! Duchess!" The handmaidens bowed one after another to Leilin and the noblewoman beside him.
Beside Leilin was, of course, Furry of the
"I know what you're worried about…"
Seeing this, Leilin offered gentle reassurance: "But I feel that my bloodline may still have one more chance at refinement — perhaps even a chance to ascend to a more powerful realm. As it stands, my bloodline is not yet mature, and any child born from it would bear deficiencies. Neither of us wants that to happen, right?"
After hearing Leilin's explanation, Furry's expression brightened considerably, and she even produced a smile so enchanting that the other handmaidens were somewhat dazzled by it.
Leilin smiled. What he had just said was half truth and half fabrication.
However, through the previous Scarlet Arc Moon ruins and his conversation with the Wisdom Ancient Tree, he had genuinely gained some ideas about breaking through the bloodline shackle. Naturally, he was in no hurry to produce heirs at this point.
Otherwise, he would only be doing a disservice to his own bloodline.
And once he ascended to a higher tier, any bloodline descendants born thereafter would inevitably possess a higher starting point and greater potential. This was something that benefited both parties, and even if Furry couldn't fully understand it now, Leilin had to hold firm.
"I'll leave everything in your hands then." Furry smiled demurely and sat down beside Leilin.
Within the current Ouroboros Ring, Leilin was the one who held absolute power. His will was the will of all the Komoin Giant Serpent warlocks in the entire Ouroboros Ring, so Furry naturally dared not say much.
Moreover, deep down, she truly trusted Leilin, for this also concerned the continuation of the Farell Family's legacy.
"Oh, right! How are Pikes and Fesal… and Slubi — did his trip to the Faerie Garden go smoothly?"
As they ate the exquisite dishes carefully prepared by the head chef, Leilin occasionally exchanged a few words with Furry. Most of the time he asked questions while she answered.
After the warm dinner had passed and Leilin was savoring his red tea, Furry finally asked: "Leilin… how long will you be staying this time?"
A few glimmers of anticipation flashed through Furry's eyes.
"It should be quite a while. My previous missions have all been completed, and there are several experiments that can only be conducted inside the Wizard Tower…"
Leilin began to ramble on, while Furry propped her chin in both hands, listening intently with eyes full of adoration and a smile, practically starry-eyed.
Crack!
The warm moment was shattered before long. When the sound of glass breaking rang out from Furry, her expression changed drastically.
"This is the necklace my teacher, Duke
Furry pulled out a platinum necklace. At its center hung a large blue gemstone, within which a wisp of blood-red flame had been dancing — but at this moment, it had clearly weakened.