by Zhuang Bifan
That abhorrent look fell into the eyes of the redheaded beauty, and she was as annoyed as she could be. She cursed in her heart, Just a scoundrel getting his own way, I'll show you who's good sooner or later.
However, she could not hold back her curiosity. The redheaded beauty, who was as proud as a swan, had to put down her pride temporarily. "May I ask, what is the curse?"
Lin Li was highly satisfied with "may I ask". It was like having a cold drink in the dog days, the satisfaction going down from the top of his head to his feet. The fellow was dizzily immersed in it for a while before pointing out in a self-important way as if he was the senior. "Look carefully, a black line like this extending from the arm to the heart is called the Twilight Curse. No matter how powerful a creature is, once the Twilight Curse has fallen upon it, it will inevitably fall into a deep slumber and be gradually weakened in its sleep… until death."
Seeing how Lin Li was revelling in self-satisfaction, the redheaded beauty felt even more humiliated. After cursing silently "scoundrel got his way", she was quickly attracted by Lin Li's words.
The redheaded beauty was born to an ill.u.s.trious family and had been instructed by a famous teacher. She had reached a strength of level-ten and above at such a young age. Her high attainments in medical skills far surpassed those of others. As a teenager, she had even received pointers from a pharmacist.
But she had never heard of the so-called Twilight Curse, nor had she thought that this Twilight Curse could kill people in their sleep.
Everything the young mage had said seemed to be from another world to her.
At the beginning, the redheaded beauty was slightly miffed, thinking that this young mage had made up some lies to deceive her and there was no such thing as Twilight Curse in the world.
But as Lin Li talked about the Twilight Curse, the redheaded beauty was finally moved. After all, she had been instructed by a pharmacist, and knew that there were some things in the world that could not be invented out of thin air.
Even if the Twilight Curse was fake, when it came to details, he would never deceive a real expert. Some of the things mentioned by this young mage were no different from those mentioned by the pharmacist who had instructed her. It was even more detailed and clearly explained than the pharmacist had at some points.
The redheaded beauty had a mix of emotions in her heart, somewhat surprised and somewhat filled with admiration. But when she saw how c.o.c.ky Lin Li looked, she felt a sense of shame and anger once more.
"Anyway, this is what happened. This Twilight Curse is not a big problem, but it is not something you doctors can touch. I say, redheaded little sis, go back and be the quack doctor you are; don't come out for nothing and harm others." Regardless of her emotions, Lin Li was not at all polite to come to a conclusion after the long speech. But, he had spent too much time with Gerian, and became unforgiving in his words.
"You called me a quack!?" The redheaded beauty's apricot eyes were wide open, and a look of disbelief came across her face. She was born ill.u.s.trious and possessed strong abilities. Since young, no one had dared to say a single harsh word to her—except her teachers. Since the opening of the hospital, countless lives had been saved by her. There had only been words praising her superb medical skills, and no one had ever told her she was a quack.
Never had she imagined that, this day at Ina's house, this young mage would have thrown out that word so easily. Recalling his c.o.c.ky manner earlier on, the redheaded beauty could no longer contain her anger anymore.
In her wrath, the pair of beautiful eyes divulged boundless killing intent. A strong aura erupted from her; the red anger was like a flame that filled the air. From a distance, the redheaded beauty was as if a phoenix bathing in fire.
Chapter 35 - Concoction
Lin Li did not budge under the oppression of such strong anger; the words he uttered were not at all polite. "Why? Starting a fight because you can't outspeak me? You couldn't even find out the cause of Mr McGrenn's illness, yet you had the audacity to say you'll be responsible for his treatment. What do you think this is? This is not just any beast, it's a human life! Have you ever thought what you will do if I'm chased out by you and you couldn't cure Mr McGrenn? I really don't know how your teacher has taught you, treating someone's life as a joke. How are you not a quack?"
"I—"
The killing intent coming from the redheaded beauty subsided slightly, but her pretty face was flushed. She wanted to defend herself, but was rudely interrupted by Lin Li.
