“Duke Leylin! I am the emissary from the Fallor Family, and I present to you a personalized private ride— the Colossal Serpent!”
Another emissary stepped forward and presented a core controller. In the middle of it, an image of a private airship could be seen. The detailing and ornamentation of the warship structure were vivid and thorough.
“That is very considerate of you!” Leylin nodded his head.
The Fallor Family controlled the entire airship network. They also had the support of the Monarch of the Skies, and gifting every newly promoted Morning Star their very own airship was their tradition. As such, Leylin voiced, ”I thank the kindness of chief Fallor and the Monarch of the Skies…”
Perceiving Leylin to have understood their intentions, the emissary respectfully bowed and retreated. Almost immediately, yet another emissary stepped forward….
The etiquette for this ceremony was complicated, but Leylin still had to receive them one by one and express his own goodwill. It would be extremely important and beneficial for the Ouroboros Clan.
Leylin was brimming with enthusiasm and was all smiles. He conversed casually with many of the emissaries with ease, showing no impatience.
At this time, a Magus with a head of brown hair who was wearing a silver robe stepped forward. Impressive undulations emitted from his body without restraint. He clearly lacked manners, and was disrespectful in front of Leylin.
“You’ve come with ill intentions!” Leylin’s eyes narrowed and he glared at the Magus.
“Greetings, my Lord, from Collins of Jupiter’s Lightning!” Collins straightened his back and looked straight into Leylin’s eyes without a hint of fear.
“Collins is one of the more able ones in Jupiter’s Lightning. He clearly wants to test Leylin’s strength as a baseline comparison…” Paul remarked from the side, smiling at Philip with a wineglass in hand.
“Collin’s abilities are not comparable to Cyril’s. Shall we give him a helping hand?” Philip rubbed his fist, his eyes glistening with ambition.
“There’s no need! Duke Leylin is very powerful, do not ever underestimate him!” Paul’s dead-fish eyes glimmered with a smile.
The atmosphere inside the hall didn’t seem right. All the emissaries’ eyes were locked on the confrontation between the two Morning Stars.
Since it was a celebration, Leylin and Collins did not go overboard. On the surface, it looked like they were just staring at each other in the face. However, a ruthless cross-sword fight between the spiritual domains had already unfolded unknowingly.
A few minutes later, the colour started to drain from Collins’ confident face, and beads of sweat appeared on it.
Witnessing the scene, the other Magi thought they had seen a ghost. Paul and Philip exchanged glances, and both broke out in smiles.
“Oh!” A moment later, Collins scathingly stumbled a few steps back. Although there were no differences in his expression, the imposing aura on his body had disappeared.
Leylin, on the other hand, continued to sit upright. No one could tell what he had in mind.
“This is a present from our chief!” Collins no longer dared to look Leylin in the eye as he presented the gift. Soon after, he left in haste.
All the Magi who witnessed this silent confrontation grew more fervent about Leylin.
The revelry lasted until midnight. After receiving bountiful gifts, Leylin began conversing about his experience during his advancement.
It was, in a way, his means of imparting knowledge. Many of those present were rank 3 Magi after all.
Leylin was forthcoming, pointing out mistakes made during the construction of the point mass, as well as other general tips. Many rank 3 Magi were intoxicated by this essential information, and even some Morning Stars fell into deep thought. When it was time to disperse, many felt reluctant to leave.
……
After the banquet was over, Leylin chose not to rest, and instead, headed out to meet another guest in a private room.
“Distinguished Azure Mountain King, we meet again!” Leylin smiled calmly and sat opposite the Magus.
The person here was certainly the Azure Mountain King. He possessed the same appearance as his clone, with blue hair and a pair of starry eyes.
He had not come to this ceremony representing Azure Mountain City, and instead snuck in on the pretence of a diplomatic mission. He’d felt threatened by Leylin.
“You can call me Zack!” The Azure Mountain King spoke in a deep tone, without any further intentions of undermining Leylin.
“Alright, distinguished Zack, let’s talk about the compensation that you have to make with regards to my territory!”
Leylin leant back on the sofa, intertwined his hands. He was unusually relaxed. Opportunities for such extortion, where one took advantage of another’s weakness, were very rare.
“Sure! Your people, your land, and any other losses, I’ll pay you for it all. I’ll even pay double, as long as you promise not to leak the matter of the stardust bugs!” Zack said frankly.
He only yielded to Leylin as Leylin knew his biggest secret. If this information was leaked out, the entire Oakheart Clan would be faced with imminent disaster. Even his own life would be in danger.
Leylin was well aware of this. But he also knew that the destruction of the Oakheart Clan, and the fall of the Azure Mountain King, would not net him any benefits. On the other hand, such extortion had the potential for a lot of profits.
As such he didn’t mind letting Zack leave… as long as he paid his due, of course.
“Let’s not talk about the territory for the time being, you destroyed my Magus Tower. Shouldn’t you compensate me with another?” Leylin laughed with a hint of profoundness.
