Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  "Yes, Master Castellan."

  After watching the three men leave, Gerian's expression was somewhat odd.

  "Laugh if you want, why try so hard to hold it in. Aren't you scared you'll suffer internal injuries from holding it in…" Lin Li pouted and moved closer out of curiosity. "Come, come, tell me what exactly happened. Why did the Castellan address you as uncle? Could it be that you really know his father?"

  "That's of course!" Gerian's face was boastful. "The Castellan said it personally. His father saw me 20 years ago; apparently he instructed me. Damn it, so many mages instructed me 20 years ago, how would I know which one was his father?"

  "So, you became his uncle?" Lin Li's eyes were glazed and expression dazed. He took a look at Gerian in front of him and thought of the Castellan's age. He looked up to the heavens and sighed heavily. This shameless old man…

  "You can't blame me. He was the one who wanted to pull strings. Since he wants it, then I'll give him the chance. Besides, he's so enthusiastic. If I don't become his uncle, he might be very disappointed…"

  Lin Li felt a heartfelt admiration at his words. "You are a genius…"

  As the old and the young were whispering away, another deal was completed in the hall.

  This time, it was still the beautiful young woman and a mage family who competed, only this time, the beautiful young woman's rival was not the Rolin Family, but the Carreca Family. The result was still the same—when the price was raised to 230,000, the beautiful thief leader was defeated again.

  Lin Li took a glance at Daphne and concluded in a low voice, "She has no chance anymore."

  Gerian was stunned for a moment, and asked surprised, "How do you know?"

  "Didn't you realize? Both times when the price was at tens of thousand, she would raise it to 200,000 all of a sudden. She should be trying to scare off the opponent, but to little avail. If my guess is correct, she only has exactly 200,000 gold coins with her. If I can see this, the other mage families can see it as well. Just look, if she participates in the next contest again, someone would surely second-kill her with a direct 200,000."

  Lin Li was indeed correct. When the second round of auction began, Daphne was once again the first person to offer a bid.

  "100,000!"

  "210,000!" Contending with her was the Merlin Family. It was the mage in red robe whom Gerian described as "hussy", the third son of the Merlin Family. He quoted the startling price without so much as wrinkling his brows.

  So, the hall fell into dead silence…

  Although Daphne's expression was awful, she did not offer a higher price. Not to mention Gerian, even the mages who were sitting at the side understood that the thief leader indeed could not take out more money.

  "Damn!" Gerian blurted out a swear. This kid was too accurate.

  "210,000 going once!

  "210,000 going twice!

  "210,000 going thrice!" The gavel in Kevin's hand dropped heavily on the table. "Deal! Congratulations, Mr Evan!"

  This was probably the weirdest auction of the day, with only a total of two bids from the start. The increment was unprecedentedly big—it was 50,000 higher than the starting bid, and a 110,000 increment at once…

  However, after a brief silence, Kevin pushed the auction to a climax with a message.

  "In order to get enough Arcane Magic Potion for everyone to buy, the guild has decided to take out another three bottles of Arcane Magic Potion for everyone to bid on. And the next auction will be a one-shot sale of ten bottles!" No one had expected the Guild of Magic to be this bold, going from three bottles to ten bottles at once. Even with the additional three bottles, there would only be two opportunities for them to contend.

  "You taught him?" Lin Li glanced at Gerian strangely. When did the old man learn to be so clever, knowing to play the game of killing three warriors with two peaches.

  "Heh heh. I used telepathy to inform him just now…" Gerian laughed in a gratified manner. "Three big families but only two chances. I'll see how they're going to compete…"

  "Brilliant!"

  Chapter 43 - Conjurer Reuben

  Gerian had indeed executed a brilliant maneuver this time.

  Among the three major mage families in Jarrosus, except for the Merlin Family that had taken a whirl earlier on, the Mannes Family and the Saruman Family had not even made a move. The reason for their inaction was not hard to imagine—as one of Jarrosus three major mage families, they knew each other through and through and shared an unspoken understanding. The three families knew how many bottles each should take, and no one would undermine this tacit understanding.

