Chapter 3583: Neighbor

Glancing at the time, it was already nine in the morning. Su Xiao looked at Beni to the side. Beni had slept too much over the past two days and couldn't fall asleep last night; with a pair of bright cat eyes, it had played games all night. Judging by its drifting little gaze, it was preparing to sleep during the day.

"Meow."

Beni let out a cry, meaning that this morning, it saw Nilin leave in a hurry before dawn.

This was actually understandable. Normally, Nilin should have come to say hello, express her gratitude, and then leave. The problem was that during yesterday's treatment, Nilin had been trapped deep in nightmares, which resulted in her now suffering phantom pain all over her body whenever she saw Su Xiao—and it was getting increasingly painful.

The time was almost up. Excluding today, there were three more days until the Arcane Celebration.

Each Arcane Celebration lasts 5 to 7 days. The morning of the first day is the opening ceremony, which is solemn and boring. Only middle-aged and elderly spellcasters attend such opening ceremonies voluntarily; other spellcasters come only because they have to.

By noon on the first day, there is a banquet in the Grand Banquet Hall. This is the part most people like. At this luncheon, the Arcane Eternal Star displays extreme generosity; rare ingredients that usually cannot be bought can be tasted today, and it is free and unlimited.

The afternoon of the first day is for young people of various races to communicate and learn from each other. This environment is actually a place for young people to engage in commercial mutual flattery or for enemies to exchange greetings, but it must be appropriate—absolutely no fighting is allowed.

When it gets dark, around seven or eight o'clock, there is another evening banquet. This is a must-attend for young men of all races. The reason? To look at legs. Who could refuse female spellcasters in evening gowns and beautiful girls from other races?

By the second day, the "Star Plaza" is almost completely open, and in the afternoon, the Arcane Eternal Star's "Void Grand Library" also partially opens.

By evening, an auction jointly held by several major races takes place at the "Light Dawn Manor." This auction can be said to be the grandest one in the Void every few years, and the prestige is definitely maxed out.

It is worth mentioning that this auction only accepts Soul Coins as payment. This threshold undoubtedly raises the class of the auction by several levels.

On the third day, there is a finale program. From the third to the fifth day, it is time for the young talents of various races to showcase themselves in the "Arena" at the "Star Plaza."

Such competitions naturally have prizes. The prizes for the top six are provided by the Arcane Eternal Star, Demon Race, Feather Race, Star Race, Devil Race, and Soul Race, respectively.

Each major power provides one type, and the best reward for the first place is naturally provided by the Arcane Eternal Star.

However, the winners are mostly young spellcasters from the Arcane Eternal Star, and occasionally young people from the Soul Race.

Among the several major powers, the Soul Race is even more low-key than the Star Race. They are too ancient and silent; it is difficult to see members of this race usually.

To be precise, there is one more major power in the Void: the underground forces led by White Cow. However, this major power, which exists in the dark world, cannot participate in the Arcane Celebration as a major power for various reasons.

This is not without benefits; young people from White Cow's forces can also participate in the Arcane Celebration competitions, though the quota is limited.

This is a tacit understanding shown by the Arcane Eternal Star, both to give White Cow face and to warn him.

White Cow himself doesn't care about this at all. If the young subordinates he selects reach the top six, it's equivalent to getting the prizes provided by other major powers for free. Who would have any objections to such a cool thing as getting something for free?

Don't think that this competition among the young generation of various races is a routine performance; such competitions undoubtedly reflect whether each race has successors.

Needless to say, Su Xiao will definitely be a guest in the VIP seats. Just watching "chicks pecking at each other" would inevitably be boring, so for many years, every time this segment arrives, people have privately opened betting pools.

When the competition of the young generation ends, the Arcane Celebration reaches its end. Representatives of various races will attend a secret meeting hosted by the Arcane Eternal Star to re-divide territories. After this secret meeting, which happens every few years, there are significant changes in the division of power within the Void.

The scenery outside the train window flew by. Su Xiao did not travel to the Arcane Eternal Star with White Cow because someone had just come to seek revenge on White Cow right after leaving the mansion in the flower field.

