A Young Seed

Kelisi is one of countless hybrids in the City of a Thousand Towers. Her father was an orc from the northern border, while her mother was an ordinary human. She was born in a village on the northern border and lived a poor and backward life from childhood. Although life there was difficult, it was still manageable. Her father would always hunt wild animals in the mountains, skin them, and give the hides to her mother. Her mother would then take these hides to the town at the foot of the mountain to trade for some daily necessities. For Kelisi, this village, where snow and wind swirled all day long, was her world.

However, life was destined not to remain peaceful forever. When Kelisi was ten years old, her father went up the mountain to hunt wild animals but never returned. Later, she heard from those who had been with him that Kelisi's father had fallen off a cliff during a fight with a snow leopard and disappeared without a trace. But in reality, it was no different from being dead.

Losing the pillar of the family, the mother aged considerably overnight, and their livelihood quickly became a problem. At first, the father's friends were able to provide them with some assistance. However, as life became increasingly difficult, people had to make a living themselves and naturally could not continue to support the mother and daughter indefinitely. Although the mother had tried to find work in the small town a few times, the people there would only offer her heavy, lowly, and poorly paid dirty jobs. Moreover, her body could not withstand such hardship, and coupled with the excessive grief caused by her husband's death, Kelisi's mother also fell seriously ill two years later and followed her husband in death.

At that time, Kelisi was twelve years old, and she began to hunt wild animals in the mountains like her father, skinning them and selling the hides. Although on the surface Kelisi was just a thin little girl, she possessed a strength that even adult men could not match. Soon, she completely mastered the work her father had done before his death, and did it even better than her father.

In this village in the Northlands where orcs and humans coexist, gaining acceptance is not easy. But Kelisi did. She not only gained the recognition of the adults in the village, but she was also allowed to leave the village and go to the town below to trade these furs. Although orc blood flowed in her veins, at least outwardly she was still a pure human.

Kelisi, of course, didn't understand why the village elders forbade the orcs from going out to trade. In the village, only humans like her were allowed to go down the mountain; she had never received any such information from her mother. But for Kelisi, this wasn't something she needed to worry about. After all, she was just a child, and being able to leave the village and see the outside world was enough for her.

At first, things went very smoothly. The townspeople quickly accepted Kelisi and were even willing to pay a few extra gold coins for the furs she brought. After all, Kelisi was a beautiful girl who easily attracted attention and interest. Kelisi, however, was unaware of the reason she was able to sell her furs for a few extra gold coins each time. As a girl who grew up in a mountain village, her thoughts were still very simple. She simply thought that others liked her.

But trouble soon arose—the president of the trade association that bought Kelisi's furs took a liking to Kelisi beauty and intended to possess her. This was why he always instructed his association members to give the girl extra gold coins. However, Kelisi refused his offer without even a second thought. After all, the president was over fifty, while she was still very young. As an ordinary young woman, Kelisi naturally wouldn't agree to such a request.

However, the other party quickly responded – if they refused the chairman's demands, the town would never buy furs from the village again and would not pay them a single penny.

For a girl, this choice is far too heavy.

In the end, Kelisi chose to run away. She left the village, secretly boarded a traveling merchant's carriage, and left that far north, beginning a life of wandering.

Over the next few years, Kelisi wandered from place to place. At first, she received kind responses, but when the humans discovered that she did not have human blood, all Kelisi received was hatred, disgust, and expulsion. She was driven out of human cities time and time again, walking into the wilderness covered in mud. When she tried to return to the village where she was born and raised, she found it had become a ruin.

No one knew what had happened in that small village, so Kelisi had to start wandering again. But this time, perhaps by divine intervention, she learned of the legend of the City of a Thousand Towers from other wanderers. The city that sheltered all the exiled gave Kelisi last hope. After many hardships, she finally arrived in the City of a Thousand Towers and settled there.

After that, she was suddenly discovered to have the talent of a mage. When she learned this news, Kelisi was surprised but also extremely happy. After all, during her years of wandering, she had met several mages, most of whom were respected and held power and status. If she could become a mage, she could definitely live a better life.

Contrary to Kelisi's expectations, the mages of the City of a Thousand Towers did not immediately begin teaching them magic after the examination, as Kelisi had anticipated. Instead, they sent them through a massive teleportation array to another place—which, according to the mages who cared for them, was where they would actually learn.

When Kelisi arrived in Ringwraith City via the teleportation array, she, like everyone else, was immediately stunned by the magnificent and enormous city before her. What surprised them even more was that this seemingly gigantic city was actually floating in the sky! Almighty God above, Kelisi had never imagined that such a massive city could float in the sky!

