Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  "Don't cry, it's all in the past…" Lin Li patted her shoulders gently and comforted her in a soothing voice.

  "Mhm."

  "Oh, right. Ina, Mr McGrenn asked me to hand this to you." Seeing that Ina was depressed, Lin Li hurriedly pulled out the half an arrow from his pocket in hope of diverting her attention.

  And it worked. As soon as he took out the half of an arrow, Ina forgot her grief, and confusion clouded her expression. "I seem to have seen this before. I remember that when I was a child, Father often stared at half an arrow in a daze alone, sometimes for the whole afternoon. But later on, when I got older, Father seldom took it out anymore. Mr Felic, did Father say anything when he handed this to you?"

  "Mr McGrenn said to bring this half an arrow to the Eternal Shrine to look for your mother."

  "Mother!?" Ina asked in astonishment. "Mr Felic, did Father really said that?"

  "Mhm."

  "But… but Father told all along me that Mother had died of difficulties when she went into labor when she gave birth to me."

  "It's probably because Mr McGrenn thought you were too young to know these things, so he lied to you that your mother died when she gave birth to you."

  "Mhm!" Ina nodded heavily; there was finally some vigor in her sky-blue eyes. At least she knew that she still had relatives in this world.

  "But where on earth is this Eternal Shrine…" This question had plagued Lin Li in many ways ever since he had given his promise to McGrenn. He thought about many ways to search, and had asked many people about it, but he had yet to find a clue to the Eternal Shrine.

  "This… I remember that once, when Father was drunk, he seemed to mention something about the shrine…" Ina frowned, which actually made her look unusually lovely. "But I was young at that time, and can't really remember much of what was said. I only remember Father said that it was at a faraway place, and we'll have to cross the Sea of Darkness to get there…"

  "Cross the Sea of Darkness?" Lin Li started in surprise. Even he, a transmigrator, had heard that the Sea of Darkness was an endless sea. There were all kinds of magical beasts in the sea, and all were 100 times stronger than the magical beasts on land. Hence, there was another nickname for the Sea of Darkness—the Sea of Death. In the history of Anril, no one had ever crossed the taboo sea. Did McGrenn accomplish this feat without anyone knowing when he was young?

  It didn't seem possible…

  It was unknown how many magical beasts were lurking in the Sea of Darkness. These ancient magical beasts had been living in the sea as early as the years of the flood, when the Dragon and Titan were competing for hegemony. Their strength was far beyond the human ability to compete. Even in the Dark Ages, the powerful High Elves did not dare to provoke the majesty of these sea tyrants.

  No matter how many secrets McGrenn hid, he was still only a level-six warrior. Even if he used Destruction Combat Energy at the cost of his life, he was merely a level-ten warrior at most. He could not even compete with Lin Li with such a strength, so how could he compete against the ancient magical beasts? They were an abnormal existence that could even crush an Archmage with a mere breath!

  However… Other than this, what else could explain the mystery surrounding Eternal Shrine?

  To be honest, Lin Li had asked many people about it for a while now—including Macklin. Lin Li had approached the subject without coming straight to the point, but the answer was surprisingly consistent— what bird crap Eternal Shrine? Never heard of it…

  Seeing that the young mage was silent for long, Ina asked with some curiosity, "Mr Felic, what's on your mind?"

  "Oh… Nothing." Lin Li shook his head, and put aside the Eternal Shrine for the time being. After some ponderment, he quietly asked the long-legged beauty, "Ina, when are you going to return to Jarrosus?"

  "I'll return whenever Mr Felic decides to return…" Ina was blushing, and her voice was light and soft, but her eyes were resolute.

  For a lady, perhaps there was no more definite hint than that.

  Unfortunately, she had overestimated Lin Li's ability to take hints.

  In the face of such a clear hint, this fellow actually said in all seriousness, "Well, you stay in the Silver Hand for the time being. I'll bring you back to Jarrosus after I finish the trial."

  "Ohh…" There was a trace of disappointment in Ina's eyes. However, giving that big hint had exhausted all her courage, such that her heart was still pounding hard at this time. How could she still muster the courage to give him another hint?

