Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  "My God…" Gavin had already been scared out of his mind by the Elemental Shield, and the death aura that filled the space now nearly gave him a heart attack…

  The instant the clouds covered the sky, Gavin immediately understood the old man's origins. He was a Legendary-mage—he was definitely a Legendary-mage well-versed in Necromagic.

  Gavin was even willing to bet his life on that. He had only ever felt magical wave of such caliber in the library of Doland, from the owner of the library Basel himself…

  Needless to say, the Warrior leading the Dark Blade's group was much more taken aback than Gavin who was already familiar with Lin Li. While he did not showcase any elaborate techniques in wielding his sword earlier, he prided himself on the simplicity of his techniques. Moreover, he had moved closer to them in order to speak. Why else would he have walked so near to someone who was bound to die?

  The moment he struck, they were merely a dozen meters apart.

  The Warrior was sure that his strike would land true—he had never once missed while attacking from such a close distance. Coupled with his Combat Energy that was particularly effective at penetrating magic shields, even if he was faced with a much more powerful Archmage, he would be able to slice him in two. However, it seemed as though his sword had struck a rock; sparks flew, but there was no splatter of blood that he'd pictured…

  "What's going on?" Seeing that he missed, the Warrior became stunned. After he calmed down and took a closer look, he realized that there were four Solar Spheres revolving around the young mage…

  "Bloody hell, it's a level-19 Archmage!" The Warrior was from the Dark Blade, after all, so once he saw the Solar Spheres, he realized that he was facing a powerful opponent.

  But it was too late…

  The second the Warrior struck the Elemental Shield, Sendros had just finished chanting, and before the Warrior could even raise his sword to strike again, thousands of Vengeful Spirits emerged from a block fog. Their distraught looks and chilly cries made it seem like they were in the depths of hell.

  The second they emerged from the black fog, they made a beeline for those alive like sharks chasing the scent of blood. In an instant, the forest was filled with the cries of terror.

  The Vengeful Spirits were an obscure existence, and were merely an amalgamation of vengefulness. While they resembled spirits in characteristics, they were far more aggressive, and although they feared the Holy Light and magic, they were practically immune to physical damage. If Warriors and Bandits wished to harm them, they would have to possess incredibly powerful Combat Energy or an extravagant magical weapon.

  The people of the Dark Blade were all around level-15, and the Combat Energy they had was nothing to the Vengeful Spirits. Moreover, they only had about a dozen magical weapons, and that was simply not enough for them to use against the Vengeful Spirits. Besides that, Sendros had used a level-20 Thousand Souls Spell on them and summoned thousands of Vengeful Spirits at once; even the level-17 Warrior leading the group might not be able to escape unscathed…

  The rest was not so lucky, and even dying with dignity had become a luxury. The countless Vengeful Spirits swarmed over in the hundreds the second they detected a trace of life. In an instant, all everyone could see was the splatter of blood and flesh as sinister laughter and the sounds of tearing and pathetic cries permeated the air. Adding on to the fact that the ground was now covered with blood, it was quite appropriate to describe the setting as hell on earth…

  The massacre merely lasted three minutes before the forest quieted down.

  Sendros remained in his place with no expression on his pale face. Even the folds of his long robe did not appear to have moved at all. Nobody would have thought from the way he looked that this seemingly innocent old man had killed dozens of Dark Blade's members in merely three minutes.

  "Just kill all of them…"

  That was what Sendros said, and that was what he did. None of the 50-odd members of the Dark Blade had been spared by Sendros's Thousand Souls Spell.

  Oh, wait…

  Someone survived—it was the Warrior leading them. However, he did not survive because he was powerful enough to survive the Thousand Souls Spell. It was because of Lin Li's words.

  "Don't kill this one, I want to ask him something."

  And now, the Warrior leader who'd managed to escape was vomiting non-stop in a puddle of blood.

  He was pale and trembling; the mind-numbing sounds of vomiting made it seem as though he might throw up his intestines as well.

