by Zhuang Bifan
This carriage full of Ice Crystal Metal would solve his problem—with 10 chariots armed with Ice Crystal Metal crossbows, while he might not defeat a god, he could definitely kill everyone below level-20.
"Let's go to Doland!" Lin Li eagerly called on Norfeller as he boarded a carriage with Kaman.
"Mage Felic…" Kaman carefully shifted away from Norfeller on the carriage. Perhaps it was due to their less than pleasant first meeting, but Kaman remained fearful of Norfeller, and felt himself seize up whenever the pale-faced young man was near…
"What is it?"
"Do you want to reconsider this? One million gold coins is not a small amount…" Kaman hesitated as he stumbled over his words. Honestly, one million was too expensive a price to Kaman…
"Haha, we'll see then…" One million gold coins was not an expensive price at all to Lin Li, for he was well aware of the value of Ice Crystal Metal even though others might not be. The metal could only be found in soil frozen for a thousand years, and even a fistful was immeasurably precious, much less an entire carriage of it.
While one million gold coins was not a small amount, it was only money in the end. If he so wished, Lin Li could always earn it back. However, he might not come across an entire carriage full of Ice Crystal Metal again.
As the carriage pulled up to Doland, the streets were bustling with people. Mornings in Doland were always crowded and chaotic as everybody busied themselves with their daily errands; even the air smelled of the town's bustle. The Rosen Union's stone trading shop was next to the Adventurers Guild in the southern part of Doland. Lin Li had to admit that Kaman had foresight as this place was filled with Adventurers even though it was not a rich district, thus bringing them much business. It was safe to say that more than a half of the Rosen Union's wealth was thanks to business from adventurers.
As the three alighted from the carriage, the shop was unusually crowded with a few dozen men surrounding the door, discussing away. For some reason, Lin Li saw Kaman's expression change as he set foot on the steps…
"What's that?"
"Sorry, Mage Felic, I think I may have a small problem…" Kaman paled as he eyed the crowd outside the shop.
Before Kaman finished speaking, a curse could be heard from the crowd. "Damn it, you idiots, get your boss here now. I don't have the patience to deal with you, don't make me burn your scam of a shop! "
"Who's that irritable man…?" Lin Li muttered as he brushed his nose. Kaman was a rich and powerful man, after all. To be snubbed by a man like this meant this might not just be a small problem…
Of course, Lin Li was not interested in this, as he was only working with Kaman for now—he wouldn't even call it partnership. Hence, he chose not to stand up for Kaman, seeing as he was not looking for trouble.
Lin Li was right. As he muttered to himself, the impatient man started smashing the shop, which was left in a mess with a crash. Kaman wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead, and reproved, "Who the hell dares to make a scene at the Rosen Union's shop!"
However, he froze just as he finished his rant. "Young Master Lasorick, w-w-what brings you here…?"
A young man in his twenties emerged from the shop, his chubby and round physique rivaling that of Kaman, looking like a disco ball as his ostentatious armor made of silver glittered in the sunlight.
The fatty waddled over, and glared at Kaman with his beady eyes before his shooting his accusations out of the blue. "Damn it, Kaman, you've got some guts, how dare you fool me…"
Chapter 301 - Master Garza
"Don't joke with me, Young Master Lasorick, how would I dare to cheat you…?" Kaman trembled at the accusation, and rushed to appease him.
Lin Li pondered silently as he watched from the side. He knew from their dealings that Kaman enjoyed a relatively high status even though he was not very influential. He had monopolized the stone trade, after all, and under normal circ.u.mstances, nobody would be willing to upset him as they might cross paths in the future for all they knew. Lin Li could not think of any reason to explain why Kaman had paled at the sight of this man and was fawning over him. Even the leaders of Jarrosus would not be so afraid of Gerian.
Confused, Lin Li quietly pulled over an employee, and asked, "Do you know who this fatty is?"
