According to the intelligence Leilin had previously obtained, each Supreme ruled over a continent in the Purgatory World.
And the Heier Continent was the territory of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents, yet a port devoted to the Filthbird had appeared along its coastal waters — this was already a probing move and a provocation.
"The Filthbird really does have some friction with the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents!" Recalling the scene of crossing the dimensional barrier, Leilin nodded.
"But... I have a feeling things won't be that simple..."
Leilin stroked his chin, as if something had occurred to him: "That father and son pair — Gaggaer and Gagduoer — there's something very off about them!"
They were of the Evil Eye race, devotees of the ancient Eye of Judgment, yet this was a port sheltered by the Filthbird. Even for a free port, their presence here was rather conspicuous.
Of course, in the age of pirates and seafaring, prosperous free ports were essentially fencing outlets for pirates — they could take in and shelter even the most vicious corsairs, so a bit of trade with a few Evil Eyes was hardly worth mentioning.
But Leilin still felt something was off.
Moreover, during the last encounter with the Thorn-backed Iron Whale, Gagduoer had only revealed his original bloodline race's power. He hadn't shown even a hint of anything related to the Path of Ritualism or Beast Soul techniques, as though he knew nothing about them at all — clearly hiding something.
"In that case! I might as well activate it! It was just a little contingency I set up out of boredom!"
Leilin stroked his chin. As far as he was concerned, even without their help, he could have made his way here on his own. All they had provided was intelligence services and passage on a ship. He had already settled that debt by lending a hand during the crisis and gifting the Whale Ambergris.
So he felt not the slightest bit of guilt about prying into their secrets.
"Chip! Begin!" Leilin commanded calmly.
[Ding! Task established. Connecting to
Before departing, as a precaution, Leilin had secretly planted Stardust Bugs on both Gaggaer and Gagduoer.
They, who hadn't even reached the extreme old period of the Morning Star level, had absolutely no resistance to the Stardust Bugs — they couldn't even detect them.
At this moment, the view zoomed in on a cellar-like space. Flickering orange candlelight wavered, casting the enormous pupils of Gaggaer and Gagduoer in dancing shadows.
"Oh? This situation..." Leilin's interest was immediately piqued.
And the Chip's deciphered and analyzed mental communications scrolled across the screen.
"My Lord, all our cargo this time is in order. We did encounter a Thorn-backed Iron Whale on the way, but fortunately there were no casualties!"
There was a third person in the cellar, cloaked in a wide mantle that concealed even their race and gender.
Their status seemed to be quite high — Gaggaer could only kneel to the side while Gagduoer delivered his report with evident deference.
"Additionally, in the coastal waters, we encountered a humanoid extraordinary. He called himself 'Lei' and possessed formidable spell-casting ability — capable of killing a Thorn-backed Iron Whale head-on. He specializes in metallic-type spells..."
Then, without the slightest reservation, Gagduoer sold Leilin out entirely, holding nothing back.
"'Lei'? That name is unfamiliar. A humanoid powerhouse? There's no intelligence on him in the surrounding waters!" A mechanical voice emanated from the dark figure.
"However..." its tone shifted, making Gagduoer's tentacles tremble involuntarily.
"Don't you know that for any powerhouse above the third tier, our organization's rules require us to do our utmost to recruit them — even to have them undergo the 'Sacred Eye Baptism' and experience the justice and majesty of the great Eye of Judgment?"
"My Lord! It's not like that! My Lord! We did our best to invite that Mr. Lei to stay, but his attitude was extremely firm. We were afraid he might discover something, so we didn't dare to force the matter..."
Seeing that the Lord seemed on the verge of anger, Gaggaer, who had been kneeling on the ground all this time, immediately cried out.
"Gaggaer!" Gagduoer whipped around nervously, a mental whip already forming.
But everything was just a beat too late.
"You seem... quite displeased with my questioning?" The dark figure cast a cold glance at Gaggaer, and with its words, the temperature in the entire cellar dropped noticeably.
Hsss... Accompanied by a bone-chilling serpent hiss, a phantom serpent manifestation materialized from beneath the figure's cloak and struck, sinking its fangs into Gaggaer.
Snap! His enormous single eye was instantly engulfed by a web of bloodshot veins. His tentacles retracted en masse, coiling into a writhing mass that rolled across the floor.
"Oh! No! My Lord! Please forgive Gaggaer's rashness!" Gagduoer's great eye pressed firmly against the ground.
