“I’m sorry!” Noah found it hard to speak. Though he was no longer young and had long since obtained the strength of a rank 3, he might not even be as experienced as rank 2 Magi when it came to confronting enemies.
Giant Kemoyin Serpent Warlocks were precious resources in the Ouroboros Clan. They were sheltered, which was why Noah had no real life experience even if he had theoretical knowledge.
Under Robin’s command, the lizard under them increased its speed.
However, it was too late. The situation proved that Robin was not wrong in his lecturing. In less than a day, they were surrounded by a large group of Mouse People.
“Damn it, why are there so many?” Noah’s face flushed as he glanced at the Mouse People who amounted to more than two thousand. They formed a huge wave and surrounded them, the stink so bad that he was on the verge of vomiting.
“Mouse People reproduce like rabbits, and they require very little in order to survive. Other races may find it difficult to survive in the Forgotten Land, but this is not an issue for them. They make use of the rotten plants and maggots underground to live, and if they are truly desperate, they can even gnaw at sand and rocks!” Leylin explained to Noah.
“Damn these inferior beings. If we were outside-!” Noah clenched his teeth. Though they had spiritual force potions for replenishment, they still needed to be frugal.
“It can’t be helped. Regular Mouse People are very resistant to radiation and can be compared to rank 3 acolytes. Elite adult Mouse People even have the strength of official Magi. The leader of this group here is very sly, and I suspect it isn’t even here!”
Robin closed his eyes, a white eyeball appearing on his forehead. It was evident he was using detection magic to search for the tracks of the leader of the Mouse People.
In this situation, in order to keep depletion at the lowest, the best idea was to kill the other party’s leader. However, the Mouse People seemed to be aware of this as well.
“Darl, you guys, prepare to attack!”
Robin opened his eyes and exclaimed to a few of the Warlocks behind him. The five Black Horrall Snake Warlocks went forward, a great energy wave flickering from their bodies, causing an uproar amongst the group of mice people.
Robin and the others were the main force and could not afford to waste energy here. They could only have their followers take care of it.
“Prepare to provide assistance!” Kesha instructed the three Warlocks from her family behind her.
Leylin took around. He was alone and did not have any servants. “Never mind. Their spiritual force and magic power are also precious and can’t be wasted here. Let me do it.”
“Leylin, you-? … Alright. Only you are the most suitable in this situation.” Realising Leylin’s identity as a Potion Master, Robin nodded.
“Get away, or you’ll pay the price!”
Riding the lizard, Leylin went up front, the terrifying undulations of a Vapour Phase rank 3 Magus emanating from him.
The disturbance amongst the mice became even louder, but nobody left.
Leylin couldn’t help but admire them. The use of his aura to suppress them might be easy for creatures with lower intelligence, but the moment it was used on creatures with an intelligence similar to humans, it was useless. This was especially so, if they had a leader commanding them.
Of course, if Leylin used his rank 3 innate talent, Intimidating Gaze, there was no problem. After all, that was not just using his aura to suppress others, but a suppression that was similar to that of a domain.
However, Leylin thought it would be too extravagant to use a rank 3 innate spell against this group at the boundaries of the Forgotten Land.
As he watched the Mouse People pouncing at him, a silver light flashed in his hand as a few test tubes glimmering in multiple colours appeared.
“Defiant Ring of Fire!” A fiery-red test tube was tossed out with a swish and exploded in the air to form a giant ring of fire encircling Leylin and the others.
“Wind Blast!” Immediately after, another two light green test tubes flew out, and great gales broke out, blowing the flames in all directions.
“And lastly, oil roasting potion!” With another toss, a purplish-black potion exploded in the air, and something like crude oil in gaseous form was dispersed.
*Rumble!* The fire from before made contact with this oil and grew even more powerful, tongues of flame sweeping in all directions.
“Rank 3 Potion-combination Spell—Divine Prairie Flames!”
Great flames rushed along the ground, and as if pushed by a powerful invisible force, began to surround the Mouse People.
Many fire serpents engulfed the area and swallowed many of the Mouse People, the cracking sounds of meat being roasted filled the air.
*Chi chi!* *Chi chi!* They were burnt to ashes, and this horrifying scene motivated the Mouse People at the sides to flee. However, this was merely a small number.
At the end, many Mouse People were charred and became conjoined to the ground forming a single entity. A disgusting stink that was ten times worse than before was produced.
“He actually used a few rank 1 and 2 potions and simulated the effects of a rank 3 spell! He really is a Potions Grandmaster!”
Robin praised from the bottom of his heart, “Also, this battle style does not consume spiritual force nor magic power. It is the most appropriate to use in the Forgotten Land!”
“It’s only the results of an ordinary experiment.” Leylin smiled very modestly.
In actuality, those were his true thoughts. The amplification of effect from such a combination only reached around 70%, and was far from what could be produced from the Morning Star final technique that used a few spells and produced an effect that had a huge change in quality.
However, Leylin had gained a very large interest in this method of combination and had been doing research on it. This Potion combination technique was a result of one of his successful experiments.
“Everything is great, but this is a little too disgusting!”
