His body data and wizard rank hadn't changed much, which was well within Leilin's expectations. After all, he had previously used the Devil's Blood Dagger to force his way through breakthroughs. Now, in the Royal Capital, he naturally couldn't be as brazen as before, so hitting a bottleneck was understandable.
The only gain was that, with the help of a massive amount of wizard research materials, the second-tier magic network had finally been completely conquered, freeing him from the constraints of spell slots.
"Although I haven't been pushing my wizard rank too hard in order to avoid drawing attention, my accumulated knowledge is more than sufficient. There won't be any problems up to High
Leilin was quite pleased with his progress, but there was one thing that still furrowed his brow.
Since two years ago, he had sensed a lingering malice hovering near the Royal Capital, and had even felt as though he were being watched. He had a premonition that if he ventured out recklessly, he would immediately be subjected to a terrifying attack.
"Those paladins from the God of Justice who refuse to give up their scheming?"
After all, this was the Royal Capital. Once Leilin decided to hole up inside, the other party could only glare helplessly.
He had a rough idea of who those shadowy figures were, and planned to deal with them all at once when the time came to leave.
"The Wizard Guild's archives have been mostly copied already, and a few of my research projects are nearing completion. Dambrasia is after all a small kingdom, so the fact that their knowledge base reaches up to fifteenth-level High Wizard is already quite impressive…"
After two years of accumulation, Leilin was considering setting out again.
As for his destination? He had several options, but Silver Moon City in the North was currently the most suitable target.
"However, before I leave, there are a few things that need to be taken care of… and I should take a look at that place as well…"
A map appeared in Leilin's mind—the one contributed by the captain of the Pale Hawk mercenary group, that unfortunate advanced warrior.
"The map covers roughly the Royal Capital area, but the specific locations and place names have long since changed. Even I only just managed to track down the details by chance… I never expected it to be there. I wonder what surprise it holds…"
Leilin murmured to himself, then stood and left the room.
"Young Master!" "Young Master!"
The servants and maids he passed all greeted him with exceptional respect upon seeing him.
They knew very well that their young master was not only a noble but also a powerful wizard! He was practically no different from the legendary figures of old.
"Mm."
Leilin's expression remained calm. A few brief hums of acknowledgement were enough to earn the servants' gratitude.
Walking down the main street, Leilin's wizard robe clearly attracted numerous awestruck gazes, and the mark of a tenth-level wizard in particular drew gasps of amazement from many onlookers.
Leilin had grown accustomed to this kind of treatment. Before long, he arrived before a towering wizard tower.
"Leilin!"
Several low-level wizards, also dressed in wizard robes, were already waiting there. One of them, a rather pretty female wizard, brightened when she saw Leilin and stepped forward to greet him.
"Mm! Julia! And Yarei, Anglu. Good afternoon!"
Leilin nodded, his expression mild and composed. These were all Simei's students, currently studying under the same master, making them half-fellow disciples at best.
"Senior Leilin! Could you take a look at this 'Explosive Potion'? I've tried so many times but just can't get it right…" Julia produced a fiery-red test tube, practically pressing herself against Leilin as she spoke.
She knew Leilin's background very well. Not only did he possess exceptional magical talent, but his family also controlled a vast overseas trading network!
This status made Leilin the dream prince of many noble ladies in the Royal Capital. Some had even made advances at first, but Leilin had politely declined them all.
For him, such things were far too tedious. If he wanted pleasure, Dely had plenty to offer—why waste his energy on this?
Although the warm attention drew envious looks from the other male wizards, Leilin remained utterly unmoved.
He took the test tube and glanced at it casually. "The stabilization time for the neutralizer is incorrect. Also, you're casting the spell too early…"
Though his remarks were brief and understated, they brought looks of sudden understanding to the faces of many nearby wizards.
"Alright! If there's nothing else, I'll head in first."
After exchanging a few more casual words with the others, Leilin walked straight into the wizard tower, leaving nothing behind but a trail of envious gazes.
"Master Simei gave Senior Leilin direct access to the wizard tower—that's the same treatment as the true direct disciples!"
Julia gazed up at the massive tower, her face filled with undisguised envy.
"Senior is a tenth-level Mid-ranked Wizard after all, and the strongest magical genius among us. If you advance to the tenth level, the master will grant you access too…"
A male wizard beside her glanced down at the badge on his chest. The mark of a fifth-level wizard, once a source of pride, now seemed rather glaring.
