After several days of careful deliberation, Leilin still summoned Zona and agreed to the Goddess of Wealth's conditions.
By this time, he had already entrusted the entire matter of the native empire to
Inside the
Although the Wizard Tower had already undergone several rounds of optimization and upgrades by this point, in Leilin's eyes it was still far too crude.
This was not a flaw in the original design — rather, he had risen too quickly, and the basic infrastructure simply could not keep up.
Fortunately, his current demands on his environment were not overly stringent. With the Wizard Tower's isolation capabilities combined with the concealment of his own divine power, it would be sufficient for what he needed to prepare.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Inside the colossal nuclear-alchemical furnace, a golden staff bobbed and drifted, with wisps of crimson-gold flame drifting outward from it, coalescing into the form of a magnificent giant bird.
This was the former Red Dragon Staff, though it had undergone significant improvements and changes compared to the original.
The thick, heavy shaft had become somewhat more slender, and the red dragon's claw at its tip had turned more refined — now resembling the talons of some great bird of prey.
Most crucially, the soul within the crystal had been replaced by a giant firebird.
[Ding! The Roaring Red Dragon Staff has been reforged! The bonding points are perfectly compatible! No energy conflicts detected!]
At this moment, the Chip also projected a mass of information before Leilin's eyes.
[Item Name: Totem Staff of Flames — Grade: Legendary Tier 3 — Length: 2.5 feet — Weight: 2,900 grams — Materials: Dragon Crystal, Dragon Bone, Dragon Blood, Dragon Scale, Divine Soul, Divine Blood Item Abilities: 1. Storage — This staff can store spell slots; currently available: one ninth-level spell slot (1), seventh-level spell slots (3), fifth-level spell slots (5). 2. Fixed Legendary Spell — Celestial Fire that Burns Cities (once every twenty days). 3. Innate Talent — Fear Spiritual Domain. 4. Combustion — By drawing upon the power of the divine soul, delivers a one-time spiritual strike or amplification (this effect will damage the soul imprisoned within). 5. Fire Immunity — The wielder is immune to fire-element damage.
Description: This staff once imprisoned the soul of a powerful legendary dragon. But its subsequent master attempted something far more terrifying — sealing the soul of a divine being! Those who forcibly use it will incur the wrath of a god!]
"It's a step down from the Papal Symbol I gave Tifa before, but it's far more suited to me…"
During the conquest of Bankers Island, Leilin had more than one demigod's soul and flesh in his possession. Yet this staff was his most perfect creation.
The one he had given Tifa before, while a [Demigod Artifact], had permanently lost any possibility of further advancement. The staff in Leilin's hands, however, represented an endless future!
"With what I have stored in my possession, as long as the conditions are right, this staff can be elevated again at any time—even all the way to the rank of [Divine Artifact]…"
Leilin was quite confident about this.
After completing the Flame Totem Staff, Leilin did not choose to rest. Instead, he made his way to another secret chamber.
"Chip! How are the tasks I set up earlier coming along?"
Leilin sat with his eyes closed, appearing to be in meditation, while his consciousness continuously communicated with the Chip.
[Ding! Legendary Arcana — Chain Contingency analysis complete, 100%! Initiating transfer to host memory zone. Preliminary imprinting in progress…]
The Chip's mechanical voice came through. It had never once let Leilin down.
"On the continent, [Demigods] already represent the ceiling of power, and Bankers Island is far too remote for any large army to be deployed on such a costly expedition. Therefore… if someone truly wants to deal with me, there are only a handful of methods available, and the one with the highest probability of success is…"
Leilin's lips pressed tightly together. His vast Spiritual Power and Arcane Energy plummeted rapidly, only to be replenished in timely fashion by an unending stream of divine power. A delicate cycle had formed.
After spending an entire night on it, he finally laid the [Chain Contingency] upon himself.
Though he already had a certain guess, he still chose to play along. After all, it would be exceedingly foolish to offend a goddess over something for which there was not a shred of evidence.
Moreover, he had plans of his own that required her cooperation to carry out.
"I hope this is all just my imagination… but it never hurts to have a few extra contingencies in place, does it?"
A tremendous surge of divine power erupted forth, rapidly erasing every trace of the spell imprints on Leilin's body and shrouding everything beneath the majesty of a god.
Not long after Leilin had finished everything, Bishop Zona came to pay him a visit in person.
"Our Church has obtained leads regarding the Scepter of Savras. However, we still require Your Excellency's assistance!"
Zona's expression was thoroughly respectful, and there was not the slightest hint of pretense in her eyes.