In the past, on White Cow's territory, these people dared not jump out. Now, Lighthouse Star is under the jurisdiction of the Arcane Eternal Star, and these people took the opportunity to come and seek revenge on White Cow.

Or rather, White Cow did it on purpose. He appeared to be here alone, but actually brought a group of fierce and ruthless little brothers.

Every time he comes to the Arcane Celebration, White Cow can receive various valuable weapons or secret treasures for combat "delivered" by a group of enemies. Moreover, he won't make a move throughout the whole process; he just watches his little brothers surround the attacking enemies. This not only allows him to make some extra money but also takes the opportunity to clear out the number of his enemies.

Previously, the Arcane Eternal Star held the Arcane Celebration once a year; now it's once every few years. White Cow is quite dissatisfied with this. In the past, he could harvest a crop every year; in recent years, it takes several years to harvest a crop.

White Cow doesn't underestimate his enemies; it's just that as the underground emperor of the dark world, his enemies are too numerous to count.

Among the members of the Starry Sky Seat, White Cow has the richest experience in being revenged. Every time he goes out without his little brothers, if he hasn't encountered anyone seeking revenge for ten days or so, he becomes vigilant. That means the wave of enemies coming next will not be easy to deal with.

There are many passengers in the train, most of whom are here to participate in this Arcane Celebration, such as the two acquaintances opposite: the sisters Lilim Mia and Lilis Aya.

These two sisters are completely different in appearance, temperament, and even clothing. It makes one suspicious to say they are half-sisters.

Lilim is a succubus. To be precise, she is the disgrace of succubi. As a succubus, the tight leather suit she wears is more conservative than the little sister from the Chant-Language Race in the adjacent seat—to be precise, more conservative than what her sister Lilis wears.

Lilis, on the side, is a combat demon. Previously, when Su Xiao went to the Black Abyss, the Demon Race also sent her to the Black Abyss. The result was that Lilis, who knew nothing but combat, learned about the dangers of the world.

Besides Lilim and Lilis opposite, there is also a Demon Race member with white crew-cut hair and one broken horn. Just looking at the ruggedness on the other's face and the stubbornness unique to a brute between the brows, one could guess this is a "thick-headed" person. This thick-headed person is named Monde. This time, he is here to participate in the Arcane Celebration and also to take a vacation.

Or rather, he was forcibly pulled off the battlefield by the high-level members of the Demon Race. Ever since the Demon Race and the Feather Race started the war, Monde has been like a honey badger possessed; he is either fighting to the death with people or on the way to fight. Even eating and sleeping are solved on the road, and he is in a combat state 24 hours a day.

Precisely because of this, the aura of this "thick-headed" person is exceptionally strong at this moment, exceeding Lilim and Lilis by a notch. At the very least, he is a Tier 9 combat power.

Demon Race members like Monde either die in their youth or become very strong. The Demon Race is not short of resources, and they certainly wouldn't let a clansman like Monde lack resources.

Beside Monde, Lilim, and Lilis is an old goat-headed demon. This old demon is aged and thin, but don't underestimate him in the slightest. This is one of the "old immortals" of the Demon Race, Walpole.

In addition to these four from the Demon Race, there are several acquaintances in the carriage. Su Xiao looked at the seats further ahead. Zuiyas and Aona, a married couple, were sitting opposite each other having lunch. Although the lunch wasn't very sumptuous, that bottle of table wine must be worth a lot. This couple should be on a business trip at public expense.

Besides Zuiyas and Aona, the neighbor opposite is Wood, and beside him is a pale girl with a thin, sickly beauty. This is Wood's sister, whom Su Xiao and Zuiyas had heard Wood mention before.

Whether it's the Zuiyas couple or the Wood siblings, it's very normal for them to be here. For this Arcane Celebration, one side represents the Meteorite Star, and the other has participated in the Arcane Celebration several times.

The Zuiyas couple and the Wood siblings were clearly agreed to go to the Arcane Eternal Star together.

As for Su Xiao encountering them here, this was not a coincidence. Su Xiao chose this train after learning Wood's general whereabouts through White Cow's intelligence channels, and encountering Lilim and others was indeed a coincidence.

