Leon was awakened by the clear chirping of birds outside the window. For once, he had no hangover headache or exhaustion from overindulgence. Instead, he felt refreshed, his mind as clear as if washed clean by the morning dew. The spiritual fullness brought on by last night's deep meditation still lingered, and he could even faintly sense that the dark golden nebula of Spiritual Power within him had grown imperceptibly more condensed.
He instinctively tightened his arms around the warmth in his embrace. The cool fragrance lingering beneath his nose filled him with contentment. This "human-shaped cultivation accelerator" was remarkably effective. He was almost beginning to love this "pillow-hugging cultivation method."
Elisa seemed to have woken too, but she remained with her back to him, her body somewhat stiff. Unlike usual, she didn't get up right away. Leon could tell that her breathing had changed.
"Morning, Elisa." Leon was in a good mood. He greeted her quietly, his voice hoarse with sleep but no longer carrying its usual restlessness.
Elisa didn't turn around. She gave a faint "Mm" in reply, then gently slipped out of his arms, sat up, and began to dress. Her movements were still elegant and composed, but Leon keenly noticed a faint blush on the tips of her ears.
Leon rubbed his nose and got up to dress as well. They left the room one after the other, maintaining a tacit silence, as though sharing a bed and their secret cultivation technique the previous night had been nothing more than a dream they both understood but never discussed.
The atmosphere in the dining room, however, was different from usual.
Aunt Margaret was already seated at the head of the table. But today she wasn't reading the magic newspaper. Instead, she held a cup of black tea and calmly watched Leon and Elisa enter, her icy blue eyes lingering on Leon just a moment longer than usual.
Leon's heart gave a thump, and for no clear reason he felt guilty. Had his aunt noticed something?
"Good morning, Aunt Margaret." He did his best to sound natural as he sat in his usual place.
"Good morning, Teacher," Elisa greeted her as usual.
The Magic Puppet served breakfast. The table was still quiet, but an invisible pressure was beginning to fill the room.
Aunt Margaret gently set down her teacup. The porcelain tapped against the table with a crisp sound, breaking the silence. She looked at Leon and spoke in an even tone, but the question she asked made his heart stop:
"Leon, you seem to have rested well last night. Your Spiritual Power... is considerably more active."
The hand holding Leon's bread froze in midair, and a cold sweat broke out across his back. She had noticed after all! Was a Grand Archmage's perception really so sharp? Could she even detect such a subtle change in his Spiritual Power?
He forced down the turmoil in his heart and tried to make his expression look merely surprised and... a little "eager to learn." "Huh? Is it? Maybe it's because... maybe it's because Elisa taught me the basic meditation method yesterday afternoon. I tried practicing it last night, and it was pretty interesting, so I kept at it a little longer." He deliberately steered the explanation toward "diligent cultivation," making it half true and half false in the hope of getting away with it.
Aunt Margaret gave a noncommittal "Oh" and turned her gaze to Elisa. "It seems you've taught your student well. For his Spiritual Power to become so... noticeably more condensed overnight, even if it remains at a very low level, that rate of progress is unusual." It was impossible to tell whether she was praising or doubting him.
Elisa's knife paused slightly as she cut her bread. She raised her eyes and replied calmly, "Leon... was a little more focused than I expected. The basic meditation method only provides guidance. How much progress someone makes depends entirely on the individual." She neither confirmed that Leon's progress was unusual nor denied it, lightly shifting the matter back to his "individual talent."
Leon secretly let out a breath of relief and gave Elisa a grateful glance. She was pretty reliable when it mattered.
Aunt Margaret didn't ask anything more. She picked up her teacup again, but Leon could still feel her scrutinizing gaze on him. He knew this was only a temporary calm. It was almost impossible to hide a secret completely under the watchful eye of a Grand Archmage. He had to be more careful, and he also needed to grow stronger as soon as possible—strong enough, at least, to protect himself.
