by Zhuang Bifan
Siddarth's voice was getting softer and softer because he realized that the Chief Judge, who he tried to stop, was growing increasingly sullen. He emitted an icy cold vibe that made Siddarth shiver despite standing under the sun.
"Kid, I remind you again that Master Felic is not a heretic. This is the decision that I have made as the Judge of Heresy. I don't want to hear those words from you again. Otherwise, I won't mind locking you up in here," said Fergor, who would definitely deal with Siddarth if he were to go overboard and upset Lin Li before he left, even though he saw his behavior as nothing but a joke.
Chapter 766 - Distribute
Damn it, it's only been a few days, and Holliard has already become a true Master of pharmaceutics under Master Felic's guidance. Maybe if I seize the opportunity and push for it, I might be able to become a Master too. Holliard ignored the dumbfounded Siddarth, and adjusted his expressions before scurrying towards the herbal plantation at the back of the mountain with a stiff smile on his face.
Siddarth stood in front of the door for a long time before finally snapping out of his trance. However, he could not help but shiver uncontrollably when he thought of the words that the Chief Judge Fergor said before leaving. At the same time, he felt incredibly puzzled because he wasn't framing Lin Li, and was simply telling the truth. Wasn't it the Judge of Heresy's duty to purify the heretics!?
Filled with doubts and horror, Siddarth proceeded to look for his teacher, Archbishop Domingo. The only truth in the words that he'd said to Rina earlier on was the fact that Archbishop Domingo was indeed immersed in studying pharmaceutics.
"Siddarth, what are you doing? I've been trying to get you to come here, and you didn't appear even after a long time. Come take a look at the potion that I've just formulated. This is a real Master-level potion!" Domingo exclaimed while fiddling with the potions in front of the table, completely failing to notice Siddarth's expression.
"Oh, yes, Teacher, I went out for a while," said Siddarth, who was feeling vexed and troubled. He was hesitating and contemplating if he should ask his teacher that question. After all, everything that happened today was too peculiar.
Siddarth's dejected tone attracted the attention of Archbishop Domingo. Under normal circ.u.mstances, his disciple would definitely be pleased and excited to see the potions he created. Yet, Siddarth actually did not show any signs of excitement at all, despite the fact that he had formulated a Master-level potion.
"Siddarth, what happened? Why do you look so pale?" Domingo asked in bewilderment after putting the potion down. This is the Holy Mountain of the Brilliance Shrine. What made Siddarth become like this?
He's still my teacher, after all! Upon sight of Domingo's caring gaze, Siddarth felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in his heart, and he decided to consult his teacher. Perhaps there might be some huge conspiracy that concerns the Brilliance Shrine, he thought.
At the thought of this, he tried to perk up, and aggrievedly said, "Teacher, I suspect that a big conspiracy is brewing on this Holy Mountain. I think that it also involves some of our higher-ups."
"Uh…" Domingo was slightly stunned. Dismayed, he said, "Siddarth, I've already told you this many times, stop reading those silly myths and legends that have been made up mindlessly by others. You might as well take the time to learn more about pharmaceutics from me."
"No, Teacher, what I said is true," Siddarth insisted frantically after seeing that his teacher was dismissing of his words. He turned around and looked out of the door to ensure that no one was eavesdropping, after which he closed the door again and returned. Trying to suppress his volume, he said, "Teacher, I discovered a heretic who entered the Holy Mountain today. The strange thing is, when I went to the Judge of Heresy's office to report, the Chief Judge Fergor didn't care to find out the truth, and simply insisted that that man was not a heretic."
"Why have you become like the Judge of Heresy? All you do is call others heretics," Domingo said with a look of disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. Although the Court of Heresy had helped the Brilliance Shrine get rid of countless enemies, they still had a horrible reputation in the Brilliance Shrine, after all. Hence, after hearing his disciple mention a heretic and going to the Court of Heresy to complain, Domingo's joy from concocting the Master-level potion vanished instantly.
