After Leilin's advancement to Third-rank Warlock and his crushing defeat of the
For a newly promoted Third-rank Warlock—one who was brimming with vigor, unlike the previous
Faced with an absolute disparity in power, even the most reluctant Wizards in the Central Domain dared not provoke him at a time like this.
And just when things were settling, the appearance of surviving members from other factions completely extinguished whatever unfavorable talk remained about Leilin.
These were elite Wizards from various major factions, and among them were even several Second-rank Arbiters from that time. They testified in unison that everything Leilin had previously stated was the truth, instantly dispelling all doubts.
These, of course, were the captives Leilin had taken during the campaign.
Those Second-rank Wizards had long since pledged allegiance to Leilin. After all, Wizards were not fools. When faced with Leilin's overwhelming suppression and the reality that the tide had already turned, there were plenty who could recognize which way the wind was blowing.
Naturally, there were still a stubborn few whose minds could not be changed—and they all gloriously "died in battle."
In the year 5783 of the Dark Polar Domain, Leilin, carrying the formidable power of a Third-rank Warlock and the great honor of repelling a powerful enemy, formally declared his coronation as Guardian of the Realm under the joint witness of numerous Wizards in the Central Domain!
From that moment on, the pinnacle of power in the Wizard world of the Dark Polar Domain was seized by Leilin, while the shadows and sacrifices behind the glory and radiance were seldom given any further attention.
People would only remember Leilin's monumental achievement of defeating the Dark Elves. They would even compose songs and legends in his praise, forgetting the efforts of Weilin, Ailin, Venas, and even the previous Guardians. Their names were buried beneath vast quantities of documents and historical records.
And the ever-glorious, ever-righteous new Guardian of the Realm, Leilin—his glory and legend continued to unfold.
After assuming the title of Guardian of the Realm, Leilin's first decree was to take the Nature Alliance as its core, gather a large number of Wizards, and establish the Nature Alliance Academy, with its location set in the heart of the Central Domain.
Although Leilin had not originally planned to do this, circumstances had changed. The current him was fully capable of pushing the Academy system through, and could reap enormous benefits in the process.
Once the Nature Alliance Academy was founded, several large factions with close ties to the Nature Alliance—puppet powers actually controlled by Leilin—also made a high-profile announcement to merge into the Nature Alliance Academy, forming an overwhelmingly dominant factional force.
After that, without Leilin needing to lift a finger, the rising Academy power automatically began crushing the surrounding factions, steadily expanding its strength and sphere of influence.
Leilin was well aware that the Academy model from the South Coast was far more equitable and transparent than the faction model of the Dark Polar Domain, and it had also done away with the old system of master-disciple inheritance. Though mentors still existed, the practice of treating apprentices as slaves had become rare.
Moreover, how many apprentices could a single mentor possibly teach? How could that compare to lecturing in large classrooms?
When numerous large factions abandoned their narrow Meditation Method restrictions and pooled their strength together, their combined power was naturally far greater than that of any single faction alone.
This was a victory of the system! And a sign of progress for the age. Once such a trend took hold, it became unstoppable!
And those backward factions, in order not to be steamrolled by the rising Academy power, had no choice but to establish their own
Some gifted commoners thus gained excellent opportunities.
Furthermore, the freer and more open Academies could attract more itinerant Wizards. Without Meditation Method restrictions, it was quite simple for these wandering Wizards to join an Academy.
Leilin had long since realized something: while factions formed around a single Meditation Method were very cohesive, they also developed an intensely exclusionary tendency. Once a Wizard joined a faction, if they did not switch to cultivating that faction's Meditation Method, they would face all manner of overt and covert ostracism.
But Academies had no such problem.
The revolutionary flames that Lombarton had ignited were gradually extinguished by the Academy system.
Leilin himself did not particularly care about this. What he truly valued were the Meditation Methods and precious research materials of every faction.
Yes! Under the banner of fairness, openness, and free exchange that the Academy system promoted, every faction that joined was compelled to contribute their unique Meditation Method materials and rare disciplinary research content.
And with Leilin taking the lead—contributing a massive trove of precious materials to the Academy library for any Wizard to peruse—this trend grew ever more intense.
It had to be said that once the narrow sectarian mentality was cast aside, this kind of open exchange and exploration truly brought enormous benefits to the Wizards, raising the overall strength of the entire Wizard world by a noticeable degree.
And all of these Meditation Methods and research materials naturally fell right into Leilin's hands, greatly enriching the Chip's database.
It could be said that by this point, the vast majority of Meditation Methods and advanced disciplinary materials in the Dark Polar Domain had been collected by Leilin, to say nothing of the rarer resources.
