Friend
Leylin was inside his secret chambers in the wizard tower, using a portion of his Nightmare Absorbing Physique powers. Many dreamforce runes had appeared along with his vertical eye.
This state allowed him to sense the prayers of his worshippers extremely clearly, and also pulled tremendous amounts of energy from their emotions. It then allowed him to absorb it, which served to strengthen him.
It was exceedingly difficult to advance once one entered the legendary realm. However, to Leylin it was like walking a level road. He was enjoying the feeling of constantly gaining strength, and he continued to make his plans for ascending to godhood.
‘It would take too much time to move somewhere else, and spreading faith is a problem as well... While the quality of the worshippers would be high, there’ll be too few of them... It’s better to turn the devil worshippers, and have the natives of the outer seas worship me as well...’
Leylin’s eyes closed, and the blood-red eye between his brows cracked open. He continued to think as dark red patterns covered his body.
Worshippers were a very important resource for a god. They provided an unending amount of faith while alive, and became petitioners in death, similarly continuing to support their god. They could even turn into valiant souls or holy spirits, comparable to rank 5 and rank 6 Magi!
This was why all gods took good care of their worshippers. The faith of evil gods wasn’t allowed to spread.
There was even a specialised God of Protection known as Helm, and he dealt specifically with these matters. Verifying a true god’s qualifications and deal with belief in false gods were all within the scope of his divine powers.
As the continent was so vast, worshippers of devils and demons could develop in secret. A new legendary like Leylin would not be the target of much attention.
Inside the prime material plane itself, Leylin now had enough status and strength to protect himself. Even so, a few churches could band together, sending high-ranked and legendary Professionals along with an avatar to kill him in mere minutes.
‘I should work in the shadows and be more careful. I can’t arouse suspicions... It’s best that I amass strength quietly and become a true god. I wouldn’t have anything to worry about then...’ While deep in thought, Leylin completed his meditation and absorption of the power of emotions for the day. He transformed back into the youth.
“Master! The Spear Crusader Jeffries has come to visit you. He’s already been waiting outside for half an hour...” the tower genie appeared and reported, “Additionally, the Dambrath Kingdom and church of justice have sent special envoys to you, requesting private meetings.”
“God of Justice?” Leylin frowned. Nobody inclined towards evil had a good opinion of this person. “I haven’t dealt with them often enough... Could they have found out that I killed a paladin before? No, that’s too trivial... Whatever, all will be clear once I meet them...”
With enough might to protect himself, Leylin was no longer as cautious as before. After all, as long as he did not collude with devils and demons, plot to bring chaos to the continent, or spread his own faith and try to become a god, no large organisations would willingly offend him.
However, out of politeness and his status, Leylin still met with Jeffries.
“My sincerest apologies! I was stuck in meditation...” Leylin looked apologetic.
“Hehe... It’s nothing at all. Only a wizard as meticulous as that can achieve the results you have, Lord Leylin...” Jeffries revealed a sincere smile. Truth be told, he admired Leylin’s hard work. He’d seen many talented geniuses, but never one as disciplined as this wizard.
The puppets served a scented tea along with snacks. After some idle conversation, Leylin asked in puzzlement, “I wonder what my lord is here for...”
“Oh! Actually...” Jeffries slapped his forehead, looking flustered as if he had only just recalled this.
“Legendaries are already at the peak of the mortal world. For this reason, there are a few established rules we need to follow. Since I’m the one who first witnessed your advancement, it’s my duty to explain them.”
“Ah, yes.” Leylin nodded. Any world with extreme powers had a concept similar to no first use. If not for that, constant wars would destroy the world no matter how large it was. “I obviously won’t refuse. Do I need to sign some sort of contract?”
“No, not at all! They’re just conventions that you need to obey...”
Jeffries’ waved his hands while he smiled more warmly. He began to go through the rules one by one, and Leylin listened attentively.
“We don’t really have many restrictions. We shouldn’t initiate battles in densely populated areas, collude with devils and demons, spread our own faith privately, and things like that... Also, since you’re a legendary wizard you can’t cast legendary spells or conduct experiments that could pollute a large area.”
In general, the restrictions weren’t too stringent, but what surprised him the most was that he didn’t have to sign any magic contract.
‘Then again... These are all restrictions in their own right. No legendary would be willing to attach such an act to themselves unless they’re masochistic. Also... the fact that legendary wizards study material on arcane spells is an open secret...’ Leylin suddenly understood.
“Cough cough...” Jeffries’ smiling face seemed to be saying ‘good that you know.’ He continued seriously, “Alright then. Lord Leylin, I welcome you to the continent’s alliance of legendaries. We hold meetings every year, and all new members are welcome to join. It’s taking place at...”
“I will attend, if time permits.” Leylin still planned to obtain the floating city, but he didn’t reject Jeffries outright. Having obtained what he wanted, the Spear Crusader left in delight. Waukeen’s church had given him a valuable gift as well.
After he left, Leylin then met the special envoy from the Dambrath Kingdom. This person was supposedly the court’s chief wizard. This envoy’s ranking meant nothing to Leylin, though, and thankfully the other party understood this. He was rather courteous, and did not put on any airs.
At the least, Leylin knew why this court wizard had come here.
First was title. His father Jonas was made a Marquis, and a word from the king rendered the barren islands around Faulen Island a part of his fief. In reality, these islands had already come under Faulen influence, effectively being their land anyway. The king was just formalising this, but it still made Leylin elated.
Even if these islands made up a tiny area, the sea region that he had control over far exceeded the lands of any Marquis, the size of half a kingdom. In actuality, the king had basically given them half of the outer seas.
Of course, this was his right as a legendary wizard. Leylin’s own title had been upgraded as well. He was now an honorary duke, similar in status to this chief wizard in front of him. While they were indirect, Leylin understood these kind intentions.
Leylin chatted with the wizard for a while after he happily accepted it all. It was more like he was giving the court wizard some tips, and when the time came the wizard left reluctant yet satisfied. A legendary wizard’s lessons weren’t an easy thing to come by.
“Tower genie... Send over the envoy from the church of justice.” Leylin had spent most of his time as a legendary training and strengthening himself. He also met with envoys from various organisations, and although it was somewhat annoying he had to do it anyway for the sake of expansion.
Seeing the projection of the tower genie disappearing, Leylin stroked his chin, “Hmm... I should put upgrading the wizard tower in my schedule. There’s so much to do...”
......
Leylin had never had a good impression of the God of Justice’s church. This was obvious from the order of the people he was meeting. However, the envoy left Leylin slightly surprised.
“Long time no see, wizard Leylin!” A female knight bowed politely, “On behalf of the God of Justice’s church, I sincerely congratulate Lord Leylin on your advancement to the legendary realm. We hope to be able to work together to safeguard the justice in the continent.”
“I shall accept your blessings then!” Leylin watched the long-legged female knight in front of him as he recalled the past, “It’s truly been a long time, Rafiniya...”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t asked you about what happened after you left. When did you enter the God of Justice’s church?” Leylin first got Rafiniya to take a seat with an enthusiastic smile like a good host, and commanded a puppet to send over a plate of tropical fruits.
“Come! Try some special produce from the south. It’s rarely seen in the north...”
“Thank you...” Rafiniya had a complex expression on her face as she picked up a purple fruit similar to a longan. While she had fantasised about meeting Leylin, she’d never thought it’d be in this situation. For some reason, Leylin’s nonchalant expression caused fury to erupt in her heart.