by Zhuang Bifan
What really scared Kaman was the indifferent attitude of the young man—not a trace of sympathy or hesitation could be seen in his cold-blooded killing spree, just as if he had done it more times than he bothered to count. Kaman knew that this man would not consider the consequences of his actions, much less be concerned about the fact that Kaman was the president of Rosen Union. At this moment, Kaman thought he saw the shadow of death pressing in on him…
"Alright, Norfeller, that's enough…" At least 20 lives including that of Kaman had been spared at the young mage's command.
"Yes, Master." Norfeller had impaled the c.h.e.s.t of the only mage just as he finished the sentence.
"God…" Kaman felt himself blacking out as he watched the mage fall. That was the only mage amongst his men, and he was a level-11 mage too. Kaman gave him an important position in the Rosen Union, and even he could not help but be polite whenever he gave him a task. In all honesty, the mage was deserving of this treatment, for Rosen Union might be the only one with such power, and the mage's presence guaranteed their protection from bandits and extortion. Without him, the Rosen Union would have to spend another 50,000 gold coins every year…
And now, this mage worth 50,000 gold coins was easily killed, his c.h.e.s.t pierced through…
"Well, Mr. Kaman, I think we can talk now…"
Kaman felt himself shiver even though Lin Li smiled at him. It felt like he was being eyed by a venomous snake. He forced himself to speak with all his strength, but ended up trembling right after the first sentence. "W-what would you like to talk about?"
"Relax, President Kaman, you look too strung up… "
"…" Kaman almost blew up hearing this. If not for the monstrous pale-faced young man standing before him, Kaman would have cursed loudly. Relax? Damn it, it's easy for you to say that! Your monster of a man killed a dozen of my men in a flash, even my only mage…! Wouldn't you be strung up if it were you in my place?
Of course, he could not voice his anger, and he would never dare do it even if he had to. Not only that, he had to obediently nod his head and put up a casual front, but his cover was unfortunately blown by his pale face and trembling hands…
"I heard you are in the stone trade?"
"Ye-yes." Kaman gulped as he eyed Lin Li with fear and hesitation, wondering why this man was suddenly interested in his business. Damn it, is he eyeing the Rosen Council?
"Great…" Lin Li nodded with satisfaction as Kaman was torn between fear and hesitation. "Right, let me introduce myself. I'm Felic, a mage from Jarrosus, but I may be living in Doland for a while. I'm sure you'll welcome me?"
"Of course, welcome… welcome…" Kaman fought to squeeze out a smile, but due to his fear, it turned out worse than a grimace.
Lin Li was not concerned with that, since this gross fatty would never look anywhere near pleasant even if he tried. He was more concerned if this fatty would cooperate with him; the rest could be dealt with by Norfeller…
"Alright, President Kaman, I shall cut to the chase. Right now, I have a favor to ask of you. I'm sure you won't refuse me given your generosity?"
"Of course not…" Kaman eagerly agreed before Lin Li even finished his sentence.
Of course, he was not nearly as eager as he sounded. Kaman winced as he nodded; now that he was at the mercy of Lin Li, he would have to accede to any favor asked of him. He could not bear to imagine what this would cost him. Perhaps he would have to supply stones at way below their price, or maybe he would have to give him a share in the Rosen Union… Either way, Kaman could not help feeling like he would face an insufferable loss.
"It's very simple, I'm going to need stones soon, and even though it won't be much, I'm going to need quite a variety of them. I don't have the time to look for them myself, so I'll have to trouble you for that. I'll write you a list later, so keep a lookout for me if you have the time. Once you get them, bring them to Blackhills Town, and I'll buy them from you at the market price…"
"Huh?" Kaman thought he had heard wrongly when Lin Li said "market price" .
"Why, you think that's too low a price?"
"No, no, no…" Kaman hurriedly denied it in fear. Goodness, Lin Li held his life in his hands, so he would be lucky to cut his losses, much less earn a profit from making a sale at market price. Kaman did not dare imagine such luck. Why would he refuse it now?
