"You... you dare imprison me! I, Jocelyn Lena, swear it—I will never let you get away with this!"
This
She also wore all manner of bizarre silver rings on her body, some of them looped directly over her bare skin, and she had several studs in her ears.
All in all, she looked exactly like one of those wayward, alternative girls who'd gone off the rails.
"Jocelyn, is it?"
Lei Lin stood by the door and snapped his fingers.
Immediately, the iron door seemed to come alive, swinging shut on its own, while iron chains crawled across it, automatically locking the cell and branding a black snake-shaped sigil onto its surface.
"I don't care who you are. But as a Dark Wizard, you recklessly stormed one of our
Lei Lin said expressionlessly, then turned to an apprentice nearby and ordered, "I've temporarily sealed their casting ability. Keep an eye on them until the Security Squad comes to take over!"
"Yes, my lord!" The apprentice bowed deeply.
Lei Lin's strength—over these past few days, even just the portion he had shown—was enough to leave these apprentices shaken to their core.
Every Dark Wizard who came to challenge him, whether apprentice or full Wizard, could barely last a few rounds in his hands before being utterly defeated.
The prisoners captured each day alone had nearly filled the fortress's dungeon, and Lei Lin had been forced to notify the Security Squad to come and collect the prisoners every few days.
"This level of power... it's beyond what any ordinary Wizard could hope to reach! Lord Lei Lin must be some incredibly important figure!" the apprentice screamed inwardly, even as he kept his head bowed low.
Lei Lin paid no attention to the apprentice's inner turmoil, and he had even less interest in the hysterical cursing of the female Wizard captive behind him. He shook his head and left the underground prison.
"You just wait! My uncle will absolutely never let you off!"
Deep in the dungeon, Jocelyn seethed. "My uncle reached Half Elemental Transformation twenty years ago, and he entered the Secret Realm together with me! Once he learns what happened here, he'll definitely come to save me! And when that time comes, I'll—"
"Enough! Jocelyn! Can you quiet down?"
Just then, a helpless voice tinged with a bitter laugh rang out from the cell across from hers.
A curly-haired middle-aged man stepped out of the shadows and gave Jocelyn a wave, his face wearing a look of profound embarrassment.
"Un… Uncle Ruge, what are you doing here…"
Jocelyn clapped a hand over her lips. Her face had gone almost completely blank.
"As a matter of fact! I was captured and brought here three days ago!" said the curly-haired man named Ruge with a bitter smile.
"The guardian Wizard of this castle — that fellow called Lei Lin — has probably reached the peak of the first tier. I felt a terrifying fluctuation emanating from him, the kind you only sense from those top-tier Wizards…"
Jocelyn was stunned. Her only hope had been brought here even before she had, and now all her cursing and defiance from moments ago seemed as ridiculous as a clown performing in a slapstick comedy.
…
"These are the mandala petals gathered today, all preserved with magic to maintain their potency for at least fifteen days…"
Lei Lin gestured toward a stack of neatly arranged materials beside him, then pointed to several Wizards dressed in black robes nearby, their hands and feet bound in iron chains. "Also, these are Dark Wizards captured recently — send them all off together!"
"Yes, sir!"
The man receiving the handoff was also an official Wizard, accompanied by several teammates of similar rank. Yet before Lei Lin, he still instinctively lowered his body, addressing him with a respectful honorific.
In the Wizard world, whether White Wizards or Dark Wizards, the strong reigned supreme — that was the most universal rule.
This squad leader was only at the Half Elemental Transformation stage, and Lei Lin had already handed over several Dark Wizards of this caliber to him.
In combat, capturing an official Wizard alive was clearly far more difficult than simply defeating or killing one.
Having fully grasped Lei Lin's strength, the squad leader could no longer put on any pretense in his presence. Each time he came, it felt like reporting to a superior.
"Mm! Three official Wizards, one of whom is female, and thirteen Wizard Apprentices…"
The female Wizard was none other than Jocelyn. But at this point, her face was ashen, her spirit listless, as if she had suffered some devastating blow. She no longer dared to provoke Lei Lin further.
The squad leader recorded everything swiftly, then signed his name on the form.
After that, he performed the customary Wizard's salute to Lei Lin.
"Sir Lei Lin! Your military merit already far surpasses mine. Upon returning to headquarters, your rewards and contribution points will be distributed in full!"
Inside the secret realm, they were technically at war, which meant that every captive like Lei Lin could be converted into pure, unadulterated merit.
