Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  "Englos, look who is with me!"

  "Sendros, why are you here?"

  "Haha, I'm not here just to see you. I've brought you a noble guest too!" After seeing his old friend, it was as though a sense of humanity could be seen from the semi-undead monster. His palish face twitched and squeezed out a smile.

  Englos lifted his head suspiciously before grinning in surprise. "Master Felic, I didn't expect that you would visit Dawn Cathedral. I still went to the Guild of Magic to look for you twice; unfortunately, you had not came back…"

  "Hehe, Archbishop Englos, you are too courteous. I'm not fit to own the title "Master" in front of both of you. You should just call me Felic."

  "No, no, no…" Englos said as he invited the two men into the guest room to have a seat. He explained seriously, "What you solved was a difficult task that no pharmacist in Felan could solve. Just this is enough for you to bear that title. Oh, yes. Master Felic, why are you free to visit me today?"

  "Erm…" Lin Li scratched his head, and said honestly, "One of my friends was cursed. I'm here to find Archbishop Englos to help. I wonder if you have the time to do so?"

  "I don't mind helping. But, to be honest, I'm not really skilled in curses. Why don't you find Hoffman for help? He is a true Master of Curse."

  "I have already sent people to invite Mr. Hoffman. However, my friend is in an extremely complicated state this time. He was not only put under a curse, but also badly injured. I fear he might not be able to endure the deep pain while we rid him of the curse. Hence, I hope that your theurgy could heal his body."

  "I can do that…" Englos agreed. As one of the four Archbishops of the Brilliance Shrine, his mastery in theurgy was naturally not something Raleigh could match. Even if he were to injure his arm badly, it could still be easily treated.

  "That's great!"

  "Oh, yes. Master Felic, may I ask what curse your friend was put under?"

  "I'm not too sure about that. I could only judge from his reactions. That curse, however, is very strange. It was like sizzling black smoke emitting from his wounds. I could also feel that my friend is gradually weakened by the curse. I'm afraid he does not have much time left…"

  "I see…" Englos commented while he sank into deep thoughts.

  Just when Englos was still at a loss of what to do, Sendros interrupted, "If I am not wrong, your friend is still in a coma, is he?

  "How do you know?"

  "Then that's right…" Sendros did not answer Lin Li's question, but continued, "I have seen this type of curse before. It is called the Curse of the Dry Soul, a secret spell that has existed since the Dark Age. I remember reading about it from the magic book for the undead. The book states: 'A real devil can give you great powers if you know how to control it. However, if you don't, the devil would swallow you immediately.'"

  "Do you mean that this Dry Soul Curse is like a bite of mana—if it failed to injure the opponent, it would harm the caster?" Lin Li asked, frowning. Could it be that Orrin was not attacked by Gryffindor, but learned a forbidden spell instead?

  "Yeah, that's a possibility…" Sendros said as he shook his head. "Master Felic. Frankly speaking, this curse is the most troublesome of all. Because it has existed for so many years, it has been in the blood—even if I know the concept, I do not know how to cure it."

  "Sendros, please don't say that. Hoffman might have a way out." Englos shot a glare at his old friend. He knew how Sendros would always think of the worst case scenario. Although he might be right at times, it would not sound comforting to the others.

  "I hope so…" Sendros nodded unwillingly.

  "Archbishop Englos, do you have time now? If it is possible, can you go and take a look personally? I'm afraid my friend might not be able to wait any longer…" Lin Li asked impatiently.

  "No problem," agreed Englos without further ado.

  "Can I go with you?" Sendros asked and stood up like Englos.

  "Alright, both of you please follow me."

  The three men walked out of Dawn Cathedral and rushed to the Guild of Magic in a coach. They left the young priests and the bored passers-by guessing at the noble identity of the young mage who could get the help from the leaders of the Brilliance Shrine and Darkness Shrine. It was no joke. Englos was one of the Archbishops of Brilliance Shrine, while Sendros had the authority over the whole of the Darkness Shrine. Their status was so high that even His Majesty would not be able to enjoy the same treatment.

