by Zhuang Bifan
The difference between middle and high tier was not as simple as it sounded. It required countless amounts of money and time, as well as an unexplainable difference in innate talent.
Among a thousand blacksmiths, at least 500 of them could reach middle tier. On the contrary, only 100 out of 1000 inscribers could reach a high tier of mastery. This was decided by innate talent.
It was the same pyramid structure in any field. Only a few people could climb up the stairs of a pyramid.
On the surface, it was obvious that the Guild of Magic had an advantage in this agreement.
However, that was just on the surface.
After thinking about it, Lin Li finally understood.
Even though the Guild of Magic seemed to be at an advantage, they were hugely disadvantaged due to the members of both guilds.
Surely enough, at this point, Macklin cursed frustratedly. "Shit. Al'Akir is such a cunning bastard. We were baited while not paying attention!"
"Haha…" Lin Li laughed without saying anything.
The disadvantage was received unjustly by the Guild of Magic.
There was a mixture of good and bad in the Adventurers Guild. There were many low-level adventurers, but there were legendary-level adventurers as well. Among the great number of adventurers in Alanna, they made up for almost all of the different professions. Moreover… naturally there were some mages that had not been registered with the Guild of Magic. Inscribing had always been a core subject for the Guild of Magic. Even though a high-tier inscriber was rare, who could guarantee that there was none amongst the vast number of adventurers?
Conversely, the guild of magic was at a huge disadvantage.
Firstly, it was the composition of the members. The Guild of Magic was inherently the guild for mages. There would not be any warrior that would be foolish enough to give themselves up to the Guild of Magic. Even if they did, what sort of benefits would they receive? Giving up all of their might, learning magic from scratch? Who would have the time to do so…
Next, it would be the number of members. This was even more incomparable for the Guild of Magic.
With the example of Jarrosus' guild of magic, Gerian's subordinates, including those disciples below level-5, only had a full strength of a few hundred.
Being the center of the Felan Kingdom, Alanna's Guild of Magic was stronger. However, there was only a maximum of three thousand members.
With these numbers, how could they compare with the Adventurers Guild?
After listening till this point, Lin Li already knew that Guild of Magic was going to be out of luck.
Indeed…
When Macklin spoke of this, he felt sad, expressing a look of heartache.
Within the past year or so, both old men were about to be driven mad. They searched everywhere within the guild for a mage that could forge so that they could win this gamble. Both men traveled all around the Felan Kingdom—including Jarrosus—asking almost every Guild of Magic in hopes of finding a mage that could forge.
However, a genius like Lin Li who was adept at every profession could not be easily found.
For more than half a year, they could not even find a mage that had dabbled in forging, much less a middle-tier blacksmith that could produce magical equipment.
This was indeed almost impossible…
A strong mind with a weak body was the characteristic of a mage. A mage with powerful magical elements had no intention of training their physical strength. A strong body was meaningless from their point of view. Would a strong body be able to withstand the blast of a fireball?
A blacksmith was not a well-respected profession, unless he could reach a high level and guarantee that every weapon he forged had magical attributes. Otherwise, which mage would be willing to undertake such an arduous but fruitless task?
On the other end, the Adventurers Guild was able to find a suitable candidate quickly.
Six months ago, the adventurers guild dispatched an adventurer with level of an archmage. He free-handedly produced a high-level mageweath under the full view of the public.
"The time initially agreed upon was two years. In other words, we only have half a year left. If we can't find a middle-tier blacksmith after these six months, the Guild of Magic will likely lose this gamble…"
"So that's how it is…" Lin Li finally understood after listening to the full description of the matter.
No wonder these two old men were forging in the house. It was because the guild could not find anyone suitable, hence they decided to do it themselves.
Unfortunately, these two old men had terrifyingly low talent for forging. They were still worse even when compared to Andoine, the pharmacist enthusiast. At the very least, Andoine could produce a few bottles of low-level medicine. These two old men were struggling to even hold the hammer.
"No problem." Lin Li nodded and generously gave his promise. It was just a magical weapon; it would not amount to much.
"Really?" Macklin was surprised as he did not think this matter would be solved so easily.
"Of course." Lin Li nodded, and then asked, "Mr. Macklin, when do you need this magical weapon?"
"After a half a year." Seeing his steadfast attitude, Macklin felt thoroughly relieved. His old face was smiling.
"Alright then, Mr. Macklin. If there is nothing else, I would like to go back and have a rest…" Lin Li saw that it was getting late, so he decided to bid him farewell after discussing the details with Macklin.
"Alright, I'll see you out." Hearing his words, Macklin showed him the way out with a smile on his face, brimming with joy. On the way out, he repeatedly advised the young mage to have a good rest, and not overexert himself.
The old man could only settle down after idolizing him.
This fella was not only a mage participating in the trials, but someone that had relations to Osric's mausoleum. It could even be said that he was the hope of Alanna's Guild of Magic. If this trial was not arranged by the Supreme Council, Macklin wanted to directly assign him as first place.
Think about it… Once the relic, Highlord Osric's mausoleum, was opened, no other faction in the Felan Kingdom could go against Alanna's Guild of Magic.