Breakfast ended in a subtly tense atmosphere. Aunt Margaret rose, as usual preparing to head to the Magic Tower, but before leaving the dining room, she seemed to casually mention something to Elisa:
"The elemental ley lines beneath the Imperial Capital have been fluctuating abnormally lately, especially in the direction of the Old Town. When you go to the Magic Tower this afternoon, please pick up the latest report on ley-line energy monitoring for me."
"Yes, Teacher," Elisa replied respectfully.
An anomaly in the ley lines? Leon's thoughts stirred, but he didn't dwell on it. His mind was full of how to handle his aunt's suspicions and continue his "pillow-hugging cultivation method."
After Aunt Margaret left, only the two of them remained in the dining room. Leon looked at Elisa and was about to say something, but she had already stood up. Her voice had returned to its usual cool reserve. "I'm going to the library this morning to look up some information. You... practice meditation on your own. Don't rush to make progress; solidifying your foundations is what matters most."
With that, she turned and left, leaving Leon with the sight of her graceful back.
Leon watched her go and rubbed his chin. It seemed his "pushing his luck" last night had bothered her. She was clearly more distant today. But that was all right. There was plenty of time. For now, the priority was to absorb the benefits of last night's cultivation and plan his next step.
He returned to his room, closed the door, and tried meditating alone again. As expected, without Elisa's "Breath of Serenity" to help him, the process became much more difficult. His Spiritual Power gathered at a snail's pace, and the elemental motes had returned to their previous aloof, indifferent state.
"Looks like I really can't manage this 'shortcut' without her..." Leon was a little helpless, but it only strengthened his resolve to "borrow her bed" again that night. What did it matter if he had to be shameless? Strength was what counted.
All morning, he repeatedly practiced the basic meditation method and Spiritual Power guidance techniques from the little booklet. Progress was slow, but at least he was building a solid foundation. By noon, his Spiritual Power felt thoroughly depleted, so he decided to go out for some fresh air and, while he was at it... see if he could find out what was happening. After all, he couldn't make progress by staying cooped up indoors. Keeping track of what was going on in the Imperial Capital was important too.
As soon as he stepped out of the Count's Mansion, Fili, who had been waiting outside, sidled up to him with a mysterious look on his face.
"Young Master! You're finally out! There's some fresh news!" Fili rubbed his hands together, his small eyes gleaming.
"What is it?" Leon raised an eyebrow.
"I heard something strange happened in the Old Town this morning!" Fili lowered his voice. "Several old houses suddenly developed cracks for no apparent reason, and the ground sank a little too! Some people said they heard a muffled rumbling underground last night! The City Guard has already sent men to seal off the scene, and it seems the Magic Association sent people to investigate too!"
The Old Town? The ground sinking? A rumbling underground?
Leon immediately thought of the "abnormal fluctuations in the ley lines" Aunt Margaret had mentioned at breakfast. Could the two be connected?
A foreboding feeling welled up inside him. Ley lines were an important source of magical energy. If they shifted violently, it often meant unpredictable risks—perhaps even... a harbinger of disaster.
"Do you know exactly where?" Leon pressed.
"I think... I think it was around Blackwater Alley and Rusty Iron Street. They're both poor neighborhoods, with a lot of abandoned old workshops," Fili replied.
Leon wasn't very familiar with the layout of the Imperial Capital, but the name "Blackwater Alley" sounded vaguely familiar. He thought the original owner had gone there to cause trouble with his disreputable friends. It was a chaotic place, full of all sorts of people, and filthy.
"Come on. Let's go have a look," Leon decided at once. He needed to learn more. This might be more than just an accident.
"Young Master, they've sealed off the area, and it's a mess over there. It's not very safe..." Fili hesitated.
"What are you afraid of? We'll just take a look from a distance." Leon waved his hand. He had a feeling that the ley-line anomaly might not be a simple natural phenomenon. In a world full of magic and intrigue, any unusual event could conceal a deeper cause, and might even... have some unknown connection to him, a transmigrator, and the strange, shadowy veins deep within his soul.