"It seems this bishop has always believed that finding the scepter was the true mission all along…"
Leilin sighed inwardly, but a smile spread across his face. "As long as we proceed according to our prior agreement, I have no objections…"
……
On the border of the Kingdom of Danbres, in the western reaches of the Gnoll Mountains.
Thanks to the favorable climate and abundant food sources, a massive population of gnolls thrived here. Among them had even emerged high-bloodline individuals and professional classes who possessed far greater intelligence than their common kin, monopolizing the entire mountain range and turning it into an artificially created death zone.
Any non-gnoll race that set foot in these mountains had only one fate—to be torn apart alive and devoured as food!
The Kingdom of Danbres was utterly powerless against this. Even when they enlisted Legendary-tier powerhouses, those experts were similarly repelled by the enemy.
Over time, the entire Gnoll Mountain Range became a forbidden zone. Rumors even persisted that deep within the mountains lay a bizarre, colossal gate leading straight to the abyss—a gateway to the gnolls' deity, the flesh-devouring Tyrant!!!
The closer one drew to the Gnoll Mountains, the more desolate the surrounding villages appeared. Yet on the road at this very moment, a company of Knights continued their unhurried journey.
The composed, unshakable aura emanating from them alone was far beyond what any ordinary kingdom elite could compare to.
Guarded at the center of these Knights were two fine steeds carrying a young man and woman. Though if one truly assessed their strength, the question of who was protecting whom remained a rather debatable matter…
"So the lead on the Scepter of Saffuras is in the town ahead?"
Leilin took a brief sniff of the air, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Indeed, Your Excellency!"
It was Zuona who spoke. Ever since this Bishop had learned that Leilin had advanced to a realm far beyond her own reach, she had grown increasingly deferential toward him—even proactively adopting the honorific "Your Excellency." Had Leilin not stopped her, she would have eagerly addressed him as "Your Highness."
"According to a hunter from that village, he once strayed into the Gnoll Mountains, and in a valley on the outer perimeter, he witnessed a terrifying divine statue along with an illusory specter of a scepter radiating five-colored light…"
"Is that all?"
Leilin's eyebrow arched slightly.
"After that, we dispatched Legendary powerhouses from the Church, but… even two Legends could not break through the barrier surrounding the valley. However, both of those Legends did see the phantom of the five-colored scepter, and its resemblance to the Scepter of Saffuras recorded in ancient texts exceeded ninety percent…"
Since she still needed Leilin's help, Zuona explained with a rueful smile.
"A barrier that even Legends cannot penetrate? And a phantom of the scepter?" Leilin nodded. "In that case, a trip there would certainly be worthwhile… However, I've been staying on the outer seas recently. Has anything changed on the continent?"
Hearing that it was no secret matter, Zuona proceeded to give a brief overview of the situation on the main continent.
First was the North. The turmoil here had drawn the attention of the entire Material Plane, and even showed signs of spreading to other planes.
The alliance of two beings of such immense power—the Goddess of the
These two first eliminated external aid for the orcs, such as Mala and several other orc deities, then directly supported Elaszhuo in igniting a tide of war across the North.
After several large-scale battles, Elaszhuo successfully merged with several revolutionary armies and secured a territory of moderate size. With the backing of several great northern nobles, she had already ascended the throne a few months prior, re-establishing the Silver Moon Alliance.
Even so, the orc forces remained incredibly formidable. The orc emperor Saladin, aided by the divine artifact "Mjolnir," possessed power at the very apex of the Material Plane. Had Elaszhuo not personally intervened to block Saladin in the earlier battles, and had the other side not clearly feared the side-effects of overusing the divine artifact, victory might not have come so easily.
Even so, the Orc Empire, having been struck a stunning blow, was thrown into a fury and began regrouping its armies.
The Silver Moon Alliance was similarly mustering its forces, striving to secure the support of more northern nobles and deities.
It was easy to imagine that at some point in the future, an even more terrifying great war would erupt. That would be the greatest test yet for the newly formed Silver Moon Alliance!
Besides that, there was also the sudden appearance and disappearance of the West Desert's floating city.
After all, several Legendary beings had fallen in that battle. The death of even one would have been an event to shake the entire continent, let alone when connected to a floating city.
However, the West Desert was remote, and the desert itself obstructed the flow of information. The news was only just beginning to ferment.
Several temples had confirmed the news of the floating city being seized by a mysterious figure, and had offered an enormous bounty for its return. It was said that this had already caused a stir in the dark realms.
Many ancient monsters had been roused from their seclusion, pursuing the trail of the lich Irialio. It had to be said that Railin's decision to leave him alive back then also carried the implication of having him serve as a shield.