The spacious, bright room was furnished with a beautiful standing mirror.
The mirror stood taller than a person, framed in precious black-leaf white birch wood and studded with multicolored gemstones, giving it an exceptionally luxurious appearance.
At this moment, a young man dressed in a black tailcoat stood before the mirror, with several maids behind him helping their master straighten his formal attire.
Once they were done, the young man waved his hand and dismissed all the maids, leaving him alone in the entire room.
The young man silently studied the figure in the mirror — average build, slender and tall frame, brown hair, rather pale complexion, features that could only be called handsome at best, but a pair of eyes that radiated an extraordinarily bright gleaming light, making him look full of vitality.
"I've turned seventeen without even realizing it!!"
Leilin gazed at himself in the mirror with a faint sense of melancholy.
And since Leilin's last expedition, more than a year had passed.
"No! I must shatter the curse of time and pursue immortality — only then will I be worthy of the opportunity I was given by transmigrating!!!"
Leilin's dark eyes blazed as though a fierce flame burned within them.
"Master! The carriage from the City Lord's mansion has arrived!"
"Tell him to wait. I'll be right there!"
Leilin faced the mirror once more, gave his appearance a final adjustment, picked up a short black staff in his hand, and walked out.
Clatter-clatter!!
The black carriage raced through the streets. The citizens of Polar Night City, upon seeing the City Lord's mansion crest on the carriage, immediately cleared the way, watching it pass with gazes of reverence and envy.
Inside the carriage, Leilin was the sole occupant. The young man now lay against a goose-down cushion, and with a flip of his palm, a peculiar pendant appeared in his hand.
It was shaped somewhat like a silver cross, its surface adorned with several red and blue diamonds that shimmered with a soft luminescent glow.
Leilin stared at the pendant, a look of satisfaction rising in his eyes.
«With Starlit Alloy as the primary material, supplemented by the various precious metals I’ve gradually collected, according to the Chip’s calculations, this preliminary form of the Magical Item has already been forged to near perfection!»
This pendant-like object was what Leilin had refined based on the method for crafting Magical Items recorded in the Luoyan Scripture.
Three years ago, Leilin had purchased the fragmentary pages of the Luoyan Scripture from a dying old man, and the Chip had deciphered their contents.
The initial parts of the Luoyan Scripture were only suitable for Apprentices, containing even a fair amount of travel logs and similar material. Otherwise, Leilin would never have been able to purchase those fragmentary pages at such an exceptionally low price.
Leilin’s luck was good. After the Chip’s decryption, he obtained a method for crafting low-grade Magical Items.
The Pendant of the Falling Star—that was the name of this Magical Item. According to the Luoyan Scripture, although this Pendant of the Falling Star was merely a low-grade Magical Item, it was defensive in nature. Compared to ordinary offensive Magical Items, its value was naturally much higher, and even a full-fledged Wizard would be tempted by it.
Upon reading this part, Leilin immediately decided to craft the Pendant of the Falling Star.
While a Wizard Apprentice’s offensive power could be formidable, their own weak defense was a problem.
Only by becoming a full-fledged Wizard and forming one’s own defensive magical talent could one constantly have a Wizard’s Field of protection, truly becoming a mighty Wizard Lord.
As for Apprentices, they could lose their lives to a sneak attack at any time.
The several Apprentices who had entered the Withered Forest with Leilin were a perfect example.
Though they could use spells, under the assault of the Manxter Serpent, due to their lack of defensive spells, they were almost completely wiped out. Only Meierfeile survived, and that was solely because Leilin had extended a helping hand.
With the Pendant of the Falling Star, combined with defensive potions, Leilin’s defense would at least be comparable to that of a minor Wizard.
Moreover, the Pendant of the Falling Star’s defensive field was instant-cast. This meant that henceforth, as long as the opponent’s attack did not exceed the Pendant of the Falling Star’s defensive limit, until the Pendant’s energy was depleted, Leilin would be as protected as if he were carrying an incredibly sturdy turtle shell. As long as the Pendant of the Falling Star remained intact, Leilin would be safe.
«Fortunately, there’s a Wizard’s Market near Polar Night City. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to find so many rare materials!»
Leilin felt a sudden wave of relief.
He had poured most of his Magic Stones into this, along with every material obtained from the Manxter Serpent, fusing them all together to create the semi-finished pendant now in his hand.
