Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  "Yes, Boss. This is indeed my fault. I just didn't want them to waste their money. After all, 20,000 gold coins are all of their savings. However, I forgot to consider their pride. I deserved to be misunderstood as offending them," the manager played along, pretending to be reflecting on his mistakes sincerely.

  "Dear magicians, you have heard it. My manager has only done that out of goodwill. After all, these herbs can't be used by just anyone. We can do without these 20,000 gold coins, but we'll feel bad for letting our customers spend their life savings on some herbs that they can't use. So, I'd like to ask you to kindly forgive me if we have offended you in any way." However, the owner was holding his head high and chin up in a condescending manner as if Lin Li and the rest ought to thank him.

  Staring at the owner and the manager, Lin Li did not at all feel angry despite their arrogant and contemptuous attitude. The battles that he had fought after reaching the Legendary-realm ever since he had arrived in the Breezy Plains had not only given him a boost in strength, they had also helped him build his character and true composure.

  Should this have happened in the past, Lin Li would've definitely thrown a tantrum and taught the people who had disrespected him a huge lesson. He wouldn't try to kill them, however.

  Yet, Lin Li only smiled calmly and got ready to leave with Wilkinson and the rest despite having been mocked by others.

  The owner and the manager were both insignificant to Lin Li, who would remain composed even if he were faced with an opponent in the Legendary-realm. How could he let a small fry affect his mood?

  At this moment, a figure scrambled from the stairs to the main hall.

  Lin Li stared at the person who was making his way down the stairs. It was none other than Sienna, the leader of the mercenary corps that had cooperated with Lin Li in rescuing the son of the castellan of Roland City.

  At the time, Senna had just been the leader of a useless mercenary group that was comprised of 30-40 incompetent mercenaries. However, he had actually dared to take on the task of rescuing the castellan's son from the Syer Bandits, and even took the castellan's daughter together with them. It'd definitely been a stereotypical case of risking one's life for the sake of money. In the end, they had encountered a horrifying level-17 magical beast before they even reached their destination. Had they not been fortunate enough to run into Lin Li, the group would have been devoured by the magical beast.

  It was later proven that meeting Lin Li was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to Sienna. Compared to the experience he had in the ruins of Syer Town, the Ice Howler was just like an appetizer. When he battled the hordes of Vampires and the Lich, Sienna and his incompetent corps seemed to have become complete bystanders.

  Sienna, who had rushed down the stairs so hastily he tripped, stood on the floor with surprise and bewilderment written all over his face. He had never thought that he would actually see that young mage who had given him an unforgettable memory again in such a place after almost a year of separation.

  The owner, who was about to send Lin Li and the others away from Seven Leaf Grass, was dumbfounded after seeing how shocked and fl.u.s.tered Sienna was. For a moment, he couldn't figure out what happened, for Sienna was behaving very differently than before.

  Back then, Senna and Lin Li had escorted the pair of castellan's children safely back home. Lin Li's goal at the time had just been to acquire a giant supply of food from Roland City, so he'd let Sienna take the credit for saving the children without hesitation. He had even kindly put forward a suggestion which gave Sienna the idea how to maximize the opportunity to ask for reward, and propelled him to his current position in Roland City.

  When he had learned that he could send the pair of children back to the castellan, as a mercenary, Sienna had thought about using this credit in exchange for massive wealth and greater authority. However, Lin Li suggested him to use the credit in exchange for the support of Arathor.

  If he weren't strong enough, wealth and authority would end up becoming a disaster that would inevitably destroy him. Here in the Breezy Plains, it was a survival of the fittest. Even the father of Arathor, the esteemed and formidable previous castellan of Roland City, ended up dying in his own home for a mysterious reason. Not to mention, Sienna was just an insignificant mercenary commander. The reality then proved Lin Li's suggestion to be apt and accurate.

  The priority of various official commissions was just one of many preferential conditions, and being allowed to recruit retired soldiers from Roland City was an important reason for the rapid development of the mercenary corps. However, it wouldn't be deemed a privilege elsewhere. The quality of the soldiers in Roland City that was led by Arathor was second to none in the entire Breezy Plains.

