"Hmm!" Leilin nodded casually, seemingly a bit absent-minded.
"There are so many wizards here!" He pointed outside.
Over there, a wizard dressed like a bard was playing an organ, drawing a crowd of citizens who watched with occasional cheers.
"Yes! Here, full-fledged wizards are very common — they even mingle among ordinary people, and the citizens are quite familiar with wizards..."
Gubler explained carefully to Leilin.
"And on the Central Continent, both wizards and nobles use the Byron language as their common tongue, so you needn't worry about any language barrier at all, Master. Also, here's a rough map of the Central Continent and some materials on the most commonly spoken languages!"
Gubler respectfully handed Leilin a crystal ball containing a wealth of information.
As a wizard, the Byron language was a required course of study, so when they had met in the Dark Polar Domain, the moment Gubler spoke Byron, Leilin could immediately understand — there was no communication problem.
Leilin picked up a spoon and scooped a bit of dessert into his mouth.
A rich, sweet flavor stimulated his taste buds continuously. "The food is quite exquisite too. Life for ordinary people on the Central Continent seems much better than in the Dark Polar Domain..."
"Of course! Our Central Continent is the very core of the entire wizard world!"
Gubler's tone carried a hint of pride, but Leilin just smiled and shook his head.
Setting aside the seven-layered underground world that had yet to protest, even the Central Continent of ancient times had at least seventh-rank wizards presiding over it.
But now? It had merely recovered a sliver of its former glory.
On this matter, Leilin saw no need to correct anyone. The current Central Continent was probably more suited to him anyway.
The next day, after a night's rest, Leilin and Gubler headed to a location outside the city.
Carriages and various modes of transport passed through constantly, laden with luggage and cargo. It looked quite prosperous.
Moreover, everyone passing by carried some form of energy fluctuation — very few ordinary people came through here.
After crossing the wide, sturdy road, Leilin and Gubler saw a massive building that resembled an airport from a later era. Numerous white, football-shaped airships were taking off and landing on the vast, flat plaza.
Streams of people flowed in and out like ants.
Some airships were still towing enormous cargo containers, with workers being called to unload luggage and cargo. The entire scene was bustling yet somewhat chaotic.
Because the Central Continent was vast beyond measure, and ground transportation was both time-consuming and dangerous, airships had become the most common means of travel across the entire continent.
Even in small cities, there was an airship boarding point, staffed with on-duty wizards and apprentices.
They were responsible not only for maintaining order but also for routine airship resupply and repairs.
They had even trained a batch of goblin engineers specifically for this purpose. Leilin could see a group of scrawny goblins with bulging eyes and barely any hair crawling into the undersides and ductwork of the airships, wrenches and other tools in hand.
The construction and maintenance of airships was far from cheap, but once you controlled the routes, profits would flow endlessly — it was the definition of high investment, high return. Without truly wealthy and powerful wizard factions, no one could afford to play this game.
On the South Coast, those airships were not only much smaller but also operated on only a few fixed routes, and could only travel at specified times — they paled in comparison to the Central Continent's.
"Which faction does this airship network belong to?" Leilin asked Gubler quietly.
A single airship ticket cost one hundred Magic Stones — and that was for an ordinary cabin. As for Leilin and Gubler, they naturally took first-class accommodations. Just the fare for the two of them came to six hundred Magic Stones.
Fortunately, Leilin was wealthy enough in his own right. Having seized control of an entire region's resources, even a casual sweep had yielded enormous quantities of supplies. He had filled an entire spatial ring with Magic Stones alone, so he certainly wasn't stingy about a small sum like this.
But even with the entire Dark Polar Domain backing him, Leilin still felt a significant gap when compared to a behemoth like the airship company.
"This airship network across the entire Central Continent was single-handedly established by the
"Private property?" Leilin was somewhat surprised, then immediately asked, "Who is the wizard standing behind them?"
Such enormous profits, especially those involving critical transportation routes — without powerful backing, it would be impossible to hold onto, and even if you had already seized it, you'd be forced to bleed and give it up.
The fact that the Feile Family had monopolized the market to this day meant they must have some incredibly powerful patron.
"The Feile Family itself possesses two Dawn Star Wizards. Of course, that alone isn't what matters — the key is that the Throne of the Sky stands behind them!"
"The Throne of the Sky? A sixth-rank Dawn Sun
Leilin nodded.
