“Thank you for your magnificent hospitality, but I must be off. I look forward to my next meeting with you!” Ignox waved at Leylin and entered the door of light in front of the cupboard.
A great deal of rust vanished, and the room returned to what it had looked like before. The feeling of another space being connected here gradually dissipated. Leylin’s eyes were filled with an inquisitive glint.
“This travel… is it an evolution of the laws he grasped? It seems rather effective when travelling between worlds and the astral plane…”
“My lord, may we enter?” Eam’s voice was heard from behind the door. It had only been a short conversation, but that had taken up the whole night.
Of course, for beings like Leylin this was nothing at all. Even labouring for ten years without any rest would not give rise to feelings of exhaustion to someone with a law body.
‘Is it an innate upgrade of the body itself, or just part of a sequence of transitions?’ Leylin gazed at his pale palm, looking lost in thought. He could sense that he was coming into a more powerful state, which was what he was aiming for anyway.
“Come in,” Shaking his head, he no longer dwelled on these matters. He ambled over to the sofa and took a seat while watching Eam, Arthur and the rest enter.
“I hope Lord Leylin had a good rest yesterday?” Eam gave him a smile, trying to flatter him. For someone like him who was incomparably arrogant, making such an expression was difficult. His facial muscles even twitched uncoordinatedly.
However, after learning from King Arthur that Leylin had already passed the realm of Breaking Dawn and reached rank 7, becoming a Magus of laws, Eam no longer had any arrogance left in him. That bit of bloodline and strength that he possessed was nothing at all in Leylin’s eyes.
The Lyas family could only quiver under Leylin’s gaze. Their life or death could be decided in just a mere second with a single thought from the Warlock.
It was natural to bend and try to curry favour with the strong when it came to the life or death of the family; he was the one in charge after all.
“It was okay,” Leylin nodded, answering indifferently.
“If we can satisfy Lord Leylin with our service, then it will be an honour for the entire Lyas family!” Eam said with a smile. As a noble he had taken lessons in etiquette before, and while most things were long forgotten it hadn’t taken long for him to master it again.
“Alright, I’ll tell you the arrangements for the passage and trade deal,” Leylin said as he gesticulated. He’d long since gotten tired of hearing these words of flattery, but he had more important things to do than insult this family head.
“Please instruct us,” Arthur and Eam immediately bowed respectfully.
Belinda and Aegnis nearby seemed despondent as they viewed this scene. No matter how they felt, being able to subdue a rank 5 bloodline Warlock and a peak rank 6 Monarch had already proved Leylin’s incomparable strength.
“Alright. I’m planning to open up a plane that serves as a passage for trade between the two sides. The supervisor here will be Eam, with Arthur assisting. Any questions?”
“The Lord’s will is our command!” Eam and Arthur lowered their noble heads deferentially, and appeared exceptionally docile. They had no resistance towards Leylin.
“Good. Your rewards shall be 30% of the net profits of the trade!” Leylin did not hold back at all and disregarded the previous agreement. With his strength, the two of them would not even resist even if he got them to work without any benefits. 30% of the profits was already very kind of him.
No, it wasn’t quite kindness either. Leylin sincerely wanted to keep the trade here going, and as a huge source of revenue for his organisation, it was necessary to give the two supervisors here some benefits that would motivate them to work harder. If not, if he put too much pressure on them things would only work out in the short run. There would definitely be long term problems.
While Leylin would be able to suppress and pressure the others to keep control, was it necessary? His own organisation would live well and eat well, while the scraps would be given to those outside. That was the way for things to maintain like this in the long run.
“Understood!” Eam immediately agreed. While it was much lower than the previous agreement, he was already very satisfied.
With such differences in their strength, how could they come to a fair agreement? The Lyas family’s benefits had shrunk by a large amount, and he would still need to share it with King Arthur. The other man would take most of the profits, but there were still benefits for himself. He wouldn’t need to invest anything at all and it would still be considered a source of income for the Lyas Family.
In addition… Eam peeked at Arthur beside him.