Seeing that his teacher was a little angry, Siddarth frantically said, "Teacher, it's true, that mage is called Felic. You should have heard of him. It's no secret that he has Undead creatures for his servants. Everyone in the Breezy Plains knows about it. I saw him and Rina—"
Before Siddarth could even finish speaking, he saw a foreign object flying towards him, hitting his forehead before he could evade. All of a sudden, the object shattered with a loud thud, and a warm liquid flowed out slowly, exuding a medicinal scent.
Archbishop Domingo was glowering with a sullen expression, and his finger was trembling continuously. He seemed to be too infuriated for words. The Master-level potion that Domingo had just concocted had already vanished without a trace.
"You, how dare you call Master Felic a heretic! You actually had the nerve to complain to the Judge of Heresy! Do you still respect me as your teacher!? Why didn't Fergor lock you up in the Court of Heresy!?" Domingo hollered while grabbing either a potion bottle or a piece of equipment and throwing them at Siddarth.
Faced with his angry teacher, Siddarth dared not dodge at all, and all he could do was stand there and bear with the misery and horror within him. It was the second time that he heard someone call that damned heretic a master today. He thought, One of them is a mighty Chief Judge, and the other is my teacher. Who is that damned Felic? Isn't he just the President of a small Guild of Magic!?
"Teacher, what wrong have I done…?" Although Siddarth didn't suffer any injuries, his robe had been stained by various potions, and he looked extremely pathetic and disheveled.
Domingo finally calmed down and sighed before saying, "I know what you're thinking. Since you know that he has an Undead creature for a servant and know about everything that happened in the Breezy Plains, wouldn't you know why the Tower of Dusk developed so quickly in a short period of time? Master Felic is a real pharmaceutics Guru. He's a Guru, do you know what a Guru is!? He came to the Brilliance Shrine this time to talk to us about pharmaceutics. Do you know important this is to the Brilliance Shrine?"
Siddarth obviously couldn't hide his thoughts from Domingo. After all, Domingo was old and experienced. However, due to the fact that the detoxification of the pope was a confidential matter, he couldn't reveal it, and had no choice but to simply say that it was something about a pharmaceutical business cooperation. Besides, a cooperation would be of great benefit to the Brilliance Shrine, and that wasn't confidential.
"G-Guru? He's a pharmaceutics Guru!? How is this possible? How old is he!?" Siddarth exclaimed as he couldn't believe his ears at all. That also made him realize why the higher-ups ignored the fact that Lin Li was a heretic.
"You have been by my side for too long, and your perspective has become too narrow because you've always been on the Holy Mountain. Previously, we built another church after some negotiations with Felan Kingdom. Go back and make some preparations. I'll arrange for you to work there." Without hesitation, Domingo waved at Siddarth and rubbed his forehead before turning around to mess with the potions.
However, Siddarth felt shocked again even though he had just snapped back to reality. As a bishop, it would definitely be a good thing to work at a church, but that would depend on the location too. If it were in a place that was within control of the Brilliance Shrine, a bishop's position would definitely be higher than that of a castellan. However, Felan Kingdom was a country of magic, and the clergymen of the Brilliance Shrine were insignificant there.
Siddarth suddenly thought of something. There was allegedly a bishop named Raleigh who had been sent to Alanna, the capital of the Felan Kingdom. The unlucky Raleigh preached for more than 20 years, yet he only had less than 10 followers. That probably felt worse tha
n death. Although the Felan Kingdom was very prosperous, it wasn't so for the people of the Brilliance Shrine, because faith was scarce there.
"Teacher, I don't want to leave your side!" At the thought of the agonizing days that would await him once he went to Felan Kingdom, Siddarth teared up and leaped towards Domingo, hugging his t.h.i.g.h and bawling loudly.
Bishop Domingo had already made a decision, and thus wouldn't change it just because Siddarth was crying. His disciple wasn't his son, after all. On the same day, he looked for the person in charge before informing Siddarth to pack his things and get ready to leave. At the same time, the incident also reminded several higher-ups to immediately release the news of the pharmaceutical business cooperation with the Tower of Dusk so as to finally provide an acceptable explanation for the fact that Lin was respected by the higher-ups.