“Consider it done! I will build you one that is exactly the same!” the Azure Mountain King replied with a rich and overbearing tone.
“Oh! No, no, no! I think you misunderstood something…” Leylin swayed his finger, ” What I need, is a Magus Tower that corresponds to my current status. Do you understand?”
“What…” Zack took a cold breath, and immediately blurted out, “Impossible! This is extortion!”
Although Leylin’s previous Magus Tower was of considerably high quality, it was only fitting for a rank 3 Magus. In the central continent, anything that catered to the Morning Star rank would cost more, especially so for the Morning Star Magus Tower!
The construction cost of a Morning Star rated Magus Tower would be at least ten times more than that of Leylin’s previous Magus Tower. Even if he were to sell his territory, it could not even cover the cost of building one level of it. Leylin’s request was like a lion biting a huge chunk of meat off the Oakheart Clan’s body.
Based on Zack’s proposed bill of compensation, the Oakheart Clan wouldn’t suffer a huge loss. But to build a Morning Star rated Magus Tower? Even if Leylin were to decline all the other compensations, this request alone would still be outrageous.
“Indeed, I am extorting you. Didn’t you know?” Leylin mockingly laughed.
“Compared to the matter about the stardust bugs and the whole Oakheart Clan being erased from this world, I think it’s a good deal… With the accumulated wealth of Azure Mountain City, there should be no difficulty in constructing one such Magus Tower, right?”
Being reprimanded by Leylin, Zack’s face hardened as he gritted his teeth in anger, ”… Fine!”
“That’s the way!” Leylin smirked, obviously pleased. His expression immediately turned from one of hostility to that of friendliness, and this made Zack perplexed.
“Other that the Magus Tower, I have no other requests, so long as you assist me in building an astral gate…”
Having sensed the limits of Zack’s tolerance, Leylin naturally and pursued further benefits without scruples. After all, Zack wouldn’t suddenly appreciate him if he lowered his requests, so he could just as well get a hold of as many benefits as possible.
WMW Chapter 511
Attitude
After some haggling, Leylin and Zack finally reached an agreement.
The Oakheart Clan would bear the burden of building a Morning Star level Magus Tower, as well as provide him with all the resources for an astral gate. In return, Leylin guaranteed that he would never divulge information regarding the stardust bugs in any shape or form.
The two of them had even made an oath under the Trial’s Eye, which was at the request of the Azure Mountain King. However, he did not notice the look of mockery in Leylin’s eyes.
After that, Leylin got Zack to narrate the details of the allied army’s attack on the Ouroboros Clan from start to end.
After receiving this information, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Jupiter’s Lightning…” After sending Zack away, Leylin half laid down on the couch, massaging his forehead and sinking into deep thought.
“I never expected it to be them. Why would a haughty Radiant Moon Magus have any interest in the Ouroboros Clan?”
Before Gilbert and the others reappeared, nobody would be able to give him an answer. Leylin himself could only make wild guesses.
……
Most emissaries had yet to leave after the end of the ceremony, when another monumental event occurred.
The Morning Star Warlock, Duke Leylin, had announced his engagement with the leader of the Blood Serpent Family, Freya!
Bloodline Warlocks were generally very picky when it came to picking partners. This would affect the passing on of bloodlines, and determined the rise or fall of a family.
The engagement of a Morning Star Warlock implied that new Kemoyin blood would spread, forming another formidable family!
Though there were only two people in the family, Leylin and his fiancee, nobody could deny the strength of a family with a Morning Star Warlock within.
Based on some faint rumours, Duke Leylin’s bloodline was unbelievably pure, and perhaps even surpassed that of the other three Morning Star Warlocks! His fiancee was also of a prestigious Kemoyin Family, and her bloodline was pure.
The emissaries and Warlocks could envision an exceptionally powerful Kemoyin family rising to power in the Ouroboros Clan.
Though they were cursing within, these emissaries all looked elated at Leylin’s engagement, and gave their ‘sincere’ blessings to them.
Only after the engagement ceremony was over did the emissaries of the multiple organisations leave Phosphorescence Swamp. They had seen far too much at this celebration and ceremony, and needed to report back to their masters.
Leylin could finally relax, handling some miscellaneous work.
“Your Grace!” On the way, many Warlocks stepped aside when they saw him from afar, bowing to him from the sides of the road.
Leylin’s expression remained solemn. At most, he sent a nod of recognition in the direction of high-ranked Warlocks, his movements revealing boundless dignity.
His status in the Ouroboros Clan made it such that he could move without obstructions. He headed for a building that seemed like a beehive, formed of countless giant laboratories.
This was the headquarters of the technical department. Upon noticing Leylin’s arrival, there was a flurry of activity at the entrance. Schadt, who was wearing glasses, was escorted by Warlocks donning large white gowns as he welcomed Leylin. It made him feel as if he had returned to the research centres in his previous world.
