Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  "Felic, hurry and open the door. We're about to leave!"

  After hearing Mason's voice, Lin Li suddenly remembered that there was still work to be done. It seemed that the mageweath on this bolt could only wait until he returned at night.

  "Coming." Lin Li kept the stuff into the Ring of Endless Storm before coming out from the bedroom.

  He saw Mason and Orrin waiting outside as soon as he opened the door.

  Lin Li pondered, and called Sean over again. "Sean."

  "Yes, Mr Felic?"

  "Remember, you're still sleeping in my room tonight. Don't run into the living room to sleep, or you'll be in trouble, do you understand?" Lin Li warned Sean again before going out. He was afraid that the kid would sleep in the living room on his own initiative seeing that he had returned. Then, there would be no protection of the Ward of Secrecy. His earth-shaking snoring could possibly lift the whole building.

  "Orh…" Sean nodded honestly, but his face was full of confusion. He could not understand why Mr Felic would attach such importance to this matter.

  "Remember, don't sleep in the living room…" After reminding Sean once more, Lin Li went out of the door with his two teammates. They walked all the way to the guild hall along the path lined with sycamore trees.

  The Omniscient Tower was definitely the core even in the entire Alanna Guild of Magic. The three of them soon felt the position of the core building when they came out of the guild hall and walked down the corridor to the Omniscient Tower. They were questioned at least ten times in less than ten minutes. On average, the time spent on the road was not as long as the time spent being questioned…

  After passing through a long corridor, the three people suddenly saw light ahead. In front of them was a mass of flowers and greenery. The environment looked even better than the place where they lived. Before them, a tall tower shot straight into the clouds; it looked majestic and imposing from afar, filled with a dignified yet mysterious aura. Just beside the tower, there was another huge building, which occupied almost half of the surrounding space. The three of them had just approached when they felt a strong magical wave.

  According to Mason, this was the Alanna Research Institute, where the core magic research in the guild was located.

  It was said that the person who presided over the research institute was a legendary mage with strength not below Aldwin's.

  However, this legendary mage had been lying low as he did his research. He had never appeared in public for decades. No one, including Mason's resourceful uncle, knew how the Dean really looked like.

  The three of them crossed the lush, green lawn, and very soon arrived before the high tower.

  Two middle-aged mages in black robes were stationed at the gate of the tower.

  Lin Li was startled as he approached the gate. The two middle-aged mages stationed here actually possessed the strength of an Archmage each…

  They were again interrogated by the two Archmages. The interrogation was more detailed than the ones they met on the way here. Finally, after Mason displayed their identity certificates, the three of them were able to enter the legendary Omniscient Tower.

  "This is your pass. It is valid for two and a half months. In the next two and a half months, you can freely enter and exit the Omniscient Tower with this pass. However, there are several things I must remind you about. The Omniscient Tower is open from 9 am to 9 pm." After handing over the three metal nameplates to the three of them respectively, a middle-aged mage repeated the matters needing attention. "In addition, the place where you can freely enter and leave is only between the first floor and the fifteenth floor. Beyond the fifteenth floor, you must gain permission from Dean Baron personally.

  "Also, within the Omniscient Tower, there must be no loud noise, no magic, no physical conflict, no destruction of books, no…" The middle-aged mage mentioned a dozen of "nos" in succession, and the three of them could not help but feel their scalps turn numb.

  Chapter 155 - The Highlord

  "Haha, I'll go up to the tenth floor first." After waiting for the middle-aged mage to finish listing the dozen prohibitions at last, Mason was already eagerly holding his pass and heading straight up the spiral staircase. Before he left, he said wretchedly, "I wonder what treasures are hidden on the tenth floor…"

  "See you at nine." Walking into the largest magic treasure house in the Felan Kingdom, there were perhaps few mages that would not be moved. Orrin left a few words hastily, and disappeared in a twinkling of an eye.

  "Okay, see you at nine." After separating from his two teammates by the steps, Lin Li did not rush to the upper floors, but went straight through the corridor to the hall on the first floor of the Omniscient Tower.

