"The shadow of war — even ordinary soldiers can sense it?"
Leilin nodded expressionlessly, his mind elsewhere.
After returning to Silvermoon City, he had not chosen to stay at the military barracks. Instead, he returned to the property he had purchased in Silvermoon City.
"Another mission completed. The merit points from this one should be enough for me to buy those documents, right?"
The wizard archive in Silvermoon City was not something money alone could access. It required special clearance, and the higher-level spell materials could only be obtained by exchanging merit points.
This was one of the reasons Leilin had joined the city garrison.
With that thought, he glanced at his status panel: [Leilin Faraolan — Age: Twenty — Race: Human — Level 12
Silvermoon City truly lived up to its reputation as the cradle of northern wizards. With the abundance of resources and research materials available here, Leilin had advanced a full rank purely through his own efforts.
Moreover, the progress on analyzing the
"The Third-level Weave analysis is at 99.99%… just one last push…"
Leilin sighed and stepped into his workshop.
"G-Good day, Mr. Leilin!"
Inside, three wizard apprentices jumped up like startled rabbits.
Bessani's cheeks were flushed with a hint of red, while the Iona sisters behind her hurriedly tidied the cluttered workbench.
"Welcome home, sir!"
In the end, it was Bessani who mustered the courage to speak. After over a year of study, they had come to understand just how difficult it was for a wizard to advance beyond the tenth rank — and what kind of talent and status the young noble wizard before them possessed.
"Mm." Leilin nodded with authority. "I hired you at a rate of ten gold crowns per month, and I also granted you access to my workshop. There is no need to feel ashamed about that…"
These female apprentices were clearly using their time assisting Leilin as an opportunity to study alchemy on their own.
Unfortunately, without a master's guidance, even a dedicated alchemical laboratory could only take them so far.
"Oh!" The moment Leilin finished speaking, Aisadora cheered. "I knew Mr. Leilin wasn't the stingy type…"
"So that means… you all thought I was before?"
Leilin touched his nose. Iona quickly pulled her sister forward to apologize. Wizard apprentices in Silvermoon City numbered in the thousands. A job this good was extremely rare — if they hadn't happened to know Leilin personally, the opportunity would never have fallen to the three of them. Iona cherished this position dearly.
"Forget it… I was just joking."
Even casual words from him could reduce these beautiful spell apprentices to such fear. That was the power that came with high status and authority.
And the source of that power lay within Leilin himself — something no one could ever take away.
Leilin waved his hand with some disinterest, then walked over to a counter nearby and unlocked the spell seal on its surface.
"How have the Magical Items been selling lately?"
Leilin retrieved a black gauntlet from the locked counter. The dark beast-hide surface gleamed with a cold, hard luster, radiating a sense of raw power.
At the base of the gauntlet was an unfinished magical array, several spell circuits showing obvious breaks.
"The two alchemical items previously consigned at 'Hawk's General Shop' have all sold. Total revenue: eight thousand gold coins. Per the agreement, the shopkeeper receives one-tenth! The payment has been deposited into your account at the Temple of the Goddess of Wealth, available for withdrawal at any time. Additionally, several other magical item shops and auction houses have contacted me, expressing interest in your work…"
Bessani had composed herself and began her report.
With the terrifying mastery Leilin had attained in his previous life, once he had familiarized himself with the alchemical rules of this world of gods and mastered the Permanent Endowment, the Magical Items he produced were naturally of no inferior quality.
In truth, seeing that even casually crafted spell items could sell for thousands of gold coins, it would have been impossible for Bessani not to feel a pang of envy.
Unfortunately, she only had the authority to keep sales records. Both the delivery of Magical Items and the transfer of gold coins were handled personally between Leilin and the buyer, leaving her no opportunity to help herself.
Under the pull of greed, humans could summon terrifying power — even facing death without flinching. Leilin knew this well and would never allow anyone the chance to betray him.
"From what I can see, this Bessani's hands are clean enough… worth cultivating…"
Leilin thought calmly, placing the gauntlet on the workbench and fitting a magnifying lens over his eyes.
