Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  The castellan of Doland City brought his son over, and said that he would allow the Tower of Dusk to do whatever they wanted with him. He even transferred the ownership of a nearby mine to the Tower of Dusk.

  Castellan Arathor initially wanted to entrust Sienna as his messenger, but considering the fact that Sienna had been left out for a while, he decided to just visit the Tower of Dusk personally with his children. No matter what, his daughter and son were students that Lin Li had acknowledged. Hence, he felt that it would be easier to speak to Lin Li since they had such connections.

  "Beckley, tabulate the losses that our business has incurred in the past six months, and settle the scores with them," Lin Li said to the middle-aged mage Beckley who was beside him after sending away some messengers.

  Beckley was not talented in magic. He was already 50 years old, but was only a Magic Shooter who had broken through level-10. He also knew that he was at the end of his journey in magic, and gradually became Gavin's right-hand man as he put most of his energy into managing the business of the Tower of Dusk. This time, Beckley followed Lin Li to settle the matters because Gavin was conducting the special training.

  In the past six months, Beckley watched as the business of the Tower of Dusk got continuously attacked by various forces, and was long infuriated with it. Actually, with the strength of the Tower of Dusk, it would be easy to defeat most of the forces even if Lin Li did not intervene. After all, not all forces had Legendary powerhouses in charge. However, the Tower of Dusk was constantly being attacked by the Dark Blade, and they could not deal with the troublemakers at all. Hence, they had no choice but to mark down the losses incurred.

  After the news of Lin Li's return to the Tower of Dusk spread around, all the big shots of the major forces came to visit with gifts. They did not make grand and ostentatious appearances that were publicized, and were instead rather secretive, but every one of them was a pivotal figure of the Breezy Plains, after all, and everyone could more or less tell something was going on.

  Chapter 697 - Asserting Dominance

  Those who had ill intentions were obviously those who used various means to jar the interests of the Tower of Dusk during these six months. They were initially rather skeptical about the news of the return of the President of the Tower of Dusk, but when they saw the big shots visiting the Tower of Dusk, they began to panic.

  At the beginning, they had the audacity to harm the businesses of the Tower of Dusk because they knew that the Dark Blade was determined to destroy the Tower of Dusk. Regardless of how well the Tower of Dusk developed, they would never be able to compare to the Dark Blade which had hundreds of years of solid foundation. Hence, it would be no surprise for the Tower of Dusk to be defeated.

  However, an unexpected twist still happened in the end. The Tower of Dusk was still standing strong in Doland, but there was no longer any news about the Dark Blade. They could not believe the exaggerated rumor, but no matter whether they believed it or not, the Tower of Dusk was still present, and the power they could exert now that the Dark Blade was gone was extremely impressive.

  Finally, some forces could no longer hold back, and headed to the Tower of Dusk with their gifts in hopes of getting the forgiveness of the Tower of Dusk. However, there were some forces that were still observing and waiting. No one knew to what extent the power of the Tower of Dusk would be damaged after the battle. They thought that it might not be as terrifying as they imagined.

  However, Lin Like didn't have time to let those forces continue observing. After obtaining the figures that Beckley presented from his calculations, Lin Li immediately summoned the mages who did not participate in the special training. Although the strength of those mages were slightly inferior, it would be difficult for a force to battle another powerful force without a Legendary powerhouse to take charge.

  Lin Li did not say anything to encourage them, yet the mages all looked incredibly excited, not only because they finally got to vent their anger, but more importantly because they would be able to make contributions as they now had tasks to do. More contributions meant better treatment, and they might even get to receive the personal guidance of their President like their peers who'd got selected.

  However, the expressions on the faces of the mages somehow turned peculiar because they reckoned that none of the forces would be able to afford the compensation Lin Li demanded. In that case, how were they supposed to complete the task?

  "President, this tenfold compensation may be thrilling, but I'm afraid none of them can afford it!" exclaimed Horsin, a level-15 Archmage who was trying to be brave.

