Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  They scanned their surroundings to see that there were plenty of magical objects everywhere, all of which were of different sizes and purposes. Even a mere wine glass emitted powerful magical waves that seemed fantastical. Although the objects were not treated like trash, the arrangement seemed to suggest that they were insignificant to their owner.

  Regardless of the value of those magical objects, even the tiles that were laid on the ground that they were stepping on were made of extremely rare magical gems that were simply priceless in Anril. Of course, although the gems were precious, no one would be so disgraceful as to excavate them at this juncture, because they all knew that these were probably just the tip of the iceberg. The real priceless treasure was at the end.

  At this moment, even Elder Randy couldn't stay calm, let alone the rest. One by one, their eyes widened, and they began scrutinizing the magical objects like country bumpkins that had just entered an emperor's city.

  Lin Li was the only one who was merely glancing around, and although he was amazed by the extravagance of the High Elves, he was not dazzled by the magical glow. In Lin Li's opinion, the magical objects did not have any actual purpose, and were all meant for leisure. The only value of the objects lay in the precious materials used to make them. Of course, Lin Li actually also yearned for such a luxurious life himself.

  After a while, everyone finally began to calm down, and glanced at each other, only to smile wryly in a self-deprecating manner due to their reactions and behavior just now.

  "The High Elves are indeed the founders of an era," said an emotional Elder Randy, who then turned to look at Lin Li and Cheyenne. "Mage Felic, Mage Cheyenne, it seems that this is the Central Tower. Let's take a look inside."

  They entered the tower, stepping on the precious magic gemstone tiles under their feet. Even Princess Elune only gave up after stepping on them forcefully for a few times. Every single one of them had probably never stepped on such opulent and extravagant tiles before in their entire lives. The golden path was nothing compared to this. A corner piece of the gemstone tile possessed the same value as a massive amount of gold that would fill the entire hall.

  Lin Li was actually very curious about the advantages of the magical gemstone tiles. However, after taking a few steps, he could only secretly mock the High Elves for being wastrels, for apart from the attractive appearance, the tiles were not that different from ordinary stone tiles.

  The group forced themselves not to be attracted by the magical objects around them, and slowly made their way through the hall. When they arrived at the entrance of a corridor that was located deep inside the hall, they stopped in their tracks together again. They looked into the entrance and were once again greeted with a shocking sight that left them in disbelief. Clearly, they had yet to understand how truly extravagant the High Elves were.

  Looking ahead, they noticed that the ground was also paved with the precious magical gemstones, but there were bright oil lamps on both sides of the walls. Even after more than 1000 years, the oil lamps were still shining bright with no signs of dimming. However, the light was not glaring, and filled every corner of the dark corridor.

  What shocked everyone and caused them to stop was the fact that they had recognized at one glance that the oil lamps actually did not require oil to be ignited, and, in fact, were all made with the cyan crystal carvings from the levels below 60 of the Abyss. In this world of magic, there were plenty of magical lamps which did not require oil and instead ran on cyan crystals. However, none of them had ever heard of it.

  Cyan crystals were not ordinary gemstones, and one would never find a trace of them in any ore at all, because they were all formed from the natural aura of the abyss. They only grew in the eternal flames of cyan, and would only condense and crystallize once in a while.

  However, looking at the crystal lamps on the two walls of the corridor in front of them, Lin Li began to wonder just how many levels of the abyss the unscrupulous High Elves had plundered.

  Everyone remained silent while walking along the corridor slowly, stepping on the precious magical gemstone tiles beneath them and bathing in the light of the cyan crystal lamps which were of indescribable value. Even the elves could not help but think that the High Elves had truly deserved to die for being so extravagant and wasteful.

  In the entire corridor, there were 99 cyan crystal lamps, each of which had been carved into flowers of different shapes. They were elegant, charming, or enchanting, but every single piece was unique, and there were no two identical pieces. They could tell from the exquisite craftsmanship alone that they had been produced by a craftsman who was even more skilled than a top jewelry master.