He had to see it with his own eyes.
Leon brought Fili along, but instead of drawing attention as he usually did, he deliberately chose quieter streets and headed toward the Old Town. The closer they got, the more the atmosphere changed. The splendor and order of the Imperial Capital's center gradually gave way to decay and overcrowding. The streets were narrow, the houses low, and the air was filled with cheap coal smoke, rotting garbage, and a... hard-to-describe sense of oppression.
They passed many hurried-looking commoners. Worry and fear showed on their faces as they gathered in small groups and whispered. There was no doubt that their conversations all revolved around the ground subsidence that morning.
"Did you hear? Old Jack's house collapsed halfway! Good thing everyone got out in time!"
"It sounded like something was calling from underground! Scared the life out of me!"
"Those bigwigs from the Magic Association have shown up. Does that mean something terrible's going to happen?"
The rumors reached Leon's ears, and his mood grew heavier. This was definitely no minor incident.
Soon they reached the edge of the affected area. The street ahead had already been blocked off by City Guard soldiers in uniform, who had strung up a cordon to keep out bystanders. Members of the Magic Association in robes of various colors moved back and forth behind it, holding all kinds of strange instruments as they examined the ground and the air. In the distance, they could make out several collapsed buildings, their broken walls exposed like ugly scars on the city's skin.
Leon didn't try to force his way in. His identity was sensitive and his strength was weak; barging in would only cause trouble. He and Fili mingled with the onlookers and watched carefully.
His gaze passed over the collapsed houses, and he noticed something: the collapses didn't seem entirely random. They were distributed roughly along a crooked line. He looked over at the mages. Most wore grave, solemn expressions, and as they spoke to one another, they repeatedly pointed to the ground. Clearly, the situation below the surface was more complicated than it appeared.
"Young Master, look over there!" Fili suddenly lowered his voice and pointed to a relatively open space inside the cordon.
Leon followed his finger and saw Elisa there! She was still wearing her dark blue Magic Apprentice Robe, her expression focused as she stood beside a middle-aged female mage in a silver-trimmed robe, whose bearing was imposing. Leon vaguely recognized the woman as a senior councilor of the Magic Association and an acquaintance of Aunt Margaret's. Elisa held a crystal recording board and seemed to be helping record the data.
Why was she here? Right, Aunt Margaret had asked her that morning to pick up the ley-line monitoring report. She must have come to inspect the site with the Association's people.
The Elisa before him was a far cry from the quiet, reserved girl at the Count's Mansion. She looked focused and sharp, exchanging a few quiet words with the mage beside her from time to time as her fingers moved rapidly across the crystal board. Her whole bearing radiated professionalism and competence. In this state, she was even more dazzling—and Leon realized that she wasn't just his "fiancée" and his "sleeping pill." She was also a rising star in magic with a brilliant future.
Just as Leon was watching her, something changed without warning!
An old stone house not far from where they stood, which had seemed intact, suddenly let out a teeth-grinding creak. Spiderweb-like cracks spread across its walls right before their eyes! The ground trembled slightly beneath them!
"Watch out! It's going to collapse again!"
"Get back!"
The crowd erupted into commotion, cries of alarm rising as the onlookers scrambled backward in panic. The City Guard soldiers shouted to keep order, while the mages of the Magic Association immediately sprang into action. They raised magical shields of various colors and warily watched the stone house teetering on the verge of collapse.
Fili pulled Leon back a few steps, but Leon's gaze remained fixed on the stone house. At the same time, an extraordinarily strange sensation surged through him!
It didn't come through his eyes or ears. It came through his newly awakened, extremely weak Spiritual Power! He clearly "felt" a cold, chaotic, corrosive energy surge violently up from deep beneath the stone house. It was utterly unlike any elemental energy he had sensed before—violent, chaotic, and brimming with a desire to destroy! And that energy gave him a faint, terrifying sense of... déjà vu!
It felt like those shadowy veins! The energy was far more violent and immense, but its fundamental qualities—the coldness, the dead silence, and the hidden undertone of devouring—were exactly the same!