In fact, Lin Li didn't even care about what Siddarth said, and he even forgot his name the next day. He had no idea that the young and promising bishop was exiled to the Felan Kingdom for calling Lin Li a heretic. Apart from giving pointers to a few pharmaceutic enthusiasts, Lin Li mainly focused on the Light Bible of the Brilliance Shrine. As for the cooperation, he would send his corresponding subordinates to see to the details.
The Light Bible was the foundation of the Brilliance Shrine, and it was an important book for the interpretation of the Power of Light. Even a prodigy might not be able to reap benefits and gain knowledge just after a few days of reading. However, it was different for Lin Li, who had obtained the debris of the stars, Holy Light, a long time ago. Ever since then, he never stopped researching Holy Light. Hence, to him, reading the Light Bible was mainly just for filling in the gaps in his knowledge and gaining a better understanding of Holy Light.
However, Lin Li didn't know that there would often be several pairs of eyes watching him secretly. However, as time passed, those eyes were filled with doubt and disappointment because when Lin Li was reading the Light Bible, he never once showed any aura of the Power of Light.
After a few more days, Lin Li knew that he could not procrastinate any longer. Although the priest of the Darkness Shrine, Jyker, did not mention exactly what the matter was, Lin Li knew that it was definitely important since Sendros had said so.
Chapter 767 - Caravan Gets Obstructed
Moreover, although Lin Li had yet to finish reading the entire Light Bible, he had already gained plenty of knowledge from it. Even though Lin Li did not have any experience with it in real combat, he could also feel that there was great improvement from before.
That was precisely the reason Lin Li could not help but recall the Book of Darkness from the Darkness Shrine. Hence, Lin Li could not give up Sendros's invitation no matter what. He believed that if he really had an opportunity to read the Book of Darkness and perfect his understanding of Gloomy Dark's power, he would definitely see an increase in the power of his Light and Darkness Domain, and he might just reach level-24.
After Lin Li revealed his intention to leave, the higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine who were also pharmaceutical enthusiasts immediately panicked, and began to bombard him with plenty of questions about pharmaceutics. They were trying to seize every second left. Higher-ups like them definitely wouldn't leave the Holy Mountain easily. Hence, it would be troublesome for them to go to the Tower of Dusk to ask Lin Li for advice again.
Tolon City was located on the border of the Ledin Kingdom. Originally a military base, it had become rather prosperous with the high influx of caravans during the times of peace. It had already become a medium-sized city.
Bright early in the morning, the city gate of Tolon City opened. The city guards armed with spears were standing on each side of the city gate, waiting to inspect the passing caravans. Perhaps because there had been peace for too long, the people of the Dwarf Kingdom had never had much ambition, and there was barely any friction, either. The guards were all sluggish, and most of them were dozing off while holding onto spears.
There was a large caravan that was approaching the Dwarf Kingdom slowly on the avenue rather far away. The ten-odd carriages were full, but they were covered by a cloth; hence, it was unknown what goods they were carrying. Actually, such caravans were common in Tolon City.
The most eye-catching part of this one was the members of the caravan. Apart from the 200 mercenaries of various professions, there were also more than 20 mages.
In fact, it was not a big deal for there to be more than 20 mages in the caravan. However, if someone were to take a closer look, they would find out that the mages were all at least Archmages, and even if they were to encounter any thieves or bandits, they would definitely be able to defeat them.
"Captain, whom does this caravan belong to? The Glittergold Trade Union wouldn't be so arrogant. It'd better not be a hoax to intimidate us," said one of the city guards who noticed that the caravan was approaching.
"Those are not for intimidating others. I heard that that caravan belongs to a force from the Breezy Plains called the Tower of Dusk," said one of the city guards.
"Breezy Plains? That seems to be very far away from us. Where is the Tower of Dusk? I heard that the most arrogant ones from that place are the bandits called Dark Blade. I've never heard of the Tower of Dusk," the city guard said while carefully observing the caravan in front of him. As a citizen of the Ledin Kingdom, he didn't have much respect for mages. In fact, it was just like how people of the Felan Kingdom didn't respect clergymen.
