"Bofiel?! Could that be the Wings of Sacred Light, and 'Your Excellency'? Is that what they called Morning Stars in ancient times? And His Highness the Sky Throne? Oh! Heavens! Could this Wizard actually be a Morning Star too?"
The bespectacled witch sneaked a glance at Leylin, only to find his presence as deep and unfathomable as mountains and oceans. She quickly lowered her head, feeling a twinge of shame at her earlier assumptions.
Bofiel didn't so much as glance at her. Although the use of force was forbidden within the Library — which meant Morning Star domains were similarly restricted — and so she had overheard a thing or two, these were all open matters. There was nothing to hide.
"Oh! My apologies! The knowledge here is simply too rich — it made me lose track of time entirely!"
Leylin rose to his feet, a hint of apology surfacing on his face.
"Disturbing a Wizard immersed in the ocean of knowledge — may their soul be placed atop the flames of nine hells for eternal torment! Why would I mind in the slightest?"
Bofiel's words were quite humorous, earning a great deal of goodwill from Leylin.
Moreover, he found it entirely unremarkable that Leylin had been spending every day buried in the Library. Many scholarly Wizards, once they arrived in Sky City, made the Grand Library their first priority, moving in for anywhere from several months to over a decade. Had it not been for a lack of exchange points, some would have stayed for the rest of their lives. Compared to them, Leylin had only been here a little over a month — perfectly normal! His exchange points were rather excessive, but that was understandable given that he had just returned from an extraplanar world and brought back a vast trove of foreign knowledge, all of which he could immediately comprehend.
"Very well. I'll head out now!"
Leylin returned the books to their original places. His gains this time had been substantial, and the Grand Library no longer held much that was particularly useful for him. Besides, being summoned by His Highness the Sky Throne meant he ought to at least tidy himself up beforehand — basic courtesy dictated as much.
"And you there, little miss — so studious!"
Leylin glanced at the witch nearby who looked as though she wanted to hide her entire body behind the book she was holding.
"Lord Bofiel, and this… Lord! Please forgive my offense!" Cold sweat had already broken out across the witch's forehead.
Though Sky City was a peaceful place governed by law, Morning Stars always enjoyed certain privileges. If either Leylin or Bofiel took a dislike to her, they wouldn't even need to lift a finger themselves — her fate would be equally wretched.
"Haha… No need to fear! I should actually thank you for keeping me company while reading all these past month and more! Consider this a gift!"
Leylin smiled, and the library card in his hand shot out, swiping against the witch's card and transferring his remaining exchange points to her.
The Grand Library held no further significance for Leylin now, so keeping the exchange points was of little use to him.
"This is…" Though the exchange points remaining on Leylin's card were negligible — practically zero, as far as he was concerned — for the witch, this was a fortune! A gasp of astonishment escaped her lips.
By the time she recovered from her excitement and turned to thank Leylin, the others had already walked far away.
"Lord Leylin's generosity toward other Wizards is truly admirable!" Bofiel, however, seemed somewhat puzzled by Leylin's gesture. After all, the records didn't paint him as the sort of person who would do something like this.
"Heh… I was simply in a good mood!" Leylin laughed.
This explanation immediately set Bofiel at ease. Warlocks truly were a volatile and emotional bunch — Leylin had found something of value in the Library, and in his good spirits, he casually tipped a low-ranking Wizard. Such behavior would be very unusual for an ordinary Wizard, but among Warlocks, it was a common enough occurrence.
Bofiel paid no further mind to Leylin's momentary kindness. Instead, he offered Leylin a few reminders about the proper etiquette when being received by the Sky Throne.
"I have a question…" Leylin went straight to the point with Bofiel. "I'm nothing more than a minor Morning Star. Why would His Highness the Sky Throne wish to see me?"
He was a Radiant Sun Wizard — not only did his influence span the entire central continent and his grip on the Airship network remain absolute, he even possessed a fully conquered otherworld, with Morning Star and Brilliant Moon Wizards emerging under his command in endless succession.
Such a person should have been towering far above everyone else. Why would he suddenly want to see Leylin?
Although Leylin had harbored the intention of meeting the other party and using the coordinates of the Lava World as a bargaining chip, he had never let that intention show.
"Then this is very suspicious…"
Leylin stroked his chin, and the first thing that came to mind was Jupiter's Thunder. There was no helping it — he had few enemies on the central continent to begin with, and the only force capable of exerting even slight influence over the City of the Sky was, by any reckoning, Jaysa alone.
"But I was actually worried you wouldn't come!"
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Leylin's lips.
At the very center of the City of the Sky stood a massive floating garden, forming a floating-island landscape within the floating city itself.
And this garden was the center of power for the entire City of the Sky — the Hanging Garden! It also served as a secondary residence of His Highness the Sky Throne.
"I am Bofiel! Make way!"
With Leylin — now cleaned up and dressed in formal attire — in tow, Bofiel flew straight up to the Hanging Garden.