Chapter One Hundred Forty-Six: Jenna The travelers accompanying Leilin weren't limited to wizards — many ordinary people were among them as well.
Most of these common folk were driving horse-drawn carts, loaded down with large quantities of vegetables, fruits, and similar goods.
When they encountered wizards, they would bow respectfully, yet there was clearly no look of particular fear on their faces. It seemed that within the White
This struck Leilin with some confusion. In nations ruled by Dark Wizards, the moment someone mentioned wizards, what came to mind was fear and bloodshed. Often a single Wizard Apprentice could frighten an entire small town's population into fleeing.
"It seems the legends about White Wizard Domain wizards and ordinary people living side by side are true!" Leilin smiled and nodded at a farmer by the roadside who had removed his hat in greeting.
"And also..." A flash of blue light flickered through his eyes. "There are no traces of radiation damage on their bodies. Could that be the work of the Purification Towers?"
In territories under White Wizard rule, at regular intervals, tall white towers would be erected. These towers continuously released neutralizing energy year-round, eliminating the radiation contamination carried on wizards' bodies. This was the key technology that made coexistence between wizards and ordinary people possible in this region.
As for territories under Dark Wizard rule, Leilin had seen the blueprints for Purification Towers in the Black Bone Forest Academy's library. However, it seemed that all Dark Wizards couldn't be bothered to build such structures in their own domains. Beyond the cost, Leilin suspected this had to do with Dark Wizards' fondness for ruling mortals through bloodshed and terror.
As their mounts galloped on, Leilin felt the vista before him suddenly open up.
Waves of green stretched out like ocean swells, rippling gently in the breeze, exuding a rich, verdant fragrance.
This was the Trigons Great Plains — an enormous flatland spanning tens of thousands of square kilometers, home to dozens of major cities with populations exceeding a hundred thousand.
And Trigons City lay at the heart of the plain, the core of the entire region.
"The plants here are growing so vigorously!"
Leilin couldn't help but feel a twinge of emotion. The closer they got to Trigons City, the more impressive the crops became. Some wheat stalks grew nearly as tall as a person, and the sight stirred something in Leilin's heart.
"Surprised? You must be a wizard from out of town, then?"
A small red horse trotted up alongside Leilin's mount. The female wizard riding it addressed Leilin.
She wore white robes, and around her neck hung a necklace strung with pearls and gemstones. Her appearance was rather plain, but a gentle smile graced her face.
This sense of calm was something Leilin had seldom experienced.
Although this female Wizard had the energy fluctuations of a first-level Wizard, she seemed to lack practical combat experience. She only had a single layer of innate magical protection on her body, as if that were more than enough. But in Leilin's view, at this range, he would only need one Shadow Fireball to reduce the female Wizard before him to charred remains.
"Yes, madam. I come from afar and am a wandering Wizard! You may call me Leilin!"
Leilin put on an innocent, harmless-looking smile and introduced himself.
"My name is Jenna. I'm a Wizard from the city of Trigonis. Were you surprised to see these wheat fields?"
The female Wizard smiled and took the initiative to chat with Leilin.
"Yes, you know, very few kinds of wheat can grow this tall, and the yield..." A look of puzzlement appeared on Leilin's face.
"This is a Wizard's gift! It should be time soon — you'll get to see for yourself!"
The expression on the witch's face was somewhat mysterious, and even more expectant.
"I look forward to it!" Leilin smiled faintly.
He could tell that this woman was like a pure lamb — she seemed to have very little experience dealing with Wizards of her own level and was curious about everything in the outside world.
She looked rather like some young lady from a great family who had gotten lost.
But Leilin quickly put that thought aside. As they drew closer and closer, the city of Trigonis came into view before his eyes.
In Leilin's line of sight, a small black dot appeared first.
Then the dot grew larger and larger, as if transforming into a dark cloud that blotted out the sky.
Leilin opened his mouth wide in astonishment. He could see an enormous peak soaring up into the clouds, standing silently on the plain.
In both his past life and this one, Leilin had seen many tall mountains, but he could guarantee he had never seen one this massive — large enough to blot out the sky and the sun.
Moreover, on the mountain's surface, dense clusters of buildings and tiny moving dots could be seen, layer upon layer climbing upward.
At the base of the mountain, a ring of towering city walls had been erected, estimated to be dozens of meters high, constructed entirely of grey granite — truly imposing in scale.
At the very summit of the enormous peak, there was a covering of white snow, and wisps of black flame continuously rose from the top, as if the mountain were about to erupt.
"A live volcano! The city of Trigonis is actually built on top of a live volcano!" Leilin blurted out in disbelief.
"That's right! Keep watching!"
The female Wizard Jenna pointed toward the volcanic crater with a smile.
BOOM!!!