With nothing to do, Su Xiao took out an ancient book. A few seconds later, Zuiyas, a few meters away, picked up his wine glass and clinked it with his wife Aona's, drinking the fine wine in one gulp.

"It's expensive, drink slowly."

Aona put down her wine glass and spoke in a voice only Zuiyas could hear. Zuiyas smiled and poured another glass, filling it to the brim, almost overflowing. Seeing this, Aona smiled "gently and considerately."

"When the mood is good, of course, one must drink a few more glasses."

Zuiyas drank the wine in the glass in one gulp again. Hearing this, Aona looked suspicious. Previously, her husband knew he was coming to the Arcane Eternal Star to participate in the Arcane Celebration and looked worried, but now he had changed his attitude.

Zuiyas whispered: "Wife, I recently understood a truth: knowledge is power."

"Pfft~, cough cough cough..."

Aona choked on a mouthful of wine. She looked at her husband with a solemn gaze and asked: "Husband, what's wrong with you? Where do you feel uncomfortable?"

Seeing this, Wood in the next seat pushed up his sunglasses.

At first glance, there was no change in the carriage, but in fact, everything was unspoken. Wood pushed up his sunglasses, representing a desire for stability. This is the Void; there are some things he cannot do openly. Even if he really wanted to join forces to cause trouble, he would be the one hiding in the dark. This is understandable; the Devil Race is a force within the Void.

In other words, the Void is Wood's home. Causing trouble here, he would definitely choose a low-key way. Furthermore, the Devil Race has never been known for being high-profile, but for being strange and insidious.

Zuiyas is the opposite. He represents the Meteorite Star, or rather the Ancient God faction. This side is chaotic, extremely evil, and treacherous.

Zuiyas filled his glass to the brim, almost overflowing, clearly indicating that if they were to cause trouble, he would not only participate but also go all out—if they were going to do it, they would do it the biggest and the cruelest.

The reason Zuiyas and Wood had this indication was not because they had the ability to see through Su Xiao's disguise.

Previously in the "Cathedral" of the Dead Silence City, Su Xiao had interpreted this ancient book. Excluding Bubu Wang, Amu, etc., only five people knew he had this ancient book: Demon Blacksmith, Gulu, Caesar, Zuiyas, and Wood.

Given the sharpness of those two "dog thieves" not far away, Su Xiao was certain that they could discover this point.

After flipping through the ancient book for a while, Su Xiao began to close his eyes for a nap, thinking about his strategy for this time.

First, although the internal structure of the spellcaster forces is exceptionally complex, excluding some non-combat factions or schools, there are actually only four strong factions in the Arcane Eternal Star.

1. Arcane Faction.

2. Elemental Faction.

3. Magic Energy Faction.

4. Soul Faction.

Among the four factions, the leader of the "Arcane Faction" is Mage Sage Sefilia. Besides her disciples, she also controls the strongest garrison legion of the Arcane Eternal Star. Those are not spellcasters, but monsters transformed by the "Soul Faction" and "Magic Energy Faction" together.

The reason Sefilia controls this monster legion is that she has managed the "Black Maple Courtyard" for the past few decades. In other words, nearly one-third of the Black Maple Tree's output is allocated by her.

This has also led many spellcaster families to rack their brains to send the young generation of their families to the "Arcane Faction" to become disciples of Mage Sage Sefilia.

Of course, this also has to do with Mage Sage Sefilia's teaching level; being one of the three great mentors of the Arcane Eternal Star is no empty title.

As the leader of the Arcane Faction, manager of the Black Maple Courtyard, and one of the three great mentors, these titles make Sefilia one of the highest-level figures in the Arcane Eternal Star. Of course, above her is the Supreme One, who is the unshakable absolute authority—a peak that no matter how many titles one has, one cannot shake.

Among the four major factions, besides Sefilia's "Arcane Faction," the remaining three are not to be trifled with.

The leader of the "Elemental Faction" is the Rime Wind King. With him as the leader, one can imagine how good the reputation of the "Elemental Faction" is.

Besides being the leader of the "Elemental Faction," the "Void Grand Library" of the Arcane Eternal Star is also under the jurisdiction of the Rime Wind King.