A pinch of mithril-infused powder drifted from Leilin's fingertips, shimmering with a bright silver sheen as it dissolved into the inkwell. Then, Leilin took a hard-tipped pen, dipped it in the silver ink, and began tracing the magical array.
Bessani and the Iona sisters held their breath, watching Leilin's movements intently.
Master alchemists all possessed their own closely guarded techniques. For someone like Leilin to allow others to watch virtually unreserved — even in Silvermoon City, this was exceedingly rare. It was enough to drive any alchemy apprentice mad with jealousy!
His motions flowed like drifting clouds and running water. Leilin quickly completed the final section of the array.
Then, his hand blazed with a layer of light.
Under the stimulation of the incantation and spell energy, the magical array on the gauntlet began radiating waves of arcane power, enveloping the entire gauntlet.
"Now!"
Leilin's eyes lit up. A fifth-level spell was cast without the slightest hesitation.
[Permanent Endowment]!
The dazzling, potent sheen of the spell drew a look of mesmerized reverence from the three sisters watching nearby.
Under the effects of the Permanent Endowment, the glow of the entire array intensified before gradually receding into the interior of the gauntlet.
[Ding! Strength Gauntlet crafted successfully!]
The Chip chimed with a notification, followed by detailed data.
[Item Name: Strength Gauntlet — Weight: 525 grams — Materials Used: Giant Hide, Ink Stone, Mithril — Effect: Increases the user's Strength by 1 point (capped at 10) — Description: A gauntlet brimming with power and a favorite of all warriors and knights. The crafter employed an entirely unique alchemical technique, imbuing this gauntlet with far greater strength!]
"Not bad!"
This grade of alchemical item was beyond the reach of apprentices like Bessani, but for Leilin it was nothing more than practice.
He submerged the gauntlet into a transparent glass jar filled with solution for the final conditioning and adaptation phase, then turned to Iona. "Go notify the shop. Have them come pick up the order tomorrow."
"Yes, sir!" Iona bowed respectfully and exited the room.
"So? Did you understand any of it?" Leilin looked at Bessani beside him, a trace of amusement in his eyes. As for Aisadora — she was simply ignored.
"No! Your technique is far more profound than even those elven masters…" Bessani had unconsciously adopted a tone of deep respect.
In truth, she desperately wished to formally become Leilin's apprentice, but he showed no indication of such an intention whatsoever.
"Alchemy requires systematic study. It's perfectly normal not to grasp it all at this stage…"
Leilin studied Bessani. In her eyes, he could clearly see a hunger for spellcraft and a steely resolve. Among the three apprentices, she alone might have what it took to ultimately succeed.
"Then… would you be willing to give up your monthly commission, plus work an extra three sandglass hours every day, in exchange for half a sandglass hour of alchemy tutoring from me each week?"
Leilin offered. Trading knowledge for labor was common among high-ranking wizards. There were even cases of female apprentices trading far more intimate favors.
"I would! Of course I would!" Bessani was so excited she could barely form coherent words, agreeing on the spot.
To truly study alchemy with her background was nothing short of a dream. Apart from Leilin, no other master alchemist would likely ever take her on as an apprentice.
"Good. Come find me in my room after work."
Leilin nodded and walked out of the workshop.
He couldn't very well stay here crafting spell items all day. If Bessani had both the interest and the aptitude, there was no harm in giving her some training.
"Congratulations, Bessani!"
Behind him came Aisadora's congratulations and Bessani's tearful sobs of joy, pulling a playful smile from the corner of Leilin's mouth.
The devil's gifts were never so easy to take.
…
He walked straight to the center of Silvermoon City, to the Wizard Guild standing beside the royal palace.
After passing through several layers of stringent inspections, Leilin finally arrived outside the wizard archive.
"Lord Leilin Faraolan! As a mid-rank accompanying wizard, you may browse the contents of the first three levels. Access to the fourth level and beyond requires the corresponding merit point expenditure!"
The tower spirit's mechanical voice rang out.
The wizard archive was essentially a small library. A few elderly wizards could be seen reading with tireless devotion, the aura around each one deep and tranquil — carrying with it an immense, silent terror.
The Chip continued working, cataloging everything Leilin saw.