"These really are quite good! The captain used to mention them often back in the north…"
But the thought of the Church and the burden of her mission drove Laphinia to suppress the emotions welling up inside her, a strained smile on her face.
"Not bad! Looks like joining the Church has made her a little more mature — but still of no real use…"
Sensing her current state, Leilin sneered silently to himself.
"What a pity… still far too naive…"
"Oh right! I still haven't heard about what happened to you after that." Leilin set a cup of hot tea before her, looking for all the world like an eager child wanting to hear a story.
"After we parted ways, I returned to Silvermoon City, met Her Majesty the Queen, and joined the final battle to defend the city…"
Laphinia smiled bitterly, her eyes growing unfocused as she drifted into memories. "…That's how it happened. That holy knight saved me, and once I'd recovered, I joined the Church of the God of Justice and have been fighting ever since to protect the refugees of the north…"
"Indeed…"
Leilin nodded slowly. He could sense that the devil's mark he had branded onto her had now reached a perfect equilibrium with the power of the God of Justice.
"A soul walking the razor's edge of a dangerous balance? How even more interesting…"
He thought this to himself, but not a trace of it showed on his face. "I've already received the congratulations and blessings from the Church of the God of Justice. Was there something else?"
Watching Leilin hold his teacup with that utterly leisurely expression, Laphinia sighed deeply within. But thinking of her mission, she spoke up in a somber voice: "In addition, I have come to request Your Excellency's assistance!"
"Assistance? What kind of assistance?" Steam rose between them, veiling the playful glint in Leilin's eyes.
"Regarding the situation in the north, we've established contact with the Queen of Silvermoon and are actively attempting to help her restore the kingdom. Unfortunately, our current strength and manpower are insufficient — we especially lack any powerhouses at the Legendary level. The Church has already done everything it can to help, but other regions are facing difficulties of their own…"
There were even hints of tears in Laphinia's eyes. "For the sake of those innocent civilians suffering in the north, I hope you will help us. After all, you once received help from Silvermoon City as well…"
"How truly… childish…"
Leilin shook his head inwardly. "Wanting to secure a Legend's help without offering anything in return?"
Even if he had once gained a great deal of knowledge in Silvermoon City, he had earned it through military merits and other exchanges. He didn't feel he owed them anything.
Moreover, joining this plan meant directly confronting the Orc Empire. Even though the orc gods could be held in check by the Goddess of the
"I have a very important matter to attend to recently. I'll need to head to the western part of the continent for a time…"
Leilin spoke slowly, and the light in Laphinia's eyes dimmed.
"However…" Just as Laphinia was on the verge of despair, Leilin suddenly shifted his tone. "If you can wait for a while, I wouldn't be entirely unwilling to make a trip to the North!"
"That's fine! Of course that's fine! We're still in the preparation stage right now—there are still several years before the plan is set in motion. We can absolutely afford to wait!"
Laphinia stood up, excitement flickering in her eyes. "Regardless of everything, I must thank you this time. The civilians in the North who are suffering under the orc occupation won't forget your contribution either…"
"Mm, mm!"
Leilin responded with a somewhat exasperated air, rolling his eyes inwardly. "If I didn't happen to have business in the North anyway—some things I absolutely must obtain—did you think I'd agree?"
After seeing Laphinia off, Leilin stroked his chin and sank into thought.
"I didn't expect that the Church of the God of Justice had already made contact with
"Furthermore, the fact that Alustriel actually agreed—if it's not because the Goddess of the Weave and the God of Justice reached some compromise behind the scenes, then she must have been moved by the northern refugees… Given that queen's personality, the latter seems far more likely…"
According to the intelligence Leilin had received through the Tifa organization, the original human inhabitants of the North were not faring well at all.
Those few lucky souls who had made it south and gained shelter in human kingdoms were the exception rather than the rule. The rest had either perished during their flight or been captured outright by the orcs and turned into slaves!
After all, the simple-minded orcs knew nothing of farming or anything of the sort—they needed human labor.
But going from master to slave was hardly a pleasant transition, and one could hardly expect generous treatment.
Even though Saladin, the Orc Emperor, was a wise ruler, he was still an orc at his core! He had to see things from the orc perspective.
