Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  Just as everyone was in their own thoughts, the monstrous flame brought on by the countless fire dragons dissipated at last.

  Only then did the crowd of guests discover that Bathrilor, who was supposed to be dead, was still standing unhurt in the ashes. Although his expression was lifeless and his palms were still dripping with blood, he was still alive—there was no doubt about it! Perhaps only a few guests were aware that the reason why Bathrilor could survive the fire dragons was due to a layer of magical shield.

  This layer of magical shield was vastly different from that of Lin Li's Elemental Shield. It was the release of the purest mana without any spell at all.

  At the moment Lin Li unleashed the Flaming Storm, he sensed there was something different. The violent and muffled explosion was caused by the collision of two magical elements. If it had hit Bathrilor directly, it wouldn't have made such a great noise. It would only take a flame to engulf him in an instant.

  So, after he had unleashed the spell, he did not even look at Bathrilor but shifted his eyes to the banquet hall. That layer of magic was too peculiar and powerful; he was much more interested in the person who had cast the magical shield rather than killing Bathrilor.

  "Little kid, you're Felic?" At this time, an aged voice was heard in a quiet corner of the banquet hall.

  Lin Li's eyes followed to the source of the aged voice and saw an old man wearing a gray mage robe.

  This old man looked to be around the same age as Andoine. His hair and beard were white, and his face was full of wrinkles too. But his gray mage robe looked clean and tidy, totally opposite in comparison to the scruffy Andoine back in the Sunset Mountains.

  Chapter 56 - The Mage in Gray Robe

  The Castellan heaved a long sigh of relief having seen the mage in gray robe intervene at last.

  Tonight's banquet had been too tiring for him. The previous surprise attack by Bathrilor had already scared half his wits off; he was so afraid something would happen to Lin Li and draw Gerian's revenge. But then the situation plummeted; Lin Li stood up with a turn and dealt a heavy blow to Bathrilor with two instantaneous spells, and even unleashed the Flaming Storm to kill.

  At that instant, Isaac had lost heart.

  Bathrilor was born into an ill.u.s.trious family. Even Isaac, with his status as a Castellan, had to fear it. If Bathrilor really died at his banquet, Isaac couldn't even imagine what the consequences would be.

  Luckily…

  Isaac's heart gradually descended back into its place when the mage in gray robe emerged from the quiet corner. As long as he was willing to interfere, Bathrilor's life should be saved…

  "Felic, are you alright?" Right then, Kevin finally squeezed in from the crowd and inquired on Lin Li's injury with concern.

  He was utterly frightened just now. Watching the moment when Lin Li was hit by the fire dragons, Kevin was stupefied. Lin Li meant almost everything to the Guild of Magic at present; his value even surpassed that of Gerian. Kevin would not have known what to do if Lin Li had died under those dozen fire dragons. The present Guild of Magic definitely couldn't afford such a loss.

  "I'm alright." Lin Li shook his head, reassuring Kevin.

  It was true he was unhurt. But the thought of the whole process unnerved him.

  The power of the ruby ring was stronger than he had expected. When the dozens of fire dragons surged forward, it was equivalent to the power of a level-eight magic. Although Lin Li had weakened most of the damage with the Elemental Shield, there were still one or two fire dragons that broke through the blockage of the Elemental Shield, directly attacking his body.

  However, with the strong magical resistance attribute of the Robe of Wrath, the fire dragons did not cause any harm to him. They disappeared in the magical resistant field upon contact in an instant.

  Now that Lin Lin Li thought back on the perils in it, he couldn't help but feel fortunate.

  Luckily, he had enchanted the Robe of Wrath with the magical resistance attribute. Otherwise, even though the fire dragons would not be fatal, they were also likely to injure him.

  Then, Lin Li looked at the mage in gray robe doubtfully. "I am Felic, you are…"

  "I am Andoine's old friend."

  "Oh? You know Andoine?" It was the first time Lin Li had heard of news about Andoine after leaving the Sunset Mountains. He couldn't resist taking another few looks at the mage in gray robe. "How's he like now? Is he still as stubborn as ever?"

