«Good! I’ll be going then as well!»
Lin Lei nodded.
«Of course it’s you, because you have the greatest chance!»
«Oh? Why?» Lin Lei’s thoughts flashed, and he immediately considered one possibility: «Could it be…?»
«Hehe… that’s right! Rock himself is the illegitimate son of the Atlantean Chancellor. With his connections, and given you’re a special task force member, you have the most opportunities to infiltrate the residence!»
«No wonder! I always felt Rock’s background was formidable and his connections powerful, so he’s actually the Chancellor’s illegitimate son…» Lin Lei said, a measure of understanding in his tone.
«Hehe… this is what you call a fortunate coincidence. We originally wanted to infiltrate the task force as well, but their bloodline detection is extremely strict. We can only mimic the Flame Feather Art up to the seventh layer, which is practically useless. Even if we got in, we’d be at the very bottom. But you’re different, Lin Lei! Not only is the Flame Feather aura on you exceptionally pure, you’ve actually advanced the Flame Feather Art to the ninth layer! You’re truly a genius!»
Gilbert praised him, realizing at this moment that he had been blind before, failing to recognize such an extraordinary talent in Lin Lei.
Though, the fact that the man had eventually been taken in by him was, at least, some consolation.
«Alright! I’ll do my best to return to the capital with Rock!» Lin Lei nodded, then looked at the two Comorin Dukes. Before coming to the Magma World, he had worried about their injuries, but now it seemed that was needless concern.
For a Morning Star
In fact, Lin Lei guessed that the two Comorin Dukes had likely spent all their accumulated Fire Source Stone to heal the injuries sustained during their earlier breakout; otherwise, the aura around them wouldn’t have increased by so little.
«Right! Under Rock’s command, there’s a person named Rock. Was he also a contingency you’d arranged?»
Lin Lei suddenly thought of something and asked.
«Rock?!» A hint of doubt crossed Emma and Gilbert’s faces, and they exchanged a glance. Even Lin Lei, who had been watching their expressions closely, couldn’t tell if it was genuine or not.
«We don’t know him! He’s not an undercover agent we sent. Is there some problem with him?»
«There is a bit! I suspect he might be an alien too, disguised and infiltrating the task force!» Lin Lei casually mentioned the previous incident.
«In that case…» Gilbert rubbed his smooth, bald head. «You should probably keep a close watch on him. There’s a high probability he’s with the Mobius Ring!»
"The Mobius Ring?! Do you know much about this organization?" Lin Lei's interest was piqued — or more precisely, his attention had been drawn to the massive stockpile of supplies and fire source stones that had been plundered from them!
"It's only speculation on our part, but we're fairly certain they're the local branch of Jupiter's Thunder!"
Emma's expression was dark. "Because of the suppression from Atlantis's Supreme Leader, Jester of Jupiter's Thunder can't cross over personally. He can only sneak a few Dawn Star Wizards over here to covertly build up their influence!"
"Jester?!" Lin Lei stroked his chin. Until this moment, he hadn't known the name of this fifth-tier Radiant Moon who had been opposing him all along.
"If that's the case, then this Locke is probably a mole sent by Jester, or something like it?"
Lin Lei smiled.
"Just a pawn, that's all. Even if he is one, it doesn't matter. As long as he's not a Dawn Star, he won't play any significant role in this game!"
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Gilbert's face. "If you really find him troublesome, just 'deal with' him directly. If it's inconvenient for you, let us know and we'll handle it…"
Although Gilbert and Emma were ostensibly minor nobles within the Atlantis Federation, they were in fact three of the most ruthless and vicious of the Three Serpent Cult's Patriarchs. Causing trouble for the task force was entirely within their rights — Locke's death would be for nothing.
"Let's keep him around for now! Don't alert the Mobius Ring behind him. Oh, and what about that Dawn Star who devastated the task force and made off with all those supplies? Are they still around?"
"What's this — you want to know where they are?" A half-smile appeared on both Emma's and Gilbert's faces.
"Of course! I don't care about the other supplies, but those fire source stones — I must have them!"
Lin Lei's answer was decisive. "Besides, this could earn me even greater trust from Stonebrook. Think about it — what would happen if I brought him news of the very Dawn Star who turned him into his current state?"
"In fact, we've been tracking them down as well, and we've already found some leads…"
Emma said, "Perfect! The target is
"No problem!"
Lin Lei immediately recalled Collins — the one he had taught a lesson at his own celebration. A faint smile crept onto his lips.
……
Boom!
The earth split apart, the sky collapsed. Vast swathes of space crumbled and shattered, spewing out torrents of spatial turbulence. Silver storms raged, tearing the landscape to even greater ruin.