And merit was something you could exchange at any of the major White Wizard factions for many of the unique products found in the Ganges Secret Realm — or even trade for exclusive items from other academies.
Things like advanced academic knowledge, improved spell models, rare potions, and the like.
"Mm!" Lei Lin nodded.
By his estimation, the merit he had earned, if converted into Magic Stones, would amount to several million at the very least. And before much longer, he would be able to leave this place entirely.
Thanks to the more advanced harvesting techniques he had provided, the Dark Mandala flower field had already been picked clean of more than half its bloom, with only a small portion remaining.
At the current pace, it would take less than four days to finish collecting all the mandalas, and Lei Lin and the others would finally be able to leave this godforsaken place.
Every time he saw the escort squad arrive here in full combat gear, Lei Lin couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
……
Because they were transporting critical supplies, the White Wizard Alliance had assigned this convoy squad a mode of transportation: Big-Beak Birds.
These birds were enormous in size — each adult stood nearly ten meters tall.
Their beaks drooped downward, forming a large hollow space that was essentially a small compartment, big enough to hold a great deal of cargo — or even a human being!
The squad leader distributed his team evenly among three Big-Beak Birds, then claimed the best spot for himself — atop a stack of crates filled with mandala petals — and settled in with his eyes closed to rest.
The mere thought that he was essentially sleeping on top of several million Magic Stones made his heart burn with an irrepressible excitement.
If the White Wizard Alliance's entry point inspection weren't so absurdly strict — absolutely impossible to sneak past — even he himself might have entertained some unsavory ideas.
The inside of the Big-Beak Bird's beak was warm and comfortable; even as the creature spread its wings and soared high, not a trace of wind could be felt within. It was remarkably cozy, and the squad leader, eyes half-closed, was nearly dozing off.
Boom!
Suddenly, everything around him lurched violently, and several crates toppled right onto the ground.
"What's going on?!"
The squad leader cried out in alarm and anger.
Immediately, a magical seal lit up beside his ear. "Captain, we're under attack! It's Dark Wizards!"
From the seal came the voice of one of his squad members, laced with fury and alarm.
"Those damn brats!" the captain cursed viciously, then bellowed through his own magical seal: "Prepare to land, everyone into combat formation—"
Boom!
Before he could finish speaking, a violent explosion erupted, followed by the anguished cry of the Great Toucan right beside his ears.
Flames roared across the deck, burning through the Great Toucan's hardened beak and tearing open a hole that revealed the blue sky and white clouds beyond.
Whoosh!
A flood of freezing wind rushed in, and at the same time, crates filled with Dark Mandragora petals toppled and scattered across the ground.
"Damn it! Land! Now!" the captain roared in desperation.
If these resources were lost, the entire blame would fall on his shoulders. There was no way he could afford to lose them.
But at that moment, all he could hear was the faint, weakening cry of the Great Toucan.
Finally, as if the flying Great Toucan could no longer endure the assault, its entire body lost balance and plummeted from midair like a stone.
BOOM!!
The Great Toucan's massive body smashed into a patch of scrubland, carving out a deep crater in the ground. Small animals of every kind scurried out from every corner, fleeing outward in a panic.
"Pfft! Ptoo, ptoo!"
The captain, covered in dirt and grime, crawled out through the Great Toucan's beak, desperately spitting out grass and debris from his mouth.
"I swear, the first thing I'm doing when we get back is memorizing a flight spell!"
The captain swore bitterly. The sensation of being flung straight out of the sky was truly not one he ever wanted to experience again.
"What a pity. You won't get the chance."
A sinister voice echoed through the air, and moments later, several figures in black Wizard robes, their eyes glowing with green light — Dark Wizards — surrounded him.
"Well, well! Looks like I'm quite popular, doesn't it?"
Seeing this scene, the captain still wore an utterly carefree expression, though the surrounding Dark Wizards paused for a moment.
"Wolf Multi-Shot Technique!"
Just then, a sharp, shrewd light flashed in the captain's eyes. His clothes exploded outward, and countless tiny white needles shot toward the Dark Wizards all around him.
"Go!"
With a thunderous roar, various lights and shadows flickered across the captain's body, which then split into several phantom afterimages, breaking out in different directions.
At this moment, he had already assessed the situation around him.
Their mounts, the big-beaked birds used for transport, had all been shot down. They were surrounded on all sides by Dark Wizards whose numbers were several times greater than their own.