According to Gubule's account, he was a
Yes — the very homeland of the Crimson Grand Wizard! The core of the entire Wizard world's surface! The sacred land of Wizards, the Central Continent!
As for why Gubule had fled here, Leilin had no interest in dwelling on it. Instead, he was filled with curiosity about the route Gubule had taken to arrive.
If he retraced that path in the opposite direction, could he reach the Central Continent?
At the thought, Leilin immediately posed his question.
Gubule hesitated only briefly before respectfully revealing the truth: "In fact, the top of this underground world is the Central Continent! I found an accurate location of a subterranean lava eruption through a research journal passed down in my family, calculated the magma contraction period, and then traveled through the magma channel to reach this place..."
Through Gubule's account, Leilin gained a rough understanding of how he had entered.
It was largely consistent with his earlier speculation, and it also explained the horrific burn marks on Gubule's body — even with precise calculations of the magma eruption's weak points, the flames and extreme heat along the way were not something an ordinary Formal Wizard could endure.
If not for the fact that he had luckily seized a Life Vine Fruit, he would have ended up as a charred corpse!
"Hmm! The trouble with the Dark Elves and the Dwarves — I've already handled it for you. As a reward for your forthcoming information, take this!"
Leilin flicked his hand, tossing the Life Vine Fruit into Gubule's arms.
"Thank you, my Lord!" Gratitude appeared on Gubule's face. For him, keeping his life was already a great gain. As for this fruit brimming with life force, it was entirely an unexpected bonus.
Sizzle!
Fine red blood vessels sprouted from his fingers, burrowing into the fruit and beginning to absorb large quantities of life essence.
As waves of vibrant green light flickered across his body, the burn marks on Gubule healed rapidly — even the scars gradually faded before vanishing entirely.
Seeing this, Leilin was immediately reminded of the parasitic organism of the Manxter Giant Snake he had encountered during his apprentice days. The two abilities bore a certain resemblance.
Moreover, this method of directly absorbing life force seemed to offer certain insights for Meditation Methods like Life Siphon.
Of course, these were all minor matters.
Once Gubule's condition had visibly improved, Leilin toyed with the Black Snake Badge in his hand and asked, "Also, this mark — what exactly does it represent?"
"What? My Lord doesn't know?" Gubule's reaction surprised Leilin even more, but Gubule quickly composed himself. "But that's fine — a bloodline cannot be faked!"
Seeing Leilin's somewhat puzzled expression, Gubule immediately explained: "This is the emblem of our organization — the Ring of the Ouroboros!"
"Ring of the Ouroboros?" Leilin nodded — the name was indeed vivid and apt. "Is it an organization of pure-blood Sorcerers?"
"Yes! And within the Ring of the Ouroboros, only Comoin Giant Snake Sorcerers or their bloodline descendants are accepted!" Gubule answered with certainty.
"Moreover, as a Comoin Giant Snake Sorcerer of the highest caliber, the moment you join our Ring of the Ouroboros, you will immediately hold a rather elevated position..." After glancing at Leilin, Gubule added.
"In that case, I have nothing to hide!"
Leilin smiled. "In truth, I too am a Wandering Wizard who arrived in the Dark Polar Domain through a fortunate coincidence. And being a Comoin Giant Snake Sorcerer — that was an inheritance I obtained at a ruin! It was there that I first saw this Ring of the Ouroboros emblem!"
Leilin confessed openly. Though it was clearly a deflection — he hadn't revealed even the most basic information — Gubule wisely chose not to press further.
Instead, he shared a great deal of knowledge about the Central Domain with Leilin.
Through Gubule's narration, combined with records of the ancient Central Continent found in various old texts, Leilin finally gained some understanding of this Wizard sacred land he had long yearned for.
The Central Continent was the core of the entire Wizard world's surface — vast in scope beyond imagination, with all manner of rare resources in extraordinary abundance!
There, Formal Wizards could be seen everywhere, and only Second-rank Wizards were considered elites. As for Third-rank Wizards, they held honored positions as well, but were further stratified by power — only Morning Star Wizards were the true powerbrokers!
On the Central Continent, only forces backed by a Morning Star Wizard could consolidate and grow. As for small organizations formed by Second-rank or Third-rank Wizards, they would typically collapse in short order — nothing more than a flash in the pan.
"In that case, does our Ring of the Ouroboros also have someone who has reached the Fourth-rank Morning Star realm?"
This was what interested Leilin most.
After all, the other party was also a Comoin Giant Snake Sorcerer — and had even reached the Fourth rank. That pointed the way forward for him!
