Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  However, their young age was also the reason for their lack of knowledge about the poisoning of Pope Rosario, even though they were of high status in the Brilliance Shrine. Hence, they were extremely curious about the young mage Lin Li, whom the superiors of the Brilliance Shrine had constantly been talking about.

  Of course, they didn't doubt the authenticity of those compliments that Lin Li was showered with, as the superiors of the Brilliance Shrine wouldn't all be dense and foolish. They didn't feel indignant or unconvinced, either, because that would be too naive for their age. However, deep down, they still found it all a little unbelievable.

  After looking at Lin Li's youthful appearance and feeling the powerful magical waves that were emanating from his body, Sodorma and Havalon couldn't help but be shocked. Had Englos not revealed Lin Li's age a long time ago, the two of them would have thought that the young man in front of them was simply an old fogy in disguise. They thought, He's only in his early twenties, but his magical wave is probably on par with that of Archbishop Englos. Is this young mage really human!?

  "Bishop Sodorma, Knight Commander Havalon, it's an honor to meet you," Lin Li greeted the two politely after hearing Englos' introduction.

  "Oh, Master Felic, hello." Sodorma and Havalon frantically greeted Lin Li as if they had suddenly snapped back to reality.

  Englos understood the reason for his subordinates' behavior; hence, he was not bothered by their momentary slip-up. Instead, he smiled and allowed Lin Li to take a seat. "Felic, please have a seat. Don't mind them, even I was also taken aback by your change when I saw you just now. I remember that when you went to the Darkness Shrine, you should have reached level-23. I really wonder what you encountered in the Darkness Shrine to have achieved such a huge breakthrough in a short amount of time."

  "I have Master Sendros to thank for this. His guidance and permission for me to read the Darkness scriptures allowed me to advance greatly," said Lin Li. He wasn't too worried when he was talking about Sendros and the Darkness Shrine, because he knew that Englos and Sendros had a strong friendship.

  "I'm very clear of that ghoul's1 abilities, and I definitely don't doubt that his guidance could help you advance. However, I am afraid that you did not just advance in level. If I'm not wrong, you should have already seen that door, haven't you?" Englos asked with a look of anticipation as he glanced at Lin Li, who was somewhat similar to Sendros back then.

  Upon hearing Englos' question, Sodorma and Havalon immediately kept their eyes fixed on Lin Li. They knew what Englos meant, and thus their hearts were ricocheting as they looked at Lin Li. The Sanctuary powerhouses in Anril were mostly from the end of the Dark Age, and the things that they had experienced were like myths to most people. Although Lin Li's answer had nothing to do with the two of them, being able to witness the birth of a myth seemed to be an extremely glorious thing to them.

  Under the gaze of the three of them, Lin Li nodded, and said, "Yes, but I didn't get a clear glimpse."

  Lin Li's answer was very gentle and calm, but it sounded like thunder in the ears of Englos and the other two. Sodom and Havalon both seemed to be breathing quickly, and even their bodies were quivering slightly and uncontrollably. For most people, getting to the Sanctuary-realm was simply a delusion and a fantasy—even for most Legendary powerhouses. However, a person who was going to advance from the Legendary-realm to the Sanctuary-realm was right in front of them. Even though they could only fulfill their dreams vicariously through someone else, it was enough to make them feel extremely excited.

  Englos did not ask Lin Li too many questions about his experience in the Darkness Shrine. As a longtime friend of Sendros, he was well aware of how embarrassing it would feel for the person being asked. Hence, after asking about some insignificant matters, Englos switched the topic, and began talking about another interest of his. He took out a notebook and asked Lin Li some questions about pharmaceutics.

  Sodorma and Havalon were already on the verge of breaking down as Archbishop Englos was behaving like a completely different person in front of them now. He was no longer as solemn and stern as he usually was. At this moment, he was holding his notebook in one hand and a pen in the other while asking various questions and taking notes quickly and attentively like a diligent and studious elementary student.