After settling the terms briefly, Lin Li enquired about the stone market in Doland, and was satisfied to hear that rare stones could be found frequently due to Doland being situated at the borders of the Felan Kingdom and the Dwarf Kingdom. Besides that, the Breezy Plains was already rich in resources, which meant that most stones could be easily obtained on the market.
Then, Lin Li gave Kaman a list.
"…" Kaman felt himself getting cross-eyes looking at the list. Hell, is this guy playing a joke on me, there are at least 30 kinds of stones on the list, and each of them is a rare magical ore in small amounts. Is this a magical ingredient of some sort?
"Alright, President Kaman, if there is nothing else to say, I shall not delay you any further. However, I hope you will get the stones ready as soon as possible. I would hate to personally head down to Doland to rush you since this is our first time working together…"
This was a thinly veiled threat…
"I… I got it…"
As they watched Kaman leave, Herza whispered to Lin Li, "Felic, why do you need so much magical metal? This is not a small sum; if you need so much money, why not invest in building the tower first? You know as well as I do that the budget given by the Supreme Council is not very adequate…"
Lin Li, however, confidently said, "Haha, Mr Herza, the stones I'm buying will be used to build the tower…"
"What?"
"You'll see…" Lin Li answered mysteriously, his stare becoming mischievous as he watched Kaman leave. He was in luck. He had just reached Doland, but he had already got to know a businessman who monopolized the stone trade, and in such rare circ.u.mstances too. With this alone, he could get him to purchase stones for him as well as sell his finished products. A simple exchange like this would snowball his profits…
Chapter 299 - Ice Crystal Metal
The following days were peaceful, and everything was going according to plan. The workers sent by the Supreme Council had started building the tower, and Kaman had begun to send over rare magical metals. Besides visiting Doland every once in a while, Lin Li spent his time alone with Norfeller. Nobody knew what he was up to these days.
Well, strictly speaking, Lin Li was not up to anything these days…
The strange encounter in the Aurora Square had brought him many things, which included a dozen core magical mantras. This was enough research material to last a lifetime for any mage; luckily for Lin Li, these mantras were embedded in his memory like a soul brand he was born with, so all he needed to do was to internalize the information, and he would be able to master them with ease…
Even that was no small feat, and would take a long time as the dozen core magical mantras were akin to all there was in magic. Anyone who could master all of them had to be a god or close to one; even though Lin Li had committed all of them to memory, he was still far away from mastering all of them.
Of course, memorizing all of them had its benefits. At least it made it easier than before for Lin Li to use magic, as evidenced by the fight in the Demon Fall Valley. Old Merlin was a powerful level-15 Archmage, and even though he was not as skilled as Lin Li, he was comparable to the latter. Yet, he was forced to remain on defensive as he failed to pose any threat to Lin Li all the way until he died…
Such was the power of the core magical mantras…
Lin Li did not harbor high expectations initially considering how profound the core magical mantras were. Even the mages who had reached the Legendary Realm and surpassed it could not say that they had mastered the mantras, much less Lin Li, who was merely a level-16 Archmage.
However, Lin Li found his understanding of magic g
rowing as time went by. He found the answers to the questions he'd had in the past as well as questions he'd never thought he had. It was a surreal experience for Lin Li who was immersed in the knowledge. It excited him to the point where he did not set foot outside the house for a month as he buried himself in his research.
These mantras were like endless treasure coves to say the least, and Lin Li found himself gaining enlightenment and finding new techniques to use his magic with each passing day.
The boring and routine-like days passed by quickly as a month had gone by in a flash…
In that month, Lin Li occasionally called on Norfeller to test out his strength.
He had to admit that Norfeller was indeed a worthy opponent. As a high-ranking Vampire, he held impeccable strength in his body and was well-versed in Necromagic. According to his calculations, Norfeller was at least on par with a level-17 Necromancer…
Norfeller started out winning by a small margin, but the more Lin Li understood the core magical mantras, the more difficult it became for Norfeller. In the last couple of days, especially, Lin Li found that he could defeat Norfeller in half an hour if Norfeller only used Necromagic.