Could the ley-line anomaly have something to do with the strange condition deep within his soul?! The thought sent a chill through Leon.
Just then, the stone house finally gave way and collapsed with a thunderous crash amid a chorus of screams! Dust billowed into the air, and shards of rubble flew everywhere!
But the collapse didn't stop there! The ground began to sink over a much wider area, centered on the stone house. A sinkhole more than ten meters in diameter quickly formed, and earth and broken stones kept sliding from its edges into the seemingly bottomless pit! Worse still, a thick blackish-gray gas carrying the stench of sulfur and decay surged out of the hole!
"It's miasma! Evacuate the crowd!" the female councilor of the Magic Association shouted sharply. She swept out a gentle white light, attempting to dispel the poisonous gas, but it seemed to have little effect.
The scene descended into chaos! The gas spread rapidly. People nearby began coughing and growing dizzy, and some even collapsed! The City Guard and the mages rescued people while doing their best to stop the gas from spreading.
Leon was also choking on the pungent stench, coughing again and again as his eyes stung. He saw Elisa quickly retreating under the protection of the female mage, who had raised a powerful purification barrier to shield them both.
In the midst of the chaos, something at the edge of the sinkhole caught the corner of Leon's eye, half-buried amid the wreckage. It seemed to reflect the light. The object was irregular in shape and dull in color, but an extremely faint, ominous dark violet sheen rippled across its surface!
What was that?
Leon's heart lurched. The strange energy seemed to be strongest near that object! It was like the source of the energy behind the entire ground subsidence!
Without thinking, he took a step toward it, driven by a powerful instinct that told him the object was crucial!
But before he could take another step, Fili grabbed him firmly. "Young Master! It's dangerous! You can't go over there!"
At the same time, several City Guard soldiers shouted at the crowd and waved their weapons to keep anyone from approaching the sinkhole.
Leon looked at the thickening poisonous gas and the steadily widening sinkhole, then at Elisa, who was being guarded closely, and the mages standing ready for danger. At last, reason overcame his impulse. If he rushed over now, he'd be overcome by the poisonous gas or fall into the hole before he could even get a look at the reflective object.
He forced down his curiosity and unease and retreated with the panicked crowd.
The chaos lasted nearly half an hour before the joint efforts of the City Guard and the mages gradually brought it under control. The poisonous gas was dispelled, the injured were carried away for treatment, and the area around the sinkhole was sealed off even more strictly.
Leon stood at a distance, staring at the wreckage, which looked as if a giant beast had bitten into it. He couldn't calm down for a long time. He tried sensing the area with his Spiritual Power again, but the strange energy had weakened considerably, growing faint and intermittent. The dark violet object had long since been completely buried beneath the collapsed ruins.
After completing their initial inspection, Elisa and the female mage also left in a carriage belonging to the Magic Association. Before leaving, Elisa's gaze seemed to sweep past where Leon stood, but it didn't linger. She quickly looked away.
"Young Master, should we... keep watching?" Fili asked, still shaken.
"No. Let's go back." Leon shook his head and spoke in a low voice.
This trip to "satisfy his curiosity" had yielded far more information than he had expected, and it was much more troubling. The ley-line anomaly, the strange energy, the dark violet object... everything pointed to one conclusion: this incident was no mere natural disaster. There was likely some unknown conspiracy or danger behind it.
Even more unsettling was that the strange energy seemed vaguely connected to the mysterious "shadowy veins" in his own body. Was it a coincidence, or... some kind of sign?
He raised his head and looked toward the towering Royal Magic Tower in the center of the Imperial Capital. A sense of urgency filled his heart. Strength! He needed to grow stronger, and fast! Otherwise, next time he might not even have the chance to stand at a distance and "watch the excitement."
This world's waters ran deeper and murkier than he had imagined. And he, the "young delinquent" who had only just begun learning to swim, had to learn to survive in the undercurrents as quickly as possible.
Before you continue