"Come! This is a special batch of black tea I had someone bring back from the East Sea Archipelago!"
A quaint, hand-carved wooden root teacup steamed gently, wisps of white vapor drifting across the tabletop and filling the air with a rich tea fragrance.
The red-haired old wizard Clio pushed a cup of black tea toward Leilin, his weathered face beaming with hospitality.
After Leilin had finished using the energy crystal and made the decision to stay in Sleepless City for a while, he had brought a gift along to visit
"Here — these cakes are made with honey from honey pomelo bees! Absolutely delicious!"
After seeing Leilin take a sip of tea, Old Clio gestured to a maidservant, who promptly set a plate of fragrant, sweet little cakes in front of Leilin.
The maidservant wore extremely revealing clothing that covered only a few critical spots, leaving ample smooth skin on display. She was quite alluring.
"If you like them, I can have a few sent over to you as well!"
Clio laughed casually.
"Please, don't tease me!" Leilin shook his head with a wry smile. "As for the reason I'm here — didn't I already mention it to you before?"
When the conversation turned to serious matters, Clio's expression gradually grew solemn.
He waved a hand, and the maidservants around them bowed deeply before retreating swiftly and silently. They had clearly been specially trained — not a single sound escaped as they withdrew.
"You want to join one of the wizard organizations in Sleepless City?"
Clio looked grave.
"Yes. In order to gain access to higher-level knowledge, and some rare experimental materials…"
Leilin was telling the truth. Although he could prepare potions on his own and earn Magic Stones — seemingly enough to live comfortably in Sleepless City — Sleepless City, for all its reputation as a trade hub, still placed strict controls on certain truly valuable things.
For instance, advanced academic knowledge only accessible to official wizards, and exclusive materials useful for breaking through wizard bottlenecks.
Even the major powers backing Sleepless City kept tight rein over such resources. Wizards within the organizations received fixed allocations, while wild wizards like Leilin had no channel to purchase them at all.
One might find a few things in the black market, but quantities would be scarce and prices astronomically inflated.
Given that, it was far better to simply join one of Sleepless City's organizations and enjoy the benefits.
"Well… the wizard organizations in Sleepless City are all quite strict. And moreover…"
Clio left some words unspoken, but Leilin understood his meaning perfectly well.
Some wizard organizations and families did have traditions of recruiting rogue or wandering wizards, but there was one key condition: the wizard in question must not carry too heavy a burden of trouble, and must not bring the organization behind them into jeopardy.
For a wizard whose background was an impenetrable fog — like Leilin — every organization would conduct a thorough investigation before deciding whether to allow him to join.
"My real name is Leilin Farell. As for my background, I haven't made any effort to hide it. A casual investigation will confirm everything…"
Leilin had absolutely no intention of concealing his origins.
He hailed from the Keli Archipelago — the son of nobility. His background was impeccable from birth, and his life history from childhood onward was all on record. He feared no scrutiny.
Furthermore, the only party that bore him any grudge was Lilisite, that large wizard family. Unfortunately for them, the Lilisite family was a quintessential dark wizard clan.
They were natural, mortal enemies of the light wizard domain to which Sleepless City belonged. The number of dark wizards killed at the hands of the light wizard domain was beyond counting.
As for Leilin, he had always conducted himself properly as an apprentice. He had committed no atrocities such as mass slaughter of mortals — nothing that would not withstand scrutiny.
Therefore, his identity should pose no obstacle to joining Sleepless City.
"In the past, due to certain conflicts of interest, I killed a scion of their family — and consequently was placed under a bounty…"
Leilin then gave a brief account of his background.
After hearing Leilin's account, Clio's expression softened even further.
"Rest assured, I personally have never harbored any particular hatred toward dark wizards. Besides — you've already abandoned that camp, haven't you?"
As though worried Leilin might be anxious, Clio added an explanation.
"Here in Sleepless City, we maintain a welcoming attitude toward wizards like you. You can rest easy about that!"
Clio lifted the antique wooden teacup, took a slow sip of black tea, and then asked in measured tones: "So — Sleepless City has many wizard organizations. Which one would you like to join?"
"It's precisely because my knowledge is limited that I've come to ask for your guidance!"
A perfectly measured look of modest embarrassment appeared on Leilin's face.
"Mm! Let me think — where should I start?"
Clio tilted his head and pondered for a moment before speaking slowly: "Behind Sleepless City, there are many wizard organizations — the Nine-Ring White Tower, Mesopotamia University, the
"These are all relatively powerful wizard organizations that directly control the trade behind Sleepless City. Within Sleepless City itself, there are also other smaller organizations, but their strength is nothing impressive. Some rely on just one or two semi-elementalized wizards to hold things together, and the moment those wizards die, the organization naturally dissolves…"
"Those small organizations are merely names on a roster. Their share of resource allocations is negligible — practically nothing. Some are nothing more than a few like-minded wizards who band together to run experiments, and over time a loose school of thought forms. They have no real foundation whatsoever — you absolutely must not join one of them!"