With benefits as the reason to tie them down, it was already quite a good situation for the Lyas family as this would give them a connection with King Arthur, not to mention the more terrifying Leylin.
“That’s not a problem.” Arthur naturally did not oppose this. He, who had already reached peak Breaking Dawn, knew even better how terrifying existences of laws were. If Leylin were ever to rage, the Arthur Kingdom could very well be destroyed in a single night.
Hence, no matter how harsh the conditions were, Arthur could only agree. Leylin was evidently not using his strength to force him to work without any benefits, so he would not consider resisting.
Leylin had guessed what they might be thinking, and since everything was within his expectations, he nodded. Though the two Magi definitely had their own selfish motives, they definitely wouldn’t dare show their unhappiness under the knowledge of Leylin’s crushing strength; as long as they could maintain their distribution of benefits, that is.
“Another thing. Belinda and Aegnis will become my representatives and supervisors in the subterranean world, managing the matters here,” Leylin then looked towards Belinda and Aegnis.
In his calculations, these two snake females would be the main people in charge and the key to expanding his organisation. The two levels of trade profits from both the subterranean world and the surface could not only could be used for expansion costs for the organisation, but would also be more than enough for these three to lead a luxurious lifestyle with resources for their cultivation.
‘The trade they were talking about… both sides exceed a continent of the Purgatory World in surface area. The benefits we’ll be getting…’ Aegnis made a quick calculation in her mind. Just a thought of the future profits left her wavering, unable to contain herself.
She had easily deduced that the profits of such trade would be an astronomical number. Even her previous family would go crazy over it, and yet Leylin had merely tossed this over to them easily. It only made the gap between them more obvious.
‘Is this… the way a dignitary thinks? Even the wealth of two continents is dispensable to him?’ Aegnis stared at the unfathomable Leylin, and then glanced at Belinda beside her, clenching her fists and making a decision.
“But… I’ve never done it before. Is that okay?” Belinda hesitated slightly, perhaps worried that she could not complete the task that Leylin had entrusted to her well.
However, this attitude resulted in a smile on Leylin’s face, because this meant that she had already accepted the task, “You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve always had faith in your capabilities. Besides, Aegnis, Arthur and the rest will help you!”
“In that case, I’ll agree to it,” Belinda nodded.
“Good,” Leylin nodded, and numerous rays of lights were emitted.
*Boom!* It was as if the world stopped in that instant. Even the most powerful amongst them, King Arthur, felt like he was a little boat in the vigorous, furious waves of the ocean, about to capsize at any moment.
A streak of light shot in his direction, and he instinctively caught it. Arthur retreated several steps, looking stunned as he saw a black rune sizzling in his hands.
The illusions had vanished. Now, he found that everyone around had the same rune in their hands.
“This is my mark, and also a token that can be used for all trades. You can also use it to contact me. It’ll go through as long as I’m in the Magus World…” With strength incomparably close to that of laws, all sorts of miracles appeared about Leylin. A law rune that represented himself was just a part of it.
Being given this symbol was tantamount to being branded by Leylin. Even if they met with other existences of laws, they could get special treatment. Of course, that did not include his nemesis like the Snake Dowager, in which case they would meet a face worse than death.
After this ceremonial procedure, those with the runes could even make sacrifices to Leylin, getting boosts in power from his law of devouring that could fill their bodies.
“Though the Magus World isn’t suitable for the large-scaled path of sacrifices, it should be able to sustain my unique method of passing on my power. With this, your safety is guaranteed.” Leylin briefly explained the usage of the rune, while Arthur and Eam knelt in elation.
“Why are there only two? How about Sophia’s?” Belinda questioned without any restraint.
“I gave it to her last night,” Leylin’s lips quirked in a slight smile, but Belinda immediately turned red as she cursed.
“Alright. You can return and make all the necessary preparations. Three days later, I will unseal the passage!” Leylin waved his hand, and the rest withdrew. Even Belinda, who looked like she had something to say, retreated unwillingly after being pulled away by Aegnis.
“What a beautiful world!” Leylin headed to the window, pulling the curtains open. There were many Lyas family members around, as well as the distant scenery, all within his line of sight.