"A talent like that—we simply can't compare…"
The other wizards, most of whom hovered around the fifth level, could only exchange bitter smiles.
"Master Simei!"
Leilin was lucky; when he arrived, the old wizard wasn't conducting an experiment but resting in the outer recreation room.
"Oh, it's Leilin! Come, sit!" Simei was a spirited little old man, barely a meter tall, his face full of kind warmth.
Leilin's relationship with him wasn't strictly that of master and apprentice—more like a modern graduate student assisting a professor with research, and therefore rather free and informal.
Leilin sat down without hesitation and said to Simei, "Master Simei! I'd like to request access to Alchemy Room Number One."
As he spoke, he placed a gold card on the table.
Freedom came at a price—Leilin understood this perfectly well.
"Oh! So you're finally ready to begin! Have you gathered all the materials?"
Simei smiled and glanced at Leilin's left hand.
"Thanks to your help, Master, everything has been collected. Now I just need the wizard tower's experimental environment for the final processing…"
Leilin touched the ring on his left hand.
"Good. I'll authorize the tower spirit. Also, I'd appreciate it if you could give Julia and the others some guidance—I don't have that much time…"
Simei said.
Ordinary low-level wizards, let alone wizard apprentices, could never be as well-off as Leilin.
They could only accumulate spell slots each day and perform basic processing of potions or other alchemical items for a few gold coins in return.
Those worse off had to copy out large numbers of spell scrolls to slowly save up resources for spellbooks and other materials needed for advancement.
Some masters simply forgot about their students entirely. The fact that Simei remembered to ask Leilin to help them out was already quite kind-hearted.
"Understood!" Leilin rose and took his leave.
Inside the alchemy room, Leilin removed the Wizard Ring from his left hand.
This ring, which increased all spell slots below sixth level by one, was practically a divine artifact for low-level wizards. Its material seemed extraordinarily special, with potential for further enhancement.
Leilin had finally settled on an enhancement method through his studies under Simei combined with his own research and theories.
"Tower Spirit? Has my authorization come through?"
Leilin asked directly.
"Master authorizes Wizard Leilin Farell to use Alchemy Room Number One, as well as the Elemental Pool, Particle Accelerator, Second-tier Magical Automaton, and related facilities!"
A mechanical voice rang out—the tower spirit of the entire wizard tower.
With a wizard tower's assistance, a wizard's capabilities could be pushed to their absolute limit, but the staggering cost drove most wizards away.
Leilin waved his hand, and mithril, adamantine, and various other materials from his dimensional bags appeared on the workbench.
"It took me this long, but I've finally figured out how to make use of it…"
A smile crossed Leilin's face as he placed the Wizard Ring onto the processing platform. Brilliant light enveloped the ring.
…
Seven days later, Leilin gazed at the brand-new ring on his hand, satisfaction written across his face.
The Chip promptly displayed its updated data: [Item Name: Wizard Ring | Weight: 15 grams | Materials: Obsidian, Wizard Alloy, Dragon Blood, Mithril, Adamantine, Rainbow Feather | Effect 1: Increases all spell slots below sixth level by one! (Wizard exclusive) | Effect 2: Contains fifth-level spell Mournful Wail (once every seven days), power equivalent to a weakened Banshee's Wail! | Description: A ring of immense magical power, prone to attracting the covetous attention of other beings. Its materials have been utilized to their absolute limit! Approaching the rank of a legendary item!]
The Wizard Ring now appeared even darker in color, and its once-prominent magical aura had completely vanished.
"Hmm! After refining the soul force originally bound to the ring, it gained a fifth-level spell ability? Mournful Wail—a fifth-level sonic attack spell? Not bad!"
Leilin was quite pleased with his improvements.
He slipped the now slightly heavier ring back onto his left hand and rose to leave the wizard tower.
He had accomplished everything he could here. There was nothing left to keep him.
"All that's left is this map…"
Leilin studied the information recorded by the Chip, a contemplative expression on his face.
"The place names on it are extremely ancient—some haven't been used for thousands of years. Looking at it now, this isn't simply Siegfried's treasure map. It's something far more mysterious…"
In fact, Leilin suspected that the other party had never fully explored this treasure map either, because the puzzles it contained were far too numerous—enough to make even Leilin scratch his head.
But fortunately, Leilin had plenty of free time over the past two years, and had treated deciphering the map as a form of entertainment. Only recently had he finally glimpsed the true secret hidden within!