“From the looks of it, I’m afraid that the platinum door has already evolved to have its own intelligence. However, it was removed by Magi from Four Seasons Garden and sealed here. Hence, its spiritual force waves gave me such a strange feeling…”
Leylin slowly came up with the entire process that led to this result.
Though he had no idea why Four Seasons Garden sealed the consciousness of the entrance to the secret plane, there were only a few reasons that Leylin wasn’t going to bother wondering about.
What he was more focused on was what would happen to the entrance to the secret plane if its consciousness was destroyed.
After all, the red crystal that Giant gave him was no unsealing spell design! Instead, it would control the spell formation as well as the consciousness within, and destroy them together!
“A.I. Chip! Simulate the consequences of the destruction of the secret plane’s body of consciousness.”
Leylin spoke quietly, his expression dark and dreadful.
[Beep! Mission established, beginning to compare with high-level patterns. Importing data…] The A.I. Chip intoned loyally.
After which, the result was placed before Leylin.
[Based on simulated experiments and remnants, if the body of consciousness is damaged, the possibility of the platinum gate being destroyed is 79.8%. Entrance will automatically close and be sealed shut. Another 15.2% chance of the opposite happening. The entrance will then become a public entrance and be open to any living beings… the last 5% possibility has unknown consequences!]
Leylin, who was silently reading the conclusion, suddenly understood everything.
The most important part in the battle for the Eternal River Plains’ secret plane was the acquisition of the entrance. Seven entrances had been discovered, with four being controlled by the light Magi.
This control referred not only to the Magi army set up on the outer areas but also to a certain key that could control the opening and closing of the entrance!
From the looks of it, these keys referred to each gate’s core body of consciousness!
“If I detonate this area, there’s a large probability of Four Seasons Garden’s entrance disappearing. The dark and light Magi will then hold the same number of entrances and there won’t be any disadvantages when trying to take over the secret plane.”
Leylin could easily tell the intentions of the dark Magi.
These Magi were planning to destroy the entrance here!
Gaining control of the entrance meant obtaining a large amount of land, plentiful resources, as well as a huge number of troops. Most importantly, the speed at which spoils of war were transported would be increased!
Light Magi currently held possession of four entrances. Whether in terms of the areas with radiation or potential battle power, they exceeded the dark Magi by a large margin. Hence, the dark Magi had to think of ways to make up for this handicap!
Even if this place was not destroyed, it was still necessary to rob this place from the light Magi. They would rather have this place become a public domain than let it be controlled by the light Magi!
“Shrewd! A very, very clever plan!”
Leylin, who had made sense of this whole situation, couldn’t help but praise the person who had come up with this operation.
However, as the very last chess piece in this game, he was in a very difficult position.
If he destroyed the body of consciousness now, the gate to the secret plane would immediately be damaged and perhaps permanently lose its abilities. This may or may not be a good thing.
Leylin, who had completed this task, would be held in high regard by the dark Magi, but the light Magi would definitely not let him off so easily.
This was a decision that he needed to think through carefully. Just for that little bit of merit, was it actually worth it to offend the entire light Magi alliance?
“Is there still… a need to consider any further?”
Leylin’s eyes brightened.
“From this crystal and the extremely opportune timing, it looks like there’s someone in the shadows controlling everything. This person also has to have a high position in Four Seasons Garden, or else it’d be impossible for him to do this much… I’m almost sure of who it is! Once this operation is over, he’ll be the one reaping the most benefits. I might even be labelled as a traitor and be chased to death, while he will get the most merits for everything….”
Leylin’s lips quirked in a cold smile.
Since ancient times, a spy’s position was the most difficult. Even if they succeeded, if the person who instigated the operation was not willing to tie up loose ends, the spy would be the one who would stand to lose the most!
Besides, compared to a lowly spy like him, there was another spy with a higher position, had been in Four Seasons Garden longer, and was an even more loyal choice.
If there were conflicts of interest between them, who would Thousand Meddling Hands choose? This was a rhetorical question.
Besides, the contract he had signed with Giant only specified that he could not help Four Seasons Garden, but the reason he was doing this was for his own benefit. With his own desire to get some benefits from Four Seasons Garden, it was evident that he would not suffer any backlash from going against the contract’s terms.
Afraid that Leylin would not agree, Giant did not dare to make the conditions too strict. If the conditions stated that he had to destroy specific things, then Leylin would definitely investigate further and could decide not to sign the contract at all.
“Shatter!”
Leylin clenched his fist while facing the blue ball of ice!