"What I? Are you going to say you'll find a way for sure? Alright, alright. I'll take it as saying you'll come up with a way sooner or later. But please open your eyes, look closely at Mr McGrenn's condition now, and think if he has the time to wait till you've found a solution!"
What Lin Li hated most in his life was quack doctors ruining the life of someone. If it hadn't been for a darned quack, his father would not have been left with a lifelong disability. Although his father had escaped death, pain and disgust for quacks were deeply engraved in Lin Li's heart, and could not be erased no matter what. When he was questioning the redheaded beauty, Lin Li had unconsciously taken her as the darned quack.
"It was your ridiculous doubt that nearly caused Mr McGrenn to lose his life. What do you treat yourself as, and what do you treat your patients as? You say you're not a quack; then what are you, a killer?" By the end, Lin Li was livid, and his tone was filled with endless resentment. It was as if the one standing in front of him was not a charming beauty, but the quack who had crippled his father for life.
The words were so serious that the redheaded beauty wavered because of them.
Lying on the sickbed, McGrenn's face was ghastly pale and his body gaunt; every breath he took seemed to exhaust all his strength. Looking at how extremely feeble McGrenn was, the redheaded beauty lost confidence for the first time. She asked herself repeatedly, Can McGrenn really wait till I find a way?
The answer to her question was cruel—absolutely not.
She didn't even know what the Twilight Curse was—don't even mention coming up with a way to break it. And McGrenn, who was lying on the sickbed, most likely couldn't even wait another day…
If this young mage really had the ability to save people, but was repeatedly stalled and even driven away by her, then wouldn't the result be…
The redheaded beauty was stunned by the possibility.
The curling flame was gradually put out and the aura of a level-ten power also vanished without a trace. The redheaded beauty at the moment was like a little girl who had done something wrong. She pulled Ina into a tight hug; her voice had a tinge of sob in it. "Sorry, Ina… I… I really wanted to help Uncle McGrenn… I've never thought… I've really never thought of…"
"Sister Rowling, I know, I know…" Ina held the redheaded beauty's shoulders and comforted her.
"If you know you're wrong, then go hide in a corner and cry. Don't get in the way here, it's tiresome." Lin Li shot a cold glance at her and paid her no more heed.
The control of dosage for the Purifying Potion was somewhat troublesome; Lin Li dared not allow himself even the slightest negligence. After a meticulous calculation of the amount of silver hairgrass and sungrass to be used, he took two terocones and twisted them in his hands. With tens of thousands of concoctions done in the past, Lin Li had developed a s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e feel in his hands. With the two terocones in hand, Lin Li knew at once that the amount was too much. So, he took out a silver knife from his pockets and gingerly cut one of the terocones in half.
After finishing up all these, a beaker suddenly appeared in Lin Li's hand. Neither Ina nor the redheaded beauty could tell exactly how the beaker came to be there; the whole process seemed like a magic trick.
With a twitch of his wrist, the terocone fell into the beaker, followed by a Gas Blast Spell. Lin Li had controlled it carefully, releasing his mana bit by bit, turning an aggressive Gas Blast Spell into a slow compress. If Gerian had seen this scene, it would
probably surprise him again. Such a subtle mana control would probably take at least a decade for an average mage to achieve.
Under the compression of the Gas Blast Spell, the two terocones began to deform slowly. As the mana released by Lin Li slowly increased, the two round terocones eventually turned into two thin pieces.
With a gentle pick of the silver knife, the two pieces of terocone peel were picked out. The clear beaker was brimming with thick terocone succus.
Looking at the bizarre scene in front of her, the redheaded beauty, with tears still in her eyes, could not help but ask timidly, "What… What are you doing?"
"None of your damned business…" Lin Li, who was completely absorbed, paid no attention to her. After cursing rudely, he added the dreampetal into the beaker.
It was followed by the recitation of the Spell of Flaming Hands. As usual, Lin Li was careful in controlling his mana, only lighting a small flame on his hand, then slowly roasted the bottom of the beaker.
