After seeing Leylin and Jenna, these dozen acolytes immediately bowed and greeted them.
Leylin noticed that they held a circular item that was emitting the glow of a magic spell, in their hands. Looking at the runes on the surface, it should be the runes formation to detect energy waves.
Jenna immediately raised her right hand and revealed a white ring on her finger.
The ancient ring had a silver body with detailed inscriptions on the surface, constantly emitting bits and pieces of light.
“So it’s a Lord who has a permanent residence. Please enter!” The acolytes respectfully made way.
“It’s my first time here. Are there any procedures I need to follow?” Leylin asked the acolyte from before.
“Yes. For magicians who enter for the first time, we have a simple procedure. You can pay 200 magic crystals and obtain permanent residence, or spend 10 magic crystals and stay in Nightless City for a month!”
“Handle a permanent residence for me!” Leylin immediately tossed out two high-grade magic crystals.
“Of course. Please wait a moment…” The acolyte quickly produced a piece of parchment and scribbled something on it. “May I have your name?”
“Leylin Farlier!” This was the light Magi’s territory and the Lilytell Family’s influence did not extend to this area. Leylin decided to use his real name.
“Here is your token. Please keep it well!”
The whole process was surprisingly straightforward. The acolyte merely asked for Leylin’s name, noted it down, and then passed him a silver ring.
“This is a token you will need to enter the city. Please keep it safe! Also, please do not linger on the streets after 12am. If not, the law enforcement group will apprehend you!”
The acolyte reminded him as he bowed.
Leylin nodded in understanding before leaving with Jenna, who had been waiting at the side.
“Jenna, I’ve been waiting for you!” Leylin went through a passage that was around five or six metres deep, and before he even had the chance to look around the city, he heard a hoarse voice.
A burly blonde man who had been standing at the door for some time immediately rushed forward with a worried expression.
“Uncle Manla!” Jenna put on a coquettish expression and immediately embraced the large man. “Jenna missed you!”
“Haha…Me too!” The burly man smiled and looked at Leylin beside her.
“This fellow reeks of blood, it seems like he’s from the eastern marshes!”
The murderous aura and strong scent of blood from Leylin’s body immediately caused the man to raise his guard against Leylin. He positioned himself between Leylin and Jenna.
“This is…” The burly man’s glared at him, as if ready to make a move the moment he misspoke.
“This is Leylin, someone I met along the way!” Jenna hung on to Manla’s arm.
“He’s a wandering Magus who is planning to stay in Nightless City!”
“Really? This is a city that advocates peace and harmony, so I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here. Here is a complete map of the city!”
The burly man showed him a kind smile and passed the map to Leylin. It was very obvious that he did not want Leylin to travel together with Jenna.
“Many thanks!” Leylin grinned brightly.
He could understand where the man was coming from. If he were a parent who saw his child mixing with a suspicious person, he would have the same reaction.
“It was great fun travelling with you! I’ll see you again, milady!” Leylin turned to Jenna with a smile and gave a gentleman’s bow, and Jenna answered with a bashful expression.
Having received the map, Leylin took a quick look at it and entered the trade centre of the south coast, also known as the Teljose Volcano City, where the night was as bright as day.
The burly man waited till Leylin was completely gone before turning to the female Magus, a stern expression on his face.
“Jenna, from what I know, you don’t usually get this close with strangers?”
The large man put on a puzzled expression.
“I don’t know why, but I have some premonition that makes me want to get closer to him…” Jenna’s eyes seemed to cloud over.
“Or perhaps, this is what fate decreed!”
“That seems plausible!” The man scratched his head. “The high-grade meditation technique that you’re cultivating in may not be very powerful, but at times, it is able to accurately pinpoint a trace of the future. Since that Magus gives you such a peculiar feeling, do you need me to send someone to check out…”
“Leave it! I have a feeling that if we do that, it’ll definitely incur his displeasure.”
Jenna’s eyes suddenly turned completely white, with no hints of any other colour.
“Twice! You actually made two prophecies about him!”