After sending him off to the guild hall, Macklin hurriedly looked for Aldwin for a discussion.
As for Lin Li, he left the guild hall through the backdoor, and walked along Sylvan Street.
He was indeed slightly exhausted as he was really busy today.
In the morning, he killed a Fantama Panthera. After that, he fought with members of the Ruby Moon Mercenary Corps, and even killed an adventurer with an icicle. In the afternoon, he was coerced into forging by these two old men at the Guild of Magic. After the whole day, he was thoroughly exhausted. No matter how energetic Lin Li was, he could not help but feel drained at this point.
Unfortunately, that was how the world worked.
The more you felt like resting, the less opportunities you had to rest.
Just when he walked along Sylvan Street, he could hear commotion coming from the front.
Lin Li could hear from afar a familiar voice that was cold and proud.
With such an obvious trait, Lin Li knew who it was after thinking for a brief moment.
"Why was it Orrin?"
Just when Lin Li was still confused and could not make out what was happening, an intense magical wave was suddenly released.
Chapter 116 - Matthias
Lin Li was surprised, and rushed in the direction which the magical wave came from.
When he arrived, Orrin had already collapsed on the floor. One of his arms was hanging limply, bent at an awkward angle. From the painful look on his face, this arm was most likely broken.
"Felic!" Just when he was about to raise Orrin up, Mason appeared, rushing breathlessly towards them from afar. "I heard that idiot, Orrin, got into trouble?"
"Mm…" Lin Li nodded, and spoke no more.
He pushed his way through the gathered crowd, walking to the pale-faced Or
rin's side.
"Are you ok?" Lin Li carefully lifted Orrin, fearing that he might touch the broken arm.
"Nothing much." Orrin painstakingly shook his head. A small movement like this could already cause his pale face to be filled with sweat. The pain due to a broken arm was not something anybody could bear, but Orrin proved to be tough. He did not make any sounds even though the pain was causing his face to be as white as a sheet.
After being lifted up, Orrin's eyes continued staring at the crowd.
Lin Li followed his gaze, and saw a young mage with a cynical look.
This man was around twenty years old. He was very fair, but had a piercing laughter which made people uncomfortable. "Heh heh heh… The genius from Rotterdam's guild was only at this level. I thought he was someone very powerful… How's it, Orrin, weren't you very uncomfortable just now?"
"Matthias, stop joking around. There is no genius from Rotterdam's guild, only a piece of trash. If he really was a genius, how could Gryffindor beat him up so badly?" Just as Matthias' voice fell, there was somebody in the crowd picking it back up.
"That's right. He usually acts so powerful, yet he is so useless when he fights. Some sort of genius from Rotterdam's guild, how laughable…"
"Maybe he got crippled by Gryffindor? Hahahaha…"
This mage called Matthias had two other fellas behind him. They had to be from the same group.
The insults from the three of them made Lin Li somewhat pissed off, but he maintained his composure. He helped carry Orrin while calling out to Mason for help.
He had to admit that even though Mason had loose lips, he had a good personality.
This fella would always bump heads with Orrin. No matter the circ.u.mstances, they would definitely argue when they met. The relationship between them was the worst.
When he heard that Orrin had an injured arm, he should have gloated at the mishap even if he did not add salt to the wound.
However, Mason did not have any intention of gloating when Lin Li asked him for help. He came over willingly to lift Orrin up.
Even Orrin behaved in an unusual manner this time. Despite that, he had always been an introvert. Even though he was surprised, he only glanced at Mason, and did not say anything.
"Orrin, don't worry. I will take revenge for you. Damn it, these bastards went overboard. They dared to beat you up before I did…" Mason carried Orrin with an indignant look.
"…" Lin Li could not help but shake his head; he did not know what to say at this point.
Both of them helped Orrin out of the crowd together, and carefully placed him down at the side of a flower bed.
Lin Li observed Orrin's broken arm, which seemed to be severely injured. From the remnants of the magical wave left on the surface, this injury should have been caused by an arcane missile.
How fortunate…
These fellas were not brave enough to aim for Orrin's c.h.e.s.t. If this Arcane Missile had hit it, he would have been knocking on death's door. For now, it was just a simple broken bone. It would be cured with a bottle of Recovery Potion.
Lin Li dug around his pockets and took out a bottle of Recovery Potion. Without a care for their unusual reactions, he uncapped the bottle and placed it beside Orrin's mouth. "Drink it."
After passing the Recovery Potion to Orrin, Lin Li softly asked Mason, "Brother Mason, do you know where that group came from?"
"You mean that pretty boy?"
"Mhm."
"They are from Sunrise City's Guild of Magic. I think he's called Matthias. The other two fellas are in one team with him, but I can't seem to remember their names. I heard they finished their trial mission yesterday with rather good results. They should be somewhat strong…"
"Oh…"
When the two of them brought Orrin to the side of the flower bed, the three fellas had followed suit.
"The two of you are in the same team as this trash?" Matthias had complacent look on his face, and scornfully looked at the two of them. He then shouted excitedly, "Wow! So strong. A level-9 mage and a level-7 mage!"
