by Zhuang Bifan
When Lin Li first established the Tower of Dusk, his knowledge of the various forces of the Breezy Plains was actually based on the rankings, and the traditional forces in the Breezy Plains were rather repulsed by outsiders like him. Hence, they naturally would not tell him which forces to be careful about in the Breezy Plains. As for the Malfa Family, they were actually also considered an external force, even though they had a cooperative relationship with the Tower of Dusk. They had only been established in the Breezy Plains for hundreds of years, and had yet to integrate themselves into the circle of traditional forces in the Breezy Plains.
However, there was something about Lin Li that Cheyenne could not compare to, and that was his sources of information, which were not limited to the Breezy Plains. In particular, he had been shuttling between the Brilliance Shrine and the Darkness Shrine, both of which had been standing strong since the end of the Dark Age. Everything that had happened in Anril after the Dark Age was known to them, what more information on the traditional forces.
Hence, after hearing Alan mention the unknown forces, Lin Li immediately thought of the so-called established forces which often hid behind a facade. He linked it to the information in his memory, and could almost guess the identity of the unknown forces. In Lin Li's opinion, the greatest suspects in the Breezy Plains would be the Blood Moon Clan and the Mithril Alliance. Of course, they definitely had the support of many other forces.
It was said that the predecessor of the Blood Moon Clan was the Blood Moon Guards helmed by a High Elven leader. Most of its members carried the blood of both humans and the High Elves. Of course, the hybridization did not mean that the High Elves had mated with humans. After all, mating was not the only method of hybridization in Anril. Besides, apart from the hybridization between High Elves and humans, there were also hybrids of humans and wyrms, or humans and Abyssal Demons. In short, the Blood Moon Guards were also labeled as the Hybrid Legion by the rebellion forces at the end of the Dark Age.
During the war at the end of the Dark Age, the Blood Moon Guards and the High Elven lord failed to stop the rebellion forces. As a result, the High Elven lord was killed, while the remaining survivors of the Blood Moon Guards fled into the Abyss. The rebellion forces only disbanded at the end of the Dark Age because of a conflict of interests, and the remaining members of the Blood Moon Guards quietly returned to Anril. They then became a powerful underground force under the name "Blood Moon Clan" in the Breezy Plains.
The hybridized members of the Blood Moon Clan were no different from humans when they were not awakened, and no one noticed them for a long time. Their secret was only discovered when the Brilliance Shrine was purifying a heretic from the Blood Moon Clan. However, at that time, the power of the Brilliance Shrine was no longer effective in the Breezy Plains. Hence, they decided to leave something behind in the Felan Kingdom.
Of course, not all members of the Blood Moon Clan were hybrids now, because they did not have the hybridization techniques that were used back then. Only the core members of the clan were hybridized humans, who were definitely terrifyingly powerful since they could live until now.
Unlike the Blood Moon Clan, the Mithril Alliance was a force that was purely made up of humans, and had a longer history than them. It had already existed in the Breezy Plains at the end of the Dark Age, and was truly an established force. The original Mithril Alliance was composed of 13 families of the Breezy Plains, none of which the Malfa Family could compare to. At the end of the Dark Age, they became the actual rulers of the Breezy Plains, and even the Felan Kingdom could not intervene or mess with them.
However, during the battle with the Blood Moon Clan, seven families of the Mithril Alliance were destroyed. One of the reasons was because the Blood Moon Clan was incredibly powerful, but another was that there was an internal war within the Mithril Alliance. After the demise of the seven families, the remaining six families of the Mithril Alliance quickly reached a truce with the Blood Moon Clan to stop the war, and they split the huge wealth acc.u.mulated by the seven fallen families amongst themselves.
The Blood Moon Clan and the Mithril Alliance were hidden in the present-day Breezy Plains, and only very few people knew about the state of those two forces. In fact, most people had never even heard of their names. However, they had plenty of informants who lurked in every corner across the Breezy Plains.
It was said that many factions in the Breezy Plains were actually controlled by those forces. As long as interests were concerned, they would definitely be present.
