by Zhuang Bifan
This was only what Lin Li could gather from the map—the true Sky Castle was probably worlds apart from this.
"I understand now…" Lin Li finally put down the map after an entire hour as he had finally understood this time.
The Immortal King's treasure was hidden in the final Sky Castle.
SIx Sky Castles had fallen during that war, but even after the war had ended, there was no news of the treasure. It was a war that took the whole Anril by storm, and nothing was spared from it—not even a Three-eyed Demon Wolf living in a ditch…
A war of that caliber had no secrets to speak of, as every minute detail would be recorded down in history, much less the Immortal King's treasure! Even the God of Mages Geresco was unable to hide the fact that he had taken it for himself.
In the end, the last Sky Castle fell through the cracks between time and space with the Immortal King's treasure in it. That was the only logical explanation…
"This is it, this is it…" Lin Li paced around the tent uncontrollably after setting down the map on the table as he repeated the same thing to himself over and over again.
This map was worth far more than the Immortal King's treasure to Lin Li.
This was because Lin Li knew that the map on table was the blueprint of the last Sky Castle!
After all, however precious it was, the Immortal King's treasure was merely an intangible existence. Even if one found enough clues to lead them to it, they would still have to enter the cracks between time and space in order to have a chance to look for the last Sky Castle. That was the realm of the spirits, and even if someone from the Sanctuary-realm forced their way in, they would be shredded instantly due to the distortion.
The blueprint of the Sky Castle was much more practical in comparison. It was tangible, after all, and given enough time and resources, he might even be able to build another Sky Castle based on this blueprint!
Of course, it would be unimaginably difficult…
In Lin Li's opinion, building another Sky Castle would not be much less challenging than to enter the crack between time and space.
FIrst of all, it was going to take too long…
The High Elves prided themselves on being living gods and the most perfect beings in the whole of Anril, but even they had taken more than a thousand years to build seven Sky Castles.
Let me see how long it's going to take if it was me… Lin Li looked at his fingers and his toes before coming to a conclusion that it would be better if he just used his hair to count…
Then there was the problem of procuring materials. Everything else aside, just the fact that it required the blood of a hundred Wyrms would be enough to drive anyone from the Sanctuary-realm insane.
But to Lin Li, the worse thing was that the blueprint in his hands was not complete…
If he guessed correctly, the High Elves Print also included instructions for constructing the Sky Castle apart from clues about the last Sky Castle.
Unfortunately, the person who crafted the map was some lunatic who scattered the most crucial content. Lin Li could hardly even piece together a sentence, much less find the way to build a Sky Castle!
Indeed, this blueprint was filled with all kinds of flaws like taking too long, requiring insane materials to build, and also missing keywords. It was impossible to build a Sky Castle based on it.
But even then, the blueprint was immeasurably valuable to Lin Li.
This was because Lin Li himself was a miraculous existence, the only one in the world who was a Guru of all five trades. There was a lot that Lin Li could gain from this incomplete blueprint, and while he would not be able to recreate the glory of the Sky Castle, there were many aspects that could be applied in the Tower of Dusk and even to the Eternal Furnace. Even 10% of the skills would be sufficient to make the Tower of Dusk and the Eternal Furnace unmatched in the Breezy Plains.
Of course, Lin Li was probably the only one in the whole Anril who had the ability to make use of the blueprint as the skills needed to build the Sky Castle were too advanced. Almost every aspect was at least at the Guru-level, and the areas involved spanned from Inscription to Architecture to Alchemy and Metallurgy. Any of them would require a lifetime of studying for anyone else, so who else besides Lin Li who was naturally a Guru in all these aspects would be able to showcase the skills needed to build the Sky Castle?
Hence, Lin Li was not worried about the Malfa Family at all. So what if Adelo made a copy of the blueprint? They would find themselves on one hell of a ride trying to figure out the Conquering Mageweath, much less make use of the skills on this blueprint. Which one of them was beneath Guru-level?
If there'd been such an able figure in the Malfa Family, Cheyenne would not have foolishly been injured at the altar all those years ago…
Then again, if the Malfa Family had such a figure, Lin Li would not mind working with them, either, as this blueprint was an endless treasure, and it would be better to enjoy it with someone than to spend his entire life working on it. There was a limit to how powerful one person could be, after all.
Of course, he would have to ensure that the Malfa Family would listen to him before he decided to work with them…
Besides, the High Elves Print here was the most crucial, and he had to find a way to decipher it—even a few words would be great. He would be able to uncover more advanced skills with just those few words.
"Seems like I will have to pay Teacher a visit. I wonder how are his pharmaceutical skills now…" Lin Li mumbled to himself while he carefully rolled up the blueprint lying on the table before placing it back in the Ring of Endless Storm.
When this was done, the sky had just begun to brighten, and Lin Li finally felt sleep coming. Thus, he wrapped himself in the blanket and fell asleep at the table.
He was woken up by the sound of frantic footsteps the next day.
Chapter 427 - Black Front Fortress
Lin Li only realized that there was hardly anyone left in the campsite after he got up and looked around. Besides the Death Knights who continued to stand guard where they were, there were only a few adventurers who had overslept just like he did, now hurriedly packing up their things. From their panicked expressions, it seemed as though there was danger knocking at their doors.