  A mercenary regiment's high-end combat capability was not the only deciding factor in measuring its strength and capabilities. Its basic combat capability was crucial too. That was also the difference between mercenaries and Adventurers. After all, a mercenary regiment didn't often take on unusually dangerous tasks—unlike Adventurers. Although bloodshed was inevitable for mercenary corps too, they valued their lives far more than Adventurers did.

  The recruitment of retired soldiers would greatly improve the quality of the mercenary regiment. Although the mercenaries might not be outstanding individually, they would form a force that should not be underestimated when hundreds or thousands of them stood together.

  Sienna felt thankful that he had made an intelligent decision, which allowed him to gain the recognition and approval of the castellan, Arathor. Later on, he was granted privileges that were far beyond what he deserved and had been promised initially.

  Sienna was now no longer the head of the useless team of 30-40 incompetent mercenaries. With the various privileges provided by the castellan, his team had grown tremendously within less than a year, and had also expanded into the largest mercenary regiment in Roland City comprising thousands of mercenaries.

  Chapter 530 - I'm Not That Close To Them

  Apart from a few retired soldiers who were skilled and competent, the rest who had never been in the military before was put through vigorous training by Sienna. Of course, excellent combat skills were necessary for mercenary corps. It was said that Sienna had already recruited a man at level-18 to work for him. Given Sienna's current abilities, the news should be reliable.

  With Sienna's current abilities, he definitely had the means to monopolize all of the mercenary business given by the top factions. Regardless of the fact that Roland City was known for being one of the most developed cities in the Breezy Plains, the other mercenary regiments could only run errands and struggle as each day passed.

  For example, this time, the owner of Seven Leaf Grass was interested in sending over a batch of rare and precious medicinal herbs from the north. Hence, he had no choice but to spend a huge amount of money on hiring Sienna's mercenary corps to protect it. On top of spending a huge sum of money, he also had to try and persuade Sienna to take on his offer and do him the favor. This time, Sienna was in Seven Leaf Grass to sign the contract with the owner his mercenary corps would be providing protection services too. To his surprise, something like that happened.

  Sienna's unusual behavior made the owner of Seven Leaf Grass feel rather bewildered. However, after being slightly stunned, he soon recovered from the shock, and realized that he still had some things to settle. He thought, How atrocious. Do they not know how difficult it is to get Sienna to agree to providing some help? How dare they cause a ruckus at such a crucial moment?

  Seeing that Sienna had already made his way downstairs because of the commotion, the owner of Seven Leaf Grass grew even more annoyed and resentful towards Lin Li and company. At this point, it no longer just concerned his pride. If Sienna were upset, where was he supposed to find such a powerful mercenary regiment to take on the mission?

  "Why are you people still here? Did you not hear what I said earlier on!? You people have hurt and injured the manager of my store, but I just t
ook that as a misunderstanding and I chose not to hold it against you. However, you'd better not take my compromise to be a sign of weakness. Don't think that I'm a pushover. If you continue to pester me because of this, I can clearly tell you that you'll be in trouble!" the owner hollered impatiently with a frown.

  "Damn it, there's really going to be trouble!" Sienna exclaimed as soon as he recovered from his shock. However, he was dumbfounded again after hearing the harsh words that the owner said to Lin Li.

  Actually, Sienna followed the owner all the way to the stairs and looked down curiously in a bid to see who the person who had caused a stir at Seven Leaf Grass was. However, he got a great shock which made him almost scream in horror. He had never once expected to see the young mage who had given him everything that he had today.

  Sienna was extremely grateful to Lin Li, who had allowed him to claim credit for rescuing the children of Roland City's castellan, because everything that he owned was given to him by Lin Li that way. However, he felt a sudden sense of fear deep down, which he could not overcome.

  The experience that he had in Syer Town was so horrifying that Sienna could not forget it at all. Mage Felic's shrewdness sent chills down his spine too.