For the remaining two factions, the soul figure of the "Magic Energy Faction" is Dean Guya. This person is the dean of the "Zhongshi Academy." Many spellcasters in the Arcane Eternal Star were once his students.

The last faction is the "Soul Faction," led by Youwen Gewu. More people call this old woman "Soul Lady."

The Grand Clock Tower managed by Youwen Gewu seems ordinary, but in reality, all soul-related resources are stored in the Grand Clock Tower. That's right, all Soul Crystals and Soul Cores of the Arcane Eternal Star are stored there.

Before she took over the Grand Clock Tower, the Arcane Eternal Star's Soul Crystals and Soul Cores were in a state of extreme shortage for a long time. After she took over, although they were still scarce, they reached a level of barely enough, and there has even been a surplus in recent years.

In short, the four leader-level figures of the four factions all manage an extremely wealthy department or area, or serve as the dean of the "Zhongshi Academy."

In Su Xiao's view, his trip to the Arcane Eternal Star this time appears to be an attempt by the Arcane Eternal Star to win him over, but which faction is specifically trying to win him over is not necessarily certain.

As for which faction to lean towards, it depends on which one gives more when the time comes.

It would be stupid not to take such benefits. As for signing contracts or similar things, let alone Su Xiao's attainments in this area, what does the contract signed by Saint Flame Pharmacist have to do with him?

As for which faction to befriend later, the old strategy remains: see which of the four factions gives more. Anyway, he is here to get things for free. As long as he doesn't reveal anything suspicious, there is no need to worry about other aspects.

First, exclude the Rime Wind King. From the Wind Prince, one can see the essence of his father. The Rime Wind King will likely not participate in this kind of competition; otherwise, he wouldn't be managing the Void Grand Library.

Dean Guya, Soul Lady, and Sefilia—Su Xiao is most optimistic about Sefilia. The management right of the "Black Maple Courtyard" for this round has rotated to Sefilia. That is a Black Maple Tree dozens of meters high; one can imagine how many resources Sefilia controls at this stage.

However, befriending Soul Lady is also a good choice. As a triple-technique master, Su Xiao is extremely short of Soul Cores.

Thinking of this, the train gradually stopped. Su Xiao was still closing his eyes for a nap. Only after all the passengers had gotten off did he take Beni off the train.

A magnificent scene, like a space vortex thousands of meters high, was located in front. Around this dark purple space vortex, golden patterns were hidden in the air. This is the "Gate of Law," the only way to enter the Arcane Eternal Star.

Figures wearing full-body armor with magic energy patterns engraved on them stood before the Gate of Law. Most of these figures were ten meters tall, with only a few between 1.8 and 3 meters tall. They were responsible for checking the permits for entering and exiting the Gate of Law, or the invitations for this Arcane Celebration, etc.

These are not spellcasters. With the arrogance of spellcasters, they would never do such things as guarding the "Gate of Law" themselves, but would order slaves completely controlled by magic energy power to stand guard here.

Several groups of people were already lining up in front of the "Gate of Law," waiting to check their invitations to enter.

Seeing this, Su Xiao chose a line and started queuing, but this line was indeed a bit long.

Time passed minute by minute. Half an hour later, a familiar figure ran over from a distance and finally stopped beside Su Xiao. It was the short-haired girl he met yesterday; the other party was Sefilia's disciple.

"Mr. Saint Flame, what are you doing?"

"Queuing."

"You don't need to queue; you can just go straight to the front."

The short-haired girl scratched her short hair hard; her little brain couldn't keep up with the thinking of this alchemy master.

"Lead the way."

"Ah? Oh! Okay."

The short-haired girl started leading the way in front. Soon, they arrived under the Gate of Law. Su Xiao stepped onto a teleportation array, and the short-haired girl beside him activated it. Vaguely, Su Xiao heard an exclamation and the short-haired girl shouting: "No!!"

The next instant, Su Xiao appeared on a vast field. The ground here was paved with flat square stones, each several meters in diameter, swept spotlessly clean.

Not far away, magic energy guards, each ten meters tall, were standing in a large row, all staring at Su Xiao.

"Who are you?"