Although the Tower of Dusk used to develop rapidly in the past as well, their pharmaceutical business, which was a mainstay industry, was still restricted by the market. Regardless of how he increased the supply and production volume of the potions, the market demand would not change much. Expensive potions were not a consumer good that everyone could afford, and potions were not meant to be good, either. Most people would purchase potions and reserve them for emergencies. Hence, regardless of the rapid development of the Tower of Dusk, they could only reach the level of the Dark Blade at best due to the limitations.
However, after establishing cooperation with the Brilliance Shrine and the Ledin Kingdom which provided the supply of high-quality ore, the Tower of Dusk began to expand their forging business on a larger scale, and there was another surge in their development speed. With such a momentum, they would probably really threaten the status of the Blood Moon Clan and the Mithril Alliance over time. Of course, more importantly, it was because of the massive wealth that the Tower of Dusk had acc.u.mulated. Even the Mithril Alliance and Blood Moon Clan couldn't help but be jealous.
"Okay, got it. Go get some rest, and then return to the Tower of Dusk. Tell Gavin not to worry." Despite having guessed that the matter should have been caused by the Mithril Alliance and the Blood Moon Clan, Lin Li did not show any worry or immediately decide to return to the Tower of Dusk.
"But President, you…" Alan could not remain as calm as Lin Li, especially after hearing Lin Li's introduction of the Blood Moon Clan and the Mithril Alliance. He felt even more worried after knowing that the Tower of Dusk was facing an unprecedented powerful enemy this time.
Lin Li waved his hand without further explanation, and said, "I still have some things to handle. I'll return after I'm done. It shouldn't take much time. By the way, the deal with Prince Arthur should have been settled, right?"
"Yes, Prince Arthur has already given those two magical crystals to us," said Alan, who couldn't understand why Lin Li was still concerned about the two Legendary magical crystals at this juncture. However, he had no choice but to suppress his doubts and answer truthfully.
"Okay, keep an eye on those two magical crystals. I'll need them," Lin Li instructed, and dismissed Alan to let him get some rest. He then continued to talk to Englos about pharmaceutics as if the matter just now had nothing to do with him.
On the following day, Alan left the Dawn Cathedral and returned to the Tower of Dusk, filled with worry and doubts. Lin Li, too, flew back to the Holy City, Delano, after bidding goodbye to Englos.
Upon arriving on the Holy Mountain, Lin Li saw a few high-level members of the Brilliance Shrine, and they were once again shocked because of the increase in his strength. However, this time, Lin Li could only apologize to the ones who raised questions about pharmaceutics. Instead, he asked to see Pope Rosario.
Chapter 821 - Returning To The Underground Palace
The higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine knew that Lin Li was very likely to be the Son of The Holy Light, as predicted by His Holiness, Pope Rosario. On top of that, he had even given Pope Rosario an antidote for Viper's poison, and was the benefactor of the Brilliance Shrine. Hence, after hearing that Lin Li wanted to see Pope Rosario, they immediately brought him to the Dawn Cathedral on the top of the Holy Mountain.
Lin Li and Pope Rosario chatted alone with each other for a night, and no one knew what they talked about. All everyone knew was that when Lin Li left, Pope Rosario personall
y sent him to the door of the Dawn Cathedral.
After walking out of the Dawn Cathedral, Lin Li didn't say much to everyone, and simply apologized before using his Power of Flight to fly towards the Darkness Shrine.
When Lin Li landed in the obsidian square in the Night Canyon, the believers of Darkness who noticed him immediately stepped forth to surround him. However, before anyone asked anything, Sendros walked out of the shrine and invited Lin Li to enter while the believers of Darkness watched in shock.
After a night-long conversation, Sendros stood in the obsidian square and watched Lin Li leave the Night Canyon. He shook his head and remained silent, while the high priests glanced at him inquisitively.
The unique structure of the Tower of Dusk in the Breezy Plains had become a wonderful scenery of Doland. Building a magic tower in the shape of a torch was unprecedented and unheard of. In fact, even the mages of the Tower of Dusk did not know that the projection of the burning flame on the top of the tower was the Eternal Furnace built by the legendary Highlord Osric, let alone the outsiders.
