"I'm afraid when Geoffrey and the others first invited me to Morning Star
Leilin silently pondered.
A sixth-level bloodline, combined with that prophecy—most likely all the high-ranking warlocks regarded that sixth-level bloodline bearer as the hope for the warlocks' resurgence.
As for this, Leilin harbored no jealousy.
No matter how talented a warlock might be, they still had to go through the passage of time to grow, and the higher the bloodline, the longer the required growth period.
Before that person had fully matured, in Leilin's eyes, they were nothing more than a warlock with decent potential.
Perhaps he would offer some gentle guidance and words of encouragement, maybe even give a few gifts as a show of investment, but if the person still wasn't satisfied, he wouldn't hesitate to help them face reality.
And if they harbored resentment over it, well, it wouldn't be out of the question to simply make them "disappear." No matter how brilliant a warlock was, before they had fully matured, they were nothing at all.
As for being the organization's hope, the warlock's throne, and all that? Sorry, but Leilin had never given any of that a moment's thought.
He never placed his hopes on others—only himself was truly reliable.
"However, those Brilliant Moon Warlocks actually didn't tell me about such important news, leaving me to learn about it from outsiders. Truly…"
Thinking of the way those Brilliant Moon Warlocks had handled things, Leilin shook his head with a speechless sigh.
Of course, he understood that these warlocks had their reasons. The Bloodline Throne was far too significant to the Warlock Alliance—it was the very hope of every warlock's rise to power! That was why they had to nip every potential threat in the bud.
As for Leilin himself, his origins were unclear, and he was so mysterious—in such a short time he had advanced to the rank of fifth-level warlock. Setting aside the possibility of him being a sleeper agent or spy, even the mere prospect of rivalry with that genius was enough to make these warlocks furrow their brows.
It was true that heroes appreciate other heroes, but in the wizard's world, the scenario where two supreme geniuses took a dislike to each other and eventually became bitter enemies was far more common—and that was exactly what worried these high-ranking warlocks.
And so, they simply hadn't made the news public, merely hinting at it vaguely during their conversations with Leilin. They left it at that, figuring that once the genius eventually ascended to the sixth-level Bloodline Throne and the gap between them had widened, they would have nothing to fear.
Though he understood the higher-ups' thinking all too well, that didn't mean Leilin would simply accept it.
The growth of a sixth-level bloodline was truly terrifying. As time passed, that person would inevitably surpass Leilin—after all, these high-ranking warlocks could never have imagined that Leilin held so many hidden trump cards.
Naturally, their general preference for the other party was a perfectly normal thing.
It wasn't as though Leilin had no ambitions regarding the Bloodline Alliance, but he placed far greater emphasis on himself. If he broke through the bloodline shackles and entered the sixth-level realm, these warlocks would inevitably flock to his side in the end.
In the wizard's world, individual strength was everything. Other organizations and powers weren't entirely useless, but when the gap in personal power was too vast, they were nothing more than icing on the cake.
At this thought, Leilin let out a cold laugh and activated the crimson bat-shaped secret seal on his hand. "Lord Geoffrey? I have some matters to discuss with you!"
"Lord Leilin! I'll be right there!" The true bodies of these fifth-level warlocks were all located within Morning Star Space, making travel extremely convenient.
Almost immediately after the communication ended, Geoffrey arrived at Leilin's castle.
Colorful flower petals floated on the surface of the steaming tea, wisps of white vapor carrying a rich fragrance. Several alchemical maids served tea and refreshments, then bowed gracefully to Leilin and Geoffrey before quietly withdrawing.
"Lord Leilin, your mechanical puppets are remarkably well-crafted. That special quality in their movements, especially…"
Geoffrey watched the maids' retreating figures, a thoughtful expression forming on his face.
To him, Leilin's puppets were exquisitely constructed—at the very least the work of a master-level alchemist. Rare as they were, for Brilliant Moon practitioners they were merely a matter of investing a bit more effort.
However, the programming written into the puppets—the unique aura conveyed by their movements that eliminated any stiffness and instead carried an air of natural grace—now that was truly noteworthy.
One could say that having a full set of movements programmed in elevated these puppets' value considerably.
"Hehe… these are just things I made when I was bored. If Your Lordship likes them, I can send a few over!" Leilin smiled. This set of programming had, of course, been stored on his Chip from his previous life—bringing it out now was merely a way of reminiscing about the past.