In fact, despite repeated decrees from the Orc Empire, incidents of slaves being abused or even killed for sport were all too common. The humans of the entire North were essentially living in hell.
Having witnessed this situation, even someone like Alustriel—who had previously been determined to live in seclusion—would surely have her resolve shaken by now. That was simply her nature: soft-hearted and unable to bear the pleas of the weak. Truthfully, if she didn't have the Goddess of the Weave backing her and strength of her own to match, that personality would have gotten her killed long ago.
"How many gods' gambits are at play in this upheaval in the North? The Goddess of the Weave would certainly not be content to sit idle—she'll want to make a comeback. The God of Justice has made his stance clear, but his true intentions still warrant consideration. And what attitude will the other gods take toward this operation?"
Leilin's brow furrowed deeply.
In the past, he had been nothing more than a tiny shrimp—no matter how much he stirred things up, the gods would barely notice or care. But now things were different!
A powerhouse at the Legendary rank could already intervene in the battles between divine avatars. His position now carried real weight, and if he wasn't careful, he would immediately attract inexplicable hostility.
Every step Leilin took now had to be considered with the utmost care.
"No matter what… if I help Alustriel restore her kingdom, I'll definitely earn the enmity of the orc gods… the attitude of the gods in the human camp is also highly questionable…"
Leilin rubbed his brow and let out a deep sigh. "Still… the North holds something I must obtain. Even if it's a risk, I have to try!"
"And to make a clean escape, my own strength remains the key!"
Leilin's goal had never really changed. No matter what the future might bring, striving to become stronger was never the wrong call.
"The advancement beyond Legendary is even more grueling. Even with the Nightmare Body's energy-absorption advantage, I can't improve much in just a year or two…"
For most Continental Legends, rank advancement typically required centuries as the unit of measure. Leilin's speed was already remarkably fast.
But compared to the divine avatars and other veteran Legends, his current strength and influence still appeared rather thin.
"And to bolster my strength in the shortest time possible, rank advancement is too slow—I'll have to rely on external means…"
The rules of the world of gods were exceedingly strict. A Legendary powerhouse who possessed numerous high-rank Legendary items—or even artifacts—was clearly superior to an ordinary Legend with nothing to his name. Leilin had already set his sights on this avenue.
And what artifact could surpass a floating city in terms of power augmentation?
During the Nether Arcane Age, floating cities had been standard equipment for Legendary Arcanists! The two combined could rival a Lesser God in divine might!
The construction of each floating city required, in addition to the pinnacle achievement of Nether civilization—the Mithril Energy Core—the integration of a demiplane.
As a result, a completed floating city also possessed certain attributes and functions of a divine realm—it was practically an impregnable dimensional fortress!
"If I could get my hands on that floating city, I could basically stroll through the Material Plane without a care. Even divine avatars wouldn't frighten me!"
Leilin was already a Legendary
After all, when it came to breadth of vision and the depth and scope of research, Leilin—who had already reached the threshold of half-seventh-tier—was vastly superior to those ancient Arcanists!
"Once I've dealt with these emissaries and the affairs overseas, I'll set off for the Western Desert!"
Leilin's gaze grew distant and unfathomable as he steeled his resolve.
In the days that followed, Leilin received several more delegations of influential emissaries in succession. They came from the great powers scattered across the continent, each expressing congratulations on his advancement and presenting appropriate gifts. But there was no deepening of ties—after all, none of them truly understood the current Leilin.
Leilin was more than content with this arrangement. So long as there were no conflicts of interest, he could get along splendidly with most of the emissaries, leaving them feeling as warm and refreshed as a spring breeze.
Afterward, Leilin hosted a grand ceremony, formally accepting the congratulations of the smaller factions and publicly reading aloud the royal decree from His Majesty, the King of Dambress.
From that day forward, the Faolan family held a hereditary marquisate, and throughout the outer seas of Dambress, their power was virtually unchallenged.
With a Legendary Arcanist like Leilin presiding over the family, their glory and prestige were sure to endure for ages to come. After all, the lifespans of mages were always extraordinarily long.
The presence of a Legendary was the very guarantee that kept the outer seas in their free and autonomous position. In truth, after the neighboring smaller factions had already pledged allegiance one after another, the entire outer seas had effectively become a feudal kingdom independent of Dambress—and the Faolan family's glory was only just beginning.