Kesha used a gold-laced handkerchief and covered her nose, her expression revealing a look of revulsion.
The other rank 3 Warlocks were not in good shape either, especially Noah, who was deathly pale and seemed unable to hold back his urge to vomit.
After surveying this region, they realised that besides the earth under their feet, everything else had become charred. That unique stink of the Mouse People had become even denser after the burning.
“Alright. Get used to this kind of thing, because you’re going to be experiencing more of it in the future!” Robin patted Noah’s shoulders, gaze unable to conceal his admiration towards Leylin.
Over here, only he and Leylin could chat without a change of expression.
To take care of everyone, Robin quickly led and continued the journey.
With the previous experience, everyone was even more cautious this time. Even Noah exercised restraint and followed along at the back of the group, gathering experience.
After that, Leylin found that this Forgotten Land truly was a large dump. They met all sorts of strange creatures that were all the products of failed experiments who had escaped. Some of these species were very rare in the central continent.
No matter what they were, they all had a common point—they were either plagued with flaws, were corrosive, or had powerful poisons.
There was one way to sum this up. They were hard to make use of and were of no value to Magi!
WMW Chapter 418
The Kobolds
Maybe that was why the Forgotten Land was not overtaken by the Magi. Otherwise, the barriers between dimensions would not deter against the greed of Magi!
There were, of course, a handful of rare species who voluntarily entered the Forgotten Land to escape the grip of the Magi, however rare the cases might be.
The Magi here were so few in number that Leylin only caught a glimpse of one in all this time. And it wasn’t without the aid of his A.I. Chi
p that he could make out some of his features.
The said Magus was a mature male with peculiar scales embedded in his face — probably the result of a mutation.
With the unexpected negligence of Robin, however, he fled at the speed of light upon noticing Leylin’s group.
The concentration of energy particles continued to drop drastically as time passed and the group headed further into the Forgotten Land. Often, there was no soul in sight.
Those they did come across were mostly some rare species or exiled Magi who couldn’t survive in the central continent.
More often than not, these meetings ended up in a battle.
While they showed mercy to many creatures, keeping in mind to conserve their energy, some of these creatures actually initiated the attacks.
The most threatening one was a profuse chase by a rank 3 Cthulhu beast which bore the physique of a hill.
It took Kesha, Robin, Leylin, and the surrounding Warlocks before the Cthulhu was wholly taken down, and the death of it actually garnered them a heap of rare materials. But unfortunately, a Black Horrall Snake Warlock was sacrificed in this face-off, removing a member from Leylin’s group.
*Flap flap!* Kesha’s pet, a pristine white bird, flew to a stop on her shoulder. Leylin often wondered why Kesha chose to keep a creature that only possessed an investigative nature instead of fighting abilities as her contracted partner.
“Guys, a tribe of Kobolds lies ahead of us. It is a sizeable one with a manpower of more than a thousand, I’m afraid we’ll have to make a detour!” Kesha announced as she opened her eyes.
“Kobold?” Upon hearing that, Leylin did a thorough research on this species through the A.I. Chip.
[Kobold: Ovipara, said to be a subspecies of giant dragons. They will reach a height of 3 feet (around 1 metre) upon maturity and their outer appearance is characterised by a scaly skin which can range from a dark reddish-brown to a faded black. There are two taupe horns on the crowns of their heads and their fiery red eyes possess infrared vision. Furthermore, they can obtain spells through their bloodline and become an expert—similar to that of a Bloodline Warlock!]
“Giant dragons?!” The frightful creature that was mentioned in his high-grade meditation technique—Dragon King’s Mystic Might came to his mind in that instance. The image of the Kobold on his A.I. Chip was, however, not close to his imagination of the creature.
Nonetheless, the giant dragons of the ancient era were famous because of the majority Ehya subspecies which was said to be able to mate with any species. Thus, these Kobolds were only to be expected.
But the thing that caught Leylin’s attention was actually their bloodline!
Rank 3 creatures still existed in small numbers on the central continent despite their rarity. Moreover, Leylin had already reached the status of a rank 3 Warlock, it was about time he explored things in that field.
Unlike Leylin, other Warlocks did not own an A.I. Chip, nor could they extract ancient bloodlines from the blood of rank 3 creatures. As long as there was an adequate source, Leylin could extract as much of the ancient bloodlines as he wished.
“The bloodline of ancient giant dragons?” Leylin touched his chin, uncertain. “We can’t be sure if there are any rank 3 Kobold Warlocks… but it’s definitely possible in a large tribe with a population of over a thousand.
Kesha spoke after that, “I’ve found several rank 2 Kobold Warlocks within them and there are no signs of division in the tribe as of now. They are definitely under the control of a stronger Warlock, there must be a rank 3 in there……”
“A rank 3 Kobold Warlock backed up by numerous Kobold warriors and low-grade bloodlines. That is enough of a threat to us, we have to take a detour!” Robin did not hesitate in his decision. It was an aftereffect of the death of his subordinate, the Black Horrall Snake Warlock, earlier. Afterall, he had spent a painstaking amount of time and effort in nurturing him.
