by Zhuang Bifan
In the world of Anril, everything from magic to martial arts was taught from teacher to disciple, and the relationship between a teacher and their disciple was probably the closest thing to that between a parent and their child. Unless their disciple had committed a heinous crime, no teacher would willingly sever such ties, and even though Englos was merely saying it out of anger, it conveyed the severity of the situation. He would not say such words unless he was truly mad with anger.
"But, Teacher, he… he really is a Necromancer!" Rina was pale from shock and even stuttered when she spoke.
"So what if he's a Necromancer?" Englos had just calmed down slightly thanks to Lin Li, but after hearing this, he was suddenly hopping mad again.
However, he calmed down again after a second. It seemed like he was muddled by his anger, and forgot that his disciple was unlike other people. She was the only Paladin with a Brand of Judgement, and was baptized by the Fire of Judgement the day she was born. Hence, she held an innate hatred towards any presence of the Darkness, and had slain countless Undead creatures over the years.
She was truly a devoted follower!
Even Englos felt his head throb at Rina's devotion and passion.
"I already said it is a misunderstanding!" Since they had already come to this point, Englos had to use his authority as a teacher. After that, he shot Lin Li a look secretly. "Am I right, President Felic…?"
"Of course!" Lin Li was a smart person, so when he saw Englos give him a look, he immediately guessed that the old man had some unsaid difficulties, and while he had no idea what it was about, he was an a*shole used to spinning lies—what was one more going to cost him? That a*shole immediately put on a painfully constipated look. "Mr Englos, this is really a misunderstanding…"
"I clearly saw…" Seeing the shameless Necromancer finding excuses for himself, Rina frowned.
"What did you see?" Lin Li pursed his lips, and without waiting for Rina to continue, he went on, "You saw me bringing along an Undead creature to attend Castellan Arathor's banquet, right? How does that make me a Necromancer? What a joke… But it's ok if you don't believe me. Surely you trust your teacher, Mr Englos, right? I already knew him back when I was in Alanna. Ask him yourself, do I look like a Necromancer? Also, ask everyone in the guild hall, ask the Arbitrator Apophis if I'm a Necromancer!"
"Stop joking with me, how can President Felic be a Necromancer? He is Andoine's disciple, and even President Aldwin praised him for being a genius!" Englos quickly nodded his head from the side.
Lin Li spoke confidently, and with Englos testifying his words, even Rina who was adamant about the issue could not help but be swayed. However, she did not give up, and asked Lin Li, "Then why were you at the banquet with an Undead creature?"
"Paladin Rina, please watch your words. I'm merely explaining the misunderstanding to Mr Englos, I'm not obliged to answer your question." After giving Rina a look, Lin Li continued, "But since you asked, I shall tell you. You're aware that Castellan Arathor has a son called Cyndor, right?"
"Yes."
"Then do you know that Cyndor was kidnapped before you went to Roland City?"
"What has that got to do with Undead creatures?"
"Calm down and let me explain it to you. The ones who kidnapped Cyndor were from the Syer Bandits—they hid him in the ruins of Syer Town. You're such a devoted follower, surely you know what kind of place Syer Town is? It is full of Undead creatures, and there is even a Lich there. My companions and I headed into Syer Town, and were nearly killed by the Lich. Thankfully, we met Norfeller… yep, the Undead creature you were speaking of. Unfortunately, you only know him as an Undead creature, and didn't know that he was a glorified knight when he was alive. Even though his body has been overtaken by the evil darkness, his soul is untainted. He helped us to defeat the Lich and saved Arathor's son, so since the banquet was held by the Castellan Arathor to thank us for saving his son, shouldn't the hero Norfeller be present?"
"Are Undead creatures so kind?"
"It's up to you to believe it…" Lin Li pursed his lips with an expression of indifference. He said all this to help Englos, and whether Rina believed it was none of his business. So what if she doesn't? Is she going to attack me in the Tower of Dusk? If she really does, then she cannot blame me for not showing mercy…
"Wait…" Englos had a thoughtful expression then. "Felic, you said the ruins of Syer Town?"
"Yes, the ruins of Syer Town, why?"
