Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  I worked so hard to manage the forces under me for the sake of a small territory, and I even had to stain my hands with blood for the sake of earning money. Yet, I still don't have 10,000,000 gold coins. If you think you have too much money, I can spend it for you. If you like tree branches, I'll give you all of the branches in my territory.

  While seated in the VIP room, Lin Li immediately placed a bid of 15,000,000 gold coins, giving Wilkinson as well as everyone else a great shock. They reckoned that they were the only ones who knew the use of the tree branch and what it was really worth. They knew that the estimated value of the branch was probably just 5,000,000 or 6,000,000 gold coins. After all, the effects still had to be tested. However, they did not expect Master Felic to bid such a huge sum for the treasure.

  At this point, there was no need for Arathor to be calculative with the Elves, either. Even the castellan of Roland City had no choice but to think to himself, If you Elves are rich, you may continue bidding and vying. This is all that I can do.

  The Elf who had stood forth was instantly dumbfounded as he froze and stood rooted to the ground. How could he have expected to meet such a ruthless person? He angrily thought to himself, You're just a filthy and lowly human, how dare you covet the treasures of us elves? It's such an insult to our treasures and to us. Unforgivable!

  The Elves were not to be trifled with—they were no pushovers. Perhaps they used to be ones a long time ago, but after experiencing the disaster that almost wiped their entire race out, they became jaded, and were no longer kind or peace-loving. They began to think that those qualities were ridiculous.

  There had been countless humans who entered the Emerald Forest where the Elves had fled. Most died in the Emerald Forest, though some deaths might have been caused by misunderstandings. For human beings, the Emerald Forest should be regarded as the only forbidden area in the land of Anril.

  A menacing gaze formed in the eyes of the Elf as he stared at the human who was competing for his treasure and remaining seated leisurely with a look of contempt.

  "15,000,000 gold coins. Is this going to be a new record, or is someone else going to continue breaking it? This is the last chance. 15,000,000 gold coins going thrice." Actually, 15,000,000 gold coins was way more than William had expected. He followed the procedure and asked thrice. At last, he raised the gravel and prepared to seal the deal.

  "Wait a minute!" the Elf yelled in a bid to stop William from slamming down the gravel. He did not place a new bid, however.

  "I'm sorry, Sir, but if you'd like to postpone the transaction, according to the rules of the auction, you'll have to gain the approval of Mage Felic beforehand," William said loudly. Actually, under normal circ.u.mstances, his words would have been considered to be rejection, and only a fool would allow his rival to have more time to raise his bid.

  "Mage Felic, I was just wondering if you could give me some time to discuss something with you. I hope to gain your approval," said Arathor. Unlike Arathor, the Elf would never swallow his pride and stoop that low.

  "Go ahead." Lin Li nodded nonchalantly. Had he not discovered that the Elf was disguising as a follower, he wouldn't have bothered to waste his time. However, he was now interested in seeing what tricks the Elf was getting up to.

  Arathor and the Elf were actually standing rather close to each other. However, when they approached the entrance, they began to talk to each other about something in soft yet agitated voices. They had deliberately lowered their volume so much that even the sharp-sensed Lin Li could not hear their conversation clearly, though he heard that they were talking about Master Bethany or something of sorts. Next, Arathor shook his head profusely, and seemed to be put on the spot. The Elf had no choice but to sigh and turn around to return to his room. However, he ran into Lin Li.

  "Mage Felic, do allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vidas, and I'm a mage too. It seems you're probably also a pharmacist, and you're purchasing the branch for the sake of using its natural aura to influence the growth of herbs, right? However, you should know that the price of 15,000,000 gold coins has already surpassed its practical value. If you let me have the branch, I promise to supply you with the seeds of some extremely rare herbs." The Elf offered a tempting deal that was exceptionally attractive for mages.

  If the tree branch was really just full of life, Lin Li would definitely agree to it because the Elves lived in the Emerald Forest, and they could certainly obtain extraordinary herbs. However, the problem was that the branch was one of the seven pieces of the debris of the stars, and contained the nomological power of nature and earth. It was extremely tempting to Lin Li, and it was a treasure that could not be replaced by anything else.

