These were all matters of the dark world, and the forces at Baron Jonas's disposal were not well-suited to handle them.
And the person most suited to deal with these matters was none other than
He had seized control of the Crimson Tiger Pirates and even wiped out the Bodie Archipelago — Baron Jonas had his suspicions, but father and son maintained a tacit understanding, neither breaking the silence.
"I understand!" Leylin nodded.
The return of the barbarian pirate gangs and the rise of devils and demons — to him, these were perfectly normal occurrences.
After every calamity came a golden age for the churches of the gods, and equally so for the stage of devils and demons.
And the consequences wrought by the Tide of Pirates continued to reverberate even now.
"Furthermore... the God of Murder?" A glint appeared in Leylin's eyes. He had his own unfinished business with that church, and their previous actions had long left him dissatisfied.
"Leaving these matters to you puts me at ease. Tell me if you need anything! And above all, prioritize your safety — I don't want to lose such an outstanding heir. Understood?"
Baron Jonas spoke solemnly.
"I understand, Father!" Leylin inclined his head.
"Good! Go see your teacher
Baron Jonas's face broke into a smile. "This time at home, spend more time with your mother. And your marriage can't be put off any longer..."
At the mention of this, Leylin felt a headache coming on and immediately found an excuse to leave the study.
……
Even at night, Morning Star Port was dotted with countless lights.
Great torches burned on the docks, and ships hurried to load and unload their cargo.
This would be unimaginable in most large cities. In the Dark Era, with its limited manpower and resources, the cost of nighttime illumination was an enormous burden.
The only city Leylin had seen that could afford to light itself up so lavishly at night was Silver Moon City.
Of course, now he could add Morning Star Port to that list.
Unfortunately, this port was vastly smaller than Silver Moon City in area, and incomparable in strength.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Ernest gazed at the twinkling lights of the port, his voice filled with a deep, inexpressible emotion.
"This is all thanks to Father and everyone's hard work!"
Leylin spoke modestly. From his teacher's words, he could hear both the joy and the attachment the man felt for this place. Ernest had likely come to consider it his second home.
"The growing prosperity of Morning Star Port brings ever more people — and with them, all manner of crimes, to the point where the police precinct can barely keep up. Mercenary guilds, warrior and thief guilds, even requests from other temples to establish footholds here — all of this will inevitably put even greater pressure on public order..."
Ernest spoke quietly, and Leylin listened carefully. His remote oversight from afar could never match the wizard's intimate knowledge from being stationed here all along.
"That's precisely why we're building this, isn't it?"
Leylin looked at the massive body of the wizard tower beside them, a smile on his face.
"Once the wizard tower is established, those rats lurking in the sewers should finally quiet down..."
Ernest nodded in strong agreement. They were standing on a hillside next to Morning Star Port, from which the entire port could be surveyed below.
And the rough outline of a wizard tower had already been erected atop the hill.
With a wizard tower's capabilities, even the most basic model could monitor all of Morning Star Port with ease, while also serving as a deterrent to other factions.
After all, a wizard tower could be considered equivalent to the combat power of a [High-level
"Thanks to the batch of materials you brought last time, combined with our later investments, we've finally managed to complete the main structure..."
Ernest ran his hand along the tower's sturdy walls, a smile on his face.
"Would you like to see her?"
"Of course!" Leylin smiled and nodded.
Constructing a wizard tower required an investment of at least two million gold crowns! Even some [High-level Wizards] might not be able to accumulate that kind of wealth after centuries of effort.
There were plenty of people willing to sell themselves into servitude for such a sum.
Had Leylin not raided the Bodie Archipelago in one fell swoop, bringing back all of the materials for the wizard tower, and had the Farrell Family not invested the wealth earned from Morning Star Port, this tower could never have been built so quickly.
"The tower is mainly constructed from granite and wizard alloy, standing a total of 32 meters tall!"
Ernest led Leylin inside the tower, introducing its features as they walked.
"The reinforcement runes on the tower walls and the defensive arrays have all been installed, using up all the mithril and adamantine you brought last time — we even had to purchase another batch!"
"The tower has seven floors, with a basement, living room, storage room, laboratory, and resting quarters..."