A wizard standing at the apex of the Central Continent — that was more than enough to bear any backlash. The so-called Feile Family was likely nothing more than managers and butlers. The true master of the entire airship network was that Throne of the Sky!
"Yes! Under the majesty and deterrence of the Throne of the Sky, the safety of the airships is very well guaranteed!"
As Gubler spoke, a trace of longing appeared in his eyes.
A sixth-rank Wizard! This was the absolute pinnacle of the Central Continent — someone whose every action could influence countless wizards below!
...
Whoosh...
With the whistling sound of wind, the airship raised its iron anchor and floated ever upward, drawing closer to the blue sky and white clouds.
Leilin stood on the deck, letting the wind blow against him in comfort, his eyes slightly narrowed.
Sunlight mixed with the scent of fresh grass was carried by the breeze, lingering around him and refusing to leave.
"So long... so long! It's been so long since I've felt the sun..."
Leilin gazed at the blue sky, the golden sunlight, and the drifting white clouds, a touch of emotion surfacing in his eyes.
Although the Dark Polar Domain had sun stones and Eternal Illumination Magical Arrays, that kind of artificial light could never match the warmth of true sunlight.
Living long-term in the Dark Polar Domain, facing that dome of black stone and thick rock, would inevitably cause psychological depression — even leading to serious problems.
Leilin had no such hidden dangers, but he had no desire to remain in his luxurious cabin either. He had come out to enjoy the light brought by the sun.
Those who had always lived under the sun could never understand the longing for light felt by those who dwelled in darkness!
As the airship accelerated, the airflow on the deck grew increasingly fierce, enough to lift an ordinary adult off their feet.
Of course, for Leilin this was a trivial matter. His expression remained unchanged, and he ignored the broadcast's instructions to return to his cabin, letting the fierce wind whip his robes into loud flapping.
"Beautiful scenery, isn't it?"
A sweet female voice came from nearby. To Leilin's right, a young woman was leaning on the railing with both hands, tiptoeing as if trying to take in the view below.
From high above, beneath the sea of clouds, scattered fields and farmsteads met the eye. Windmills were reduced to the size of building blocks, and the outline of a nearby city was clearly visible, with tiny black dots — people and carriages — moving along the roads.
"My name is Jessila. And you?"
The young woman noticed Leilin's lack of response and emphasized her tone.
"Leilin," Leilin replied flatly. He could sense energy fluctuations from the woman — she had already reached the rank of a First-level Wizard.
For someone her age, that was considered quite talented, but unfortunately, she wasn't even worth Leilin's attention.
"Leilin, where are you from?"
The young female wizard was not at all put off by Leilin's coldness. Instead, she launched into even more questions.
"Which faction do you belong to? Where exactly are you headed? Do you like gardenia? I prefer walnut wood for wands — it's better for channeling my abilities, and it smells wonderful too..."
The young wizard chattered away like a sparrow, firing off a barrage of questions.
"You..." Leilin rolled his eyes, and was about to say something when another wizard's voice rang out from behind.
"Jessila, what are you doing?"
Leilin turned to see a young male wizard in a white-gold robe, with a ruby badge pinned to his chest, striding over. A barely concealed anger simmered in his eyes.
"N-nothing... I just came out for some air..." Jessila shrank back, looking quite pitiful.
"If you've finished looking, you should go back! It's still rather dangerous out here!"
The young man forced a smile onto his tense face.
"Leilin, I'll come find you to hang out next time!" As she left, Jessila waved in his direction, causing the young man's expression to darken.
He looked at Leilin, his lips moving as if to speak, but said nothing. Instead, he shot a look laden with warning before turning and walking back into the cabin.
"Weird people," Leilin shook his head.
He knew perfectly well that the female wizard had used him as a shield, and his impression of both wizards wasn't great.
Clearly, neither of them could detect his concealed energy fluctuations, so one had taken him for a savior while the other, unable to gauge his depth, didn't dare act rashly.
"Gubler, come here!" Leilin said into the secret seal imprint on his hand.
"Master! What are your orders?" Gubler quickly appeared on the deck and bowed respectfully.
"Do you recognize this insignia?"
Leilin projected an image of the ruby badge that had been on the male wizard's chest.
From the way the young man puffed out his chest like a proud rooster, deliberately drawing attention to the badge, it was clearly the mark of some major faction. Unfortunately, Leilin was completely in the dark about such things — the man had been showing pearls before swine.
Fortunately, Leilin had a wizard from the Central Continent at his side who could answer many of his questions.