by Zhuang Bifan
Moreover, the engineers had mentioned that the young president requested for the source of mana in the tower to be placed in the bas.e.m.e.nt.
Could it be…
The sudden thought that appeared in his mind scared Herza. The old man could distinctly feel a chill running down his back.
After inhaling deeply with a pale face, Herza asked, "P-President Felic, s-surely you have not gotten yourself a Legendary magical crystal?"
Lin Li continued to smile, and did not answer Herza.
"Alright, President Felic, since you're unwilling to admit it, I shall not force you, but I have to tell you this: even a Legendary magical crystal cannot withstand the expenditure caused by 20 Crystal Cannons…" Herza's gaze became solemn. "This usage of mana is too scary, and even the speed of recovery of a Legendary magical crystal would not be able to keep up with it. Besides, that Legendary magical crystal of yours still has to provide mana for other uses. Perhaps it will work for a decade or two, but it will be depleted one day. By then, that Legendary magical crystal would be completely destroyed…"
Chapter 353 - Tower of Dusk
"President Felic, I hope you can give it a more serious thought. This is a Legendary magical crystal after all, something every mage dreams of owning. It has countless uses, and can even create a dozen Archmages for your Guild of Magic. If you use it to fire Crystal Cannons, isn't it too… too…" Herza was beginning to sound worked up, and kept repeating his last word before he finally settled for an adjective. "Isn't it too much of a waste of natural resources? President Felic, you'll definitely destroy it, this is a crime!"
"Alright, alright Mr Herza…" Lin Li never thought that the old man would get so worked up. "I have to remind you that this is all your conjecture and I never said I did that, moreover, how do you know if I really have a Legendary magical crystal?"
"This…" Herza paused, and only then did he realize that he had indeed crossed a line.
But, how many mages could keep calm when Legendary magical crystals were concerned? How was using a Legendary magical crystal to power a Crystal Cannon any different from getting a dainty beauty to work as a construction worker? Any mage with a sense of shame would not let this happen…
"Why don't we go look at other places?" Lin Li dared not touch this topic any further after he finally got Herza to calm down. The latter was already quite old; if anything happened to him, Lin Li would never be able to live it down.
Of course, not everything Lin Li had said was a lie.
One thing was for sure: he was not going to use the Salamander's magical crystal to power the Crystal Cannons…
The reason was simple—the Salamander's magical crystal was not powerful enough…
Lin Li knew this better than Herza as his mental strength was much more s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e than anyone else's, and he was able to tell easily what a magical crystal should be used for. For example, the Salamander's magical crystal was definitely more than enough to provide mana for the tower's operations.
It would be too much for it to power 20 Crystal Cannons, however. Additionally, there were weapons much more powerful than Crystal Cannons in Lin Li's plans, and they'd require even more mana to run them.
For example, the All-Kill Array in the bas.e.m.e.nt. That was more than 10 simple mageweaths; when they were in operation, they used a few hundred, or even a few thousand, times the amount of mana required for just one mageweath. Right, and the crystal ball in the middle of the guild hall was another issue too—it would be alright to use it to watch the area around the tower, but the amount of mana required for the surveillance of the whole Black Clouds Town or even Doland would be an astronomical figure.
If it was all powered by the Salamander's magical crystal, then this treasure coveted by all mages would definitely be destroyed within 10 years.
The Eternal Furnace in the Void Crack would have to be brought out sooner or later, and when Lin Li was designing the building, he had already saved a spot for it on top of the tower. There was a platform there, and 12 mageweaths were already laid down on it. These 12 mageweaths would fuse the tower with the Eternal Furnace and share the endless supply of mana from the Fire Wyrm magical crystal.
That was the true core of Lin Li's design—once he had the support of the Eternal Furnace, the defense system of the tower would be truly complete.
But it was still not the right time yet…
Even though Lin Li had already gained control of the Eternal Furnace, he was still lacking a key. Hence, Lin Li decided that he would have to go to Alanna three months later and complete the final agreement he'd made with Macklin during the trial. When that was done, he thought that he should make a deal with Alanna's Guild of Magic.
