The reason the Nature Alliance had been able to consolidate its status as a mid-tier academy in a mere three years, digest every last remnant from Misty Forest, and even push its way to the peak of mid-tier power — Leilin's contributions to all of that could never be downplayed.
Even if he did nothing at all, the mere fact of his personal strength holding the fort was enough to spare the Nature Alliance a great deal of trouble.
To say nothing of the fact that many of the wizards currently inside the Nature Alliance had been brought in by him, and were under his control to boot.
As a result, his prestige within the Nature Alliance was growing by the day, becoming something akin to a spiritual信仰 among the ranks.
Furthermore, having mixed such a large quantity of new blood into the Nature Alliance, Xiling's original faction — while it still held a certain standing — could no longer wield any real influence.
It could be said that if Leilin now wanted to strip Xiling of her nominal title as faction leader, it would take nothing more than a single sentence.
Passing through layer upon layer of gleaming magical arrays, Leilin arrived directly at a purple villa.
"My Lord!"
Xiling and Yilun bowed respectfully.
"Mm." Leilin nodded and asked directly, "Anything new?"
"The Nature Alliance's development is going smoothly. Our influence has already extended to the vicinity of the Ural Mountains. Two small local academies have subtly indicated their willingness to submit to us…"
Yilun was the first to step forward and report. As a peak First-rank
"What about the Dark Beast tide and the
"Several border cities have already raised alerts, detecting abnormal Dark Beast activity. As for the Dark Elf Empire — a coup recently took place there. The war faction completely purged the peace faction and completed their war mobilization…"
Yilun's voice was heavy.
Although battles in the underground were constant, a simultaneous eruption from both the Dark Beasts and the Dark Elf Empire was exceedingly rare.
In all his years, he had witnessed it only once.
After that occasion, numerous wizards had fallen, and even some large academies had been annihilated — it could be called a great reshuffling of the wizard world.
If it was that dire for wizards, then for mortals it went without saying.
"It looks like a great war is approaching," Leilin sighed lightly.
A war between two intelligent races would not be launched on a whim. It necessarily involved a series of preparations and deployments, with very few cases of surprise attacks.
And the enemy's movements had already been known to the higher-ranking wizards on their side three years ago — one could only say they had long been prepared.
But the more prepared both sides were, the more brutal the war tended to be, because stratagems would prove of little use, and what remained was nothing but a grinding contest of attrition and accumulated resources.
"Have we made any arrangements?" Leilin looked at Xiling.
The woman had grown even more beautiful lately — it seemed that power was nourishing her, making her glow with an even more radiant vitality.
Power was the finest tonic for a man; in truth, it was the same for a woman. But unfortunately, the kind of woman produced by power, while alluring, came bearing poisonous thorns, and few could ever truly conquer or possess her.
In his previous life, Leilin would never have thought twice about it, but the wizard world was different. His power and status originated from himself — he had not the slightest fear that Xiling could ever overturn the heavens.
"Aside from the mortals' war preparations, the Joint Council has announced the formation of a War Committee. Nine executive commissioners have been appointed, and they have formally sent us a letter hoping you will provide support!"
Xiling brushed back a strand of hair, revealing a crystalline ear upon which a tiny ruby glinted with an alluring luster.
This was an agreement Leilin had reached with the previous Eastern Domain Guardian, Logan — that he would lend his strength during the great war, in exchange for the other party's tacit acceptance of the Nature Alliance's recent expansion.
"Where do they want me to go?" Leilin asked with mild interest, settling into a reclining chair and raising a crystal goblet. The crimson wine inside was as rich and viscous as blood.
"Duolun City! A great number of wizards responding to the summons have gathered there. And of course, Duke Fantix's noble army as well!"
"Duolun City!" Leilin raised his goblet, and the map of the Eastern Dark Extremity instantly surfaced in his mind.
"That's quite a large retreat — they've practically abandoned vast swaths of border territory…"
"The mortals have already been organized to pull back as far as possible," Xiling said with a bitter smile at the corner of her lips. "But there are some places that simply can't be helped…"
As a wizard, Xiling naturally still tended to think from a wizard's perspective, but since this was not directly her concern, she occasionally let a flicker of feminine compassion show.
That compassion quickly turned to gravity.
"The War Committee's strategy is to use the three fortified cities of Duolun, Wakesi, and Saduo to form a triangular defensive line, relying on the terrain to mount a defense. When that time comes, my Lord, you will inevitably face a massive force from the Dark Elf Empire, and quite possibly their Matron-level existences…"
The Dark Elf Empire still operated under a matriarchal clan system — more like a united kingdom composed of numerous dark elf families. The Matrons of the smaller families were at least full-fledged wizards, and the ones Xiling spoke of were the Matrons of the major families — beings capable of rivaling Second-rank Wizards. The dark elves wielded supernatural power as well, and their natural talent for it even surpassed that of humans. Had it not been for their limited fertility, they might already have overtaken the Dark Extremity long ago.