*Ka-cha! Ka-cha!” Countless shards of ice fell from the ice ball, and immediately after, innumerable cracks appeared on the surface of the ice ball.
*Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!*
Finally, the entire light blue ball of ice cracked and along with it, the red crystal dispersed into powder.
This spell design that would cause the spell formation to implode was destroyed by Leylin, just like that!
Leylin had thought this through.
It was alright to betray Four Seasons Garden. At most, he would have become the enemy to one more organisation, but destroying the gate of the secret plane would mean offending the entire light Magi alliance!
The current Eternal River Plains’ secret plane was a huge chunk of flesh that dark and light Magi alike were waiting for an opportunity to swallow into their stomachs!
The gate to the secret plane did not belong to just Four Seasons Garden, but the entire light Magi alliance! Four Seasons Garden was but one of the characters who would look over the entrance. The moment Leylin destroyed the entrance, all light Magi forces would lose their advantage in this battle!
Since ancient times, destroying a person’s livelihood was akin to murdering one’s own parents. For Magi, the secret plane was a huge gold mine where one could obtain a limitless amount of top grade materials! If he pitted himself against the light Magi like this, he would be chased to the ends of the earth and there would be no end to it!
On top of that, all of the light Magi powers would be working together to exterminate their enemy! The dangers of this operation were way above that of the times previously when he had gathered spirits and plundered brazenly!
In the south coast, light Magi were at the top. If the entire light Magi faction was against him, it was impossible for Leylin to stay alive. All he could do was find a deserted place and live a hermit’s life.
If he had connections in the dark Magi alliance things would still be fine.
This operation would be a huge gain on the dark Magi’s side, and based on his huge contribution, he would have a comfortable life with the dark Magi.
It was a pity that Leylin had entered Thousand Meddling Hands halfway through and was not as trustworthy. Otherwise, he would not have been deceived into doing this.
Besides that, he had no backing in the dark Magi alliance and rather,
had some foes within!
After all, Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was a member of the dark Magi alliance. He had brazenly killed off the elder of the Lilytell family, Metallic Lunatic Marb, which resulted in a blood debt!
After considering the matter carefully, Leylin concluded that exploding the gate to the secret plane did not benefit him at all, and he would have actually become the scapegoat!
Leylin was definitely not going to do something that would harm his own interests.
Hence, with one last look at Reynold’s office, he ruthlessly left!
……
*Rumble!*
Within the headquarters of Four Seasons Garden at the Eternal River Plain’s secret plane, immense energy waves from spells exploding could be felt everywhere. Mixed within those sounds were miserable cries and maniacal laughter.
The dark Magi’s attack, this time, was very fierce and they had quickly made their way to the centre of the headquarters.
Hence, Leylin found very few official Magi along the way. Nobody bothered to interrogate him either, so his whole journey out was very smooth sailing.
Many Magi in black cloaks were freely venting their dark desires, and some Magi could be seen bursting into flames.
The violent flames engulfed the area and turned the prosperous and busy trading centre into a sea of fire.
The official Magi of Four Seasons Garden were doing their utmost to hold back the dark Magi while awaiting support.
The Magi who had chosen no sides were around mostly to look on without lifting a finger, while only a few who were on good terms with Four Seasons Garden chose to participate in the battle.
Magi were a bunch of cold people, and seeing that the dark and light Magi were participating in a large-scale battle, most of the Magi present chose to look after their own hide and observe.
This was obviously the case for acolytes.
While official Magi were fighting, they did not even have the chance to intervene. Usually, just a stray wave of magic from an official Magus could cause a large number of deaths.
“Things seem to be rather chaotic!” Leylin laughed without care.
Though he was wearing the attire that belonged to Four Seasons Garden, the expression on his face was very composed and as cool as ice, as if everything happening here had nothing to do with him.
“Magus Leylin, what are you doing?”
At this moment, a figure rapidly appeared before Leylin. It was Dolorin.
This vice team leader of the defense squad cut quite a sorry figure, his white robes torn into shreds.
Blood Rogue’s Appearance
“Magus Leylin! In my authority as the vice team leader of the defense squad, you will temporarily be expropriated! Those darned dark Magi bastards are plundering our headquarters and killing our family and friends. I need you! Let us go and resist the enemy!”
Dolorin looked as if he was in a frenzy and was burning with rage. It looked like he was truly loyal to Four Seasons Garden.
As a large light Magi organisation, Four Seasons Garden had a very strong sense of unity.
Hence, even under such circumstances, many official Magi, and even acolytes, were willing to risk their lives and fight.
