Transaction Plane
It was obvious that all the Morning Star Warlocks in this group were from Spirit Circle and Wind Wolf Lair.
If this was in the past, Gilbert and the other two were likely to be part of this company. However, currently, Leylin was walking up there alone.
“Lord Leylin, let me introduce you!” Paul and Philip pulled Leylin down to sit, before Paul started the conversation.
“These are the two eldest Warlocks in Spirit Circle, Lords Blair and Brunn!”
“It is my pleasure to meet you two!” Leylin said while bowing respectfully. The appearances of spirit Warlocks were so eccentric that even Leylin could not figure out whether those two were brothers. Their octopus heads made it much harder to differentiate between the two.
Philip also introduced a few others to Leylin. “This is the eldest Warlock of our Wind Wolf Lair, Lord Cybel. Beside him is his granddaughter, Palesa!”
“Greetings, Your Graces!” It was obvious to Leylin that the conversation here would mostly centre around Cybel. After all, even his granddaughter was of Morning Star status, showing that he was not a simple fellow. The aura of his bloodline was so concentrated that it caused even Leylin to feel fear.
Only such a bloodline could produce offspring who were also Morning Stars.
“You’re Leylin? Gilbert’s student?” Cybel slowly opened his eyes, seemingly from a long period of rest. This contrasted with Palesa who was looking at him from the side, her gaze full of curiosity.
Leylin seemed to be too young even for a bloodline Warlock.
“Yes!” Leylin admitted.
With a Morning Star mentor as their leader, there was no doubt that Leylin would benefit greatly from joining their team.
“Since you are Gilbert’s disciple, you’re no stranger to us,” Cybel nodded his head, “Philip, pass him the astral coordinates!”
“Yes, Sir!” Philip solemnly passed Leylin a ball of light that resembled a star.
“What is this?” Leylin exclaimed. His pupils shrunk, and the A.I. Chip immediately started analysing it.
[Beep! Discovered astral coordinates. Recording information in astral experiments database.] The A.I. Chip responded immediately.
“This is an astral coordinate, one that is attached to a miniature plane. Do you know what a plane is?” Cybel’s explained slowly.
Leylin recalled a description in an ancient book he’d read as he replied, “It is a place that is not high enough in rank to be called a world. It is a tiny space where the rules are fragmented and incomplete, but the worth of any plane greatly exceeds that of a pocket dimension.”
The difference between a plane and a pocket dimension that could only be located within a world was that a plane could directly take root in a turbulent dimension, and also had the potential to grow into a world, just that it was extremely rare.
Some planes had absolutely no signs of any living soul, but some others nurtured the existence of many powerful beings, and were not much different from worlds, just like the plane the devils resided in.
“That’s right! This is one such plane. It’s the plane where transactions take place between Morning Star Warlocks!” Cybel exclaimed.
“A transaction plane?” Leylin’s pupils shrunk.
“Yes. Don’t you find it extremely troublesome that every time we gather, we have to travel such long distances, especially when a specific material is required for the transaction? A few Radiant Moon Magi thus gathered to create a miniature plane right next to the Magus World, as the headquarters and base of transactions for Morning Star Warlocks.”
Cybel slowly revealed what was going on behind the scenes. Were it not for his being a Morning Star, and also a bloodline Warlock, Leylin would never have the opportunity to obtain this information.
“However… even if it is convenient to have a transaction using an astral gate, the energy it uses up…”
Astral gates opened up passages to a different plane. The energy they consumed to make this possible was extremely overwhelming, especially if an object or even a living organism had to pass through. The amount of energy required might even exceed the value of the object itself, which was shocking enough to make any Magus puke blood.
“Hehe… that’s only when we connect to distant planes...” Cybel shook his head, “The amount of energy required to connect to a plane naturally increases with distance. Forget transactions of goods, even the cost of exchanging spiritual force messages will not be worth it. However, a transaction plane is a different deal. It’s located right at the edge of our world, so the energy required to open a gate to the place is so little it’s practically negligible. Were it not so, we wouldn’t have used such a thing either…
This explanation was very logical, and Leylin nodded his head in agreement. But on the inside, he was shocked by the Warlocks’ magnanimous gesture.
To forcefully seize a plane and hook it up at the edge of the Magus World as the core of transactions impressed Leylin quite a bit. The strength and spirit of these Radiant Moon Warlocks was amazing.
“Once you set up your very own astral gate, you can use these coordinates after branding them on. What you’ll find inside will definitely be a good surprise…” Cybel was speaking extremely slowly, as if he’d fall asleep at any moment. Yet, Leylin nodded seriously, “Thank you, Your Grace!”
Judging from how one needed to be at the Morning Star realm to even participate, the things he could find there would definitely not disappoint him. Furthermore, it would definitely suit bloodline Warlocks especially. On top of that, the mode of transaction was very convenient, and one could even complete the transaction from within their own Magus Tower, which would be incomparably swift.