  Those several young priests were especially scared, and broke out in sweat when they saw the leaving coach. If they had known the background of the young mage, they would not have dared to stop him.

  The coach stopped outside the guild hall. The two old men saw a familiar figure the moment they came out of the coach.

  "Hahaha! Hoffman, you're here too?" Hoffman's round figure was too obvious. Sendros recognized him among the crowd right away after alighting from the coach. "Why don't you rush back to Breezy Plains to look after your daughter? Don't regret if she were to elope with a random dude…"

  "F*ck! Sendros, what a shameless set of old bones you are! I'm going to spike your food sooner or later…" Hoffman was halfway through scolding that Sendros when he realized that Sendros did not need to eat at all. Hence, he added another scornful line. "Nope… You do not even need to eat any food. Just scram back to your cemetery and gnaw on corpses! I feel so awkward standing with you…"

  "…" Lin Li was speechless hearing how the two oldies bantered with each other. He decided to step in to mediate their dispute. "You two, you two, mind your image!"

  "Yeah, Master Felic is right. I'm a successful man. I should not argue with a semi-undead monster…" Hoffman scoffed as he entered the guild hall.

  "This fella…" Sendros and Englos mumbled as they shook their heads reluctantly and followed them in.

  Lin Li led the way and brought the three men to the guild's treatment room. He took some time to tell Hoffman about Orrin's situation along the way.

  "Damn. So it's the Curse of the Dry Soul. This is bad…" Hoffman commented after hearing Lin Li describe the situation. He could not help but frown at the thought of it.

  "What do you think, Master Hoffman? You, too, can't deal with the Dry Soul Curse?" Lin Li asked after seeing Hoffman's expression. Lin Li could not help but grow nervous. If this expert in curses could not deal with it, he knew Orrin would really be in grave danger.

  "But, it does not mean we have no solution for him. It would just be more troublesome…" Hoffman said as he shook his head. He did not say that Orrin would surely die, but he could not relax his deep frown.

  "You mean…?"

  "I mean…" Hoffman paused in his words. "Forget it, let's go look at your friend first. Maybe his situation is not that serious."

  "Yes."

  Chapter 251 - Comrades, Brothers

  When Lin Li entered the guild's treatment room, he saw Macklin pacing around the room anxiously. Perhaps it was due to Orrin's serious injury, but Macklin's mood was seriously affected. The group of mages who wanted to visit Orrin was standing far away from Macklin fearfully. Mason was the only person sitting by Orrin's bed out of the ten-plus people in the room. There was a cup of water in his hand. Lin Li told him to give that to Orrin before he left. Macklin who always liked to find fault with others would definitely not target him now.

  "How is it?" Lin Li asked softly as he walked beside Mason.

  Mason sighed, and replied, "He looks better, but is still unconscious…"

  "Don't worry, I will think of a solution," Lin Li comforted him. Then, he called out to Macklin who was pacing back and forth. "I say, Mr. Macklin, aren't you tired of walking around? Can't you stop and take a break? I have invited Englos to look at Orrin…"

  "HUH?" Macklin gasped. He did not expect that Archbishop Englos was the person whom Lin Li found!

  "Oh, yes. There's Hoffman too…"

  Damn. This fella must have had a secret between him and Hoffman! From what the apprentice who returne
d said, the moment he showed the crystal card in Glittergold Bank, he got treated like a noble guest. When he mentioned he was there to look for Hoffman, people brought him to Hoffman immediately. There was zero obstacles in the process. It was as if it was absolutely normal for a random apprentice to look for Hoffman.

  When he saw Hoffman, this plump middle-aged man asked nothing at all. He called for a coach and followed him to the Guild of Magic without further ado.

  "Archbishop Englos is here too?" Macklin asked. After all, Englos was one of the Archbishops of the Brilliance Shrine. Even if Macklin was really anxious about Orrin's condition, he just had to go to the door and invite Englos in all smiles. It was a necessary etiquette that Macklin needed to observe, or else he might damage the relationship between the Guild of Magic and the Brilliance Shrine.

  However, Macklin's smile froze the moment he stepped out of the guild.

  What the hell…

  Why does that fella who is standing behind Englos look so familiar?