After the terocone succus began to boil, Lin Li carefully grabbed the silver hairgrass and sungrass. The two herbs were added into the beaker almost simultaneously, which was followed by white mist rising into the air and a strong medicinal smell permeating the room. Even warriors like Ina and the redheaded beauty were deeply moved by the divine power contained in it.
Lin Li fed half a beaker of Purifying Potion into McGrenn's mouth and massaged him for a while to make the potion work as soon as possible.
Hearing McGrenn's breathing gradually stabilize, Lin Li finally breathed out a long sigh of relief.
"Everything's fine, Ina. Mr McGrenn will wake up in about half an hour's time."
"Thank you, Mr Felic…" Ina was pleasantly surprised. Her lips were pursed as if she was about to cry.
"McGrenn is fine now, you should be happy. Why are you crying…" Lin Li kept the beaker into his pocket, then carefully reminded Ina, "Although he's fine now, his body will still be extremely weak. I reckon it might still take some time for him to recover. You had better persuade him not to take on any quests for the next two to three months."
"Mr Felic, thank you. If not for you, I wouldn't know what to do." Ina's eyes were filled with gratitude. "You've helped us so many times, but I have nothing to repay your kindness with…"
"What's there to thank for. If it weren't for your help in the begging, I could still be stuck in the Sunset Mountains. I should be the one thanking you both." Such was the character of Lin Li—clear about kindness and enmity. He would remember for life the kindness and grace he had received from someone. McGrenn and his daughter had helped him unintentionally, but Lin Li had kept it firmly in his mind.
"If there's nothing else, I'll get going. If not, when your father wakes, he's going to thank me without end again…" Lin Li packed his stuff, getting ready to return to the Guild of Magic.
"Tee hee!" Ina could not help but laugh at his funny remarks.
Lin Li insisted on leaving, so Ina could not make him stay and had to see him out of the door.
After watching Lin Li's figure fade into the distance, Ina returned upstairs with a hint of reluctance. As soon as she went upstairs, she heard Rowling's crying out an apology. "Ina… Sorry."
"It's alright, Sister Rowling. You were kind enough to want to save Father," Ina comforted her gently, and the redheaded beauty stopped crying.
"That mage earlier on, who is he? How did you two meet?" Rowling wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, but couldn't contain her curiosity with regards to Lin Li's identity.
"I've introduced him, he's Mr Felic. I met him when Father and I were in the Sunset Mountains. He's an impressive mage who helped me and Father many times. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to repay him…"
"Felic!" This time, Rowling had finally heard it clearly. Never had she expected that the young-looking mage from just now was actually Felic, the pharmacist who had been the subject of heated discussions in Jarrosus recently!
"Father and I had been pursued by a Wyvern. It was Mr Felic who had appeared suddenly and saved us. And, and… Afterwards, I was captured by a large gorilla…"
Ina recalled the days in the Sunset Mountains, but Rowling could not hear a thing she said. She was still reeling in shock.
It was no wonder he could see the cause of Mr McGrenn's illness at once and concoct such a peculiar potion. So he turned out to be a real pharmacist!
The alternate identity of the young mage came to her mind, and Rowling's fine eyebrows were knitted once more…
Chapter 36 - The Delayed Auction
Lin Li saw Kevin coming out of the door before he could enter the Emerald Tower.
"Felic, you're finally back…" Kevin wiped cold sweat off his forehead as he continued with a lingering fear in his heart, "If you had come back half an hour later, Uncle Gerian would have beat me to death!"
"What happened?"
"You went out in a hurry just now, so I forgot to tell you something." As they walked toward the Emerald Tower, Kevin explained the matter to Lin Li. "The auction for Arcane Magic Potion has been postponed!"
"Why?" Lin Li was taken by surprise. Could Gerian have taken the wrong medicine? This old fellow had waited for decades for the day when the Guild of Magic could finally hold its head up high. The 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion had given him the opportunity, how could he be willing to postpone it?
