by Zhuang Bifan
However, after listening to Aldwin's plan to wait for a few more people to come, he reckoned that Aldwin probably wanted to request the Sword Sage of the Storm to prolong the bet. Lin Li could imagine that Aldwin was all ready to use his strength to oppress them. However, the Sword Sage of the Storm was not a pushover, and even a Legendary powerhouse might not be able to force the Sword Sage of the Storm into giving in.
Although Macklin was feeling displeased, he knew that Aldwin's considerations were not uncalled for. Hence, he had no choice but to arrange for Lin Li to go elsewhere.
Lin Li did not bring the two Undead servants to the Guild of Magic, and instead arranged for them to rest in a hotel in Alanna. With the current strength of Ujfalusi and Norfeller, it would be difficult for ordinary people to recognize them to be Undead creatures. After all, they were not from Ledin Kingdom, and even if someone were to recognize them to be Undead creatures, no one would dare to do anything to them.
Macklin left after arranging an accommodation for Lin Li, who then left the Guild of Magic and took his two Undead servants on a tour around Alanna City.
"Sir, you really have good taste. The first thing you set your sights upon is my Thunder Eaglets. Come and take a look. The Thunder Eaglets that I'm selling are genuine. They're going at 1000 gold coins each. I'll also give you a free…"
A familiar sound of touting suddenly filled Lin Li's ears, and his lips curled into a smile. To his surprise, that swindler had yet to be beaten to death by the people he cheated, even though it had already been more than a year since they last met. He had probably sold plenty of Thunder Eaglets and was living well too.
"Forget about the Thunder Eaglets. I want a Dragon Hawk and a Tricolored Flower. I wonder if you have any," Lin Li said while walking towards the fat man and patting him on his shoulder.
"Thunder Eagles are so cheap—" The fat man seemed to choke as he stopped speaking abruptly, and his fat body shivered a little. He then turned his head slowly to the side uneasily and stared at Lin Li with horror and fear in his eyes. "Mr… Mage… You… It's been long since we met."
"What's the matter, Shaun? I doubt I've ever owed you any money, and I'm trying to buy something from you now. What's wrong with your expression?" Lin Li asked teasingly.
"No, no, no, I was just very excited to see you," Shaun said while putting on a grotesque and hideous smile on his face. Although he hadn't seen Lin Li for more than a year, Shaun would never forget him. Despite having clinched two successful deals and made a lot of money from Lin Li, he would rather not have met the mage Lin Li if possible.
Lin Li was only interested for a while, and decided to crack a joke with Shaun. After a casual chat where he informed Shaun that the latter could look for him at the Tower of Dusk in the Breezy Plains if he ever needed something, he left with his two Undead servants.
Staring at the backs of Lin Li and the others, Shaun shivered and hurriedly packed up to leave. He decided that it would be better for him to hide for a few days. Although the Breezy Plains was rather far away, he was still eager to run as far as he could, let alone go to the Tower of Dusk to look for Lin Li.
Although Shaun made plenty of money from the business deals that he made with Lin Li, he somehow felt terrified of Lin Li, and would escape as far as he could.
Lin Li took his two Undead servants along for a day tour around Alanna City, but they didn't buy anything. It was simply for the sake of leisure. Throughout the days that Lin Li was in Anril, he had been spending all of his time learning magic, exploring, developing the Tower of Dusk, and keeping his schedule packed. Hence, he rarely had time for leisurely activities.
When it was getting dark, Lin Li and the two Undead servants separated, and he returned to the Alanna Guild of Magic alone. However, as soon as he entered his room, someone sent an invitation from the Pharmacist Guild.
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. Lin Li was getting ready to go out for a walk in the morning, but Macklin stopped him at the gate with a look of disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.
"Old man, what's the matter with you? Did someone provoke you?" Lin Li asked, wondering to himself if the bet with the Adventurers Guild had fallen through. If that were the case, he would have to think of another way to go to Osric's mausoleum.
"Come with me, you'll know when you get there." Macklin, who sounded a little depressed, seemed to have come for Lin Li.
When the two arrived in Aldwin's office, Macklin surprisingly didn't push the door open, and instead knocked on the door. He didn't push it open until he heard a response.
