by Zhuang Bifan
Where exactly is this place? Is this really an underground world? Lin Li landed and glanced at Andoine and the rest who were equally shocked, after which he stepped on the grass on the ground beneath him. Everything seemed so real and unlikely to be a dream.
"Ah, it's really spectacular!"
After observing the surrounding environment, Lin Li shifted his gaze onto the sky again to see that the elite mages of Alanna were continuously surging out of the large black vortex. Although the 200-odd people seemed insignificant on the ground, they looked rather interesting when they were descending from the sky. The mages all had yet to enter the Legendary-realm, and so could only rely on floating, which made them look like leaves in the wind.
After a while, all the mages landed safely and immediately formed a defensive formation at the fastest speed. No one hesitated just because it was Osric's mausoleum, as if the large underground world could not arouse their curiosity at all. It seemed like their current task was to fight like they were instructed to, and they could even ignore everything around them.
"President, the mages have already been assembled, and we are ready to take your orders!" Lampard, the head of the mages, said to Aldwin respectfully.
Aldwin nodded, and did not answer immediately. He first looked at the blurry architectural structure at the end of the grassland before shifting his gaze onto Andoine and Rosen. The arbitrator Megard stayed on top and left the two authoritative figures of the Supreme Council to take charge.
"This is the world created by Osric. No one knows what he has arranged to welcome us. I hope everyone will be more vigilant and set off," Andoine spoke to Aldwin and the rest sternly as if he were a different person.
The huge building at the end of the grassland was undoubtedly where Osric's mausoleum was. Although some of the Legendary powerhouses were already extremely eager, they didn't fly over immediately, and instead followed the mages who had already formed a defensive formation.
After all, not every Archmage could use the floating technique well like Lin Li. For them, the floating technique was not a magic that sped up the progress. Moreover, everyone knew that Osric was not a kind person, and was instead a butcher who could slaughter 100,000 people for their souls. Although the surroundings seemed rather quiet and peaceful, none of them dared to let their guard down at all. If anything were to go wrong, the mages in the sky would be the enemies' best targets.
"What are the origins of the three Undead Lords?" Lin Li asked as he followed the team slowly, watching the huge building that was still far away.
Although the three Undead Lords in the Shadowglen were rather strong, Lin Li still found them to be very similar to the three in the Seven-Realm Spiral. He had no idea what the relationship between them and the Immortal King, Osric, and Geresco was, or why they had managed to survive from that era to the present.
Regardless of the humans' attitudes towards the Undead creatures, the High Elves definitely would not allow ugly and dirty Undead creatures to exist during the Dark Age. Although all three Undead Lords had Legendary strength, they were basically powerless in the face of the powerful High Elves. Yet, they were still living well in the Shadowglen despite the extinction of the High Elves. Lin Li was sure that it definitely wasn't just luck.
"I'm afraid their origins may not be clear even to the arbitrator who was from the Dark Age. However, it is said that they existed in Anril as early as during the rise of the High Elves. However, there isn't much historical data regarding their existence. Maybe the remaining records about them are too damaged. Maybe it is because of this that they could survive to the present," Andoine said with a slight frown and a helpless expression, despite being the most authoritative figure in researching the High Elves.
Although Andoine was also an old man, he was much younger than Apophis and Megard. Most of the knowledge he had about the Dark Age was obtained through research of various doc.u.ments. Unfortunately, at the end of the Dark Age, a huge war broke out in Anril, and much precious knowledge could not be saved, let alone the historical records.
"Oh, I see," Lin Li said, feeling a little disappointed about not getting the answer he wanted, though he did not show it. Instead, he continued, "When we were outside, the arbitrator Megard was clearly about to kill them. Why did he stop because of something the Skeletal King said? Could there have been some pact between them and Geresco?"