  Sodorma and Havalon did not understand pharmaceutics much, hence their lack of interest. Although they were surprised that Englos was consulting Lin Li, it wasn't as shocking as the information about the Sanctuary-realm. The two of them sat still for a while, but couldn't help fidgeting later. They wondered how they would be dealt with since they had already seen Archbishop Englos behaving in such a manner today. This is stricte just a diss at Sendros and his looks.

  Chapter 819 - Prosperous

  As a result, the two simply smiled at Lin Li when he looked over, and made some hand gestures to hint that they would be leaving, after which they left the room quietly.

  Of course, Lin Li didn't just give Englos some pointers about pharmaceutics. He had also taken the opportunity to ask Englos about the Holy Light theurgy. Although Lin Li had already seen the door to the Sanctuary-realm, he purely only understood and mastered the Power of Light. In terms of Holy Light Magic, he might not be comparable to Archbishop Englos who had studied the Power of Light for a lifetime.

  "Archbishop, there's a mage from the Tower of Dusk outside who would like to see his President for an urgent matter," a young pastor said respectfully to Englos as he entered the room.

  Englos and Lin Li conversed for the entire day, and they were both so excited that they talked about chatting for three days and three nights. However, they had to be interrupted by the mage from the Tower of Dusk before dinnertime even arrived. Although Englos was a little reluctant, he also heard that there was an emergency. He couldn't make Lin Li ignore the urgent matters that he had to attend to.

  Seeing that Lin Li had gotten up and was about to leave, Englos frowned and seemed to have gotten an idea. Smiling, he proposed, "Felic, if you don't mind, why don't you let your subordinate come in and talk about it? I'd like to know who dared to ignore the decree issued by His Holiness Pope Rosario himself."

  In Englos' opinion, the urgent matter that the mage from the Tower of Dusk was referring to should be related to the business of the Tower of Dusk in the Ledin Kingdom. Pope Rosario had already issued a special business rights decree for the Tower of Dusk; hence, anyone who dared to make things difficult for the Tower of Dusk in business would clearly be disrespecting the Brilliance Shrine.

  Lin Li could also tell what Englos was thinking. Hence, he nodded and returned to his seat. In fact, it wasn't surprising. Although Pope Rosario had issued a decree, others could still find their way around it and create trouble. Even on the territory of the Brilliance Shrine, it would still be impossible for the decree to be entirely implemented.

  Seeing that Lin Li had returned to his seat, Englos waved at the young pastor, and said, "Invite the mage from the Tower of Dusk in."

  "Yes, Archbishop," the young pastor quickly replied, secretly rejoicing and feeling thankful about the fact that he fortunately had not disrespected the mage from the Tower of Dusk.

  Although the doctrine of the Brilliance Shrine did not discriminate against beliefs, the profession of a mage was an atheistic one which despised the existence of gods. It was also called blasphemy. The more devout the believers of the Holy Light were, the more they despised the mages who were known as blasphemers. Hence, the believers of the Holy Light often treated mages with a hostile attitude, which they felt was right. This time, it was clearly different because the archbishop told him to "invite" the mage in. The pastor dared not think much about it, but he knew that he would have definitely been in trouble if he had been disrespectful to the mage.

  After a while, the young pastor ushered the mage from the Tower of Dusk into the room. Lin Li was shocked to see who the mage was, because it wasn't the mage who was stationed in Sparta, but Alan who should have st
ayed at the Tower of Dusk.

  Lin Li had initially found it rather strange, for he had already gone to take a look at the various stores in the Ledin Kingdom that belonged to the Tower of Dusk in the morning. Why couldn't the mage have told him about it in the morning? Why would something crop up within such a short period of time? Seeing that the person who came was Alan, Lin Li immediately understood that the problem cropped up in the Tower of Dusk, and not in the Ledin Kingdom.

  "Alan, you've finally done it," said Lin Li. Although he knew that something had happened in the Tower of Dusk, Lin Li did not rush to ask. Instead, he paid more attention to something else.

