"The time has come! The inauguration ceremony begins!"
Pike was dressed in the attire of a master of ceremonies, his hair combed with meticulous care, his high-pitched voice barely concealing a trace of excitement.
His earlier investment had yielded its richest returns in this moment. Leilin's meteoric rise had far exceeded all expectations, leaving Pike feeling as though he were living in a dream.
Music blared as Leilin entered the venue wearing his magical artifact robe and a golden crown, stepping upon flower petals scattered across the ground.
At the same time, a terrifying pressure—like that of some primordial colossus—slowly radiated from his body. Through his eyes, one could even glimpse the phantom of an enormous black serpent tens of thousands of meters long, stretching across the void.
Morning Star! Genuine Morning Star power. The assembled wizards and warlocks bowed their heads humbly in reverence, while several envoys wore grim expressions—yet Leilin's aura compelled them to bow as well, their faces flushing red.
"According to regulation, any Ouroboros Ring Morning Star warlock is automatically granted the title of Duke upon promotion! Congratulations—Duke Farell!"
Fesal stepped forward and respectfully presented Leilin with a serpentine scepter encrusted with black diamonds, holding it out with both hands.
Leilin took it with ease and raised it high in acknowledgment.
The assembled bloodline warlocks bowed in unison: "Greetings to Duke Leilin!"
This was the tradition of the Ouroboros Ring. Many wizard organizations had similar customs, but having Fesal perform the ceremony signified that Leilin had fully subdued the Ring's internal factions. Observing this, envoys from various powers exchanged knowing glances.
"The presentation of gifts begins!" Once Leilin had taken his seat, Pike called out again in a ringing voice.
"Envoy of the Forest of Nature—Louis greets Duke Leilin!" An elderly man in a red ceremonial robe was the first to step forward and bow.
"Your Eminence's ascension to Morning Star is a grand event for the entire Central Continent. This is a gift from my master!"
The attendant behind him immediately pulled away the cloth covering a tray, and a stone shimmering with points of starlight was revealed.
"Astral Stone!" "Such a large one—that's truly rare!" "The Forest of Nature really went all out this time!"
Murmurs rippled through the surrounding crowd.
Leilin nodded with a smile, thoroughly pleased. Opportunities to receive gifts for free were always welcome.
"I have just ascended to Morning Star and do have considerable need for Astral Stone. Thank your master on my behalf!"
Leilin expressed his pleasure, and the envoy's face lit up with joy. He bowed once more before withdrawing.
"Your Grace! I am an envoy of the
Another envoy stepped forward and presented Leilin with a control core. At its center, one could see the projection of a private airship—its sleek hull and flowing elegance displayed in vivid detail through the hologram.
"Most thoughtful!" Leilin nodded.
The Feile Family operated the entire airship network and had the backing of the Sky Throne. Gifting a private airship to every newly ascended Morning Star was their tradition, so Leilin said: "Please convey my gratitude to Patriarch Feile, as well as the Sky Throne, for their goodwill..."
Seeing that Leilin had understood the implication, the envoy bowed respectfully and withdrew. Immediately, another envoy came forward...
The ceremony was exceedingly tedious, but Leilin had to receive each guest individually, projecting goodwill—an effort that greatly benefited the Ouroboros Ring in its current state.
Leilin wore a warm, enthusiastic smile throughout, conversing with the envoys without the slightest hint of impatience.
At that moment, a wizard in silver-grey robes with brown hair stepped forward. He unmistakably radiated the fluctuations of a Morning Star wizard and made no effort to conceal them—an act rather disrespectful in Leilin's presence.
"This one comes bearing ill intent!" Leilin narrowed his eyes slightly, fixing his gaze on the wizard.
"Clynes of Jupiter's Thunder, greeting your Lordship!" Clynes straightened his spine and met Leilin's gaze directly, showing not the slightest fear.
"This Clynes is considered fairly capable among Jupiter's Thunder. This is a probe of Leilin's limits..." On the other side,
"Clynes is nothing like Ganlir. Should we lend a hand?" Philip cracked his knuckles, a fervent light blazing in his eyes.
"No need. This Duke Leilin is quite formidable—don't underestimate him." A trace of amusement surfaced in Paul's dead-fish eyes.
The atmosphere in the great hall grew charged. The assembled envoys watched with keen interest as the two Morning Star wizards clashed.
Since this was a celebration, neither Leilin nor Clynes went too far. On the surface, they merely stared at each other—but in truth, a far more perilous confrontation within the spiritual realm had already begun unnoticed.
After several minutes, the confidence gradually drained from Clynes's face, and beads of sweat began to form.