If it had been in the past, he definitely would not have the capability to do so, but it was different now. He held the key figure that was Connoris, the great Soul Trader who had personally experienced the building of the mausoleum and was much more useful to have than a map that could not speak.
Of course, there was no need for him to tell Herza that…
After bringing them through the last level, Lin Li stopped at the terrace on the rooftop.
"Right. President Felic, according to the rules, you have the right to name this tower."
"Name it?" Lin Li grabbed the safety railings around terrace as he looked down onto Black Clouds Town. There was a platform filled with 12 mageweaths above him. Perhaps in the near future, there would be a true Sky Castle floating up there. The power of the Eternal Furnace was enough to bring the defense of the tower to an extreme level, and there were 20 rooms made of refined iron beneath him, and there was even a large amount of Eternal Adamantine mixed into the refined iron. Each of those rooms would hold a Crystal Cannon, forming a formidable battery of Crystal Cannons. Last but not least, in the dark of the bas.e.m.e.nt was the light of the All-Kill Array. Lin Li was just like a ferocious beast waiting to take his pick of victims—when he brandished his claws and fangs, even if the three great armies of the Felan Kingdom attacked all at once, they would have to pay a bloody price.
Lin Li stood quietly on the terrace as he let himself feel the mana flowing through the tower, finding himself thrilled at the thought of it. While he did not personally build this tower, he had put into it no less effort than these engineers. Of course, besides putting a lot of thought into it, he also provided a large amount of rare materials. It was no exaggeration to say that he had used almost half of the contents in the Ring of Endless Storm, and had devoted nearly all the money he had acc.u.mulated ever since he arrived in Anril to building the tower…
But Lin Li did not regret this…
Many said that attack was the best form of defense, but Lin Li disagreed—how was he going to attack if he could not protect himself?
Take the war 1,300 years ago as an example: the High Elves managed to put a stop to the human army's attack with just six Sky Castles, and if Geresco had not reached the Sanctuary-realm, perhaps it would still be the High Elves ruling over Anril now.
"I'll call it the Tower of Dusk, then…"
Herza frowned slightly as he muttered to himself, "Tower of Dusk? That's a rather inauspicious name…"
This young mage was only in his twenties, so why would he give his tower such a gloomy name?
"It doesn't matter, it's just a name…" Lin Li smiled, and did not explain himself to Herza. He was not referring to when the sun set in the west, but to the bloody dusk 1,300 years ago during the battle against the six Sky Castles.
When Lin Li walked out of the Tower of Dusk, it was almost noon. Before he left, Lin Li asked Herza again if there was really nothing he had to do in the evening before he headed to Black Clouds Town. He intended to bring Norfeller and Ujfalusi with him to visit Mr Basel in Doland.
Who knew that just as Herza was setting out, Lin Li saw a few carriages coming over. They did not seem to be headed for Black Clouds Town, but for the newly built Tower of Dusk.
"What's going on?" Lin Li paused. He ha
d not had the chance to give out the invitations for the inauguration ceremony yet, and nobody besides the Supreme Council knew of the newly set up Guild of Magic. As for the Tower of Dusk… well, although he had spent a great fortune on it, the appearance of the Tower of Dusk remained shabby, and it looked just like an illegally built building, so there was no way it had anything to do with mages…
Then what were those carriages about?
Feeling suspicious, Lin Li did not bother returning to Black Clouds Town, and only stood outside the Tower of Dusk as he watched the carriages draw nearer.
Lin Li was right—those carriages were headed for the Tower of Dusk indeed, and stopped outside of it. A middle-aged man wearing a gray robe alighted from the first carriage. He looked to be in his forties with his thick beard and his strong figure, and if not for the intense magical wave pouring off him, Lin Li would have thought that he was a Warrior.
Besides this mage who did not resemble one, more and more people alighted from the carriages. Lin Li counted about a dozen, and all of them looked to be pretty decent mages. The strongest amongst them was the strong-looking middle-aged man from earlier, whom Lin Li thought to be at least an Archmage.
