"
After getting nowhere for a while, Leilin specifically notified Gilbert and Emma, then immediately returned to the Chancellor's residence without showing the slightest hint of anything unusual.
He had only just left with Burns the day before when Red Pupil returned to the residence, which privately put Leilin at ease.
Had he chosen to strike back then, he likely would have run into Red Pupil upon her return even if he'd managed to capture Burns — that would have been quite the trouble.
Besides, until he had a clearer picture of the situation, he had no desire to act rashly.
"Officer Shike! Where's Locke? I haven't seen him around lately."
Leilin asked with a look of puzzlement, and upon hearing the name, the muscles on Shike's face twitched violently. After a long pause, he finally said in a low voice: "He's been selected for a classified mission. He'll be away for a while!"
"I see!" Leilin nodded in understanding, then sidled up to Shike. "Instructor, what happened with that night's affair in the end?"
"What else? The Chancellor won a great victory, of course — killed two of their Star-level powerhouses and captured one. The Foreign Ministry is now formally negotiating with the Fire Worship Empire!" A look of admiration flickered through Shike's eyes, but Leilin, standing beside him, felt his heart sink.
"They paid such a heavy price and got nothing in the end. Those from the Fire Worship Empire certainly won't let it go!"
"And if it was really a trap, then losing three Morning Star combatants at once seems incredibly foolish. What exactly is the truth..."
Combining the intelligence from Emma and Gilbert over the past two days, Leilin suddenly felt that the future was shrouded in a layer of fog.
"My previous plans will probably need to be revised. And this Sacred Birthday is definitely not going to be peaceful. The Fire Worship Empire, Jupiter's Thunder, even our Ouroboros Ring — everyone will be making moves. It's going to be incredibly chaotic..."
"Perfect. I'm actually looking forward to it!"
Leilin gazed at the nearly full progress bar on his Chip, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
The tenth level of the Fire Feather Technique was the Star realm, and Leilin had already condensed a Singularity. If these two power systems could fuse successfully, the resulting power would be far from simply adding one Morning Star to another — it would produce a terrifying qualitative transformation and amplification!
On top of that, Leilin had long since used up all the Fire Source Stones he'd obtained from robbing Kolins. His own soul power had also made significant progress. When the time came, he would certainly give his many enemies quite the surprise.
A flash of crimson light passed through the depths of Leilin's eyes, and a sinister smile curved his lips.
The apex predator bloodline of the Comoyin Giant Serpent was urging him on — to kill! To destroy! To annihilate everything!
This was the emotional affliction of warlocks, and after his ascension to Morning Star, Leilin — whose soul had merged with that of the Comoyin Giant Serpent — had inherited all of these violent emotions, making them his own.
This made the episodes even more troublesome, and could even have a profound impact on a wizard's personality.
Leilin had always been very careful to restrain himself, avoiding the erosion of these inner emotions. But now, with a great battle imminent and unprecedented pressure bearing down, some slight changes had finally begun to surface.
...
Regardless of what people outside thought, time continued to trickle by, and at last, the great festival of the Fire Feather people — the Sacred Birthday Festival — arrived.
Whenever Leilin went out recently, he could see that the streets and shops outside had become far more lively. Many young Fire Feather men and women were out on the streets frolicking without the slightest restraint, filling the air with a boisterous atmosphere.
Representatives from every region of the Atlant Federation, along with tourists and other visitors who had come of their own accord, had also been arriving in Transas City one after another, packing it to the brim. The result of this overcrowding was a frequent outbreak of all manner of public order incidents. Even officers like Leilin from the Military Affairs Office sometimes had to go out on field duty, which spoke volumes about how thin the security forces had become.
According to private intelligence from Gilbert and Emma, a large number of elite operatives from the Morbius Ring and the Three Serpent Church had also infiltrated Transas City, and much of the chaos had been instigated by them.
Moreover, the Atlant Federation's mortal enemy, the Fire Worship Empire, had also sent a massive diplomatic delegation this time, adding fuel to the fire.
"I have a feeling things are going to get very troublesome!"
Leilin lamented inwardly, but his expression remained impeccable. He was currently wearing a smart, well-fitted military officer's uniform, standing to one side with his other colleagues, while Red Pupil stood before a giant dressing mirror, adjusting the butterfly-shaped tie at his collar.
"Your Excellency the Chancellor! Your schedule for today is as follows: first, a speech to the Parliament, then a reception for the Fire Worship Empire's envoy, and the noon banquet..."
Beside Red Pupil, several secretaries holding paper and pens were chattering away about something, while a few maidservants were smoothing out the wrinkles in the train of Red Pupil's formal attire.
Shike, Burns, and the others were also standing nearby, dressed in their finest. Through the windows, one could see a great number of fireworks and salutes, with colorful confetti drifting through the sky, filling the air with a festive atmosphere.