Upon entering, Lin Li discovered that there were three other elders who were dressed in magic robes seated in the office together with Aldwin. One of them was someone he knew well too. Greatly astonished, he asked, "Hey, why are you here?"
"What do you mean, kid? Can't I be here!? Hey, wait, did you eat something wrong? Where did your magical waves come from!?" Andoine exclaimed, revealing his true personality even though he looked decent in the robe.
"I don't know what I ate. I just somehow became like this. Nothing's wrong with me, right!?" Lin Li asked, pretending to be worried.
Chapter 701 - Sword Forging
"Come on, stop pretending, kid. It's only been a while since we last met, and you've already made so much progress. I was really right about you. Let me introduce you to Master Rosen. His proud disciple Gryffindor has already reached the peak of level-19, only one step away from the Legendary-realm. Learn well from him. Stop being a jack of all trades and embarrassing me," Andoine said while pulling Lin Li towards him and introducing him to the skinny old man beside him. He sounded extremely proud and smug like a person out to anger others.
"Master Rosen," Lin Li greeted. Although he had never met Rosen before, he knew his disciple, Gryffindor. Despite the fact that he didn't have a good impression of Gryffindor, he wouldn't fool around like Andoine did.
Master Rosen seemed to be in his sixties, and he was extremely skinny with his head full of white hair. His face was covered in wrinkles, and apart from the sharp and menacing gaze in his eyes, he seemed just like an ordinary old man. After hearing Andoine's introduction, he didn't flare up, and instead nodded slightly before saying in a hoarse voice, "Indeed, Andoine has really got himself a good student. You should be level-23 now, you're almost surpassing your teacher."
Anyone would be able to tell from Andoine's introduction that he wasn't on good terms with Master Rosen. There was no expression on Lin Li's face, but he kept his guard up and carefully observed Rosen.
"This is one of the arbiters of the Supreme Council, Master Megard," said Andoine who introduced Lin Li to another elder instead of answering Rosen.
"Master Megard," Lin Li said with raised brows. From the moment he entered the door, he felt that Master Andoine, who used to be mysterious to him, was at the same level as him, level-23. Although he looked just like an ordinary old man, he was at level-23. However, he could not tell what Master Megard's level was, but that meant that he was probably in the Sanctuary-realm.
Another thing that caught Lin Li's attention was Megard's identity as one of the arbiters of the Supreme Council. If he remembered correctly, Andoine and Rosen were both members of the Supreme Council and seemed to be fighting for the position of an arbiter. Lin Li wondered if the two of them had taken part in the mission this time for the sake of their competition.
It seemed that Aldwin was waiting for him. Given their abilities, it would be effortless for them to snatch the key from the Sword Sage of the Storm. Of course, in this world, not everything was up to the Supreme Council, and they also had their concerns when it came to making decisions. The Supreme Council had also developed an interest in Osric's mausoleum. Hence, it was no wonder that Aldwin would seem displeased.
"Well, very good, Andoine has produced a good student." Megard looked at Lin Li without any expression on his face. It seemed that Lin Li's abilities which were not proportionate to his age did not make him feel the slightest surprise. After a perf
unctory remark, he looked away and said, "Aldwin, go and arrange the bet. I believe that kid Al'Akir wouldn't turn you down."
That kid Al'Akir… Lin Li shivered and thought to himself that only an old fogy would have the audacity to call Al'Akir a kid.
In the world of Anril, no one else dared to offend the Sword Sage of the Storm. He wasn't a fool. Besides, the Guild of Magic simply wanted to prolong the bet, and not get the key f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y. If the Guild of Magic were to lose again, Megard probably wouldn't try to vie for it even though he was an arbitrator.
A mage who was also a blacksmith? Even the arbitrator, Megard, who was in Sanctuary-realm, probably wouldn't be able to create a decent magical weapon. It was just like asking a Warrior to draw a mageweath. Unfortunately, there were more than just Warriors in the Adventurers Guild. Al'Akir had always been pleased with his achievement, which he regarded as the proudest piece of work he had produced.
