"A wizard who, by some twist of fate, arrived in the Dream World and became enamored of its strange environment, even taking on a native as an apprentice…"
Leilin Farell quietly speculated about what had happened back then.
"He even developed specialized spiritual Meditation Methods and wizard spells tailored to the power of dreams and the apprentice's constitution, just to adapt to this world…"
"And then, under some irresistible external force, the wizard's castle was reduced to ashes overnight, and the apprentice subsequently vanished…"
This was probably what had truly transpired. Leilin had no particular desire to dig deeper—as long as he obtained the materials in hand, this foray into the Dream World would be considered a resounding success.
"That wizard who ended up stranded here must have been at least at the Dawn Sun level, or perhaps an even higher-order being of Laws…"
The more he studied the documents, the more Leilin admired that long-lost wizard.
Leilin had the Chip's assistance, which allowed him to analyze the power of dreams with relative ease. That wizard had no such convenient tool and could only painstakingly experiment, groping his way toward an energy system suited to the Dream World, then refine it using his own experience.
For Leilin, obtaining this energy system was more important than anything else! The utilization of dream power could soon be put into practice.
"Thank you—this information is extremely important to me!" Leilin said.
With a solemn expression, Leilin carefully stowed the beast skin and cut off the middle-aged man's hesitant words. "I have urgent matters to attend to, and there is often great danger wherever I go. I'm afraid I cannot accept your charge. As compensation, however—these two documents both contain methods for obtaining power. I hope you'll accept them!"
A flash of light flickered across Leilin's hands, and two scrolls materialized before him.
They contained cultivation methods for both the path of wizards and the path of knights. While only the most fundamental portions were included, they were more than sufficient for these natives.
Moreover, precisely because they covered the basics, they were broadly applicable. Leilin had even written them in the natives' own script, ensuring they could read and understand them.
"This… this is truly…" The middle-aged man's face reddened with embarrassment, but he accepted the two gifts all the same.
After all, for his people, what Leilin had offered was far too valuable.
This also made Leilin wonder—why hadn't that Molin from back then passed down the methods for obtaining power? He figured it was probably due to the great wizard's strict orders. In any case, the man had long since disappeared, and it would likely remain a mystery.
"Also, I have plenty of food and supplies on me, and I'd like to arrange a trade with you… I wonder if you'd be interested?"
Seeing that the other had accepted his gifts, a glint of light flashed in Leilin's eyes, and he smiled as he spoke.
"A trade? What kind of trade?" The middle-aged man was somewhat confused. Would a wizard lord from a resource-rich alternate world really need anything they had?
"All kinds of specimens—plants, animals, anything. I'll take them all. Also, if you have anything whose purpose is unclear, you can sell those to me too. I'll pay in food!" Leilin said without batting an eye. He had no shortage of storage-type Magical Items on his person, and he always made a habit of bringing along stacks of dried rations and such whenever he ventured out. His supplies were extraordinarily abundant, and even if they somehow ran short, he could always make another trip back.
With the
"Specimens? The previous lord did something similar, I believe. Rest assured—I will absolutely fulfill this request for you!" The middle-aged man thumped his chest in assurance.
"Then I'll be waiting here for good news!" Leilin smiled mildly.
How much time and energy did he have on his own? Delegating the collection of ordinary specimens to these natives was the best possible arrangement.
Moreover, the beast skin the other had provided had given him considerable inspiration. Perhaps these people possessed other extraordinary items as well.
Meanwhile, food resources that were commonplace in the Wizard World were incomparably scarce here, which only expanded Leilin's room to maneuver. For the sake of profit, he had no qualms about playing the role of a shrewd merchant. Compared to what he stood to gain, what he was giving up was trivially insignificant.
Once word of this spread, the entire temporary camp erupted with excitement.
Countless rocks, plants, and even biological tissues were brought to Leilin, and he turned none away. Any specimen he hadn't seen before could be exchanged for a portion of food. Due to the lack of manpower,
But in truth, opportunities for this kind of large-scale acquisition were exceedingly rare. The total value of all the food combined didn't even amount to a few Magic Stones—it was practically a profit-for-nothing deal.
