"I was too naive. A professor at the Nine-Ring White Tower—even with the standards lowered repeatedly—isn't something a novice
In a juice shop, Leilin and Darlenlei sat across from each other. Leilin watched the pedestrians outside the floor-to-ceiling window while listening to Darlenlei recount her experiences since they parted.
Overall, Darlenlei was a talented and determined Wizard, but her only shortcoming was that she was far too young!
For Wizards, knowledge was power! At Darlenlei's age, having broken through to the formal Wizard rank was already remarkable, but when it came to the accumulation of knowledge and depth of foundation, she was no match for those old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years.
Therefore, when the Nine-Ring White Tower's recruitment came around, she failed without any surprise, being eliminated in the very first round.
The other female companions who had traveled with her fared roughly the same. After the crushing blow of the gap between ideals and reality, some had long since returned to their hometowns, while others had simply given up. Only Darlenlei, fueled by her refusal to concede, persisted in staying in Tristons City.
But soon, she faced a dire problem—she was out of money!
Don't be fooled into thinking formal Wizards were wealthy. In reality, a newly promoted Wizard's resources and Magic Stones had already been exhausted during the advancement process. With no special skills, and unable to afford Spell Templates or other means of strengthening herself due to a lack of Magic Stones, a vicious cycle formed. Generally speaking, the period immediately after promotion was when Wizards were poorest, and the cost of living in Tristons City was far more than Darlenlei could bear.
Not to mention she still needed to save up Magic Stones to purchase Spiritual Power potions and Spell Templates.
Therefore, after much agonizing deliberation, Darlenlei swallowed her pride and decided to look for a job to support herself.
But reality struck her another vicious blow! Ordinary jobs were beneath her, and those positions requiring formal Wizards were ones she didn't qualify for. She had already been rejected many times, and today Leilin happened to witness one such occasion.
"In just a few days, I didn't expect your experiences to be so eventful..."
Leilin wanted to laugh but held it back.
He had taken the Bloodline Warlock path, and at each advancement, he had been a powerhouse among his peers. With the Chip helping him cheat, his knowledge accumulation was in no way inferior to some of those old monsters. He had never experienced anything like this.
In truth, Wizards like Darlenlei were the norm in the Wizard world.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Leilin asked kindly. Magic Stones and such were something he genuinely didn't care about anymore.
To him, current Magic Stones were no better than rocks on the ground. He certainly didn't mind using some for a good cause.
"No, thank you. I've taken on a Starlight Grass gathering quest. The pay is quite good—enough to support myself for a while." Darlenlei refused. She was still a strong and proud girl who couldn't accept such charity.
"Oh! Starlight Grass!"
Leilin casually checked with the Chip: "This herb seems to only be produced around Imboler Town. Although it's not far from Tristons City and easy to gather, there happens to be a wave of Soul Slayers lurking in the area recently. So there is danger..."
"No wonder..." Darlenlei covered her small mouth. "I was wondering why the quest was so simple yet the pay so generous! How annoying..."
Seeing her troubled expression, Leilin couldn't help but smile: "I happen to be heading there myself. Why don't we go together..."
"Sir..." Darlenlei was visibly moved, tears even glistening in the corners of her eyes.
"I really do have business there!" Leilin emphasized. After these few days of waiting, and with the bloodline and soul impulses he had sent out, that Farrell family descendant had arrived in the area and would soon be near Imboler Town!
Otherwise, why would Leilin bother? Tossing Darlenlei a few Magic Stones was one thing, but spending his precious time accompanying her on a trip was another matter entirely.
"Then thank you so much!" Darlenlei bowed deeply, a blush spreading across her cheeks and trailing downward.
...
The axle kept turning, producing creaking sounds. The uneven road caused the carriage to shake constantly.
Inside the carriage, Darlenlei looked at Leilin's mysterious face concealed behind a black mask, seeming somewhat hesitant. After a long moment, she asked: "S-Sir, my name is Darlenlei. May I ask yours..."
Because Leilin had been wearing a mask the entire time, Darlenlei assumed he wanted to conceal his identity, so she hadn't asked his name before. But now that the two of them were heading to Imboler Town together, not asking would be terribly rude.
"Oh, my name is Leilin!" Leilin answered honestly. And in his perception, that bloodline descendant was already very close to the town.