Chapter 479. Star-Spanning Serpent In the very center, three faint phantoms of massive black serpents materialized, seemingly stretching across the sky, encircling a single figure within.
"Klins! Hand over everything you have on you, and we might spare you once!" Gilbert shouted loudly.
The person trapped at the center was none other than Klins, whom Lei Lin had seen once before. However, at this moment, the other party was covered in bloodstains, clearly suffering from serious injuries.
His original strength was already inferior to Lei Lin's, and now, under the combined siege of three Dawn Star Magi, the fact that he hadn't already fallen was considered quite remarkable.
"Lord Jesiah won't let you get away with this..." The energy fluctuations around Klins were chaotic and scattered. The exchange of several killing moves just now had left him gravely wounded.
"Hmph! Jesiah! In the future, even if he doesn't come looking for us, we will go after him ourselves. The hatred of the Elder Council cannot be forgotten so easily!" Emma snorted coldly.
Klins was secretly bitter. Although his strength surpassed that of the previous demon hunter, Ganlier, he could not possibly be a match for three Dawn Star Magi joining forces.
Unfortunately, the Jupiter's Thunder family was vast and powerful, requiring numerous Dawn Stars to maintain its standing within the Wizard World. There weren't many Dawn Star Magi stationed in the Magma World, and he was the strongest of those recently transferred here, carrying a heavy crime and needing to earn merit to atone.
But now? He probably needed to think about how to preserve his life first!
"Fine! I can hand over all the Fire Source Stones, but you must also swear an Astral Oath not to harm or imprison me again!" Klins shouted.
This was the common norm for battles between Dawn Star Magi. Since both sides could defeat the other but killing was difficult, especially if the cost outweighed the gain, the loser would sign unequal contracts and provide substantial compensation. This had become the standard outcome for wars between Dawn Stars.
"You have no room to bargain!" Lei Lin's tone was harsh. The other party's life was currently in their hands, and escape was impossible, so there was naturally no space for negotiation.
"Alright! Since that's the case..."
Klins seemed to resign himself to his fate, placing his hand on the pouch at his waist. Suddenly, his expression turned ferociously savage.
Raging black lightning, centered on him, violently swept outward in all directions.
And in his right hand, an ancient, leather scroll slowly unrolled, even projecting the phantom of a wizard with a black moon insignia on his forehead.
"It's a fifth-tier magic scroll!" Emma's expression changed as several blood-red lights flashed intensely around her body.
An enormous black serpent spanning the horizon materialized, charging violently toward him.
"Komoi Snake Transformation!!!" On the other side, Gilbert and Lei Lin also acted immediately. The power of a fifth-tier spell was not to be underestimated, and they could not afford to hold back.
Moreover, this was an otherworld — even if they destroyed everything completely, there would be no real burden. As a result, every one of them resorted to utterly ruthless methods, giving not a single thought to the catastrophic environmental destruction that would follow.
"Hsss… Hsss…"
The colossal black serpent phantom and the lightning collided. The shockwave from the impact could be sensed from thousands of miles away.
Boom! A figure went flying backward — it was Kerslin. A torrent of black blood burst from the corners of his mouth, and traces of corrosion continued eating into his body. Even a Morning Star-level physique was riddled with bleeding holes.
As he hurtled backward, he flung out a massive quantity of fire-red ore. He even tossed out various other rare materials, as well as treasures he had been hoarding — all of them blazing with radiant light as they shot outward in every direction.
"The Fire Origin Stones are all here! And my final collection — don't you dare go too far!" he roared, his body transforming into a streak of light that vanished over the distant horizon.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! As the smoke cleared, three dark figures materialized out of thin air, gathering the vast quantity of Fire Origin Stones into their hands.
"What do you two think?"
Lei Lin spoke first.
"Since we're putting on a show, we might as well put on a convincing one. I'll chase after him a little longer…" Gilbert nodded, then surged forward once more after the dark streak of light.
"Then, Lady Emma, I'll be heading back!"
After stowing away his own share of the Fire Origin Stones, Lei Lin was in excellent spirits. He cupped his hands in a bow toward Emma.
"Mm! Take good care of yourself — I certainly don't want Frey becoming a widow at such a young age!"
Emma gave a cold snort, though there was a hint of concern beneath her tone.
"Understood!" Lei Lin felt a faint warmth in his heart. After nodding, he once again transformed into Lei of the Fire Feather Clan, the same identity he had assumed before, and returned to the city task force's garrison.
"Boss! That energy fluctuation just now?!"
The moment he entered the garrison, Miss rushed over in a flurry, her expression one of indescribable gravity.
"Most likely a clash between Morning Star-level existences!" Lei Lin knew full well why her face had turned so pale.