  When Senna was hesitating to come out to meet Lin Li, he heard the owner and manager of Seven Leaf Grass mocking Felic and the rest. It frightened him and immediately made his legs turn into jelly, causing him to roll down the stairs. The incident that took place in the ruins of Syer Town back then was deeply etched in his mind. The mysterious fear within him seemed to have overwhelmed him when the young mage appeared.

  However, what made Sienna feel hopeless were the harsh words that the darned owner said to Lin Li just as he was thinking about how he should explain himself to Felic. He thought, You really don't know what it's like to court death, do you!? No one is more ruthless than Mage Felic!

  The owner was just about to call out to Sienna, only to see the latter standing beside the manager, Larry.

  Feeling much more confident after seeing Sienna, the manager stared at the four of them smugly, and said, "I'm telling you people, this is the reputable—"

  Unfortunately, he heard the sound of someone swallowing their spit before he could even finish speaking…

  The manager, who was rattling on and on, was then greeted with a bizarre sight. Sienna, the leader of the strongest mercenary regiment in Roland City and the castellan's most trusted confidant, was swallowing his spit nervously while stuttering, "Fe… Mage Felic, I'm actually… actually not that close to them… "

  "Leader Sienna… you… What do you mean?" the manager asked as his face stiffened.

  The sudden change made the owner freeze in shock as he wondered, How did Leader Sienna's attitude change so quickly and suddenly?

  At this moment, Sienna suddenly turned to look at the owner, and barked, "Charles, I think you're in hot soup this time!"

  Had I not hesitated, and come downstairs earlier, things wouldn't have come to this. But the thing is, isn't he afraid at all? This scoundrel Charles is indeed such a jinx. Whoever gets acquainted with him is bound to suffer from bad luck. Sienna's face turned pale, and he cursed Charles in his head continuously.

  Damn, you're just the owner of a pathetic medicinal store. Can you afford to offend Mage Felic? He's a strong mage who had killed countless Vampires and a Humerus Wyrm all by himself. Look, that Lich is still so devoted and is following him around like an errand boy!

  Sienna glanced at Ujfalusi carefully, feeling daunted by the latter's gaunt figure which he could never forget.

  I'm finished. I'm really going to get implicated by that a*shole Charles this time! Sienna thought to himself, well aware of what Lin Li's temper was like. Back then in the ruins of Syer Town, Jason, who was Doland's best Adventurer, was a level-15 Warrior just like two of his companions. In the end, President Felic managed to subdue him by placing a hand on his c.h.e.s.t. The level-15 Thief, Weathor, had it much worse. He'd been electrocuted by that spell resembling electric snakes.

  The thought of it made Sienna feel absolutely regretful as he thought to himself, Why did I give in to temptation and stupidly signed the contract with this bastard just for the sake of 100,000 gold coins? If Mage Felic were to find out that I worked with him, what would he think of me? Should I just kill this idiot and secretly destroy the contract later?

  After giving it some thought, Sienna decided to forgo the idea—not because he was afraid that Charles might have a formidable supporter, but because he felt that Mage Felic would definitely find out the truth even if he were to kill Charles and Larry.

  I just hope that Mage Felic will be able to discern right from wrong, and not let his anger make him turn against me, the innocent party. That bastard Charles's life has nothing to do with me. The contract that we signed is only limited to escorting his business' vehicles anyway! Sienna could not help but pray for himself. Standing in front of Lin Li in fear, he respectfully exclaimed, "Mage Felic, I didn't expect to see you here. It's such a great honor!"

  The store's owner had witnessed every detail of Sienna's behavior, and finally understood what was going on.

  Charles' heart wrenched up. Although Sienna had only become famous in the recent year, he had already become a reputable figure in Roland City. Everyone knew how much the castellan valued him. In fact, he seemed to treat Sienna like a member of his family.

  Sienna's competency and ability were not to be doubted, either. Within less than a year, his mercenary regiment had developed into a massive unit with thousands trained by soldiers and level-18 Warriors. To Charles, they were almost a legendary formation.

