Headquarters, the Hunting Squad's office area.
Boom! A massive Venom Wyvern descended directly from the sky, its landing carving out two enormous craters in the ground.
A black shadow flickered, and a wizard in black robes leapt down from the wyvern's back.
"Sir! Sir!" An elderly wizard's eyes lit up the moment he saw the Venom Wyvern, and he immediately rushed over.
"Old man! I'll settle accounts with you for deserting during the battle later!"
Leilin couldn't be bothered with him and strode straight into the main hall.
"Vice Squad Leader! Lord Xishan requests your presence!" Two Hunting Squad wizards approached Leilin, bowing slightly with impeccable courtesy.
Although the earlier Leilin had been powerless against Xishan, dealing with ordinary squad members like them was child's play. Wali, who had offended Leilin before, was still locked in confinement! As a result, these desperadoes of the Hunting Squad maintained a veneer of deep respect toward Leilin on the surface.
"Perfect. I was planning to go see him anyway."
Leilin nodded indifferently.
*Creak!* The door swung open, revealing Xishan seated behind his desk. The two accompanying wizards departed swiftly after showing the way.
"
"I've completed it!"
Upon the enormous silvery-white metal block was a bizarre relief carving of an old man's face.
"A Metal Life-form?" Xishan seemed momentarily puzzled, but then realization struck, and his pupils contracted sharply.
"I need to verify this again!"
With that, Xishan grabbed the metallic relief and strode briskly out of the office, leaving Leilin alone.
Although Xishan had issued this mission, he had never actually expected Leilin to complete it. After all, Marbul was a wizard on the same level as himself!
But now, Leilin had just thrown what appeared to be Marbul's head right in front of him. How could he not be shocked?
For a fleeting moment, Xishan even suspected that Leilin had fabricated a head to escape punishment.
*Snap!* A dozen minutes later, the door opened once more.
Xishan's figure reappeared before Leilin, but this time, his expression was terrible—there was even a trace of horror mixed in.
"I can't believe... Wizard Leilin, you actually did it..." Xishan's eyes still couldn't conceal his shock and curiosity.
"If it's possible, could you share the details of your mission with me... You understand, as the head of the Hunting Squad, I need to know the completion status of every mission carried out by my subordinates, and to issue rewards..."
Xishan said lightly.
"It was actually quite simple..." Leilin spread his hands. "After receiving the mission, I set out to find Marbul and happened to encounter him in a heavily wounded state, so I was able to complete the mission without difficulty..."
"Wizard Leilin..." Xishan's face darkened instantly. "Please respect the facts!"
"The facts are exactly as I've stated. Furthermore, I also happened to rescue a neutral roaming wizard along the way. If you have any questions, you can ask her..."
Leilin was completely unconcerned.
In truth, anyone who wasn't completely blind could tell this was nothing more than Leilin's flimsy excuse!
But what did it matter? Marbul was already dead. Now, if Leilin said he'd been heavily wounded at the time, then that was that!
As for the female wizard, she was only at the semi-elementalization stage herself. How could she possibly discern the physical condition of a peak First-rank Wizard?
"You—" Xishan's face shifted from dark to flushed crimson.
Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly relaxed entirely.
"Regardless! Wizard Leilin! You have eliminated a peak First-rank Wizard for the
Xishan offered his congratulations with an insincere expression.
"I appreciate the kind words. But I'd rather know what my actual reward is." Leilin nodded nonchalantly and immediately asked.
For him, empty reputation meant nothing. If it didn't cost him anything, he'd be perfectly happy to do good deeds and earn a favorable reputation. But if there were no tangible benefits and he had to pay some great price just to have his name etched in history—only a fool would do that!
"Hah..." Across from him, Xishan seemed to take a deep breath, suppressing the anger within before speaking coldly: "The reward is, of course, forthcoming. A promotion in rank will have to wait a bit longer, but the merit points have already been issued—one thousand five hundred! Rest assured, the organization has strict auditing regulations for this, and I have no authority to withhold them!"
With that, Xishan produced a green crystal card from within his robe and handed it to Leilin.
A faint, inscrutable light flickered through Leilin's eyes as he calmly reached out to take it.
*Click!* The instant the crystal card changed hands, a faint burst of sound cracked through the air.
Leilin and Xishan's bodies trembled slightly before they quickly separated.
"Truly astonishing progress, Wizard Leilin!" Xishan regarded Leilin with an expression that now carried a distinct hint of wariness.