Leylin was about to make a comment but said nothing upon seeing everyone’s approval towards Robin’s decision.
It was clearly impractical for Robin to go against a huge Kobold tribe. Besides, the Kobolds were known for having diluted bloodlines and were already very distantly related to giant dragons. So it was almost impossible to extract giant dragons’ bloodlines from them, even for Morning Star Magi. Wouldn’t Leylin be digging his own grave if he persisted in moving ahead?
To put things into perspective, Robin and the rest were all Bloodline Warlocks. They could start suspecting Leylin’s intentions in collecting bloodlines.
‘Well, I guess we can only make a mark and return in the future!’ And Leylin stealthily marked out the place on the map of his A.I. Chip.
……
Leylin and his group made it to their destination in spite of the many mishaps on the way.
A saffron bonfire danced from below as an alluring aroma of roasted meat filled the air. The meat was dripping golden and glistening grease every now and then.
A small stretch of white tents encircled the bonfire.
“How are things going? Are the sentry and camouflaging spells up?” Kesha walked out of her tent, a cloud of steam still surrounded visibly. She had only clothed herself in a loose bathrobe and was still drying her hair.
She had obviously just come out of the bath. Nobody knew where she got the water for it, but it was a simple thing for a high-ranking Warlock like her, even if a waste of resources.
“It’s all done, we’re undetectable.” Robin furrowed his brows and replied, “And I remember reminding you not to use any spells here!”
“Don’t worry! The water was from my spatial item!” Kesha was noticeably annoyed and even threw a coquettish glance at Noah who turned beet red.
Robin pulled a long face at that, saying, “Kesha, you’re old enough to be Noah’s granny! On top of that, our families have numerous blood relations, he might as well call you Aunt!”
“Rest assured, I have no interest in kids! On the contrary, I actually prefer mature and charming male Warlocks. Am I right, Leylin?” She shot Leylin a look.
“I’m gonna go double-check!” Leylin quickly excused himself from the circle to check on the spell formations before he got involved in the irrelevant argument.
From his vantage point, he was able to see the white haze that engulfed the whole campsite, making the bonfire and tents only faintly discernible.
Leylin was aware that it would be beyond unlikely to notice any anomalies in the campsite if viewed from outside. The campsite would look like nothing more than barren land.
The whole camouflage was seamless under the setup of Robin’s and Kesha’s men, it would be challenging even for the A.I. Chip to locate areas that could be improved on.
Leylin strolled around aimlessly and shook his head at the indistinct quarrels.
Many families of Kemoyin Warlocks intermarried to preserve the purity of their lineage and for other benefits. Strictly speaking, every family in the Ouroboros Clan was related to every other, and they all could even be traced down to the same ancestors. Hence, it’d be a rotten mess if one were to try and piece the puzzle together.
Leylin was sick of hearing about the indecent acts of the aristocrats, and of the fact that they would always be superior regardless.
He figured that he might as well use this extra time to study the spell models and relevant information in his A.I. Chip.
Leylin’s eyes lost focus as he devoted the entirety of his attention to the A.I. Chip…
Robin and Kesha had made up by the time Leylin returned to the bonfire in the evening. They, too, knew it wasn’t a time to discuss such things.
Robin gathered all the warlocks next to the bonfire and spoke of the final safety precautions.
“This pocket dimension was discovered by a Barbarian Bear tribe from the Forgotten Land and the information was proliferated in the Forgotten Land instead of being kept secret. Following that, 2 factions, that were led by human magician fugitives and the local barbarians res
pectively, also marked out this sacred place, opposing the Barbarian Bears.
“They are the three main factions that we’ll be facing this time. Aside from a trickle of other intellectual species, we can overlook the rest…” He explained in detail.
“The entrance to the pocket dimension is at the mid-section of an underground river, guarded by these forces! We must break in swiftly, then fight our way through using either a boundary-breaking spell or by force…”
A solemn look was painted across the faces of Leylin and the rest.
Given the pitiful concentration of energy particles in the Forgotten Land, it would be hard to find useful resources.
Thus, this secret place was of utmost importance to the Forgotten Land and its livelihood, especially towards those factions! These factions would not sit back if Leylin and the rest were to take advantage of this land!
Though the group was practically undeterred as they were backed by the Ouroboros Clan, it must also be understood that the Clan would not launch an attack just for them. It just wasn’t worth it!
To add on, there was no end to the amount of evil and wicked Magi and dangerous creatures in the Forgotten Land that couldn’t care less about it.
Leylin and the rest had to defend themselves throughout the duration of their escape from the Forgotten Land, or else it’d be a truly undignified sacrifice if they were to lose their lives.
The boundary-breaking spell was a type of escaping spell that was fast and convenient, customised for entering and exiting pocket dimensions. Though the result varied for different types of lands, and might have no effect on occasion, it was still a useful spell.
Though, if one was superior in ability he’d able to travel through the pocket dimension with ease. Obviously, this did not work with Leylin and company. Why else would they painstakingly plot all this?
Warlock of the Magus World 1-596 Page 297
