by Zhuang Bifan
It was like the Book of Eternity before them. Although the three men had not met Geresco before, the sight of the book enabled them to understand that it was the true copy left behind by Geresco lying on the table.
In that moment, Hutton and Stephen could not help but display burning passion and excitement in their eyes. That was very normal. Any mage who saw the relics of the God of Mages would have the same expression on their face. Furthermore, those were no ordinary relics. The Book of Eternity alone had the entire record of the knowledge and the experience of the God of Mages!
Lin Li was no exception. The only difference was that the excitement in Lin Li's eyes only stayed there for a split second. His gaze landed on that magical crystal next to the book very quickly.
"Oh my God…" Lin Li gasped when he saw the crystal.
The magical crystal was as big as a fist. It was definitely much bigger than the other crystals Lin Li had handled before. It would be good if the magical crystal of a common magical beast could be the size of a thumb. Even the crystal he got from killing the Crimson Python at Black Clouds Town was just twice the normal size.
Lin Li had seen truck loads of magical crystals throughout his journey from the Endless World to the Anril World. That would include high-end ones that were at least level-10, if not level-20. However, he had only seen one and a half pieces of a crystal as big as this…
One was the heart of the Eternal Furnace—the rare legendary magical crystal of the Fire Wyrm. The crystal was the size of a human head, and contained massive amount of mana sufficient for the furnace to function. In fact, the Eternal Furnace was a piece of war equipment made after Osric referenced the structure of the Sky Castle. The number of magical weapons, magical devices, and mageweaths and the amount of mana needed to create the Eternal Furnace were astronomical. After Lin Li had descended into the furnace to put his Spiritual Brand on the Fire Wyrm magical crystal, he gained huge benefits. One of them was reaching the Archmage-level immediately.
The remaining half of the crystal he had seen would be the one dug out from Azardas, the Dragon of Destruction. The reason why it was 'halved' was because Lin Li still could not extract any bit of mana. He had tried everything he could for the past one year he travelled from the Endless World to Anril, but to no avail. It was as if that was just an ordinary stone.
Lin Li remembered very clearly that he had skinned Azardas and had ridden it of its veins. He had searched Azardas' body very thoroughly. He went through its skin, bones, veins, blood, and even fur, but could not find any other objects related to the Wyrm Crystal other than that stone.
Furthermore, how would there be a stone within the Dragon of Destruction? Unless it got gallstones from a sedentary life by sleeping in its cave… Alright, even if that happened, it did not make sense for the stone to be growing in its head…
After eliminating everything else that would never happen, there could only be one conclusion: the stone-like object Lin Li had got from the dragon was a real magical crystal. That was the largest magical crystal Lin Li had seen in his life.
Oh, yes. I shouldn't let Tutankhamun know this. Who knows if he is the son of the Dragon of Destruction? Although it was a different world, it would definitely offend him. For his Sanctuary-level abilities, he would be able to seek revenge for his father any time he wanted. Even if Lin Li had 10 lives, the result would be his death.
That thought caused Lin Li to steal a quick glance at Tutankhamun guiltily. After realizing that the expression of the descendant of the Dragon of Destruction remained unaffected, he managed to calm down gradually and direct his focus on the magical crystal again…
Lin Li discovered that Stephen and Hutton were all looking intently at the Book of Eternity. They were not a bit interested in that magical crystal which came together with the book.
That was because the magical wave emitted by the magical crystal was definitely incomparable to that of the Book of Eternity. If the Book of Eternity was a bright moon, then the magical crystal had to be a firefly. Although its magical wave was not weak, it was certainly ordinary. Judging from the frequency of the wave, the maximum would only be around level-15.
