by Zhuang Bifan
Rina's fair face showed a flash of panic. The strength of this magical wave far surpassed her imagination. When it had suddenly appeared, the feeling it gave her was like a large mountain was on top of her. Luckily, she reacted just in time, and invoked her Combat Energy to defend the moment the magical wave started to spread. Otherwise, Rina doubted that she could stand right now…
Although this was the case, this magical wave was still too powerful. Rina could clearly feel that the Combat Energy that she was so proud of could not spread out under the leeward side of this magical wave no matter how she invoked it. That silver flame could only remain a thin layer, barely protecting her body…
The most frightening part was that Rina distinctly saw that this damned Necromancer's face had a fake smile throughout the whole time. He had a relaxed and cozy expression as though this incomparable magical wave had nothing to do with him.
"How… How could this be…." This time, Rina was somewhat panicking.
The collision between magic and Combat Energy had immediately alerted the three bishops. The three of them had stood up simultaneously, and three equally powerful holy auras started to spread out.
But, it was at this time…
… that the incomparable magical wave suddenly disappeared…
Without the suppression from magic, the silver Combat Energy was released with a "boom". Rina, who was showered in silver flames, was like the legendary Seraph, filled with an elegant yet pure aura. Unfortunately, that dumbfounded expression ruined the beauty of it. The current Rina was like a kid that had run into trouble, standing there in bewilderment and staring at the chairs that had been flipped over by the Combat Energy…
As for that damned Necromancer, he had turned around and walked far away as though he had nothing to do with all of that…
"The hell…"
When Rina had snapped out of it, that damned Necromancer had already walked to the castellan. From afar, the two of them seemed to be like old friends that had not seen each other for a while, and were now enthusiastically talking in a soft voice.
"This a*shole…" Rina was gritting her teeth while cursing, and then she unsheathed her sharp sword…
"Paladin Rina!" It was at this time that Bishop Loren suddenly called out to her.
"What's wrong? Bishop Loren."
"Let's leave this place first. As for the issue of Undead creatures appearing at Roland City, I will write a report and hand it over to the Brilliance Shrine. I believe the pope will quickly send people over to handle it."
"Why? Bishop Loren, could it be that you're… you're…" Rina gently bit her lip, but she still asked, "Could it be that you're… you're afraid?"
Rina's question was rather rude. If it was somebody else, they would most likely lost their temper. It was lucky that she asked Bishop Loren. This bishop was already in his seventies this year, and Rina was just like a granddaughter in his eyes. Although Rina had questioned him rudely, Bishop Loren did not get angry. He just kindly smiled. "Paladin Rina, in the heart of the Holy Light's followers, there is nothing called fear."
"Then, why do you give up on purifying this Necromancer? Could it be that you do not know that he could very well bring a huge disaster to Roland City? Bishop Loren, this is a rare chance. He does not have a chance to summon Undead creatures to aid him in Roland City, and he also does not have any escape routes…"
The old man smiled and shook his head. "No, no, no, Paladin Rina. Did not you already notice? That magical wave just now was a warning from him. He warned us not to take action lightly."
"I admit that he had the advantage just now, but don't you forget, I am the only Judge Paladin amongst all of the Paladins. In a real battle, I have an eighty percent chance of winning against him. With the strength of you three bishops, it is impossible for them to win!"
"No, no, no, Paladin Rina. They do not need to win. All they need is merely a little time…"
Rina was in a daze, but she was not stupid, either. It was just an instant before she understood…
"Damn…"
"Haha…" Bishop Loren laughed. "This Necromancer is not simple. If I am not mistaken, the magical wave he released just now was indeed to warn us that he has enough power to bring forth a great disaster to Roland City before we can purify him."
Indeed, there was something that Bishop Loren left out. From Bishop Loren's perspective, the advantage that the Necromancer had was not small. After all, he had lived for tens of years. Be it judgment or experience, they all surpassed Rina's. There were some minute details that Rina might not have picked up, but he had accurately done so.
That magical wave was definitely not the limit of that Necromancer, because he looked too relaxed and casual. He suppressed Rina's Combat Energy without breaking a sweat. It was especially so at the end. Although this Necromancer backed off, there was no sign of it at all. Bishop Loren, who had conversed with some mages before, knew that this required a rather terrifying mental strength as well as a perfect control that was precise to every single thread of mana.
The prowess of this Necromancer was far beyond Rina's imagination. If there was a real battle, it would be hard to say who would emerge victorious.
"Are we going to let it slide just like that?"
"We must look at the bigger picture, Paladin Rina. We must first find the person that the Pope asked us to. As for how to deal with these two Undead creatures, we should let the Pope decide."
Chapter 345 - The President's Inauguration Ceremony
Based on Lin Li's current magical attainments, it was more than sufficient for him to be a mentor for an Archmage, not to mention those two apprentices that had just started learning. Lin Li was somebody that had mastered more than ten core magical mantras. His understanding of magic surpassed that of an average Archmage. In this aspect, even those powerhouses that lived for more than a hundred years like Andoine might not be better than he.
