Blue Mountain City, located beside the Andius Mountains, was the hereditary territory of the Oakheart Family.
Thanks to the abundant mineral resources within the Andius Mountains, the wizard alloy produced in Blue Mountain City was a high-quality metal sought after across the entire Central Continent.
Even when Leilin had constructed his wizard tower previously, he had sourced materials from here.
The Oakheart Family, leveraging their exceptional alchemical expertise and vast resources, controlled numerous auction houses and had amassed terrifying wealth.
As for the Oakheart Family's progenitor, few people would recognize his name, but his other title was known far and wide—the Blue Mountain King!
Yes, the Oakheart Family's progenitor was that very Blue Mountain King, the great Morning Star
It was precisely because of this Morning Star King's deterrence that the most ruthless and dangerous wizards dared not target the Oakheart Family here.
Otherwise, this place would long since have been trampled flat by wanted criminal wizards.
And now, the decennial grand auction was about to begin.
As the host venue, Blue Mountain City was filling up with ever-growing crowds, and the price of airship tickets outside the city walls had already risen to shocking levels.
Even so, wizards continued to arrive in an endless stream from all directions.
Among them were many wizards from major powers, as well as some who kept their faces hidden at all times, unwilling to be seen.
Regardless of their affiliation, any wizard who entered here would maintain a relative degree of restraint—after all, disrupting the grand auction would benefit no one.
Moreover, the materials they urgently needed might well be in the hands of their bitter rivals, things they could never obtain under normal circumstances. Only during this opportunity could they conduct hushed transactions.
As the auction approached, the crime rate in the surrounding region surged several times over!
Numerous wanted wizards not only sneaked in secretly but also rampaged through the area, looting and committing crimes. As long as they weren't caught red-handed, the Oakheart Family, as the organizers, naturally wouldn't pursue the matter too aggressively.
The entire Blue Mountain City had fallen into considerable disorder, and a small contingent of wizards was secretly stirring things from behind the scenes to advance their own hidden agendas.
Thus, even with a Morning Star Wizard presiding over the family, it had recently been dragged down by a relentless stream of incidents, leaving everyone frantically busy.
"What a bustling scene!"
At that moment, Leilin was sitting in a small shop on a commercial street, watching the hurried crowds outside through the transparent floor-to-ceiling glass.
Before him were several glasses of brightly colored juice, along with some baked cookies, pastries, and other snacks.
He had arrived in Blue Mountain City three days ago, and the injuries sustained from his great battle with Tolan had mostly healed under the support of his many potions.
Because he had come early, he was able to find a room at an inn within the city, unlike these wizards who now had to scour the entire city for a room—or even fight over one.
Leilin rested his chin in his hand, watching the bustling flow of people on the street.
Countless ordinary folk in gray, black, and white clothing walked past, and among them mingled a great number of wizards, and even some concealed members of other races.
On the Central Continent, humanity was far from the only race. Many species coexisted with humans here, and there were even numerous mixed-blood offspring.
On several occasions, Leilin had spotted features of other races on passersby.
Accompanying the pedestrians were patrol guards from the city lord's estate.
Numerous knights clad in iron armor studded with barbs, led by Great Knights and Wizard Apprentices, patrolled every corner of the city with great frequency.
Though their strength was insignificant to certain wizards, the Oakheart Family's crest emblazoned on their uniforms was more than enough to make those wizards think twice before acting on impulse.
"That's him!"
At that moment, a voice like a lark's trill rang out nearby, very close to Leilin—right at the shop's entrance.
And the voice's owner was someone Leilin found faintly familiar.
Leilin smiled and looked toward the shop entrance.
A young couple pushed open the door and walked in. The wife stared at Leilin with an expression of utter shock.
"Oh! It's been quite a while, Newt! And Jessica!"
Leilin regarded Jessica, who was no longer a girl but now wore the makeup of a young wife: "Also, congratulations on your marriage!"
He remembered this young couple from the Nololifa Family vividly, especially Jessica's rebellious nature, which had left a deep impression on him.
"L-Lord Leilin!" Newt silently groaned. He had merely heard that the juices and pastries here were good and had brought his wife out for a stroll. He never expected to run into Leilin.
Thinking of the other's status as a Third-tier Wizard, and how ruthlessly he had been punished last time, Newt felt his legs go weak.
As for Jessica, though she was holding Newt's arm and appeared to defer to him, Leilin still caught the deep-seated hatred lurking in the depths of her eyes, which left him somewhat speechless.
