“These are some spirit sources that I control: Iren, Gogoer and a few Rank 2 Magi! As long as they’re in your hands, there will never come a day where they betray you!”
These Magi were the core strength of Nature’s Alliance. In fact, as long as Celine had them under her control, the entirety of Nature’s Alliance would be subject to her manipulation.
As long as there was no internal conflict, Nature’s Alliance was the most powerful in the entire Twilight Zone. Even if Leylin suddenly went missing and caused a stir, it would not affect Nature’s Alliance too much.
After all, this was still Leylin’s backup plan. He still had the treasures of the Icy World waiting to be excavated and he would not give up on them so easily. This was also the reason why Leylin specially rushed back to prepare. Celine herself wasn’t an important enough reason for him to return.
“Besides, when I disappear, you can simply claim that I’ve gone to a secret facility for research. Anyway, it’s common for high-rank Magi to spend a decade on research, no?”
“Alright, good bye!” Leylin finally said and left.
This was similar to how a person working at an office would act before leaving every morning. Leylin simply left after a few words, not at all like someone who was going to leave for someplace far away.
In any case, Leylin had already seen Celine for who she was: a woman whose heart will never truly be moved. She was just calculative and thirsty for power. Looking at her suppressed excitement as she held the spirit sources, she must have already been rejoicing on the inside.
“Hold on! This will not be the last time right? What I said before was true, I will take care of your bloodlines, and turn them into the Guardian of the next generation…” Celine bit her lower lip.
“I’m sorry. I don’t have much time!” Leylin’s figure transformed into a black ray of light and he shot into mid-air, disappearing into the horizon in a flash.
Leylin understood Celine’s plans very well.
Bloodlines of high-leveled Magi were hard to come by. Furthermore, he progressed incredibly fast. Celine thought that his bloodline was from an ancient, fearful creature. Hence, she wanted him to leave some of his seeds behind.
In actual fact, Leylin was now a first generation Bloodline Warlock. The blood descendants he left behind would also have the Kemoyin’s Bloodline and would naturally be Warlocks! With a bit of nurturing, they would be unbelievably strong!
But why would Leylin do that? Even when he fooled around with numerous girls before, he had secretly controlled his secretion and made sure not to leave any descendants behind.
A clink sounded in Celine’s hands as Leylin walked away, leaving behind remnants of a delicate gold cup.
She always had great confidence in her charm and knowledge, but looking at the situation now, it seemed like Leylin did not have the slightest bit of concern towards her. This hurt her pride badly.
But a smile crept onto her face once again as she stared at the huge number of spirit sources in her palms.
Now that Leylin had left, the power of Nature’s Alliance truly lied in her hands! A wave of happiness drowned her heart as her face flushed.
Everything had happened just as how Leylin had predicted. Under Celine’s leadership, Nature’s Alliance naturally became stronger.
Though there was unrest in the Twilight Zone for the 10 years after Leylin’s absence, it would still be contained.
This, too, was related to Leylin’s prior subjugation of the power-hungry Twilight Zone Magi and the major powers of other races.
Gradually, the tales of Radiant Guardian Leylin turned into a legend. As for Leylin, a new journey was just beginning for him…
The Central Continent
Magma roiled around like water in a rough sea, emitting heat waves that swept across, a hint of the incredible power beneath.
A sheet of golden liquid lay at its center, as if a lake within the lake. However, this magnificent sheet could stop Magi in their steps.
Above the lava lay a giant passage, tiny voices sounding from it now and then. The rock around this passage was very hard, and no one knew where it led.
*Swish!* A silhouette appeared on the shores of the lake. The light dispersed to show a very young Magus, his long black hair tied up casually and his skin fine and smooth. His handsome face was filled with the dignity of a ruler.
This was naturally Leylin, but his robe was currently a little dusty. The hurried round trip had drained him.
“My Lord!” a middle-aged Magus with bronze skin saluted.
“Are you finished?” Leylin asked casually.
“Yes! Please follow me!” Kubler led Leylin to a hole he’d dug near the lake.
A giant ball lay at the center. The dark ball seemed to made of stone, its surface was a glossy black. On a side of the ball was a door which revealed that it was hollow.
“According to your blueprint and orders, all parts were made from the hardest layer of this metamorphic rock to bear the high temperature of the central magma. The joints were even reinforced by runes…” He reported at Leylin’s side like a loyal servant.
He didn’t even mention the difficulty in collecting the rock and casting it into shape.
“Good job!” Leylin nodded, looking at the runes inside the ball with surprise.
This Mankestre bloodline Warlock was much better than he’d expected at alchemy.