  Coming in from the main entrance of the hall, Lin Li saw a row of huge bookshelves that were filled with all kinds of books. A large desk was placed in the middle of these bookshelves. Some young mages were sitting by the desk in twos or threes, each concentrating between a thick stack of books. Judging from the magical wave emanating from them, most of them were above level-six or seven, but they were only in their twenties, and several of them were even younger than Lin Li. He reckoned that these were all young talents specially trained by the Alanna Guild of Magic.

  Lin Li walked gently into the hall. After circling around in the middle of a row of bookshelves, he quickly found what he wanted.

  It was a thread-bound book with a black cover. What was recorded in it was not a magic spell, but a biography written by a bard based on hearsay after the Dark Ages; it included the life of Highlord Osric.

  In the hall on the first floor of the Omniscient Tower, besides a variety of low-level spells, the most common books were probably these anecdotes. It was just that this light read was obviously less popular than low-level magic spells. Just like the one in Lin Li's hands—when it was picked up and shaken lightly, the thick dust on the cover was shaken off. It was probably some years since anyone had last picked it up to read.

  Lin Li did not care. He shook the dust off the cover, and casually took a seat at the desk. He was even reading the biography with great interest.

  Anyway, he had never thought about looking for any spells coming to the Omniscient Tower today.

  It was almost evening when they had returned from the Shadowglen, and he was still asked by the two old fellows to forge a weapon. He had also spent a lot of time on the bolts when he returned to the dormitory. By the time they reached the Omniscient Tower after passing through the various checkpoints, it was already time for the largest magic treasure house in Felan to close. It was too late to memorize even if they had found some powerful spells at this time. He'd rather find some light reading on the first floor to pass time and learn more about Highlord Osric while at that.

  Speaking of the Highlord, Lin Li was very intrigued indeed.

  Since arriving in Alanna, Lin Li felt as if he was always involved with the Highlord. Osric's name was clearly written on the two rags written in High Elves' language. The Torrent of Elements Ring on his hand was also said to have been the ring worn by the Highlord during his lifetime. Even these days, Lin Li was treated with courtesy at the Alanna Guild of Magic because he could help them win the key to Osric's mausoleum.

  He had nothing to do, anyway. It'd be good to know more about it.

  Lin Li read the biography with great interest with such an idea in mind.

  "Savage…" Osric's biography was full of legendary quality, and with the bard's exaggerated writing, Lin Li was utterly stunned as he read.

  Speaking of Highlord Osric, one had to mention the conflicting clan of the High Elves.

  After the remote years of floods and wilderness, after the Titans and Dragons disappeared in the long history, the High Elves took advantage of this opportunity to rise, and began to rule Anril with blood and magic for thousands of years.

  Compared with other clans, the High Elves could be described as perfect—no one could match their superiority in magic. Every a.d.u.l.t High Elf possess
ed at least the strength of an Archmage. With this unique advantage, the High Elves had almost advanced to the edge of magic civilization. They had created one miracle after another with magic. Even 1,200 years later, no clan had the guts to say that its magical achievements were anywhere near that unprecedented glorious civilization.

  In the mouth of most bards, the magic civilization created by the High Elves was described as "a miracle beyond the Gods"…

  They loved and worshipped all things that were perfect, and their achievements in the field of art were equally amazing. Unfortunately, most of these achievements were destroyed by wars after the Dark Ages. Today, people could barely recover a trace of perfection from the ruins of High Elves.

  At the same time, they were a clan full of contradictions.

  When dealing with other clans, the brutality of the High Elves had reached an appalling level. In their eyes, other clans were just inferior creatures, whose only purpose was to serve as slaves. When dealing with other clans, the High Elves did not even consider hypocritical appeas.e.m.e.nt, but only the most direct and brutal enslavement.

  The Orcs had tried to resist, but what awaited them was the repression of blood and fire. Six months later, millions of Orcs from 18 clans died under the butcher knives of the Magic Legion. Nearly every village was covered with the hanging corpses of the Orcs. Millions of Orcs had g.r.o.a.n.e.d and wailed under the butcher knives, and blood stained large areas of land red.