  Too bad Gerian would not give them the opportunity. You liked to play modestly? Then I'd simply give you a push. The Merlin Family had taken three bottles just now and would surely not be satisfied. Everyone knew they had the most level-four apprentices. The other two families had not taken any bottle and would be even less likely to give up. This was the Arcane Magic Potion: if the opportunity was missed, who knew when the next one would come.

  This time, it would be impossible for the three families not to fight at close range, even if that was not what they wished for…

  There seemed to be a hint of smoke in the quiet hall.

  The three families were sitting at the first row, not far away from one another. They had occasionally exchanged a few words at the start of the auction. But as the alarming news came out, each of the three parties seemed to have erected an invisible wall around them. No one was in the mood for talks anymore; their eyes fell on Kevin, waiting for the small wooden gavel to drop…

  The atmosphere in the hall became a little stifling at once, like the panic-stricken feeling one would get before the storm struck.

  By this point in time, the six underground forces and the eight mage families had lost all their chances to contend in the auction. Their wealth and power were a far cry from the three big mage families'. In fact, even if they had had the chance, they would not have dared to step forward. In the entire Jarrosus City, who would dare to challenge the three giants head on besides the Guild of Magic?

  The quiet guild hall was meant to be the stage for the three big families.

  But they were still feeling nervous. The auction of the Arcane Magic Potion would likely change the currents in Jarrosus City. Even a small detail might decide the life and death of thousands of people.

  "See, the guy in front wearing a black mage robe and covering his head with a hood is the patriarch of the Saruman Family, Reuben Saruman." The only people who were not tense would probably be the old and young hiding in the back. Gerian looked relaxed, stretching his chubby fingers out toward the front row and patiently introducing VIPs to Lin Li.

  Lin Li took a glance from a distance and found the aura coming out from the leader of the Saruman Family a little peculiar. It was pure feeling, not about strength nor magical wave. It was just sheer sense that this person was weird, as if he was dead, and however you looked at it, it'd always give you an uncomfortable feeling.

  "You felt it too?" Gerian chuckled as he saw the bewildered look on Lin Li's face. "Strictly speaking, this fellow is not really a real mage. He's actually a conjurer!"

  "Conjurer?" Lin Li was startled by that word, and thought of McGrenn and his daughter. "You mean, he's skilled in curse spells?"

  "That's right. Isn't it weird, the leader of a mage family is in fact a conjurer…"

  "You have insider information?" Lin Li knew the old man had to have some insider information judging from the look on his face.

  "Actually, it's not really an insider information, almost half of Jarrosus City knows about it." There was some fear in Gerian's voice. "In Jarrosus City, other than that old bastard Matthew, Reuben is the one I fear the most. This fellow didn't have any magical talent when he was young; he was still a level-four apprentice at 20. At that time, not to mention us, even his father had given up on him.

  "Not long after his 25th birthday, Old Saruman announced his successor: Reuben's
half-brother, Sosa. On the day Old Saruman announced the news, Reuben disappeared from Jarrosus City. His disappearance lasted for five years. No one knew where he went, and no one knew what he did in that five years. He did not return to Jarrosus until he was 30."

  At this point, Gerian paused slightly before he continued, "After he returned, the first thing he did was killing. From his half-brother to his father, those who were qualified for the position of the patriarch were killed off by him in a night. After that, Reuben had the whole family tightly controlled in his hands with his iron fist. In the subsequent 30 years, he had even brought the then-small Saruman Family to become one of the three biggest families in Jarrosus today!"

  "Ruthless!" This was Lin Li's only comment on Reuben Saruman.

  "This guy is a lunatic." Gerian shook his head. There was a sense of frustration in his tone as he said, "Although Matthew is formidable, at least he has a weakness we can grasp. For example, his brothers and son. But this lunatic from the Sarumans, there's really nothing I can do with him. Unless you have an absolute power that can kill him with a flip of your hands… But this lunatic knows how to endure, and he will not provoke an invincible enemy unless he is absolutely confident."