However, the other person's life force had weakened to an extreme degree, with death energy even swirling around them. If Leilin didn't go meet them, they probably wouldn't make it to Tristons City.
"Leilin!" Darlenlei murmured the name a few times, then her expression changed: "Sir Leilin's name happens to be the same as a Wizard from our history textbook!"
"Oh?" Leilin stroked his chin. For the Wizard world, the Third Great Wizard War and the rise of the Soul Slayer Cult were both very serious events that had to be thoroughly documented.
And Leilin, who had been the hidden catalyst, was naturally mentioned. Darlenlei had excellent grades, so she still remembered.
"Hehe... To think that Lord Leilin shares the same name as that historical Wizard! How interesting! Hehe..."
Darlenlei covered her lips, her shoulders trembling slightly with delicate ripples.
Whether it was because she had no guard against Leilin, or because she was bewildered by the Dream Illusion Force Field that constantly surrounded him, she never once considered the possibility that Leilin was that very Wizard from history.
"Oh? Then, may I ask what history's evaluation of that 'Leilin' was?"
Leilin had to admit, he was quite curious about how the South Coast's Wizard historians had judged him.
"Of course!" Darlenlei nodded, then closed her eyes as if recalling the relevant content about Leilin: "'Toxic Monarch' Leilin Farrell, a powerhouse from the Keli Archipelago, a Second-rank Wizard, and an important figure who triggered the Third Great Wizard War. Initially a student at Black Bone Forest Academy, he later defected to the
Darlenlei recited the passage as if reading from a textbook, which drew a self-deprecating smile from Leilin.
"Never thought I'd make it into a textbook one day!" Leilin touched the smooth, cold mask on his face, somewhat speechless.
"So, what do you think of him?" Leilin asked Darlenlei with some curiosity.
"That 'Leilin' from history?" Darlenlei's eyes grew misty, as if shrouded in fog: "He was a Wizard genius! Rumor has it he even attained the mastery of a Potion Grandmaster, but his character seems quite terrible. I don't like him!"
"Looks like I left quite a bad impression on the South Coast." Leilin shook his head helplessly. "Actually..."
"Actually what? Oh right, Sir Leilin, why do you keep asking me about that Leilin from history?"
Even someone as dense as Darlenlei was starting to catch on.
"Oh! Nothing... Imboler Town has arrived!" Leilin opened the carriage window and nodded.
Starlight Grass was a Wizard product unique to the surroundings of Imboler Town. The tender green blades bore scattered silver specks in an orderly pattern, emitting a soft, shimmering glow—very hard to mistake for anything else.
Because of the Soul Slayer Cult's threat, Imboler Town had lost contact with Tristons City. Otherwise, the quest for gathering Starlight Grass wouldn't offer such generous pay.
"There are so few people in town. I can't even find anyone to buy from!" Darlenlei said helplessly.
Now that she knew how dangerous it was here, she didn't want to stay any longer. If she could directly purchase enough Starlight Grass, she wouldn't have to agonize over it. But the Soul Slayer Cult's infamy was terrible—everywhere they went, they harvested souls, sparing no one. After receiving the news, nearly everyone in the entire town had fled, with many freemen directly leaving the area as refugees, leaving the town desolate. The alchemists and herb gatherers who had once been everywhere were now nowhere to be seen.
"Mm... Looks like I'll have to gather it myself..."
Darlenlei lowered her head in dismay, then glanced at Leilin beside her: "Lord Leilin, what brings you here?"
In her eyes, Leilin's clothes were exceedingly luxurious—even a single glove of his was worth her entire net worth. His manners were impeccable as well, clearly indicating he came from an ancient Wizard noble family. Such a person couldn't possibly care about the profits from Starlight Grass.
"Me?" Leilin smiled: "I'm here to meet someone!"
"Mm! You agreed to meet at Imboler Town? Would it be convenient for you to tell me his name? I could keep an eye out for him as well..."
Darlenlei asked.
"Yes! He's a junior from my family. As for his name..."
Leilin scratched his head. He had used the power of his soul, channeling through the bloodline connection, to directly guide that Farrell family descendant here. How would he know the person's name?
"Oh! No need—he's already arrived!" Leilin's eyebrows shot up as he walked out on his own, with Darlenlei following close behind, her eyes full of curiosity.
After following Leilin out of the town, a scene of pursuit quickly unfolded before Darlenlei's eyes.