"After you accept the uniform, you'll officially become a member of our Silver Moon City Guard. On the wizard's set, we've added a [Mage Armor] that can be used three times, along with one cast of [Heal Moderate Wounds]. Use them wisely…"
"Yes, sir!" Leilin slipped into character quickly, accepting the military uniform.
The soft yet sturdy texture, along with the faint magical glow woven into the fabric, made Leilin marvel at Silver Moon City's wealth.
Of course, permanently enchanted items were still extremely precious, so the wizard's uniform still had limited charges. However, with an annual uniform replacement benefit, it was quite a good deal.
"Tell me — why do you want to join the City Guard?"
At the very end, the elderly garrison wizard asked in a solemn tone. Leilin even sensed a subtle detection spell rippling toward him.
"[Detect Lies]? And cast personally by a high-level wizard at that… What a pity — your opponent is me!"
Leilin sneered inwardly, then straightened his back and lifted his chin, his face flushing slightly as he declared: "Because I want to advance my wizard level quickly and gain access to more wizard research materials and resources. Only the City Guard offers that kind of convenience! Sir!"
"Hmm! You're honest. Dismissed!"
The elderly wizard felt the feedback from his covert spell and his expression softened considerably.
"As you command!"
Leilin snapped a crisp military salute and withdrew respectfully. This decisive, brisk manner only made the wizard nod approvingly in secret: "It's been a long time since I've seen a young man like this."
After Leilin left, a flash of teleportation light lit up the room, and a portal opened directly.
A high-ranking elven wizard walked right through. It wore a green wizard's robe adorned with elaborate plant-pattern decorations, looking as splendid as the finest ceremonial gown.
"Well? Any problems?" The elderly wizard frowned.
"None. I've checked his background. He's the heir to the Danbulesi Faolan territory, and the magical image matches perfectly."
The elf wizard nodded, its voice elegant. "Moreover, he showed remarkable magical talent from a young age and passed the tenth-level wizard certification at only eighteen…"
"No — he's already at the eleventh level now. That pace of advancement is honestly embarrassing for us old-timers…"
The old wizard gave a wry smile. "So you're saying there are no issues?"
"I can only say there aren't for now. After all, we have no conflict with the Southern Human Kingdoms, and given his personality, joining us in pursuit of deeper magical research does make sense…"
The elf wizard nodded. "For the sake of future preparations, having the City Guard recruit wizard prodigies like this benefits us greatly. So we should grant him access to at least the basic magical resource archives…"
"Understood." The elderly wizard nodded with a grave expression. As a high-ranking wizard of Silver Moon City, he already had a vague预 of the dangers that lay ahead.
…
"Congratulations,
Outside, Aolan spotted the uniform in Leilin's hands and immediately offered congratulations.
"You're now one of our City Guard's garrison wizards. As a new recruitment benefit, you've been assigned your own apartment within the garrison. You can set up a small laboratory in it, and Silver Moon City's wizard archives are now open to you. You'll have three days of leave before reporting to the garrison…"
Aolan then began walking Leilin through the relevant rules and procedures.
Since garrison wizards had formally joined the organization, there were even some restrictions on personal freedom — but the benefits and compensation were correspondingly generous.
Leilin's share was slightly more generous still, likely due to his noble background and prodigy reputation.
"Even though you've joined the City Guard, our day-to-day work is mostly patrols and inspections — nothing too demanding. Leilin, I'm planning to host a banquet in five days. The hand-pulled flatbreads I bake are really something! I hope you can come. I'll introduce you to some others too!"
As an elf, Aolan possessed a long lifespan and yet had never abandoned its thirst for art, beauty, and the finer pleasures of life.
From Aolan's attire and other details, Leilin could easily read these traits. The only challenge was that elven gender was rather difficult to distinguish — without using the Chip or a spiritual power scan, even Leilin couldn't tell whether Aolan was male or female.
Right now, Aolan clearly regarded Leilin as a genuine colleague and had extended the invitation in good faith.
"Of course. Thank you for the invitation!"
Leilin expressed his gratitude sincerely.
After parting ways with Aolan, Leilin took a map of Silver Moon City obtained from him and began wandering around at leisure.
Since this was a City of Wizards, the chance of spotting wizards on the streets was quite high, and many of the surrounding shops sold magical materials.
