"Mm! This Pendant of the Fallen Star is limited by its original materials — a low-tier Magical Artifact is already its ceiling..."
Leilin still felt somewhat regretful, but Krupp across from him was so excited he was practically foaming at the mouth.
Even more emotional than Krupp was Dalenlai. Upon hearing that the Pendant of the Fallen Star had been directly upgraded to a Magical Artifact, she first froze in shock, then threw herself at Leilin's feet. "Honored Lord Farell! Please take me as your apprentice! No — a great
"Are you... serious?" Leilin gazed at this female wizard, and in her eyes, he saw a clear longing and pursuit of knowledge that reminded him very much of his younger self.
Krupp's face tightened beside them. Having her serve as the Wizard's apprentice was one thing, but servitude or even becoming a test subject — for a Dark Wizard, those terms were practically synonymous with expendable consumables.
This female wizard was either throwing her life away, or staking her very existence on the pursuit of truth!
"My lord..." Krupp opened his mouth but could say nothing.
To Leilin, he was nothing more than a descendant of his brother's bloodline. Beyond that tenuous connection, there were no real bonds between them. Speaking up before establishing his standing in Leilin's eyes would be extremely risky.
"I currently have no plans to take on students, and I have no shortage of servants!"
Leilin's calm declaration dimmed the light in Dalenlai's eyes.
"However, I will allow you to observe alongside me for a period of time. How much you can learn in that time depends on you!"
Then, Leilin's next words pulled Dalenlai — who had felt herself plummeting into hell — right back up to heaven.
"Thank you, my lord!" Tears welled up in Dalenlai's eyes.
But Leilin wasn't finished. "As an equal exchange, what can you offer me?"
"Everything I have!" Dalenlai's voice was unwavering.
"Good. Then swear! Swear upon your soul and honor — from this day forward, your power, your body, your soul, and everything else you possess shall belong to the head of the South Coast Farell branch family — Krupp Farell!"
Leilin's tone was utterly serene, yet it made Krupp's eyes go wide. "What? Me?"
"I swear!" Dalenlai glanced at Krupp beside her, then immediately made the vow with her soul. With Leilin standing as witness, unless a Rule-tier Wizard specifically intervened on her behalf in the future, the oath's binding would persist for the rest of her life.
And the likelihood of any seventh-tier or above existence bothering to act on Dalenlai's behalf could essentially be considered zero.
"Ancestor, why?" Krupp looked at Dalenlai beside him, his face full of confusion.
"As a descendant of our Farell family, you should be continuing our bloodline." Leilin smiled. "Dalenlai is a good choice — she has fine talent, and you've seen her resolve and character..."
Perceptive as always, Leilin had long noticed the faint hint of affection Krupp harbored toward Dalenlai.
It made no difference to him. Besides, as the true heir of the Farell family, helping Krupp seek revenge was one matter — but ensuring the entire Farell family branched out and flourished as quickly as possible was something Leilin felt he should do as well.
At the very least, once this was done, he would feel that most of his debts and obligations to this family had been repaid.
Hearing Leilin's words — so brazenly shameless yet delivered with perfect candor — both Krupp and Dalenlai, despite being Wizards, couldn't help but flush with embarrassment.
"Ahem... so, my lord, where are we headed now?" Krupp cleared his throat and hastily changed the subject. Since birth, his life had been spent fleeing and studying — he had virtually no experience with these kinds of feelings. His earlier hint of affection for Dalenlai had been nothing more than finding her pleasant to look at.
"First, to the Great Black Marsh. I'd like to see how the old Academy is doing, and there are a few people I need to look into!"
Leilin smiled, deftly redirecting the conversation. "And it seems I'll need to demonstrate a bit of strength — establish a solid backing for the Farell family. Otherwise, continuing to be harassed like this would become rather tedious."
"Harassed?!" Krupp's face went from confused to stricken in an instant.
"Mister Leilin in the carriage — might I trouble you to come out and meet with us?"
At that moment, an aged voice penetrated the carriage interior.
"Let's go. We have guests." Leilin smiled, rising with a flick of his robe. Krupp and Dalenlai exchanged a glance and took positions on either side behind him in perfect unison.
"Hyaaa—!" The carriage ground to a halt as the Nightmare Horse let out an irritable roar.
Stepping outside the carriage, several elderly Wizards stood before Leilin.