  The face of the scrawny man tightly wrapped in the long black robe was as pale as that of a corpse, and the cold and ominous vibes he radiated confirmed Macklin's suspicion. Who could he be other than Sendros himself?

  Goddammit! Why would Sendros appear at the Guild of Magic?!

  At that moment, Macklin's hair stood up. How could he not know who Sendros was? He was a necromancer well known in the recent decade, and had the ability comparable to Legendary-mages. Although he had not appeared in Felan Kingdom in the recent 10 years, his name was known to even young children. The Massacre of Rotterdam was too famous that even the parents today used his name to scare their children.

  This time, Macklin was really petrified.

  It was not strange for Hoffman to be here, since the other time in the guild hall he'd admitted that he had bought a batch of herbs from Lin Li. As for Archbishop Englos, his presence should be related to Andoine. Macklin knew that this Archbishop owed Andoine a huge favor when he was younger.

  However…

  How could Sendros be here…? Was he dreaming…?

  He was a real necromancer—a semi-human monster. Apart from having a close relationship with Englos, Macklin had not heard how he would ever lend help to anyone else. Even if Felic was talented and had a strong backing, how could this young mage aged 20 even get acquainted with a figure like Sendros?

  Wait a minute…

  Just when Macklin was stunned, he thought of something…

  Didn't Felic participate in a gathering half a month ago? Macklin remembered that the organizer of the gathering was the Pharmacists Guild. If he did not remember wrongly, apart from having a massive background and impressive abilities, the three big shots in front of him had another similarity. That was, they were all true pharmacists!

  Ever since that gathering, Alanna Guild of Magic had been visited by many big shots every other day, from Prince Lionheart Johnathan and Head Assassin Oro to Archbishop Englos and the fatso Hoffman… They were all like trotting horse lamps, and all said nothing when they came to the Guild of Magic. They only tried to strike meaningless conversations with Macklin and Aldwin, and asked about the recent talents from the Guild of Magic…

  Freak, ain't Felic a talent?

  This time, Macklin understood it completely.

  The never-ending streams of big shots were all here to look for Felic.

  Felic must have done something that caught their attention during that gathering and attracted all of them to the Guild of Magic.

  This fella is too crafty! He did not even say a word about it when he came back. To even blabber about having traded herbs with Hoffman… Nope, I have to discuss this with Aldwin…

  The identities of the several men that came were even more unbelievable. They were all true pharmacists, and only high-ranking pharmacists could get close to them.

  Damn. Evil Felic must have hidden it very well…

  When he was at the Nightmare Mountains, Macklin heard for himself that that fella had once given Andoine suggestions how to improve in pharmaceutics. He knew then that Lin Li must have had great abilities in pharmaceutics. However, Macklin did not expect that his ability was so high. What did it mean to be a high-ranking pharmacist? He must have known hundreds of potion crafting formulas. With all this knowledge, to emerge victorious in a battle between Archmages would be a piece of cake!

  Macklin scratched his head. He had indeed seen a monster!

  He really wanted to ask if that fella was human. Not to mention that he reached the Archmage realm at the age of 20, he was also proficient in pharmaceutics and forging. With Lin Li being both a high-ranking blacksmith and a high-ranking pharmacist, Macklin would not be shocked if he were to see Lin Li give birth to a child one day…

  "Take a seat inside quickly…" Macklin invited the three men into the treatment room hospitably. However, he could not help but want to interrogate that fella after he got Orrin cured!

  Englos frowned the moment he saw Orrin when he stepped into the room.

  "Felic, I'm afraid to tell you that your friend's condition is really terrible…"

  "Yes, I know that…"

  "If I haven't guessed it wrongly, the injury on his body must have been caused by a fire element magical spell. That is nothing, though. Due to the presence of the Dry Soul Curse, his life force has already been drained. Even if I use my Holy Light Spell on him, the injuries on his body would not get better at all…"

  "Then could we wait for Mr. Hoffman to rid Orrin of the curse before you perform the Holy Light treatment?"