The burly man looked shocked. “That Magus’ fate is sure to be intertwined with yours!”
“Not me, but the whole of the south coast!”
The female Magus’ eyes regained their colour, cold sweat pouring down her face. She looked as if all of her energy had been wrenched from her.
“Quick, send me back to grandmother’s place!”
Jenna spat out and immediately fainted.
“Jenna! Jenna!” The expression on the burly man’s face was grim as he held her in his arms and quickly left the area…
Leylin, however, was completely oblivious to the situation. He was currently strolling through the streets of the Nightless City.
The moment he entered, Leylin’s first impression was—People! A sea of people!
Numerous heads were gathered close to each other, forming a sea of blackness. There were also various stores, as well as stands that were messily displayed. The constant haggling and bawling noises attacked the ears.
Many Magi and acolytes who were dressed in different coloured clothing were arguing aggressively with the vendors.
This almost reminded Leylin of the markets in his previous world.
However, the different races that he saw within the masses brought him back to the present.
There was the scaly marine race, the sub-humans with fur and marks all over their bodies, the smaller version of giants who were over five meters tall, as well as the little green people who had pairs of transparent wings on their backs, dancing gracefully in the air.
Many lifeforms from the Magus world were communicating with each other, their speech slipping back to parts of their own languages.
Among the humans, Leylin even saw several regular humans who had absolutely no energy waves radiating from them, and yet they were still confidently trading items on the street out in the open.
“My Lord, is it your first time in Nightless City?”
Leylin’s intrigued expression naturally attracted the attention of many people. A man who was so skinny that he was like a stick approached Leylin as he bowed, wearing a flattering expression on his face.
“Do you need a tour guide? My fee is definitely the lowest. Moreover, my home is within Nightless City, so I am familiar with every nook and cranny in this place!”
“Are you the ‘ears’ of this city?”
Leylin inquired to clarify.
“Of course. If there is anything that you want to know, I could also make some inquiries…”
“What is your name?” Leylin asked.
“Sean! My Lord, you can call me Sean.” The thin man was delighted as this situation meant it was possible to seal the deal.
“Good. I wish to stay here for an extended period of time. Take me to a place where I can rent some lodgings. It must have all the facilities!”
“If you wish to stay here for long, renting an apartment which is in the heart of Nightless City would be the most worthwhile!” Sean said quickly without needing to think.
As if fearing that Leylin did not understand, Sean quickly went on, “The heart of the city is controlled by several large factions that back Nightless C
ity. There are different types of apartments for sale, and they are generally quite safe and convenient…”
“Very well, let’s go there!”
Leylin nodded his head, and Sean hurriedly led the way with a gleeful expression.
After going through the throng of people and walking for about half an hour, Sean brought Leylin to a small door.
“Nightless City has five zones, and the outermost zone is meant for regular people and acolytes to live in. Its organisation is the most chaotic, and as long as one is in possession of a token, he or she can enter and leave the city at will.”
“The second zone is reserved for those who have done the paperwork to stay here permanently. Of course, Official Magi are allowed to stay here too!” Sean brought Leylin to the queue in front of the door and explained further.
“As for the third and fourth zone, they are the residences of the official Magi. There is also a trade area specifically catered to the official Magi erected within the zone.”
“Lastly, we have the fifth zone, where various powers have established their branches there. Usually, they are not open to the public and if you are not a member, you are not allowed to enter!”
Sean gave Leylin a clear explanation.
148 - The Communal Centre
The queue progressed quickly, and within a few minutes, it was Leylin’s turn.
Leylin produced the ring he had recently acquired, and showed it to the guard, who respectfully stepped aside to allow him to pass.
The second zone was a lot bigger than the first, and the shops were arranged in an organised manner, unlike the situation in the first zone.
*Thud Thud *
His leather shoes thudded as they descended upon the marble floor.
With Sean’s guidance, Leylin arrived at the centre of the second zone.