“No, it’s my pleasure to serve my lord, there is no trouble at all!” Kubler saluted humbly with his hands crossed before his chest.
This sort of respect was expected in front of Magi with higher bloodlines. Kubler had grown used to it during his time in the Ouroboros Clan.
“The lava lake is becoming more active recently. I’m afraid this means that it’s about to erupt!”
At that time, the place would be flooded with lava, blocking the entirety of the passage.
Kubler had come down here when the volcano was dormant, and had still suffered horrific burns. This had left him in fear of the lava. Although he went with his lord’s plan, he was still worried. However, the servant had no right to make the final decision. He could only make suggestions and had to follow his master’s orders.
“I understand. The eruption will occur in an hour and 23 minutes. Prepare yourself!” With the A.I. Chip’s ability to observe and forecast the eruption, Leylin knew the timing much better than Kubler did.
He had run this plan by his A.I. Chip’s calculations, and the success rate was over 90%. Why would he risk his life if not?
More than an hour later…
A black ball was floating on the red lava as if it was in the water.
Kubler sat inside with Leylin, face pale. Watching the lava outside through a magic screen, he stammered out, “My… my Lord, this plan is too dangerous!”
Once the ball was crushed, they would be devoured by endless lava! Even if he was a Magus, this kind of horrifying death made him shiver.
“Calm down!” Leylin stared at lava outside calmly.
*Blub! Blub!* The lava had reached its boiling point, and the whole cave began to tremble, dust falling off the walls.
[Beep! Eruption will occur in 10, 9, 8…]
The A.I. Chip had begun the final countdown.
“Now!” Leylin’s eyes flashed, and the terrifying strength of a rank 3 Magus burst forth.
“Freeze!” With his hands as the centre, a layer of deep blue ice spread out along the walls. Cracking sounds rang out as this phenomenon soon extended to the outside, enveloping the ball in ice.
This ice was so cold even the boiling lava could not melt it. White vapours arose as the two surfaces came into contact.
“This can earn us some time!” Leylin said with a smile, and then looked at the screen of the A.I. Chip.
[3! 2! 1! Critical limit reached!]
*Boom!* With the prompt of the A.I. Chip, Leylin and Kubler felt tremors envelop the ball. It was like they had entered the body of a terrifying ancient monster, and tha
t monster had woken up with a thundering roar!
“AAAAAAH!” Kubler screamed with fear, his hands waving around as he struggled to find something to hold on to.
Then, he felt a force that could be from the explosion of the universe as a huge impulse hit the bottom of the rock ball. The lava rose into the sky like a dragon taking flight, except this dragon had a small rock ball on the front.
Lava surrounded them and rushed into the passage. The ball shook continuously as it hit wall after wall, but what frightened Kubler to death was instead the high gravity!
As the ball had rushed up like a rocket, the two inside dealt with an equally large gravitational force.
The intense force pulled at Kubler’s skin, making him feel like he was being bitten all over by ants. The pain made him lie on the ground like a frog, and he felt like if he wasn’t a Warlock with a strengthened body, he would have died long ago.
Booms sounded out and the trembling continued. The terrifying power of nature made Kubler feel like a tiny ant. All he could do now was pray; pray for an early release from this torment, pray that this rock ball would hold out
Thumps and explosive noises continued to sound out. This was a giant volcanic range, and today its central volcano had accumulated enough pressure to erupt.
Masses of black smog were ejected into the sky, forming a sea of gray clouds that shrouded the nearby lands in darkness.
Rivulets of lava flowed down the mountain slopes, looking like arteries on flesh.
*BOOM!* Finally, with a huge explosion that caused an earthquake, the volcano erupted.
It was as if heaven and earth were torn asunder, and the world was ruined. Red lava, dotted with gold, burst into the sky transforming into countless fire dragons that flew in every direction.
Fire raged, and explosions rang forth even as the earth quaked. It was like armageddon.
Amidst this terrifying lava were multiple rocks. Boulders that were as large as hills hit the ground with great force, cracking the earth underneath and ruining everything around them.
*Bang!* Among the countless boulders in the sky was one rock with a particularly regular shape.
This rock ball streaked across the ground, leaving behind it a long track of burnt black. The surface of the ball was still a dull red, as if it was ready to melt any moment.
The ball soon began to crack apart, and a portion was thrown off with a bang, revealing a hollow interior.
“So this is the central continent ?” Leylin came out of the ball, exhaling a breath that was as hot as fire itself.
The hellish scene nearby did not affect him. Instead, he was filled with delightful anticipation. “The central continent, here I come.” he murmured in his mind.
It took a while for Kubler to slowly crawl out of the ball, coughing. His body was in a mess, with some burn marks on it.
