Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  "How's that possible?" Rina was the only Judge Paladin out of all Paladins, and was a disciple of the Archbishop Englos as well. She had had access to classified secrets of the Brilliance Shrine these few years, and knew that His Holiness had been plagued by the viper's poison for decades and that the Brilliance Shrine had been searching for ways to neutralize the poison. Nearly all the well-known doctors and pharmacists in Anril had been invited to try and do so, but decades had passed, yet His Holiness was still tortured by the viper's poison…

  Rina could not believe that some 20 years old genius would be able to do something no doctor or pharmacists could.

  Perhaps her teacher was exaggerating this time…

  Right, her teacher mentioned as well that this genius pharmacist was also the youngest President of a Guild of Magic in Anril to date, and today was his inauguration ceremony as President.

  The carriages slowly came to a stop outside the Tower of Dusk. Rina alighted, following closely behind her teacher as they headed to the open doors of the tower. The morning rays fell on Rina's golden hair, and made them shine all the more brightly.

  "Englos, it has been a long time!" They had just alighted the carriages when Herza welcomed them from afar. The old man was wearing a new robe today, and his usually unkempt hair had been neatly combed down, making him look at least a decade younger from a distance.

  "Haha, it has been a long time, Herza."

  "Oh, where's Archbishop Martin? I thought he's coming with you?"

  "Martin was held up by something, and will only come later. He asked me to apologize on his behalf," Englos said apologetically before he introduced Rina. "Let me introduce you to her, she's my disciple, Rina, currently a Paladin."

  "Ms Rina is a Paladin at such a young age? Englos, the Brilliance Shrine has an abundance of geniuses indeed, how I envy you for having a genius disciple…"

  "We haven't met for years, and you're still a hypocrite, Herza? The freakiest genius in the whole of Anril is in the Supreme Council, why would you envy anyone else?"

  "Oh, it's nothing much…" Herza spoke humbly, but the smile on his face was practically shining with glee.

  "Oh right, Rina, let me introduce you to Mage Herza. Aren't you interested in pharmaceutics? You can learn from Mage Herza, he's an authority in pharmaceutics at the Supreme Council…"

  "Pfft, don't joke with me, you and I both know who's the real authority…"

  "Haha, how's Mage Felic? I haven't seen him in months since the convention. It's his big day, so how come we don't see him?"

  "That kid is in the study. No choice, Arbitrator Apophis wanted to meet him. Even Hoffman is still waiting in the guild hall, why don't you got chat with him?"

  "Apophis is here too?"

  "Mm-hm, he came this morning and dragged Felic into the study. You know they have an extraordinary relationship…"

  "That's true…"

  The two of them chatted and Rina did not talk, only listening by the side.

  If she had thought her teacher was exaggerating earlier, then now she was more and more curious about why this genius pharmacist Felic so different from others.

  Of course, besides being curious, she was a tiny bit jealous…

  According to what her teacher had said, this Felic was even younger than her, merely 20 years old, yet he had already gained everybody's recognition. Ever since she'd alighted the carriage, everybody had been talking about this Felic, and their words were filled with praise. What she heard along the way intrigued her, and she really wanted to know whether Felic really lived up to his name…

  The two of them followed Herza into the guild hall, and saw Hoffman squatting on the floor as he studied a huge crystal ball. He was already a short and plump man, and the position he was in made him look all the more amusing.

  "Why are you here so early, Hoffman?" They were all Master Pharmacists, and interacted often. Hence, Englos' greeting was much more casual that it would usually be.

  "Englos, you old fellow, you're here too? Take a seat, I need to study this crystal ball first…" Hoffman yelled without turning his head.

  "What's with this crystal ball?" Englos questioned as he stuck his face over, only for his expression to freeze after taking a look. "Impressive…"

  While Englos did not know much about Inscription, he was a Master after all, and when things reached that level, most of them were linked. He did not know what was a magic circuit nor what a magic node was, but when he saw the mageweath, Englos knew that this had to be the work of a Master.

