New Lord in Town

As soon as an old man with a friendly smile came into Leylin's view, Aralis faithfully relayed his stats onto Leylin's field of vision:

//

Name: Murphy || Gender: Male || Estimated age: 55 - 65 || Level 3 acolyte || Strength: 1.2, Agility: 1.4, Vitality: 2.9, Spiritual Force: 8, Mana Energy: 8

//

From the A.I.'s area scan, the number of acolytes residing in Extreme Night City was not high. As for this Murphy, he radiated one of the strongest energy waves. Being a wandering level 3 acolyte, Murphy's array of magic spells definitely surpassed Leylin's. Plus, he would have some of his own trump cards hidden to protect his life.

However, Leylin did not feel at all inferior to him. In fact, he was confident he would be able to defeat the old scholar along with every other acolyte in town, should it come to that.

Murphy took Leylin to his solar and as they began exchanging polite greetings over some refreshments, Leylin analyzed what he had seen of the manor belonging to the level 3 acolyte. It was a fortress in the guise of a luxury home, with traps and defensive charms all over.

'Paranoid enough to have survived the wild Magus World so far, dumb enough to be prone to my manipulations. He shall be one of my best tools in this city.' -Leylin decided with a hidden smirk.

After a few minutes of small talk, Leylin ultimately delved into the purpose of his visit.

"See, I wish to reside for a couple of years in Extreme Night City and to open an ingredients shop as well. Obtaining the necessary permits must be awfully tedious. Having a respected citizen such as yourself as my guarantor would undoubtedly speed things up." -A knowing smile appeared on Leylin, implying his request.

"I must admit, it duly shocks me. Being a student of the 'wise' and truth-seeking Kroft, insignificant gold coins and the like should no longer sway you... Although I don't know why you arrived at this conclusion, opening a common shop is indeed a small matter to me. I'll be happy to assist you." -Murphy said as he drank from a cup of red tea that was on the table.

'How could an aged chimpanzee like you hope to grasp what my goals are? Just do as I ordered and your entrails will remain inside your frail body.' -Leylin gnarled mentally.

"I regard the Lord of Extreme Night City as one my closest friends. One of his sons is actually under my tutelage. All procedures, including the shop license, are no more difficult to sort as it is to drink from a cup of tea. Besides, no ruler with a good head over his shoulders would deny citizenship to a Mysterious Entity such as you, esteemed Leylin. I am sure Lord Jackson will be ecstatic when he receives word." -Murphy guaranteed with a kind attitude.

"Then I must thank you, good Murphy. Do not hesitate to come find me should you require assistance with a task." -Leylin stood up and did a gentleman's bow.

Although this was said to satisfy the requirements of etiquette, both Leylin and the old man knew that it was mentioned as a mere courtesy.

The handling of residential procedures may be excruciating for a regular human citizen, but for a famous scholar like Murphy, it was only a matter of writing a few letters. Even if Leylin wanted to deal with these procedures himself, he would have to spend more time than the old man.

"Ours is a peaceful community. If you wish to have a boringly quiet couple of years, then this place will definitely meet your needs... By the way, the city's Lord -Viscount Jackson- will host a banquet this weekend. You are more than welcome to join us so you can pay your respects to all the movers and shakers in Extreme Night. I can even introduce you to a few other acolyte friends of mine." -Murhpy told with a kind smile and hand gesture, as he opened the door of his solar.

"I will positively take you up on that." -Leylin returned the warm expression, whilst he internally scoffed.

"Oh, I almost forgot... There is a set of rules that every acolyte in the city must comply with. Now, don't worry, they are all customary practices. For example, one should not massacre the residents!" -The old scholar laughed at the top of his lungs.

"I can agree to something like that." -Leylin's coming to Extreme Night City was both to avoid the chaos of the inter-academy war and finish his pending quest. Naturally, he would not do anything stupidly over the top.

Forthwith, Leylin had lunch with Murphy and the conversation once again turned light and affable, before they said their goodbyes an hour later.

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Leylin currently strolled down the paved road with Anna following in tow silently.