That night, the castellan had brought his son and daughter along, and Lin Li did not waste time. He quietly spoke with the castellan for a bit, and took out a notebook from his pocket. This notebook had been kept since Lin Li had just arrived at Anril and started learning magic from Andoine in the Sunset Mountains. There were a few low-level spell incantations written in the notebook, as well as some know-how and skills that Lin Li had come up with.
Of course, these skills and know-how were not very profound. After all, Lin Li had been a total newbie in magic back then, even though he had a terrifying talent. When he first came to Jarrosus, he only had superficial understanding even when it came to common knowledge. The know-how and skills that he came up with back then could only be described as "crude".
However, for the castellan's son and daughter, these crude know-how and skills were more than sufficient. After all, they were just apprentices that had just started. Even entering the state of meditation was hard for them. What they required was not profound magical knowledge, but the interest and passion for magic. Only passion and interest would allow them to tide through the boring journey that was learning magic.
Actually, Lin Li did not have to spend so much effort. Just casually teaching these two newbie mage apprentices some basic knowledge would occupy them for months. After all, everyone did not take all of these was something important. Even the castellan himself was just trying to use this relationship to overtake William.
However, Lin Li did not want to do that…
One of the reasons was because he wanted to return the favor to the castellan. No matter how it is phrased, it was only through the castellan's help that Lin Li had managed to escape from that Paladin's group of four during tonight's incident. If the castellan had not provided any cover for him, both parties might have already clashed after the banquet has ended. A Paladin as well as three Bishops… Lin Li did not have the confidence that he would definitely be victorious. Furthermore, he did not wish to provoke the Brilliance Shrine through this incident. This was the Breezy Plains, which was in the Brilliance Shrine'
s vicinity. It was not wise to provoke the Brilliance Shrine in this area.
As for the other reason, it was more complicated. It could be that Li Li did not do things sloppily, or maybe it was that Lin Li could not bear to see the two take the wrong path. The castellan's son and daughter had a rather decent talent for magic. It was especially so for that kid called Cyndor, whose talent could be described as splendid. Lin Li, who had been through all of those things, naturally understood it better than anyone else. The fundamental knowledge was always the most boring one. Out of all the youngsters that had just become mage apprentices, nine out of ten of them would give up at this point. Rather than teaching them the fundamental knowledge, why not teach them some interesting know-how and skills as well as some low-level spell incantations? It would then be easy to make them entranced by this mysterious form of art.
The only thing that made Lin Li somewhat unhappy was that Cyndor's attitude was really odious. Ever since he had entered the room, he was sulking. No matter how Arathor prodded him, he did not speak a single word to Lin Li. The only time he smiled was when he was flipping through the notebook. However, being unhappy was just being unhappy; Lin Li did not take it to heart. The child was sulking, but surely it did not mean that he would have to stoop down to the same level?
Afterwards, Lin Li taught them some simple things. For example, how to improve the efficiency of their meditation and how to avoid the bite of mana when casting spells. When Lin Li stopped speaking, it was already late at night. Arathor saw that it was getting late, and was too embarrassed to continue holding them back. He thanked Lin Li again, and then brought his son and daughter into the carriage…
"Cyndor, what happened to you just now?" Once they got up the carriage, the castellan's face started to frown.
Seeing that the castellan's face was gloomy, Cyndor started to get frightened. He just looked down while speaking in a soft voice. "I don't like that fella…"
"Nonsense!" The castellan's voice immediately rose. His hand was shaking because he was too angry. "These few years, you always bugged me to find you a magic teacher. Now that I have found one for you, you actually said you don't like him. Are you trying to be the death of me?"
"But… But I just dislike that guy…" Cyndor lowered his head; he did not dare to look at his father's face.
"Let me tell you. I don't care if you like him or not. Mage Felic was personally invited by me. You had better have respect towards him!"
"Father, you don't even know how detestable that guy is. He is rude and crude. When he returned, he actually dared to order my sister around like a maid—"
"Shut up!"
Seeing that the castellan was about to lose his temper, Yvonne, who was at the side, hurriedly protected her brother. "Father, don't be angry. My brother is still young and immature. Give him some time and let him spend more time with Mage Felic. He will come to his senses."
"This little bastard, he will be the death of me one of these days…" Arathor let out two deep sighs, and started to calm down slowly. This son of his was indeed immature. He only knew how to create trouble for Arathor. It was just like that recently—he had sneaked out of the Castellan Mansion by himself and got caught by members of the Syer Bandits. Luckily, Mage Felic rescued them. Otherwise, something worse might have happened.
"Oh, yes, Yvonne. I haven't had the chance to ask you since you returned. How much do you know about this Mage Felic?"
"I don't know…"
"You don't know?" The castellan was stunned for a bit. His expression was somewhat confused. "Didn't you hire Sienna and the rest? How can you not know?"
"No, Father. This Mage Felic is not somebody from a mercenary corps."
"What did you say?!" The castellan was shocked, and then he spoke softly, "Yvonne, tell me everything again. Remember, do not leave out a single details."
"It's like this, Father. That night, we encountered a monster in the Dragon Mountains…"
"What kind of monster?"