  Lin Li stared quietly, and didn't bother to stop him from vomiting, because he knew that this unlucky guy was terrified of Sendros. He was lying there and throwing up not because he found the sight disgusting, but rather because he was unconsciously trying to release his fear…

  He only stopped throwing up after 10 minutes, but he was still pale and trembling, while his eyes were glazed over. He looked just like a walking corpse, and even in this state, he was still subconsciously wary of looking up to look at Sendros…

  "Alright, get up. I have some questions for you." Lin Li slowly walked to him only after he stopped throwing up.

  "Yes…" The Warrior had lost all of his previous arrogance, and looked like his soul had left his body, only nodding mechanically when Lin Li asked him a question.

  "I already told you not to hurry. If you could last a few minutes more in front of a Legendary-mage, wouldn't that be something you could be proud of? Why hurry to your death…" Lin Li could not help feeling indignant on seeing the state that the Warrior was in. This old man was too much—why did he have to use such a gory method? Now that the only survivor has been scared out of his mind, how am I going to ask him questions…?

  Lin Li gave the enemy leader an exasperated look and gritted his teeth before giving him a bottle of peacebloom extract. Peacebloom extract had the effect of calming the mind, and even if it was not made into a potion, it was still sufficient to treat this unlucky Warrior.

  After taking a small bottle, the warrior finally looked better, and was not trembling as badly as earlier. However, as he looked up and made eye contact with Sendros, he still recoiled as though he had been bitten…

  "Alright, alright, stop coiling into a ball like you're a rope of some sort. I'm going to ask you a few questions, and if you can give me satisfactory answers, I'll let you return alive. You will bring a message for me. Of course, if you don't give me satisfactory answers, you'll still be bringing back a few words for me, but it'll be your corpse doing the work. You know a Necromancer has many ways to deal with a corpse, right…?"

  "Go… Go ahead…" The survivor could not help throwing up again when he heard the mention of a corpse.

  "Why are you here in the Blackstone Mountains, how many people do you have, and who is leading them? How powerful is the most powerful person you have… um, alright, that's about it. You'd better think about it before answering. I don't tolerate wrong answers…"

  Chapter 430 - Confession

  Actually, Lin Li had been somewhat worried at the start—worried that he would need to expend a lot of effort before he could find out the truth from this warrior leader—but he had not expected that Sendros would give him a surprise. He immediately used the cruelest and bloodiest Thousand Soul Spell and scared that poor Warrior until he went mad.

  The Warrior's psychological defenses were totally crushed, and interrogation became much easier. Lin Li did not even use much effort, and already managed to get the information he wanted.

  The Warrior answered while trembling with fear, yet Lin Li whispered a "thank you" to Sendros.

  It was because Lin Li knew that Sendros' Thousand Soul Spell was used to help him. Although the old man was one of the most vicious Necromancers, he was not some merciless demon king. In fact, when one had reached the level of those like Lin Li and Sendros, killing was not so simple. They no longer willfully slaughtered just to satisfy their thirst for blood, but they would not be irresolute and hesitant because of their
virtue and morals, either. To them, killing was just a method to strike fear into their enemies.

  Just like Lin Li had done in the Demon Fall Valley and Scar of Death—a single spell caused hundreds to lose their lives. If it was an average person, they would feel that their body and hands were filled with sin. However, in Lin Li's mind, this was merely a method to continue surviving.

  If he had not used Thousand Miles of Ice on hundreds of bandits in the Demon Fall Valley, the second Shadow's Nest would've definitely emerged from one of those ambitious forces in Jarrosus, causing the Emerald Tower to be in danger at any given time or place. It was the same at the border of the Scar of Death. Although Lin Li had looked composed, he was afraid on the inside. Who would not be afraid after being watched by a gigantic entity such as the Malfa Family? Hence, Lin Li had to use Vanskore's death to warn Hutton that if it were to happen again, the next person to die could be Hutton himself…

  Facts also proved that Lin Li was right. The destruction of the Shadow's Nest caused all of the forces of Jarrosus to submit. So far, there was not a single force that dared to disrespect the Emerald Tower. Vanskore's death had also similarly allowed Hutton to feel Lin Li's ruthlessness. Otherwise, he would not have stood up Lin Li and Sendros on the next day…

  It was the same for Sendros' Thousand Soul Spell.

