Chapter 162: Lin Lei’s Choice

In the Mage Castle on the Mongillo Planet, Lin Lei stood alone on the highest platform, gazing at the setting sun dyed pale purple by the planet’s atmosphere.

By now, two months had passed since he announced the establishment of the City of Saints. Although the reaction across the Main Plane was intense, there was more criticism than support. Most people were just watching.

People were all waiting to see the drama unfold for the City of Saints. In the long years of the Main Plane, the Holy Council had already wiped out dozens of such ignorant small organizations.

Almost everyone believed that the City of Saints would not escape the fate of destruction either.

But as time passed, the Holy Council remained abnormally silent, and during this time, another major event occurred that was enough to shake the Main Plane.

The Immortal Veren publicly announced his departure from the Holy Council, and along with him, thousands of Archmages also left the council.

After leaving the Fobole Planet, this force did not make any stop and teleported directly to the Mongillo Planet.

At this moment, Veren was in the hall of the castle, waiting to be received by Lin Lei, the leader of the City of Saints.

A slightly tipsy warm breeze blew against Lin Lei’s body, but he grabbed it with one hand and entangled it in the space around him.

“Lenna, was what I did recently correct?” Lin Lei had been trying to shape the current Andromeda Galaxy according to the future pattern, including his interference in the Star Alliance’s battle, becoming the leader of the Free Mage Alliance, and renaming it the City of Saints. None of this had escaped the limits he set for himself.

“There is no right or wrong, Lin Lei. You do not need to constrain your actions with the pattern from five thousand years later. Follow your heart and be at ease with whatever happens!”

Lenna’s words contained a profound mystery that Lin Lei could not understand.

Lin Lei frowned and asked, “You mean?”

“I think, therefore I am! The fact that you and I still exist in the current time proves that certain events in the future are destined to happen. You and I do not need to worry about the operating principles. The Universe is self-consistent and complete; it will handle itself.”

That is to say, as long as the “effect” of our current existence exists, it already explains the “cause” destined to happen in the future, so there is no need to get entangled in the details!

Lin Lei suddenly understood, and the heavy burden in his heart immediately lightened. He let out a long breath and said, “Lenna, it is so good to have you here. I will go see this Immortal from the Holy Council now and find out what his purpose is.”

Veren had been sitting in the living room waiting, feeling somewhat anxious in his heart. Was this young man named Lin Lei putting on too many airs? After all, he was an Immortal Mage.

Sitting beside Veren to keep him company was Merlin. Seeing that the rhythm of Veren’s fingers tapping lightly on the table was becoming faster and faster, he knew that this Immortal, known for his fiery temper and outspokenness, had already started to build up anger in his heart.

Merlin said gently, “Lord Veren, please be patient. Although Mage Lin Lei is mysterious and power ful, he is not an arrogant person. If he does not show himself now, he must have his reasons.”

Veren snorted heavily from his nose to vent his dissatisfaction. He said in a muffled voice, “I heard he champions truth and freedom, but now it seems he is just like Ptolemy, a guy who values power above all else.”

His words had just finished when Lin Lei appeared in this reception hall, hearing Veren’s sentence exactly.

He was not angry, but simply asked Veren in return, “Lord, why do you associate any rudeness with power? Why do you think all organization leaders possess the same qualities as Ptolemy? Only those who care about power themselves would be so sensitive to it, right?”

Veren instinctively wanted to refute, but when he thought carefully about his actions over the past few years, cold sweat could not help but break out on his head. Indeed, what filled his heart was not truth and thought, but how to fight for power and influence with Ptolemy.

If he was like this, what right did Veren have to demand anything from Lin Lei? He looked up and met Lin Lei’s dark, bottomless eyes. Suddenly, he felt as if he were completely seen through by the other party, without a single secret left.

Veren was startled by the other party’s sharp gaze. He ignored his dissatisfaction and went straight to the main topic.

“Lord Lin Lei, please forgive my loose tongue. In the last Abyss War, you saved me, and you also saved thousands of Fifth-grade Archmages in the Holy Council! I have come here to thank you for saving my life and to formally apply to join the City of Saints!”

In Veren’s mind, the City of Saints was in a critical moment right now. An Immortal asking to join was like sending charcoal in snowy weather, so there should be no problem.

But in this instant, Lin Lei saw through Veren’s character. He was tainted with too much bureaucratic air from the Holy Council and was accustomed to enjoying privileges. This was fundamentally in conflict with the City of Saints, which focused on the equality of mages’ personalities.

Lin Lei and Merlin looked at each other, and both saw rejection in the other’s eyes. With Merlin’s support, Lin Lei had a decision in his heart.