  Lin Li did not pay much attention to Gerian's final comment, for he had another thing on his mind.

  Did the curse on McGrenn have something to do with the Saruman Family?

  But after much deliberation, Lin Li could not figure out any possible reason behind it. McGrenn and his daughter were merely ordinary adventurers—their strength was only at a level-five or six. Wealth and power were far from the answer as well. With Reuben Saruman's status, there was no reason he'd want anything from them.

  While Lin Li was racking his brains, Kevin announced the climax of the auction.

  "Ten bottles of Arcane Magic Potion, starting bid 100,000 gold coins. Let the bidding start!"

  "110,000 gold coins!"

  "Right. Felic, you must know this person. The ric.h.e.s.t man in the whole Jarrosus City all the way till Felan Kingdom, the patriarch of the Mannes Family: Ysera Mannes!

  "The Mannes Family?" On hearing the name, Lin Li couldn't help but think of the Gilded Rose that had bloomed over Jarrosus. If he hadn't seen the staff selling for thousands of gold coins in the Gilded Rose, he would not have thought of concocting potions to make money. But the funny thing was that after circling a round, that money would be made on Gilded Rose…

  Chapter 44 - Ysera

  Lin Li looked up and cast a glance, only to find that the owner of the Gilded Rose seemed a little too young. He looked to be in his twenties and not quite 30. He was handsome, fair, and refined, exuding a scholarly aura that would leave a good impression on people.

  "Why is he so young?" Lin Li was rather surprised, and even slightly stunned for a moment.

  "What can he do? His father died too early and he didn't have many sons."

  "He's not older than Kevin, right?"

  "Two years younger than Kevin, but he's much more promising than him. The boy was only 20 when he took over the Mannes Family. At the time, us old fellows thought that the Mannes Family would be weakened this time. But who knew that, for all these years, not only did the Mannes Family not decline, it was more prosperous than in his father's hands." As Gerian spoke, he shot a discontented glare at Lin Li. "It makes me angry just thinking about it. Damn it, what kind of world are we living in? Why is Jarrosus full of this kind of demons? A few years ago it was Ysera, and now there's you, a little bastard even more demonic…"

  "…" Lin Li scratched his head, wondering whom he had offended…

  "Speaking of which, it's odd. The boy has been in charge of the Mannes Family for seven years but has not fought even once. No one knows what his actual strength is. You know Old Odin. A few years ago, due to some business strife, the old fellow sent a few assassins to sound him out. In the end, none of the people he sent returned, and a few days later, his beard was shaved while he was asleep. The old fellow woke up in the middle of the night and was scared silly on the spot. He ran over to the Mannes' house overnight, begging for mercy, and apologized for what he did. Only then was the matter finally settled."

  While the two men were talking, the price for the ten bottles of Arcane Magic Potion was raised to 400,000.

  "450,000." Reuben Saruman always seemed to have a gloomy chill around him. Every time Lin Li heard him bid, he'd feel a chill creeping over his body.

  "480,000!" Ysera's smile was gentle like a breath of fresh air, but his bid was firm and quick: he raised the price by 30,000 almost as soon as Reuben's voice fell.

  Reuben Saruman was also a ruthless character; if not, he wouldn't have killed his father and brother in one night. An emaciated arm was raised from under the black mage robe. "550,000."

  This astonishing price was not enough to scare off the wealthiest man of Jarrosus. The emaciated arm was barely down when Ysera Mannes raised the price by another 30,000 yet again. "580,000."

  "650,000!"

  "Damn!"

  The people in the guild's hall went completely mad as soon as the new price was out. The group of mages looked at each other and wondered if they had misheard. Lin Li drew in a cold breath and pinched his t.h.i.g.hs forcefully. Even Gerian, who was sitting beside him, couldn't help clutching the armrest of the chair and yammered under his breath, "Too exciting… too exciting…"

  "Mr Kevin, please hold for a moment." Ysera Mannes did not continue his bid, but requested for a break instead. "I remembered President Gerian said that if we're tight on cash, we could use items to replace it. Is that right, Mr Kevin?"