If this already surprised Kelisi and the others greatly, then what they learned later terrified them so much that their hearts almost jumped out of their chests.

This city actually belongs to the Arcane Mage of the Magic Empire!

The Magic Empire, despite its bad reputation, was a name that everyone living on this continent had heard of. While most of the rumors were negative, it wasn't a big deal for these marginalized hybrids. On the contrary, some rebellious individuals were quite excited; after all, being chosen by the legendary evil empire—did it mean they also possessed the talent for evil?

However, it's clear that there's always a gap between legend and reality. Here, the group saw neither evil demons nor any horrific, bloody events. On the contrary, the mages who greeted them were mostly peaceful and didn't treat these hybrids differently because they weren't purely human. They not only prepared comfortable rooms for the students to rest but also provided them with delicious food. It must be said that sitting in such beautiful and luxurious rooms, listening to lessons in magic, and gazing at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, this was already better than the best life they could imagine.

Of course, this wasn't without its costs. Every month, the mages who taught magic at the academy would conduct some strange tests, most of which were harmless, but some were extremely deadly. Moreover, not everyone could pass these tests; those who failed wouldn't die, but sometimes the consequences were far worse than death. Kelisi had once witnessed the horrific scene of two unruly students having their souls extracted—a nightmare that haunted her for a whole week, from which she hadn't fully recovered.

However, over this period of time, Kelisi has noticed that something is not right.

At the end of the month, as usual, Kelisi took the spell test again and passed it successfully. However, unlike the previous times, her instructor informed her afterwards that she would have to take another test. This was unprecedented, and Kelisi also asked a few classmates privately, but they had not received any news about taking another test.

Does this mean I've failed?

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Kelisi participated in a new test. This time, however, she didn't have to do anything. The mages simply ordered her to stand within a magic circle and observed her for the entire morning before releasing her and announcing the end of the test. No one told her the result, leaving Kelisi feeling incredibly anxious and unsure of what to do. However, it clearly didn't seem like bad news.

"Is that her?"

Standing outside the window, Li Lin gazed at the girl with long chestnut hair among the students attentively listening to the lecture in the classroom, and asked her a question.

"Yes."

Nia nodded, then she opened the intelligence file in her hand.

"Kelisi Bright. A half-orc, half-human, 19 years old. She comes from the Northlands Ice Plains and has lived in the City of a Thousand Towers for four years."

Hearing this, Li Lin raised an eyebrow and asked.

What are your preferred spells?

"Protection system."

"So, she was also one of the chosen ones?"

"It seems that's indeed the case... After all, it's quite normal for Arcane Mage to have replacements after suffering such heavy losses."

"So there are already two... Nisi, who's in charge of controlling the energy manipulation, and this little guy..."

"Li Lin, should I adjust her curriculum to ensure she can reach her full potential?"

Nia closed the intelligence report in her hand and asked a question, while Li Lin carefully observed the girl in front of him, then shook his head.

"No need, just continue like this. Of course, you can send someone to keep an eye on her to prevent any major trouble. Even if she progresses rapidly, she can't immediately make a difference... The future of the Magic Empire is when they will be needed. Right now, just lay a solid foundation."

"OK."

Two people?

Gazing at the woman before him, Li Lin remained silent. There was still no movement from Nisi, which was understandable; after all, she still had much to learn, having neglected her studies for a thousand years because of her sister. Catching up so quickly was impossible. Considering Nisi's personality, she would never appear before him unless she had thoroughly mastered these skills. For now, he could only hope she would hurry, because once she passed the ritual, the pressure on Li Lin would be reduced.

The resurgence of the Magic Empire cannot remain hidden forever. In fact, some within the Five-Nation Alliance's upper echelons have already begun to harbor doubts. What Li Lin needs to do now is the first step of his plan: to reveal his presence and demonstrate his combat power. At the same time, this will also facilitate communication with those peripheral countries. Li Lin does not want to fight alone; this time, he will not let go of any available resources.

The gift the Lord of the Nine Levels of Hell entrusted to him by Anna was more than just a gift; clearly, he intended to get involved, something Li Lin welcomed. After all, the demons' main battlefield was in Hell, not the Prime Material Plane, so they would eventually leave regardless of the outcome. The dragons, however, were a different story. Unless Li Lin offered them a reward that would entice them, how much effort these misers would actually put in was a big question. However, Li Lin believed he could persuade them.