  "Heh heh… Just about so. A few days ago, in Alanna, he mentioned you. I thought you were interesting, so I specially came to Jarrosus to have a look." The mage in gray robe smiled amicably. The eyes that were looking at Lin Li had a glimmer of admiration.

  "You really flatter me." Lin Li's expression was modest and respectful, but his eyes were furtively glancing at Bathrilor. He was silently calculating the time Bathrilor's hands were bleeding while repressing him with a hint of mental strength.

  "…" How could such a petty trick escape the eyes of the mage in gray robe? For a moment, the old man felt annoyed yet amused. However, in his capacity, he naturally could not expose him. He merely reminded Lin Li with a look of slight embarrassment on his face, "This… Felic, can you first let Bathrilor off? If he continues to bleed, I'm afraid his life will be in danger…"

  "You know Bathrilor?" The dirty tricks he did in secret were exposed, but Lin Li was not the least bit embarrassed. He pretended to give a look of surprise. "So that's to say, the layer of magic previously was released by you?"

  "This…" The mage in gray robe felt that he seemed to be bitten in the face at these words. However, since Lin Li had already asked, he could only try to mediate. "I saw what happened just now, it was indeed Bathrilor's fault. But I'm unlucky to know his grandfather. In order not to let that old fellow blame me for not doing anything to save his grandson from ruin, I had to intervene just now to help him. Besides, you've already taught him a lesson. Can you give me some face and forget about this matter…"

  "Oh… So this is it," Lin Li answered coolly. He recalled his mental strength without hesitation. "It's only a small matter, I'll do as you said and forget about this matter."

  "Then… I'll thank you on Bathrilor's behalf." The mage in gray robe probably did not expect Lin Li to agree so readily. He supposed it was unfair to Lin Li, so he gave his guarantee apologetically, "But you can rest assured. I will definitely make the old fellow from their family give you an explanation for what happened today."

  "No need to trouble yourself with it. It's a small matter, I won't take offense at him."

  Lin Li smiled agreeably but he had already assembled a wind blade in secret.

  The mage in gray robe had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly sensed a surge in magical wave. Before he could react, there came a ripping sound in the air.

  Bathrilor had just been released from the mental suppression when he suddenly felt a tingle in his hand.

  Then, a sharp pain shot through his left hand. When he lowered his head, he saw another ring finger landed on the thick carpet. In addition to the damage left by the previous icicle, Bathrilor's left hand was a bloody pile of flesh as well. The tearing pain went on and on, and Bathrilor fainted from the excruciating pain on the spot.

  "Ai…" It was too late for the mage in gray robe to intervene. He sighed slightly and looked at Lin Li helplessly. "Why bother?"

  "I can't tolerate him sneaking in an attack from behind. But you are Andoine's friend, I don't want to put you on the spot too." Lin Li was all smiles as if nothing had happened. "So, this is the best way out."

  "Andoine was really right. You, little fellow, are a wolf. You must bite back at anyone who provoked you…" The mage in gray robe shook his head, his expression amused yet helpless. "Forget it. He had already lost a finger anyway, losing one more would balance it out…"

  "You flatter me." Lin Li grinned modestly, but his eyes were fixed on the mage in gray robe. "Now, can you tell me, other than being Andoine's friend, do you have ot
her identities?"

  "I am Grimm Burnside."

  Chapter 57 - Legend

  The casual self-introduction from the mage in gray robe seemed to hit the guests like thunder above their heads.

  Everyone drew in a cold breath; the banquet hall was filled with surprised gasps. The name—Grimm Burnside—was a living legend to the people of Jarrosus City.

  There were two of Jarrosus' most famous mages in the last hundred years. One of them was Andoine from the Guild of Magic; the other was the old man wearing the gray mage robe standing in front of them—Grimm Burnside.

  To some extent, the two mages had a lot in common. For example, both were from Jarrosus City, both had reached the legendary realm every mage had dreamed of, and both were immersed in pharmaceutics.

  And in the field of pharmaceutics, both had taken completely different paths.