Lin Li landed directly on the Black Front Fortress of the Eternal Furnace, where the Lich Ujfalusi, the Vampire Norfeller, and the 40 Death Knights were absorbing the transformed death aura. Ujfalusi and Norfeller had both reached the peak of level-22, while the 40 Death Knights were about level-18 or level-19. It seemed that the Black Front Fortress that was built with the skeleton of the Titan obviously had significant effects on the Undead creatures.
"I've seen the two magical crystals that you got. Are you planning to get those two items this time?" Connoris asked while standing in front of the gate of the Black Front Fortress and scrutinizing the Undead servants.
"Well, you should know about the matters going on in the Tower of Dusk lately. The enemy's strength is unknown, so I can only improve my strength and abilities as much as possible first. While those two magical crystals may be low-level, they should be enough for sustaining the Ice and Fire Domain," said Lin Li as he turned around.
"Seems like you have gained a lot of benefits from your trip this time. You actually…" Connoris finally sensed the changes within Lin Li. Although he had a deep understanding of Lin Li's incredibly overpowering abilities, he couldn't help but be a little dumbfounded at this time.
"Hehe, you're going to be shocked to death when I tell you about it. I did gain some benefits, but I almost died." Lin Li walked out of the Black Front Fortress and talked to Connoris about everything that he had experienced.
"Damn it, the Flame Dragon Lothar. Even though that guy was defeated by the tyrant Balak back then, the fact that he could escape means that his powers are incredible," said Connoris who was secretly rejoicing about the fact that he had left Lin Li's body a long time ago. Otherwise, he would have definitely been scared to death.
"Can you guess why the Immortal King doesn't allow the Dragon of Destruction to appear?" asked Lin Li who suddenly recalled the issue that he had discussed with Nefa and Rogge. In the past, he would immediately ask Connoris any questions that he had. Although Connoris was long-winded, he would always give Lin Li a satisfactory answer in the end. He wondered how much Connoris knew about the Immortal King.
However, Connoris answered directly this time. He simply shook his head, and said, "How would I know? If I reached the Immortal King's level, I wouldn't be what I am now."
Damn, I knew it. Soul Trader? That's just bullshit! Lin Li remained silent and immediately quickened his pace in leaving the Eternal Furnace to go to the Tower of Dusk.
The President is back! The first mage who saw Lin Li rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and even forgot to greet and salute him for a while. He only snapped back to reality and reacted when he heard Lin Li asking him to go look for Gavin. At the same time that this mage proceeded to look for Gavin, the news of Lin Li's return spread quickly too. There was a huge uproar in the Tower of Dusk all of a sudden.
Lately, the businesses of the Tower of Dusk had been obstructed by unknown forces, making every mage of the Tower of Dusk feel rather dejected and depressed. It was not that they were afraid of the enemy, but rather that they wanted to find out who the enemy was because it was necessary to do so even if they wanted to go all out. Everyone knew that the ones who were wreaking havoc and exposed themselves were just small fries, and the real opponent was still hiding behind the scenes. What was the point of getting rid of the insignificant ones? On the contrary, it might even allow others to have a hold on the Tower of Dusk and criticize their credibility.
However, the President was now back! When the Tower of Dusk was attacked by the Dark Blade in the past, Lin Li returned and used just one magic spell to defeat the two Legendary powerhouses of the Dark Blade.
Those forces that are hiding in the dark and getting up tricks should get ready to be doomed this time! The mages of the Tower of Dusk seemed to blindly trust and admire Lin Li. They all felt that there was no issue that their young President could not solve.
"President, I'm sorry, this matter is the result of my negligence," Gavin immediately apologized with a guilty expression and his head hung low after he saw Lin Li.
"It is indeed negligence on your part, and your punishment is indispensable, but it is not the time for you to be punished now. Go pick out 40 mages according to their strength now. I have something to attend to. We'll talk about your matters later." Lin Li waved his hand and dismissed Gavin. Although the stolen things were of little value to him, and he also knew that betrayal was inevitable for a force, Gavin was undeniably liable for it. There would be rewards for merits, and penalties for those who commit mistakes. Although he had always been satisfied with Gavin's performance, Lin Li couldn't ignore the matter this time.