[That old chatterbox would not shut up with his explanations on a myriad of topics. Nevertheless, only regarding the case where plants suddenly withered is he completely ignorant.] -Aralis pointed out with a figurative rolling of her eyes.

'Figures, otherwise there wouldn't have been a need to request help from Abyssal Bone Forest... Now there's only the question of whether Murphy is absolutely incompetent in solving this crisis, or if he is somehow linked to it.' -Leylin judged.

[If he were secretly involved, then why submit the quest card in the first place?]

'So as to keep up appearances and draw suspicion away from himself. He does have a reputation among the smallfolk of Extreme Night, after all. It would also explain why he was so helpful to me despite his omission to ask about my quest progression. As if that weren't enough, it became evident how much he resented Kroft when he all but spat the word 'wise'. I may be wrong in doubting the bastard, but I wouldn't count on it.'

The two street lamps were lit with a dusky yellow flame, allowing Leylin to see the road ahead.

Anna followed quietly behind her Master. Being an outstanding maid, she obviously knew what she had to do, which was not to interrupt Leylin unless called upon.

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When the time came for the Viscount's banquet, Leylin brought some gifts Anna had gotten from some of the deluxe mortal stores in the market.

Inside the castle he met with Murphy, who was swift to introduce him to Viscount Jackson and a few other level 2 acolytes. The Lord just so happened to be a Grand Knight, but Leylin saw him as little more than a bug regardless.

Being an accomplished superhuman warrior means nothing when you can be blown up by a spell in less than a second. The average acolyte may struggle or even die in a battle against a Grand Knight, but Leylin did not conform to the power scaling of the Magus World.

The party came to an end, and the Farlier heir had left quite an impression with the local nobility, the acolytes, and the Viscount himself. Leylin constantly displayed his superior mental capabilities such as his eidetic memory (which was in truth Aralis doing her job). Meanwhile, his charisma got him through any interaction with members of the peerage.

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Ever since the ball, Leylin's agenda progressed extremely quickly.

First, he bought a massive estate on the outskirts of the aristocratic neighborhood that would not only fulfill his needs but also show his status and riches to any onlooker. He could not be seen as a beggar. The Farlier name quickly started to be known among Extreme Night's populace.

Inside the manor, the largest of the private chambers was used as Leylin's bedroom, while the rooms on both sides served as a study and an experiment lab respectively. There was also a mid-size guest house that was modified as the barracks for the Roran Hawks.

Subsequent to his activation of numerous detection and protective charms on his estate's perimeter as an early defense grid, Leylin passed down strict orders to his subordinates that without his order, no one was access to the premises. His main base was secure.

Afterward, through the search done by Old Welker, Leylin found a medicine shop that was about to close down but had a good geographic position in relation to his manor and the commercial district. He took it over as soon as he obtained the shop permit. With the foreseen enthusiastic help from Viscount Jackson (and Murhpy's influence), all bureaucratic procedures were settled in a matter of hours.

Through Murphy, he also hired a few skilled pharmacists and laborers. Once the minimum standards for managing the medicine shop were met, he then completely handed over the reins to his core personnel and buried himself in his magic experiments.

Greem and Fraser were always posted outside whatever area of the estate Leylin was in. Old Welker assumed his position as the housekeeper in full; he would take care of the cooking and cleaning for the servants, and the occasional handy work that popped up.

Other than managing the shop and the finances for the manor, Anna was the only one allowed to enter Leylin's chambers, and she personally tidied his chambers and bathroom every day.

Fayern and his troop of mercenaries were all given guard duties that rotated between the villa and the medicine shop. Since he had purchased the title of Baron from the Viscount, Leylin was now officially authorized to rule over his vassals and lands. For the first time, he would be a member of the peerage in South Coast.

Though he was now technically a subject of Poolfied Kingdom's Crown, in reality, Leylin would not be tied down by the Viscount or the laws that bound him in service to the country. He was ready to renounce any of his recently procured titles or lands if it suited him.

Two days later, after a small feast was thrown in Leylin's honor at Jackson's castle, Anna began posting out notices around the city that serious and hardworking people may purchase small tracts of land on Leylin's domains at eye-boggling low costs. Permanent residence was now a possibility for the hardworking but poor masses in the region, thanks to Leylin.