A level-15 magical crystal would be an uncommon treasure to the usual mages, yet when it came to Stephen and Hutton, coming from the Dark Blade and the Malfa Family, respectively, their taste had long surpassed that of common mages. To them, a level-15 magical crystal was good. But, it was just "good". They would rather pay more attention to the Book of Eternity…
Chapter 440 - A Long Trip
In the beginning, that was what Lin Li thought. One really shouldn't be so bothered by a level-15 magical crystal…
But shortly after, Lin Li realized something was amiss. If it was a level-15 magical crystal, how would it deserve to be placed together with the Book of Eternity? It was even one of the items included in the bet for Tutankhamun to help protect for 1300 years!
Who was Geresco? He was the most invincible mage in the entire history of Anril. How could such a powerful man face any challenge in finding any magical crystal? Why would he care to put in so much effort for a level-15 crystal?
This magical crystal is really strange…
At this moment, Hutton and Stephen had their gazes fixed on the Book of Eternity. Only Lin Li had the mood to direct all his focus on the strange magical crystal.
"Goddammit, I know it now!"Lin Li exclaimed out loud. His voice startled the two men beside him.
Hutton was less affected. He glanced at Lin Li and gave him an awkward smile. Stephen, on the other hand, had his brewing fury towards Lin Li surge over the limits. He shot up from his seat and hollered at Lin Li, "Are you crazy??"
"Sorry, sorry, I'm just excited…" Stephen's reaction allowed Lin Li to realize that the crystal had made him forget himself.
Frankly speaking, Lin Li was not a man that would apologize. Anybody who was familiar with him would know that Lin Li's apologies were the calm before the storm. If he were to do that, you'd have to be cautious about him suddenly falling out with you…
However, Lin Li was really sincere in his apology this time. Firstly, he recognized his inappropriate reaction. Secondly, his mind was still full of the crystal. If he guessed it right, the value of the magical crystal would be greater than that of the Book of Eternity.
Normally, Stephen would have calmed down when things reached this point. Since it was a trivial matter, and the apology had been given, it would not make sense to make things difficult.
However, Stephen probably ate the wrong medicine today. Despite the fact that Lin Li said the word "sorry" twice, Stephen continued to lash out at him like a wretch. He lost the demeanor he prided himself for.
"I say, Mage Stephen, do you think you have said enough?" snapped Lin Li after he collected himself, only to realize that Stephen was still lashing out at him. Stephen's words were very unkind. He called Lin Li a moron and retard, and even cussed at Lin Li's parents…
At the start, Lin Li could still treat those words like an annoying house fly buzzing around. Now that his parents were brought up, though, anybody with a good temperament would have been affected1. What was more… Lin Li was not a person with good temperament to begin with…
Lin Li naturally was very eloquent. While he still decided not to stoop to Stephen's level at the start, the anger within him let him unleash all his coarse and harsh words…
"Before coming to the Breezy Plains, I've heard many people say that Master Borg was an incredibly amiable elder. As a Legendary-mage, he'd never once put on any air before others. Mage Stephen, as Master Borg's son, don't you think it is too much to sulk over such a trivial matter? To be honest, I would like to suggest that you ask your mother if Master Borg went for a long trip when she had you…"
"Pfft…"
Hutton and Tutankhamun nearly spat their saliva when they tried to hold back their laughter. Especially Hutton, who came from the Malfa Family—the two great forces of Aminya had been fighting each other for over a cent
ury, and their relationship was like that between fire and water. Hutton naturally had to show some support to the person who had the guts to criticize Stephen so harshly…
"What long trip are you talking about…?" Stephen had a slower processing time. He thought about that phrase for quite a while before bursting in rage. His glare towards Lin Li nearly shot out flames.
If Lin Li said that his father left for a long trip when his mother was having him, did that mean he was calling him a bastard?
"Are you calling me a bastard?" Stephen's face turned from red to white, and then from white to green. His fists were clenched so tightly that the sound of his knuckles cracking could be heard. He would not have dreamt that he would be called a bastard once in his entire life…
"You said that yourself, not me…" Lin Li replied as he pursed his lips indifferently.