  After being driven mad with fear by the Thousand Soul Spell, the surviving Warrior leader did not dare to hide anything. He answered whatever questions Lin Li asked. He simply said everything he knew, and he said it without reserve. He held nothing back and told them everything he knew.

  The overall situation was not far from Lin Li's conjecture. Indeed, the strongest band of bandits in the Breezy Plains, the Dark Blade, had three Legendary powerhouses in command. They had also followed the Malfa Family's footsteps and arrived in the Breezy Plains.

  It was just that there was only one difference from the Malfa Family. The Malfa Family had recruited hundreds of adventurers to use them as cannon fodder, and they killed their way through. Whereas for Dark Blade, they only sent forth a contingent of 100 or more men, and they used a route that only they knew to reach the peak of the Blackstone Mountains without a single battle.

  Based on numbers, it would seem that the Dark Blade was in a disadvantageous position. After all, this time the Malfa Family had hundreds of sacrificial pawns. The total number could even reach 1,000 if their own men were added in. As for the Dark Blade, they only had over 100 men.

  But in terms of combat ability, the Dark Blade was not on the losing end. They could even be stronger than the Malfa Family.

  Based on what this Warrior said, the 50-odd men that he'd led had the worst abilities in the whole contingent. Other than himself, the others only had combat abilities of level-15 and below. It was also because of this that he had been ordered to just keep a lookout in the vicinity of the Crimson Python's nest this time.

  Other than this group, the combat prowess of the other 100 men was not average at all. At least 50 were powerhouses above level-15, and the strongest among them were 10 level-18 Archmages. The one in charge of commanding these 10 level-18 Archmages was a genius mage, Singh, who was as famous as Hutton.

  Upon hearing that this Singh was equally famous as Hutton, Lin Li was rather curious. He knew of Hutton's magical talents. Hutton was at the peak of level-17 before his thirties, and this was achieved by him while being busy attending to the family's matters. Even that Gryffindor who was developed with priority was somewhat worse than Hutton. Just what was the background of this Singh that he could actually be compared to Hutton?

  He found out after asking. This Singh's father was no ordinary man. He was one of the three leaders of the Dark Blade. He was also one of the leaders that had displayed his powerful abilities, the Legendary-mage Borg!

  This name, Borg, could be said to be known far and wide in the Breezy Plains. 10 years ago, he had barged into Aminya and used the identity of a level-20 Legendary-mage to challenge Cheyenne, who had just broken through to level-21 at the time. Although he lost to Cheyenne by a thin margin, he still retreated safely. At the end, even Cheyenne had to admit that Borg was just a thin line away from being level-21. Even he himself did not dare to say that he won comfortably.

  It was also because of this duel that Borg gave up his plans to declare war against the Dark Blade when he had originally wanted to use the chance of breaking through to level-21 to give it ago. Cheyenne also did not take a step away from Aminya, because he knew that once he left, the three Legendary powerhouses from the Dark Blade would maul the Malfa Family heavily in a short period of time.

  From this, it was no longer something weird for Singh to be held in the same regard as Hutton.

  That should be all that the Warrior leader knew.

  After all, he did not have a high position in the Dark Blade. There were way too many leaders with 100 men under them within a gigantic entity such as the Dark Blade.

  Although he followed Singh to the Blackstone Mountains this time, he did not partake in any top-secret activities. The command he received was merely to guard the Crimson Python's nest with a group of men. Once they noticed somebody was near, they would immediately attack. Average adventurers were easy to kill, but if they were to meet somebody powerful, they had to notify Singh.

  "10 level-18 Archmages…" Lin Li rubbed his nose. He was rather shocked.