  "Heheh, now you know. I've been working on it the whole afternoon…" Hoffman pursed his lips as he stood up shakily. "The Supreme Council is more than it seems indeed, a mere crystal ball packs such a powerful mageweath, I wonder which bastard came up with it…"

  "Achoo!" Lin Li was in the study when he sneezed all of a sudden. Rubbing his nose, he silently wondered who was so despicable to scold him behind his back…

  There was a petite old man sitting in front of Lin Li. He had a messy beard and unkempt hair, and his gray robes were stained with dirt as well, making him look like a desolate fellow. However, everyone who knew him, including Lin Li, did not dare use that word to describe him.

  He was Apophis, one of the three Arbitrators of the Supreme Council. He had already surpassed the Legendary-realm 1,300 years ago, and was one of the only Sanctuary Masters left in Anril. Who would dare use the word "desolate" to describe him?

  "Andoine, that useless fool, he's taught you for so long, but look at how you've turned out. When I get back, I'm going to break his legs…" The old man was staring at Lin Li, disappointed that he had not turned out like he should have. "Look at yourself, such talent for magic, but you've wasted it. If I were you, I would be too embarrassed to stay on earth…"

  "…" Lin Li did not know if he should laugh or cry. This old man's temper was beyond eccentric, scolding everybody whenever he spoke, yet Lin Li could not rebut him for the simple reason that this old man named Apophis was Andoine's teacher—in other words, his grand-teacher…

  Even if he feared nothing in this world, he was going to have to endure this old man's scoldings…

  "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking of just because you're keeping quiet. You're feeling indignant, aren't you? Let me tell you, you're wasting your rare talent by learning magic from that good-for-nothing Andoine. If I had the crazy mental strength you had, I would surpass that bastard Geresco…"

  "Actually…" Lin Li brushed his nose and defended himself carefully. "Actually I'm not that bad, right…?"

  "Nonsense!" Who knew that it would have been better if he had kept his mouth shut. The old man jumped up from his seat at his words. "Is your place protected by mageweaths? Bring me there, I'll let you know immediately how bad you are!"

  "Well…" His place was protected by mageweaths, quite a bit of them, in fact. Honestly speaking, all Lin Li had to do was utter a spell, and the All-Kill Array would protect the entire Tower of Dusk, but he did not wish to let this eccentric old man know. He was a Sanctuary Master, and if he really did fight him, even with the protection of the mageweath, he would probably be picking his teeth off the floor…

  "Doesn't matter if you don't, I'll just keep my strength in check…"

  "I do, of course I do, couldn't have more of it…" Lin Li nearly died of a heart attack. Even if a Sanctuary Master kept their strength in check, it would at least be above a Legendary-level. If they really fought, Lin Li would no doubt be left paralyzed. Why not find some place where he would be protected by mageweath—at least with the mageweaths Element Annihilation and Mana Liquefaction, he would suffer lighter injuries…

  He was not going to escape this, anyway; hence, Lin Li gritted his teeth and uttered some spells.

  As he finished his chanting, the energy of the All-Kill Array loomed over the Tower of Dusk immediately, and everybody could feel a strong energy dissipating within the Tower of Dusk. Only, most of them had no idea where this energy was coming from.<
br />
  "Oh?" After experiencing the energy of the All-Kill Array, the old man who initially brushed off Lin Li's magical abilities suddenly looked surprised. "What's this mageweath?"

  Chapter 362 - Sanctuary

  "This mageweath is impressive…" Lin Li lit up as he spoke about this All-Kill Array and his lies came pouring in too. "This is the work of Master Moke of the Supreme Council, I had to spend thousands of gold coins to bribe him and send him rare magical ingredients before he agreed to…"

  "Nonsense!" Apophis was on the verge of tears. This kid was really as shameless as they said he was; nothing he said was true. What did you mean Master Moke? How could he not know what Moke was capable of? He was at most as good as Aldwin! Sure, the common mageweaths would not be an issue for him, but for him to come up with one so powerful that even Apophis was taken aback? What a joke…

  "Why don't you ask Master Moke yourself…?" Lin Li couldn't care less; since it had already come to this, worsening it made no real difference. It was not like Apophis was going to question him on the real origin of the All-Kill Array anyway given his status.