Chapter 709 - The Underground World
The Book of Eternity in Lin Li's hands and the Evil Eye Tyrant magical crystal were all given to him by Tutankhamun back in the Blackstone Mountains according to the agreement with Geresco. However, Tutankhamun, the descendant of the Dragon of Destruction, was probably already above the Sanctuary-realm, while the three Undead Lords had only reached Level-23. Just what did they do to get Geresco to make a pact with them?
Andoine tugged the sleeves of his robe and stared at the approaching building, seemingly unsatisfied with the magic robe that symbolized the status of an authoritative figure of the Supreme Council. "We just learned some information about the situation from some data about what happened that year, but it was not complete. It's said that Geresco and the three Undead Lords might have reached some agreement, but the details of the agreement are not known to outsiders. As far as I know, the message left by Geresco before he left the Supreme Council only indicated that the three Undead Lords were meant to guard and protect something. Otherwise, with the power of the Supreme Council, they'd have long been annihilated. You have no idea how many times the Felan Kingdom has raised the request."
"Isn't it Osric's mausoleum that they're guarding?" Lin Li asked in confusion. Megard also said that the three Undead Lords would open the Immortal Door according to the agreement. Maybe they were the only ones who could open the Immortal Door. Otherwise, Megard would have been able to destroy them easily.
Hearing Lin Li 's words, Andoine smiled, and said, "Although we also guessed the location of Osric's mausoleum based on this information, it is not entirely correct that the three Undead Lords were left here to guard the mausoleum. Well, we might be able to find some answers regarding the content of their agreement during this operation."
"Since you already knew about the existence of this agreement, why didn't you just bring your people here instead of letting the mages clean up the Shadowglen? Fortunately, their battle power is the strongest I have seen so far, but it wouldn't be worth if there were any casualties." Lin Li was now a President; hence, he was well aware of how difficult it would be to nurture and groom an Archmage. Even the Alanna Guild of Magic might not bring about much convenience to the Tower of Dusk. Hence, it could be said that every Archmage was a great asset.
"Unless the Undead creatures have sworn by their soul fire, don't expect them to abide by any promises they have made. In terms of credibility, they are not even comparable to the demons in the Abyss. In fact, before we left, the Supreme Council had already predicted it. It has been a long time since the Dark Age was over, and there would definitely be an increase in the strength of the three Undead Lords even if they were idiots. I am afraid that they would not actually abide by the promise," Andoine said in disdain. Although the three Undead Lords were level-23, their so-called improvement was simply surprisingly slow.
"You were deterring them?" Lin Li nodded, knowing that the mages' actions were meant for letting the three Undead Lords know that their skeletons were insignificant to humans. Anyway, they had been staying in the Shadowglen for a long time, and did not know much about the humans. Hence, they wouldn't know how rare such a group of mages was in Anril. The arbitrator's intervention was to show them that the Supreme Council could easily defeat them even though Geresco was no longer around.
In fact, when the mages assembled in the Shadowglen, the three Undead Lords would definitely have already found out since they were the masters of the Shadowglen. The Supreme Council's tower, which landed on the cliff of the Shadowglen, was a clear reminder of the pact. However, the three Undead Lords were clearly unea
sy because of their own strength and lack of understanding of the outside world.
However, Lin Li understood what the three Undead Lords were trying to do. Although the Shadowglen was large, it was no different from a prison to the Undead Lords. Anyone would be resentful about being imprisoned for thousands of years. Besides, the Shadowglen was located in the Felan Kingdom, and there was no room for expansion at all. The strength of the three Undead Lords had improved really slowly, and that might be because of this.
"Hmph, I heard that Felic has two Undead servants. Now I know how you performed in fulfilling the agreement with Aldwin." Rosen, who had been silent, suddenly sneered and was full of derisiveness.
Rosen's intentions were clear. He was clearly still driving at the fact that Lin Li did not fulfill the promise that he'd made to Aldwin on time. Rosen actually managed to drag Lin Li into this, and he was obviously trying to criticize Lin Li for his credibility.