  Highlord Osric was undoubtedly a typical example of a High Elf.

  Even in that glorious age of magic civilization, Osric's strength was absolutely the highest. He had even fought with the God of Mages, Geresco.

  According to the bard's description, in the war at the end of the Dark Ages, the rebels sent their strongest fighters—seven strongmen of the Legendary-level—to assassinate Osric. They successfully infiltrated the palace of the Highlord, coming face-to-face with the real ruler of the Felan Kingdom, Highlord Osric. Eventually, none of them escaped, and the seven legendary strongmen remained in the Highlord's palace forever.

  Osric merely said a few words about it.

  "Kill those loathsome bugs!"

  Then, there was the infamous massacre—the most well-known event in Osric's life. 100,000 rebels were hanged overnight. This horrible massacre also earned him the nickname, The Butcher.

  But, few people knew that in addition to this massacre, Osric had actually done a lot of things in his life…

  The legendary life of Osric almost perfectly ill.u.s.trated the conflicting nature of the High Elves. Behind the cruel nickname of The Butcher, he was also a wise scholar with profound knowledge, a powerful mage, a versatile craftsman, and a famous artist. Osric, shrouded by numerous halos, could only be described as amazing.

  At the end of the Dark Age, the High Elves laid the foundation of pharmaceutical theory and developed the complete framework of pharmaceutics on the basis of this theory. Highlord Osric was a real Potion Master. In the description of the bard, Osric's pharmaceutics level was exaggerated to an incredible degree.

  All sorts of magical potions had rendered Lin Li dumbfounded. In particular, the biography mentioned several rare formulas Osric had discovered in his later years; even Lin Li, a pharmaceutics guru, had only heard about them.

  In his later years, Osric became interested in forging.

  So, he led the Magic Legion and conquered the Dark Iron Dwarves.

  Countless Dark Iron Dwarf craftsmen were sent to Osric's palace to demonstrate forging techniques for him day and night. It took less than a year for the Highlord to make amazing progress in the field of forging. Four of the seven most notable pieces of magical equipment in the Felan Kingdom today came from Highlord Osric.

  Osric's life was full of legendary quality; especially after 1,200 years, looking back on his life, it really felt like reading a novel, but the satisfying kind of novel where the main character was invincible.

  Lin Li felt satisfied reading it.

  However, after the satisfaction, he looked back, and suddenly realized that there was not even a trace of the thing that he wanted to find…

  That day in the Shadowglen, the Lich's mention of the "butcher's ring" almost caused Lin Li to encounter the bite of mana. At that time, he had vaguely guessed that the Torrent of Elements Ring on his hand was most likely related to the High Elves' Highlord.

  The reason why he stayed in the hall on the first floor was not only to find some light read to pass time, but also to see if he could find some clues about the Torrent of Elements from Osric's life story.

  Unfortunately, nothing was found…

  Lin Li shook his head and closed the thread-bound book again. He was about to stand up and put it back on the shelf when, suddenly, he heard light footsteps behind him.

  "How did you come here…" Lin Li looked back and found that it was his two teammates.

  "We've copied a couple of spells and came to call you back together. I say, Felic, what on earth were you reading to be so fascinated?" Mason pulled a chair furiously and sat down on Lin Li's right. The sound of a fuss prompted several young mages who were reading to glare at him.

  "Idiot, keep your voice down." Orrin glared at him. The fellow was always so overjoyed that he forgot his surname. Could he make a lot of noise in a place like the Omniscient Tower? It would be trouble if they attracted the attention of the Archmage outside the door.

  "Ooh…" Mason remembered where he was after being stared at by several young mages. He nodded his head, but his eyes fell on the thread-bound book. "Bloody hell, after so long, you're looking at this stuff? Felic, is it necessary for you to come to the Omniscient Tower for something that you could get with a few silver coins on the street…?"