He had always thought that after the battle between Gerian and Old Merlin, those 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion would be sold. He was still thinking about when to ask for his bonus from Gerian on his way back to the Emerald Tower. Never did he expect the old fellow to delay the auction!
A bitter smile came across Kevin's face. "Because you weren't here…"
"What bird crap reason is this? He delayed it because I wasn't here?"
"That's what Uncle Gerian said. As for the real reason, he did not tell me, and I was too scared to ask…"
"…" Lin Li knew that Kevin was as scared of Gerian whenever he saw the fat old man as the mouse was of the cat. Since he said that he didn't know, then it had to be true. So, Lin Li did not pester him further. He instead asked, "Then, until when is it postponed?"
"Today, half an hour later. That's why I said earlier on that if you'd returned half an hour later, I would have been beat to death by Uncle Gerian." Kevin's fair face was full of joy. "That day, when Uncle Gerian found out you had locked yourself in the room, he said that you would complete your last breakthrough today. So, the new auction date has been set to today."
"Oh… Where is he now?"
"He just went to the reception room. He wanted me to tell you to look for him after you came out of the level certification hall, but I've forgotten about it…"
"Go and do what you have to do, I'll go look for him."
Gerian's chubby face came into his sight as soon as Lin Li stepped into the reception room.
"What excuse did you give?"
Gerian was taken aback. "What excuse?"
"The excuse to delay the Arcane Magic Potion auction!"
"Oh… Bad mood." Gerian was indifferent. "I've told them Old Merlin came fighting at our doorstep and it has made me very unhappy, so I delayed the auction for the Arcane Magic Potion."
"You're sick…" Lin Li wiped his sweat off secretly. Only Gerian could come up with this kind of excuse…
"Anyway, those 30 bottles of Arcane Magic Potion are still with the Guild of Magic. They can only watch with their mouths closed even if they have any dissatisfaction. Who would dare to talk about it in front of us…"
"What exactly is the reason?"
"Didn't I tell you, because you were not here." Gerian's expression was serious for the first time. "This auction will attract all the forces in Jarrosus. How can I introduce all these forces to you if you're not present?"
Lin Li was slightly puzzled. "Introduce to me for what?"
"I'm getting on age. I didn't want to admit it, but after the battle with Old Merlin that day, I knew I was really old. If
I were ten years younger, I wouldn't need your Awakening Potion. I could crush him with one hand!" Gerian seemed to be a little dispirited. "Think about it, I am 60 years old this year. At my age, how long can I continue to manage the guild? Sooner or later, the guild will have to change leaders. If the new President doesn't know what kind of forces Jarrosus has, how can he manage the guild?"
"You're very ill. Do you want me to prescribe some medicine for you?"
"I'm not joking!" Gerian fixed his eyes on Lin Li; he looked more serious than ever. "You know the guild has no one of use. Look at those useless bums in the guild: the old are too old and the young are too young. The old are mediocre and the young are fools. None of them will work out. My hair is all worried white for these bastards. Luckily, we brought you into the guild. The disciple of the legendary mage Andoine, a magic genius, a potion master… Other than you, who else is qualified for the position?"
"Kevin."
"Don't kid me. Kevin turns weak in the legs whenever he sees me—how will the guild listen to him? After you've taken over my position, you can ask Kevin to help you out. He's pretty good at running errands…"
Lin Li stared at the chubby face for a long time and finally confirmed that Gerian wasn't joking. "You're serious?"
"Absolutely."
"F*ck! Can you choose someone else? I can make do with something else, but the President? Maybe I'll lose all your money in a few years…"
"None of my damned business!" Gerian's eyes were wide open as he answered with no sense of responsibility at all. "By the time you lose the guild, I'll probably be dead already. Why would I still care about whatever flood there is after I die…"
"Definitely no!" Lin Li would not do it no matter what. He really didn't want to be the President of any guild. This was not an easy position. If you wanted to do it well, you'd be exhausted to death; it would not be tiring fooling around, but you'd probably be criticized to death. Lin Li did not want to be exhausted to death nor criticized to death, so not being the President would be the best choice.
