by Zhuang Bifan
"F*ck…" Moke's mouth was immediately wide open. He could not believe what he had just heard. These engineers were well known in the Supreme Council for being temperamental and stubborn. Nobody could order them around except for a given few. Even if it were the presidents of the bigger guilds asking for their help, they would still have to ask for it with tactful words. As for whether the engineers would accept in the end, it would still depend on their mood…
Moke had not imagined that these temperamental and stubborn fellas would actually be so kind to Felic. They even took the initiative and promised to help when the other party did not even mention anything.
The group of people chatted while they walked into the guild hall. In the middle of the guild hall, the engineers placed a large crystal ball as per Lin Li's request. There were three spells already fixed on the crystal ball: Warlock's Eyes, Mirror of Truth, and Mana Hallucination. The design of this crystal was similar to the one at the Emerald Tower, for it linked the Mana Hallucination to Warlock's Eyes. Through this crystal ball, Lin Li would be able to clearly see every single movement within a hundred miles from the tower.
Of course, there were some differences between the two. The Mirror of Truth was deliberately added by Lin Li. In order to add on a Mirror of Truth other than fixing those two spells, the engineers had really wrecked their brains. However, after seeing the effects today, they all felt that their efforts were not in vain.
The Mirror of Truth was a level-six spell, and most mages could easily master it. But when it was fixed onto a crystal ball, receiving support from the tower's mana supply, its effect would completely change. The effect of the level-six Mirror of Truth only had a radius of at most ten meters. It was specially used for dealing with invisible effects. For example, the mages' Invisibility, or a high-ranked Bandit's Sneak. For a magician, this was essentially a method to prevent assassination… but when its radius was extended to hundreds of meters, it would be a wholly different matter. The Mirror of Truth would cover the whole tower, and when somebody harboring ill intentions came near, their primary form would immediately show up on the crystal ball…
Really gutsy… After seeing this crystal ball with his own eyes, even Moke could not help but silently feel admiration for Felic's guts. Fixing two spells on the crystal ball had long been a rule that was accepted as common practice among mages. This did not mean that they were unwilling to fix more spells, but it was just that the tolerance of the crystal ball for magical elements had its limits. Every addition of a strand of magical elements would increase the chance of failure. Even if it was just a level-6 spell, it would also require thousand of tries before it would work. The price of a crystal ball would easily be a hundred thousand gold coins. Who would be so free as to part ways with astronomical amounts of gold coins?
However, Moke did not realize that this crystal ball in front of him was not exactly the same as the one he had seen before…
There was no difference to detect just by scanning it, but if he were to scrutinize it, he would realize that the crystal ball's l.u.s.ter was slightly darker, and the brightness was a little brighter. But, all of these differences were not obvious. Actually, if Moke were to reach out and touch it, he would immediately realize that this crystal ball was actually a little warm…
However, even if Moke really were to touch it, he would probably only find it a little odd. After all, things like Psionic Crystals were not common knowledge. In fact, it was not only Moke—even those engineers that installed the Crystal Ball themselves only knew that it was rather weird. As to why was it weird, they could not explain it. After all, they were only well versed in architecture. It was outside of their field when it came to the magical crystalloids.
Out of so many people present, only Lin Li knew why it was possible to fix three spells onto this crystal ball.
It was because… this crystal ball was taken out by Lin Li himself!
When the construction of the tower had just begun, Herza had already reminded Lin Li that it was best to install a crystal ball in the tower. This way, surveillance of the surroundings would be very convenient. After listening to this, Lin Li almost immediately thought about the Psionic Crystal inside the Ring of Endless Storm. An incomparable ability to amplify magic and an outstanding characteristic to contain elements that surpassed an average crystal's. No matter which aspect it was, it was the best choice to be the Crystal Ball…
But, Lin Li was not satisfied…
How could monitoring the tower's surroundings be compared to monitoring the whole Black Clouds Town?