  The hall fell silent all of a sudden, and all eyes were on Ysera Mannes. This sentence was much more shocking than the Saruman Family's bid. No one had thought that the second one who admitted that he did not have enough cash apart from Anthony Rolin would be Ysera Mannes—the wealthiest man in Jarrosus City!

  "You are right, Chief Ysera…"

  "Then, I would like President Gerian to evaluate how much this set of mage equipment is worth."

  The young patriarch gave a quick order and his attendants quickly brought in a set of equipment.

  There were three pieces in this set—a staff inlaid with a level-eight magical crystal, a black rune mage robe, and a mithril necklace hung with a singing crystal.

  Gerian stared at the set of equipment without saying a word, but in his heart, he was berating him, Damn you, pretty boy, are you trying to make fun of me?

  The stuff was good, all three pieces of equipment were excellent products—particularly the mithril necklace. Normal mages would be envious should they even get a look at it.

  However, it was the auction for Arcane Magic Potion now.

  Such an underachieving set of equipment would only reap in 20,000 gold coins from the Gilded Rose at most. In a business involving thousands of hundreds gold coins, these twenty or thirty thousand gold coins would not even create bubbles, much less if he wanted to pay with it. More like paying with life…

  Everyone was in their own state of mind when the young rich man spoke again.

  "To be frank, President Gerian, the Mannes Family is tight on cash recently." The smile on the young patriarch's fair face was gentle as always, but the words spoken next sent the Saruman Family into complete despair. "Therefore, we would like to use a hundred sets like this to exchange for ten bottles of Arcane Magic Potion. What do you say, President Gerian?"

  "100… 100 sets?" Gerian swallowed his saliva with great difficulty.

  "Yes, 100 sets."

  "Deal!"

  The hall was frighteningly quiet. This had to be the most absurd scene of the auction. The whole deal was not even validated by Kevin's gavel, but not one present doubted the validity of it. What struck them as absurd was the Mannes Family using 100 set of excellent equipment just to exchange for ten bottles of Arcane Magic Potion. They had even wondered if the young patriarch had gone mad…

  And with the absurdity came the unprecedented sense of cr
isis.

  The Guild of Magic today could be described as the sun at high noon. They had one of the most powerful mages in Jarrosus City and a real pharmacist. On top of this terrifying power, the Mannes Family gifted them a hundred sets of powerful magic equipment…

  The leaders of several forces felt their heads numb just thinking about it. What a horrifying force would it be with 100 well-equipped mages?

  Moreover, the leaders of these forces were not fools. After the initial sense of absurdity had passed, they quickly came to realize that the Mannes Family would not be doing a losing business for no reason. After taking out the 100 sets of excellent equipment, they would surely form a series of collaborations with the Guild of Magic. Everyone had the same idea in mind as they thought of the collaboration of these two giants: there was going to be a change of weather in Jarrosus City…

  It was the ric.h.e.s.t man in Jarrosus City on one side, and the most powerful mage in Jarrosus City on the other. Before the faces that carried a variety of expressions, two hands were clasped tightly together.

  "President Gerian, I have a small request," the young patriarch spoke in a soft voice as he held Gerian's hand. "I wonder if you can introduce me to the young pharmacist in your guild?"

  "This is perhaps the only thing I can't decide. I'll have to ask him before I can make a decision…" Gerian's expression was helpless. Indeed, he couldn't call the shots in this matter. Lin Li could be said to be the most unique member in the Guild of Magic. No one could force him to do the things he didn't want to—including Gerian. Everyone knew that without this young mage, there would be no future for the guild.

  "Then that's too bad…" Ysera was regretful, but quickly regained his smile. "Then, could I trouble you to tell the pharmacist that I happen to have a big deal on hand and am in need of three Magicka Potions? If he's willing to help, the reward will be absolutely satisfactory for him. He can choose any three items from the collection of the Mannes Family!"