  The other mages also focused their gazes on Lin Li, clearly sharing the same thoughts as Horsin. A tenfold compensation was not a small sum. The businesses of the Tower of Dusk were not inexhaustible like a gold mine, and the delay in business for just a single day would result in a massive loss. After half a year, the losses incurred by even an unassuming shop would not be affordable by ordinary forces, what more 10 times that sum.

  The loss incurred by the Tower of Dusk that was caused by a force and the benefits that they gained from the Tower of Dusk were two completely different concepts. A small shop of the Tower of Dusk was robbed of a batch of potions which caused them to be unable to continue operations for half a year. In this case, the benefits that the force obtained was just a batch of potions, but the losses incurred by the Tower of Dusk was the store's operating income for half a year. The two were worlds apart.

  Upon hearing Horsin's question, Lin Li did not flare up, and instead smiled ambiguously and said, "I want them to be unable to afford the compensation."

  "You want them to be unable to afford the compensation?" The mages were filled with bewilderment as they were all dumbfounded.

  "Yes, if they can't afford it, we'll make them use everything they have to pay off the debt." This time, Lin Li didn't just want to recover the losses in the past six months. Although the Tower of Dusk had been established for less than two years, given their current capability, it was time for them to assert dominance and show their prowess. Lin Li wanted to take this chance to assert dominance so that the forces of all sizes in the Breezy Plains would not dare to undermine the Tower of Dusk in the future.

  He wanted to make them use everything they had to pay off debts! The mage Horsin and his peers suddenly had an epiphany. They realized that their President did not want just a compensation, but also an excuse to stand in power and make those forces surrender. At the thought of this, the mages did not seem worried at all, and instead clenched their fists, all ready to fight.

  In the Breezy Plains, the Tower of Dusk was still considered an external force, after all, and two years was not enough for the Tower of Dusk to be integrated into the local forces. If they were to wage a war without reason, they would probably anger the other forces and create enemies all over the Breezy Plains. When that happened, their business would probably be unable to continue operations even if they had massive combat power. That would greatly hinder the Tower of Dusk's development. However, there was now a reason for him to get back at them, and that was compensation. Even if he were to get physical, there was nothing they could do, because they were the ones who'd been greedy in the first place.

  Of course, Lin Li did not mean to wipe out those forces one by one. He still left a path of survival for those who might not be able to pay the debt, which was to sign a contract and become a subsidiary force of the Tower of Dusk until the debt was paid off. If they chose not to do so, they would either have to pay the debt or disappear from the Breezy Plains. Lin Li was tyrannical, but no one could criticize him, because they had to compensate his faction.

  As soon as Lin Li gave his orders, the mages of the Tower of Dusk began to attack the forces on the namelist like hungry wolves. Nearly 100 mages whose strength ranged from level-10 to level-15, as well as the 20 Shadow Assassins of Alchemy Puppets, appeared in front of them, making it hard for them to retaliate.

  "What? 10 times the compensation
!? We, the Silver Star mercenary corps, were indeed wrong, but we only got 60 potions. Even if its tenfold, it should not be this amount," the head of the Silver Star Mercenary corps, Rekba, a middle-aged soldier of level-16, protested angrily at Horsin and the rest.

  Although the Silver Star Mercenary Corps did not have a high rank in the Breezy Plains, they were rather famous in the northwest of the Dark Blade's territory. Back then, when they saw that the Tower of Dusk could not escape the fate of being destroyed by the Dark Blade, he couldn't help but let his greed get the better of him, and thus decided to rob the pharmacy in Dorma Town. After hearing the news of the return of the President of the Tower of Dusk, Rekba began to contemplate if he should visit Lin Li to apologize or hope that the latter did not have the time to bother about him.

  However, Rekba did not expect to face the mages of the Tower of Dusk before he even made up his mind. Rekba initially felt a little guilty. After all, he was a mercenary, and not a bandit. However, when he heard the amount of compensation proposed by the mage of the Tower of Dusk, the guilt within him disappeared instantly.