Leilin wandered into a shop at random and peered through a transparent crystal display case at the magical materials inside.
"Mm — I've nearly used up all my previous spell materials.
Leilin examined several blue, crystal-like objects. "Water-blue diamonds of this purity — very nice. I didn't expect to find them in an ordinary Silver Moon City shop…"
He called over a shop assistant and replenished his stock of basic spell materials. Afterward, his attention drifted to the magical potions and alchemical items section.
"Low-grade potions and alchemical items with limited charges are plentiful, but true premium pieces are rare. Maybe I should focus more on this area in the future…"
Studying those high-end alchemical items and their astronomical price tags, Leilin nodded to himself.
An eleventh-level wizard who could cast fifth-level spells represented a crucial threshold in alchemy — because of [Permanency]! The spell that could make magical effects permanent was a fifth-level spell!
To craft truly permanent alchemical or magical items, [Permanency] was an indispensable step.
Even in Silver Moon City, wizards who could cast fifth-level spells weren't exactly common, and among those, only a handful possessed the exceptional alchemical expertise required. That naturally explained why high-end magical items carried such steep prices.
"Furthermore, with war on the horizon, the value of high-grade potions and completed magical items — anything that can quickly boost one's strength — is bound to rise. By the same logic, raw material prices will drop…"
Leilin couldn't help touching the [Wizard Ring] on his right hand. This ring of his, approaching legendary grade, would surely cause quite a stir if auctioned off here.
"Perhaps I should craft a few trinkets to sell as well…"
For a wizard, one could never have too much wealth — and Leilin was no exception.
To advance to the [Legendary] rank, one similarly needed enormous wealth and resources. The notion that some poor nobody could toil away in obscurity and then suddenly soar to the heavens was pure fantasy.
"In comparison, low-level wizards and apprentices can only perform basic processing tasks, earning very little. After covering living expenses, there's barely anything left for further study…"
Leilin thought idly, casually producing a Temple of Wealth gold card to settle the bill.
Just as the shop assistant was bowing and withdrawing, a few other "acquaintances" walked in.
"Wizard Leilin!"
Besanni called out in surprise. Ina and her sisters were with her.
"Oh!! A Goddess of Wealth gold card!!! You'd need at least ten thousand gold crowns in your account to get one…" On the other side, Aisaduola stared fixedly at the gold card in Leilin's hand, her eyes practically sparkling with stars.
This display immediately drew a discreet pinch from Ina beside her, snapping Aisaduola back to composure.
"Oh — it's you three. Have you enrolled in the academy?" Leilin asked casually.
"We've registered — at the 'Oakleaf.' Their tuition is lower, and they have affordable apprentice dormitories. We came out today to stock up on some materials…"
Besanni was also startled by Leilin's apparent wealth, though in her view, a mid-tier wizard was perfectly entitled to that level of assets.
Despite a faint pang of bitterness, she managed a smile. "I was wondering — has Lord Leilin already joined the City Guard?"
"Just call me Leilin!"
Leilin was amiably approachable. "As for the City Guard — yes, I'm a garrison wizard now. I hope I'll get to see you three around!"
Within Silver Moon City, the various wizard academies also had their own missions, including joint patrols with the City Guard, and the pay was quite generous.
If the three of them stayed here, there would indeed be opportunities to run into Leilin.
"Really? That's wonderful! Where is your residence, Mr. Leilin? I'd like to come visit!"
Besanni gritted her teeth, deciding to seize this chance.
"Visit?"
Leilin looked at the still-youthful Besanni and shook his head with a smile. "My residence is within the garrison. Without a pass, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to get in…"
Hearing this, a flicker of disappointment appeared in the girl's eyes.
"However, I'm planning to purchase a property in Silver Moon City and set up some alchemical experiments and such. If you're willing, we could meet there…"
Noticing the disappointment in her eyes, Leilin abruptly shifted the topic.
"I'm willing! Of course I'm willing!!" Besanni blurted out, then flushed. "I mean… Ina and the others are very willing too!"
Cultivating a connection with a mid-tier wizard was obviously a fine choice, and Ina and her sisters nodded with reddened cheeks as well.
"Then it's settled."
Crafting magical items, gathering materials, and handling sales afterward — all of it was tedious work. Leilin had already planned to hire a few apprentices for these tasks, and having acquaintances made it even better.