Were Gilbert still here, Leylin would have acquired these coordinates the moment he advanced. But he wasn’t. Cybel granting him these coordinates was no small matter, and hence Leylin sincerely expressed his thanks.
Cybel closed his eyes with a grunt of affirmation before moving on, “Paul, it’s time to talk about Jupiter’s Lightning.”
Just the mere mention of the name turned all the Warlocks present pale. The deterring power of a Radiant Moon Magus was truly terrifying.
“I do not understand, what is it exactly that Jupiter’s Lightning has against my Ouroboros Clan? I apologise for my lack of knowledge, I spent all my time before this focusing on my promotion, and rarely participated in such affairs…” Leylin’s question revealed his own shortcomings.
“We understand. Breaking through to the Morning Star realm does take up all of one’s time and energy. It is fully understandable that you didn’t take notice of anything else. Let me explain the situation.” Leylin’s specious response and overly young age immediately made Paul think that he had gotten an answer out of Leylin. He told the story from the very beginning.
“You can see for yourself that this so called union is only a very loose alliance. There’s actually a lot of smaller circles within it.” Paul took a sip of the green beverage on the table and pursed his lips.
“Yet the three of us—Spirit Circle, Wind Wolf Lair and your Ouroboros Clan—have always been collaborating with each other. Exactly three years ago, we took control of a region that we had been coveting for, banishing the small Magus organisation already present there!”
“We originally only thought that they were a small organisation, and we didn’t expect that they actually had the backing of Jupiter’s Lightning. This was how we invoked their wrath…”
Even though Paul’s explanation seemed simple and direct, Leylin felt there was more to it. There was likely to be something in that region that neither side would want to give up on, perhaps some top secret or some other substantial benefit.
Magi were shrewd people. If not for such a thing, they would have solved any dispute long ago. It was impossible for something so minor to become such a big deal.
“After that, we surrounded that region and began our attack on Jupiter’s Lightning. However, they, too, struck back, ambushing the three elders of your clan…” Paul’s expression was gloomy. One could easily tell that their clan hadn’t had an easy time either during the series of attacks.
“Jupiter’s Lightning has a Radiant Moon Magus. How exactly did we manage to endure their attacks?” Leylin finally asked the question that had been stewing in his mind for ages.
“We’d managed it due to the alliance between the three Kemoyin Dukes and Lord Cybel. The three Kemoyin Dukes were already accomplished enough to match up to a Radiant Moon Magus. With the addition of Lord Cybel, we even held the advantage…”
Paul sighed before he continued, “However, now…”
Leylin’s expression sank. He realised that with the loss of three Morning Star Warlocks, they were currently in a precarious situation.
“What would you want me to do about the impending war then, my Lords?” Leylin was cautious, already prepared to immediately reject them if they asked him to do anything dangerous.
The moment Cybel, who was sitting in the centre, opened his eyes, it was as though a ray of lightning had streaked through the place. The glow was so bright it hurt Leylin’s eyes. “Even though Jupiter’s Lightning has harmed three of our comrades, we will never admit defeat! We won’t let them off!”
“I’ve already sacrificed quite a bit to invite a Radiant Moon Warlock to help us suppress the Radiant Moon Magus on their end!” He exclaimed, giving them some extremely important information.
“A Radiant Moon Warlock?!” Leylin cried out involuntarily.
Rank 5 bloodline Warlocks were the highest ranking Warlocks in the entire central continent, and it was a reliant source of strength that bloodline Warlocks relied on to oppose the Breaking Dawn Monarchs. They were very rarely seen, and not one had even shown up at this gathering. Leylin was incomparably shocked at Cybel being able to acquire the assistance of one such being.
Due to the reinforcement by the Warlock’s bloodline, he would definitely far exceed a Magus of the same rank. Jupiter’s Lightning’s Radiant Moon Magus would be no match.
With the amplification by the bloodline, the best Radiant Moon Warlock would make even a Breaking Dawn Magus wary of them. This ensured that the heritage and status of Warlocks was passed down in the central continent.
Such characters were the foundation of every Warlock organisation’s strength. It was not easy to ask one for their assistance. And yet, Cybel had managed to do exactly that. This made Leylin wonder what sort of conditions he’d offered to make that deal.
Leylin rubbed his chin as he looked at his surroundings. Even though this was not the first time they’d heard this news, all the Morning Star Warlocks had excitement written on their faces.
Cybel turned fierce. “Our mission is to join forces and eradicate all the remaining Morning Star Magi in Jupiter’s Lightning at once, and then seize Crystal Mountain completely!”
“Agreed!” “Agreed!” “I have no objections!” The Warlocks present at the scene all nodded simultaneously in agreement. Afterwards, all the attention was placed on Leylin. It was time to hear his stand on the matter.
“If it isn’t too dangerous, I’ll agree. However, first, I’d like to take a look at the memorandum and crystal records!” Leylin’s face was filled with gloom, but he still eventually agreed to it.