"Young Master, we've received word that a Gold Coin Priest from the Church of Wealth wishes to meet with you and will arrive at Morning Star Port before long!"
Only now did the Claire sisters, coming back to their senses, flush red as they served Jacob a glass of mixed fruit juice — a drink that had come over from the elves and was one Leilin greatly enjoyed.
"A Gold Coin Priest? I'd have thought sending a Silver Coin would have been sufficient…"
Leilin reclined half-lazy in an elven-crafted rattan chair, his expression languid and at ease, radiating an air of unhurried composure.
Within the Church of the Goddess of Wealth, her priests were divided into several ranks. Above all but the Patriarch at the top, the rest were ordered by the color of coinage — copper coins at the bottom, gold coins at the highest. A Gold Coin Priest was equivalent to an archbishop, holding a station considerably above Tabris, the bishop of the God of Knowledge stationed here. By comparison, Tabris would only correspond to the Silver Coin rank.
The Temple of Wealth had dispatched a Gold Coin Priest, which meant the trade volume of Faolan Island had reached a terrifying degree — to the point where it had even attracted the attention of the Goddess of Wealth herself!
"Understood. See to it that the guest is received with full VIP protocol."
Though it was a major affair, once Jacob received Leilin's orders, he actually relaxed. It was as though so long as he followed Leilin's commands, everything would work out in the end.
This was the authority Leilin had accumulated over time — at certain moments, it was potent enough to turn the tide entirely.
"The Goddess of Wealth, is it? Not bad…"
After watching Jacob leave, Leilin took a sip of the juice and allowed a strange smile to cross his face.
Morning Star Port today was practically Leilin's personal fiefdom. Though in name everything belonged to Baron Jonas, Leilin held the real power and managed the entire port so tightly that not a drop could leak through — and he had not allowed a single temple to be built on it.
This had naturally earned the displeasure of Bishop Tabris.
But neither Leilin nor Baron Jonas wished to see the Church of the God of Knowledge establish a monopoly on Faolan Island.
Apart from the God of Suffering, the Goddess of Wealth was arguably the deity most attractive to the nobility for worship.
A noble's primary faith was always in their own interests and power. But just below that, the Lady of Wealth held tremendous appeal — after all, who could refuse those shiny golden darlings?
Baron Jonas had once very much hoped to lure the Church of Wealth into building a temple, but Faolan Island at the time had been far too barren, and with the obstruction of the Church of the God of Knowledge, the attempt had failed.
But this time, the initiative had come from the other side! They had even sent a Gold Coin Priest, which spoke volumes about how seriously they regarded the matter.
Leilin took a welcoming attitude toward the Church of Wealth's establishment. The economic benefits a Temple of Wealth brought to a region were obvious. Those Wealth Priests were extraordinarily good at making money — aside from personally rolling up their sleeves to run highly profitable industries of every kind, there was practically nothing they wouldn't do: storage of valuables, gold coin remittance, currency exchange of every denomination, even loan sharking. As long as there was profit to be had, there was nothing they dared not attempt!
But one could not deny that once this Temple of Wealth — which functioned in practice as a bank — was in place, it would bring nothing but benefits to trade and economic development.
Still, since they were the ones seeking something from him now, how could Leilin possibly let this golden opportunity to squeeze them slip by? He could also take a little revenge for their earlier behavior.
At the thought, the curve of Leilin's lips widened further, and he glanced once more at his status panel.
[Leilin Faolan — Age: 16 — Race: Human — Ninth-rank Mage — Strength: 4.5 — Agility: 5 — Constitution: 6 — Spirit: 9 — Status: Healthy — Talents: Robust, Encyclopedic — Spell Slots: Fourth-level (1), Third-level (3), Second-level (5), First-level (???), Zero-level (???)]
[
Over the course of this past year, Leilin had also covertly intervened on multiple occasions, helping the Crimson Tiger pirate crew eliminate their enemies. Isabelle now bore the title of the "Crimson Witch" across the entire
The Devil's Blood Dagger had likewise taken the opportunity to drink its fill of enemy blood, pushing Leilin all the way to the ninth rank of mage.
Ninth rank! A level capable of touching the Fourth-level Weave! At this stage, Leilin had essentially graduated under
In truth, had it not been for the stimulus Leilin had given him — driving Ernest to push himself desperately these past few years until he finally broke through to the tenth rank — Ernest would have been too embarrassed to face his own disciple any longer.