Clio offered this reminder in good faith.
"As for how to join? Simply go to the reception desk at the Public Center and submit an application. As long as you pass the assessment, you'll be granted membership."
"Naturally, I'd like to know more about what benefits and restrictions exist within the Nine-Ring White Tower…"
Leilin had not come to Clio merely for surface-level questions. He wanted to learn the inside information about Sleepless City's major organizations — the kind of intelligence that only a veteran wizard of Clio's advanced age and long residency could provide.
Clio understood this well, of course, and in the course of their subsequent conversation let slip a number of important details, giving Leilin a solid grasp of the major wizard organizations.
Several hours later, Leilin departed from Clio's place with a broad smile and returned to his villa.
In the study, a white luminous sphere formed by a Light spell hovered in midair, casting bright yet gentle illumination that bathed the entire room in daylight.
Leilin sat in a reclining chair, a stiff quill pen in hand, his head lowered as though deep in thought.
Spread open on the desk was a sheet of parchment bearing several lines of black text.
At the top were the Nine-Ring White Tower and Mesopotamia University. In the middle, the Four Seasons Garden and the Hand of Fenke. Below those, the Eye of the Sphinx and the Benevolent Society, among a few other names.
Clearly, these were the true great wizard powers — the real puppet masters pulling the strings behind Sleepless City.
"The Nine-Ring White Tower and Mesopotamia University are both academic in nature, and their requirements for admitting outside wizards are the most stringent — they even demand that the wizard surrender a sliver of their soul and swear an unbreakable oath! The benefits are the best, but they are absolutely out of the question!"
Leilin immediately struck the Nine-Ring White Tower and Mesopotamia University off his parchment.
"As for the Hand of Fenke and the Eye of the Sphinx — both are wizard powers composed mainly of non-human races, with very few pure-blooded humans among them. I've heard there's even some discrimination. Those won't work either!"
His black quill slashed across the page, and Leilin crossed those two organizations off his shortlist as well.
"The Benevolent Society tends toward positive-energy-based wizardry and is a light wizard organization famous for healing arts. It's completely incompatible with my focus…"
Leilin crossed out the letters representing the Benevolent Society as well.
Now, on the parchment, only a single option remained.
"The Four Seasons Garden — is that the only choice left…"
A faintly bitter smile tugged at Leilin's lips. Based on the intelligence he had gleaned from Clio, he now had a reasonable understanding of the wizard organizations behind Sleepless City.
But most of them didn't align with what he truly wanted.
He wished to join as an adjunct professor or guest advisor, yet many organizations demanded absolute loyalty.
The ones with more lenient conditions were oriented in directions incompatible with Leilin's studies — going there would yield nothing useful to learn.
After weighing everything carefully, the Four Seasons Garden was the only option.
The Four Seasons Garden was a large wizard organization. It was said to have been originally established by a powerful apothecary, and to this day it remained renowned for Plant Cultivation and potion preparation.
This overlapped with Leilin's own expertise to a considerable degree.
Moreover, the organization's restrictions were relatively relaxed, and wizards who truly possessed talent in potionology were offered excellent treatment.
Leilin's own Potionology had already reached a respectable level of proficiency, and with the Chip's assistance, he was now roughly on par with his mentor, Guofate. If he showed even a hint of his ability, he would certainly be valued highly by the Four Seasons Garden.
As a wizard organization famous for its potions, the Four Seasons Garden was bound to house a vast collection of potion recipes — quite possibly including ancient formulas.
Furthermore, the海量 of reference materials and texts it had amassed would be a tremendous supplement to the Chip's database.
Leilin mused quietly, a glimmer of anticipation flickering in his eyes.
The next day, Leilin changed into a set of leather armor, buckled a Cross Sword in a silver sharkskin scabbard at his waist, and made his way to the Public Center on Sleepless City's second tier.
The enormous hand-shaped building was as bustling as ever — wizards streaming in and out at every moment like ants.
This time, Leilin entered the channel represented by the thumb.
Most of the wizards passing through this corridor were at the first-rank level, each carrying an aura of cold detachment — the unmistakable air of someone who wanted to be left alone.
"These are probably all wandering wizards from the outside, here looking for an opportunity," Leilin thought.
He casually glanced around and noticed several wizards in peculiar attire. The fluctuations emanating from their bodies alone gave Leilin a faint sense of danger — it was obvious at a glance that they were not to be trifled with.
At the end of the corridor lay a great hall. Directly ahead, several glass-partitioned counters stood in a row, with wizards behind them registering something.