Lin Li said it indifferently, but he'd never thought that Englos would have such a big reaction to what he mentioned. The old man was in shock, his face was void of any color, and his lips trembled as he muttered to himself as though possessed. "It really is… really is the ruins of Syer Town, the Holy Light… the Great Prophecy was right indeed…"
"Teacher, what happened to you?" Rina looked at Englos anxiously as her worried voice was laced with tears.
"Mr Englos, are you alright?" Lin Li could not help but worry. Englos was a powerful person who had reached the Legendary-realm, and could not be reduced to such a state easily.
10 minutes passed before Englos seemed to return from his possessed state. He then mopped the sweat off his forehead before squeezing out a smile. "Don't worry, I'm fine, I'm fine…"
"Teacher, what is it, why did you suddenly… suddenly become…" Rina realized suddenly that her next words would sound disrespectful; hence, she hesitated and swallowed the word "possessed" that was right on the tip of her tongue.
"Don't worry, there is nothing wrong with me…" Even though his disciple was overly devoted and prejudiced against Undead creatures, she was a disciple he had spent a lot of effort teaching and nurturing. Seeing her worry for him now, Englos felt comforted, and a warm smile appeared on his pale face. "I just thought of something all of a sudden…
"President Felic, I am so sorry, I just thought of something important that I have to see to. I must return to the Church of Dawn with Archbishop Martin immediately. It is urgent, so I hope you understand. Also, if Arbitrator Apophis asks, please help me explain it to him as well."
"Do you need help?"
"Thanks, but no…" Englos shook his head. As he was turning to leave, he stopped in his tracks suddenly. "Oh, right. President Felic, if you can, help me look after Rina for a few days."
"Teacher, I'll go back with you!" Rina panicked.
"No, Rina, this is too important, and Archbishop Martin and I have to rush back to the Church of Dawn immediately. Given your abilities now, you won't be able to keep up with a person in the Legendary realm. Just stay at the Tower of Dusk first. Once Archbishop Martin and I are done with the matter, we'll come back for you."
"This…"
"Listen to me, alright?" Englos gaze became somewhat stern again, and he hurriedly apologized to Lin Li before he walked to Archbishop Martin without looking for Rina's reaction, and whispered something in his ear.
"Really?" Just as Englos finished speaking, Archbishop Martin raised his head in shock, and even though he tried to conceal his look of disbelief, Lin Li could still see it from afar.
The two Archbishops left, but it did not affect the others. To them, the young mage in a black cloak was the real highlight of the day, and while they found the absence of the Archbishops a pity, it was merely a pity…
Lin Li received a lot of gifts after that. Those who were invited had high status, and so the gifts they brought were naturally on a different level. The prince of Felan, Arthur, brought a Ghost Python magical crystal—it was level-18 just like the magical crystal on Lin Li's magic staff. However, the Ghost Python ate souls, and if the strength in the magical crystal was harnessed properly, it could even become a weapon used to attack souls!
The captain of the Sky Knights, Sagre, was even more generous, giving Lin Li a Fire Feather Gryphon egg. This was no joke: a Fire Feather Gryphon was an anomaly amongst Gryphons, and was said to have the blood of a fire-feathered prehistoric magical beast. It was at least a level-16 magical beast when it hat
ched, and was comparable to an a.d.u.l.t Dragon Hawk in terms of combat abilities. Sagre even gave him a manual for taming a Fire Feather Gryphon—it was a secret guarded by the Sky Knights, and not many people in Anril knew of it besides them.
Lin Li knew that Sagre gave him such a lavish gift not only to congratulate him on becoming the President of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic, but also because he wanted to bribe Lin Li. After all, Lin Li had shown the captain of the Sky Knights his forging skills, and for a Sword Sage who commanded one of the three biggest armies of Felan, giving a gift of such caliber was nothing much if it meant he could get on the good side of a Smithing Master.
The gift Balbo brought was merely a crystal-clear potion bottle. Besides the fact that it was shinier than other such bottles, it did not look like anything much. The fatty Hoffman even laughed at him. Only Lin Li knew that Balbo's gift was as valuable as the Demon Magic Lamp, and definitely more valuable than Hoffman's box of Starlight Herb…
The potion bottle was way more valuable than Andoine's Crystal of Eternity as it was made of something much more valuable than that. Legend had it that the Dream Crystal was found under the Tree of Eternity, which was also known as the Tree of Life, for it was the source of life for all High Elves—even they who thought of themselves as gods regarded the Tree of Eternity as a mother.