  Lin Li looked at the rest carefully, contemplating if he should inform them of his discovery lest they get all riled up and flabbergasted—Lin Li had found an advanced mageweath that was carved into every lamp. It was the Eternal Darkness Mageweath.

  The effect of the Eternal Darkness Mageweath was the ability to isolate all Divine Power; it was definitely one of the top ones amongst all the advanced mageweaths. In Anril, the inscribers who could draw the Eternal Darkness Mageweath were all at least near the level of Guru of Inscription. Such inscribers were also few and far between.

  However, the Eternal Darkness Mageweaths here were merely for preventing the cyan crystal lamps from going out, and their sole purpose was to light up the place. Yet, the High Elves still chose to use cyan crystals and Eternal Darkness Mageweath for such a basic function, further proving how outrageously extravagant they were.

  The extravagant arrangements and decorations made by the High Elves made them feel somehow pressured, and they were almost afraid to breathe while they cautiously made their way through the long corridor.

  At the end of the corridor, there was another hall, but it spanned a massive area that was much greater than that of the front, and the layout and decor were beyond luxurious. However, at this juncture, none of them could be bothered to admire the luxurious furnishings in the hall, for they were all attracted by a crystal ball that was placed in the middle of the hall.

  Crystal balls were probably seen by everyone, but the massive one in front of them was truly astonishing, and even people like Chief Elder Randy and Cheyenne could not help but gasp and exclaim in shock.

  Massive would be the first adjective that came to everyone's mind when they saw the crystal ball. Almost all mages in Anril had used crystal balls before, but the one in front of them was more than 100 times larger than the ones that were commonly seen. If one were to stand in front of the crystal ball, they would not be able to see anything else except it. In fact, it might even make the people feel as if the crystal ball as about to crush them.

  The Alanna Guild of Magic was one of the largest magic guilds in Anril, and the crystal ball that they had placed in the hall of the guild could be considered a rare sight in Anril because of its sheer size. However, compared to the one in front of them now, Alanna's crystal ball was truly worlds apart. If this crystal ball was taken to the Alanna Guild of Magic, it would probably occupy almost the entire hall.

  Crystal balls per se were not very precious, but such a huge one was practically priceless. Among the people present, even those who were not mages knew the usefulness of the crystal ball and what it meant.

  For the crystal ball to function well, it would definitely require the help of a mageweath, and the mageweath used for such a massive crystal ball was truly hard to imagine. Even if it was only used for connecting the Warlock's Eyes, it was enough for monitoring the entire Sky Castle without missing out any corners.

  "I can't imagine what kind of mageweath would be worthy for such a massive crystal ball," Cheyenne said with a sigh, and everyone else thought the same.

  Chapter 660 - Negotiating

  In terms of size alone, the magnificent crystal ball was probably the greatest one in Anril which no other crystal balls could compare to. However, they could not find a mageweath that would allow this crystal ball to function, de
spite having recalled all of the mageweaths in their memory and those they had read about in legends.

  Although the mageweaths that they were familiar with would definitely exert more power on this massive crystal ball, it was still far from being able to optimize its functioning. It was also an insult to the crystal ball and wasting it, just like wasting a Legendary magical crystal on exerting level-1 magic.

  However, when everyone approached the crystal ball, they discovered that there was already a complex pattern which seemed to be a mageweath on it. However, none of them were learned enough to identify the complicated mageweath which was complex but did not affect the patterns on the smooth and transparent crystal ball.

  Although they had no idea what kind of a mageweath it was, they all knew that the High Elves wouldn't draw any low-level mageweaths, even despite being extravagant. In fact, it was also their penchant for luxury which made Lin Li and the rest certain that they would definitely use the best mageweath to exert all of the value and power of the crystal balls.