  Andoine's poor talent had reached such an astonishing level that even a pharmaceutics expert like Lin Li developed a deep sense of hopelessness when faced with him. Moreover, his obstinacy was simply a disaster. Just think, a stubborn old man who had lived for over a hundred years couldn't even get the most basic of equations right, but in his hands he possessed the formulas for high-level potions, attempting highly difficult concoctions such as the Bull's Strength Potion as and when he liked. It was an absolute miracle that all those lab accidents over the years hadn't been able to kill him…

  Grimm, who was also a legendary mage like Andoine, was a rare pharmaceutics genius in Felan Kingdom. He had already made remarkable achievements in his twenties. His geniosity had even alarmed the Pharmacists Guild; on the day he'd become a Magic Shooter at age 30, the Anril Pharmacists Guild officially announced that they had accepted Grimm Burnside as an official member of their guild.

  Decades had passed since then and Grimm Burnside was already at the mastery level in pharmaceutics. Even within the Pharmacists Guild, he was definitely an important person who had a say in the guild.

  Under the two glorious halos of a legendary mage and a master pharmacist, Grimm Burnside had become the most representative figure in Jarrosus City, his reputation even surpassing that of Andoine, who was also a legendary mage.

  In Jarrosus City, one could not know the six underground forces or the 11 mage families, or even the Guild of Magic and the legendary mage Andoine, but they could never not have heard of the legend of Grimm Burnside…

  When such a legend which could only be looked up to stood living in front of everyone else, there was only one word in their hearts—awe.

  At that moment, whether it was the fat man who wanted to introduce his daughter to Kevin, the aunty with the full bosom, or even Anthony Rolin trying to get Bathrilor's favor by flattery, the looks they gave Grimm Burnside were full of heartfelt admiration.

  In Grimm Burnside's long life, he had long gotten used to being the center of attention. Surrounded by the crowd of guests, his wrinkled face still wore a gentle smile, and he even nodded at several familiar family leaders in a greeting.

  But he kept his gaze on Lin Li.

  In fact, the reason why he came to Jarrosus City was to have a look at this young mage. At the capital Alanna, Andoine had lauded the latter to the skies like there was nothing impossible for him. At the age below 20, he had already had a profound gift in pharmaceutics and was a magic genius comparable to that of the God of Mages.

  Despite his friendship with Andoine, Grimm was still skeptical about it.

  It wasn't because he felt that Andoine was lying; it was just that Old Grimm thought that, theoretically, such a person shouldn't exist.

  Both magic and pharmaceutics required a lot of time to study, especially pharmaceutics. Old Grimm himself was a master pharmacist, hence he was most aware of the hardsh.i.p.s thereof. Formulas that could never be mastered, equations involving astronomical figures, all the experiments and failures—even a little progress would need a lot of time to acc.u.mulate.

  The mage in front of him was barely 20 and there was even a look of childishness on his face. Even if he had begun studying pharmaceutics the moment he was born, it would have been impossible to achieve such a huge breakthrough at this age. Moreover, he would need the same huge amount of time to study magic concurrently.

  Speaking of magic…

  Old Grimm had to admit that the young man named Felic was indeed a rare talent in magic.

  The previous Flaming Storm was nothing. It was not surprising that he had unleashed a level-nine magic with his proximity to the realm of Magic Shooter. But the wind blade and icicle had instead left a deep impression on Old Grimm.

  Skillful and precise mana control, amazing elemental sequencing speed… although it was just a wind blade and icicle, from what Grimm Burnside saw, it was definitely more surprising than a level-ten magic. Mana control and elemental sequencing were the fundamental skills that every mage was required to learn.

  But it was only in his state that he understood how important these two fundamental skills were to a mage. It was like laying a solid foundation before building a house. Without a solid foundation, however tall and gorgeous the house might be, it could still collapse overnight.

  As the magic level advanced, a mage's real strength was often judged by these fundamental things. A more precise control of mana and faster elemental sequencing could allow more variations and a quicker conjuration of magic.