A male spellcaster sitting on top of a magic energy guard spoke. Around him were several magic energy balls the size of fists, slowly circling. His eyes, completely black without distinction between the fundus and the pupil, were impressive.

"..."

Su Xiao didn't speak, just threw the invitation in his hand to the other party. After the black-eyed spellcaster took it, his eyes were first filled with doubt, then turned into a sense of astonishment like a pie falling from the sky.

"You are... Saint Flame Pharmacist?"

"Yes."

"I am Luen from Zhongshi Academy. I have long admired your name. I didn't expect to have the chance to meet you today."

Luen was a bit confused and astonished in his heart at this moment. The days before the Arcane Celebration were interesting everywhere in the Arcane Eternal Star, but he was transferred by the academy to guard this "Gate of Law" that was not open.

He originally thought this was an extremely boring errand, but Luen never expected that the alchemist they were going to win over at this Arcane Celebration would suddenly appear in front of this "Gate of Law" where no one should be.

Thinking with his feet, Luen knew it was someone from Mentor Sefilia's side who had used the wrong teleportation device when picking someone up. Besides Green Wei, Luen really couldn't think of any other "silly" person on that side who could cause such a blunder.

Or rather, Mentor Sefilia taking Green Wei as a disciple was an unsolved mystery discussed by the young generation in recent months. How could such a serious mentor take such an apprentice?

"Mr. Saint Flame, are you thirsty? I have wine here. If you are hungry, I have snacks."

Luen didn't want to laugh out loud; he really couldn't help it.

"..."

Su Xiao didn't speak. Just at this moment, a shout came from afar.

"I'm sorry!!"

The short-haired girl ran at full speed. After arriving near Su Xiao, she performed an emergency brake and then slipped and fell.

"..."

"..."

Su Xiao and Luen didn't speak. Luen even lowered his head and covered his face with one hand, as if saying that this "silly" person was not from their Arcane Eternal Star.

"I'm sorry, I used the wrong teleportation device."

The short-haired girl, Green Wei, expressed her apology with extreme sincerity.

"Your name?"

Su Xiao spoke. Hearing this, Green Wei shivered in her heart. She subconsciously thought that this Saint Flame Pharmacist was going to complain to her mentor later.

"My name is... Luen."

The second half of Green Wei's sentence was a bit small. After speaking, she turned her head slightly with a guilty conscience.

"Damn it!"

Luen, who was sitting on the magic energy guard more than ten meters away, had good hearing. He said angrily: "Her name is Green Wei, she is Mentor Sefilia's apprentice, and she lives in the lakeside dormitory."

Hearing this, Green Wei closed her eyes in despair.

"Oh? Green... Wei."

After Su Xiao looked Green Wei up and down, he let her lead the way in front.

Green Wei asked tentatively: "Mr. Saint Flame, you won't complain to my mentor, will you?"

"No."

"Really? You are such a good person. Let me tell you, I was just too nervous..."

Green Wei gradually returned to her previous lively appearance and started leading the way in front.

"Mr. Saint Flame, look, that is the tallest 'Magic Energy Tower' in our Arcane Eternal Star. It is over 1200 meters high. If any thief comes to commit a crime, one shot can blow the thief into nothingness."

Green Wei pointed to the "Magic Energy Tower" standing in the distance, already incarnated as a little tour guide.

"My mentor also said before that when you come, she would take you to visit the 'Silver Moon Lake'. My mentor... mentor, mentor!!"

Green Wei suddenly stopped because, due to the previous incident, she had forgotten her mentor who was still waiting at the No. 3 "Gate of Law" to personally welcome Saint Flame Pharmacist.

At this moment, Green Wei suddenly felt that the world was dim, and her life was also dim.

"Mr. Saint Flame, compared to going to the 'Silver Moon Lake', we should visit the 'Gate of Law' more."

"..."

Su Xiao didn't speak, just stopped walking.

Ten minutes later, in front of the No. 3 "Gate of Law," under the guidance of the extremely uneasy Green Wei, Su Xiao stopped here.

Su Xiao came behind a group of spellcasters in front. These spellcasters looked at the Gate of Law in front from time to time. The few people at the very front were even holding welcome banners, but these banners were held crookedly; after all, they were still in the preparation stage.