“My apologies, but I won’t do it!” Leylin unenthusiastically spoke.
“What did you say?” Dolorin became wide-eyed, unwilling to believe what he was hearing.
“I said I won’t! I am now the patrolling inspector at the headquarters! Just my position alone means that I have the same level of authority as that dead team leader of yours. Even he didn’t have the power to command me to do anything, much less you.”
Leylin squinted, causing Dolorin to seethe with rage.
“You… you dare…” Dolorin gestured at Leylin, his finger trembling.
Though his lips twitched, he did not say a word. Leylin’s reason could not be refuted, and with his current position, he did not have the authority to order Leylin, who held a higher position, to do anything.
“Well then, Lord Leylin! Where are you going?”
Dolorin suddenly asked with his fists tightly clenched and his eyes fixed on Leylin.
“Are you trying to mind my business?” Leylin’s spoke in a low register as he looked at this burly man.
“Of course not! It’s just that an envoy just came down from the headquarters and is standing guard at Experiment Zone 3. I think you might want to see him?” Dolorin lowered his head, though his words showed he had no intents of backing down.
“An envoy from the headquarters?” Leylin furrowed his brows. This was a key position and represented the will of the entire Four Seasons Garden. This person obviously had a position that was much higher than his temporary role as a patrolling inspector.
“Why wasn’t I informed of this? Who is it?” Leylin asked on.
“It’s Lord Reynold’s personal disciple, Lord Wade!” The name that came out of Dolorin’s mouth was unexpected, but at the same time logical.
“So it’s him! No wonder!” Leylin nodded.
Wade was a Magus who had been raised in Four Seasons Garden, from when he had been a regular human till he became an acolyte and then further became a Magus. His entire being had a close connection to Four Seasons Garden, and he was definitely loyal.
On top of that, the person in charge here was Reynold, who was also his teacher. In terms of communication and connections, he had a natural advantage.
“It’s going to be troublesome to have an envoy come down at this time…” Leylin’s heart lurched.
Immediately after, Dolorin stared straight at Leylin. “My lord, think about it…”
“Since it’s an envoy from the headquarters and the situation is somewhat dire now, I’ll have to meet him!” Leylin said indifferently.
Surveying the area, he noted that the dark and light Magi were immersed in battle and nobody had the time to pay any attention to him.
Also, they were in a corner and there was little chance of them being seen from afar.
After having noted this situation, the expression on Leylin’s face became calmer as he tucked his hands into his sleeves.
“That’s good… Ah…”
What appeared on Dolorin’s face was glee, followed by a complicated glint in his eyes, as if some sort of evil plan was brewing in his mind. However, all of this was immediately destroyed by a pair of flaming, crimson palms.
These crimson palms had blood red flames that went through Dolorin’s innate defense spell formation like paper and pierced right into his chest.
A flash of disbelief passed Dolorin’s face before he turned into a pile of ashes under the blood-red flames.
Leylin calmly retracted his hands. He was now the number one being who was second only to rank 2 Magi. Dolorin was a rank 1 Magus who was not even at the peak yet. Leylin had gone all out and mounted a sneak attack, and hence Dolorin had been killed in a single attack.
From within the ashes, a hint of grey light rose and turned into a grey skull that pounced towards Leylin.
“Oh! A secret imprint? I never expected Dolorin to have something like this!”
Blood red glints flashed by his eyes and two crimson rays shot out of his pupils which landed on the imprint in a straight line.
*Sssii!* Large amounts of white mist rose, and under the crimson rays, the skull imprint dispersed. It turned into little grey spots that disappeared into the air.
This was the same type of imprint that Bosain and Torash, who had both been killed by Leylin, possessed. This was an imprint that Magi used to mark those they wanted to take revenge on.
When Leylin was still an acolyte, it was exceedingly difficult to remove this type of imprint the moment he made contact with it. It was also easy for Magi to track, which was why he had used the most direct and simplest way to kill those two acolytes.
But this was now different! Leylin had advanced to a peak rank 1 Magus! The imprint of a regular Magus could easily be removed with a little spiritual force.
&
nbsp; He was only fearful of the secret imprint that rank 2 Magi personally set up. A rank 1 Magus imprints was not a worry to him.
“Shadow Clone!” After doing all this, Leylin was still not content and pointed at the pile of bone and ashes.
A black shadow clone crawled out from the shadows and entered the ashes.
The shadow clone that was now mixed with the ashes extended, grew bigger, and became another man who was similar to Dolorin.
Warlock of the Magus World 1-596 Page 182