This was a very strong motivation for humble artisans and farmers to move into Leylin's domains. Hundreds of people began to sign affordable mortgage contracts and immediately got to work their fields in the name of their new Lord. Anna handled the interviews with the families to guarantee that no lowlifes or criminals made their way into Farlier territory. The Roran Hawks 'dealt' with any problems swiftly and brutally, asserting Leylin's policies loud and clear.

In three weeks, Leylin's ever-growing wealth (in gold) had already increased by the thousands. This meant that pretty much everything non-magic he had bought so far had paid for itself.

Because he always stayed at the villa, apart from the occasional visit to Murphy's place or the medicine shop, the rumors that were slowly spreading outside gained Leylin the reputation of a gracious albeit somewhat reclusive lord.

Likewise, as he had anticipated, Aralis discovered a few spies loitering around the medicine shop and the villa during this period. However, these secretive parties exercised restraint against Leylin and only made basic surveillance measures, not insinuating their presence onto Leylin's retinue. Therefore, he let them be.

Leylin did not act irresponsibly though. He was being remarkably cautious, and any secret activities were well hidden away from the prying eyes of Murphy's and the Viscount's beastmen trackers.

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Within the dim-lit room that was his private lab, Leylin casually picked up a purple-colored fruit. The fading sunset light that managed to flow through the stained glass reflected off on Leylin's emerald and gold ring.

This fruit he took was the size of a thumb and it had been drained of all the water it contained, meaning it had a wrinkly exterior. It barely weighed more than a grain of salt.

Leylin placed a finger on the surface of the fruit and stared at it with inquisitive eyes for a closer look. He was no longer forced to ingest the herbs so that his virtual assistant could analyze their characteristics. A mere touch was enough.

[Data extraction in progress.] -Aralis notified, in response to the unspoken command her Master had issued.

In Leylin's field of vision, the A.I. overlaid a light blue holo screen with many numbers and figures that changed constantly.

//

Name: Warter Fruit. || Biome of origin: Swamps. || Uses: Mild poisonous properties with a numbing effect.

//

[With this fruit, I now have 3217 types of mortal herbs successfully stored in my databanks. There's practically no other local plant worth sorting. You may begin the second phase of experimentation at your convenience, Doctor.] -The A.I.'s voice intoned as a single moment had gone by.

'Very good.' -Leylin smirked at the rate his short-term plans were delivering benefits.

This was one of the reasons why Leylin had opened a medicine shop. Throughout his apprenticeship under Kroft, he recorded almost all the herbs used by Potioneering Masters, storing them into Aralis' data banks. However, those were only special ingredients used by Magi. As for herbs used by normal people, the A.I. had no record of them. He now had to fill in these missing bits of information.

Moreover, Leylin obtained two ancient potion formulas from his mentor. While it is true that he could already brew them, he would much rather save a portion of the precious magical ingredients he bought at Ellinel, in favor of using the correct substitutes for the ingredients on the formulas.

This could only be accomplished through frequent experimentation and the consumption of huge amounts of costly and rare mortal herbs. Even if Leylin had Aralis, he still had to do the work of getting the ingredients from all over the province. A medicine shop was the perfect excuse to do this without arousing suspicion.

"Master, dinner is ready for you downstairs." -Anna's muted voice sounded through the reinforced metal door. She was also responsible for cooking and serving each of Leylin's meals.

"I'll be right over." -The brown-haired young man answered, as a click on the door's lock was heard.

When it was time to work, Leylin worked; and when it was time to rest, he rested. This was his principle for living.

With a serene demeanor, Anna let herself in as she head-bowed acknowledging Leylin. She unintrusively removed his gray work robes, exposing a black and crimson noble's attire. She went to put the dirty garments in a laundry basket, and then straightened her Master's clothes with delicate yet professional movements.

"Prepare my bath while I eat, and then wait for me on my bed. I want to celebrate my progress so far." -Leylin ordered in his traditional stern voice, as he walked out of the lab in a stride without ever looking back at his slave maid.

"Certainly, Master." -Anna said with a deep respectful bow, her eyes momentarily brightening up with a flash of lust, right before they glazed with trained submission once again.