Soon, Gavin picked out 40 Archmages who were either level-18 or level-19, plus Alan who had entered the Legendary-realm. Lin Li didn't say much to everyone, and simply told them to follow him. He then led them out of the Tower of Dusk and headed towards the Dragon Mountains.
As soon as they entered the mountains, the sky suddenly turned dark and the massive Humerus Wyrm appeared above them together with the Lich Ujfalusi. A black ray of lightning landed beside Lin Li before taking shape. It was the Vampire Norfeller. The mages of the Tower of Dusk already knew the two Undead servants very well; hence, they were not shocked even though the latter's appearance was sudden.
However, there were soon sounds of quick galloping, and the cavalry unit formed by 40 Holy Death Knights emerged behind the team under the lead of a Paladin Retribution Knight. Although the Holy Death Knights lived on the top of the Tower of Dusk, no one had ever seen them before. The mages in the team became rather nervous.
However, after the Holy Death Knights caught up with the team, they immediately slowed down without revealing any intention to attack. Hence, the mages felt secretly relieved. At the same time, they also understood that the terrifying Holy Death Knights were the young President Lin Li's subordinates.
However, it was not over yet. An alchemy aircraft landed in front of the team. Connoris got out of it, after which he used an Alchemy Array to retrieve the aircraft, and then walked towards Lin Li.
"Don't you know how to fly? Why did you bother bringing this aircraft? I thought that coward Angelano was also coming," said Lin Li as he rolled his eyes at Connoris with extreme contempt.
Previously, Lin Li also wanted to get Angelano to come along. After all, the strength of the Titan-level Alchemy Colossus was already near the Sanctuary-realm, and it should be useful against the Retribution Knight Rodhart.
However, Angelano wasn't his servant, after all. Upon hearing that they were going to fight a terrible enemy, he immediately shook his head profusely without saying anything else.
"I got that cowardly goblin to make this. Don't you think that this thing can fetch a good price?" Connoris said excitedly while walking and telling Lin Li merrily about the new business opportunity that he had found.
"Let's wait until we overcome this obstacle," Lin Li said without hesitation like a
wet blanket.
Although Lin Li was rather calm about the matter, it did not mean that he didn't care about it. In fact, he was well aware that the trouble encountered by the Tower of Dusk this time was definitely more serious than the previous ones. Since the Blood Moon Clan could survive for so long as the remaining forces of the High Elves and become one of the largest underground forces in the Breezy Plains, they were definitely terrifying. The Mithril Alliance had come from the Dark Age, which was dominated by the High Elves, and they even fought the Blood Moon Clan later on. Had they not had any powerful means, they would probably have been destroyed long ago.
Apart from those two forces, Lin Li had also thought of a few other top forces which had probably all played a certain role in this matter. The top forces were deeply rooted in the Breezy Plains, and had already been running businesses for over 1000 years. Perhaps they might not be well known, but they definitely had extraordinary strength.
The Tower of Dusk could be considered to be facing the entire Breezy Plains, and not just a single force. After overcoming this obstacle, everything would be settled easily. From then on, the Tower of Dusk would become the top force in the Breezy Plains.
That was precisely the reason Lin Li had no choice but to lead his subordinates to the underground palace despite having yet to figure out the details about Rodhart and come up with a stable and appropriate solution. He had to obtain Polar Snow and Raging Flames at all costs, even if it meant destroying the Ice and Fire Domain. He would only have the confidence to lead the Tower of Dusk through the obstacle if he owned all seven pieces of the debris of the stars.
The fort in the Dragon Mountains, which used to be the lair of the Syer Bandits, had already been destroyed beyond recognition. Lin Li led the team through the collapsed walls and the ruins. Soon, they arrived at the mountain cave behind the odd-shaped rocks. Lin Li paused for a while in front of the unassuming cave, feeling a little nervous. After all, he was about to face the Retribution Knight Rodhart who had made the entire Breezy Plains shudder.