«Most of the resources on hand have been completely consumed. According to the content of the Luoyan Scripture, this is still only a semi-finished product. The main body of the Pendant of the Falling Star has been forged flawlessly. What remains is the final step…»
Leilin gazed at the Pendant of the Falling Star resting in his palm. The silver cross’s surface shimmered with multicolored fluorescent light, its surface covered in strange, intricate patterns, resembling a perfect work of art.
«As for the materials required for the final step, I happen to have them all on hand. Once the time is right, I can bestow the spirit upon the Pendant of the Falling Star at any moment!»
Leilin gripped the Pendant of the Falling Star tightly before tucking it inside his shirt.
"As for
Leilin's expression darkened as his mind raced: "Could it be? Was my guess wrong? This alchemical recipe has nothing to do with spiritual entities or anything of the sort..."
"Stop!" The coachman's voice came from up front, and the carriage jolted slightly before coming to a halt.
"Lord Leilin! We've arrived at the City Lord's Manor!" the coachman announced respectfully from outside.
Leilin shook his head, dismissed his train of thought, and stepped out of the carriage.
The City Lord's Manor was just as solemn and imposing as before, with two rows of guards standing on either side, eyes fixed straight ahead, tall and imposing.
"
"Leilin! My brother!"
Jackson had been waiting near the gate and immediately came forward to greet Leilin upon seeing him.
As for Leilin's strength, Great Knight Jackson had experienced it firsthand, to say nothing of the fact that Leilin had saved Jackson's life. Without Leilin back then, Jackson would have long since become food for the Manxter serpent.
"City Lord!" Leilin smiled and nodded.
Jackson seized Leilin's hand with an enthusiastic display. After giving Leilin a brief tour of the City Lord's Manor's garden, he led Leilin to a secluded study.
In the privacy of the room, Jackson finally let his worry show.
"Leilin! My brother, regarding the fifty people you requested last time — I really can't produce them. I've already sent every prisoner in the dungeons your way, and even included swindlers and petty thieves who didn't technically warrant execution, but there's still a significant gap between that and the number you need..."
"Is that so?" Leilin nodded and settled onto the sofa, sinking into thought.
Polar Night City could barely be considered a mid-sized city, with a permanent population of no more than a hundred thousand at most. For City Lord Jackson, supplying a handful of death-row prisoners to Leilin each month had previously been within his capacity. But as time went on, the number of condemned prisoners in the City Lord's dungeons had grown smaller and smaller, while Leilin's demands only kept increasing. He was starting to fall short of what Leilin needed.
"You know how it is!" Jackson continued while Leilin was deep in thought.
"I'm merely a city lord, and my title is only that of a viscount. I can make the decision to execute a handful of individuals, but when it comes to large numbers, there's nothing I can do. After all, the duchy has its laws..."
Viscount Jackson spread his hands wide, though a glint of something passed through the depths of his eyes. "Fifty or a hundred people vanishing all at once would definitely cause unrest — unless a war were to break out!"
"War!!!"
Leilin froze for a moment, then a cold smile crept up the corner of his mouth — this could actually be a good opportunity to collect experimental subjects.
But Viscount Jackson had deliberately chosen this moment to bring it up, clearly having planned it all along.
"As for that, I..." Leilin was about to say something when suddenly something stirred against his chest and the cawing of a crow rang out. His expression changed dramatically in an instant.
"What's wrong?" Jackson asked with "concern."
"N-nothing, just a message from a friend!" Leilin reached into his chest, and the cawing immediately stopped. His expression returned to calm.
After that, Leilin completely lost interest in conversation. After exchanging a few perfunctory words with Viscount Jackson, he took his leave and departed swiftly.
Though Jackson had matters on his own mind, he ultimately held his tongue when he saw that Leilin was clearly distracted.
The moment he stepped out of the city lord's manor, Leilin climbed straight into his carriage and hurried back to his estate.
"To think I'd receive a message from the Academy at a time like this..." According to the intelligence he'd gathered, the war at Black Bone Forest Academy had already entered its most intense phase, and the outcome could be decided at any moment.
For apprentices like Leilin who had been dispatched on missions, the Academy had issued single-use contact items that could deliver the latest news at critical moments.
"A message now can only mean the outcome has been decided. Black Bone Forest Academy's strength is limited, while the enemy consists of two forces of equal standing attacking from both sides — the odds of winning are slim!" Leilin was well aware of the Academy's current situation.
"Unless some outside force intervenes to mediate, Black Bone Forest Academy is bound to suffer a devastating blow — or even be erased entirely..."
Wearing a heavy expression, Leilin walked straight into the secret chamber.