The etiquette training from his previous life was, after all, somewhat different from that of the wizard's world, so it was perfectly understandable that the other party had noticed something.
Besides, ever since the Astral Gate experiments began, contact between the wizard's world and the outside had become increasingly common. At most, Leilin's work would be seen as having a touch of otherworldly style—nothing too significant.
After a few rounds of idle chatter, Geoffrey finally got to the point. "May I ask what Lord Leilin has invited me here for today?"
"It's like this!" Leilin set his teacup slowly down on the table. "Recently I met with the leader of Jupiter's Thunder, that witch
Leilin gave a brief account of his recent experiences, omitting of course the part where Melinda had invited him to go after the Flame Throne directly—that was too crazy—and saying only that they planned to target the other party's forces.
But even so, it was enough to leave Geoffrey visibly shaken.
"W-what? Move against a sixth-level
"According to her, she has the confidence to keep the matter contained, and the spoils can be split evenly between us… What do you think…"
Seeing Geoffrey's reaction, Leilin quietly shook his head but still delivered his prepared remarks.
"I don't approve!" Geoffrey rejected the proposal without a moment's hesitation.
"A sixth-level Throne is something we cannot afford to provoke at this time. While you are free to act as you wish, you still represent the will of our Warlock Alliance on the outside, and so I hope you won't do this…"
Geoffrey looked at Leilin, a hint of sincerity in his eyes. "I know you're feeling some reluctance, but what we need right now is patience! In at most another hundred and fifty years…"
"The new Bloodline Throne will have fully risen by then?" Leilin cut in coldly.
"You… how do you know?" The revelation that Leilin knew this earth-shattering news made Geoffrey's eyes go wide, and he spat out a mouthful of tea.
"Melinda told me!" Leilin sold out his teammate without the slightest hesitation, and upon seeing the wary look in Geoffrey's eyes, he knew the man would mobilize every resource at his disposal to investigate that woman.
"Besides, I've recently heard several similar prophecies—some of them even concern me…"
Leilin said this with an expression caught between laughter and tears.
In Geoffrey's eyes, this was Leilin's self-deprecating humor about his own bloodline. Bound by a fifth-level bloodline source, they could never possibly reach the sixth-level threshold—unless the bloodline shackles were broken. But how could this greatest obstacle that had plagued countless warlocks throughout the ages possibly be resolved so easily?
"Ah, the Great Astrologer's prophecy? I've heard of it too!" Geoffrey nodded. "In fact, many of these prophecies were deliberately spread by us to obscure the true content!"
"What content?" Leilin leaned forward slightly.
"Before this world's Cold Tide Returns—within the next hundred and fifty years—a Bloodline Throne belonging to the warlocks will surely rise!"
Geoffrey's face flushed with color, and a powerful gleam of hope radiated from his pupils. It was the resentment born from the warlocks' long suppression, along with all the hope they had accumulated.
"Because of the bloodline shackles, we Brilliant Moon Warlocks—even when we reach the pinnacle of True Spirit—cannot advance to Radiant Sun! But all of that is about to change. The sixth-level bloodline bearer has finally grown, and with the augmentation of his bloodline power, his advancement to Radiant Sun will undoubtedly be far smoother than that of an ordinary wizard. And his strength after advancing will only be greater. The revival of us bloodline warlocks is within sight!"
Geoffrey began to speak with growing fervor, but the look Leilin directed at him carried a note of pity. "Another fool who places all his hopes on someone else. No matter how capable such a person might be, they're still nothing but useless!"
A sharp gleam flickered in Leilin's eyes. "How many warlocks in the entire Bloodline Alliance had placed all their hope on that bloodline bearer, like Geoffrey? And how many warlocks did not wish to see that person grow? This was truly something he found very interesting…"
"Advancing in just a hundred and fifty years? Could it be…" Leilin said, feigning a guess.
"That's right! The one fifth-level warlock you haven't yet met—our ultimate trump card! The bearer of a sixth-level bloodline!"
Geoffrey bowed sincerely to Leilin. "Please forgive us for concealing this before. This hope is simply too important to us bloodline warlocks!"
Leilin helped Geoffrey to his feet, his expression solemn. "Lord Geoffrey's devotion is truly admirable! Rest assured—I will protect that person with my life!"
While Geoffrey may not have entirely believed Leilin, this declaration of loyalty was undoubtedly very satisfying to him.
After arranging a time to meet again, Geoffrey rose and departed from Leilin's castle.