"Enough! I have my own arrangements for today!" Red Pupil frowned and waved his hand, dismissing the still-chattering secretaries.
"Shike! You'll be accompanying me today!" Red Pupil said to Shike beside him, immediately bringing a flush of emotion to the man's eyes.
Watching his former superior's expression of both excitement and apprehension, Leilin was quite at a loss for words.
"This Chancellor's private life is really quite a mess. His previous marriage didn't produce any heirs, and now all he has is Shike, an illegitimate son, to carry on. Could he be hoping that Shike will inherit his political legacy and even become the next Federation Chancellor?"
If the other military officers knew that Leilin was silently mocking their great leader right now, they would probably want to tear him apart — though how that would actually play out was anyone's guess.
"Let's go!" After a while, once he was ready, Red Pupil was the first to board a carriage drawn by a flock of scarlet birds, with Shike following closely behind.
"Lei! You come too!" Burns, bringing up the rear, glanced at Leilin and suddenly ordered.
"But... my assignment is to remain at the residence!" Leilin's face showed hesitation, but inwardly he immediately began cursing up a storm.
Staying behind today was supposed to be perfectly normal — with his lack of seniority, he naturally couldn't show his face at Parliament or similar venues. But this suited him just fine. Wherever Red Pupil went today wouldn't be peaceful anyway, and there was nothing to gain from it. How could it possibly compare to hiding in the residence and immediately digging up his treasure the moment something went wrong?
What good was there in going out with Red Pupil? A casual remark from Burns had thrown his plans for the day into disarray.
Seeing Burns, a shadow of gloom passed through Leilin's mind. Whether the man had sensed something or simply had it in for him, he had recently been causing trouble behind the scenes, practically bordering on open hostility.
"...As you command, sir!"
To outside observers, Leilin merely hesitated for a moment before eagerly agreeing in a loud voice, his face alight with wild joy. This immediately earned him envious looks from the other officers staying behind, none of whom knew that Leilin was mentally rolling his eyes.
Burns was his superior after all, and even if he disagreed, there was nothing he could do about it.
"Fine! I'll just rendezvous with Gilbert and Emma when the time comes. The moment things go south, we activate the coordinates and head back. As if Red Pupil could follow us all the way to the
Leilin stood at the back of the motorcade, thinking things over.
Gilbert and Emma had first used disguise and hard work to obtain minor noble titles, then by wholesale selling off the Three Serpent Church's interests and secrets, had risen to the ranks of count and viscount, earning them the right to attend today's celebration.
With three Comoyin Giant Serpent warlocks working together, even Red Pupil would have difficulty taking them down, so their safety was well assured.
"However, this Burns — he deserves to die! He'd better not cross my path today, or else..."
Leilin lowered his head slightly, concealing the violent crimson glow in his eyes.
After accompanying Red Pupil through a tedious and jumbled speech in Parliament, Leilin followed the Chancellor and the other senior officials to the Oath and Victory Square, where they prepared to welcome the envoys from the Fire Worship Empire.
Behind Red Pupil were representatives from every major region, along with a large number of high-ranking officials and nobility. Gilbert and Emma were among them, and upon seeing Leilin, they nodded to him almost imperceptibly.
"Boom!" "Boom!"
As if an earthquake had struck, a line of fire appeared on the horizon, and only then did Leilin see the massive number of fire elementals.
These fire elementals came in all sizes, and didn't even necessarily have humanoid forms — many were shaped like beasts. Their bodies were composed entirely of flame and magma, radiating scorching heat.
Even as a single delegation walked past, it left two long scorch marks on the ground, causing the temperature across the entire square to steadily rise.
Fortunately, most Fire Feather people practiced the Fire Feather Technique, and the officials and nobles on the square all had at least the third level, so they didn't find the heat particularly unbearable.
Any creature capable of surviving in a world of molten lava necessarily possessed tremendous tolerance for extreme heat.
Diplomatic officials from both sides stepped forward, and another round of elaborate courtesies and ceremonies ensued, enough to make Leilin yawn repeatedly.
Whether as a researcher in his previous life or as a wizard in this one, he had absolutely zero interest in this sort of ceremonial affair.
Compared to such things, he would much rather conduct a few more experiments in his laboratory, or verify a few more hypotheses, or even just go meditate!
And this was the consensus of the vast majority of wizards in the Wizard World!
But in the Molten Lava World, things had apparently changed somewhat. Compared to wizards who more closely resembled researchers, the Fire Feather people here who practiced the Fire Feather Technique were more akin to knights, with a great appetite for mundane interests like territory.
In fact, unlike the wizards of the Wizard World who had retreated to the second line, manipulating nations from behind the scenes, the power holders of the Molten Lava World preferred to take the field themselves, controlling the entire system from the front.