  "Scram!" Apophis nearly blew his nose off in anger. Moke had left a couple of days ago; where was he going to look for him now?

  The pair of young and old left the study, and followed the stairs up to the fifth floor. There was supposed to be a library here, but because the books on magic had yet to arrive, the room remained empty. Still, it was just nice for the two mages to have a friendly fight in.

  "What about here?" Lin Li uttered a spell, and opened the doors to the room while he used his mental strength to control the All-Kill Array in the bas.e.m.e.nt, allowing the energy from the Elemental Power and Mana Liquefaction mageweaths to circulate in the library.

  "Not bad." Apophis nodded his head as praise was evident in his gaze. Of course, he was not talking about the library, but the All-Kill Array in the bas.e.m.e.nt. At his level, he had become acquainted with everything, and did not even need knowledge of Inscription to know the flow of mana in the All-Kill Array, which was also why he knew better than anybody else how powerful this unusual mageweath was…

  "You really fought Geresco?" Lin Li asked with a look of curiosity as he entered the door.

  "Of course…" That was the most glorious period of Apophis's life, and he still looked proud and reminiscent even when people brought it up 1,300 years later. "Actually, I've known him since I was young, we learned magic together, and— damn it, you despicable bastard…"

  Apophis never thought that a huge fireball would come hurling at him just as he was lost in his memories…

  This was a level-16 fireball, and even a Sanctuary Master panicked seeing as he was not under any protection. He only cursed loudly before conjuring an Elemental Shield; the fireball crashed into the Elemental Shield with a booming noise, and sparks flew everywhere, lighting up the empty library and a messy beard…

  "Damn it, how dare you sneak an attack on me?" The fireball came too suddenly, and even with Apophis's abilities, he was barely able to conjure an Elemental Shield to protect his torso, not having the time to care about his beard and hair, leaving the dignified Sanctuary Master somewhat disheveled in front of an Archmage.

  "Why, is it against the rules?" Lin Li retorted haughtily as he smiled shamelessly while chanting away, making another fireball appear…

  "Kid, you've got guts!" Apophis nearly exploded from anger. This kid was shameless indeed, making him recall the past with a sentence and using that opportunity to send a fireball in sneakily. Thankfully, he was a Sanctuary Master, and could use any magic below level-20 in an instant. It would have been embarrassing for any Legendary-mage…

  However, Apophis was a Sanctuary Master, after all, and after doing away with the fireball with an Elemental Shield, he started taking control of the situation. He did not chant nor use any magic, but strong mana started spreading throughout the room and made Lin Li feel as though a heavy weight was resting on him, taking away his ability to move or breathe.

  "Right, Arbitrator Apophis, when the allies attacked the Sky Castle, did you fight the Queen of the High Elves?"

  "Of course, I used to be the— damn it, why am I even talking to you about the past? I'm going to beat you up, you little bastard…" Apophis lost focus and nearly fell into another trap. In a fit, he kept his mouth shut and refused to speak.

  When the old man shut his mouth, Lin Li suddenly found himself suffering from tremendous torture…

  In a second, Lin Li felt the surrounding mana contract and coil tightly around him like a huge python. No, not just his body, but his mental strength as well—it was coiled into a tight ball under this terrifying strength, and even his shockingly powerful mental strength seemed to melt like snow in the sun and disappear without a trace in front of this Sanctuary Master…

  The door of the library was shut tightly, but the terrifying magical wave made every guest outside pale. Even though Apophis was barely using any strength, and the All-Kill Array was doing all it could to suppress his strength as well, the power of the Sanctuary Master was clearly felt by everybody.

  Everyone present for the ceremony was at the very least a President of a Guild of Magic, or at least an Archmage, so they were well-aware how terribly powerful the magical wave coming from the library was.