What Norfeller found perplexing was the fact that he clearly felt this young man's power remaining at level-16. He could not understand how a level-16 Archmage managed to repeatedly defeat a level-17 Archmage so effortlessly. Norfeller found no other explanation besides the fact Lin Li was the incarnation of the Immortal King…
All in all, Lin Li had been very satisfied with the work in the past month.
Like any other day, Lin Li woke up at dawn and went for breakfast with the little Dragonhawk before going on a walk outside of town as he observed the progress of the tower's construction. He then returned to his house to study the core magical mantras.
Who knew that a series of knocks would be heard from the door not long after he sat down.
"Strange…" Lin Li frowned, slightly doubtful as he answered the door. Ever since Herza left, the people in Black Clouds Town rarely came to look for him. The workers building the tower, however, were unbelievably arrogant, and would have hardly spared him a glance if not for the Supreme Council's direct orders.
Yeah, just like that Moke—Lin Li could not comprehend how anyone could be so silly. Moke outdid his silliness after Herza left as he either ignored Lin Li or sneered at him, saying that he was not engaging in honest work as a mage and instead meddled secretively with magical metals like an idiot…
Damn it, you're the idiot here!
Sometimes, Lin Li really wanted to slap his face.
Unfortunately, he never found a reason to…
Strangely, hateful as he was, Moke never did anything out of line. Lin Li felt all the more irritated that he could not find a reason to slap him…
"Kaman?" Lin Li saw a familiar face as he opened the door to the study.
"Great, that's great, Mage Felic, you're here indeed…" Kaman stood there flushed and panting heavily as if he had just finished a marathon. Before Lin Li could ask him what was the matter, Kaman started speaking while still out of breath. "Mage Felic, I-I-I… I found a batch of rare magical metal!"
"Oh?" Lin Li was intrigued when he heard him mention "rare magical metal", and hurriedly ushered him inside. "Quick, tell me what rare magical metal is it? "
"Well, you see, Mage Felic, a dwarf brought a batch of Ice Crystal Metal to the stone trading bank today…"
"Ice Crystal Metal?"
Lin Li frowned as soon as he heard what Kaman said. He was familiar with Ice Crystal Metal, and had once held a dagger made of it in the Endless World. Incredibly sharp and powerful, it was hailed as a classic amongst magical equipment. Lin Li had beheaded at least 10 high-ranking warriors and slit open the belly of Azardas, the Dragon of Destruction, with the said dagger. A pity that he could not bring it with him when he arrived in this time…
"Yes, Ice Crystal Metal, a whole carriage of refined Ice Crystal Metal…" Kaman's beady eyes positively glowed at the mention of this. Paired with his panting round face, he was the definition of "comical".
Lin Li had no concern for this, however, as he hurriedly questioned Kaman before he finished speaking. "What's his price?"
"One million gold coins…" Kaman eyed Lin Li carefully as he said this, fearing that the figure would anger Lin Li. He was a young mage who killed without batting an eye, so Kaman would be deep in trouble if Lin Li thought he was being greedy and got angry…
"One million gold coins?" Lin Li brushed his nose as he stood up from where he was sitting without questioning further. "Let's go, bring me there!"
"What?"
"Bring me to Doland, I want all of that Ice Crystal Metal!"
"…" Kaman nearly bit his tongue. Damn it, mages are all filthy rich, how can he decide to buy one million gold coins' worth of Ice Crystal Metal without bargaining at all?! Hell, this is one million gold coins, not a hundred copper coins!
"What are you waiting for?"
"Oh, right…" Kaman jumped at Lin Li's words, and quickly followed him out of the house to the carriage waiting outside.
Lin Li did not bring Norfeller along this time, as the latter was an Undead creature, which might cause a scene if he appeared in Doland. The unusually devoted followers of Brilliance Shrine took it upon themselves to exterminate evil Undead creatures, and might mistake him for one of them as well—wouldn't he be in trouble then?
"Right. Kaman, did you manage to sell the magical weapons I got you to previously?"