The Tree of Eternity only existed in legends for most pharmacists as a small leaf would allow them to make a potion to bring back the dead—even the legendary Black lotus was no match for a leaf from the Tree of Eternity. Unfortunately, the tree had been destroyed in the battle 1,300 years ago, which also destroyed the High Elves' dynasty…
The effect of the Dream Crystal definitely could not compare to that of the Tree of Eternity…
It was not a fair match to begin with. The Tree of Eternity was formed from the acc.u.mulation and purification of all life in Anril, and the Dream Crystal had merely been exposed to a bit of its aura. However, even that tiny bit of aura made it a coveted item for pharmacists—a potion bottle carved from Dream Crystal could magnify the effect of a potion many times over, and if a pharmaceutics master had a potion bottle made from Dream Crystal, the potion they made would have the effect of one that was made by a pharmaceutics guru.
Moreover, the life aura in the Dream Crystal could rid a potion of all impurities and make it extremely pure. As it was known, all medicines were drugs—it was something even a new pharmaceutics apprentice would know. No pharmacist could guarantee that their potion had no side effects; hence, no matter how powerful a potion was, it could not be taken in excess. Otherwise, an Archmage could well carry hundreds of bottles of the Awakening Potion and never exhaust their mana—wouldn't they be able to defeat a Legendary-mage then?
Besides a Divine Smith, the Dream Crystal was the only thing that could give the same effect—any potion could be completely rid of impurities simply by leaving it in the potion bottle made from Dream Crystal for a month. It'd never cause the body any harm no matter how much of it was taken.
Even Lin Li was somewhat shocked by Balbo's gift, and received the potion bottle while stunned. While he was a pharmacist, he did not belong to the Pharmacists Guild, so why would Balbo present him with such a rare treasure?
"Only in your hands can the potion bottle reach its true potential…" Balbo merely left him with a few words.
Besides that, there was other valuable magical equipment given by the 24 Guild of Magic presidents. Gerian gave him a ring, said to be left behind by a past president of Jarrosus Guild of Magic who was a Guru of Inscription. There were a few unusually powerful mageweaths on it, and even Lin Li who was also a Guru of Inscription could not decipher it after taking a look.
Only late in the evening could Lin Li escape at last.
"Mr Herza, can you help me entertain the guests? I had some alcohol and feel a bit unwell, perhaps I'll lie down for a bit…"
"Not too long."
Lin Li jogged back to his room. The second he closed his door, he opened the Ring of Endless Storm, and a black shadow wheezed past. When he came back to his senses, the great Soul Trader was already lying on his desk.
"What's going on?" Lin Li was shocked. "Connoris, how come you appeared on your own? Bloody hell, you can wield hammer now?"
"Hm, hm, hm…" There was a hint of pride in Connoris' voice. "I'm the greatest Soul Trader there ever was, how can a mortal like you understand my powers…"
"Really…?" Lin Li looked at Connoris, and decided not to argue with him. He spoke mildly, "I haven't forged anything in a while, I wonder if I've turned rusty…"
"…" Connoris lost his voice.
"Well, Connoris, want to give it a try?"
"He… hehe, I was only joking, surely you'll not be angry given your magnanimity?"
"Cut the crap…" Lin Li was too lazy to argue with him, and took out the Demon Magic Lamp from his pocket, placing it on the desk in front of Connoris. "I got the thing you wanted. I said if you can't give me a satisfactory answer, then you're dead meat, Connoris…"
"We've known each other for so long, when have I ever lied to you?" There was a hint of indignation in Connoris' voice.
"Then tell me, what kind of demon is in this Demon Magic Lamp?"
"Bloody hell…" Connoris shrieked in surprise as Lin Li finished speaking. "How are you so lucky? The first Magic Lamp you got, and it's one of the three strongest of the 12 Demon Lords! This is the Magic Lamp sealing the Lord of Nightmares. You know, with his powers back then, he was comparable to Osric, and if not for the help of the Magic Legion, Osric would not have been able to kill him."