Countless plumes of black flame rose into the air, and the entire volcano seemed to come alive — like a giant from myth and legend, letting out a ferocious roar toward the sky.
A massive column of black smoke shot straight up into the heavens, staining the sky pitch black.
"Wait — why isn't there any tremor?"
Leilin suddenly realized. "This must be the work of the Wizards inside Trigonis City?"
"That's right, look!" Jenna pointed at the black clouds overhead. "The Wizard's blessing is about to descend!"
*Shaaaaa!* A light rain began to fall from the sky — wisps of black liquid raining down with the gentle breeze.
The black raindrops hit the ground, turning the surface a ashen grey-black.
From time to time, a few farmers would rush out of their field rows, kneel before Leilin and Jenna and the other Wizards, and bow their heads respectfully: "We thank the Wizard Lords for bestowing this bountiful harvest!"
"Is this volcanic ash?!"
A ring of greyish light flared up around Leilin's body, enveloping his entire steed and shielding it from the black raindrops. He reached out his right hand, caught a single drop of the grey-black rain, and studied it carefully.
"It seems to contain some artificially added ingredients — the effect is similar to nitrogen fertilizer!"
Volcanic ash was already naturally rich in nutrients and highly beneficial for plant growth. On top of that, the Wizards had mixed in additional substances, which explained why the crops here had such astonishing size and yield.
"That's right. The Wizards control the eruptions of the Great Trigonis Volcano and distribute the volcanic ash evenly across the plains to fertilize the land. As for resources like geothermal energy, the Wizards harness them as the power source for the entire Trigonis City. That's why I'm even fonder of Trigonis City's other name — the City That Never Sleeps!"
Jenna explained.
"…Truly astonishing technology!" Leilin murmured. The Great Trigonis Volcano was several times wider than the largest volcano from his previous life. To control such a massive active volcano required magical formations and cultivation far beyond anything Leilin could imagine.
Moreover, using a volcano directly as both an energy supply base and a residential site — the design and sheer audacity behind such an endeavor genuinely commanded Leilin's admiration.
"But, please forgive my candor — I've traveled through the eastern regions before, and the Wizards there don't seem to go to such lengths to think about ordinary people..."
Leilin expressed his curiosity in a measured way.
"That's because Wizards are all rational people. They do this naturally because there's profit to be had." Jenna nodded. "In our view, living ordinary people are also a resource. As long as the population is sufficient, they can serve us at any time, supply resources, produce high-quality apprentice seeds, and bring in fresh blood..."
"So here in the Central White Wizard Domain, we not only have Climate Wizards who've solidified specialized innate spells to counter all manner of natural disasters, but also Harvest Wizards dedicated to farming and boosting crop yields..."
"This... this is truly..."
Leilin put on an expression of shock, while inwardly he let out a quiet sigh.
Though Jenna was straightforward and open with him, the moment ordinary people came up, she still carried that same air of superiority — no different from a Dark Wizard at all.
The only difference was the specific method of implementation.
It was like herding sheep. Dark Wizards preferred a rough approach, letting the flocks roam wild and harvesting them at irregular intervals. White Wizards, on the other hand, favored intensive farming, carefully tending to every last lamb.
But in the end, the purpose was the same — to extract the resources they needed from ordinary people!
Judging purely by the process, Leilin felt that ordinary people living in the White Wizard Domain had it far more comfortable than those in the Marsh Duchy.
However, just because Leilin could sigh over the hardships of ordinary people's lives didn't mean he wanted to break the Wizards' privileges or advocate for equality among all — that sort of braindead idealism.
Setting aside the mystery and power of the Wizard class, even Leilin himself had always upheld one truth: your position determines your thinking!
Leilin was a Wizard, so he fully supported the Wizards' privilege and authoritarian rule. As for those who harbored delusions of overthrowing the Wizards' dominion, he would sooner kill them outright.
As a member of a certain class, one naturally protects that class's interests!
There were certainly oddballs who betrayed their own class and interests, but they would only be cast aside by their own kind!
Leilin asked himself honestly — before there were signs that the Wizard class was truly on the verge of collapse, he would absolutely never take such an action.
"Surprised, are you?"
Jenna smiled. "It looks like you've been traveling in the regions ruled by Dark Wizards all this time. But now that you've come to the City of No Night, you'll need to adapt — adapt to the new rules..."
Her words carried a deeper meaning, as though she had already seen through Leilin's true identity.
But Leilin merely raised an eyebrow, without a trace of worry.
The City of Trijon's fame as the City of No Night was partly built on the diligent efforts of White Wizards, and partly propped up by the Dark Wizards.
If all the Dark Wizards were expelled, the total trade volume of the City of No Night would plummet by half in an instant!
No trading center in existence would ever turn away the darkness!