  Alan was a mage from the first batch of members of the Tower of Dusk. Among the mages of the Tower of Dusk, he could be considered the most talented one. However, due to the fact that he had wasted a lot of time by making mistakes during his study of magic, he had been progressing very slowly after becoming a Magic Shooter. Lin Li had long given advice for Alan's problem, but long-term efforts were still necessary for his bad habits to be overcome.

  Indeed, Alan did not disappoint Lin Li. When Lin Li went to Alanna previously, more than 10 mages including Alan had reached the peak of level-19, and had even vaguely gotten in contact with some of the Laws of the Legendary-realm. Hence, it would only be right for Alan to enter the Legendary-realm at this moment, and it should not be too surprising.

  However, Lin Li ought to celebrate the fact that the Tower of Dusk had produced its first Legendary-mage. With the first one, there would be a second one. There would definitely be more mages from the Tower of Dusk entering the Legendary-realm in the future. A force could only secure a footing in Anril if they could produce Legendary powerhouses like the Brilliance Shrine and Darkness Shrine.

  "This is all thanks to your guidance which allowed me to take this step, President," Alan said humbly while glancing at Lin Li with zealous admiration and awe.

  "This is because of your efforts too. Tell me what you're here for. Did you come straight from the Tower of Dusk?" asked Lin Li who noticed that Alan was dressed simply like he had just rushed out of a sandstorm. He had clearly traveled a long distance.

  "President, this matter…" Alan said hesitantly as he glanced at Englos who was beside Lin Li.

  "Don't worry, just say it," Lin Li said indifferently. Although he had already guessed that the incident might be related to the Tower of Dusk, he felt that there was no need to avoid letting Englos hear it.

  "Yes, President," said Alan, a little more confident after hearing Lin Li's words. He expressed his apology and saluted Englos before continuing, "President, our businesses at the Tower of Dusk have been suffering some joint attacks by a few unknown forces. They've resorted to lowly tricks like slandering us, and also competed with us maliciously in terms of business. They truly resort to all tricks. Besides, we've also found that some unknown forces are infiltrating Doland City. They seem to be after something big."

  The situation that Alan mentioned was considered a huge blow to a force, especially one that had just risen. In fact, most of the time, such blows would be fatal. Ever since the end of the Dark Age, countless emerging forces that were once promising perished under such attacks. Some had no choice but to give in and abide by the old forces. However, they were still devoured in the end.

  However, Lin Li did not show any anger after hearing what Alan said. Instead, he asked calmly in a playful tone, "Anything else?"

  "And…" Alan hesitated for a while before saying with a look of guilt and embarrassment, "One of our mages has somehow been bribed by another force and stolen the forging sketches for our magical equipment and some of the formulas for our potions."

  The commercial obstacles that Alan mentioned beforehand were due to external forces, but the fact that his subordinate had been bribed meant that there was definitely a problem with his internal management. Besides, it was considered their dirty linen, and yet he had to wash it in public, in front of the people from the Brilliance Shrine. That would be tantamount to embarrassing the President, and it was no wonder that Alan would have such a peculiar expression.

  "I was just wondering, how could they have possibly missed this trick?" said Lin Li who remained calm, not surprised by what Alan said. In fact, from the establishment of the Tower of Dusk and the beginning of the development of the pharmaceutical and forging businesses, Lin Li had already expected that that would happen. Loyalty only existed when the price offered for betrayal was too insignificant. Although that saying was not absolute, it was still applicable to most people.

  Since the establishment of the Tower of Dusk, Lin Li had already known that bribery would be inevitable. Even a major religious force like the Brilliance Shrine had its own traitors, let alone the Tower of Dusk. Not only did they have traitors who betrayed the Brilliance Shrine for their own interests, they were definitely far more than the Tower of Dusk. However, the Brilliance Shrine had a solid foundation, and the traitors wouldn't affect the Brilliance Shrine much.

  As for the Tower of Dusk, regardless of how rapidly they were developing, they were still an emerging force that had been established for only more than two years in the eyes of others. Didn't the foundation and background of the force rely on their pharmaceutical and forging businesses? As soon as those two pillars were gone, they would instantly crumble regardless of how high they climbed. The higher they were, the harder they would fall.