"Indeed!" Gubule was clearly pleased by Leilin's use of "our," his tone and expression growing noticeably warmer.
"Within our Ring of the Ouroboros, the Grand Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder have all entered the Fourth-rank Sorcerer realm. Working together, they can even contend against a Fifth-rank Radiant Moon Wizard. That is why our Ring of the Ouroboros holds some renown even across the entirety of the Central Continent!"
At this point, Gubule's pride was unmistakable.
"Fifth-rank? Radiant Moon Wizard?" A look of confusion appeared on Leilin's face. He pressed further with questions and finally pieced together the ranking system beyond Fourth-rank Wizards.
Formal Wizards comprised nine major tiers, known as First-rank through Ninth-rank Wizards.
Every three tiers represented a tremendous threshold.
From First-rank to Third-rank Formal Wizards, from Fourth-rank to Sixth-rank, and then to Seventh-rank and beyond — each leap was formidable.
And the Central Continent had gradually regained its ancient glory.
Not only did Fourth-rank Morning Star Wizards appear in abundance, but Fifth-rank Radiant Moon Wizards and Sixth-rank Dawn Sun Wizards were also seen from time to time.
Morning Star, Radiant Moon, and Dawn Sun were the honorific titles for Fourth-rank, Fifth-rank, and Sixth-rank Wizards respectively.
"Comparing themselves to the moon and the sun?" Leilin chuckled inwardly. "But then, Morning Star Wizards alone already possess lifespans of over a thousand years and wield terrifying power. It's understandable that Fifth-rank and Sixth-rank Grand Wizards enjoy even greater prestige and glory..."
Gubule, unaware of Leilin's internal thoughts, continued his account.
"Once one reaches the Sixth-rank Dawn Sun realm, it's beyond what I've been privy to. And the few Wizard Lords who have been confirmed to enter the Sixth-rank Dawn Sun realm are all leaders of the Central Continent's greatest forces — referred to by us as 'Kings'!"
"Wizard Kings? Now that's quite an evocative title!" Leilin nodded.
"And on the Central Continent, there are three principal types of forces: Sorcerer Families bound by bloodline! Wizard organizations centered on high-level Meditation Methods! And
Through Gubule's description, a blueprint of the Central Continent gradually materialized before Leilin's eyes.
Exotic races! Abundant resources! Higher-ranked Wizards! A grander stage and greater room for growth!
Flames burned in Leilin's eyes, along with an impulse to set out for the Central Continent immediately.
But he quickly suppressed that desire and urge.
"Very well! Now — can you explain to me why you risked your life to flee from the Central Continent?"
Leilin's eyes, glinting with cold light, locked onto Gubule's, sending a chill through the latter's heart.
"Th-the truth is..."
Gubule's expression turned ugly, but then he dropped to his knees before Leilin, pressing his forehead firmly against the ground.
"Lord Leilin! Please accept me as your sworn vassal!"
"What do you mean? Explain yourself first — there's no rush!" Leilin's expression remained unchanged. Then he heard a story from Gubule's lips — one he had grown rather tired of hearing.
In short, Gubule had offended someone within the Ring of the Ouroboros and been forced to flee far away. Now he sought Leilin's protection so that he might one day return.
Honestly, in the eyes of Central Continent Wizards, every other corner of the Wizard world was a backwater. If not for being pushed to the absolute brink, who would willingly leave their homeland?
"What makes you think I could protect you?" Leilin's interest was piqued, but he would not agree to anything without understanding the full picture.
"Of course! Setting aside the fact that my Lord has already reached the Third rank, the very fact that you are a Comoin Giant Snake Sorcerer means your future is infinitely bright — how could people like us possibly compare?"
Gubule said this matter-of-factly, with a faint undercurrent of envy and inferiority.
"The one I offended is merely a Horall Black Snake Sorcerer — his growth potential caps at most at the Third rank. The higher-ups of the Ring of the Ouroboros would certainly not take his side..."
"Growth potential?" Leilin's heart jolted — he realized he was hearing something critically important.
"Could it be that my Lord doesn't know?" Gubule had already, of his own accord, shifted to the language of a liege addressing his master.
"The inheritance I received didn't include anything of the sort. Explain it to me in detail!" Leilin's expression darkened.
A very bad premonition stirred within him.
"Yes! I will hold nothing back!" Gubule's attitude was exemplary — he had already begun holding himself to the standards of a vassal, and Leilin couldn't be bothered to correct him.
As Gubule's explanation continued, Leilin's expression grew increasingly grim, until it resembled the sky just before a storm broke.