Lin Li had appeared at the shop a few times in the past month, each time in the company of Kaman, who fussed over his every request. Needless to say, the employees seemed to have caught on to the happenings, and thus when Lin Li approached them, they hurried to reply respectfully. "He is Young Master Lasorick, the son of Castellan Anjay…"
"Oh…" Lin Li suddenly understood why Kaman had trembled at the sight of the fatty—he was the castellan's son. This was not Jarrosus. Lin Li had long heard of Castellan Anjay, who was a truly powerful person. It was a drastic contrast with Castellan Isaac of Jarrosus, who was at the mercy of the Emerald Tower. Anjay was akin to a king in Doland!
Naturally, Lasorick did whatever he pleased since he was Anjay's son, and even men with more influence than Kaman, who controlled the stone trade, would not dare refuse him.
"A misunderstanding?" Lasorick walked out of the crowd as he glared fiercely at Kaman for a minute. Finally, he gave a fake smile, saying, "Sure, a misunderstanding, you say. I'll show you a real misunderstanding today, fatty… Trash this place!"
His last phrase was directed at the men standing behind him.
Kaman paled as Lasorick finished speaking. Then, a group of fierce-looking men stomped the shop, and started thrashing the things in there. The terrified employees were no match for the men, and the shop had been smashed to bits in a flash.
"Y-Young Master Lasorick, t-there must be a misunderstanding here, p-please hear me out…"
"Scram!"
"Young Master Lasorick, I swear, this is really a misunderstanding, please hear me out…"
Kaman's voice was laced with tears as he saw the hard work he'd put into his business about to be destroyed.
"You want me to hear you out? Alright, I'll give you a chance…" Only when the shop was destroyed did Lasorick wave lazily at his men to make them pause in their thrashing.
"Thank you, thank you, Young Master Lasorick…" Kaman could not be bothered about his shop now as he thanked Lasorick while squeezing out a smile with all his might. "Young Master Lasorick, I swear the dagger I sold you last month was really crafted by Master Garza, I had it examined, there really is Master Garza's mark on it…"
"F*ck last month, of course I recognize Master Garza's work. I'm talking about that machete I bought a few days ago. Damn it, you've really got some guts to tell me that it was made of rainbow adamantine. I spent thousands of gold coins on it, only to find out it's fake after having it checked. You must be tired of living to fool me…"
"A machete a few days ago?" Kaman thought for a while before recalling that he had indeed sold a machete from his weapon shop a few days ago. The blacksmith who crafted the machete was in his shop at the moment too. Only, the machete was not bought by Young Master Lasorick, so could there be some misunderstanding?
As Kaman remained confused, Lasorick started happily saying, "Don't bother, you wouldn't get it in a lifetime with that brain of yours. To be honest, I had something on that day, and sent Rolf to buy it. Who knew you would dare to fool me with a fake since I wasn't there!"
"You had Rolf buy it?" Kaman was shocked at that. Anjay's influence really had to be unimaginable. Rolf was the most promising young warrior of Doland. He had surpassed level-15 even before reaching the age of 30, and was seen as the next young genius in Doland to possibly reach the Legendary Realm after Carlo. Who would have guessed that he would be working for Anjay? Also, from what Kaman could tell, he had to be pretty devoted to him to run such a small errand for Lasorick.
This would make a headline in Doland; sadly, Kaman was not concerned with that. He was only concerned about how he could explain this to Lasorick to keep him calm; otherwise, he would be in trouble…
"But Y
oung Master Lasorick, the machete Mr Rolf bought was indeed forged from rainbow adamantine…" Kaman was certain of it as he had personally bought the rainbow adamantine from an Adventurer before traveling to Black Clouds Town that very night. Then, the young mage gave him the four magical weapons to be sold in his weapons shop.
"To hell with your rainbow adamantine! Old fatty, it seems you don't know regret until you've truly experienced it. I had Master Garza appraise it after I bought that machete, and even he said that it was not forged from rainbow adamantine!"
"Ah…" Kaman froze, for he was well aware that Master Garza was the President of Doland's Guild of Blacksmiths and the most renowned blacksmith in the whole of Doland. His appraisal was the final say here!
Deep in his mind, however, Kaman refused to believe that the young mage would lie to him.