“Your Grace!” Schadt bowed respectfully. He was extremely grateful towards Leylin. If not for his advancement, the Ouroboros Clan would probably have been done for.
“Mm! Bring me to the astral gate!” Leylin said indifferently after a nod. He then followed Schadt as they went in deeper.
After passing through the layers of isolation and detection spell formations, Schadt brought Leylin before a gate formed entirely of astral stones.
The entire gate emanated a starry radiance. The innermost layer actually possessed a stony surface and there were multiple bright runes, floating above the surface of the stone gate.
“This is Lord Emma’s astral gate. We’ve moved it here…” Schadt sighed as he took off his glasses.
“We’ve determined through multiple experiments that there is no problem with the gate itself. However, there was an unknown interference that stopped us from locating the coordinates, making the second attempt at finding the coordinates even more difficult!
“What level of power do you think is needed for this to happen?” Leylin’s eyes shone as he asked.
“I’m afraid…” Schadt’s temperament suited research perfectly. He explained things as they were and did not beat around the bush, “Only interference from a Radiant Moon realm Magus can cause the three elders to make an error in judgment!”
Radiant Moon realm! A great rank 5 Magus! The moment the words exited Schadt’s mouth, the rest of the researchers all trembled, evidently feeling weak.
Just a Morning Star Magus was enough for the Ouroboros Clan to be on the verge of being destroyed by the allied forces. What if a Radiant Moon Magus were to do the job himself?
The bleak future immediately caused these high-ranked Warlocks to tremble in fear.
“Don’t be so negative!” Leylin patted Schadt on the shoulder, “Just focus on saving Mentor and the others. You must work hard on this…”
“Understood, Your Grace!” A hint of shame appeared on Schadt’s expression as he lowered his head deferentially.
Initially, he had boldly bragged that he could find the coordinates within five days. However, multiples of that time period had passed, and he had yet to determine which world Gilbert and the others were trapped in.
Every time he was about to find the coordinates, he would be obstructed by berserk spatial turbulence, barring him from finding the real location.
If there was the slightest discrepancy in the coordinates, the two areas could be millions of kilometres away from each other, being two separate worlds!
With trouble both internally and externally, the Warlocks would definitely not dare have Leylin take the risk.
On top of that, they had no clue if Leylin would listen to them.
In actuality, even if they had determined which world Gilbert and the rest were lost in, Leylin might not aid them.
Since they had already determined the other world was a trap set up by a Radiant Moon Magus, how could he go in like a lamb to the slaughter?
Leylin was not so selfless as to take this risk.
“I should find a chance and take care of those Warlocks.” Leylin touched his chin, eyes glimmering with a dangerous light.
Those who had been urging him from the shadows to save the elders were not anyone else, but the many descendants and students of the three Morning Star Warlocks. Of course, they did not dare request anything of Leylin in the open, but as long as they was no evidence, they were bold in their discussions.
In Gilbert’s case, Leylin was one of them and they thus had the least complaints. With Emma, Freya was a mediator and they were less impatient. Only the students and family of the other Morning Star Warlock pressed him on, and Leylin was preparing to make use of them.
He was no saint, and would not save others and then give up his power to be shared. And yet, Gilbert was his Mentor and had taught him much. Thus he would save him, but now was not the time!
Leylin was confident that with a bit more time, he could set up his own authority and spread his influence. By the time the three Morning Stars were back, they would not be able to affect his status!
Hence, he had to make use of this time. Though he could use his strength and force everything, Leylin did not want to end up with an Ouroboros Clan that was divided.
Schadt’s report was exactly to his liking. This way, it was not because he was not trying hard enough, but that he was lacking information and had no way to do this.
Leylin had long since secretly determined their coordinates. But for his own purposes, he had kept mum until now.
After consoling Schadt and the other members of the technica
l department, Leylin returned to his castle. There, two precious guests needed to be attended to.
“Lord Paul, Lord Philip, sorry for the long wait!”
Leylin apologised to the two Morning Star Warlocks. After the other organisations had left, these two emissaries had stayed behind for some unknown reason. As they were Morning Stars, this was also good for Ouroboros Clan, which was why Leylin had no complaints and was so welcoming towards them.
“We only just arrived as well. Duke Leylin must have investigated thoroughly, right?” Paul grinned, the beady eyes on the octopus head seemingly able to see into the Leylin’s soul.
“Yes, Jupiter’s Lightning! They went too far!” Leylin clenched his fists, face flushing red and showing his anger.
Through the investigation of the Shadow Snake department as well as the Azure Mountain King’s story, he had confirmed that Jupiter’s Lightning was behind this.
In this case, he would not reject the good intentions of these two Morning Star Warlocks.
“I’m going to be frank with you. That Radiant Moon Magus of Jupiter’s Lightning has been finding us bloodline Warlocks an eyesore and caused conflicts with the union. Even the organisations backing us are in a cold war with them…” Philip said. The burly werewolf smiled wryly.
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