"Yes, Mage Felic, all four of them have been sold. Your crystal card has been credited with the money, you can check the transaction details anytime you wish. Heh, to be honest, Mage Felic, in my years of doing business, I've never seen such popular goods. They were gone in less than half a day after we put them up…"
Chapter 300 - Two Fatties
At the mention of the four magical weapons, Kaman suddenly grew excited, and rattled on about how he was amazed by it. He had been doubtful about the weapons when Lin Li handed them to him as they did not look like ancient artifacts, nor did they look like they had been crafted by a master artisan, and Kaman was worried that he would not be able to sell them…
Little did he know that someone would come to enquire about them the day they were listed in his shop. Kaman remembered that it was a level-15 Warrior Adventurer by the name of Jason. He was a well-known figure in Doland, and was a powerful Warrior who accomplished all his missions so far, thus making him a promising figure among Adventurers.
Kaman recalled that Jason was interested in the sword forged of rune's adamantine. That was the most expensive of the four, with a price tag of 20,000 gold coins—more than enough to deter most buyers. Jason did not even frown as he swiped his crystal card; instead, Kaman clearly remembered how ecstatic he looked, just as if that had been a bargain…
Kaman had wondered if Jason was crazy for blowing through his fortune for a mere weapon.
Soon, he realized that Jason was not. In the span of a day, the other three weapons were sold, each at a price higher than what was initially set. The dagger made of Dream realm metal was by far the most ridiculous as two high-ranking bandits fought over it—the dagger was sold at 30,000 gold coins even though it had originally been priced at 5,000…
Kaman suddenly came to realize the incredible power this young mage he had just met held.
He could get over a million gold coins easily in exchange for a few pieces of magical equipment, something only the legendary Smithing Master was capable of.
The following days saw Kaman's stone trading shop brimming with customers who were mostly level-15 and above, asking Kaman to bring out more magical equipment. In order to purchase equipment of their liking, these powerful individuals tried to outdo each other with promises of protection and bringing more business for Kaman. It all felt like a dream for Kaman…
While Kaman held great wealth and controlled over half of the stone trade in the past, he was well aware that he was nothing m
ore than a speck of dust to these powerful individuals. They did not have any regard for him previously, for they knew they would never have to turn to Kaman for anything.
The Rosen Union could not compare to the Glittergold Trade Union, after all, and they had neither Legendary members nor powerful hitmen. While they held some influence, it was never enough for them to be respected in this power-hungry town.
However, as the four weapons were sold, it all seemed to change…
Luckily, Kaman was well aware of the fact that this was all because of the young mage in Black Clouds Town—the very young mage that had cost Kaman the loss of half of his subordinates. Well, he felt different about the matter after a month, even being thankful that he had brought his men to stir up trouble at Black Clouds Town, or how would he have got to know Mage Felic otherwise?
Not everyone had an opportunity to meet a Smithing Master…
Of course, Lin Li knew what happened in the process—he just was not interested. Right now, he was only concerned about the carriage of Ice Crystal Metal. Legend had it that it could only be found in the frozen soil of the poles, and weapons made of Ice Crystal Metal were not only incredibly sharp, but also boasted a powerful corrosive property—even a dragon's scale would break with one blow…
What was truly terrifying about Ice Crystal Metal was not the weapons it could be made into; rather, it was the projectiles it could be made into—especially bolts used for defensive purposes. Equipment became truly lethal once it was equipped with a bolt made of Ice Crystal Metal. Till this day, Lin Li remembered the 50 chariots armed with Ice Crystal Metal crossbows at the Bright Moon Castle in Endless World—even a god would not survive a volley from all 50 crossbows…
When Kaman mentioned the dwarf had an entire carriage full of Ice Crystal Metal, Lin Li knew he had found the answer to a question he had long since been worried about. While he could avoid most trouble by building his tower in Black Clouds Town, defense remained a concern as Black Clouds Town was well-connected and situated on flat ground. If he was met with an attack from the likes of the Shadow's Nest, wouldn't his tower suffer a repeat of the Emerald Tower's fate?