Lin Li took a look around the Crystal Ball and, with a smile, asked Moke, "Oh, yes, Mr Moke. Could you do me a small favor?"
"What small favor?" Moke was clearly in a daze for a bit…
Chapter 348 - Countercurrent mageweath
"This place…" Lin Li's finger lightly glided across the crystal ball, and finally landed on the base that was cast from brilliant thorium. "I wonder if I can add a Countercurrent mageweath at this place…"
"Countercurrent mageweath?" Moke was in a daze again when he heard it. Of course he knew the Countercurrent mageweath. It was one of the high-level mageweaths that had the simplest structures. It included a total of 13 magic nodes as well as an element amplifying circuit. Most of the times, the Countercurrent mageweath would be in a hibernation state, but once it was triggered by mana, the Countercurrent mageweath would amplify that mana and release powerful magical elements instantly.
Moke was all too familiar with the Countercurrent mageweath. Out of 10 magic staffs, at least nine would use the Countercurrent mageweath. As for the magic staves that Moke had dealt with so far, he could not even remember how many of them there were. However, Moke could not understand why Felic would suddenly have this request.
Could it be that he did not know that the Countercurrent mageweath should not even be placed at the base of a crystal ball? The unique property of the Countercurrent mageweath was to suddenly increase mana and use that instantaneous explosive strength to injure opponents. But if it were to be inscribed on the crystal ball's base, what could it harm other than the crystal ball itself?
"Let me try…" Of course, Moke was not stupid enough to remind the other party of it. In fact, to be able to see the other party make a big fool out of himself was all Moke wished for. Don't like you playing games? Ok then, I'll help you inscribe the Countercurrent mageweath. When the crystal ball can't bear the burden and explodes, I'll see how you'll apply for another one from the Supreme Council. This is hundreds of thousands of gold coins. You will not be able to pay for it even if you sell your pants…
"Then I'll thank you in advance, Mr Moke…"
"You're welcome…" Stimulated by the idea of gloating over Lin Li's imminent misfortune, the smile on Moke's face widened significantly. He incessantly asked Lin Li what he wanted from the Countercurrent mageweath while asking somebody to bring his tools over.
Moke's tools were not complicated—a glittering and translucent crystal pen and a bottle of sky blue ink. For a Master of Inscription, this seemed rather scrubby, but Lin Li did not see it that way. The crystal pen did not seem special when scanning it, but if it was closely inspected, it would be easy to realize that there seemed to be some mist revolving around the tip of the pen.
Lin Li knew that most likely it was a Twilight Crystal that was associated with a few mineral veins. Crystal pens made from the Twilight Crystal had one big advantage, and that was that they could distribute mana with great accuracy. Inscription itself was an art that was meticulous in every way. A successful mageweath did not tolerate a single mistake, especially so when the Inscriber was distributing mana. Just a single deviation would result in a completely different result.
Thus, Inscribers used crystal pens to draw mageweaths. It was because crystals themselves were the most s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e magical crystalloids. Any small changes in mana would appear in the most representative visual manner. As for Twilight Crystal, it was the most s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e t
ype among all of the crystals. With crystal pens made from Twilight Crystals, one could almost completely eradicate any mistakes in mana distribution!
The Supreme Council is indeed wealthy… Looking at that Inscription pen made from Twilight Crystal, even Lin Li could not help but silently gasp in admiration. This was not something that was commonly seen. Even in the Endless World, Lin Li only saw it twice. Once, it was already made into a crystal pen, and was being held in the hands of the Inscriber Apprentice Altolia. The other was at the cave of the Dragon of Destruction, Azardas. After a dragon blood adamantine mineral vein had been dug up, a piece of Twilight Crystal was sitting amongst the rocks. It'd almost made Lin Li salivate on the spot…
It seemed like monsters that had survived since the Dark Ages like the Supreme Council were not something any normal forces could be compared to. Ignore their monstrous strength that was like something from myths and the influence they had over thousands of mages. Just the wealth that had been acc.u.mulating for 1300 years was sufficient for most forces to give up all hope of contending with them.