  "I'm sorry, but this branch is very important for me too. If you'd like to have it, please offer a higher bid. I'll definitely continue bidding for it with you too." Lin Li turned down the Elf's offer without hesitation because he had already made up his mind to lay his hands on that piece of debris of the stars, even if it was going to set him back by 30,000,000 or 50,000,000 gold coins.

  Vidas' good will had been turned down. He had never felt so disgusted with humans before. He felt that they were absolutely shameless and foolish for paying a huge and unnecessary price for the sake of pride while causing inconveniences for others.

  Vidas took a deep breath, tried to suppress his anger, and said to Lin Li, "Mage Felic, you and I are both mages. Since we can't come to a consensus on this issue, why don't we use magic? Whoever obtains victory can take the branch away!"

  Before Lin Li could even answer, Wilkinson stared at Vidas in amus.e.m.e.nt as if he was staring at an idiot. "Hey, is there something wrong with your brain? This is an auction, not a casino. It's not like President Felic can't afford to pay that price. As long as William seals the deal, we don't even have to vie with you."

  These Elves are really naive, Lin Li thought to himself, feeling extremely amused too. Trying to suppress his laughter, he said, "I'm sorry, Mage Vidas, this item belongs to me until you place a new bid. Since it's mine, why do I have to bet with you?"

  Vidas could no longer suppress his anger after being rejected again. He humphed, and immediately stormed into the VIP room.

  Lin Li moved towards the side and stood in front of Wilkinson and the rest to stop them from embarrassing themselves in front of the Elf.

  Wilkinson broke out in a cold sweat. Although pharmacists had high status, there was nothing they could do when it came to people who didn't buy it.

  There was a sudden magical wave that came from the VIP room, and everyone fell silent immediately. It was too strong—everyone thought the same, including plenty of level-17 and level-18 Archmages. They'd clearly already sensed that the massive magical wave was from a Legendary figure.

  The auctioneer William's heart suddenly wrenched up. Is the discussion going to turn into a brawl? That would be terrible for the auction. Most importantly, who was going to pay 10,000,000 gold coins for the tree branch if the paymaster were to flee!?

  "Legendary-realm!" Hilary sprung up from his seat and shifted his gaze onto the VIP room opposite, contemplating if he should intervene. Although he did not feel great about Lin Li, he felt that he ought not to die, since he was the pharmacist Englos spoke highly of. He thought, Wait a minute, Englos seemed to have said before that this chap is extremely perverted and sickly talented. I'd better observe how perverted he may be.

  Arathor wanted to step forward to persuade him, but the overpowering aura of the Legendary figures made it almost impossible for him to move or speak. He had no choice but to curse in his head. Damn it, these Elves have been living out there for a long time. Why are they still so reckless?

  However, Lin Li did not show any signs of discomfort at all. Instead, he said in a relaxed manner, "But, Mage Vidas, your suggestion is not bad. Of course, I'm not going to give in. How about this? I'll purchase the branch and you can bet items that you think are of equal value later. I wouldn't mind trying my luck then."

  Upo
n hearing Lin Li's suggestion, Vidas paused and considered it for a moment before saying, "Alright, we'll go ahead with your suggestion."

  Vidas suddenly lost his confidence and assertiveness, causing plenty of people to feel regretful. They were suppressing his envy and jealousy while waiting to see a good show, yet it ended before it even began.

  "Master William, you may proceed with the auction. We're giving up," Arathor said.

  It seems that the problem has already been solved. William heaved a sigh of relief. Although the new record of 15,000,000 gold coins had not been broken, he was content to know that there would be no unnecessary trouble. "The item has been successfully auctioned off to President Felic of the Tower of Dusk. Let's congratulate him." He raised the gravel and knocked down forcefully. The auction had finally been completed.

  Be it sincere or not, everyone in the audience stood up and clapped to celebrate the birth of a new record. However, most of the people paid attention to the VIP rooms upstairs instead. Had the conflict really been resolved? It made them feel rather indignant.