  What a joke, those 60 potions cost as much as all my savings, yet they multiplied it by 10. If it's based on the price of those 60 potions, the compensation price is actually more than 100 times more. Damn it, if I had so much money, why would I still be cooped up in such a tiny place!? Rekba was on the verge of turning hysterical. He wanted to fall out with Lin Li, but after seeing the dozens of mages on the Tower of Dusk's side, he felt that his 300-odd mercenaries were useless.

  Horsin glanced coldly at Rekba and his so-called elites before expressionlessly saying, "Because of your malicious attack, our shop was suspended for half a year. According to the average income of normal business, the loss incurred within these six months is as high as 1,000,000 gold coins, and 10 times the compensation would be 10,000,000 gold coins."

  "What? 10,000,000 gold coins? Why don't you go rob the bank!?" Everyone in the Silver Star Mercenary Corps pulled out their weapons angrily. 10,000,000 gold coins! If the mercenary regiment had so much money, its strength would be double of what it was now.

  However, at this moment, overwhelming magic flew out from behind him, suddenly striking the 300-odd mercenaries' backs. In the blink of an eye, everyone lost their balance, and they finally remembered that there were dozens of mages in the Tower of Dusk who could destroy them easily.

  Horsin stepped forward, looking down at the captain of the Silver Star Mercenary Corps, Rekba. He flicked his wrist and unfolded a scroll on which a contract was printed, after which he calmly said, "You either pay the compensation in full or become a subsidiary force of the Tower of Dusk. Otherwise, you shall die!"

  In fact, weak forces were often attached to the stronger forces, which was not too strange or shameful of a thing. However, many of these relations were just verbal agreements, and everyone acted accordingly, each performing their respective roles. However, a real contract would be like signing a deed of sale where the entire force became a slave to the other party.

  No one wanted to be enslaved to others, but given the current situation, they didn't have another choice. Rekba raised his head reluctantly, looking behind at Horsin to see that the magic staffs of the mages were still acc.u.mulating mana. Without a doubt, Rekba and his mercenaries would definitely face dire consequences if his answer was unsatisfactory.

  "I, I agree…" Rekba grabbed the contract with shaky hands, and was no longer in the mood to look carefully at the content, for he had to sign it anyway, regardless of how harsh the conditions were.

  A paper contract, although not as binding as the Soul Contract, would make the Silver Star Mercenary Corps become a part of the Tower of Dusk as long as Rekba signed it. Regardless of what the Tower of Dusk did to the Silver Star Mercenary Corps, the other forces would have no right to intervene.

  Chapter 698 - Next One

  "Let's go, the next one is the Blood Scorpion Brotherhood. If they don't know how to act appropriately, there's no need to spare them any mercy," Horsin said as he put away the contract and turned around to take the mages away.

  No one expected that the Tower of Dusk would retaliate so violently; it was as if an unstoppable major storm had been set off in the Breezy Plains. The forces that had once regarded the Tower of Dusk as an attractive slice of cake that they were coveting were just being complacent and proud of their own gains, yet they fell from heaven to hell all of a sudden. Facing surrender or demise, most forces, be it the mercenary corps, adventurers, or underground organizations, would not be able to show their determination to fight against death.

  While the mages of the Tower of Dusk wiped out their enemy forces in the Breezy Plains, Lin Li got busy too. He answered the questions of Wilkinson and the other pharmacists, guided the mages along in learning magic, and redesigned some of the setups of the Tower of Dusk.

  The exploration in the Sky Castle took more than half a year for Lin Li. Had he not rushed back in time, the Tower of Dusk would have long been destroyed by the Dark Blade. Lin Li planned to excavate Osric's mausoleum next, but God knew how much time he would have to spend in there. Hence, Lin Li was determined to channel all of his energy into protecting the Tower of Dusk and making it a castle that no one could invade.