Ordinary people would not have dared to offend Stephen because of the three Legendary powerhouses behind him, and the fact that the Dark Blade was the most powerful bandit organization in the Breezy Plains. However, who was Lin Li? Lin Li was a man who had the guts to touch the b.u.t.t.o.c.k.s of every tiger. How could he be afraid of the Dark Blade? Furthermore, his character had always been open to persuasion, but not to coercion. Even if he feared the Dark Blade, it would not be a reason to bend his back to them. On the contrary, if it reached that stage, the only thing Lin Li would do was to get rid of Stephen without a word…
"No one dares to insult me like this in the Breezy Plains. You are the first…" Stephen's gaze turned colder, and his hand was clutching his magic staff very tightly. A massive magical wave made the surrounding air seethe. Stephen completed this sentence in blocks, and his gaze resting on Lin Li was as though he was looking at a dead man. "You will pay dearly for what you said…"
"BOOM!"
A muffled sound could be heard.
Stephen flew off like a bullet, slamming into the wooden wall behind him. Thankfully for Tutankhamun, although the wooden house looked very simple and crude, the walls he built were as firm as those in a fortress. Stephen's "landing" did not break Tutankhamum's hut's walls, but just made the entire wooden house greatly vibrate…
However, that was the problem. The firmer the wooden house, the greater the impact of Stephen's crash. Stephen spat a mouth of blood the moment that dull sound reverberated in the room…
"Moron…" Lin Li said as he patted the dust off from his robe, and put the oil lamp away into his pocket.
Stephen's state was miserable…
Stephen had thought he could vent his anger with his own strength. He did not expect his opponent to be shameless enough to employ such powerful magical equipment. When he felt that his efforts were in vain, he realized that it was as though he was beaten up by an inflatable doll.
Lin Li had a lot of such inflatable dolls. One of the most powerful ones was that oil lamp he just put back in his pocket. Within it was the owner of the 20th level of the Abyss, the legendary Lord of Nightmares. Lin Li had been summoning the Lord of Nightmares every day. Results had shown ever since he started to follow Connoris's instructions. Lin Li's Lord of Nightmares was at level-19 currently, and he thought that it was a waste to use it the to bully a level-17 or level-18 Archmage.
"…" Hutton witnessed the confrontation that started and ended swiftly. The expression on his face was very complicated. It looked as if he wanted to burst out laughing, but was trying very hard to hold in that laughter at the same time. Frankly speaking, Hutton was feeling extremely delighted at Stephen's plight. The sight of Stephen crashing into the thick wooden wall and spitting big mouths of blood was really satisfying. The lives of 300 bandits and the possibility of aid from Sendros had all stopped bothering Hutton at this moment…
To a heir of the Malfa Family, what would be more satisfying than to watch the son of the leader of the Dark Blade be punched like a sandbag?
Even Hutton, who had suffered bitterly and nursed deep hatred, would think that Lin Li should withdraw from the confrontation now. After all, Stephan was the son of the leader of the Dark Blade. The organization would not have dared to challenge the Supreme Council to seek trouble with the Guild of Magic over a minute matter. However, if Stephen were to die, the Dark Blade would certainly declare war against the Guild of Magic even if all the Arbitrators begged them not to.
Unfortunately, Hutton guessed it wrongly again…
After putting the oil lamp into his pocket, Lin Li immediately walked over to Stephen and stepped on his c.h.e.s.t. "Mage Stephen, I told you that you should stop…"
"You… Don't think you can get away with this for long…" Stephen said with clenched teeth. Although he was under Lin Li's foot, the sense of toxic hatred in Stephen's eyes did not decrease. He gave Lin Li an intense and piercing stare. "You will pay for what you have done. Not just you, but your friends, kin, and everyone related to you will be hunted down by the Dark Blade eternally…"
"Hmm…" Lin Li rubbed his nose. "Mage Stephen, is that a threat?" asked Lin Li as he looked at him with a serious gaze.