"Now that I can cast fourth-level spells, there's nothing more Master Ernest can teach me…"
Leilin sighed. Ernest, even now, was himself only able to cast fourth-level spells, and due to his specialization, Ernest rarely ventured outside Abjuration and Evocation spell templates. For Leilin, this was a regret.
At present, Leilin spent most of his time in a state of self-study.
Of course, with the Faolan Family's current finances, purchasing some foundational spell templates and scholarly texts was no issue at all. What frustrated Leilin was that the Kingdom and the Mage Association were fine with low-level mage knowledge, but spell templates for anything beyond the Fourth-level Weave, along with all manner of research materials, were kept under strict seal and never offered for public sale.
As for high-level mage knowledge — or the treatises and insights of legendary mages — those were forbidden of the forbidden, guarded under the tightest protection. How could Leilin ever get his hands on them?
"Master Ernest has already given me a letter of introduction. With this, I should be able to gain admission for advanced studies at the Mage Association in the Danbresian capital…"
Leilin's eyes were half-closed, but his mind churned ceaselessly.
"Unfortunately, the situation in the Outer Seas can't do without me right now! Marquis Louis's patience has likely reached its limit — devastating retaliation and strikes could come at any moment. And then there's the cooperative relationship with the Barbarian pirate crew…"
After a long pause, Leilin let out a deep sigh.
He certainly couldn't leave now. At the very least, he had to deliver a crushing blow to the Louis family first. And that day was not far off.
Leilin's eyes blazed as though wreathed in flames…
……
"Useless! You are utterly useless!"
Ink, quill pens, parchment, and a scattering of miscellaneous items from the desk were all hurled at Viscount Dim.
"A year! An entire year has passed — look at what you've accomplished! Not only were all of your ships sunk by the enemy, but they've even poached a significant share of our trade! How did I ever father a son like you?!"
Marquis Louis roared, the veins on his forehead standing out blue with fury.
"Father! I've already uncovered the truth — Baron Faolan's legitimate son, Leilin, is very likely the mastermind behind the Crimson Tiger pirate crew! We can absolutely petition the homeland to bring charges and arrest him for piracy… And as for that Barbarian pirate crew, if we marshal every force at our disposal and attack Pirate's Haven—"
Dim bowed his head deeply, shielding the cold gleam in his eyes, and tried his best to persuade his father.
He loathed that Leilin and the Crimson Tiger crew to the very marrow of his bones. The man seemed to be his personal nemesis — ever since the Black Tiger pirate crew's downfall, the shipping routes under Dim's control had taken savage hits. Every planned retaliation had been detected and thwarted before it could even be executed, resulting in humiliation after humiliation that had left his power nearly annihilated.
Now, he was steadily losing Marquis Louis's favor, and even the family retainers had begun to look down on him.
And then there was the elder brother he envied most, who had rubbed salt into his wound at every opportunity — seizing most of his remaining businesses, openly poaching his people, all without a shred of shame.
Crack!
The black crystal inkwell struck Dim squarely on the head. Ink mixed with blood streamed down his face, leaving him stunned and rooted to the spot.
"Are you an idiot? Piracy charges? Do you have any proof? Or are you trying to drag us all down with you?"
Marquis Louis's roar climbed several more octaves. "And Furthermore — attack Pirate's Haven? That's the biggest joke I've heard all year! That place is the gathering point for every dark power in the Outer Seas! Even if we managed to take it, what would we gain? We'd only face their counterattack—"
"Father."
A gentle voice drifted in from beyond the door, and Marquis Louis immediately reined in his emotions. The light in Dim's eyes dimmed several shades.
The door swung open, and in walked his elder brother — the man who, from the moment of his birth, had seemed blessed by the gods, possessing every gift fortune had to offer.
"William!" Seeing his legitimate heir enter, Marquis Louis's face was rare in breaking into a smile.
"My people have tracked down the Crimson Tiger's movements, though the crew is extremely cautious and barely stays on any single island for long…"
William delivered the news with a smile, each word striking Dim's face like a searing slap.
"That's to be expected. They have a powerful mage — one who has even blocked Polujie's divination and detection!"
Marquis Louis pondered. "There are rumors that Baron Jonas's legitimate son — Leilin Faolan — has a mage behind him. I suspect that mage is embedded within the pirate crew!"
"Father, please grant me command of the Black Skull. I am confident that within three months, I will destroy the Crimson Tiger!"
William bowed low — and delivered the killing blow to Dim.
"Don't underestimate them." After his eruption of fury, Marquis Louis had settled back into his earlier expression of shrewd calculation.