"Do you know about the Joint Conference of the Eastern Domain
"Joint Conference?" Leilin repeated the name. In the Dark Polar Domain, council governance was prevalent — in truth, this was a product born from the mutual compromise of powers both great and small.
Just from the literal meaning alone, one could roughly grasp its implications, and there was also a bit of relevant content buried somewhere in Ailin's memories.
"Apologies! I've been wandering the borders of various domains, so I'm not entirely clear on such matters. But I have heard something about it — a joint conference where numerous academies together determine rankings and divide up interests, is that it?"
Leilin replied.
"That's exactly it!" The bitter smile on Xiling's face grew more pronounced. "The Joint Conference! It's a grand event for the entire Eastern Domain
"Even the academy ratings are conducted at the Joint Conference! Any academy that isn't a Large Academy can submit a rating application. Once verified and approved, territories are redistributed with substantial benefits… And some academies that no longer meet the standards of their current rating will be demoted — most of their governed territory and benefits must be handed over to rising academies…"
"So the favor you wanted to ask me about was this rating!" Leilin looked at Xiling thoughtfully.
"Yes, my lord!" Xiling bit her lip.
"Because of my mentor, our Nature Alliance was rated as a Small Academy at the previous Joint Conference. But my strength is still far below my mentor's. So our rating might drop to Unranked at this Joint Conference. If that happens, we'll likely have to hand over most of our profits here. We won't be able to support so many apprentices, and the Nature Alliance will gradually wither away…"
Through Xiling's explanation, Leilin gained a rough understanding of the rating system.
Generally speaking, ratings were divided into four tiers: Unranked, Small Academy, Medium Academy, and Large Academy!
From Leilin's own perspective, any academy with even a single Official Wizard could be considered Unranked. These were also the most common wizard factions in the Dark Polar Domain.
Above that, Small Academies were wizard factions like the Nature Alliance — ones that possessed fixed revenue sources such as the Ice Caverns, typically manned by a few Official Wizards or semi-elementalized Wizards.
The next tier up, Medium Academies — setting aside other foundations, the minimum requirement was the combat power of a peak First-Tier Wizard.
And Large Academies were the pinnacle factions that had Second-Tier Wizards overseeing them. Since the establishment of the Joint Conference, instances of Large Academy ratings had been exceedingly rare — every single one had been accompanied by tremendous upheaval and filled with wizard casualties.
Moreover, the rating didn't necessarily require reaching a specific realm of cultivation. After all, a wizard's combat power and realm didn't always align.
Therefore, the rating depended entirely on actual combat strength! It often required battles against opponents of the same tier, making for extraordinarily bloody affairs!
Of course, there was another method — submitting academic research materials that all nine committee members recognized could also complete the rating. That path was extremely difficult, and very few had ever succeeded through it.
Xiling's former mentor was said to possess astonishing combat power. Although she herself had not yet reached semi-elemental transformation, she had fought a semi-elemental Wizard to a standstill through sheer force of will, and was therefore deemed to possess semi-elemental strength. As a result, the Alliance of Nature was recognized as a minor sect and granted extraction rights to several small mineral veins and parcels of land.
If the Alliance were to be demoted in this year's rating, all of those assets would naturally be revoked. Without those resources to sustain it, Xiling alone certainly couldn't keep the Alliance of Nature running, which meant she had no choice but to seek outside help.
However, semi-elemental strength was already considered elite among first-tier Wizards. Those who had achieved it were almost exclusively cultivated by other factions.
Xiling could use her personal charm to attract a few formal Wizards, but some of them were even weaker than she was — what use would they be? As for the rest, they were people like Skryg, who had ulterior motives, and Xiling didn't dare take them on either.
Raylin's arrival was therefore a beacon of hope for Xiling.
"As long as you agree to lead us to the Joint Conference, everything the Alliance of Nature owns will be yours — including me!" Xiling slowly shed her outer garment, revealing the alluring body beneath.
Her fair, delicate skin, partially veiled by translucent fabric, was all the more captivating. Combined with the martyr-like expression on her face, it stirred an almost irresistible desire.
"But why me? If these are the conditions, I'm sure there are plenty of Wizards — that Skryg, for example — who would be more than willing."
Raylin's expression didn't change. Physical pleasure was merely a diversion for him, and having indulged many times, he had long since grown accustomed to it.
"If I'm going to sell myself either way, I'd rather sell to the stronger man! Skryg was a candidate too, but unfortunately he already had commitments to another sect, and besides, his appearance was far too grotesque!"