"Just this once." The dark figure watched Gaggaer howl and writhe, its gaze utterly serene. After a dozen or so minutes, the phantom serpent finally withdrew its fangs and dissipated in a flash of white light.
"Gaggaer! Thank the Lord at once!" Countless tentacles spread from beneath Gagduoer, helping Gaggaer to his feet. His eye was now filled with abject terror, and his aura had clearly dropped by a tier — he had clearly suffered damage to his soul.
"Th-thank you, My Lord!" Gaggaer struggled to speak, his mental fluctuations halting and broken.
"Mm." The dark figure inclined its head, then changed the subject. "The transport of these supplies is critically important — it is a crucial link in my master's campaign against the evil forces of chaos. It must not fail. Although the share you're transporting is only a contingency reserve, it's still commendable..."
"We have the Eye of Judgment Supreme to thank for His protection..."
Both Gaggaer and Gagduoer answered with utmost gravity.
"Mm! After you rest here, deliver the supplies to the Heier Continent as quickly as possible. Although this is a port under the protection of the evil forces of chaos, and no one would expect us to use it, we still cannot afford to delay..."
The dark figure's expression was grave as it gave its instructions, and the Evil Eye father and son nodded repeatedly in assent. At the very end, as if casually, the dark figure suddenly asked: "Have you found out anything about that Lei's true origins?"
Hearing the topic that had just earned him punishment brought up again, Gaggaer shrank back immediately. Gagduoer, however, managed a bitter smile: "He gave me a very mysterious impression. He doesn't seem entirely ignorant of the Purgatory World, yet something about him felt off..."
"I've received intelligence that on the Heier Continent, the
The dark figure suddenly changed to a completely different topic, but a sharp gleam flashed through Gagduoer's enormous vertical eye.
"Does My Lord suspect that 'Lei' is the Wizard from another world?"
"It can only be called a possibility. But no matter how small the odds, it's worth trying. After all, the bounty they've quietly posted is quite generous. And the Holy City has a very good relationship with our organization — it's only natural for us, as allies, to lend them a hand, wouldn't you say?"
The dark figure regarded Gagduoer: "Since he'll be staying at Iyas Port for a while, take me there tomorrow to pay him a visit and make a final confirmation!"
"As you command, My Lord!" Gagduoer bowed respectfully.
……
The screen went dark, and Leilin sat in silence.
After a long moment, a wry smile appeared on his face: "As expected, no matter how carefully you disguise yourself at the beginning, that's when you're most likely to slip up. It seems this appearance and identity can no longer be used..."
In truth, this current identity was merely a cover Leilin had prepared to study the customs and practices of the Purgatory World. Once he could fully integrate into this world — even replicating its speech patterns perfectly — this appearance would naturally be discarded. Now, all that had happened was moving the timeline forward.
"What I didn't expect, however, was that a precautionary measure taken on a whim would actually prove useful!"
Leilin's gaze deepened. "And the evil forces of chaos — that's referring to the Filthbird, isn't it? Given that the Eye of Judgment has been fighting them across multiple worlds, I'm not at all surprised that the Eye of Judgment's forces harbor designs on this place. And it seems they've even gained the backing of powers on the Heier Continent..."
Leilin did his best to piece together the thread of events.
"It looks like Gagduoer and the others are merely a small cog in a grand scheme hatched by the Eye of Judgment's forces, and I've just happened to stumble right into it..."
"Even though I plan to switch identities, it would be best if these forces simply disappeared..."
Before, there had been no conflict of interest between the two sides, so Leilin hadn't minded showing his amiable side. But now, once the other party had shown itself to be a threat to his core interests, the decision to annihilate them entirely wouldn't cost Leilin the slightest twinge of mercy.
"Wait... if I act personally, the target is far too conspicuous. There seems to be a better approach... in fact, this might even be an opportunity! A chance to infiltrate their organization directly — to gain entry to the heart of the Heier Continent!"
Leilin's eyes suddenly blazed with light.
This was, after all, territory under the Filthbird's protection. If the port's guardians discovered that a group of Eye of Judgment adherents had been secretly plotting against them, what would the consequences be?
He didn't even need concrete information — a single piece of vaguely plausible rumor would be enough to put both sides on a war footing, or even spark open conflict.
And regardless of the outcome, the other party certainly wouldn't have the leisure to concern themselves with Leilin anymore.