Leilin sighed inwardly, then followed a priest into the chamber behind the temple.
Golden sunlight streamed through the windowsill, stirring up countless motes of dust that danced through the air. The furniture and furnishings were remarkably plain — but that was the hallmark of the Church of the God of Justice.
"If Your Excellency needs anything, simply ring the bell by the door. We stand ready to serve at all times. Additionally, the meeting with the distinguished lords will take place after dinner. Holy Knight Lavinia will be arriving shortly…"
The attendant who had guided Leilin inside bowed respectfully and withdrew, closing the door behind her.
Lavinia arrived quickly. After all, Leilin was a Legend now, and appropriate courtesy had to be shown.
Unfortunately, for this rather dim-witted Holy Knight, Leilin could no longer find any common ground with her whatsoever.
After sharing a dinner with her that could only be described as spartan, Leilin was directly escorted to a small reception hall.
There, several figures with deep and powerful presences were already waiting.
"Other Legends?"
Leilin nodded and walked inside.
The parlor was small. A vibrant crimson carpet covered the floor, and a fireplace along one wall blazed with roaring flames — yet not a wisp of smoke drifted through the room. Even in the bitter cold of the north, this little parlor was warm as spring.
"You… must be the overseas mage from the rumors — Leilin? My, you really are quite young!"
Leilin's entrance immediately drew everyone's attention. A long-haired woman wrapped in a red mink coat was the first to rise, a warm smile on her face.
"Among us few old-timers here in the north, you've certainly arrived rather quickly…"
This woman was evidently a Legend as well, and judging by the elemental domain power that lingered around her, she was a Legend-rank Mage!
"Allow me to introduce myself — my name is Lillianne! Beside me is Holy Knight of the God of Justice — Lord Paetric. And standing by the fireplace is the Guardian of the North, the Legendary Druid — Lord Aliku…"
There were very few Legends in the parlor — only three, in fact.
Notably absent were Silver Moon Queen Elasyarak and her Chief Scholar Brennan, whom Leilin had rather hoped to meet. He felt a twinge of disappointment.
"I greet the three of you…"
Outwardly, of course, Leilin maintained a humble and courteous demeanor, bowing politely to the trio while studying each of them.
Lillianne was clearly a practitioner of the most orthodox Mage class. The undulations of magical items and scrolls were all over her, and there was even a faint, concealed aura lurking about — almost certainly a Legendary item on her person. Her combat strength was not to be underestimated.
As for Holy Knight Paetric, he was a man of few words, wearing a cold and distant expression. This made Leilin sneer inwardly, recalling the Legendary Holy Knight who had died at his own hands — reportedly some sort of Grand Inquisitor. That death must have been a tremendous blow to the Church of the God of Justice.
The remaining Legendary Druid, Aliku, was dressed in a rather interesting fashion.
He was a giant of a man, well over three meters tall, with a thick palm-brown beard. Paired with his long, furry ears were a set of massive antlers resembling those of an elk, their tips sprouting a few twigs and green leaves. The Druid wore very little clothing — just a few aprons made of animal hides and leaves, leaving his broad, fur-covered chest exposed. He looked thoroughly wild.
"Originally… as a steward of nature, I should not have involved myself in such affairs. But those orcs' destruction of the natural world is too horrific — it violates the most fundamental cycles and harmonies…"
The Druid spoke with a grim expression, and after only a couple of sentences, Leilin had already drawn out his true motivations.
Virtually all druids considered themselves guardians of nature, vehemently opposing any act of destruction against the natural world. Among them, the more radical factions had even spawned the so-called Avengers.
And those orcs, after seizing the north, had ravaged the environment at a terrifying scale in their hunger for resources and raw materials.
On top of that, the Silver Moon Queen had enjoyed a good relationship with the druids, making them deeply nostalgic for her era of rule. Their willingness to lend their strength was entirely understandable.
"The Eye of the North… a Guardian of Nature… and a Holy Knight no less formidable than the previous Grand Inquisitor…"
Leilin silently assessed the fighting strength arrayed before him.
It had to be said that these three Legends, combined with himself, might not be enough to topple the Orc Empire — but they could absolutely influence the outcome of several key battles.
Moreover, they were merely the first contingent of forces to arrive. The true trump cards were still hidden beneath the fog.
"Still… even so, it won't be enough to shake the northern orcs' hold. Establishing an independent territory would be the limit. Unless the entire human divine system united as one — something truly unprecedented — it would be impossible to drive the orcs back and restore the old order. But could that ever happen?"