Watching this, the other Morning Star wizards looked as though they had seen a ghost, while Paul and Philip exchanged a glance and both smiled.
"Hmph!" A moment later, Clynes staggered back several steps. Though his expression remained largely unchanged, his earlier imposing aura had been completely shattered—he had clearly suffered a minor defeat.
Leilin, meanwhile, remained seated as before, his true depth impossible to gauge.
"This is a gift from our Patriarch!"
Clynes no longer dared raise his head to meet Leilin's gaze. He could only present the gift and quickly find an excuse to withdraw.
But every wizard who had witnessed the exchange regarded Leilin with even greater fervor.
The festivities continued until midnight before finally concluding. After receiving the multitude of gifts, Leilin even began to share his experiences of ascending to Morning Star.
Since most of those present were Third-rank Wizards, this amounted to him dispensing knowledge. He pointed out pitfalls and common wisdom regarding the construction of Singularity Points, enchanting many Third-rank Wizards to the point of captivation. Even some Morning Star wizards wore thoughtful expressions, and when the gathering finally dispersed, several seemed reluctant to leave.
...
After the banquet, Leilin did not choose to rest. Instead, he met with another guest in a private chamber.
"Lord Blue Mountain King—how good to see you again!"
Leilin wore a calm smile as he regarded the wizard before him.
The visitor was indeed the Blue Mountain King, bearing the same appearance as his clone—blue hair and eyes that shone with a starlight gleam.
Blue Mountain City's official representative was not him, but he had sneaked in among the delegation, naturally under Leilin's coercion.
"You may simply call me Sath." The Blue Mountain King's voice was low, but it was clear he no longer looked down on Leilin.
"Very well, Lord Sath. Let us first discuss the matter of compensation for my territory!"
Leilin leaned back on the sofa, fingers interlaced, his expression one of leisurely ease. Opportunities to drive a hard bargain were exceedingly rare.
"Agreed! Your subjects, your land, and all losses—I will compensate for everything, even doubling the amount, so long as you swear not to reveal anything about the Silver Mites!" The Blue Mountain King—Sath—answered with remarkable readiness, evidently having steeled himself beforehand.
He had no choice but to comply, for his greatest secret was already in Leilin's possession. Should word leak out, the entire Ockhart Family would face annihilation, and he himself would not be spared.
Leilin understood this perfectly, but he also knew that even if the Ockhart Family were destroyed and the Blue Mountain King perished, it would bring him no benefit. Extortion, on the other hand, would yield far greater returns!
Therefore, he had no qualms about letting Sath off—but only after extracting a heavy price.
"We can set aside the territorial matters for now, but you destroyed my
Leilin smiled, a deep, calculating quality settling over his features.
"No problem! I'll have one rebuilt to the original specifications immediately!" The Blue Mountain King answered with impressive magnanimity.
"Oh no, no, no—I think you've misunderstood." Leilin wagged his index finger. "What I require is a Wizard Tower that meets my current standards. Do you understand?"
"What—" Sath drew a sharp breath and blurted out: "Impossible! You're extorting me!"
Leilin's previous Wizard Tower, while equipped with fairly advanced facilities, had been designed for Third-rank Wizards. On the Central Continent, anything involving Morning Star power multiplied in value many times over—let alone a Morning Star wizard's stronghold: a Wizard Tower!
A Morning Star-level Wizard Tower cost enough to rival dozens of Leilin's previous towers. Even selling off his entire territory wouldn't cover the construction of a single floor. Leilin's demand was nothing short of highway robbery—he intended to carve a massive chunk out of the Ockhart Family's resources.
Under Sath's original compensation plan, the Ockhart Family would suffer no real losses—perhaps a minor financial setback at most. But a Morning Star-level Wizard Tower? Even if Leilin abandoned his other compensation demands, it would cripple the entire Ockhart Family.
"I am extorting you. Only just realizing that?" Leilin sneered.
"Compared to the Silver Mites leaking and the entire Ockhart Family being obliterated, I'd say this is a remarkably fair deal. With Blue Mountain City's accumulated resources, building a Wizard Tower should be more than within reach, shouldn't it?"
Flustered by Leilin's barrage of words, Sath's expression flickered between pale and red before he finally gritted his teeth and agreed: "...Fine!"
"That's more like it!" Leilin's face immediately broke into a broad smile—his ability to switch moods so abruptly left even Sath struggling to keep pace.
"Beyond the Wizard Tower, I have no other demands. Simply help me construct an Astral Gate as well..."
Having gauged Sath's threshold of tolerance, Leilin naturally pressed his advantage without mercy. After all, even if he lowered his demands now, Sath would not be grateful—he might as well extract every last benefit.