  This was no laughing matter. 10 level-18 Archmages. This was almost the same as Alanna's Guild of Magic. No wonder Dark Blade was called the strongest band of bandits in the Breezy Plains. Just this group of men was more than enough to wipe out the Syer Bandits…

  Without summoning the Humerus Wyrm and Lord of Nightmares, even Lin Li would have to run nine out of 10 times…

  After the Warrior confessed what he knew, Lin Li started thinking. What was hiding in the Blackstone Mountains that it could attract both the Malfa Family and Dark Blade at the same time?

  Unfortunately, this minor enemy commander knew too little. Lin Li could not get any information that explained anything. In the end, he looked at this survivor with annoyance, and then he turned, opening a path. "Okay, you can leave now…"

  "Ah?" The Warrior that had already gone mad with fear because of Sendros was stunned when he heard this. What…? I can leave now? He thought back for a while before he understood it. What this young mage meant was… that he wanted to set him free?

  "Why aren't you leaving?" Lin Li stared at him in annoyance. "You still want me to make you stay for dinner?"

  "No, no, no… I didn't mean that…" The Warrior instantly ran away when he was glared at by Lin Li…

  Only after the enemy survivor ran out of the forest did Sendros curiously ask, "Why did you release him?"

  "Because I started to get curious…" Lin Li smiled, but did not answer Sendros' question directly.

  Actually, since the matter had already reached this stage, Lin Li's goal in coming to the Blackstone Mountains was almost completed. The battle with the Lich at the Scar of Death not only allowed him to subdue more than 10 Death Knights as well as a Humerus Wyrm, he had also obtained Gloomy Dark, which he had always dreamed of getting. The rewards were beyond his imagination. Additionally, he obtained Sendros' assistance. To gather the Dragon's Tongue would be very simple. He just had to kill and silence a few enemy commanders and call for Sendros. The two of them would stealthily enter the Crimson Python's nest. It would not be an issue if they were to kill the Crimson Python as well after gathering the Dragon's Tongue…

  It was just that Lin Li had started becoming curious again all of a sudden.

  He was curious what sort of secret was hidden in the vicinity of the Crimson Python's nest. Just what was it that it could attract the greedy eyes of gigantic entities such as the Malfa Family and Dark Blade?

  Of course, other than being curious, Lin Li also thought of proving something else…

  On the first night he came to the Blackstone Mountains, Lin Li had treated a middle-aged man to
barbecue. If Lin Li was not mistaken, the middle-aged man had once said that his house was located at the peak of the Blackstone Mountains. It would be easy to find once they went through the Crimson Python's nest.

  In fact, Lin Li was close to the mark when guessing this middle-aged man's identity. The only thing left to do was to prove whether this mysterious middle-aged man that knew Anril's history thoroughly by heart was, as Lin Li guessed, that incomparably powerful existence…

  To prove it was actually simple. A magical brand would more or less achieve that goal.

  The Warrior that had been driven mad with fear by Sendros naturally would not discover that when he escaped, a certain mage had sneakily left a magical brand on him.

  A magical brand would not cause any injury, and it would not result in adverse statuses. The only effect it had was to leave behind a trace of one's magical aura. Average mages could use this trace of magical aura to determine the location of their target, but an Archmage at level-18 and above could use the Warlock's Eyes to stalk the target with the magical brand.

  Hence, Lin Li immediately cast Warlock's Eyes when the Warrior had just stepped out of the forest.

  "Oh…" Lin Li did not answer directly, and Sendros did not question any further. He just gave off an "oh" and shut his mouth. It was because to him, the Dark Blade was not something worthy of racking his brains. Although it was rumored that there were three Legendary powerhouses within the Dark Blade, one could not forget that there were differences between those in the Legendary-realm. The current Sendros was even stronger than Cheyenne. There were only a few that could threaten him in the whole Breezy Plains…

  Not long after the Warrior had left the forest, Norfeller and Ujfalusi had already arrived with tens of Death Knights. Lin Li asked a few simple questions about the situation on the road ahead, and called Gavin over. "Gavin, rally the men and follow me."

  Lin Li constantly had that Warrior under surveillance with the Warlock's Eyes while on the move.