"Such beautiful scenery — just looking at it is a pleasure in itself!"
Raylin's eyes held a different kind of light.
Before, burdened by the Curse Seal of Ten Thousand Serpents, he had been forced to fight fate itself, risking everything to enter the Purgatory World and dance upon the blade's edge, with no time to spare for such idle pleasures.
But now, having thoroughly shed the bloodline curse and even advanced to the half-seventh level, the lifespan granted by his Laws-attuned body alone was estimated at over a hundred thousand years.
With so much time at his disposal, Raylin — who had previously been forced to rush and scramble at every turn — finally had room to breathe.
This was precisely why he was taking such care to ensure the bilateral trade arrangement was properly set up.
In the past, he could barely sustain himself, let alone think about others.
But now, with considerable room to maneuver, Raylin finally had the chance to consider the development of the Ouroboros Circle and the Farrell family.
"Once we swallow this piece of the pie, as long as we maintain it well, it should be enough for the Ouroboros warlocks to thrive for several thousand years… And then there's that minor nuisance on the Central Continent…"
Raylin stroked his chin.
He planned to spend roughly ten years sorting out the affairs of the Central Continent, and indeed the entire surface of the Wizard World — not only to shield his own people, but also to establish his own authority.
After all, according to the verbal agreement he had reached with Enositt, this was his domain to begin with.
Presumably, even if he made some moves, those subterranean beings wouldn't give it a second thought.
"In their eyes, the so-called Wizard surface world is small, produces nothing, has zero resources beneficial to Rules entities, and only boasts a handful of sixth-level Wizards at best — a backwater they can afford to toss my way. After all, Enositt secretly controls subterranean layers one through four, and each of those layers is comparable to an entire surface world…"
Of course, the other party may have done this precisely because Raylin hadn't fully ascended yet, intending to lighten his burden.
"But that suits me just fine. I will descend into the planet's core eventually — just not now. And with the entire surface under my dominion, there's quite a lot I can accomplish…"
……
Three days later, before the Thunderbird Sanctuary.
Countless members of the Leias family, along with high-ranking Wizards who had hurried over from the Arthur Empire, stood under the lead of Im and Arthur, their eyes fixed on the figure at the very front with undisguised reverence.
Raylin had long grown accustomed to such attention and was simply carrying on his discussion with Agnes.
"How are things progressing with setting up our forces?"
"Going well enough!" Agnes tucked the long hair behind her ears. She had changed into women's attire, and the angular lines of her face had softened considerably — it seemed she was trying to emphasize her feminine charm.
"As for manpower, both the Leias family and the Arthur Empire have given me a great deal of autonomy and support. Of course, I'd still prefer to use my own people!"
Agnes looked every bit the capable operative: "For instance, this Trexus — he was the second-in-command of a subterranean organization called the Shadow of Doro. He just eliminated their leader and brought the entire Shadow of Doro over to our side. His earth-element Wizardry is quite solid, and he has organizational experience as well. He's been a tremendous help!"
"Oh?" Lei Lin's true-spirit power swept outward in an instant, and everything about Trexus — the very man Agnes had pointed out — materialized before his eyes with nowhere to hide.
"To be able to recognize our strength in such a short time, and then brazenly seize power and defect to our side — that shows decent judgment…"
But that was all. No matter how clever the man might be, in the eyes of Lei Lin and Agnes, he warranted only a passable assessment at best.
Before an absolute, crushing superiority in strength, all schemes and conspiracies became utterly meaningless.
"These matters — you and Belinda can decide on them yourselves. Go ahead freely!" As such, Lei Lin appeared very magnanimous and at ease.
"Now, let me thoroughly transform this ruin! In its current state, it's simply not suitable as a trading base!"
Lei Lin floated in midair like a god descended from the heavens. A terrifying majesty crashed down in an instant, causing many low-level Wizards to collapse unconscious on the spot.
"Hsssss… I am the Devouring Sovereign! King of Chaos and Void!!!!"
A phantom of the Taglian winged serpent materialized — a creature bearing demonic wings, a fearsome horn, and a pair of razor-sharp claws jutting from its belly — and let out a savage roar.
A unique pulse of psychic energy silently surged into the heart of every Wizard present.
"Devouring… the Devouring Lord? Is this the power that His Lordship commands?"
King Arthur murmured, the first to drop to his knees in prostration — it was the fervent longing of a man beholding the ultimate pinnacle of his own path. Under his lead, the Wizards behind him knelt in a dense, dark wave.
"Talent — Devouring!"
Then they heard Lei Lin's calm voice from the sky above.
Crack! It was as though an invisible, monstrous maw sliced through the void — and then everything in the entire ruin vanished…