  "Oh, right…" Lin Li considered something for a while, and drew out a few bottles of potions from his pocket. "Take these. Drink the brown one if you're injured, and the black one if you're poisoned. Also… If you encounter a fierce magical beast, drink the orange one, and run away immediately. Can you remember it?"

  "Mhm, I've gotten it…" Ina sensed Lin Li's concern for her, and a hint of sweetness welled up in her heart.

  Lin Li repeated his reminders. After making sure nothing was left out, he waved goodbye to Ina and walked alone in the direction of the Guild of Magic.

  It was getting dark by the time Lin Li returned to the Guild of Magic.

  The guild hall was buzzing with noise during the day, but it was more or less deserted and cheerless at this time.

  After a busy day, Lin Li was rather exhausted, and was about to go through the tree-lined path back to his room when he suddenly heard a voice behind him.

  "The… The most cunning fellow there, wait up!"

  Lin Li looked back, and saw that it was Macklin with his goat-like beard.

  The old fellow looked a little different from the day. The black mage robe was loosely worn on his body and the hood was not pulled; his messy hair resembled a chicken's nest.

  "Do you have any instructions for me, Mr Macklin?" Lin Li was a little stunned; he wondered what the old fellow had done to make himself look like this.

  "Uh…" The old fellow came over. He took a glance at the surroundings, then rubbed his hands embarrassingly as he whispered to Lin Li in a low voice, "I… I'd like to ask you for a little help…"

  "Ah?" Lin Li was startled. He was clear about the old fellow's strength; a level-19 Archmage was actually asking for his help?

  "It's not a big deal. Just follow me."

  Lin Li's heart was full of confusion. He contemplated for a while, and decided to follow Macklin.

  They went out of the guild hall and into a low building just next to it. Macklin took Lin Li around a few corridors, and they soon arrived at an unlatched door.

  Through the open door crack, Lin Li could clearly hear the sound of clanking.

  He was all too familiar with the sound.

  Hearing the familiar noise, a bizarre expression came across Lin Li's face. No wonder people said that the more formidable a person was, the more psychopathic he became—it seemed that this was indeed right. Look at this level-nineteen Archmage, hiding in his room forging iron!

  Chapter 112 - Bogus Master

  A dignified level-19 Archmage was actually hiding in his room, forging iron…

  It felt absurd—it was like seeing a millionaire kneeling down on the street, begging for food.

  Before Lin Li came over, he had never thought that the old man with a goat-like beard had mysteriously called him over to help him with the forging!

  "Mr Macklin…" Lin Li stood at the door with some confusion on his face.

  "Let's go in first." The expression of the old fellow was as if one of a thief's; he walked to the door and took a look at the surroundings; then, after confirming that no one had discovered them, he lightly pushed open the door that was left unlocked.

  "…" Lin Li was confounded. This old fellow really had nothing to; he could get anything he wanted as an Archmage, so was it necessary to be this secretive…?

  "Hurry… close the door!" Lin Li had just entered the room when he heard someone speaking from the furnace.

  And then, Lin Li had gone crazy…

  The old ma
n by the fire was short and thin, and was wearing a large black mage robe; from a distance, he looked slightly hunched. Amidst the clear banging sounds, the old man struggled as he wielded the hammer, and dazzling sparks were formed as he smashed down on the anvil.

  "Damn…" The moment Lin Li saw the hunchback old man, Lin Li felt that he had really gone mad.

  He really wanted to ask the two old fellows: is the world really so difficult now? Even they had fallen to the point of working as blacksmiths… Let alone Macklin, now, even Aldwin, the level-21 legendary mage, was actually standing beside the furnace!

  But to be honest, the President's workmanship was too crude to be true.

  A piece of bright red iron embryo was knocked into a hideous mess by him. His strength was inconsistent, and the hammer often came down on the wrong spot—there were at least five times out of ten that the hammer had landed on the anvil. Watching the President forge iron was a fast trigger for a heart attack. Occasionally, Lin Li was worried that the hammer in the President's hand would suddenly fly out and smash someone…

  "Take a rest, I'll do it." As soon as Macklin entered the room, he took the hammer from the President.