Rosen was at a loss for what to do now. Originally, he'd planned for his disciple Gryffindor to steadily get the first place in the last trial. Given his strength, he'd thought that Gryffindor would then go on to become the President of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic. He hadn't expected for Gryffindor to do too well, and just hoped for him to have a steady footing. Even if the situation in the Breezy Plains was extremely complicated, he believed that Gryffindor would be able to maintain the Guild of Magic with his support. All he needed was for Gryffindor's performance to be recognized, and he would be able to obtain victory over Andoine.
However, it hadn't occurred to Rosen that there would appear a kid called Felic, who happened to be Andoine's disciple from the Jarrosus Guild of Magic in the countryside. He had put in plenty of efforts for the Guild of Magic to be established in the Breezy Plains, yet he ended up paving the way for his competitor. How could he accept it?
In order to make up for the mistake, Rosen had even thought of a solution: making the Supreme Council reduce the aid given to the Breezy Plains. In his opinion, Felic definitely wouldn't be able to have a strong footing in the Breezy Plains, and would scurry back after facing his defeat. At the same time, it would also affect Andoine's reputation.
However, under such circ.u.mstances, Felic had actually managed to get acquainted with the Malfa Family. If it weren't for the competition between him and Andoine, Rosen would have been in awe of the young chap who created plenty of trouble for him.
Now, the only thing Rosen could do was to question if Lin Li was morally qualified to be the President. It seemed that there were some problems with his actions, and even the arbitrator Megard seemed to be dissatisfied with Felic's behavior in the Breezy Plains. After all, the President of the Guild of Magic would still represent the Supreme Council. If he could manage the Guild of Magic well, he would definitely be suitable for being the President. Otherwise, a merchant would make the cut too.
"Is that so? Is Master Rosen saying that Geresco is being stupid for believing the Undead creatures and making a pact with them? Or, you can repeat those words to Master Sendros," Lin Li said bluntly. It was not that he did not respect his elders, but because he felt that there was no need to show respect to those who did not respect him.
Rosen was clearly stunned for a moment. As one of the top 10 authoritative figures the Supreme Council and a level-23 Legendary powerhouse, he was often showered with compliments, and had never been talked back to in such a manner. He strongly suppressed the anger in his heart, and coldly said, "Mage Felic, please don't forget your identity. Is this how you should be speaking to your elders?"
"Master Rosen, even an elder would have to be worthy of respect if he wants to be respected by others. He should not demand respect just because he is older." Although Rosen was an authoritative figure of the Supreme Council, Lin Li was not daunted at all.
As the argument between Lin Li and Rosen began to get heated, Andoine, pointing at Lin Li, suddenly interrupted, "Felic, look at this building, that butcher Osric actually put in so much effort into building a place for his burial. What a lunatic."
Andoine understood the reasons for Rosen's constant attacks at Lin Li. Although Lin Li's unrelenting responses made him feel extremely thrilled, he also knew that it was not the time for conflicts now, especially since it was between two Legendary level-23 powerhouses. Hence, he suddenly pointed to the distant building and interrupted the argument between the two.
"Yes, he is a lunatic and a genius. If he had been given more time, maybe his achievements would not have been inferior to those of the Immortal King. It is a pity that even the Immortal King may not be immortal. Osric couldn't escape death, either." Although Lin Li 's understanding of Osric was not too deep, it was enough to give him a general impression of the Highlord. Since a formidable figure like him could not escape death, it was rather shocking.
The space in the underground world was extremely large. The team had to travel for more than half an hour before finally reaching the main body of Osric's mausoleum. The originally blurry building appeared in front of them in a spectacular manner, full of the High Elves' luxurious style.
At this moment, everyone was shocked, be it Andoine, Rosen, or the other authoritative figures of the Supreme Council. The mages were no longer indifferent, and shock was now written all over their faces. No one would be able to stay calm when faced with such a luxurious building.
Chapter 710 - The Gate of Doom
Is this really just a mausoleum? Everyone was filled with extreme disbelief. Even before they entered, they had already imagined what the mausoleum would look like countless times. However, the truth told them that their imagination was still too weak. It was just like how a beggar could never imagine the life of a monarch.
