The Great Canyon Margaret sprawled like a jagged tear across the Inlan Dukedom and its neighboring realms, its cliffs stark and black under a sky heavy with dust-laden clouds. The air was sharp with grit, carrying a faint pulse of rogue magic that seemed to hum from the ravines below.
Outside the Broken Axe Pub in Angler Town, its warped sign creaking above a door that reeked of sour ale, Leylin stood, his dark robes catching the wind, his black eyes fixed on the canyon's distant maw. It was his path forward.
Magi who braved the canyon on foot were outcasts, criminals dodging vengeful factions or running from those who coveted their possessions. The Broken Axe Pub was the only place to hire a Seated Lupin Wolf, the beast built to endure the canyon's brutal terrain.
Sandstorms raged without mercy, swallowing the unwary, while swamps festered with venomous insects, dragging down horses and men. Even Magi perished in its deadliest stretches.
Hence, forming a group and riding the Seated Lupin Wolf was the only way to cross the Great Canyon Margaret.
Leylin joined a group arranged by the pub, a cluster of hooded Magi radiating Rank 1 auras. They were short a few members, and though Leylin's arrival bolstered their numbers, they insisted on waiting for one more companion Leylin agreed not pressing for starting an early journey, unlike them he wasn't being chased a few weeks don't matter to him.
Leylin rented a stone house in Angler Town, its walls slick with the town's rotting stench, and set to work on brand rune circuits for Greem and Dexter.
A month later, in a sparse room lit by a single crystal lamp, the air thick with the acrid bite of alchemical reagents, Leylin stood before Greem and Dexter. The Grand Knights were rigid as spears, their bodies radiating energy waves pulsing with life force, a power that surpassed their former Grand Knight rank.
The stone floor was cold, the walls bare save for a workbench cluttered with vials and etched slates, the lamp's glow casting sharp shadows across their faces.
"What are the results of the Saint Knight techniques that I taught you previously?" Leylin asked, his voice devoid of inflection.
"Master! After using the secret techniques along with the potions from before, we both felt life force start to flow through us, our vitality also became increasingly stronger," Greem said, his voice steady, eyes fixed on Leylin.
Dexter nodded. "Our strength builds daily."
In the past few months, Leylin had been constantly modifying the brands, runes, and potions through the modifications made by the A.I. Chip. This had allowed him to gain a lot of fruitful experiment results.
A month ago, Leylin had formally started to experiment on their bodies, the journey ahead was treacherous and their current strength was inadequate.
Although starting experimentation now has a high risk of failure because of this being his first set of live experimentation in Saint Knight, he still decided to go ahead with it.
Greem and Dexter both immediately agreed to be a part of this experiment, understanding their pitiful predicament being essentially useless to their master.
Leylin has already decreed the seven young Knights to be left behind, although they are young and talented, it takes 500 magic crystals to book a single Seated Lupin Wolf.
Although Leylin can easily afford to book a few of them, there is no meaning in this. Instead, he told them to stay here and make a living as adventurers, also look after Ivy if possible.
Leylin has inserted the Saint Knight Meditation technique inside their mind as well, with which they can reach Grand Knight peak level, and needs Leylin to help create them a magical circle to breakthrough to Saint Knight.
If they can reach Grand Knight peak level, they might have a chance to escape this place and rejoin his circle of servants.
Watching the seven Knights being exiled, the rest of the slaves started to work hard frantically, and thanks to Leylin's potions —Fraser, Faisal, Fred, and Mandal all four broke through to Grand Knight level, while Dexter and Greem volunteered for early experiments.
"Is it seems everything is fine so far?" Leylin said, noting a decrease in their vitality, but ignoring it.
"Remove your clothes!" Leylin ordered.
Crash! The two removed their body armor without any thoughts after hearing their master's order, metal armor making a racket as it hit the ground, revealing completely unclothed bodies.
Their bodyline was supple but well developed, every inch of their flesh hiding an astonishing explosive power. Their bodies were akin to perfectly sculpted statues. However, there were elements that offset their aesthetic appearance from being perfect.
Leylin's gaze was completely focused on the interweaving brand on their body. He scrutinized their rune circuit.
The bodies of his subordinates were covered with deep, black brands. Near these brands were some twisting scars. It seemed as if a branding iron was the source of the brands and scars.
With close observation, the brands looked like a centipede climbing, while their chest and lower abdomen regions formed an extremely peculiar rune.