"Why haven't they come yet?"

"Not sure. Calculating the time, they should have arrived."

"Waiting here since morning, Lord Sefilia really knows how to order people around."

"Shut up, you lazy ghost of the Elemental School."

More than a hundred spellcasters, both men and women, discussed in low voices. Being in the Arcane Eternal Star, their perception was in the most relaxed state, and they didn't notice that a figure was already sitting on the steps at the very back, while Green Wei beside him had an expression as if she were about to die.

The scene became extremely magical. At the very front, Sefilia, wearing golden-white robes and looking at the Gate of Law, gradually frowned. Normally, the guest she was to welcome should have arrived half an hour ago, but now they hadn't come. Not only did the guest not come, but the apprentice she sent to the other side of the Gate of Law also didn't return.

This gave Sefilia an ominous premonition. She suspected that Saint Flame Pharmacist had been assassinated or something similar. After this thought appeared, she decided to go outside the Gate of Law to see the situation.

"You guys, come with me to..."

Sefilia had just turned her gaze when she saw the figure sitting on the steps behind everyone, as well as Green Wei beside him, whose soul seemed to be floating out of her mouth, about to ascend to heaven.

Sefilia narrowed her eyes. After looking carefully, she signaled the waiting spellcasters to disperse.

After all the welcomers left, Sefilia stepped forward and said: "Mr. Saint Flame, welcome to the Arcane Eternal Star."

"Hmm."

"Mr. Saint Flame has come from afar. Would you like to live in a quieter residence, or be neighbors with other distinguished guests?"

"Let's be with others."

"Okay."

As Sefilia spoke, the ring on her little finger lit up with a faint light. The next instant, everything around them changed abruptly.

The scent of water vapor and grass appeared around them. Washinoki Washinoki Jishi of meters away was a lakeside dormitory. Calling it a dormitory, it was actually exceptionally luxurious. More importantly, this place was one of the student accommodation areas of the "Zhongshi Academy," so there was no need to say anything about safety.

"The distinguished guests this time are all settled here. Mr. Saint Flame, please choose a guest room."

After Sefilia raised her hand, several room keys appeared, floating neatly.

Su Xiao chose one at random, then looked at the boundless lake and asked: "This lake has a unique aura. What is this?"

"This is Silver Moon Lake."

"Oh."

Su Xiao walked towards the lakeside dormitory. After going up to the third floor and passing through a corridor with windows on one side, he opened the door with the key.

Seeing this, Sefilia, who brought Green Wei here, said: "The journey was exhausting. I won't disturb Mr. Saint Flame's rest."

Leaving this sentence, Sefilia left with Green Wei.

The door behind him closed. Su Xiao looked around the layout of the room. The carpet was spotless, the furnishings were antique, and the curtains were thick. After closing the curtains, the room was pitch black. The bathroom and toilet were separate, and there were two bedrooms.

Su Xiao sat on a single sofa. As he expected, the Arcane Eternal Star did not conduct layer-by-layer checks, but this did not mean that subsequent probes would be few.

Besides that, the girl named Green Wei seemed to do some "silly" things, but if one thought about it differently, this might also be a kind of probe.

In a serious occasion, everyone would remain vigilant, but in the face of a coincidence that was both funny and magical, most people would relax their vigilance for a moment.

A moment later, Su Xiao stood up. He took off his coat, threw it on the sofa, went out into the corridor, and looked at the lake outside the window.

Silver Moon Lake.

Su Xiao absolutely didn't believe that this lake with a moonlight aura had nothing to do with the Silver Moon Wolf.

"Meow."

Beni on Su Xiao's shoulder cried, meaning that it just heard someone open the door of the room next door. It seemed that other guests invited by the Arcane Eternal Star had arrived.

Just at this moment, the door next door opened, and a figure in a light-colored long dress walked out. After looking at Su Xiao, the other party walked towards the stairs in the middle of the corridor.

Su Xiao continued to look out the window. He felt that compared to the welcome ceremony of the Arcane Eternal Star, the neighbor he encountered now was even more wonderful. The one living next door to him was actually the Goddess of Luck. ===== CHAPTER 3584 =====