"What on earth is going on?"
Roya shook his head, his mind still a bit foggy.
"The demon hunter Ganil tried to ambush us, and the teacher showed up just in time and saved us — that's all there is to it!" Kasha said with a bitter smile.
She had heard plenty about the demon hunter Ganil's fearsome reputation. According to the rumors, he was the kind of terrifying powerhouse who could make even the most cunning devils weep bitterly and regret ever coming into the world. His name was synonymous with dread.
Just the thought of falling into his hands sent a chill down Kasha's spine.
"I should have realized it sooner. The City of Sin and the Land of Forgetting are so close to each other, and there's so much traffic between them — how could the powers inside the Land of Forgetting possibly have no connection to the demon hunters?"
In truth, what he wanted to say was that those factions were essentially the demon hunter's lapdogs. The moment they realized they couldn't handle the group, they had immediately reported to their master behind the scenes.
But without solid evidence, and given that the demon hunter was a Morning Star
"If Teacher
"That was me!" Lin Lei stepped forward with a sheepish smile.
"Before we set out, I had a premonition of sorts, so I gave a letter to Pike and instructed him that if I didn't return within a certain time limit, he should hand the letter over to Lucy right away and ask him to pass it along to the teacher… Thank heavens! Senior Lucy truly proved trustworthy, and the teacher happened not to be immersed in any deep-level experiments…"
The words were a half-truth. In reality, Lin Lei had long foreseen through the Gold Coin of Fate that a Morning Star-level force would interfere in this expedition. However, he couldn't bear to part with the snake-woman's hair, so he had opted for this compromise.
Judging by the outcome, it had worked out quite well.
"My apologies! I acted a bit on my own initiative!" Lin Lei admitted and immediately bowed his head.
"No! Don't worry about it! If anything, we ought to thank you for your caution!" Robin waved his hand dismissively.
"Exactly! Who would have thought the demon hunter could be so underhanded? Stealing from us young juniors, of all people!" Kasha's expression was indignant.
"Keep your voice down!" Lin Lei and Robin snapped at her in unison.
"When dealing with a Morning Star Wizard, even if they're your enemy, showing the bare minimum of respect is absolutely essential! It is respect for truth itself!"
Kasha's face flushed red, and she lowered her head once more.
Rumble!
At that moment, a massive wave of energy rippled in from the distance. Lin Lei looked toward the source, a trace of worry surfacing in his eyes.
"Don't worry! The demon hunter may have a fearsome reputation, but you have to trust our teacher — he's incredibly strong!"
Robin noticed the concern on Lin Lei's face and offered a reassuring smile.
"I hope so!" Lin Lei replied, his voice lacking full conviction.
Calling upon Gilbert the Grand Duke had already been his last resort. Beyond his teacher, he truly couldn't think of anything else that might give the demon hunter pause.
If his teacher were to lose, the rest of them — his students — would almost certainly not get off easy.
"Strength! It all comes down to strength!"
Lin Lei couldn't help but clench his fists, the desire to reach the Morning Star Wizard realm burning even brighter in his heart.
Whoosh!
A streak of blood-red light split the sky, and Gilbert's figure materialized before Lin Lei and the others.
"Teacher!" Robin and Lin Lei hurried forward and bowed in greeting.
"You little troublemakers — you really went and stirred up something this time! Even Ganliel of all people!" Gilbert swept his gaze over them, then a smile spread across his bald face.
It seemed he hadn't been at any disadvantage in his battle against the demon hunter.
Once Lin Lei realized this, he let out an immediate sigh of relief. At the very least, the worst-case scenario was now off the table.
"Alright! You must be exhausted after your expedition. Climb aboard my airship and I'll take you back!"
Gilbert waved his hand with a grin, and a small airship appeared on the spot.
Though it was considerably smaller than the public airships, the interior was far more opulent, and the wizard formations inscribed across its surface were more intricate, thrumming with formidable power.
"This is..." Lin Lei's jaw dropped.
Though this airship was small in size, it was still an airship! To hold an airship of this size — the spatial item in Duke Gilbert's possession must be at least of the magical artifact tier!
Robin, however, assumed Lin Lei was dazed by the airship itself, and explained with a smile, "This is the 'Black Scale,' the master's personal vessel — a gift from the
"What a lavish family!" Lin Lei sighed. A family that controlled the entire airship network across the Central Continent — their foundations were truly unfathomably deep.
"Do they gift one to every Wizard after they advance to Morning Star?" Lin Lei suddenly thought of something and asked.
"That's right! After virtually every Morning Star Wizard's advancement, the Feile family will inevitably present a private airship as a gift!" Robin nodded.