"No wonder you formed a team with Orrin. Trash will always flock together…"
"Who knows, they might be the same as Orrin, a genius from some random guild!"
"Sh*t…" Mason's temper could not tolerate such insults. His hands reached into his pockets, and he took out a thin magic staff.
"Hold up…" Lin Li pulled Mason back, not letting him take any action, as he did not want Mason to suffer a loss. Irregardless of their strength, if these three could hurt Orrin, it also meant that they were not weaklings. Orrin was at the peak of level-11, and even he was injured. If it was the level-9 Mason, would he be able to survive?
"Let me go!" Mason did not care about it. When he turned around, his face was red with anger, and his eyes were about to spew fire.
"Let me handle it."
Lin Li's voice carried a commanding tone. Even with Mason's hot temperament, he let go of his magic staff immediately.
"You're Matthias, right?" Lin Li glanced at the young, fair-skinned mage. "May I ask what exactly is between you guys and Orrin?"
"What happened?" Matthias was arrogant; he looked at Lin Li as though he was looking at an ant. "Some people think themselves a genius and act arrogantly. Some of my friends talked him, yet he ignored them, pfft! Nothing to be c.o.c.ky about. If he really was a genius, why would he be beaten up so badly by Gryffindor? What an idiot…"
"Oh…" Lin Li nodded, and seemingly understood.
It was too obvious.
Sunrise City and Rotterdam were both located at the northern border of Felan. The two neighbouring Guilds of Magic should be in contact with each other. As for this Matthias, he had something against Orrin in the past. Today, they finally met each other in Alanna. If Matthias did not initiate a challenge, it would be unusual.
Knowing Orrin's personality, how could he let it slide? With all the nonsense they spouted and disagreements, it made sense that they started fighting.
Surprisingly, it was Orrin that suffered a loss…
"I, Matthias, am not an unreasonable person. To solve today's issue, Orrin just needs to apologize to me, and I will pretend that nothing happened. Otherwise…"
"Oh?" Lin Li curiously asked. "Otherwise, what would happen?"
"Otherwise, only violence can settle it. Orrin insulted our Sunrise City's Guild of Magic. I have the right to request a duel from Alanna's Guild President."
"A duel…" Lin Li stared at Matthias for a while, and laughed suddenly. "I wonder if a bedridden person would be able to participate in a duel…"
Matthias felt uncertain, yet he felt a sudden surge in mana. After that, there was a deafening sound. Before Matthias could snap out of it, a wind blade had already let out a sharp whistle…
"Oh, sh*t!" Matthias was caught with his pants down. He did not imagine that this fella would be so despicable, letting out a wind blade without saying anything.
Fortunately, Matthias reacted quickly. He raised his Elemental Shield when he felt the surge in mana.
When the wind blade struck the Elemental Shield, it only produced a rainbow-colored ripple.
Although this wind blade did not hurt Matthias, his pride took a beating. He did not think this pathetic level-7 mage would dare to attack him when there were others looking. He even had to use Elemental Shield. In the eyes of Matthias, this was similar to getting a tight slap.
"Trash, you're gonna die!" Matthias clenched his teeth. While casting Delirium, he gripped his magic staff, and started to recite in hasty yet resounding manner.
The spell that Matthias was reciting was Fireball.
The rage in Matthias' heart could only be quelled by burning down the opponent into ashes with the use of this spell that was filled with anger.
On the other end, Lin Li seemed to be dumbfounded after casting Wind Blade. He did not recite other spells, nor did he raise his Elemental Shield. He only stared at Matthias casting Fireball.
"Boom!"
&n
bsp; The fireball flew towards Lin Li frenziedly, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.
Then…
Then they saw something they would never forget…
…
Chapter 117 - A Freakish Mage
Everyone witnessed how the level-seven Mage stood in a daze when he saw the Fireball. He stood rooted to the ground, allowing the flames to engulf him…
This was followed by a distortion in the surroundings.
After that, they realized that the level-seven Mage was still alive, while the blazing Fireball had vanished…
Completely vanished…
The glaring glow of fire was gone, and the long trail of flames was nowhere to be seen; even its strong sense of destructiveness was wiped off instantaneously. Not a single trace of magical wave was left.
Everyone was stunned by the disappearance of the Fireball.
The crowd observing the battle was all distinguished members of their own Guild of Magic. Among them, many were renowned and powerful Mages. Even the least skilled was at least a level-eight Mage. How could they not understand what was unfolding before their eyes?
Never would they have imagined that it was possible to swallow a Fireball without the protection of the elemental shield…
At that moment, the silence was deafening.
Everybody was stunned as they stared blankly at Lin Li as though he was a frightening creature.
"A monster!" someone shouted among the masses after a while.
As though it was a contagious disease, this sentiment started to spread among the crowd. What followed was a wave of discussions in subdued voices.
"Did my vision blur? T-that was really a Fireball? How could it not result in any harm…"
"What the heck, is he still alive despite being hit by that Fireball? Is he even human???"
"Hey, how about you go and have a taste of that blow?"
"Which Guild of Magic is that freak from? I have never heard his name before."