  "Damn it, the demons from the Supreme Council are such sadists…" Having felt the strength that made them tremble, even Englos, Sendros, and Hoffman silently cursed. The three old demons from the Supreme Council had not fought for 1,300 years, and only today did everybody realize that their capabilities were well beyond what anybody could imagine…

  Of course, everybody was thinking of something else—which idiot dared to fight this old demon?

  Englos scanned his surroundings before looking at the tightly shut doors on the fifth floor, a look of disbelief appeared on his face. "Could it be Felic?"

  The terrifying magical wave only settled down after half an hour…

  "Well, are we continuing?" Apophis dusted his robes as he smiled satisfactorily.

  Lin Li slumped on the floor as he retorted weakly, "Only an idiot would…"

  Damn it, this old man was a sadist indeed—he did not use anything besides a simple Elemental Shield, merely using his mana to crush him easily. If he had used any other magic, Lin Li probably would not have the energy to even lie here on the floor.

  "Do you know where your mistakes lie now?"

  Lin Li retrieved a bottle of Recovery Potion from his pocket as he muttered, "I was wrong in sneaking in an attack too late. If I had done so earlier, maybe I'd have got your hair too…" Damn it, the Sanctuary Master was no human; how could he injure him like that even with the All-Kill Array's protection…

  "Nonsense, what good would attacking earlier do? Once you've reached a Sanctuary-realm, magic becomes part of you, and even the slightest change in magical wave would cause a reaction in your magic. It will conjure a protection naturally… You think I made the Elemental Shield? I'm already so old, how can I possibly have such quick reflexes? Can't you use your brain…"

  "Then why didn't it protect your beard?" Lin Li glanced cheekily at the old man. He was looking at his half-burnt beard…

  "Damn it…" Apophis jumped with anger as Lin Li pointed out his weakness. That was indeed a moment of error. He'd never thought that this rascal would be able to conjure up a fireball instantaneously at level-17, and allowed him to burn his beard.

  "But then again, you're amazing indeed, Sanctuary Master. With only an Elemental Shield, you managed to withstand 10 fireballs from me, how did you do it?"

  "That's nothing…" Apophis' spirits lifted again after Lin Li's praise. Stroking his messy beard, he said, "If I want to, I can take 100 fireballs from you with just an Elemental Shield. This is because I am well-versed in the Rules of magic. That is the true essence of magic. I'm telling you, no matter how powerful you are or how fast you can recite spells, it is nothing compared to a Wind Blade that truly reflects the spirit of
magic."

  "Isn't that exaggerating too much? I'm well-versed in many magical Rules too, and many of them are core magical mantras. How come I cannot take 100 fireballs with an Elemental Shield like you did?"

  "Pfft, how dare you say you are well-versed with Rules with your abilities, even core ones too! From what I see, you're nowhere near the edge of it. Yes, you have a rare talent for magic, but you don't know how to use it. You're just a smart kid with a sharp weapon and absolutely no idea how to use it. One day, you're going to hurt yourself…"

  Chapter 363 - Inauguration Ceremony

  Lin Li was dazed at hearing that. Ever since he had obtained the core magical mantras, he spent a great deal of time studying them. When he arrived in the Breezy Plains, he even locked himself at home for a month to focus on studying them, and had created the Arcane Combustion as well as the Countercurrent Vortex, both of which were magic unique to him. Lin Li always thought that while he had not completely grasped the core magical mantras, he had learned something from them at the very least, yet this old man claimed that he was nowhere near the edge of it…

  However, Lin Li knew that Apophis did not say anything without reason.

  After spending the afternoon together, Lin Li started to gain some understanding of the Sanctuary Master. He was quick to anger and was eccentric indeed; sometimes, Lin Li even thought that he resembled Gerian, but one difference between them was his understanding of magic. This grumpy and eccentric old man might have the best understanding of magic in the whole Anril!

  This old man had led a long life. Back when the High Elves still ruled over the lands in the Dark Ages, he had already surpassed the Legendary-realm. He fought alongside the God of Mages, Geresco, and personally killed the queen of the High Elves, Azshara. He had even taken down an entire Sky Castle using magic; as he lived through his long life, Apophis was slowly becoming magic itself.