"I… I've been stood up!" Lin Li understood what had happened the minute he saw how empty the place was.
Young Master Hutton of the Malfa Family was a rare talent indeed. He knew when to let things go when needed, which was exactly what he did to Lin Li and Sendros the minute he realized that things had spiraled out of his control. There was not an ounce of hesitation, and while it left the other bewildered, they could not help but to admire him for it too.
After all, it was not only Lin Li that he left behind, but Sendros too. How many would be willing to leave behind someone as powerful as Sendros? Sendros could probably deal with anything in the Blackstone Mountains besides Black Dragon that was said to have been trapped at the peak.
But Hutton was willing to…
Lin Li could probably guess what Hutton was thinking—they had all started holding a grudge against each other from the moment Vanskore struck, and while Lin Li had yet to strike, who knew if he would not do so in the future? Keeping him in the Malfa Family's team was like carrying around a ticking time bomb. Besides, Lin Li's relationship with Sendros meant that if he chose to strike, Sendros would definitely help him. By then, it would be too late for Hutton to regret.
But, if he left both of them behind, the situation would take on a different turn. It was like taking on a stance of sorts, one that showed he was backing off and saying "alright, alright, it was wrong of me to let Vanskore ambush you yesterday, and I have realized my mistake. I can't afford to offend you, and now I'm going to avoid you, so please forgive me for my mistake"…
Hutton had given him a way out—if Lin Li did not want to ruin his relationship with the Malfa Family entirely, he would drop this matter. Otherwise, it would be unreasonable of him…
It would seem as though Hutton had suffered a huge loss giving up someone as powerful as Sendros, but in hindsight, he had in fact made a huge gain. He removed two ticking time bombs from the team before any danger eventuated, and even used it as an opportunity to apologize and reconcile such that they would be too embarrassed to bring it up even when they met in the future.
This Young Master Hutton was something else indeed. He was much better than those who did not know when to put a stop to something, or worse, the fools who laughed unaware that they were facing imminent danger.
"Oh well, I will let it slide on Cheyenne's account…" Lin Li laughed and shook his head. Since Hutton had already gone so far as to avoid any conflict, it would not be nice of him to pursue it further. The Tower of Dusk had just established itself in the Breezy Plains; it was not wise to offend a Legendary-mage so early on.
Just as he was thinking of sending a few Death Knights to wake Ujfalusi and the rest, Sendros suddenly walked into his tent with Rina, Norfeller, Ujfalusi, and the rest behind him. The old man stared coldly at the campsite, and started explaining before Lin Li could even open his mouth to speak.
"They left in the morning. Your men wanted to wake you, but I stopped them. The Tower of Dusk has just been established, and there are other things you should do than fight it out with Cheyenne. That is no wise thing to do."
"Mm-hm, I understand."
"Right, the Crimson Python…"
"Let's go now!" Lin Li did not hesitate at all. He was alright with letting Hutton off, and he did not care for the Crimson Python's magical crystal, either. When it came to the Dragon's Tongue, however, he was hell-bent on getting it!
A stalk of Dragon's Tongue could be used to concoct 10 bottles of Rune Potion. If used well, it could produce 10 Archmages at once. What did that mean? It meant that the meager manpower of the Tower of Dusk could be doubled!
The five of them packed their things and led the 18 Death Knights out of the empty campsite. Sendros seemed to be in a good mood as they traveled, and even discussed Necromagic with Ujfalusi. One of them was a Legendary-level Necromancer, while the other had once been a level-20 Lich, so both of them stood at the peak of Necromagic in the whole of Anril. Naturally, there was much for them to talk about.
Lin Li took the Crystal ball that solidified the Warlock's Eyes from his pocket, and gave an order to another team from the Tower of Dusk. They were to get to the Crimson Python's nest before noon to meet with him.
"Right. Felic, where did you get these Death Knights from?" After chatting with Ujfalusi for a while, Sendros suddenly became interested in the 18 Death Knights who led the way in front of them.
"I summoned them in the Scar of Death. There were over 30 of them at first, but we've met with battles, and now there is about half of them left…"
"That's a pity indeed, but you're lucky anyway…" Sendros's voice was laced with a tinge of envy. "I wanted to summon a group of them, but a pity that these guys are too stubborn, and would not listen to anybody but the Retribution Knight, even disregarding the hierarchy rules of Undead creatures…"
"Why would you do that? These fellows look menacing, but they are only mediocre in terms of abilities. You're a Legendary-mage. What is there that you cannot do? They would only drag you down…"
"Don't belittle them, they may not be high in level like the group you have here—the highest is probably level-18, while the lowest is perhaps level-15—and they may not be as useful as Humerus Wyrm in battle, but don't forget, they were powerful Warriors and Knights when they were alive, and have the ability to evolve. They have much more to gain from swallowing soul fires than other Undead creatures. You have 18 of them now, right? If you allow them to swallow soul fire as they please, you might even end up with 18 Retribution Knights…"
"R-Retribution Knights?" Lin Li stared blankly. That was like having 18 Legendary powerhouses who would never betray him! With them, he could basically rule over the whole Anril…
Of course, that was likely to be an arduous endeavor as the process of evolving by consuming soul fire for Undead creatures was one that could drive anyone insane. Even if what Sendros said was true—that the Death Knights had far more to gain from consuming soul fire than other Undead creatures—how much more could they stand to gain? Even if it was 10 times more…
From his calculation, even if it was the level-18 Death Knight he was speaking of, and he evolved 10 times faster than other Undead creatures, he would still have to consume 1000 level-15 corpses to reach level-19. Of course, if there was a chance that he could consume a Humerus Wyrm, there was a possibility that he could surpass level-19. But, how many Humerus Wyrms were there in Anril for him to consume?