With a tangle of complicated emotions, Leilin left the temple and stepped into the night-shrouded streets of York.
Even after dark, the county seat was bustling. Blazing lights shone from the various temples, enormous oil lamps illuminated the fronts of shops, and groups of freedmen wandered the streets after dinner. Hymns mingled with prayers drifting on the breeze, creating an atmosphere that was leisurely and languid.
"It seems, though, that the impact of the northern refugees still hasn't been fully absorbed…"
Leilin observed the unusually frequent patrols on the streets, along with the occasional petty theft, and shook his head inwardly.
The influx of northern residents had been a severe blow to public order, and the explosive population growth — especially the arrival of northern nobles — had sent the prices of all essentials skyrocketing overnight, leaving many original freedmen struggling to get by.
In truth, among the common folk of York, feelings toward the refugees were far from warm. The prevailing opinion was that they had not only stolen livelihoods but were also an enormous burden.
Perhaps knowing that surveillance was pointless against a Legend's perception — unless one deployed a Legend-rank thief or assassin — Leilin discovered after a long stroll through the city that his rear was remarkably clean. No tailing agents or tracking spells in sight.
"Then again, perhaps they also trust that the backing of their gods means I wouldn't dare do anything…"
Leilin shook his head with an amused smile and turned into a dimly lit alley.
Wisps of dark crimson mist materialized around him, concealing his original aura entirely — as though he had become a completely different person. The few passersby nearby were dazed and oblivious to the anomaly.
"Combined with the concealment of my Dream Power, even if someone is watching, it won't do them much good…"
Leilin stepped out of the illusion-shrouded alley. His figure flickered several times and vanished from the street in an instant.
With his current Legend-rank strength, plus the illusory amplification granted by his Dream Power, evading any kind of surveillance was trivially easy.
Light and shadow shifted, and when Leilin reappeared, he was already inside a secret chamber.
Pitch-black mist surrounded the room, as though concealing some great beast that could devour everything. Only a single yellow flame at the very center still emitted a bright, steady glow.
Several figures radiating powerful auras stood guard beside the light, each draped in black robes.
"You're early…"
One of the robed figures addressed Leilin in a clear, feminine voice.
"I didn't expect you to have a setup like this right here in York City…"
Leilin studied the female mage before him. Beneath the lamplight, she had dropped her concealment, revealing her true appearance — none other than the Legendary Mage he had just met moments ago: Lillianne.
"Why did you send me that message when you left earlier? And these others…" A hint of puzzlement appeared on Leilin's face.
During their earlier meeting, this Legendary Mage had behaved unremarkably, yet at the very end she had secretly transmitted an address to Leilin, asking him to come here alone — along with these other powerhouses, each of whom radiated a Legend-tier aura.
A gathering of Legends like this, huddled together in secret, clearly had nothing to do with a dinner party.
"I've set up numerous Disjunction Arrays in the surrounding area. Even the gods — short of descending in their true forms — will not be able to overhear our conversation…"
Lillianne spoke with a beaming smile, her eyes gleaming with a fire-like intensity. "Isn't it obvious why we Legends have gathered, Leilin?"
A cabal of Legends sneaking around and converging in secret — what else could it possibly be about?
From the standpoint of maximizing one's interests, the only thing that could still attract powerhouses of this caliber was Apotheosis.
Leilin understood perfectly well. He smiled at once. "Then — you haven't yet introduced me to the others…"
"Heh heh heh… A brat who just stepped into our domain — does he really belong in our plans?"
At that moment, one of the robed figures standing beside Lillianne let out a cold laugh, the voice like a spectral owl in the dead of night, raising the hair on one's neck.
BOOM!
A massive, frigid wave of death energy surged toward Leilin without warning, like a tidal bore, carrying with it the faint wailing of powerful vengeful spirits and the thick, corrosive reek of Negative Energy.
The other robed figures remained motionless, watching the scene with amused smiles.
"A test, is it? In these shadowy circles, strength truly is everything — just as I expected."
Leilin's mind raced, though his body barely moved. He let the death energy wash over him. It rippled across the wall behind him in great concentric waves, yet his body sustained not the slightest damage.
"What an intense aura of necromancy… Might I ask who you are?"
Leilin smiled at the surprised robed figure and posed the question directly.
"Quite impressive after all!" The robed figure's voice carried over, but there was no further move — a tacit acknowledgment of Leilin's right to join.