"Who cares? As long as the caravan is not from the Brilliance Shrine, we'll call the shots here. Check them," said the city guard, who then walked towards the mage who was clearly the leader of the caravan.
Watching as their captain walked over, the other city guards pursed their lips in envy, and walked towards the carriage behind the caravan, preparing to inspect the cargo inside the carriage. However, before they could even do so, they received orders to let the caravan pass.
Still, no one found it strange at all, because those things happened every single day, and after the caravan entered the city, they would be able to obtain the benefits they deserved from the captain.
"Hah, gold coins? This Tower of Dusk is really interesting." Everyone didn't know how much the captain had got, but they received five gold coins each, which was enough to make them feel satisfied. After all, their monthly salary was only 10 gold coins.
The Tower of Dusk's caravan entered Tolon City, and stopped in front of the largest hotel. In cities along borders, there would be countless caravans passing by. Hence, there were plenty of hotels in the city, and most of them often contained extremely spacious yards for the guests to park their carriages.
The caravan of the Tower of Dusk was led by Archmage Gavin. Due to the fact that his strength had already reached the peak of level-19, he had an understanding of the Legendary-realm. At this stage, there was no point in learning anymore, so he handed the matters over to the Tower of Dusk and took the trip as training.
However, at present, Gavin's goal of training and gaining experience seemed to be difficult to achieve. With the current power of the escort, no one would be willing to waste their efforts on a caravan like that. There were more than 200 mercenaries, but they were all just like coolies who were sent by the forces that surrendered to the Tower of Dusk. However, the 20 Archmages were all well-equipped, and even an ordinary powerhouse of the Legendary-realm would never dare to provoke them.
After arranging everything for the caravan, Gavin turned down his companions' invitation, and instead sat alone in his room to read some books about magic. He carefully tried to experience the enlightenment of the Legendary-realm. In the past, he'd even had the idea to give up on studying magic, thinking that being an Archmage was his limit. Instead, he turned his attention to pursuing authority. However, he now realized that the Legendary-realm wasn't completely out of his reach, and that his d.e.s.i.r.e for power in the past was way too ridiculous.
The Legendary-realm was something that he dared not think about prior to this,
and yet the young mage Lin Li had actually managed to discover the mystery of the Legendary-realm within just two years! At the thought of everything he'd experienced in the past two years, Gavin felt rather emotional.
The darkness gradually shrouded the city of Tolon, which had fallen silent. There were no noises at all, except at the hotels that were still open for business. There would occasionally be some sounds of laughter and angry cussing. In the largest hotel in Tolon City, the oil lamps that lit up the windows went out one after another, and the people who had been getting busy for an entire day began to rest.
However, at this moment, there were neat footsteps shuffling on both sides of the wide street outside the hotel, followed by the appearance of rows of soldiers, who soon surrounded the hotel under the command of an officer. A few of them stepped forth and knocked on the door, and the sounds of their knocking became extremely ear-piercing in the quiet night.
Gavin closed the book of magic and dimmed the magic lamp on the table. Just as he was about to begin meditating, he heard a loud noise from outside, followed by the sounds of footsteps shuffling.
"Sir, have you gotten enough rest? Hurry and come here. There are soldiers in the yard who want to check and seal our cargo," said an anxious Halsanki, who was in charge of guarding the goods at night.
Gavin couldn't help but frown. This time, they were transporting 15 magical Crystal Cannons that Lin Li had requested. Such powerful long-range assault weapons were generally banned in all nations, but no one raised any objections now that it was a time of peace. Besides, the Tower of Dusk had already sent Crystal Cannons using this route more than once, yet the city guard of Tolon City actually only came to seize their goods now all of a sudden, which was rather confusing.
Of course, regardless of the reason, Gavin wouldn't really allow the soldiers to take the magical Crystal Cannons away. After all, each Crystal Cannon cost hundreds of thousands of gold coins, and 15 of them would cost nearly 10,000,000 gold coins. The Tower of Dusk was not going to waste their money even if they were wealthy. It's time those guys got to work, Gavin thought.