“Lord Veren, as you can see, the City of Saints is just a small organization. Its internal structure is loose; it is just a group of like-minded people. Moreover, fighting Abyss creatures is something every mage in the Main Plane should do, so there is no need for you to thank me specifically.”

Lin Lei did not even mention letting Veren join the organization, simply because this person would definitely become a source of instability for the City of Saints in the future.

As the saying goes, those with different paths cannot make plans together! The Holy Council was still the most suitable place for someone like Veren!

Veren’s face immediately became extremely ugly. He stood up, the fluctuation of energy on his body soaring, and he habitually wanted to lash out!

But the storm-like fluctuation on his body had just erupted when it was immediately forced back by another, even more powerful, nearly boundless energy fluctuation.

The source of this fluctuation was precisely Lin Lei, who was sitting opposite him.

“Lord Veren, is this what you call thanking me for saving your life? Isn’t it a bit too absurd?” Lin Lei’s tone had turned cold. His black eyes were no longer gentle, but like dancing black flames, seeming to swallow everything.

Veren only felt a thousand-pound weight pressing on his body. No matter how he tried to communicate with the energy in the Void, there was not the slightest response, as if the energy sea had left him.

At this moment, he was like a fish thrown onto the shore, his heart filled with a sense of powerlessness. This feeling was something he tasted for the first time since he became an Immortal.

Veren looked at Lin Lei with shock and uncertainty, but in his heart, he remembered the rumors within the Holy Council regarding Ptolemy.

He finally understood why Ptolemy was so tolerant of Lin Lei, even to the point of near cowardice. It turned out that this young mage was simply too powerful to resist.

Sweat beads oozed from Veren’s forehead. His arrogance was completely suppressed by Lin Lei. At this time, his tone softened, and there was no more pride.

“Please forgive my momentary impulse; that was not my intention. Lord Lin Lei, although your saving me back then was unintentional, for me, it was a matter of life and death. Since the City of Saints has no intention of accepting me, I will not force it. I will repay this kindness another day.”

Veren did not pester him but got up and left the Mage Castle directly.

Soon, a Subspace Fluctuation came over. Clearly, he had already left the Mongillo Planet, and along with him, those Archmages he brought had also departed!

In the reception hall, only Lin Lei and Merlin remained, looking at each other.

Merlin’s expression showed some worry as he said heavily, “Lin Lei, this Veren definitely holds a grudge today. The City of Saints has gained another powerful enemy.”

Lin Lei gave a carefree smile. “It is better to reject this person early than to have internal strife in the City of Saints in the future. Besides, when he was in the Holy Council, he was our enemy. Now that he has left the council, the energy he controls is much less. The threat is actually much smaller, isn’t it?”

Merlin gave a bitter smile and said, “That is true, but Veren is an Immortal after all, and cannot be underestimated. Lin Lei, your methods have been very radical lately. Although it has attracted some Free Mages to join our City of Saints, and quite a few of them are powerful. But is openly opposing the Holy Council moving a bit too fast?”

Merlin’s worries were not without reason, but he did not know Lin Lei’s true strength!

The current Lin Lei, even in terms of his own strength, what the perfect Dimension Ring brought him was the power to contend with Ptolemy wearing the “Origin Law,” and even surpass him.

Because after all, Ptolemy relied on an external object.

And inside Lin Lei’s body, there was the true Lenna, who could be called a Deity in the Main Plane! Although Lenna was very weak right now, a weak Pan-dimensional Creature was still a Pan-dimensional Creature. There was a fundamental difference between that and an Immortal who had not yet transcended.

These powerful strengths guaranteed that even if Ptolemy played tricks, he was destined to return empty-handed.

“The Holy Council is currently busy dealing with its internal Archmages questioning the authority of the Deities. It is exactly the time for the City of Saints to develop. Merlin, you are still too cautious.”

Merlin did not know where Lin Lei’s optimism came from. Hearing his words now, he knew that Lin Lei was determined to do this, so he could only give a bitter smile.

Veren left the Mongillo Planet in a rage, but three days later, another Immortal from the Holy Council, Draca, quietly came to the City of Saints.

This newly promoted Immortal, who was extremely frustrated in the Holy Council, was actually a true genius. He had constructed his own Dimension Ring within a hundred years, thus maintaining an appearance that was not old.

However, by the time he became an Immortal, the forces within the Holy Council were already deeply rooted and intertwined. There was no room for him to get a share of the pie. Counting it up, he was the loneliest Immortal, with not even many followers.

Like this time, he came alone to the City of Saints. The request he made was the same as Veren’s, which was to join the City of Saints.

However, this time, Lin Lei directly accepted him, because this Immortal, in the big dyeing vat of the Holy Council, still kept a pair of clear and transparent eyes.

He was a Mage who truly pursued truth. This kind of person was rare and could fully be called a Saint!