For the time being, both sides were thoroughly satisfied.
…
"Uncle Leilin! Look at this!" Gillian handed over a strange mass of flesh that resembled numerous eyeballs glued together. "I've never seen anything like it!"
"Mm." Leilin examined the peculiar material, a faint blue luminescence flickering in his eyes.
[Unknown item detected. Unable to scan!]the Chip reported immediately.
"Where did you find this?" Leilin glanced past Gillian at the native behind her—a young man whose forehead bore purple markings that formed the shape of an exotic flower bud.
"Near… near the new node!" Swept by Leilin's gaze, the young man grew extremely nervous, his words coming out in a stammer.
"A fine specimen. You've earned three pounds of black bread, or anything of equivalent value!" Leilin nodded, and the young man immediately broke into a wide grin.
Something he'd merely picked up off the ground carried this kind of value? For him, it was practically a gift.
Leilin casually took the object from Gillian's hands and stowed it away. In truth, this kind of expenditure was negligible. Even if what someone brought wasn't particularly remarkable, as long as Leilin hadn't seen it before, he would basically accept it.
At this accumulation rate, within a short period of time, he had effectively obtained at least one copy of virtually every geological, botanical, and biological specimen in the surrounding area.
Even those unknown curiosities had piled up in Leilin's possession. Though many turned out to be junk, as long as even one proved valuable, he was already ahead.
"Uncle Leilin, the number of people today is much smaller!" Gillian appeared before Leilin, her eyes rolling around mischievously, her thoughts unreadable.
"Of course. I already have the basic specimens, and collecting ones from farther away takes time…" Leilin had anticipated this.
After all, with the Chip, anything already stored in his database was something he wouldn't need a second copy of.
"Um… Uncle Leilin…" Gillian also wore a hesitant expression.
"I know what you want to say, little Gillian." Leilin patted her on the head. "But it's dangerous and troublesome around me. If you followed along, it would only cause problems…"
Seeing Gillian lower her head, Leilin consoled her with an amused smile. "Hasn't your father already gathered a group of youths to start teaching what I've instructed? You could learn from them too…"
"Also, I'm planning to head back for a while. I'll return in a few days… Whatever you've collected, just stockpile it for now. Next time, I'll bring more food and supplies you need…"
Leilin sent Gillian off and began taking stock of the day's haul.
Plant and mineral specimens were disinfected, catalogued by the Chip, sorted into categories, and stored away in his waist pouch.
The Bloodline Warlock Alliance possessed extraordinarily rich resources, and for Leilin—who had advanced to the fifth-level Radiant Moon—as long as he didn't cross any hard lines, he could freely access certain resources.
At the very least, he had secured for himself a storage item of magical artifact grade, whose capacity far exceeded his original Endless Pouch.
But even so, his food reserves had been nearly depleted. After all, he had originally stocked supplies based on sustaining just himself, and the fact that they had lasted this long was already impressive.
"In truth, if the
The next day, after bidding farewell to Gillian and the natives of the temporary camp, Leilin set off on the return journey, loaded with specimens and curiosities.
"Judging by the laboratory's fluctuation curve, this kind of space-time transition can still be sustained for a while. This camp is the perfect conduit for obtaining every specimen and curiosity in the surrounding area!"
Leilin stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Besides, that Gillian seems to be reaching the threshold as well. With just a little persuasion, I could get her to willingly come to the Wizard World. When I leave, I could also quietly take a few natives along—that would secure enough specimens going forward…"
Everything Leilin was doing now was premised on the assumption that the Astral Plane Laboratory might become unusable, and he was preparing for that eventuality.
"But regardless, obtaining the wizard's message on that beast skin alone makes this trip a tremendous success!"
Leilin smiled with deep satisfaction.
[Warning! Warning! The Astral Plane Laboratory is under attack! First-level Runes activating! Energy reserves at 34.7%!]
At that very moment, the bright red warning text that suddenly scrolled across the Chip's display plunged Leilin into shock.