The Nature Alliance Academy was now the foremost power in the Central Domain. Whatever Leilin wanted—if it existed in the Dark Polar Domain, he had only to give the word, and countless mortals, apprentices, First-rank Wizards, and even Second-rank Wizards would toil tirelessly, even at the cost of their lives, to bring it to him.
This was the benefit of wielding power and commanding an organization!
Believing himself fully prepared on every front, Leilin, in his capacity as Guardian of the Realm, issued a summons, commanding every domain to organize a joint army to reclaim the Dark Polar Northern Domain!
Yes! After killing Anaya previously, Leilin had chosen to withdraw rather than press on directly into the Northern Domain, even though it was practically within reach.
He understood very clearly that while his personal strength was extraordinary, before consolidating his own forces, a hasty advance might defeat the Dark Elves and reclaim lost territory, earning great fame—but the real benefits would all be devoured by the ambitious schemers behind him.
Moreover, at that time he had not yet held the righteous mandate of Guardian of the Realm! To fight and bleed at the front only for the Wizards behind him to enjoy the fruits of victory—Leilin did not consider himself quite that foolish.
So he had rather watched the Northern Domain descend into chaos, the remnants of the Dark Elves continue their raids, and the dwarves, goblins, and even other factional forces engage in mutual slaughter, causing massive casualties—without lifting a finger.
But now, the time had ripened.
Compared to his previous summons, Leilin now held the title of Guardian of the Realm and nominally ruled the Dark Polar Domain as the supreme leader of the Wizard world. The orders he issued naturally carried far greater legitimacy.
Once the decree went out, not only did every Academy in the Central Domain dispatch Wizards and mortal armies to form a joint force—even the Eastern Domain, Southern Domain, and Western Domain sent large numbers of troops.
It was worth noting that the territories Leilin truly controlled were actually still only the Central Domain and the Eastern Domain.
As for the Western Domain and Southern Domain, their attitudes toward Leilin's assumption of the Guardian of the Realm title were rather ambiguous.
But Leilin did not care in the slightest. After integrating the Central Domain and the Eastern Domain, the combined Academy strength of just these two regions was more than enough to crush the others.
The only reason he had not done so before was the need for internal consolidation, which took time.
But now? It seemed these two domains also recognized which way things were going and were starting to bend the knee ahead of time!
After all! Sending troops to obey orders—that was itself an act of submission!
Leilin rubbed his chin, a hint of an amused smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
The Dark Polar Northern Domain.
Rank upon rank of neatly organized mortal armies marched forward in disciplined columns.
Behind them came a large number of Wizards riding strange modes of transportation.
The army was impeccably orderly, with unified command—far superior to the ragtag force Leilin had assembled the last time.
Since the death of the Dark Elf Matron Mother, the bulk of the Dark Elves had in fact withdrawn from the Dark Polar Northern Domain as early as three years prior, leaving behind only a stubborn remnant alongside a goblin-dwarf coalition still holding on by a thread.
These forces, against a human alliance bolstered by numerous Wizards and led by Leilin no less, were as insignificant as specks of dust.
The grand army swept forward like an unstoppable force, reclaiming vast swathes of territory with almost no effort along the way, pushing all the way to the walls of Bodhi City.
And there, upon the city walls, Dark Elf banners still flew, mingling with thick plumes of smoke, carrying an air of ominous decline.
"Bodhi City! This was the defensive line of the Northern Domain alliance—and the place where the Northern Domain Guardian, Diya, met his end!"
Leilin looked up at the handful of Dark Elves on the walls and let out a derisive snort. "This is a critical border fortress. Do those Dark Elves actually delude themselves into thinking they can use it to divide territory with us?"
"Pass the order—the entire army makes camp. We attack tomorrow!"
Leilin tossed the instruction casually to the attendant beside him, and the attendant immediately relayed the command down through the ranks. The entire army came to a halt, seeking suitable ground to erect their tents. In short order, spell-light and ordinary craftsmen bustled about in coordinated fashion, without a trace of disorder—a testament to Leilin's firm control over this grand army.
At the center of the dense tent city stood the largest tent, draped in gold and adorned with lavish gemstones and incense, with formally robed Wizards leading patrol squads around its perimeter.
Though the Guardian of the Realm residing within the central tent certainly had no need for such things, this was a matter of necessary protocol.
"Hmm?" Leilin, who had been seated cross-legged inside the golden tent in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
A few minutes later, a respectful voice came from outside the tent: "My Lord!"
"Enter."
The tent flap was drawn aside, and in walked a white-haired middle-aged man radiating the terrifying aura of a Second-rank Wizard. Yet at this moment, he knelt on one knee before Leilin and bowed.
"Reporting to My Lord! A Dark Elf Second-rank Matron Mother claims to be your old acquaintance and requests an audience!"
"Old acquaintance?" Leilin smiled. "Let her in."