  More importantly, Charles heard that even William who owned the Time Consignment Store had forged some ties with Senna. William was not a simple person, and had connections to powerful figures all over the world. In other words, only a powerful and prestigious person would have the chance to be acquainted with William.

  Although he always expressed his disdain when comparing the Time Consignment Store with his Seven Leaf Grass, Charles also had to admit that the Seven Leaf Grass was actually inferior to the Time Consignment Store in every aspect. The Time Consignment Store was not just a small business. Hence, even Arathor treated William respectfully, and not just courteously. They were actually worlds apart.

  The reputable and respected Sienna, who had a high status, had to act politely in front of Lin Li, just like a slave who was facing his master who could decide whether he lived or not. Even the castellan, Arathor, wouldn't get to enjoy such respect from Sienna. The thought of it made Charles feel more and more astonished and bewildered. He secretly wondered if he had gotten into trouble.

  Charles began to grow increasingly terrified. It took him a long and hard time to build the Seven Leaf Grass and develop it the way it was now. If he were to end up destroying the Seven Leaf Grass by offending a big shot, he would be devastated.

  Chapter 531 - Impressive Background

  With just this thought in mind, Charles' attitude changed drastically in a flash. He lowered his high-raised chin and bent down his straightened back humbly. His lofty and arrogant expression was replaced by shock and fear. In a trembling voice, he asked, "C-Captain Sienna, can you please tell me… tell me who this esteemed Mr Mage exactly is…?"

  Sienna was afraid of that Mage Felic from the bottom of his heart. Though Felic hadn't shown any signs of disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, Sienna knew very well that Felic could kill him easily with the tip of his finger. Whatever powerful emerging talent or top mercenary corp in Roland City was nothing to Mage Felic. A Lich summoning a Humerus Wyrm was enough to destroy Sienna's entire mercenary corps which he had so painstakingly built.

  Sienna hated Charles wholeheartedly. Although Sienna appeared to be polite all the time, he couldn't care less about the Seven Leaf Grass herb store once he was burdened by it. Seeing that Charles asked him so humbly, Sienna's emotions exploded like a volcano. He yelled, "If you f*cking want to die, don't drag me down with you! You think th
at your stupid herb store is very amazing? Once you've offended Mage Felic, that herb store of yours also can't save that life of yours! You understand?"

  Charles was a man of status in Roland City. However, even though he was scolded right in his face by a junior who was only 20-plus years old, he didn't dare to show any signs of discontentment. He had to put on a smile no matter what Sienna said and agree with a string of "yes".

  It was indeed impressive to serve noble pharmacists. However, these pharmacists wouldn't help to escort Charles' merchant caravan. In fact, those pharmacists had paid for the herbs they bought from Charles, so they didn't owe him any favor. He had only spoken of his relationship with these pharmacists to elevate his status, but whatever path-blocking bandits wouldn't care about this.

  Charles had no other choice—he was the one asking for help. Only Sienna's mercenary corps was capable of providing this escort service. Charles had tugged many strings, and finally got Sienna to agree to accept this commission. Moreover, though Sienna was a warrior by occupation, he was Castellan Arathor's favorite. Be it ability- or influence-wise, Sienna was not to be overlooked by a merchant like Charles.

  The harsher Sienna scolded, the more Charles felt afraid. He knew very well that Sienna's reaction revealed his innermost, uncontrollable fear. Fear, not caution. There was a big distinction between the two. If the person Charles had offended had been merely someone to be cautious of, Sienna would have asked Charles to be more humble and make peace between the two. However, Sienna was trying so hard to separate himself from Charles, fearing that he had the slightest connection with Charles. Who were those four Mages dressed in humble clothes? How could they make Sienna so fearful?

  With these thoughts, Charles' face turned as white as sheet. His back was drenched in cold sweat. When he finally found a chance to speak while Sienna was taking a breath, he replied in trembling voice, "Captain Sienna, it's all my fault! Please don't be angry. Looking at our friendship in the past, can you please tell me the backgrounds of these four esteemed Mr Mages so that I can die without doubt in my heart?"