In the Phosphorescent Marshes.
Due to the massive withdrawal of Ouroboros Ring Wizards, numerous vacancies had opened up. The Bloodline Alliance had urgently dispatched reinforcements to fill the gaps, and the marshes now appeared orderly once more.
After his lengthy conversation with Jeffrey, Alpha and the others had already submitted completely to Raylin.
A permanent grand hall — a colossal structure designed to hold upwards of ten thousand people — was under emergency construction, with vast quantities of rare materials being used without regard for cost.
"You all have done well."
Raylin stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the distant mountain as he addressed Alpha and the others behind him in a casual tone.
"It is our honor to serve, Your Majesty!" Alpha and the others immediately straightened, their expressions solemn. The gratitude in their eyes was genuine.
By now, all of them had arrived in the Phosphorescent Marshes in their true forms, rather than remaining in the Morning Star Space.
The old Wizard Alliance had been pitifully weak — its numerous Fifth-Level Wizards could barely protect themselves even when working in concert and relying on the War Fortress. In fact, so desperate was their situation that none of those Fifth-Level Wizards could venture out in their true bodies; they could only operate through avatars. It had been nothing short of a humiliation for the entire Bloodline Alliance!
Now, with Raylin at their back, Alpha and the others finally had the confidence to show their true forms in the open, no longer forced to cower in the Morning Star Space like rats. Their gratitude was therefore entirely sincere.
"Also, Your Majesty… are you truly not going to establish yourself here? Even with the profits from the underground trade, the Central Continent's vast expanse…"
Alpha still spoke with some hesitation, a clear look of yearning on his face.
"Although the Central Continent is extraordinarily rich in resources, they have long since been claimed by numerous factions."
Raylin regarded Alpha with an expression that was half-smile, half-not, his gaze seeming to see straight through him.
"Of course! With our current strength, we could certainly eliminate all those obstacles. We could even launch a Wizard Hunt and send every last Wizard to the stake… and then what?"
"And then what?" A flush of excitement rose on Alpha's face, his expectations plainly laid bare by Raylin's words.
"What would you do after I'm gone?"
Raylin's voice was ice-cold, and it left every Wizard deathly pale, as though they had been plunged into a frozen abyss.
"Why? Your Majesty has already ascended to the realm of Laws — what in all the continent could possibly threaten you?"
Jeffrey and the others could not understand at all.
Raylin merely gave a light chuckle. "Even within the Wizard World, those Eighth-Level existences that survived the ancient War of Conclusion — I am certainly no match for them. The Starry Abyss is boundless, and countless worlds emerge endlessly. Unless one reaches the state of Eternity, who can claim to be truly immortal and imperishable?"
As Alpha and the others departed, a flash of mockery passed through Raylin's eyes.
What he had said was only part of the reason. The more important truth was that the South Coast's current profits were more than sufficient for the Ouroboros Ring's survival and development. No matter how rich the Central Continent's resources were, they held no practical value for him personally.
For the sake of things that served no purpose for him, he would have to shatter the long-standing framework of interests across the entire Central Continent and make enemies of countless Throne-holders. Although their strength was nothing but ants in Raylin's eyes, it would still consume a measure of his time and energy.
If it were for Fir, for Xiling, or for the Ouroboros Ring's Gilbert and Maggie, then perhaps Raylin would have reluctantly gone along with it.
But who were Arfa and the others? Nothing more than allies of the loose Sorcerer Alliance! Such a status and position clearly held no appeal for Raylin.
In any case, once he displayed his strength and thoroughly intimidated those Throne-holders, they would inevitably cede a significant portion of their profits to curry favor with him.
And once all of that was transferred to the Sorcerer Alliance, Raylin considered that he would have more than adequately repaid them for their earlier assistance.
Furthermore, with his deterrence in place, the Sorcerer Alliance's future development across the Central Continent would be filled with promise.
At the very least, those so-called anti-Sorcerer movements would no longer dare to rear their heads openly.
With all of this taken care of, Raylin believed that what he had done for the Sorcerer Alliance was more than sufficient.
As for conquering the entire Central Continent and establishing a Sorcerer empire or something of the sort — although Raylin had once considered it, he had since clearly abandoned the idea.
After all, for someone at his current level, even the grandest empire and the mightiest forces were nothing but illusions. Once one ascended to the rank of a seventh-tier Wizard, the only goal that truly mattered in the hearts of those beings who had touched the Laws was the pursuit of eternity.
The realm of Laws — existing alongside the Laws themselves — was nearly impermanent, nearly immortal. Eternity was no longer a pipe dream, but a glimmer of genuine hope!
For that sliver of a chance, those beings of the Laws could forsake everything! Raylin was certainly no exception!
"After this grand gathering is over, I'll go to the planet's core and meet with the other beings of the Laws from the Wizard World, sign the contracts, and then it will be time for long, quiet cultivation…"
A deep, pensive light flickered in Raylin's eyes. His recent surge in power had brought him into contact with the vast and profound force of the Laws. The mysteries they contained, along with the vast lifespan he had gained, filled him with an almost irresistible urge to drop everything and retreat into secluded study for several thousand years.
The higher one's status, the greater one's power, and when everything one had once desperately sought could be obtained at will, the allure of the world itself grew correspondingly weaker.
The other beings who had touched the Laws presumably felt the same way…
……