Soon, the Alanna Guild of Magic and the Adventurers Guild reached a consensus on the previous bet that they agreed on. The place to fulfill the bet was not a public area in Alanna, but in a Forging Workshop belonging to the Sword Sage of the Storm, Al'Akir. Al'Akir was trying to express some respect for Megard. After all, every tool in his Forging Workshop was superb, and would be a huge bonus to his success rate of forging.
"Aldwin, this is my private Forging Workshop. You can see what else is needed. I will get someone to prepare the items for you lest you say that I didn't give you a chance." Although Al'Akir agreed to the bet, he was already the winner; hence, he obviously wouldn't be pleased to extend the bet. Since Megard, who he feared, wasn't present, he felt that there would be no need to give Aldwin a good attitude.
"Don't ask me about forging, ask him about it," Aldwin said while introducing Lin Li to Al'Akir. He was not angry at all.
Al'Akir thought that it was a person from the Supreme Council that would forge a weapon, and did not expect Aldwin to introduce a young mage whom he found familiar to him. All of a sudden, Al'Akir frowned as a piece of memory appeared in his mind. He couldn't help but be surprised. "It's you!"
Lin Li touched his nose embarrassedly, took two steps forward, and said, "Mr. Al'Akir, we meet again."
Even until the day he died, Al'Akir would never forget the fact that Lin Li had taken away a Legendary magical crystal in exchange for a Detoxification Antidote. In order to hunt the Legendary Salamander back then, the Adventurers Guild activated six major adventurer teams and suffered countless casualties. Even Al'Akir himself was poisoned by the Salamander. Lin Li then gave him a Detoxification Antidote without hesitation, and mentioned that he wanted something from the Salamander's body in exchange only after Al'Akir had finished the antidote. In the end, the precious Legendary magical crystal was taken away by Lin Li right in front of him. Although he didn't want to be jealous or hate a young man, he was still deeply anguished by the fact that the Legendary magical crystal had been taken away from him. The pain that he felt could not be gotten rid of by any potions.
"Young man, it is no wonder that the Salamander had died in your hands. You are indeed young and promising." Al'Akir could tell back then that Lin Li had the power of an Archmage, but after just a short period of time, he had already entered the Legendary-realm, and his strong magical wave seemed to have already surpassed his own.
Ding, ding, ding… The rhythmic sounds of knocking filled the air in the Forging Workshop.
Upon hearing the crisp and melodious sounds, the members of the Adventurers Guild, including the Smithing Master Al'Akir, all got a great shock. They knew that no matter what skill the young mage had, the fact that he could produce such sounds simply meant that he was at the level of an advanced Smithing Master.
Lin Li stood on the forging platform, and his movements were extremely fluid and smooth even without the help of an assistant. He didn't slack and was performing smoothly. The people watching felt that an assistant would hamper him instead.
It was simply a kind of enjoyment; the knocking was just like beautiful music, while his fluid movements were like a beautiful dance. Everyone seemed to have slipped into a trance, and seemed to have forgotten where they were and why they were there. Even Al'Akir, the Smithing Master, seemed to have forgotten that he would lose the key to Osric's mausoleum if he were to lose the bet.
A sudden screech finally caused everyone to snap out of their trance, and their eyes suddenly focused on Lin Li's hand. The long sword that had just been forged successfully gave off a menacing vibe.
"Wonderful!" Al'Akir could tell that he had already lost, and had to admit that even he himself might not be able to craft such a good sword.
Upon hearing Al'Akir's gasp of shock, the members of the Guild of Magic let out a long sigh of relief. Actually, asking him to extend the bet was rather unreasonable in the first place. If they were to lose, they would not only lose the opportunity to explore Osric's mausoleum, but also suffer a huge blow to the pride of the Guild of Magic.
"This is definitely a Master-level masterpiece," Al'Akir remarked while grabbing Lin Li's sword to give it a few strokes. He could not believe that it was created by a mage.
"What's the matter, Al'Akir? When do you plan to fulfill this bed?" Aldwin asked eagerly with a smile.
"You can rest assured that we, the Adventurers Guild, will keep our promise. We will not make excuses like some people." Although Al'Akir conceded, he still made a sarcastic remark. After all, it was Osric's mausoleum, which was a huge treasure.
Holding the other half of the key, Aldwin and the rest left the Adventurers Guild happily.