"Moron…" Stephen gave a dry laughter on the ground. "Do you think you can do whatever you want in the Breezy Plains with just a single piece of powerful magical equipment? Fat hope! If not for my carelessness, do you think you'd have the opportunity to defeat me? We have much of the similar magical equipment in the Dark Blade. You should go back to wash your neck while you wait for us. You will be hunted down by the Dark Blade the moment I leave the Blackstone Mountains. No matter where you hide, the assassins will have their ways to dig you out. They would not kill you immediately when they catch you. Instead, they will torture you slowly until the last drop of your blood is drained. Then, you will die in suffering…" In China, such insults seem to be much more serious than in the West.
Chapter 441 - Black Current
"If you kneel down and beg, I might consider letting you off, or else…"
"Or else?" asked Lin Li. He looked at Stephen and lifted his foot before stepping on him with full force…
Stephen shrieked. Apart from being a mage, Lin Li was a real Guru in blacksmithing. His deep experience from smithing gave him great body strength. If his strength was considered outstanding amongst the Warriors, the force he placed in his leg was as if a huge boulder had landed on Stephen's c.h.e.s.t.
The critical thing was that the boulder did not only fall once onto Stephen…
Before Stephen could catch his breath, Lin Li gave him another blow with his leg. What followed was the third and the fourth one…
To Stephen, this might be the darkest time of his life. How could the heir of the Dark Blade, the son of a Legendary powerhouse, and the most talented mage of the Breezy Plains be stepped on like mud?
Despite having the determination to fight back, Stephen was not sure why he could not channel the mighty mental strength he had prided himself on. It was as if the strength had gone into hibernation. It couldn't take effect no matter how hard Stephen tried to awaken it.
There was no other thing more terrifying than this. The mental strength was everything to a mage. Without the support of one's mental strength, a mage would be more useless than a farmer who had lost his hoe.
Stephen was very shocked by such a blow. The arrogant and vengeful gaze in his eyes disappeared. Instead, it was replaced by fear and confusion. He had always been priding himself on his strong background and powerful abilities. When his background and powers failed to instill fear in his opponent, his arrogance would naturally be extinguished…
Although he had his teeth tightly clenched together, the fear and confusion grew within his eyes. At last, underlying his gaze was a hint of plea.
Unfortunately, Lin Li had no mood to entertain Stephen's thoughts. To Lin Li, since he had already offended the Dark Blade, he should just take the chance to vent all his unhappiness. Otherwise, he would regret this moment when the three Legendary individuals started to hunt him down.
That convinced Lin Li to make use of the Lord of Nightmares. The combined
ability of a level-19 Lord of Nightmares and a level-19 Archmage was extremely close to the Legendary-realm. It was not impossible to lock the mental strength of a level-17 Archmage.
At that moment, the wooden house became very silent.
Stephen fainted four times from all the humiliation and suffering—he helplessly fainted again and again every time he woke up. It was like a nightmare. Even Hutton who was supposed to be Stephen's enemy started to sympathize with him after seeing his misery…
Of course, other than sympathy, there was delight…
Hutton was proud of his decision to introduce them to each other. Senior Adelo had been right. President Felic was a scary man that no one would dare to offend. Once an enmity had been established with him, one had to take all precautions to prevent him from taking revenge. He was like a venomous snake hiding in the grass. He would not have anything against you on normal days, but would go for your throat when you let your guard down.
On top of that, this venomous snake was a little too strong…
While Stephen was still thinking that Lin Li had defeated him because he made use of a magical weapon, Hutton, who was viewing the confrontation from the side as a third party, held a different view. Yes, there was the use of magical equipment. There was, however, true ability as well…
The mental strength of President Felic had reached a terrifying extent. Hutton could sense the pressure of the magical waves even though he stood many meters away from them. He could feel resistance when was trying to channel his mana. The only thing that would result in this would only be the suppression of mental strength. That being said, it would not be the usual mental suppression. As long as someone had twice the amount of mental strength compared to the others, it would create a difficulty for the others to activate their mana.