  Aldwin was utterly exhausted as well. Seeing that someone was here to take over, he immediately handed over the hammer. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead as he gasped for breath. After a while, he seemed to abruptly notice Lin Li, who was standing in the doorway.

  "Eh, little fellow, it's you?" Aldwin was rather surprised.

  "Ah?" Lin Li's face revealed some astonishment. He was sure that he had never seen Aldwin before today, but the legendary mage's tone sounded like he'd known him since long ago.

  "Andoine didn't tell you?" Aldwin chuckled, and there was some helplessness in his expression. "The old fellow had boasted to me several times, saying that he had picked up a genius in the Sunset Mountains."

  "You know Andoine?"

  "More than that. We are old friends."

  "No wonder…" Lin Li finally understood the situation. No wonder the old fellow had smiled at him for no reason at all this morning in the guild hall. So it turned out that he knew who he was all along.

  "Oh, right, I have a grandson; you know him for sure."

  "Your grandson?" Lin Li was baffled again. He might know Andoine, but how would he come to know his grandson?

  "He's called Bathrilor."

  "What!?" Lin Li almost lost his soul from the scare. He had never imagined that this, this… this old fellow was actually Bathrilor's grandfather!

  Aldwin chortled upon seeing how big Lin Li's reaction was. "Relax, young man. I won't do anything to you. My grandson is a good-for-nothing. The whole Alanna knows that you've broken two of his fingers and taught him a lesson. It's a good thing. I've lived many years and I'm not unreasonable. Besides, you're Andoine's disciple. That old man… I've to give him some face. I've heard that he's very close to Grimm Burnside from the Pharmacist's Guild. I have a lot to ask him in the future…"

  "Ah… Haha…" The smile on Lin Li's face was stiff; he still remembered vividly that it wasn't just about breaking two of his fingers. If it hadn't been for Old Grimm's intervention, he would have killed Bathrilor. Now that he was standing in front of Aldwin, even if he was thick-skinned, he couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable.

  "Young man, what are you doing, still standing there? Come and help me quickly, I can't hold out any longer!" The workmanship of these two old guys could be said to be half a catty and half a tael. Macklin was slightly better physically, and could manage hammering for a bit longer—but it was only a few more times. In only a short time, that old fellow was unable to hold out; he was pressing Lin Li for help while muttering under his breath, "Damn, the blacksmith is really not a job for humans…"

  "Okay…" The call was just what Lin Li wanted. He felt awkward standing in front of Aldwin, so he pulled up his sleeves and walked over.

  "Mr Macklin, may I ask, what… exactly is this?" Lin Li looked at the bent iron embryo, and his heart couldn't help mourning for it. These two old fellas were really some talents. A good piece of fine iron was beaten into such state by them. Look at what the iron embryo was wrecked into—was that a steamed bun or twisted roll?

  "This… is called forging!" Macklin did not care about it at all, and boasted vigorously. "You know, blacksmith? A very impressive profession!"

  "…" Lin Li really wanted to kick him in the face. Blacksmith… And "a very impressive profession"? Is he trying to bully me, seeing I'm from Jarrosus?

  "Of course, you don't have to be nervous." Seeing that Lin Li was silent, Macklin twisted his goat-like beard satisfactorily, and bragged shamelessly. "With the two Masters of Forging with you, I guarantee you'll soon become a decent blacksmith yourself. Come, come, take a look at how I use the hammer… This is a highly technical matter."

  And then Lin Li saw this old fellow actually lifting the hammer with both hands…

  "Ddang!"

  A crisp sound rang out, and the hammer landed firmly on the anvil. As for the cooled iron embryo, it fell to the ground with a sound upon contact with the hammer.

  "…" Even Macklin, whose face was as thick as a wall, could not help but blush at that moment. He picked up the iron embryo in a hurry, and placed it back on the anvil. Then, without shame, he once more said to Lin Li, "See that? What I demonstrated just now was a failed forging. You must not do it like that in the future. You have not the skills of a master like me. If you make a mistake, you might hurt others easily."