Worry was written on Xiling's face. After all, she knew full well that her present power and status all derived from Leilin. If anything were to happen to him, the entire Nature Alliance — even if it did not immediately crumble — would plummet.
"Relax. I have confidence," Leilin said, a faint smile curving his lips.
Having decided to go, he had naturally made thorough preparations for the journey ahead and confirmed that he could at least protect himself.
After all, even in a large-scale battle of this magnitude, the fall of a Second-rank Wizard was an exceedingly rare event.
Moreover, he had no intention of fighting to the death — he was merely there to hold the fort. If he truly resolved to flee, which Dark Elf Matron would bother to pursue him to the bitter end?
All things considered, Leilin had essentially decided to go through the motions. The moment the situation turned dire, he would withdraw immediately.
He had now fully recovered his strength as a Second-rank Warlock, and had even made some further progress. He was confident that as long as he did not encounter one of those old monsters at the Third-rank Wizard level, he had nothing to fear.
But the thought brought a shadow of gloom to his mind.
In a world like the wizard world, where supernatural power existed and individual combat strength could skyrocket, large-scale wars were often decided by the outcomes at the highest echelons of power. The Dark Extremity was clearly on the defensive — did that mean their side's top-tier combatants were at a disadvantage?
Neither Xiling nor Yilun could possibly know the answer to that. Perhaps only those Second-rank Wizards had access to more detailed information.
"Regardless, I have to go see for myself. Besides, the things I've prepared would be too conspicuous if I sent them directly to the apprentices in the Nature Alliance. The battlefield, with its ever-shifting conditions, presents an excellent opportunity…"
Leilin mused quietly to himself.
"My Lord! I'll take my leave!" Seeing the contemplative look on Leilin's face, Yilun promptly withdrew.
Xiling felt a twinge of disappointment. She lifted the hem of her skirt and dipped into a slight curtsy.
Just as she, too, was about to take her leave, Leilin suddenly smiled. "Wait a moment…"
Upon hearing this, a魅惑 smile bloomed on Xiling's face…
*** Duolun City was a key border fortress of the Eastern Dark Extremity. The entire city was constructed from black granite, giving it the appearance of a colossal citadel from afar.
At present, vast numbers of mortal soldiers lined the city walls, and convoys and troops frequently passed in and out through the gates.
Noble house banners were planted along the battlements, and numerous figures radiating the aura of Knights patrolled with their squads.
At the city gates, inspections were carried out with utmost rigor — several wizards in grey robes were even stationed there to oversee the process.
Originally, Duolun City had been home to roughly a hundred thousand ordinary residents, but most of them had now been replaced by military personnel.
Once the Joint Council had made its resolve, the noble class backed by the wizards had no choice but to comply unconditionally. The entire Duolun City had entered a state of wartime readiness, operating at breakneck speed.
And in the very center of Duolun City, the finest cluster of villas was not reserved for noble residences, but had been specifically set aside as quarters for the esteemed wizards.
Wizards in all manner of attire streamed in and out of the area ceaselessly. An enormous defensive magical array had even been erected, and some wizards were patrolling the walls, periodically reinforcing them with magic.
"The oppressive atmosphere is suffocating…"
A Third-rank Apprentice in a grey apprentice robe walked along the relatively deserted street, glancing left and right from time to time.
The occasional patrol soldier who passed by would still salute the esteemed wizard-lords.
"About to die soon anyway — what kind of wizard-lord am I?" Ailin scoffed bitterly to himself.
This apprentice was none other than the first group of humans Leilin had encountered upon arriving in the Dark Extremity.
Back then, Ailin and two other Third-rank Apprentices had recklessly ventured deep into the Crow's Cry Wasteland, only to be rescued by Leilin. But that rescue had come at a cost — Leilin had performed a soul search on them, and the ruthless side effects had stripped away much of what they once had.
"Ahh…"
Ailin let out a long, heavy sigh.
The previous trip to the Crow's Cry Wasteland, while it had yielded biological materials that earned him a tidy sum of Magic Stones, left him with a nagging sense that something was off — though he could never quite put his finger on it.
What frightened him even more was that, upon his return, he had discovered his soul constitution had dropped by an entire rank!!!
Due to Leilin's reckless handling, the fact that Ailin and the other apprentices had survived at all was a stroke of extraordinary luck. The casual tampering within their soul-memory regions had, however, caused severe consequences.
A wizard's progress was intimately tied to soul constitution. Ailin's original aptitude had been mediocre to begin with — only Third-rank. Now that it had dropped to Second-rank, it felt as though the sky were caving in on him.
He could still remember the look of regret and sigh in his mentor's eyes after the examination. "He was probably struck by some anomalous creature. His soul constitution has dropped and can never be restored. What a pity! What a pity!"