What was known as the communal centre was situated at the middle of the second zone. It was a humongous building that, based on its outward appearance, looked like a person’s inverted palm pressed to the ground.
Each of those fingers was a wide entrance.
Magicians formed long lines, looking like ants as they constantly went through the entrances.
“This is where the Nightless City’s internal affairs are conducted. These includes the renting of lodgings, the applications for store licenses, the issuing of missions, and so on.”
Sean brought Leylin into the passageway on the forefinger.
“This is the second passage that is specially catered for the Magi who wish to rent lodgings. Of course, we also provide property agents, though the price will be higher and the rentals may not be of the best quality…”
“Sir, would you like to rent a lodging? Come to Old Hork’s place! Our facilities are complete, and there are even snake and fox girls who will serve you!”
“No! Come to our side. Our prices are the most reasonable here, and we’re even willing to gift you ten regular human servants.”
The moment Leylin entered, he attracted the attentions of multiple agents, who all looked ready to gobble him down.
“He’s my customer! Get out of the way! Move!”
Sean guided Leylin to a passageway nearby, pushing away the overzealous hands reaching for him.
Within the passage was a spiral staircase. When they got to the second level, Leylin suddenly realised how quiet his surroundings were.
As they passed through a door frame that read “Hall No. 762,” Leylin saw a large domed hall.
On the ceiling, there was a huge crystal chandelier from which multicoloured rays of light bounced off, casting a phantom image on the ground.
To the side of the domed hall, there were many counters, and a few seats meant for people to wait in. A few magicians were already seated, their eyes glazed over as if they were about to fall asleep.
On the right wall, there was also a black screen. There were words in red on it which were constantly being refreshed.
“Apartment #332, West Hall Street West, small sized — costs 6700 magic crystals!”
“Apartment #893, Flamingo Street, of medium size — costs 85000 magic crystals!”
“These lodgings are all second-hand. The prices here are considerably cheaper, and many people wait here, hoping they might be lucky enough to get a good price…” Seeing the look of interest on Leylin’s face, he launched into an explanation.
Leylin was speechless, the thought of a real estate agency from his past life suddenly came to his mind.
“If you wish to rent an apartment, you can proceed to counters 1 to 15. Would you like me to queue on your behalf?”
“Fine,” Leylin nodded.
Even though he had quite a sum at hand, he was unwilling to splurge on an apartment so quickly, when he had not yet made sense of the situation in Nightless City.
Seeing all of these ridiculously high prices made Leylin think of the acolytes back in the academy who were so desperate for magic crystals that they wished a magic crystal was worth twice its actual value. The image made him want to cry and laugh at the same time.
There were many counters in the hall. After Sean left to join a queue, Leylin found himself a seat and began to flip through one of the magazines left on a table.
“Rose Sanctuary and Fresh Blood White Bones are currently in a conflict. They are currently gathered in Margaret City, and the number of casualties is unknown…”
“It has been reported that magicians have found the culprit that caused the tsunami in the Eastern Sea- an Ancient Whale. Currently, Ennea Ivory Ring Tower is holding an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures…”
“Looking to purchase large quantities of purified gems. Name your price.”
There was plenty of news in the magazine, though they seemed outdated. Furthermore, the majority of the content was on advertisements, sponsorships and the like.
“Sir, it’s your turn now!”
Sean’s voice travelled over. Leylin put down the magazine, heading to the 13th counter where Sean was standing.
“Welcome! How may I help you?”
Behind the counter was an adorable girl with a professional smile on her face, who was wearing something that was similar to lace. She seemed quite young, and Leylin guessed that she was, at most, eighteen or nineteen years old.
Leylin’s gaze shifted to the back of the counter, where he caught a glimpse of the white ball behind the maiden’s shapely backside.
“Of all the half beasts, someone who’s half-rabbit?” Leylin chuckled inwardly, not expecting the centre to actually hire a rabbit maiden.
“I wish to rent a house. The facilities must be complete, and it is best if it includes a laboratory, and the defensive spell formation has to be of at least this standard…”
Leylin stated his requirements.
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