Lin Li could already tell that the architectural style of the building in front of him was very similar to that of the Eternal Furnace, though it was much larger. The aura that the majestic building was giving out was also more terrifying than the Eternal Furnace's. It was not inferior to the Sky Castle.
In front of the majestic building, there was a vast and flat square paved with moonstone. Under the clear blue sky, it emitted a beautiful and psychedelic blue light which made the entire square seem like a calm sea with light ripples. In the square, there were 24 giant crystal pillars more than 10 meters in width and more than 100 meters in height, covered with magical gemstones. The four stone pillars facing the gate of the mausoleum were like giant pillars in the sky. Each stone pillar was covered with beautiful and gorgeous patterns with beautiful rays of light intertwining around it, making everyone near the square hold their breaths in awe.
However, when everyone was still unable to recover from the shock, Lin Li frowned and looked down at the dreamy moonstone ground and the dazzling light, seemingly deep in thought.
"Felic, what are you looking at?" Andoine asked. Before Lin Li could even respond, he glanced at the vast square and exclaimed in awe, "Osric has really splurged on this mausoleum! It's just a place where his body was going to be buried, yet he set it up in such an exaggerated manner. Was he thinking of enjoying this place when he got reborn someday? Sure enough, the stronger they are, the more they can't get over death!"
After a while, the crowd gradually recovered from the shock. However, Lin Li was still staring at the ground as if he had never seen moonstone before. He then looked around and seemed to be muttering something.
"If there are no other issues, can we continue advancing?" Aldwin asked Rosen and Andoine.
"Okay, let's go," Rosen said with a nod.
"Wait a minute, Felic seems to have seen something in the square. We'd better wait for a while," Andoine said. Although Andoine and Lin Li had not spent that much time together, he knew that Lin Li wasn't the type to fool others. Although Lin Li didn't say anything, Andoine could tell from his behavior that he seemed to have been attracted by something in the square.
"What do you see? It's just a ground paved with moonstone. He's probably just bedazzled by the light. If there was any danger, wouldn't I
be able to tell? There are no traps annotated on the map that we have," said Rosen, who was still quite confident about his own eyesight—in addition to being a Legendary powerhouse, he was also an actual Guru of Inscription. Hence, he believed that his knowledge about mageweaths was the best in Anril.
"What a joke. Why would they tell you what the traps are and where they are set? In that case, why wouldn't they just open the door and allow you to enter freely? Felic has even gone to the Sky Castle. What else has he not seen before? Do you think he's like that idiotic student of yours who thinks he's the top genius of the world just because he has seen a small part of the world?" Andoine sneered.
"This is Osric's mausoleum, not the Sky Castle. Besides, I want to remind you, don't forget that I am the leader of this operation." After that, Rosen glanced at Lin Li who was deep in thought, and a look of disdain formed in his eyes. He turned to look at Aldwin, and said, "Continue advancing, the Sky Tower is still suppressing the Immortal Door. We don't have much time to waste here."
Aldwin looked helplessly at the two people. Although he was very fond of Lin Li, he was well aware of Rosen's accomplishments in Inscription. Since Rosen said that there was no problem, that should really be the case. Moreover, when discussing the exploration plan, Megard allowed Rosen to take charge despite not stating it explicitly. Hence, Rosen was the main moderator of the operation.
The mages had already forgotten about the shock that they were in, and they strode forwards orderly on the glossy ground after receiving the commands.
All of a sudden, a fast-moving shadow quickly enveloped the ground of the square. It turned out to be a white cloud, floating in the sky and blocking the sunlight. Watching the moonstone lose its l.u.s.ter, Lin Li was flabbergasted, and an answer immediately formed in his head.
"Wait…" Lin Li raised his head and was about to give them a reminder, but he saw that the mages had already gotten into a defensive formation and stepped onto the flat and smooth ground of the square, causing the moonstone to suddenly become dimmer.