  Lin Li rolled his eyes, and thought to himself, Isn't that nonsense? This is iron forging, not stone forging. Is there someone like you who hammers with both your hands?

  "Alright, your turn." Fortunately, although Macklin was thick-skinned, he still had some shame. Even he himself knew that he might cause some accident if he went on demonstrating. After dismissing it with a few words, he handed the hammer to Lin Li.

  "Mr Macklin, may I ask again, what are you trying to forge?" Lin Li shook his head, and took the hammer from Macklin. He picked up the cooled iron embryo, and threw it into the furnace to smelt it again. These two old fellas were really some geniuses. The iron embryo had become so cold, yet they were still hitting away happily…

  After the iron embryo was thrown into the furnace, Lin Li began to pull the bellows. Amid the sound of puffing and blowing, the flame in the furnace became more and more vigorous. When the vigorous flame had burned the iron embryo red, Lin Li used an iron plier to clamp it out, and with a fling, the burning-red iron embryo fell lightly on the anvil.

  Macklin was flabbergasted by the fluent display of skills. This, this… this kid is not a blacksmith, is he?

  "I'm actually in luck…" the old fellow muttered in a low voice; his mood was greatly lifted in that instant. When he first called the young man over, he had just wanted to look for a free coolie to help them with the tough work. In Macklin's mind, the young man's physical strength was better than that of both Aldwin and himself. This rough forging job could be left to him, and he and Aldwin could do something that required a higher technical skill.

  He had no idea that he had found a treasure this time.

  Look at what he had done—it was so much better than a half-baked man like himself.

  Macklin was full of excitement. "We need a sword!"

  "Ah?" Lin Li stood blankly for a moment. The two old fellows had hidden in the room mysteriously just to forge a sword? Were they too free? They were an Archmage and a legendary Mage, why did they need to forge a sword for no apparent reason at all? Were they planning to use it for suicide…?

  "I'll tell you the use of it at a later time. You just focus on hitting the iron well. Anyway… If you manage to forge a formidable sword, I guarantee you some great advantage!"

  "What advantage do I get?"

  "I…" Macklin hesitated for a moment. At last, he made up his mind, and said with clenched teeth, "I'll gift you a lost level-15 spell!"

  Chapter 113 - Level-15 Spell

/>   Lin Li was taken aback—what was the concept of a lost level-15 spell? When the Merlin Family tried to curry favor with the Guild of Magic, what Cromwell sent them were just a few lost level-14 spells.

  And look at Macklin—gifting a level-15 spell at once!

  The difference between a level-14 and 15 spell was not only one level; it was also the difference between a Magic Shooter and an Archmage. The disparity in realm doomed these two spells to be far from each other in power.

  Lin Li wondered if the old man was mad. He had only wanted to forge a common iron sword; it was not even a magical equipment. He even took out a lost level-15 spell for such a broken thing. Did he have to make it into such a serious matter?

  "Is it really just an iron sword?"

  Seeing how solemn Lin Li was in asking that, Macklin hesitated for a moment, then added awkwardly, "It's best… to be razor-sharp, such that it'll be able to pierce through leather armor."

  "Razor-sharp…" Lin Li murmured, and did not continue further.

  It'd be best to pierce through leather armor… What bird crap requirement was this? Could these two old fellows be more daring in their pursuit? In this city of Alanna, even buying the cheapest ironware from any weapons store would not be something as simple as piercing through a leather armor.

  But it was good that they were asking for less—he could save himself some trouble…

  With the level-15 spell in mind, Lin Li lifted the hammer in a merry mood.

  "Ddang! Ddang! Ddang! Ddang…"

  The hammer fell heavily, and sparks spattered off the anvil. Amidst the clanging sound, the red iron embryo slowly unfolded. Lin Li held the heavy hammer in his hands, but it seemed to be without any effort. He waved the hammer with such ease as if he was holding only a brush; and presently, he was using the brush to paint a scroll on the anvil. In the crisp clattering sound, the red iron embryo gradually presented the early form of a single-handed sword.

  An ordinary iron sword was too simple for a Smithing Guru…

  Lin Li didn't even put much effort into it—he was merely hitting casually.