  Although the mageweath seemed rather mysterious to everyone, Lin Li, who was a Guru of Inscription, was not clueless about it. Strictly speaking, it was a mageweath array which was comprised of 13 fantasy mageweaths that were absolutely horrifying. As long as the controller of the crystal balls were willing, the ball could cause an unwelcome intruder to never find the way out and have a tougher time than they did in the Orderly Maze.

  "Mage Felic, did you recognize the mageweath on this crystal ball?" Elder Randy asked in a sincere and open-minded manner immediately when he noticed from Lin Li's expression that he seemed to have figured something out.

  In the past, Elder Randy would probably harbor some disdain for Lin Li after seeing the latter's behavior, even if he didn't say it to his face explicitly. A young mage who had just stepped into the Legendary-realm and devoted all his energy to magic already had a hard time getting to where he was. How could he have the extra energy and time to delve into other aspects?

  However, the numerous miracles that Lin Li had created made Elder Randy change his impression of Lin Li, and he no longer dared to make any judgment on him, as Lin Li would never fail to impress Elder Randy and make him realize that he had underestimated him once again.

  Elder Randy was not the only one. After hearing Elder Randy's question to Lin Li, everyone looked away from the crystal ball and shifted their gazes onto Lin Li. None of them had any doubts at all, and it was as if Lin Li was the only dispenser of information that was reliable and true.

  Although the value of the rare crystal ball was high, Lin Li had his own ideas. Hence, after hearing Elder Randy's question, he decided not to hide the fantasy mageweath array from them, and instead even explained briefly to them about the purposes and functions of the mageweath array.

  As soon as Lin Li finished explaining, everyone, including Elder Randy, couldn't help but gasp and turn to look at the huge crystal ball. Although Lin Li didn't mention the magic level of the fantasy mageweath array, they could tell from its functions that it was definitely not something that could be created by a Master of Inscription.

  Such a massive crystal ball, coupled with a stronger fantasy mageweath array, could be considered an artifact! Cheyenne could not contain the excitement within him at all; he really wanted to move the crystal ball back to Aminya City.

  The Malfa Family and Dark Blade had been at odds for many years, but due to the three leaders of the Dark Blade, the Malfa Family had always been at a disadvantage. After Cheyenne entered the Legendary-realm, he could finally stop being at disadvantage, but to his surprise, the three leaders of the Dark Blade were actually promoted the Legendary-realm one after another too, making the situation even harder for Cheyenne to control. Had it not been for the setting in Aminya City, the Dark Blade would have probably destroyed the Malfa Family long ago.

  However, even then, the Dark Blade had also invaded Aminya City several times, during which they caused great damage to the Malfa Family. This time, during the quest for the Immortal King's treasure, Cheyenne hoped to find something that could balance the strength of the two forces, and perhaps even allow him to surpass the Dark Blade.

  The huge crystal ball in front of Cheyenne was like a highly coveted treasure of his dreams. Although it could not be used for offense, the terrifying power of the fantasy mageweath array alone was enough to give the Malfa Family a stable foundation and an edge over the Dark Blade when placed in Aminya City.

  Another benefit was that Cheyenne could free himself from it all. After Cheyenne entered the Legendary-realm, he had no choice but to keep to Aminya City in order to prevent the Malfa Family from being attacked by the Dark Blade. With this crystal ball and the overpowering fantasy mageweath array, Cheyenne no longer had to worry about the Malfa Family getting attacked when he was not around.

  However, at this juncture, Cheyenne was well aware that he could not decide who the crystal ball would belong to in the end, because the elves and the Tower of Dusk were also present. Since the elves lived in the Emerald Forest, they might not need such a defensive treasure, but that might not be the case for the Tower of Dusk. Although Lin Li, who was also President Felic, was incredibly powerful, the Tower of Dusk was still a newly established force after all; hence, it would probably need the treasure more than him.

  However, Cheyenne's thoughts were a little different from reality. The one who truly valued and coveted the crystal ball was Elder Randy. Although the Elven Kingdom was greatly developed now and seemed to be doing great, Elder Randy could not help but consider the future survival of the elves, especially since he was the eighth elder of the Emerald Council.