  "That might work, but it must be quick. If not, after he loses more blood and his life force gets completely drained, only the pope will have the ability to save him…"

  "I see." Lin Li nodded his head and turned to Hoffman. "Mr. Hoffman, regarding the solution you've mentioned just now…"

  "Let me try…" Hoffman walked in front of the sickbed and raised his right hand slowly. At that moment, his five plump fingers looked extremely agile as though they had no bones inside them. After a few weird hand gestures, a white ray of light shot out from his palm and covered Orrin's wound instantaneously.

  During that process, Lin Li could clearly see that it was as though that ray of light had its own life force, which entered Orrin's body continuously. At the same time, the black smoke seemed to be triggered and moved vigorously. It was like a thick and dense gray cloud carrying the stench of blood while covering Orrin's wound.

  As the ray of white light grew brighter, the sweat on Hoffman's plump face grew more copious too. At last, his face grew as pale as Sendros'.

  Lin Li knew it was because he had exerted too much energy.

  Even though Lin Li knew little about curses, it was evident that Hoffman tried his best in dealing with Orrin's curse. Those few minutes were enough to exhaust and turn him into a pallid man. His sweaty face turned ashen as though he had just run at least 10 kilometers.

  Sh*t, now I owe him a big favor…

  Hoffman was a real businessman. Since he was willing to drain his energy to save Orrin, he would expect greater returns. It would be hard for Lin Li to reject his requests in the future.

  "Bastard Gryffindor, I'm not going to forgive you!" Lin Li muttered furiously under his breath. The thought of owing three big favors gave him a terrible headache. If there weren't so many people present, he would have taken his revenge on Gryffindor right and then.

  "Felic, come here…" While the three master pharmacists were toiling away, Master Felic called Lin Li over.

  "What?" Lin Li glanced at Macklin cautiously. He was prepared to face Macklin's interrogation as to how he'd managed to invite the three big shots at one go. Macklin would have guessed what he did during that gathering…

  "Nothing much, I just wanted to have a chat with you…"

  "Alright, alright. You don't need to ask me anything—I will tell you myself. That's right. I met them during the gathering at the Pharmacists Guild. All of them wanted to get close to me as I'm knowledgeable
in the pharmaceutical field. Hence, when I requested that they help me, they agreed immediately. Period. What else do you want to ask?" Lin Li was very direct. He told Macklin of all that had happened.

  "F*ck, only you know how many things you have hidden!" Macklin cursed after listening to Lin Li's account. He glared at him unhappily, but he shook his head. "But, this was not what I wanted to talk about…"

  "WHAT?" Lin Li nearly fell on his b.u.t.t.o.c.k.s. So he had come clean with the old man for nothing??

  "Who told you to act smart…?" The old man pursed his lips. Then, he asked Lin Li seriously, "Are you thinking of finding trouble with Gryffindor?"

  "Crap, that's a must!" Lin Li burst out in rage upon hearing Gryffindor's name. He said through gritted teeth, "Didn't you see that he attacked Orrin with Pyroblast? If not for Orrin's strong health, he would have died from that. How would he be able to have the strength to use any curse?"

  "That's right! That bastard Gryffindor owes a beating!" Macklin cursed righteously. Yet, after that, he frowned again. "But, Felic… You might not want to create a conflict with Gryffindor these two days…"

  "Why can't I?" Lin Li frowned. Gryffindor nearly killed Orrin with a Pyroblast! Was this old dude forbidding him to find trouble with Gryffindor? Did he become senile due to his fear of Sendros?

  Lin Li, Orrin, and Mason had been living together for the past two months. From the beginning when they started off clearing the tasks Macklin gave them, to struggling in the Shadowglen together and being study buddies in the Omniscient Tower every day, and then learning from each other in the arena every other day together, their relationship had surpassed any normal friendship. They had become the best comrades and the closest brothers. Gryffindor's act of attacking Orrin with a Pyroblast was the same as him attacking Lin Li with it.

  How could he not avenge Orrin? How could Macklin say that…?

  Lin Li still remembered when they were at the Nightmare Mountains, when Bathrilor's father, Archmage Aeron wanted to attack him, it was Orrin who rushed in front of him to defend him.