  "Fine, the transaction has been completed. Mage Vidas, what do you plan to use to bet with me?" asked Lin Li who could tell that the Elf was very strong—perhaps even more powerful than him.

  What Lin Li needed now was a strong opponent.

  It had been a long time since Lin Li broke through the Legendary-realm in the Abyss of Tharlen. Lin Li had three of Geresco's relics, and his acc.u.mulations were shockingly massive, especially after his seclusion. Lin Li had even subtly sensed that he had already reached the brink of level-21. He only needed a little bit more to push his power to another realm.

  However, it bothered Lin Li for a long time. Ever since the seclusion ended, Lin Li discovered that he still needed an opportunity to break through… or rather, he needed a strong opponent. Perhaps the challenge today would push him to level-21.

  Of course, there were definitely risks involved.

  Although Lin Li had still yet to witness Vidas' true abilities, he could guess from the strong aura that Vidas exuded that the Elf's ability was definitely at least level-21.

  There was at most a 10% chance of him winning. Not to mention, he still had to stick to the rules…

  However, Lin Li was not completely unprepared…

  He had once stood at the pinnacle of the Endless World and battled the Moon Shrine. Hence, he did have some experience in battling with elves…

  Chapter 554 - Battle

  Vidas clearly remembered his elders telling him that humans were the most shameless of all in Anril before he left Emerald Forest. Hence, he had to think of a way not to let the human go back on his word.

  "Castellan Arathor, please help us arrange a suitable place to begin the battle. On top of that, Mage Felic, I hope to let the audience witnesses our battle. So, why don't we allow them to be the spectators of our bet?" Vidas knew that apart from having poor integrity, humans also placed great emphasis on their pride. Hence, if there were lots of spectators, he wouldn't have to worry about Lin Li going back on his word.

  Actually, the elves were not the only race that saw humans as sly and scheming beings. Even the demons who often tempted humans into selling their souls racked their brains for the sake of the soul contract because they did not want to let humans take advantage of them.

  Hence, every young member of a tribe or race would often be warned against evil humans by an elder before they left. Actually, Vidas was not considered young, even though the elves had extremely long lives. However, he still belonged to the first batch of greenhorn elves; hence, he would inevitably receive pointers from his elders before leaving the Emerald Forest.

  "Vidas, don't you think that nothing can threaten you just because you possess Legendary power. Those sly and cunning humans are best at pulling scheming tricks and devising conspiracies to increase their strength. They will pretend to be your friend, win your trust, and convince you to do dangerous things for them. At last, they might event stab you in your c.h.e.s.t from the back while pretending to rejoice and celebrate your success with you.

  "Don't believe their promises. Even if they swear to the gods, they might just turn their backs on you and go back on their oaths in the blink of an eye. They have no respect for the gods at all. They only believe in maximizing their own interests, and they will not hesitate to betray even their own brothers for the sake of their personal benefits."

  The elves who had always considered themselves elegant and refined actually sounded so callous and harsh when describing human beings. Their choice of words was so crude that even listening to them speak was a torture. Vidas was even made to repeat his elders' words several times before they finally felt relieved enough to let him leave the Emerald Forest.

  Vidas was confident that he would be able to deal with a young human chap with his Legendary-realm power even if the latter came up with some conspiracy. He felt that no conspiracy would be able to withstand the test of genuine power, and that it would make all of Lin Li's efforts futile. However, throughout his stint in the human world, he had read a lot of historical doc.u.ments about the human race, and he also knew that the words told by the elders were not groundless. In the history of humans, it was rather common for nations to turn against each other right after signing a treaty.

  Vidas was not afraid that Mage Felic would go back on his word, because there was no way the dead could do so. However, he heard from Arathor that Mage Felic was also the owner of the Tower of Dusk and the President of the Guild of Magic of the Breezy Plains. Although he did not regard the Tower of Dusk seriously, the Supreme Council was in great support of the Tower of Dusk. Hence, he requested for more bystanders to be the witnesses of the battle.