The dozen of them headed straight for the Tower of Dusk after alighting from their carriages.
"Good evening, Mr Mage. I wonder what I can I help you with?" Lin Li asked very politely as he stood outside the Tower of Dusk.
"Good evening." The middle-aged mage nodded his head in greeting as his gaze stopped on the young man for a moment. Not bad, the place recommended by Mr Basel was not bad indeed, and even a mage apprentice standing guard at the door could afford to dress in such nice robes. This Breezy Plains Guild of Magic was indeed better than the average force.
When he thought of that, the middle-aged mage cheered internally. He heard from Mr Basel that this Breezy Plains Guild of Magic was newly set up, and was in need of manpower. He was an Archmage himself, and if he showed a skill or two, wouldn't this President Felic immediately make him his right-hand man? The middle-aged mage did not doubt this at all, as there were not many in the whole Doland City who were stronger than him. Well, Mr Basel was one, and the few of those in the Castellan Mansion too, but he simply did not care for any of the rest…
It seemed like the welfare here at the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic was not bad indeed, seeing as a mage apprentice standing guard at the door was dressed so vibrantly. The visitor was an Archmage, and if he decided to offer his services, surely he would be treated much better than a mere mage apprentice? If this President Felic acted right, he might as well join the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic and let Mr Basel owe him a favor.
"I would like to see President Felic."
Chapter 354 - The First Batch of Members
"May I know who you are…" Lin Li's smile was mixed with a bit of uncertainty as he could not remember if he knew this buff mage. Why were his first words "I'm looking for President Felic" as if he knew Lin Li very well…?
"My name is Gavin, you can call me Archmage Gavin or Mr Gavin." The middle-aged man frowned as he felt somewhat uncomfortable. How dared a mage apprentice guarding the door question him? This Guild of Magic was really lawless.
He was a dignified Archmage, so how could he be questioned by a mage apprentice? Of course he would look annoyed. Moreover, he was one of the strongest mages in Doland, and was respected by people everywhere. To think that he would receive such treatment in this obscure town.
What annoyed Gavin the most was the fact that he had already been standing outside the door for a long time, but whoever that President Felic was had yet to come out to receive him. Did this fellow really think that Gavin had nowhere else to go besides his Guild of Magic?
When he thought of that, Gavin became more annoyed.
If it were any other time, given Gavin's temper, he would leave in a huff long ago instead of wasting his time on a mage apprentice.
However, he could not do that this time, as this was something that Mr Basel had instructed him on. No mage in Doland City dared go against Mr Basel—not so much because they feared him, but rather out of respect and gratitude.
Mr Basel was someone truly deserving of respect to all the mages in Doland as he had been looking after Doland's library for the past 50 years and shared his knowledge generously. In everybody's eyes, including Gavin, Mr Basel was a teacher to all the mages. Only, he had always refused to acknowledge it…
However, even Mr Basel had to admit that he was the most influential of all mages in Doland City. There was no question that the mages would do anything Basel asked of them—even if he wanted them to destroy the Castellan Mansion with magic!
Of course, Gavin did not dare protest against anything that Mr Basel had asked of him; he was not against it, either. Well, he did have more freedom in the past, studying in the Doland library and receiving Basel's teachings, and completing a few missions every month for the Adventurers Guild to earn a living.
Gavin had spent the past 20 years like this, but he was not satisfied. He craved more power, and coveted expensive medicine, rare magical equipment, and the advanced magical books. These things came with a hefty price, and he would not be able to afford them with the money he got from completing missions for the Adventurers Guild. He knew the only way for him to enjoy access to such things free of charge in Anril was to join a Guild of Magic.