However, just because the process was tedious, it did not mean that it was impossible, as given enough time and enough Undead creatures, these Death Knight would all definitely become Retribution Knights.
That was the scariest part. Most mages would never surpass the Legendary-realm, as they were confined by their talent. No matter how much they tried, there was no way they could break into the Legendary-realm even if they could live forever, and that was the biggest difference separating them from Death Knights…
If what Sendros said was true, then these 18 Death Knights were all geniuses who could break into the Legendary-realm…
I-i-isn't this too big of a joke?
"You think I'm joking with you? Death Knights are the most unusual existence amongst Undead creatures. Just go flip through the books yourself. You think the Retribution Knights of Anril simply appeared out of nowhere? It is only through endless battles and endless consuming that they may become Retribution Knights…"
"However, there were merely a dozen or so Retribution Knights throughout the entire history of Anril…"
"That's because there can only be one Retribution Knight amongst the Death Knights, and when that one Retribution Knight appears, all the other Death Knights will give up on their evolution. They will give up all the power they derive from consuming soul fire to that one Retribution Knight, and that is why every Retribution Knight to ever appear in Anril has been terrifyingly powerful…"
When Sendros got to this, he sighed with envy. "That is why I said you're lucky. You now have complete control over these 18 Death Knights, and you're the only Retribution Knight to them. Even if the real Retribution Knight appears, they will still listen to you. Moreover, you can allow them to continue consuming and evolving, and one day, you'll have a scary team comprised of Retribution Knights…"
"That day seems pretty far away…"
"Of course, before that happens, you have another problem to solve." It seemed as though Sendros did not hear Lin Li's complaints as he continued in his rough voice. "When one of them nears level-20, you should be careful. The Death Knights will be able to sense that one of them is about to break through, and will try to stop it from happening. You might have to face a true Retribution Knight and his army of thousands of Death Knights then…"
"…" After Sendros said that, Lin Li nearly suffered a heart attack.
A level-20 Retribution Knight and his army of thousands of Death Knights? Even the Legendary Sendros would run away in fear, so how was he going to face them?
Thank goodness this was all far away in the future as the most powerful Death Knight he had was only level-18. Who knew when he would consume enough soul fire to reach level-20? If Lin Li was unlucky and could not live to Andoine's age, he might not even live to see the Retribution Knight appear.
"If you can summon a Retribution Knight, that will be even more perfect as the Death Knights will be twice as powerful with a Retribution Knight leading them…"
"…" Lin Li rolled his eyes at that as he thought how this fellow could speak with no qualms at all. Even summoning a group of Death Knights almost cost me my life, how am I going to summon a Retribution Knight? Why don't you do it instead?
"Right…" Sendros was particularly helpful today—could it be the Death Knights? After he closely r
eminded Lin Li what he should look out for, he reached into his pockets, retrieved a sheepskin map, and gave it to him. "This is the blueprint for a Black Front Fortress, take it…"
"What's a Black Front Fortress?"
"It's a campsite specifically designed for Death Knights. You're a President, after all, and your actions will be closely watched. These 18 Death Knights will attract too much attention, so you cannot place them at the Tower of Dusk. My suggestion is that you build a Black Front Fortress near the Tower of Dusk and leave them there. The good thing about it is that it can convert mana into Death aura, and will strengthen the Death Knights while speeding up their absorption of soul fire."
Lin Li scratched his head, and asked, "Why are you suddenly so nice to me..?" He knew what Sendros was like, after all, and while they were always on good terms, he was never like today, giving him advice voluntarily and even gifting him something as valuable as the blueprint of a Black Front Fortress.
This was not a blueprint of any random Black Front Fortress, but one that could convert mana into Death aura, and would be useful for any Undead creature, not just Death Knights. The extent to which a Necromancer could use this was unimaginable, so why would Sendros give it to him?
"I dug this out from a grave, and have kept it for over 30 years. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to summon real Death Knights, so it has merely been lying around. Since you're lucky and were able to summon so many Death Knights, I'll give it to you as a gift…"
…
As they left the campsite, they hardly met with any trouble… Of course, nothing much could be considered trouble for Sendros. When they encountered magical beasts, he did not even lift his finger, and merely summoned Undead creatures to tear them into pieces.
After they scaled another mountain, Lin Li retrieved the map from his pocket.
They were very close to the Crimson Python's nest. Judging from the map, it was at most another two hours of travel left.