  "I had nothing to do anyway." Lin Li looked at the sky; it was almost time for the Omniscient Tower to close. He got up and put the thread-bound book back on the bookshelf. Then, he left the hall with his two teammates. As they exited the gate of the Omniscient Tower, Lin Li asked, "How's the harvest?"

  "Haha, the harvest is too great!" Mason's face was filled with excitement at the mention of the harvest in the Omniscient Tower. Without waiting for Lin Li to ask further, he began to talk in full swing. "I've copied down two level-ten spells and one level-12 spell…"

  "This…" Lin Li scratched his head, and asked in doubt, "Can you use it?"

  "I'm a genius. It doesn't matter if I can't use now. After a year and a half, maybe I can even use a level-15 spell…" When Mason finished, he looked around furtively, then lowered his voice and said, "Besides, even if I can't use it, other people can always use it. I can take them back to Chevan City…"

  "…" Lin Li listened to this and suddenly understood that it was no wonder the tower was like a military restricted area. All access needed to be certified and all kinds of annoying rules were laid down. It was all because there were many people like Mason…

  However…

  It didn't seem to be a violation of the rules. Anyway, when the Alanna Guild of Magic approved them coming to the Omniscient Tower, they had most probably thought about this. He should also copy some the next day. That old fellow, Gerian, would probably be spoilt with delight when Lin Li brought it back to Jarrosus when the time came…

  Lin Li was turning things over in his mind as he crossed the lawn with his teammates. They walked along the corridors all the way back to the guild hall.

  As soon as the three of them entered the guild hall, Mason pulled Lin Li's sleeves from behind, and said, "Felic, look over there…"

  "Look at what?" Lin Li was taken aback.

  "To your right… quick, look…"

  "How come it's this guy…" Lin Li looked in the direction that Mason said and immediately saw a familiar figure—a fellow in his twenties; tall, handsome, and dressed in a well-tailored blue mage robe. His appearance seemed to be in line with a lady's standards of Prince Charming; it was a pity that he walked with a limp, making people feel uncomfortable when watching…

  "Ma
tthias…" Lin Li was somewhat surprised. He knew very well the strength of his strikes. When the four Arcane Missiles went down, Lin Li knew that this guy would probably be bedridden until the end of the trial. It had only been ten days, and the fellow could walk already; was he not merciless enough at the beginning?

  "I didn't expect this guy to be able to walk so fast…" Mason was also surprised.

  "He won't be able to walk again soon." Orrin's eyes were fixed on Matthias, who was still in the distance. The dense chill in his voice seemed to freeze even the air. With Orrin's character, how could he possibly forget the incident back then? It was probably the first blow that Orrin suffered after coming to Alanna. He had always been very proud; apart from Gryffindor, no other young mages were worthy of his attention. Although there was Felic, he was a monster, and could not be measured by human standards.

  But, Matthias' sneak attack was always on his mind. Now that he had run into him in the guild hall, how could Orrin let him off that easily?

  "Felic, I've got something to discuss with you." Orrin, who never asked for help, had used the word "discuss" for the very first time today.

  "Don't worry, I won't interfere." Lin Li did not even have to ask; he knew what Orrin wanted to do. After receiving the fireball with his body that day, Lin Li knew he had guessed wrong—Matthias' strength could never be above Orrin's. The reason why Orrin was injured was probably due to a sneak attack.

  Lin Li wasn't worried at all now that Orrin wanted to finish off by himself. So, he coolly agreed to it.

  "Thanks."

  In the meantime, Matthias discovered the three figures.

  This was perhaps what "meeting enemies opens new wounds" meant.

  Matthias looked at the three men as if he were going to eat them; his fists were tightly clenched. From a distance away, Lin Li seemed to be able to see the bulging green veins on his forehead.

  But, Matthias quickly smiled.

  Mason rubbed his eyes to make sure that he was not wrong. The guy was really smiling, and he was smiling very brightly, such that Mason thought he had seen a ghost. He subconsciously poked Lin Li, who was beside him, with his hand. "Felic, do you think that guy's so mad he's become neurotic?"