  The elves had been living in the Emerald Forest for many years. Although they had a natural protective barrier, their population was low, after all, and they could not compare to humans at all in terms of reproduction rate. They would only lag further and further behind. Now, there were still plenty of Legendary leaders amongst the elves, and humans were also busy with domestic warfare. Those were the only reasons the elves could survive.

  But, who could guarantee that humans would not stand together as one and dominate the entire Anril in the future? When that happened, the natural barrier of the Emerald Forest might no longer be able to protect the elves. The elves were definitely not worrying for nothing, because it was only a matter of time before that happened.

  The crystal ball might not be enough to make the elves invincible, but it could help buy some time for the elves during the most dangerous situations. The minute amounts of time bought were not to be underestimated, because they were actually enough for changes to take place, and they could also be the factor that'd result in the extinction of elves and a change in Anril's structure.

  Perhaps the crystal ball might not be needed by the Elven Kingdom currently, but it was necessary to prepare in advance for the sake of the continuation of the elven bloodline. Elder Randy wouldn't tell the rest about this, but he had clearly expressed his d.e.s.i.r.e to obtain the crystal ball.

  Although no one said anything, their attitudes were self-explanatory.

  After a moment of silence, Elder Randy said to Cheyenne, "Mage Cheyenne, I think we need to talk about the ownership of this crystal ball."

  In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Cheyenne was an ally of Lin Li, Elder Randy would not have been so kind and courteous to Cheyenne. After all, strength and actual abilities were the basis of competition. The comparison of strength between Cheyenne and the elves was obvious. Lin Li was the only variable.

  Upon hearing Elder Randy's words, Cheyenne's heart sank immediately, for he could already imagine what the outcome would be. However, Cheyenne was still a little unwilling to give up the crystal ball. Hence, he nodded and followed Elder Randy to the side, where they discussed the crystal ball's ownership.

  While Elder Randy and Cheyenne were talking, Lin Li walked around the crystal ball casually. The crystal ball did not mean as much to him as it did to the other two; he would consider takin
g it if there wasn't a mageweath on it, but now…

  The crystal ball that already had a mageweath array was very strong, but not powerful enough for Lin Li to be bent on getting it. The Tower of Dusk was designed by Lin Li, and the defensive ability of the tower had always been a top priority in his design. There were plenty of objects in the Tower of Dusk that had more defensive power than offensive, just like this crystal ball. The All-Kill Array alone was already way more powerful than this fantasy mageweath array. Besides, the Tower of Dusk also had the dozens of magical crystal cannons that Lin Li had just bought as well as the Sky-breaker that Lin Li had ordered. Even without the Eternal Furnace, the defensive abilities of the Tower of Dusk could be described as overpowering.

  Hence, Lin Li didn't value the crystal ball greatly, and left Elder Randy and Cheyenne to talk about it. He knew that they would look for him once they reached a consensus.

  Although Elder Randy and Cheyenne were not hostile nor had a heated argument, it was clear that neither wanted to make concessions easily. Lin Li walked around the crystal ball, and after he was done making one round around it, there was finally an outcome to their discussion.

  After all, the elves were wealthy and generous. Hence, Cheyenne finally had no choice but to nod resignedly at the conditions laid by Elder Randy.

  However, Cheyenne did not feel like he had lost out after the negotiation, though he found it a pity to give up the crystal ball. In fact, Elder Randy did not resort to any tricks or abuse his authority during the negotiation, because he took into consideration Lin Li's identity.

  Elder Randy knew that Cheyenne was just worried about the threat that the Dark Blade imposed on the Malfa Family; hence, he used that as a breakthrough point for the negotiation. Although he did not directly state that he would help Cheyenne get rid of the Dark Blade, he took out a few of the projects that he had worked on with the Dark Blade, and handed it to the Malfa Family together with some supplies that were a form of compensation.