Previously, he had been confident he could suppress Leilin, but now, through this brief exchange, he was alarmed to discover that the wizard he had once underestimated had caught up to his level—becoming a powerful peak First-rank Wizard, possibly even his equal!
The current Xishan could no longer treat Leilin with the casualness he once had. He had elevated Leilin's standing in his mind to that of a near-equal rival.
At Xishan's astonishment, Leilin merely offered a faint smile.
He had actually held back some of his warlock bloodline power just now; otherwise, Xishan would likely have been completely stunned.
He took out his own merit card and swiped the green crystal card across it.
*Ding!* A flash of light rippled, and the number on Leilin's merit card instantly changed to one thousand five hundred.
"Very well! Now, Wizard Leilin, you may go and rest while awaiting word from the Elder Council..." Xishan said slowly.
Leilin's transformation had made him feel almost like a stranger, and he desperately needed time to devise a strategy.
"Thank you."
Leilin rose and bowed slightly, every movement radiating an ineffable elegance.
...
"Is that so? Strength comparable to yours?"
In a chamber constructed from interwoven vines and plant tendrils, Leono set down the white porcelain cup in his hand onto the table. One hand propped up his forehead while a finger of the other tapped absently against the surface, producing a muffled *thud... thud...* At this moment, Leono resembled a weary old man, but those who knew him well understood this was his state when deep in thought.
Xishan stood quietly to the side, awaiting this Elder of the Four Seasons Garden's final decision.
"Very well then! Appoint him as the Headquarters Inspector!" After deliberating for a long while—long enough for the wisps of steam from the porcelain cup on the table to dissipate entirely—Leono finally spoke in a calm, measured tone.
"Yes!" Xishan simply gave a slight nod.
"Also! It seems we've been paying far too little attention to that young man... Find some time. I'd like to meet him again..."
After finishing, Leono stretched languidly and looked at Xishan.
"Don't you know it's terribly rude to disturb an old man when he's about to take his afternoon nap?"
"My apologies! I shall take my leave!"
Xishan hurriedly bowed and retreated, though a mysterious smile lingered at the corner of his lips.
"Leilin Farell, was it?"
Behind him, Leono murmured the name to himself.
He had naturally taken note of Leilin's talent. Had Leilin genuinely joined the Four Seasons Garden of his own accord, and had the inheritance he'd obtained from the ruins not been so extraordinarily valuable, Leono would never have resorted to tearing off the pretense and coveting his legacy through underhanded means.
But now, firstly, judging from Leilin's relentless improvement, what he had obtained was far more significant than they had initially speculated.
The stakes were enormous—well worth the risk for Leono to make his move.
Furthermore, according to the intelligence he had received, this Leilin had continued maintaining clandestine contacts with certain Black Wizards even after joining the Four Seasons Garden. Worse still, he was implicated in several major incidents within the Sleepless City!
That was fatal! No organization would tolerate the existence of disloyal members!
Although it was still only speculation, it was more than enough to spur Leono into action!
He was a being who had entered the Second-rank Wizard level! And between each rank of wizards lay a chasm as vast as the sky itself. Even if Leilin had inherited some extraordinarily powerful legacy, as long as he hadn't formally advanced to Second-rank, he would be utterly powerless against a true Second-rank Wizard!
The mere issue of spiritual solidification alone could crush most First-rank wizards!
...
Meanwhile, Leilin appeared to know nothing of any of this.
At that moment, he was inside a laboratory, holding a test tube filled with a gray liquid in his hand. Blue fluorescent light emanated from his eyes as he continuously scanned it.
"Defiled Bird feather solution! Legend holds that the ancient Defiled Bird and the Eye of Judgment were natural born enemies. Its feathers carry a trace of the creature's chaotic properties, making them a favorite among deceivers..."
The Chip projected the compiled data before Leilin's eyes.
"According to the data and simulation results, this solution can indeed break the Four Seasons Garden's oath binding... But what comes after? This isn't merely a matter of one oath..."
Leilin murmured to himself, and unconsciously, he glanced at his own status.
*Leilin Farell — Warlock, First-rank — Bloodline: Comoin Giant Serpent — Strength: 20.1 — Agility: 13.4 — Constitution: 25.9 — Spiritual Power: 76.1 — Mana: 76 (Mana synchronously determined by Spiritual Power) — Spiritual Elementalization Progress: 90% — Status: Heart Transformation in Progress, 69%* *The heart is the blood-production organ of the Comoin Giant Serpent. Through heart transformation, ancient warlocks acquired the same powerful life force and blood-production capabilities as these creatures!*