"Lord Leilin is truly incredibly learned!"
Nunov offered a word of praise, then continued: "After the ruin cluster appeared, the seal here began unsealing at a gradual pace. No matter how many methods we tried, we couldn't stop the process…"
"So you were all out of options, and only then did you think of me!"
Leilin gave a cold snort, and it made both Nunov and Dark Flame break into a cold sweat.
Paying no heed to the two wizards, Leilin stroked his chin and fell deep into thought.
Although the underground world was rich in resources, the violent invasions of the ancient wizards long ago had left most subterranean races with no goodwill toward humanity. Even if some underground humans still remained, after so many years, whether they would still acknowledge themselves as part of the human race — or whether they had simply thrown in their lot with the underground world — the latter possibility was far more likely.
The underground world was vast and boundless. Even in the first layer, Morning Star powerhouses were not scarce, and Fifth-rank existences likely resided there as well.
The Dark Pole Region from before was merely a tiny fraction of this first layer, much as the South Coast was to the surface wizarding world, and it had been cut off for ages — yet even so, it harbored a great many terrifying alien beings.
It was therefore easy to understand why Nunov and Dark Flame had panicked so immediately upon seeing the seal begin to crumble.
"Chip, calculate — at the current rate, how much longer can the seal hold?"
A blue light flickered in Leilin's eyes.
[Ding! Based on the seal's decay rate, estimated time until full collapse: 28,572 hours, 34 minutes, 12 seconds!]
After a rapid series of computations, the Chip delivered an answer precise down to the second.
For a Chip that had already been upgraded multiple times, a calculation of this magnitude was trivially simple.
"Exactly why did you bring me here? If it's to reinforce the seal, I'm afraid I can delay the process by at most a hundred years…"
Once the calculation was finished, Leilin stroked his chin and addressed both Nunov and Dark Flame.
"How… how can that be? My lord, you are a Morning Star wizard!"
This result left both Nunov and Dark Flame struggling to believe it.
"Hmph! Reinforcing this seal alone — while it would be rather difficult, it is not beyond my ability. But the problem is, the entire Ganges Secret Realm has been fully explored for several hundred years now, and most of the ruins within it have already been destroyed by you…"
Leilin shot a cold look at Nunov and Dark Flame, his tone far from friendly. "In truth, the entire Ganges Secret Realm is part of this seal. The wizard who set it up long ago determined the exact timing of its appearance, and he even exploited your greed to artificially accelerate the process…"
"At this point, the unsealing of the entire seal is already inevitable!"
"It's over! Is the South Coast truly going to be completely destroyed?" Nunov's eyes glazed over with despair. If the underground world truly connected through, his Nine-Ring White Tower would have no option but to flee overseas and migrate en masse.
On the other side, Dark Flame's expression was equally grim. With historical records as his reference, he understood all too well the brutality of the underground races and their hatred for humanity.
If they were to seize this place, it would not just be the wizards — ordinary humans as well would face extermination.
Watching these two wizards caught in their desperate struggle, Leilin's gaze remained perfectly calm.
In truth, with his Radiant Moon-level strength and the Chip's assistance, if he went all out and was willing to expend a variety of rare materials, sealing this secret realm entirely was not impossible. But the key question was — what benefit would that bring him?
Nunov and Dark Flame were both Third-rank wizards, as insignificant as ants before the underground races. Naturally, they had no wish to see the subterranean forces seep upward and threaten their position.
But Leilin was different! He was already a Fifth-rank Warlock! His combat power was extraordinary, and the first layer of the underground world was the weakest of all the subterranean layers — he had every prerequisite for dealing with underground powerhouses on equal terms.
With the underground world's abundant mineral resources and its magic system inherited from the ancients — completely distinct from the surface — the profit it could bring Leilin would be immense.
He believed that it was not only him. Even other Morning Star existences from the Central Continent, if they learned of this passage, would not choose to seal it.
"Well? Have you made up your minds? If you are willing, I can act to reinforce the seal and buy you a hundred years…"
After waiting a few minutes, Leilin spoke in a composed tone.
"Then… we shall trouble Lord Leilin!" Nunov and Dark Flame exchanged a glance before finally gritting their teeth and making the request.
No matter what, if they could gain an extra hundred years, whether for formulating countermeasures or for an outright evacuation, it would give them far more leeway.