The Sword Sage of the Storm, Al'Akir, stared blankly at the long sword in his hand. He couldn't figure it out at all. How could there be such a pervertedly competent powerhouse in the Guild of Magic? Not only did the 20-year-old young mage have a strong magical wave, he was also extremely proficient at forging. When he first met Lin Li, the latter gave him an antidote that could dispel the toxin of the Salamander.
Wait a minute, damn it, I just got duped. Isn't that kid the President of the Tower of Dusk from the Breezy Plains!? Since when did he become a member of the Alanna Guild of Magic? I did make a bet with them, but not with the Supreme Council! Al'Akir flung the sword at the anvil, after which it suddenly flashed and got split into two by the sword.
Chapter 702 - Confrontation
"What a f***ing good sword!" Al'Akir's only consolation now was the Master-level sword that had just been created.
In the Alanna Guild of Magic, the two key halves could finally be brought together. However, Aldwin and Macklin, who had been waiting for a long time, did not feel that pleased, because the fact that Megard was there meant that they would not be the only ones exploring Osric's mausoleum.
Of course, on the other hand, Andoine's, Rosen's, and Megard's presence gave them more confidence in exploring Osric's mausoleum because they were all experienced. After all, the Highlord Osric was also an arrogant man during the Dark Age, and wouldn't just let anyone into his mausoleum.
When the group returned to the Alanna Guild of Magic, the first thing they did was to report the news to Megard, who had been waiting too. Andoine, who had witnessed the process of Lin Li forging in person, was naturally proud of his good judgment and wisdom. Of course, he also compared Lin Li to Rosen's disciple, Gryffindor.
However, after hearing the news, Megard didn't seem excited at all. Instead, he stared at Lin Li, and said, "The success this time is just to make up for your previous mistakes. No matter how strong you are, keeping to your promises should be a basic virtue. I hope you can take this as a lesson and learn from it."
Everyone was shocked to hear Megard's words, and Andoine soon grew displeased. He frowned, and said, "Master Megard, your words seem to be a little inappropriate. Felic was the one who won that half of the key for us, and his contribution should not be undermined by your words."
"Andoine, how can you question the arbitrator's words? Felic once promised to help the Alanna Guild of Magic win the be
t before the deadline, but did he fulfill his promise? Had he kept his promise, we wouldn't have had to go and beg Al'Akir to extend the deadline and become passive. The arbitrator is right. Keeping promises is the basic virtue that everyone should have. If President Felic can't even do that, I doubt he'd be capable of leading the Guild of Magic of Breezy Plains. As his teacher, you ought to be responsible too," Rosen said while staring at the table as he sat beside Megard.
"Is that so? Surely you knew where Felic was when we made that bet? He was working hard in the Breezy Plains and taking charge of the construction and development of the Guild of Magic. If it weren't for his efforts, would the Guild of Magic have gotten a steady footing in the Breezy Plains just by relying on the Supreme Council? Could we have developed to what we are now!?" Andoine retorted. Although he usually behaved in a sloppy and cynical manner, he would never let anyone undermine him or criticize his students.
Rosen looked up slowly and first glanced at Megard before turning to look at Andoine. He sneered, "As a member of the Supreme Council, we must first be absolutely fair. Felic is your student, so you're no longer impartial. The excuse you made for him cannot be the reason for his breach of commitment. Since he couldn't be sure that he had the ability to fulfill his promise, he shouldn't have made it in the first place. Don't forget that he is the President of the Guild of Magic. He represents the Guild of Magic, the Supreme Council, and all mages."
Aldwin and Macklin glanced at each other awkwardly. He was the one who invited Felic to help him, only to end up bringing more trouble to him before he could even thank him. However, Rosen sounded so self-righteous that no one could rebut him.
"Rosen, stop trying to call names. Aren't you just jealous of me for having a better student than you? Mages are not prophets who know what will happen in the future and when it will take place. Besides, even if Felic had refused to help, would you have been able to find a Smithing Master? Wouldn't the outcome have been the same? Macklin, let me ask you, did you seek help from others after you looked for Mage Felic? Did you find anyone who's both a mage and a Smithing Master!?" Andoine asked Macklin.