  It was like Old Grimm and Andoine at present: they were both legendary mages, but if they were to battle it out… Old Grimm had no confidence at all. After all, he had spent too much time on pharmaceutics. Though Andoine was equally immersed in it, he spent far more time on magic skills compared to Grimm.

  In a battle of their level, the most fundamental thing had become the most decisive key to victory.

  But Old Grimm still had some degree of doubt about the young mage's level in pharmaceutics.

  He needed some time to verify whether this young mage was really a genius in pharmaceutics as what Andoine had said.

  If he was really as good as what Andoine had said, Old Grimm thought that he could give him a little guidance and even lead him into the Pharmacists Guild.

  As an important member of the Pharmacists Guild, Old Grimm was well aware of its current situation—decaying and withering day by day without any enterprise or energy. What the Pharmacists Guild needed the most now was fresh blood to tide over the possible crisis, and the young mage in front might well be a good solution…

  Chapter 58 - Discuss

  But with Old Grimm's eminent status, it was impossible for him to step forward like the aunty with full bosom. He was the most famous mage of Jarrosus, so he naturally had the reserve of a legendary mage. Hence, after the brief self-introduction, he waited for Lin Li to speak.

  Unfortunately… Andoine had completely forgotten to tell him that the little fellow before him was a half-baked mage; not to mention Grimm Burnside, even if the God of Mages, Geresco, was standing in front of him, he would be ignorant of it and ask: who is Geresco?

  "Uh… So you are the famous mage Grimm Burnside! I've heard so much about you…" Under Old Grimm's reticent gaze, Lin Li looked appalled. He tried hard to squeeze out a pleasantly surprised expression on his face while secretly nudging Kevin, and asked in a very quiet voice, "Who is Grimm Burnside?"

  "…" Kevin had given up all hope upon hearing his words. While trying to hide the embarrassment on his face, he turned to face the other side, hoping to pretend that he didn't know Lin Li…

  "…" A mage who reached the legendary realm had already surpassed the scope of this profession itself. As long as it was within the range of his mental powers, he could learn of anything he wanted. How could Lin Li's furtive whispers escape the eyes and ears of Old Grimm?

  Even with Old Grimm's indifference to fame and fortune, his face turned liver-colored when he heard Lin Li's whispers…

  But Old Grimm was someone who had lived for over a hundred years after all. Although he was embarrassed by Lin Li's question, he did not
show it on his face. He merely chuckled with a self-deprecating expression. "Heh heh… Looks like Andoine, that old fellow, didn't speak ill of me in front of you…"

  "Heh heh…" Lin Li laughed dryly, hoping to conceal his ignorance with it. Andoine indeed did not mention Grimm Burnside. Besides, he had made the old man memorize all kinds of potion formulas back in the Sunset Mountains, and he was also forced by the latter to fight all kinds of magical beasts. Both were about to fall apart from exhaustion at the end of the day, where would they have the time to talk about some Grimm Burnside…

  Old Grimm shook his head resignedly. He could make out something judging from the young mage's reaction. This fellow had no idea who he was at all—not even what his achievements in pharmaceutics were.

  "When we were in Alanna, Andoine has mentioned to me that other than your magical gifts, you are also a rare genius in pharmaceutics." Hence, Old Grimm had to find something to talk about. "Coincidentally, I'm quite a decent pharmacist myself. If you like, maybe we can discuss pharmaceutics issues together."

  The hall was completely silent at Old Grimm's words. Everyone held their breaths, and it was as if their heartbeat had stopped.

  The banquet tonight was a real thrill for all the guests.

  They were startled twice in a row previously when Bathrilor launched the sneak attack, which was followed by Lin Li's retaliation. It was extremely risky, but fortunately there were no problems. Then, Lin Li's identity was exposed—the young man in the old mage robe was actually the mysterious pharmacist from the Guild of Magic!

  When the mage in gray robe came out to reveal his identity, the guests were thoroughly shocked. No one had expected themselves to be able to see the living legend in person.

  Even more so, they had never expected that Grimm Burnside would say words like "discuss together" to a young mage.