"What an enormous gesture!" Lin Lei understood perfectly — this was probably not the Feile family's idea, but rather the Sky Throne Lord taking the opportunity to court favor with Morning Star Wizards.
The interior of the Black Scale was also luxuriously decorated, divided into a main hall, guest quarters, a kitchen, a meditation room, and a dedicated parlor — spacious enough to comfortably accommodate several dozen people in conversation without feeling cramped. For a private airship, this was more than sufficient.
In the parlor, Gilbert sat on the central sofa while Lin Lei and the other three stood respectfully to one side. Several small fairies with translucent wings flitted about, holding teapots and cups, swiftly pouring everyone a cup of red tea.
"Sit down!" Gilbert said with a smile. "I'm also quite interested in hearing about your recent experiences, while we're at it!"
Lin Lei's heart stirred — he knew what was coming was coming — but he felt no resentment about it.
Setting aside his own arrangements, just for the fact that Gilbert had stepped in to save him, handing over a large share of this trip's gains was only right.
"Detecting faint energy fluctuation! Identified as bloodline-item detection technology! Spatial containers cannot block it!"
At that moment, the Chip's alert echoed through Lin Lei's mind. In his field of vision, he could clearly see a scanning wave sweep across the four of them — not even leaving Roya untouched.
Lin Lei's expression didn't change in the slightest as he allowed this extremely subtle wave — one that even Robin couldn't perceive — to scan his entire body, even probing into his spatial pouch and rings.
"About that, Master…"
After a brief silence, Robin was the first to speak.
"……" After listening to his account, Gilbert gazed at the sigil mark on Robin's forehead and let out a long, heavy sigh. "I didn't expect that you would ultimately choose this path after all!"
"This is my choice!" Robin bowed deeply. "Otherwise, I fear I would never glimpse the realm of Morning Star in my entire life!"
His tone was resolute.
"As your master, I am merely a guide on your pursuit of truth and the power of the bloodline — one who offers advice. As for your final decision, I will not interfere."
Gilbert shook his head. "Since you insist on doing it, then so be it!"
"Master..." On the other side, Kasha was acting like a little girl, on the verge of tears, describing her ordeal in the most pitiful terms imaginable.
"Akzi and the other two all died... That was more than half my family's strength, Master..."
In the end, her eyes reddened and she truly broke into tears, streaming like a snapped string — yet she made no mention whatsoever of the haul she'd earned from extorting the green-skinned barbarian Wizard alongside Lei Lin at the very end.
"Alright! Alright!" Gilbert said with some exasperation. "I'll pass along instructions to have your family looked after!"
"Thank you, Master!" Kasha's face cleared from stormy to sunny in an instant, the speed of the transformation so swift that even Lei Lin had to marvel at it.
"Lei Lin, what about you?" Finally, Gilbert turned his attention to Lei Lin, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
Damn it — one of them's his old student, the other's a woman, and I'm the newest apprentice who gets the worst end of the deal!
Lei Lin rolled his eyes inwardly, but on the surface he remained perfectly composed. He respectfully patted his spatial leather pouch, and several items immediately materialized on the desk.
"Those are...
Kasha clapped a hand over her mouth and gasped, staring at the several blood-red gemstones.
Robin's attention, meanwhile, was drawn to the Dragon Root Fruit and several enormous milky-white bones.
As for Gilbert, he was examining a large bird egg at the center with keen interest, studying the blood-red runes inscribed on its surface, a contemplative look on his face.
"Lei Lin, you really struck it rich in the secret realm this time!"
Kasha sidled closer, her entire body practically pressing into Lei Lin's arms. "Your senior sister's family is already so pitiful — surely you could spare something to help me out?"
"Heh heh..." Gilbert burst into hearty laughter.
"These are Blood Vulture eggs! Ancient Blood Vultures were already famous for seeking out bloodline artifacts. Lei Lin, I'd wager you had the good fortune to stumble upon a Blood Vulture nest?" Gilbert said with certainty.
"I did!" Lei Lin scratched his head, an sheepish expression surfacing on his face. "After the student found the Blood Vulture nest, I lurked there for several days and finally seized the chance to sneak these items out..."
Even Robin's face showed a flicker of jealousy upon hearing that.
Why hadn't such incredible luck fallen on him?
"I am willing to donate all of these to you, Teacher!" Lei Lin's subsequent words left both Robin and Kasha stunned.
"You don't have to? Is that really okay?" Lei Lin wore an expression of complete sincerity, though inwardly he was sighing.
If he refused to hand these items over after they had been discovered, Gilbert would not be pleased. And if Gilbert was unhappy, Lei Lin's days within the Serpent's Ring would become very difficult.
"Ha ha... you are a good one!"
Gilbert burst into laughter.