WIth the support of the Supreme Council, most Guild of Magics provided resources including medicine, magical equipment, and books to their mages. This was lethal temptation to Gavin, who craved to become more powerful…
The most important thing was that he did not want to spend the rest of his life in the library. He was already an Archmage, and definitely one of the strongest in the whole of Doland. However, the name Gavin remained not known by most people…
Be it ambition or d.e.s.i.r.e, whatever it was driving his actions, Gavin simply wanted to be respected like the head mage in the Castellan Mansion, to sit in a luxurious carriage and have robes and a magic staff that cost millions. He wanted to enjoy the looks of envy and jealousy as he walked past others just like the head mage. Gavin had always thought that this was what it was like to be considered a successful mage.
Thus, Gavin did not walk away in a huff even after being questioned by a mage apprentice.
"Very well, Mr Gavin, may I know why you wish to meet me?"
"Huh?" Gavin picked at his ear unconsciously, and said blankly, "What did you say?"
Lin Li's smile was somewhat indignant, but he repeated himself. "I said, why do you wish to meet me, Mr Gavin?"
This time, Gavin heard him clearly, but he still took a minute to process it.
"You're… you're President Felic?" Gavin felt his brain stop as he stared blankly at the person in front of him as though he had been hit in the head.
"Yes, I am Felic."
"…" Gavin's expression froze.
He had been making guesses about President Felic's character and capabilities, but he had never once thought about his age. In Gavin's opinion, anyone who could receive the recognition of the Supreme Council and lead a Guild of Magic definitely had to be a respectable elderly man. He had even been racking his brains over how he should address this elderly man to express his respect without downplaying his own status…
Then Gavin realized that his previous concerns were all unnecessary…
President Felic was much too young, much too young…
Gavin gulped, and stuttered when he spoke, "You're… you're really President Felic?"
"Yes Mr Gavin, I am Felic. If you still have doubts, you can always ask the people in Black Clouds Town, many of them know of me. But, Mr Gavin, perhaps you should tell me why are you here in Black Clouds Town."
"Oh right, right, right…" Gavin came to his senses after Lin Li's question, and hurriedly retrieved a letter from his pocket as he rushed to introduce himself to Lin Li. "My apologies, President Felic, your age gave me a shock. If I may, please allow me to introduce m
yself again. I'm Gavin, and I come from Doland. Mr Basel recommended me here; this is a letter from him explaining the situation."
"Oh?" Lin Li opened the letter and glanced through the contents briefly.
Basel's letter was not lengthy, and Lin Li finished reading through it in a short while. There was not much in it, merely simple greetings and an introduction of Gavin and the rest. According to Basel, these people were from the library at Doland, and were some of the best mages. Gavin was the strongest of them, and had already passed level-16, while the weakest they had was already level-14. Basel hoped that Lin Li could make arrangements for them, and expected that they would be able to contribute to establishing the Guild of Magic.
As for Basel, he was tied up by some matters, and would only be able to head to Black Clouds Town to fulfill his obligations in a couple of months.
While Basel did not go into details of what he was tied up with, Lin Li could tell that it had to be a tricky problem to delay a Legendary-mage by months. It could not be an easy matter.
"Mr Gavin, Mr Basel has explained everything in the letter…" Lin Li folded the letter carefully and tucked it into his pocket before he extended a hand to Gavin. "I welcome all of you on behalf of Breezy Plains Guild of Magic."
"It is our honor…" Gavin silently celebrated the fact that he had not said anything rude when he mistook the President for a mage apprentice, or he would not know how to explain himself to Mr Basel.
But to think of it, he could not be blamed—who had ever seen such a young President?
Gavin still could not believe it till now. A 20-year-old President… was he crazy, or was the Supreme Council crazy?
Whatever, it was the Supreme Council's decision anyway, and had nothing to do with him. A young President might be a good thing too—President Felic was only 20 years old, and definitely had much to learn from the other mages in terms of magic. Perhaps he was still trying to reach the realm of an Archmage.
Adding the fact that this Guild of Magic was newly established, and probably did not have many capable people, it would be really easy for Gavin as a level-16 Archmage to be entrusted with heavy responsibilities. Young people were less stubborn too, and he might be able to influence this young President's decisions with his capabilities and reputation, and become the true holder of power in this Guild of Magic…