"What's a Lord of Nightmares?"
"He's not just anybody. He's the master of the 21st floor of the Abyss, with powers way above mine. Because of some business back then, I had the chance to meet him a few times; hence, I know the powers of this Abyss Lord quite well. Great, if you can control this Magic Lamp and get the help of the Lord of Nightmares, with the key of Osric's mausoleum, you can control the Eternal Furnace and make me a new body!"
"This Magic Lamp needs controlling? I thought all I had to do was to rub its surface and summon the demon sealed in it?"
Chapter 368 - Lord of Nightmares
"Pfft, how is that controlling? I wonder which idiot spread that rumor. Rubbing the lamp merely summons a soulless shadow, which is nothing compared to the true Lord of Nightmares. You think the grand master of the 21st floor of the Abyss is only close to the Legendary-realm? The person who spread such rumor didn't know how powerful the Lord of Nightmares was in his prime; even in my prime, I was probably already at the Legendary-realm…"
"Then the Lord of Nightmares was much stronger than someone in the Legendary-realm in his prime?"
"Of course. When I spoke to you using the Spiritual Force outside, I sensed a few strong auras. I suppose they are what you call someone at the Legendary-realm? Don't blame me for being frank with you, but even if they combined forces, they probably would be no match for the Lord of Nightmares in his prime…" Connoris paused here and hesitated a bit. "But I did sense a really strong aura. He's no match for Osric then, but he might stand a chance against the Lord of Nightmares. Say, when did you start getting to know such powerful people?"
"I just got to know him today…" Lin Li replied simply. The strong aura Connoris referred to had to have been Apophis. The old man was indeed so strong that he was nearly above being a mortal; he had only used a bit of mana in the library, and had beat Lin Li to a pulp. If he used all his strength, Lin Li might just turn into ash.
When he thought of this, Lin Li turned to look at the Demon Magic Lamp on the desk again, and his gaze became fervent. If what Connoris said was true, then the Brilliance Shrine really gave him an invaluable gift indeed…
Of course, the gift had to be usable for it to really be valuable…
"Well, Connoris, what should I do to completely control the strength of the Lord of Nightmares?"
"Completely control the strength of the Lord of Nightmares?
Stop dreaming, that's impossible given your current abilities…"
"So you've just been spouting nonsense?" Lin Li was on the verge of tears with how ridiculous the situation was. This Connoris had been going on and on and tempting Lin Li, but in the end, all he said was something like "don't even dream about it"…
"How's that nonsense?" Connoris' voice rose in pitch. "I'm the greatest Soul Trader there ever was! Why would I say anything I'm not sure of? Yes, you're not powerful enough now to control the strength of the Lord of Nightmares, but you can borrow it…"
Lin Li paused. "Borrow?"
"That's right…" Connoris paused before continuing. "You think Osric sealed me in here for nothing? For the past 1,300 years, I've been studying, and now I have deciphered the seal on this hammer as well as mastered the 12 Magic Lamps. The seal on it is not just any seal: it contains a part of Osric's mental strength. He used his mental strength to restrain the 12 powerful Demon Lords and sealed all their souls and memories, only leaving a bit of pure strength for people to summon. If you want to borrow the strength of the Lord of Nightmares, of course you have to start by using mental strength…"
"Then what should I do?"
"Very simple, from today onwards, whenever you have the time, summon the shadow from the Magic Lamp. You can leave it be after that, just assign it some task like washing your clothes or cleaning. Whatever it is, make sure you infuse some of your mental strength into the seal. That's when the seal is at its weakest, and you can use this chance to infuse your mental strength into it. Perhaps you won't see results in a day or two, but after some time, the seal would have some of your aura, and then there will be a small crack in it…"
"Don't underestimate the small crack, the Lord of Nightmares' soul and memories come out from that crack, and once the shadow has these, it will instantly have the true strength of the Lord of Nightmares. Even though it is only a really small portion, it is unimaginably powerful. By then, you will not just have a creature near the Legendary-level, but a truly Legendary one. Moreover, it cannot be injured or die—as long as the magical crystal in the Magic Lamp is not depleted, this Legendary creature will not tire of fighting!"