This was not because he thought the young mage was an honest man. Rather, Kaman knew that a man who could create a fortune of millions in a flash had no reason to pass some other magical metal off as rainbow adamantine.
Moreover, the magical attributes of the four pieces of magical equipment were powerful enough that they would have been sold quickly even if they were forged from refined iron, so why would he bother passing it off as rainbow adamantine?
"Y-Young Master Lasorick…" Kaman gulped before saying carefully, "Maybe… Maybe Master Garza made a mistake…"
Kaman knew he had said something foolish as soon as those words came out. He really wanted to slap himself—how foolish of him! Master Garza was the most authoritative blacksmith of Doland, and even Anjay trusted him deeply. If he doubted Master Garza, didn't that mean he doubted Anjay as well?
Unfortunately, the words have been said, and it was too late for any regret.
"To hell with your nonsense!" As expected, Kaman's words triggered Lasorick, who had already calmed down previously, and made him furious in an instant. He took a step forward, and grabbed Kaman's collar, looking as though he would devour the man. "Old fatty, you must be tired of living to doubt Master Garza!! Why didn't you doubt your mother for giving birth to you? Damn it, who do you think you are to doubt Master Garza…"
"Lasorick, let him go first. I have something to ask him…" Just as Kaman thought this was how he was going to die, he heard a voice coming from the crowd.
"Master Garza, you are an important guest of the Castellan Mansion, just ask him anything you wish to know. There's no need to be polite to him, this old fatty was born to be a sandbag!" Lasorick finished evilly, and gave an angry kick at Kaman's stomach, making him jackknife in an instant.
"Alright, Lasorick, let me talk to Kaman…"
"Well… alright." Lasorick let go of Kaman after some thought.
"Kaman, if I may ask, whom did you get this machete from?"
"I… I bought it from an Adventurer…" Kaman could not help glancing at Lin Li, who stood quietly amongst the crowd, with no intention to claim responsibility. Since the young mage did not want to own up, Kaman dared not say anything, either. This was no child's play; sure, he might be beaten up or even lose his business from angering Lasorick, but to offend the young mage could mean the immediate death of the entire Rosen Union. Weighing his options, Kaman decided that he should keep his mouth shut…
Chapter 302 - Show them some color to see
"Really…" Garza seemed to be in his forties. With his tanned skin, he looked like a copper tower, overwhelming others with just his presence. Lin Li felt especially suffocated, for he could clearly feel a strong Combat Energy emitting from the middle-aged blacksmith, whose presence felt as stifling as a wall. Lin Li knew that he was definitely a true high-ranking warrior, and Macklin might only best him by a hair's breadth capability-wise…
The Breezy Plains was indeed far more exciting than Jarrosus…
"It seems you don't wish to say it…" The middle-aged blacksmith held the rainbow adamantine machete in his hand, and casually flourished it in the air before saying, "That's alright, I'm not interested in this machete, anyway. Honestly, I wouldn't have interfered if you hadn't doubted me earlier, but now it seems I have no choice but to do so…"
"M-Master Garza, I-I… that's not what I meant…" How could Kaman not understand what he meant? Garza was the most authoritative blacksmith in Doland, so how could he allow others to question his ability? He had questioned Garza appraisal earlier, so wouldn't that mean doubting Garza's ability? Kaman really wanted to slap himself for this—just why did he have to doubt Garza's skills? Wasn't that asking for death?
Unfortunately, it was too late to say anything…
"Well, let me show you what a weapon forged of rainbow adamantine should look like…" Garza said, and slowly retrieved a single-handed sword from around his waist. From afar, the single-handed sword looked dull as though it had been lying in the ashes. Nobody would spare it a second glance if it was not being held in the hands of the most influential Smithing Master in Doland.
Perhaps only Lin Li knew that the single-handed sword was indeed forged of rainbow adamantine…
Of the rare magical metals, rainbow adamantine was the most unstable and easily affected by external factors. While a weapon forged of rainbow adamantine looked dull at first, it would glow with rainbow colors once mana and combat energy were channeled into it.