  When the Tower of Dusk was established, Lin Li was already a Guru of Inscription, but due to the lack of understanding of nomological power, he could only consider many things in terms of Inscriptions. However, Lin Li was now a Legendary-mage who was at the peak of level-23, and had a much better understanding of nomological power than he did in the past. At this juncture, there were plenty of loopholes in the various settings of the Tower of Dusk, and there was room for improvement in many aspects.

  In the Sky Castle, the majestic Central Tower and the 36 towers that served as the nodes for the Conquering Mageweath especially were great reference material for Lin Li. Of course, he did not have enough power to set up an Orderly Maze for the Tower of Dusk or exhibit a Seven-Realm Spiral. However, the various offensive and defensive mageweaths, Alchemy Arrays, and magic gears had all given him great inspiration.

  Of course, the first problem to solve was the issue of the mana source of the Tower of Dusk. A single Legendary magical crystal of the Salamander would be more than enough to support the daily operation of the Tower of Dusk. However, it seemed difficult to sustain the defenses under the menacing attacks of the Dark Blade with it. Such power would not be enough for him to deal with the impending disaster predicted by Geresco.

  When Lin Li was building the Tower of Dusk at the start, he planned to put the Eternal Furnace on the top of the tower before using the magical crystal in the Eternal Furnace that had reached the Sanctuary-realm as the mana source for the Tower of Dusk. However, he clearly did not have that much time; hence, he had to find another solution before using the Eternal Furnace.

  Increasing the mana was not as simple as putting two Legendary magical crystals together. The difference between the magical crystals and the difference between magic attributes were all factors that had to be considered. Apart from the numerous Legendary magical crystals that Lin Li obtained in the dragon graveyard, the most valuable items he had were none other than the two Double Death Dragons' magical crystals.

  The two Dragon Crystals were like perfect replicas, be it in terms of the mana contained in it or the auras. When inspected individually, each would just seem like an ordinary Dragon Crystal that was at the peak of level-22. However, when the two were put together, they would provide effects that were far greater than the high-level Dragon Crystals even if the mana could not be compared to level-23 Dragon Crystals'.

  The All-Kill Array was one of the most important defensive mechanisms of the Tower of Dusk. Its strong power naturally came with massive mana depletion. The first thing that Lin Li wanted to change was to separate the mana source of the All-Kill Array from the rest. He believed that the power of the All-Kill Array would be maximized by using the two magical crystals as the source of mana.


  After a day, Lin Li reestablished the mana source of the All-Kill Array and used the Dragon Crystal of the Double Death Dragons to replace the Legendary magical crystal of the Salamander. However, the Legendary magical crystal did not stop working, and was still used as the mana source for the other defensive mageweaths of the Tower of Dusk.

  The other thing Lin Li wanted to change was the magical Crystal Cannons. Before Lin Li had left, he initially got Beckley to buy 20 of them from the Dwarf Kingdom. However, the Dwarfs could not provide 20 Magical Crystal Cannons at once, unless they were willing to sell the cannons that they had in the kingdom. Hence, Beckley only returned with 10 Crystal Cannons, and they had to wait for the other 10 to arrive some time later.

  If the Magical Crystal Cannon were to be activated in full force, it would consume no less mana than the All-Kill Array. A Legendary magical crystal that was above level-20 would be used up after a few uses of the cannon. Hence, Lin Li immediately classified the Magical Crystal Cannons into groups and assigned a single mana source to every group. The magical crystals used were naturally of Legendary level so as to be sufficient for the cannon to continue firing.

  During this time, the mages of the Tower of Dusk were growing rapidly. The Tower of Dusk was also undergoing earth-shaking changes while remaining the talk of the town. Various forces in Doland and Roland were all extremely terrified and worried that Lin Li would suddenly look for them, regardless of whether they had offended the Tower of Dusk before.

  However, it was not that there were no exceptions. At this moment, a group of bandits named Poison Fire that resided near the Dragon Mountains was declaring their decision to rebel against the Tower of Dusk. They even called on all unwilling forces to unite and fight against the tyrannical Tower of Dusk.