Xiling's answer was direct and pragmatic.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Raylin applauded. "Clever! Rational! Knowing your place! Very well — I agree. I'll attend the Sect Alliance Conference with you."
"Then! My lord! I am yours!"
Only now did a faint blush rise to Xiling's cheeks…
……
The next day, Raylin gave the Alliance of Nature's headquarters a thorough tour under Xiling's guidance before diving headlong into the Alliance's library, never to emerge.
As for carnal pleasures? Raylin only indulged when the need arose, and even then only occasionally. At critical moments, he was perfectly capable of maintaining his composure.
Xiling understood this well enough, and upon seeing Raylin already poring over books with barely contained eagerness, she tactfully withdrew.
Raylin watched her retreating figure and nodded. He was quite satisfied with this woman — rational, intelligent, and pleasant enough to look at.
"Chip! Record!" he immediately commanded inwardly, a faint blue glow flickering in his eyes.
The Alliance of Nature was, after all, a Wizard school, and its accumulated library numbered tens of thousands of volumes, encompassing vast amounts of information about the entire Dark Zone — culture, geography, politics, and more. More importantly, it contained detailed accounts of the world of Wizards.
These were precisely the things Raylin lacked most at this stage, so he shamelessly ordered the Chip to record everything directly.
As time ticked by, the Chip's database grew ever more comprehensive. With each passing moment, Raylin's understanding of the entire Dark Zone deepened further.
Then, Raylin pressed deeper still, even browsing through several of the Alliance of Nature's restricted library chambers.
Some of these areas were off-limits even to apprentices, but he was now an honorary professor of the Alliance of Nature, and after agreeing to Xiling's request the day before, he had effectively gained control of the place — so it was no issue at all.
Naturally, the contents of the restricted chambers were far more valuable than those in the public areas.
There were not only massive amounts of experimental data, Wizard exploration records, Meditation Method knowledge, and advanced academic resources, but even some conjectures and ideas from senior Wizards.
Honestly, at Raylin's level, ordinary experimental data and academic knowledge barely caught his eye anymore.
What he valued most were actually the hypotheses and speculations that senior Wizards had proposed in flashes of inspiration.
Although many of these ideas proved incorrect after the Chip's computational simulations, they could still offer Raylin new lines of thinking.
Moreover, the academic disciplines underground differed somewhat from those of the South Coast, and certain gems among them were well worth Raylin's study and reference.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Raylin happened upon a piece of research material that greatly interested him.
"Maintenance and Specialized Repair of the Consciousness Sea!"
It was an extremely ancient scroll — a book assembled from green leaves capable of recording vast amounts of images and text, suffused with the aura of nature itself.
The research documented within was enough to move even Raylin.
His Consciousness Sea had sustained damage when he used the ancient teleportation Wizard formation, with cracks even forming along its edges.
The Chip could only recommend consolidating his Spiritual Power and allowing for slow, gradual repairs.
As a result, a portion of Raylin's Spiritual Power was currently unusable, limiting him to the strength of a peak First-level Wizard.
Moreover, while consolidating Spiritual Power was effective, it was simply far too slow.
After two full years of recuperation in the small town before this, his injuries had only improved by a tiny fraction—enough to make Raylin impatient. He needed to get out and find a way to accelerate the process.
"Chip! Archive the data and analyze the feasibility of this method for my injuries!"
The Consciousness Sea was tied to the very foundation of a Wizard and a Sorcerer alike—Raylin wouldn't dare act rashly.
"Ding! Data archived. Establishing virtual model!"
"Beep! Probability of effectiveness for the host: 12.92%." The Chip reached its conclusion almost instantly.
"That low?" Raylin could hardly believe it, and could only follow up with a bitter laugh. The Consciousness Sea varied from person to person, so it seemed perfectly normal that a generic repair method would yield only such modest results.
"Still, any effect is a good thing. Once I gather a large volume of related data, I can have the Chip design a treatment plan tailored specifically to my actual condition, and the success rate will naturally go up!"
Raylin consoled himself.
The library inside the secret chamber held far more than just this kind of content.
Much of what was here was useless to an apprentice—some of it even a little harmful—but for Raylin, it was just right.
He even found a notebook of insights on casting Second-level Wizard spells, apparently written down by some Great Wizard.
The Alliance of Nature was only a minor school that had never produced a Second-level Wizard, so it was a mystery how they had managed to obtain this.
But Raylin naturally accepted it with a smile. This notebook of insights was the perfect supplement to the Second-level Wizard spell template he had previously obtained from Xiling.