This was no longer a matter of a sum of money. Something as precious as the Twilight Crystal could not be bought with money. The Mannes Family was rich, right? The Marathon Family was rich, right? But, who among those two families would be able to take out a piece of Twilight Crystal? Of course, even if they had one, they did not have the guts to take it out, either. It was fine to be rich, but once they held a treasure that could only be found by luck, who knew whether it would cause some powerhouse to cast greedy eyes on it. An Archmage might not be able to snatch it, but a Legendary-mage should be able to, right? Anril had countless powerhouses, but not all of them were as polite as Andoine…
However, Moke was definitely not afraid of anyone snatching it…
It was because one of the two strongest forces of Anril—the Supreme Council—stood behind him!
Hence, he could peacefully take out the Twilight Crystal pen and draw outlines on the brilliant thorium base. No matter whether Lin Li liked this middle-aged man with a stiff tone, he still had to admit this time that Moke's attainments in Inscriptions had already reached the Master level. He held the Twilight Crystal pen in one hand and gently dipped it in the sky blue ink. After that, he hastily started drawing. In an instant, he had announced that the Countercurrent mageweath has been completed.
"This time was really too sudden, I was not prepared. President Felic, why don't you take a look first. If there is any unsatisfactory place, please let me know…" After drawing out the last element amplifying circuit on the brilliant thorium base, Moke gently placed the Twilight Crystal pen on the table and looked at the young guild president proudly.
Moke understood himself very well. He knew that he did not have any incredible talent in magic. He was already in his forties, and he had only just broken through to the Archmage realm. But in the field of Inscriptions, Moke did not believe there was anyone that could surpass him. Even if it was the first universally accepted Inscriber, Alanna Guild of Magic's Aldwin, he only became a Master of Inscription in his sixties. Compared to the current Moke, he was only better in terms of experience. In terms of comprehending Inscriptions per se, he was not Moke's equal…
Although Moke had asked Lin Li to point out any errors, his gaze towards the other party was totally different. Today, Moke had contentedly vindicated himself. The Countercurrent mageweath that he just drew was definitely one of the few proud works he had recently. Not only did he use the Twilight Crystal pen that he did not usually use, he also added a few skills that he created during the process for drawing. Moke believed that even if Aldwin were to be present, he would not even able to find any faults.
"Mr Moke really likes to crack jokes. You are the person of authority for Inscription in the Supreme Council. How would I, a young junior, dare to point out what is unsatisfactory…" Lin Li's face still had a smile that was brimming with enthusiasm, but as he spoke, he frowned slightly. "But Mr Moke, isn't this element amplifying circuit too near to the source of mana?"
Moke was so confident that he almost thought he misheard when Lin Li really pointed something out…
He, he, he… He was actually giving directions to Moke? Moke simply could not believe that this young brat actually wishfully thought of trying to point out his faults!
"What's wrong, Mr Moke? You do not look well, are you sick?"
"…" Moke almost choked on his breath. If it was not because Herza was at the side, Moke would already spit his saliva. All of this was in a mess, and it was too near to the source of mana. Moke really could not imagine how clueless a person had to be to say such things…
Anybody that possessed general knowledge about Inscription knew that under the circ.u.mstances where the mageweath's structure allowed it, the nearer the core circuit was to the source mana, the better it was. It was because only through that the avoidance of depletion was at its highest. Damn it, so this fella does not know anything. What Ward of Bad Luck, what Countercurrent mageweath. God knows where he heard of these. No wonder he's so stupid, stupid enough to inscribe Countercurrent mageweath on to the base of the crystal ball…
In an instant, Moke really did not know if he should cry or laugh. A Master of Inscription's time had actually been wasted by a brat that did not know anything. Moke had even held his breath and displayed the Inscription skills that he was most proud of just to subdue the opposition. But, he did not think that the opposition was just a layman who did not even know the basic general knowledge. The Inscription skills that he was proud had entirely been seen as "unsatisfactory" in the other party's eyes…
"Thank you, President Felic. I am very well!" Moke seemingly completed this sentence in blocks.