  "Felic, now that I think about it, it feels like it was yesterday that I participated in your inauguration ceremony. In the blink of an eye, the Tower of Dusk has already accomplished so much. Even I am a little jealous of such a high development speed." At this time, Englos cracked a joke with Lin Li in a relaxed tone.

  Lin Li was not at all annoyed, and instead said with a smile, "Yeah, the development is too fast, it is inevitable for others to think that we might have an unstable foundation. There will always be those who want to try and challenge us and see what we're made of."

  In fact, when it came to the foundation, the Tower of Dusk would indeed not be that strong if Lin Li did not have his Undead servants, Connoris' perfect body, and Angelano who controlled an Alchemy Colossus. In the eyes of others, it was at best just a force that was led by a Legendary-level President. The rapid development of the Tower of Dusk had brought about massive wealth to them, but they did not have the ability to keep the money. Just like with a child carrying a bag of gold, everyone would definitely covet their wealth.

  If the owner of this massive amount of wealth was replaced by a force like the Brilliance Shrine or the Darkness Shrine, or even the Supreme Council, who else would dare to covet it?

  Chapter 820 - Complex And Complicated

  Take the Brilliance Shrine as an example. Putting the pope and the four archbishops aside, the cardinals alone were at least Legendary powerhouses. There were also the Brilliance Knights who were responsible for guarding, and were led by a Sword Sage. Actually, there were nearly 100 Legendary powerhouses in the Brilliance Shrine. Such a force was not to be trifled with at all.

  As for the Tower of Dusk, there were barely any such powerhouses apart from the Legendary-level President and his Legendary Undead servants, at least in the eyes of others. Even if the other mages already reached the peak of level-19, they would still be unable to pose any threat to a real Legendary powerhouse unless they took the last step.

  "However, even if it's just you and your two Undead servants, I doubt there'll be many forces who dare to go against you," said Englos, who actually wasn't too sure about the actual power of the Tower of Dusk. However, he knew that Lin Li's abilities were at the pinnacle of the Legendary-realm, and he definitely was too strong for an ordinary Legendary powerhouse to contend with. Hence, he wasn't too worried about the Tower of Dusk at this moment.

  "Yeah, the Breezy Plains isn't large after all," Lin Li said with a nod.

  Actually, the top force of the Breezy Plains was definitely the Glittergold Trade Union. Even in the Felan Kingdom and the entire Anril, th
e Glittergold Trade Union was considered a powerful force. However, the Glittergold Trade Union was the first to establish a cooperative relationship with the Tower of Dusk because they were well aware of the true value of the Tower of Dusk, and also knew that their longtime cooperation had allowed them to continuously obtain considerable benefits. Hence, it definitely wasn't the Glittergold Trade Union.

  The Dark Blade used to be the top bandit force of the Breezy Plains, and if it were in the past, they would definitely be one of the culprits. Unfortunately, as the three Legendary leaders were gone, the Dark Blade had become so weak that it could barely survive. Although the Tower of Dusk had not taken any action against the remaining members of the Dark Blade, the Malfa Family definitely wouldn't allow the second Dark Blade to appear.

  As for the Malfa Family, they might be the top family in the Breezy Plains, but they were no longer on the same level as the Tower of Dusk in terms of strength. Given Cheyenne's wits and shrewdness, he definitely wouldn't participate in such things. Moreover, the cooperation between the Malfa Family and the Tower of Dusk would only bring him even more benefits. On the contrary, the Tower of Dusk becoming unstable would be the last thing that they wanted.

  Whenever the top forces of the Breezy Plains were concerned, the top 10 bandit groups, top families, and major mercenary corps would definitely be mentioned and ranked according to power. However, in the vast Breezy Plains, there were plenty of forces of various sizes, some of which existed even since the Dark Age. How could they be defined based on just some rankings? The established forces were actually disdainful of such boring games, and they preferred manipulating things behind the scenes. Interests were the most important to them.