Ernest clearly had deep affection for this tower. He pulled open a large door to reveal an empty room filled with a dry, preserved atmosphere.
"This is the storage room — it can hold enough food to feed two hundred people for a year. There are also temperature-control and preservation arrays to keep food from spoiling, and in the wizard's garden we can cultivate vegetables and fruits..."
"Additionally, the arrays connecting to the four elemental planes have all been completed. They continuously draw energy from the four elemental planes, and the Water Elemental Plane's pure water can be used to complete the water cycle..."
At this point, Ernest's expression became somewhat hesitant, but he finally spoke: "Also, as per your letter's requirements, the extraplanar summoning array and the negative energy pool have also been built, located in the basement..."
As an orthodox wizard, Ernest had a natural aversion to these things, but he couldn't stop them.
For a [High-level Wizard] to advance to the [Legendary] realm, research into these areas was indispensable.
And he trusted that Leylin had the self-control not to dabble with devils and demons, so he was relatively at ease.
"Of course, with your current strength and talent, you might be able to use these facilities in about ten years..."
Ernest said with confidence.
In his view, given the strength Leylin had previously demonstrated, advancing to [High-level Wizard] within ten years was well within reach — and that pace alone was already shocking enough.
After all, a wizard's progress was not like that of melee classes or clerical classes. The accumulation required was enormous, and that was the weakness of all young people.
"You didn't call me here just to discuss all this, did you?"
Leylin smiled. He hadn't pinned the wizard rank badge to his chest, and even Silver Moon City hadn't issued him a [High-level Wizard] certification at level fifteen. So as far as Ernest was concerned, Leylin was at most a level twelve or thirteen wizard — which, at his age, was already extraordinary.
"Yes... well... how should I put this..." Ernest's face flushed slightly.
"Since the wizard tower's structure is complete, the next step is to activate the intelligence core and awaken the tower spirit..."
Ernest spoke thoughtfully. "But as you know, activating the entire wizard tower requires at least a seventh-level spell. A [High-level Wizard] is the minimum requirement..."
"We could wait until you advance to discuss this, but the security of Morning Star Port cannot wait — so activating the tower immediately is necessary..."
"What I mean is... should we invite a [High-level Wizard] to cast the [Intelligent Animation Spell]? Of course... they would have to join the Farrell Family and sign a Styx Oath transferring the wizard tower afterward. But even if it's just for borrowing and studying for a period of time, that attraction should be enough to interest [High-level Wizards] who don't yet have their own towers — and it would greatly enhance our Farrell Family's foundation... After all, only wizards above level fifteen are truly high-level spellcasters!"
Ernest had stumbled at the beginning but found his flow toward the end.
The question of who controlled the wizard tower was a deeply sensitive issue. Whoever it was, everyone naturally wanted it in the hands of their own people.
But unfortunately, in his view, neither he nor Leylin was anywhere near meeting the requirement.
"When I was still a low-level wizard, I never imagined that one day there would be a wizard tower right in front of me — and yet I wouldn't be able to control it..."
Ernest said with a bitter smile.
"Take me to the core chamber." Leylin's expression remained calm as he nodded.
Hearing this, Ernest led Leylin to the top floor and opened a small room. "Everything is ready — all that's missing is a [High-level Wizard] capable of casting seventh-level spells..."
Ernest sighed.
Then, to his astonishment, he watched as Leylin stepped directly into the center of the magic circle.
"What are you — what are you doing? Don't tell me you think you can activate this wizard tower?!"
Ernest stared in disbelief as Leylin placed his hand on the core control crystal.
"Your points are well taken, Master, but handing the tower's control to someone else is far too risky. Even with the constraints of an oath, there's no guarantee they won't leave some hidden backdoor — and that would be virtually fatal to the security of the family's territory..."
Leylin spoke calmly.
Though the Styx Oath was powerfully binding, with his knowledge and experience, he knew of several ways one could exploit loopholes.
More importantly, what had been a reluctant choice before was no longer necessary — he himself now met the requirements. Why should he hand over control?
"Alright, alright! Young Leylin... I know you're unwilling... but... I... Oh! Heavens..."
Ernest had been about to humorously try to dissuade him, but then his jaw dropped in shock.