As for the Elemental Plane, it is the most difficult to control. Originally, the Magic Empire and the Elemental Plane had a mutually beneficial relationship, but after the elemental channels were closed, the Elemental Plane was severed from the Prime Material Plane. The Magic Empire currently lacks sufficient power to reopen these four channels, and even if Nisi becomes Arcane Mage, with her current abilities, it is difficult for her to become a stable center. Therefore, Li Lin estimates that this side's forces can only watch them slip away in vain.

Arcane Mage are not merely the pinnacle of magic, nor simply rulers of the Magic Empire; the responsibilities they bear are far greater than most can imagine.

As for other countries, Li Lin didn't expect them to become any major force. Even if these peripheral small countries were tempted to attack by Li Lin, they wouldn't go as far as he did. Furthermore, his own country had been vilified for a thousand years, so demanding unconditional cooperation from these peripheral small countries was impossible. And soldiers couldn't just appear out of thin air. Therefore, Li Lin's only remaining reliance was Angela's Ghoul army. It was the most convenient, fastest, and easiest-to-reproduce fighting force.

However, Li Lin wouldn't be so easily reassured until he witnessed the power of the Ghoul army firsthand, and Angela was well aware of this as well.

Power that is not under one's control must never be used.

This is why Li Lin ultimately abandoned the poison gas strategy of the Pillar of Magic Essence. Although "training" the Holy Maiden was an interesting thing, it didn't achieve the effect Li Lin hoped for. However, he didn't give up completely. Based on the Pillar of Magic Essence Magic's reaction principle to magical deposits, Li Lin applied it from another angle. He used this principle to enhance the detection function of the satellite system. In the future, those who possess magical deposits (that is, those who have lived in the territory of the Magic Empire for a long time) will be more clearly visible and conspicuous on satellite maps. This will also increase the accuracy of the satellites and avoid harming innocent people.

Li Lin was also satisfied with the progress of missile technology development on Yi Aier's side. Furthermore, Yi Aier had adjusted the size of the missiles to suit the different effects of various spells. To ensure timely, precise, and rapid attacks on targets, six teleportation arrays were etched on the extended surface of each satellite, allowing simultaneous attacks in six directions. Inside the launch pad, identical teleportation arrays were inscribed according to the positions of all twelve satellites. Thus, when the war began, all the mages had to do was move the missiles to the corresponding teleportation arrays and then activate the teleportation. While Li Lin considered this launch method somewhat primitive, it was more than sufficient to deal with these equally primitive—or even more primitive—enemies.

It seems that this delusional maid, aside from her endless daydreams, is actually quite reliable.

Of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, Kalin was the most carefree. Aside from tending to her own little plot of land, she spent her time drinking in the forest, sleeping after drinking, and drinking again after sleeping. Li Lin could only shrug at Kalin's behavior and let her be. After all, there was really nothing for this idle elf to do right now, so he let her do whatever she wanted.

Angela left again, but this time she didn't leave alone. After Anna returned, she restarted her own district, "The Garden of Silence." Anna left Ringwraith City with Angela. Although, as Nia and the others had predicted, a considerable conflict erupted between the two at first, their relationship seemed to improve afterward. Perhaps it was a case of "no discord, no concord," but after that battle, Anna seemed to accept Angela's existence and acknowledge her strength. The same was true for Angela.

The only problem was that they would argue every night about who would sleep in the same bed with Li Lin. After all, Anna just wanted to sleep, but for Angela, there were obviously more wonderful "activities" waiting for her at night, and Anna's presence made her extremely angry that she couldn't have them. Although Angela tried to use various methods to let Anna experience the pleasure of "bedtime activities," it was obvious that Anna simply lacked common sense about such things.

"It's so big... it hurts..."

"You'll get used to it, kid. It's a really comfortable workout!"

"This isn't fun... Anna wants a hug..."

"... You really don't know what's good for you. At least try it once, how about that?"

"Angela is... an idiot..."

"Looks like you really won't shed a tear until you see the coffin..."

This also affected Li Lin, causing him to have trouble sleeping almost every night—now that these two clowns have both left, it's a great blessing for Li Lin.

Of course, this doesn't rule out the possibility that the two intend to prove themselves against Li Lin through sheer strength, but that's not something Li Lin needs to consider. Because in his plan, Li Lin has more important things to do right now.

Nia.

Turning his gaze away from Kelisi, Li Lin looked at Nia beside him.

"Get ready, we have important things to do."

"Important matters?"

Upon hearing this, Nia paused for a moment, clearly waiting for Li Lin's explanation.

"That's right..."

As he spoke, Li Lin turned back to look at the group of magic apprentices who were listening attentively to the lecture.

"I think we should see what the Mages' Association's true attitude really is."