"It was a very scary monster. It was as tall as a hill, and covered in white fur. Oh, yes, it could even use magic to freeze everything…"
"What the hell, that's an Ice Howler…" The castellan was extremely surprised. He was not like Yvonne, a clueless young lady. After hearing about those several characteristics, he immediately guessed what monster she referred to—the legendary Ice Howler. The castellan was thoroughly shocked this time. Although he'd known that it would not be smooth sailing when Yvonne went to rescue others, he had not thought that it would've been so dangerous. That was the Ice Howler, a descendant of an ancient magical beast—a terrifying magical beast that had savageness flowing in its veins.
"Yes, Captain Sienna seemed to have recognized it as well. That monster was called Ice Howler. Initially, Captain Sienna and the rest could not defeat the Ice Howler, but thankfully, we bumped into Mage Felic and the rest…"
"Wait, wait, Yvonne…" The castellan swallowed hard, and his voice turned somewhat coarse. "What you mean is that Mage Felic killed the Ice Howler?"
Arathor was really shocked. He was clearer than many others about how terrifying the Ice Howler's strength was. A few years ago, Arathor had brought an army with him to venture into the Dragon Mountains, wanting to exterminate the Syer Bandits that had settled there. In the end, they were stopped by a group of magical beasts that had suddenly appeared. Amongst this group of magical beasts was an Ice Howler. The Ice Howler had left a deep impression on Arathor back then. The immense physical strength and the omnipresent ice attribute magic of it were just like a nightmare. Arathor knew that that Mage Felic was indeed powerful, but Arathor could not believe that he was strong enough to kill an Ice Howler.
"No…" Yvonne gently shook her head.
"I knew it, how could it be possible…"
Just when Arathor had let out a sigh of relief, the young lady spoke again. "It was Mage Felic's attendant that killed the Ice Howler…"
"…" The castellan almost went mad on the spot…
If these words were not said by Yvonne, Arathor would definitely not believe them. Just a mere attendant could kill the Ice Howler? Then what kind of powers does Mage Felic himself own? Ok, ok, let's take a few thousands step back. Even if Mage Felic does not have much power himself, and maybe just has such powerful attendants, then wouldn't he have an even more terrifying background?
Arathor really did not dare to think about it. Just what kind of a person one had to be to have such powerful attendants…?
Unfortunately, Arathor did not imagine that that was just the start…
Yvonne's account afterward almost made Arathor completely break down.
The thousands of Undead within the ruins, the Lich occupying the bell tower, and the soaring Humerus Wyrm. All of them were terrifying entities. For Arathor, it was just like a myth. It was half an hour's journey from the mercenary corps' camp to the Castellan Mansion, but during this half an hour, Arathor's mouth was not shut once. His frightened expression seemed to have solidified on his face, and it continued so until the carriage entered the Castellan Mansion.
"This… How can this be possible?" After returning to the Castellan Mansion, Arathor did not sleep at all. He had been repeating the same phrase over and over again throughout the night. It was only when dawn almost broke when Arathor wore his jacket and came out of his bedroom.
The Castellan Mansion's garden was really huge, and had all sorts of plants. Every time when it was dawn, it would give off a scent that makes people feel relaxed and joyful. However, it was somewhat weird today. Today, Arathor was not like how he was usually, taking a break after walking through the garden. Instead, Arathor's footsteps were hurried. After he came out from his bedroom, he hastily walked past the garden, and arrived in front of a wooden house that was covered in green vines…
This wooden hut seemed somewhat simple and crude, just like it was made from a few simple pieces of wood. Yet, it was filled with a harmonious sense beauty as though it had completely blended in with the ga
rden around it.
Arathor stood in front of the wooden hut, and gently knocked on the door twice.
"Master Bettany, can I come in?" Arathor's voice was abnormally respectful. Luckily, there was no one in the garden; otherwise, they would be shocked until their mouths were wide open…
"Arathor, I remember that I told you before: if there is nothing important, it's best that you do not disturb me…"
"No, no, no, Master Bettany. I came over because I have something very important to tell you."
"Come on in and we'll talk…"
Meanwhile, Lin Li had already packed his luggage.
The issue at Roland City had already reached the end of a phase. The food that was worth a million gold coins had already been dealt with last night—Sienna did his job swiftly. Before the banquet ended last night, he had already settled this issue with the castellan. The food that was worth a million gold coins would be delivered to Doland City within a week.
Since the issue of food could be settled, there was no need to stay in Roland City any longer. Furthermore, Lin Li did not forget that the four fellas from the Brilliance Shrine were still concerned about him. If he stayed longer, there might come a day when he would be stopped by them. By that time, there might be another problem that could not be avoided.
This was a place where one was apt to get into trouble. The earlier he left, the better.
After packing up his luggage simply, he called up Norfeller, Ujfalusi, Jason, and the rest. He spoke to Sienna for a bit before he entered the carriage that would take him to Doland.
A tower at the outskirts of Black Clouds Town was piercing through the clouds. From afar, it looked mysterious and solemn. Lin Li had just gotten off the carriage when he met Herza. After not seeing this old man for more than ten days, he clearly saw the latter had become thinner.