"The Knights' physical qualities have had drastic improvements and are also able to train their life force. The previous stagnant powers are starting to rapidly improve!" Leylin said, his voice flat, registering the experiment's success.
'The only off side is decrease in vitality, they can't use their full strength for an extended period. They must also recuperate for a time to regain the magical concentration. Worst, each time they use their strength they would come closer to death.'
The ancient Branded Swordsmen were similar to the bloodline Warlocks and elemental bards, which were among the stronger professions of the sub-branch of the Magi. Their specialties were their physical defense and offensive powers, which were regarded as their enemies' nightmares.
Moreover, the combination of the Branded Swordsman and magicians was an eternal nightmare for many worlds. If the Branded Swordsman could perform crowd control, then the Magi behind them would have the time to prepare the formidable power of magic in order to change a given situation.
Moreover, the power of an official Branded Swordsman was equivalent to that of at least a Rank 1 Magus!
"It's alright for now, I still need to stabilize the runes, there is some issue there. For now, get dressed and get ready, we are leaving today," Leylin said, his voice steady, already shifting focus to the journey.
...
Dawn broke over Angler Town, the sky a pale sheet streaked with faint light, the air crisp with the tang of dust. At the town's edge, a crowd of Acolytes gathered, their robes fluttering in the morning breeze, their faces etched with respect and sincerity.
Their voices murmured in low reverence, hands raised in farewell, as nine figures rode out astride Seated Lupin Wolves.
The beasts were monstrous, their matte black fur gleaming in the early light, crowned with patches of red fur on their heads. Two golden-yellow rings adorned their forelimbs, linked securely to iron collars around their necks.
Each wolf stood over five meters tall and two meters wide, their vicious maws snarling, every step spanning several meters, their movements swift and relentless.
The wolves' backs bore two hump-like bulges, shaped for travelers to rest, the coarse fur beneath shifting with each stride.
These Seated Lupin Wolves were provided by the Broken Axe Pub at the rate of five hundred magic crystals per wolf. After reaching the destination, the travelers would release them, and they would run back to where they came from.
At this moment, Leylin was seated comfortably on the back of a wolf, rising and falling with its strong, healthy gait, his eyes half-closed, seizing the opportunity to rest. The wolf's muscles rippled beneath him, its breath a steady huff in the morning chill.
He has commanded all his Grand Knights to follow him, renting two extra Seated Lupin Wolves for their transport.
Although his traveling companions snickered at his expenses, nobody commented. Grand Knight-level slaves aren't very cheap, costing 500 magic crystals each; one Seated Lupin Wolf can carry three of them, so it isn't a waste of money, but it was disdainful in their eyes when Leylin even took a woman with him, Anna no less on his own wolf.
Leylin paid no heed to them at all. He turned back to look at the seven Knights who were saluting him, their arms raised in rigid farewell, their faces set with determination. Leylin turned his gaze away without any reaction.
To let them live was already merciful in a way; these seven were a bad investment, but if even one of them is able to become a Grand Knight, return to him, and successfully become a Branded Swordsman in the future, it would be worth it.
Even though Leylin was traveling on the Seated Lupin Wolf, traversing the Grand Canyon Margaret would require at least two months. Thinking about this, Leylin took a look at the members of his group.
Due to the fact that the group was only a temporary one, in addition to the wariness of the magicians, more than half of the group members' faces had been concealed. Only an old, white-haired geezer and a voluptuous female magician did not conceal their countenances.
Other magicians were the same as Leylin, with half of their faces wrapped, and appearing cold and detached. All of these magicians emitted the energy waves of a Rank 1 Magus.
The Great Canyon Margaret was too dangerous for any Acolytes, so apart from any special circumstances, Acolytes seldom chose this route.
The roasting sun shone with a comfortable warmth onto his body, causing Leylin to crave a good sleep. As the surroundings turned dark green, the short shrubs bowed down to the Seated Lupin Wolf as they passed.
The Great Canyon Margaret was extremely vast, spanning across several kingdoms. Moreover, rumors had it that originally, there was no great canyon and that in fact, it had been formed by two unknown, high-ranked Magi fighting.
Looking down from the sky, the Great Canyon Margaret seemed like a wound created on the body of the south coast. The Grand Canyon Margaret suffered from strange geographical conditions and an ever-changing natural climate.