At their head was a white-browed old man, his face layered with wrinkles upon wrinkles, covered in age spots, looking as though he might keel over at any moment. He wore a plain grey robe, but in his hand he held a dazzling golden staff — the words moments before had come from his mouth.
Beside him stood an elderly woman in a noblewoman's formal gown, her hair swept up and adorned with pearls and gems.
They were both standing atop an enormous banyan tree that now blocked the road. A massive face had emerged from the trunk.
This entire banyan tree was itself a Wizard — and its life force was the strongest of the three.
At the same time, upon seeing Leilin emerge, all three Wizards' faces showed visible wariness.
"Leilin Farell?" The staff-wielding Wizard spoke first.
"That's right." Leilin's body rose into the air, hovering above the carriage. Though not a single ripple of aura emanated from him, the Wizards opposite somehow felt an overwhelming sense of danger.
"I am Saint Nonofu Siva Andrenlier — you may call me Nonofu. Beside me are Madam Magilane and Lord Kefa Gigatree."
The elderly Wizard introduced himself. From all three Wizards, the signature of crystallized spiritual power was unmistakable — they had all achieved third-tier spiritual crystallization, making them fearsome Wizards!
Moreover, Leilin had picked up scattered traces of bloodline artifacts and mystical oddities from them, along with a high-tier Magical Artifact. They had clearly brought everything they had.
"Mm. You must be the highest echelon of the White Wizards, then."
Leilin nodded.
"That's right." Nonofu gave a bitter smile. Even at this proximity, he still could not directly sense any fluctuation from Leilin. The man's surroundings were like a boundless ocean, swallowing every probe he attempted without leaving a trace.
"You've come here about Ivek's affair?" Leilin asked casually.
Against these insects, he could have obliterated them with a single palm strike. But for the Farell family's sake, he probably needed to keep them alive — let them spread word of his terror.
"Ivek's matter was a private grudge between him and yourself. While your methods were perhaps... somewhat excessive, they are not entirely unacceptable!"
Upon discovering that Leilin was not to be trifled with, Nonofu immediately abandoned his original plan, making significant concessions.
Leilin watched all of this unfold with a sense of quiet tragedy.
If his strength had been lacking today, these Wizards would not have been nearly so accommodating. They would have attacked immediately and torn him to pieces for staining the honor of the White Wizards.
But upon realizing Leilin might be genuinely dangerous, Ivek's vendetta was instantly discarded.
After all, for the sake of a dead man — one whose entire family and subordinates had already been wiped out — to provoke a living, powerful Wizard would be profoundly irrational.
For the greater good, Ivek was simply sacrificed. The sight of it made even Leilin's teeth go cold.
This was precisely why he had so relentlessly strengthened himself, rather than depending primarily on organizations — to guard against exactly this kind of betrayal.
"However, Lord Ivek was still one of our own. Surely Mister Leilin should offer some gesture of goodwill?"
Nonofu now arrived at the crux of the matter.
"What kind of gesture?" Leilin regarded the old man with amusement.
"Mister Leilin was previously a professor at the
Nonofu spoke with righteous solemnity.
"And the root of all evil on the South Coast currently is the primordial abomination worshipped by the Soul Slaughtering Sect — Gegewu! Might Lord Leilin join us in an expedition to purge the Soul Slaughtering Sect? Surely, once you have made your due contribution, the Four Seasons Garden would warmly welcome your return..."
"Can't beat them, so you co-opt and assimilate them instead?"
Leilin chuckled inwardly. In truth, the old man was already laying out his terms — asking Leilin to produce accomplishments against the Soul Slaughtering Sect, even the killing of Gegewu, as restitution for what had happened. In return, they would even welcome him back, handing over the entirety of the Four Seasons Garden as a package deal. The audacity was almost admirable.
If Leilin had still been a third-tier limit Wizard, he might have genuinely considered the proposal. But with his current strength, he had no need to play nice with anyone.
"I refuse." Leilin's rejection was blunt and immediate. That Gegewu had long since earned a spot on his kill list, but he detested the feeling of being coerced into action.
"What?" The sheer decisiveness of the answer caught the old man off guard, and his expression darkened.
"That Gegewu has grievances with you as well, does it not? Is this not a solution that benefits everyone? Or would you rather defect to the Dark Wizards?"