The layer of ice Leylin had made had been thawed within a few dozen seconds of the eruption. Afterwards, the rock ball had heated up to extremely high temperatures. They would have been roasted had they not been Magi.
“Exciting! This is so exciting!” After retching for a while, Kubler wiped his sweat off, fear in his eyes.
“Relax! We got out safely, didn’t we?” Leylin turned back and smiled. “It’s quite fair for us to pay a small price for concentrating a day’s journey into a few minutes!”
“Yes, my Lord!” Kubler could do nothing but smile.
“So is this the central continent?” Seeing Kubler collect himself, Leylin wanted to confirm it with him.
“Yes!” Kubler said even as his expression turned complicated, “This is the Mt. Asura of the central continent. The land that we are standing on now is undoubtedly of the central continent.”
……
Three days later, in a small town.
A giant gleaming revolving gate swung around as carriages and people wearing strange clothes passed by, some of them official Magi.
Leylin was sitting in a hotel room, the pudding and juice in front of him all but untouched. He was staring outside with a dreamy gaze.
At that time, the door was opened with a thump and Kubler stepped in.
“My Lord! I’ve bought tickets for an airship heading to the Black River Domain that leaves tomorrow morning! In at most four days, we will arrive at the headquarters of the Ouroboros Clan!” His voice was tinted with excitement.
Airship Network
“Hmm!” Leylin nodded his head inattentively.
“I see many Magi here!” He pointed to the outside.
A Magus who was dressed like a wandering poet was playing a pipe organ. A group of residents was watching and cheering him on.
“Yes! Over here, official Magi often mingle amongst the commoners and the residents know them very well too…” Kubler explained to Leylin. “In the central continent, the Magi and nobility communicate in the Byron language. Hence, my Lord, you do not need to worry about a language barrier. In fact, here are some materials about the central continent and a few variants of maps as well as information about communication. “
Kubler respectfully handed over a crystal ball filled with information to Leylin.
For a Magus to learn the Byron language was compulsory. Thus, Leylin and Kubler could communicate the moment they met. They could understand each other immediately.
Leylin helped himself to a scoop of dessert.
A rich, fragrant, and sweet flavour excited his taste buds, “Nice delicate food, looks like the lifestyles of the commoners in the central continent are better than in Twilight Zone…..”
“Naturally. This is the central continent, the core of the Magus world!” Kubler exclaimed with a hint of pride. Leylin smiled and shook his head.
Even if the seven layers of the subterranean world did not agree with such a statement, during the ancient past of the central continent, there was at least a rank 7 Magus overseeing it.
But now? Only a slight hint of their past glory had been restored.
As for this problem, Leylin did not want to do anything about it. After all, the current situation in the central continent might suit him better.
After a night of good rest, Leylin and Kubler headed towards a location outside of the city.
The busy road there was filled with horse carriages and other means of transportation. Loads of luggage and goods were being transported on them and the place looked prosperous.
In addition, every passerby on the street had some level of energy undulations on them. There were very few commoners present.
Leylin and Kubler crossed the wide and sturdy road and saw what looked like a futuristic airport. There were many white oval-shaped airships at the huge flat field, some taking off and others landing. A throng of people moved in and out of them like an army of ants.
Some of the airships were towing truckloads of goods, with workers calling out to their partners to off-load the cargo and luggage. The scene was hot, busy, and messy.
The central continent was huge, its lands vast and boundless. Ground transport was not only slow, but it was also much more dangerous. Hence, airships had become their common mode of transportation.
Even within the small section of a city, there was an airship docking point with a few Magi and acolytes on duty manning it.
Their responsibilities included maintaining law and order in the city and the maintenance and repair of airships.
On top of that, there was a pool of specially trained engineers for the job. With bodies as thin as a match, bulging eyes and balding heads, Leylin saw them working between the bases of the airships and the tunnels with spanners and other tools in their hands.
Construction cost and maintenance fees for such airships were very high. Still, as long as the air route was secure, there were profits to be made. It was a case of large investments yielding great profits. And such investments could only be made by Magi who possessed great wealth.
The airships of the south coast were smaller than the ones here. Their air routes were lim
ited and their flying times were regulated. They simply could not be compared to those from the central continent.
“Who is behind these various air routes?” Leylin asked Kubler in a soft tone.
A single airship ticket in an ordinary cabin cost one hundred magic crystals. For Leylin and Kubler, who naturally chose to travel in the superior cabin, their journey alone had cost them six hundred magic crystals.
Fortunately, Leylin was rich and imposing as he had control of an entire region’s resources. Money came easily at his beck and call. He had an abundance of magic crystals, so he would naturally not be a scrooge.
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