"Oh, that's good. That's good…" Lin Li only then heaved a sigh of relief. He sized up Moke thoroughly with concern while saying, "I thought that it was because Mr Moke just arrived in the Breezy Plains and fell sick because of not being acclimatized…"
"…" Moke almost choked on his breath again. This time, he held in again and again before he finally held back the impulse to curse and swear. It was just that although he squeezed out an awkward smile on his face, he had already started swearing in his heart. Only you are f*cking unacclimatized, your whole family is unacclimatized!
"Oh yes, Mr Moke. I seemed to have heard it from someone, but Brilliant Thorium tools have the property of warping mana. I'm not sure if that affected the Countercurrent mageweath that you inscribed just now?" After Lin Li showed concern with a face of sincerity, he walked around the crystal ball again.
The words that Lin Li said were asked in a very casual manner. It was just like asking "have you eaten" or "how's the weather today", but when it fell on Moke's ears, it immediately scared him till he started having cold sweat.
Indeed, the Brilliant Thorium did have the property of warping mana. Usually, this property was not an issue, but when a Countercurrent mageweath had been inscribed on Brilliant Thorium, this property would suddenly become fatal…
Chapter 349 - A False Alarm
Although Moke was narrow-minded, he was not an idiot like Lasorick. Furthermore, he was also a genuine Master of Inscription. Lin Li, a Guru of Inscription, aside, the attainments Moke had in Inscriptions would definitely be of the top standard even if it was compared to the whole of Anril.
With Moke's attainments in Inscriptions, how could he not understand what the Brilliant Thorium's property of warping mana would do to the Countercurrent mageweath that he had just inscribed…
Brilliant Thorium warping mana was just a more ambiguous way of putting it. An accurate way to put it would be that Brilliant Thorium would use a twisting method and purify mana. This was also the reason why many precision magical devices used Brilliant Thorium as the base. No matter what kind of crystal was mounted on the base, it would all change into the cleanest and purest mana after undergoing the twisting by the Brilliant Thorium.
For crystal ball type precision magical devices, the Brilliant Thorium
was the best match. Maintaining the cleanliness and purity of mana would extend the lifespan of the crystal ball to the greatest degree. It could also minimize the chances of failing the most.
However, for the Countercurrent mageweath that Moke had just inscribed, the Brilliant Thorium could bring about an almost destructive blow…
The theory behind Countercurrent mageweath was actually very simple. With 13 magic nodes connected to the source of mana, the mana stored in the source would immediately surge forth once triggered by external forces. At the same time, the element amplifying circuit would start to work, breaking the operating mode of Countercurrent mageweath. On one hand, there was continuous influx. On the other, there was continuous efflux. The originally stable mana flow had immediately turned into two forces of mana colliding, so an instantaneous explosion would naturally come about…
But the fault was that the Countercurrent mageweath that Moke had inscribed did not have its own source of mana. It was inscribed on the Brilliant Thorium base. This also meant that this Countercurrent mageweath was sharing the same source of mana with the crystal ball. When the Countercurrent mageweath was triggered by external forces, it would not be supplied with mana by the source of mana, but it would be passively accepting the mana surging from the Brilliant Thorium base.
This would be troublesome. Once it had undergone the Brilliant Thorium's twisting, mana would become clean and pure. It would not be possible to reverse it with the Brilliant Thorium's operating mode.
Of course, there was a solution…
All it needed was 13 magic nodes on the Countercurrent mageweath to let the mana escape from the Brilliant Thorium's constraint, restoring the original operation mode. This seemingly complicated problem would naturally be resolved.
But in Moke's design, space had long been reduced to the maximum. How could it be easy to add another 13 magic nodes?