"Just because I had the strength but didn't save you, you decided to hate me?"
Leilin rubbed his chin. Coincidences were inevitable in this world—a single word, a single gesture, even a single glance could cause someone to harbor unprovoked hatred toward another person, and such grievances were extremely difficult to reconcile.
He just hadn't expected to stumble into such a situation himself.
"From the looks of it, this young couple is doing fine after marriage, but they're still holding a grudge against me!" Leilin found it somewhat amusing and took the initiative to invite them to sit down. "How about it? Join me? The food here is quite good—I searched for a long time before finding this place!"
"Oh! No need! We wouldn't dare trouble you, my lord!"
Newt managed a pained smile and bowed, then hurriedly pulled Jessica by the hand and left.
Dining with Leilin? Just the thought of it made Newt feel immense pressure. Moreover, the other man gave off an even more terrifying aura than the last time they had met. Newt had no desire to offend him again and suffer another lesson.
"What are you doing?" Jessica was dragged away by Newt for several streets before she finally erupted.
"He's just a Third-tier Wizard—what's there to be afraid of? Your grandfather is already a Peak Liquidation Wizard... and this time, with enough materials, he could even attempt Crystallization!"
Jessica pouted discontentedly, hatred still flickering in her eyes.
After their marriage, Newt had treated her well, and she had gradually come to accept this union. But toward the Leilin of that time, she still harbored deep resentment.
She hated him for ruining her plans, for treating her so callously in the end, without a shred of the grace befitting a noble and a gentleman!
"He's a Third-tier lord—even without reaching Gasification, he's not someone we can afford to provoke... let alone the fact that he's backed by the Ouroboros Circle..."
Newt smiled bitterly. He had to admit that his intelligence was sorely out of date—he didn't even know Leilin's precise standing and strength within the Ouroboros Circle.
Of course, this was partly because Leilin had always kept an unusually low profile.
"I don't care—you have to help me get revenge..." Jessica twisted Newt's arm, her face full of unwillingness.
"Fine, fine, fine!" Words cost nothing, so Newt immediately agreed to everything, though in his heart he had no intention of doing any such thing.
Naturally, he couldn't say that out loud, or Jessica would certainly not let him into bed tonight—and that experience was truly not worth recalling.
"Hmph! Leilin, since you've come here, you definitely won't skip the auction. Just you wait!"
Jessica's eyes glittered with sharp light as scheme after scheme seemed to materialize in her mind, one after another.
Inside the small shop, Leilin watched Jessica and Newt leave, a contemplative expression settling over his face.
Back then, the hatred on her face had been plain for him to see, and now she clearly hadn't abandoned that intention—she was merely held back by the gap in their strength, unable to show it openly.
Such minor characters, Leilin could certainly crush at will. But the reason he hadn't acted before, apart from wariness toward the family behind them, was something else entirely.
After the couple's figures disappeared from the shop, Leilin settled back into his seat, but in his palm, a dark-gold coin had suddenly appeared, which he turned over and over in his fingers.
"I can feel it—this time, they seem destined to deliver something rather excellent to me!"
Leilin smiled and pocketed the
The River of Destiny was unfathomable and capricious, but at certain moments, even the smallest tributaries would converge or become perceptible to a wizard.
Last time, through the Coin of Destiny, Leilin had sensed that the matter wasn't over.
At some point in the future, he would cross paths with this couple once more, and they would bring him something he needed.
Now it seemed the convergence point of destiny was right here.
"Boss, the check please!"
Leilin smiled, rose to his feet, and the shopkeeper who had been lounging lazily behind the counter immediately hurried over...
The Blue Mountain Auction House occupied a vast area at the center of Blue Mountain City. Adjacent to it stood the Oakheart Family's residence, and from here one could even glimpse an ancient, towering wizard tower radiating terrifying waves of energy, connected in some unknown way to the very land and sky of this region.
A wizard tower built by a Morning Star Wizard was something Leilin still needed to look up to.
This wizard tower was the symbol of the Oakheart Family's authority and the guarantee of their power here.
"Welcome! How may I serve you, honored guest?"
The moment he stepped into the auction house, a maidservant in a maid's uniform greeted him with a practiced, graceful bow—clearly well-trained.
"I'd like to put some items up for auction!"
Leilin's appearance had already changed, and outside he wore a hooded cloak with a veil hanging down to conceal his features.
Fortunately, in Blue Mountain City at this time, wizards dressed just like him were a dime a dozen, and the maidservant showed no surprise whatsoever.