Just like this single-handed sword…
"A weapon forged of rainbow adamantine has many magical attributes, each with its own color…" Garza channeled a bit of Combat Energy into the single-handed sword he held. In an instant, the shop was glowing with the colors of the rainbow, filling it with an air of lavishness…
"Well, Kaman, I did not wrong you, did I…" Lasorick took over with a sinister air.
"I…" Kaman paled as he looked at the single-handed sword in Garza's hands before looking at the crystal-clear machete…
The machete lay quietly and shone in the bright afternoon sun. The blade was crystal-clear, not a trace of color or imperfection. At any other time, Kaman would have marveled at that—such a sharp machete…
Now, however, Kaman had no tears left to cry…
As the most authoritative blacksmith, Garza's words were the final say. If even he had said that weapons forged of rainbow adamantine were dull, then the machete he had sold was almost certainly a fake…
W-what was he going to do now?
He would be in big trouble for selling Young Master Lasorick a fake!
I'm doomed…
Kaman felt completely hopeless now. If he'd known this would happen, he would have never agreed to sell the four pieces of magical equipment. It did not earn him much, but it was about to cost him his life. How could he fool Young Master Lasorick? If Anjay was involved, then it would really be the end for the Rosen Union. Master Garza too. Damn it, I must have been blind to doubt him! If every blacksmith in Doland came after me, I would be dead…
As Kaman wallowed in regret, Lin Li emerged from the crowd with a smile. "It seems Master Garza is quite knowledgeable about rainbow adamantine…"
"Who are you?" Lasorick frowned as he glared at Lin Li with his beady eyes. Anyone who knew him would be able to tell that he was on the verge of exploding. How dared this rascal not know his place and interrupt him while he was confronting someone? Does he take me for a joke?
While the middle-aged blacksmith said nothing, he frowned as well. Clearly, the most authoritative blacksmith of Doland did not enjoy having his conversation interrupted.
Kaman, however, could not hide his happiness.
He knew very well that only the young mage who forged the machete could save him…
"Me? I'm just here for the buzz…" Lin Li smiled as he waved off Lasorick with an excuse before turning to the most authoritative blacksmith of Doland. "Right. Master Garza, since you know rainbow adamantine very well, could I ask you something regarding it?"
"What is it?" Garza frowned; he looked somewhat angry. Anyone would, having their conversation interrupted by a stranger—much less a man of his status.
&nb
sp; "Well, it's like this, Master Garza…" Lin Li remained oblivious to it as he smiled humbly before asking, "As you've heard, I am nothing but a young mage, but coincidentally, I know a thing or two about forging, and I remember hearing that not all weapons made of rainbow adamantine have to be dull and dirty. I wonder if that's true…"
"Nonsense!" Garza's expression darkened, and when he looked at Lin Li once again, there was no hiding the anger in his eyes. He had been a blacksmith for years, and worked his way up to a Smithing Master from a mere blacksmith. Countless rare magical metals had passed through his hands, and he had even forged over 10 weapons made of rainbow adamantine. He could tell a rainbow adamantine weapon even with his eyes closed.
Nobody could rival Garza's skills in the whole of Doland—even the self-proclaimed forging masters of the Dwarf Kingdom did not dare go against Garza nor doubt his skills.
Today, for some reason, Kaman had doubted his appraisal before a young stranger doubted his skills. He even said that weapons forged of rainbow adamantine did not have to be dull! Damn it, don't tell me it would shimmer like this damned machete? What a joke…
"Rascal, are you looking for trouble?" Lasorick said unhappily before he shoved Lin Li away. "Move aside, you must be blind to look for trouble in Doland. Master Garza may not stoop to your level, but I will not let you off easily! A mage? I can kill you easily if I want to!"
Then, all Lasorick saw was a blur before his eyes.
"Look where your hands are going!" The black-cloaked Norfeller moved like a ghost; he had pushed Lin Li behind him in an instant. With his pale face and blood-red eyes, the aura coming from the high-ranking Vampire was as chilly as winter even in the bright afternoon sun.
"You…" Even the ever-haughty Lasorick could not help shivering as he stood before Norfeller. It was a primal instinct of prey before a predator.