  Although the elves were arrogant, they were not conceited to the point of ignoring everything else and thinking that they were above all. Apophis of the Supreme Council was a strong figure of the Sanctuary-realm. The elders of the elves, including the elven queen, dared not offend the Supreme Council for no reason.

  Vidas did not wish to cause the queen and the elders any trouble because of such an insignificant human magician. Hence, his purpose of roping in so many bystanders was to prove to the Supreme Council that the battle was fair. In that case, the Supreme Council would not be able to say anything else to object. Although the bystanders were all humans, Vidas was not afraid that they would get into cahoots with them, because everyone knew that internal conflicts were the most rampant amongst humans.

  Upon hearing that the two people settled the bet just like that, Arathor began to get a little anxious. They'd initially thought that Mage Felic was a smart person, and felt that there would be no need for a battle, since he had enough money to buy the auction item. However, no one expected him to take on the bet despite having already bought the item.

  C'mon, you don't seem like a retarded person! Couldn't you tell that Vidas was giving off a Legendary aura!?

  Arathor was put on the spot. Things would perhaps not be that terrible if it were another Legendary figure. However, the issue was that Vidas was not just a Legendary-mage, but was also an elf. Elves had always harbored animosity for humans.

  If the other party of the bet was replaced by someone else, such as those mercenary commanders downstairs or the leaders of various organizations, forces, and associations, Arathor would feel less conflicted. However, Mage Felic was someone who those leaders could not compare to even though the Tower of Dusk was not that famous yet. After all, the latter still had the support of the Supreme Council which helped them with their establishment. Although the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic had only been founded less than a year ago, Lin Li was still the President of the Guild of Magic, and if anything were to happen to him in Roland City, Arathor would have a hard time explaining it to the Supreme Council.

  Regardless of whether the Supreme Council would be concerned or not, Master Felic was not only the President of the Guild of Magic of the Breezy Plains, he was also a pharmacist. William's attitude towards him was
clear evidence of how important he was. The very fact that the potion that he had prepared was auctioned at a sky-high price of 10,000,000 gold coins meant that he was obviously not an ordinary pharmacist.

  He then stared at the senior pharmacists around him, and wondered, Are these senior pharmacists crazy? Plenty of major forces can't even recruit them no matter how hard they tried, yet they're staying with a small force that had just been established? Arathor was sure that William had to know something that he did not. Otherwise, he wouldn't have arranged for Lin Li to sit in the VIP room at the expense of possibly offending the other VIPs. William was almost s.u.c.k.i.n.g up to the young mage, and not just intentionally getting close to him.

  There were only very few people William would suck up to, and Arathor was definitely not one of them. Although he had a good reputation in the Breezy Plains, he was well aware of his own status and identity. However, the problem now was that he was completely helpless because he could persuade neither of the parties.

  "Master Felic, we can all sit down and talk about what's going on. There's no need to get into such disharmony. You may not know this, but Master Vidas has some ties with the Emerald Forest. You just want the branch for the sake of herbs, right? Master Vidas can definitely get you any herbs you want from the Emerald Forest," Arathor said in a bid to persuade him. He was also trying to hint that Vidas was a Legendary-mage.

  However, Lin Li not only knew that Vidas had Legendary strength, but also had seen through his facade, and knew that he was an elf disguised as a human. In fact, if it weren't for the Legendary-realm power that Vidas had exhibited just now, Lin Li wouldn't have bothered with him. The bet was too lame and pointless by his standards, and he felt that it was a complete waste of time. However, Lin Li did not wish to miss a learning opportunity since he had already found out that Vidas was a Legendary-mage. It was a rare chance to have a duel with a Legendary-mage.

  Moreover, Lin Li was also very interested in Vidas's bet and his treasures. No one would turn down more treasures, though people often said that one ought not to rely too much on the help of external forces in the pursuit of genuine power, especially in the Legendary-realm, where one had to genuinely be enlightened in order to understand the nomological power. However, the effects of treasures could not be ignored, because they could at least allow one to pursue the true meaning of power with greater assurance that would help one keep going. Moreover, what could be considered a treasure by the Legendary figures often contained an immense nomological power, which was also the reason for the user's increased enlightenment.