Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

"It can't be, how is that possible!? Creating life is not something that mortals can tamper with!" Connoris exclaimed, finding it hard to accept. Although everyone knew how strong and powerful the godly Immortal King was, he still wasn't a true god, after all.

  "Since he's called the Immortal King, do you think he can still be called a mortal?" Even Lin Li still couldn't quite believe it at this time, let alone Connoris. The ones who could create life were probably supreme existences even amongst gods and deities. Legend had it that the Immortal King was a near-god existence, but he seemed to have done beyond that.

  After a long time, Connoris finally suppressed the shock in his heart. He then recalled another problem, and frantically asked, "I remember what you said just now. The Ashen Warlock said that my body is flawed?"

  "Yes," Lin Li answered, and he continued what he'd said to Connoris again. "We've always thought that you just haven't fused with the perfect body yet. However, since the Ashen Warlock could bring up these issues even though he hasn't met you before, there should be nothing wrong with it."

  "Damn it, what did Osric learn from the Immortal King!?" Connoris couldn't help but curse. When he first met Lin Li, he just wanted a stronger body which would allow him to get out of that hammer. Getting the perfect body was considered an unexpected surprise to him. However, after hearing that the body was flawed, he still could not help but feel a little disappointed.

  "You don't need to be too disappointed. Now that I have the journal of the Immortal King, I might be able to find some ways to help you make up for your physical flaws." Lin Li was not just comforting Connoris. As the perfect body had already been formed, it would be impossible for him to remake it in the furnace. However, if he were to master all the techniques of the Immortal King, he should be able to reduce the impact of the flaws after some modifications.

  "That's the only solution we have now. I'll count on you from now on," Connoris agreed before throwing the problem back to Lin Li. He then continued to fiddle with the Death Knight in the crystal coffin.

  Gavin and the others announced the news of the events that had happened in Gran Town, which caused the entire Tower of Dusk to go into an uproar. Who wouldn't want the force that they belonged to to become stronger? Besides, the three major forces couldn't even do anything to the Tower of Dusk despite joining forces. Didn't that mean that the Tower of Dusk was extremely powerful? All the people who did not have much faith in the Tower of Dusk previously were convinced now, and they thought that the forces that were going against the Tower of Dusk should all go to hell!

  Having understood the competency and abilities of the Tower of Dusk, they never thought that they were worse than any of the three major forces. Besides, they felt that they would be able to stand up to the three major forces even if they were to unite. However, both parties would end up being hurt. Everyone knew how terrifying the Ashen Warlock was, and now that the Tower of Dusk had the protection of the Ashen Warlock, they wouldn't have to worry about the three major forces!

  Not long after, the news spread around the Tower of Dusk, and everyone's opinion was confirmed. The boycott led by the major forces almost ceased overnight. The potions and magical weapons that were stolen from the Tower of Dusk were still produced and sold in large quantities by the other forces, but the prices had since increased by a large amount. Although the prices were still much lower than the product price listed by the Tower of Dusk, the difference was not major. Lin Li reckoned that the forces probably didn't want to offend the upstart of the Breezy Plains, the Tower of Dusk. They didn't want to end up compensating them with a large amount of gold coins, either.

  In fact, what worried the mages of the Tower of Dusk the most was the boycott led by the three groups of bandits in the past. After all, the Tower of Dusk had a wide network of commercial connections, and there would be caravans coming and going in all directions every day. If those forces were ruthless enough, they would definitely affect the reputation of the Tower of Dusk even if they couldn't completely boycott them.

  However, the words of the Ashen Warlock became a protective amulet for the Tower of Dusk. No force in the Breezy Plains dared to break the peace and order of the Breezy Plains. Hence, extreme behavior like carrying out an armed robbery on the caravans of the Tower of Dusk would be impossible.

  However, with Lin Li's reminder, the senior executives did not let their guard down. After all, the three major forces had been running businesses in the Breezy Plains for over 1000 years. Apart from simple and violent means, they would definitely resort to other scheming tricks. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that the Ashen Warlock needed Lin Li's help this time, Joseph's conspiracy would have succeeded. Given Ashen Warlock's character, he wouldn't care if Lin Li was a genius or not.

  Nonetheless, there had been a major change in the predicament of the Tower of Dusk after the gathering in Gran Town this time. At least they no longer had to face the suppression by other forces of the Breezy Plains. Some of those who had unanimously set up obstacles for the Tower of Dusk had given up, while some seemed to be acting perfunctorily, and of course some had not given up.

  At this moment, Lin Li devoted most of his energy to the improvement of his own abilities. Although he managed to help the Tower of Dusk resolve a major problem successfully this time thanks to the protection of the Ashen Warlock, he still felt uncomfortable about having his fate lie in the hands of someone else. If Lin Li had had Sanctuary-realm power this time, the three major forces probably wouldn't have dared to covet the Tower of Dusk even if he couldn't compare to the Ashen Warlock.

  Of course, there was another important reason for Lin Li's desperate d.e.s.i.r.e to improve, and that was the fact that the disaster that Geresco had predicted was getting closer. There wasn't much time left for Lin Li. Perhaps he had less than a year left—he had to step into the Sanctuary-realm before that. He had to seal the big rift like Geresco had mentioned. Otherwise, the entire Anril would be stuck in the catastrophe.

  Having seen the big rift in the Eternal Darkness Altar, Lin Li realized that the disaster that Geresco had predicted was really not an exaggeration. According to Rogge, there was a terrifying existence hidden in the big rifts that had to be sealed. Even Rogge was daunted. Once the disaster struck Anril, no one would be able to stop it from destroying the world.

  Stepping into the Sanctuary-realm might be considered illusory for most people. Even those who had also seen a trace of the power of the Sanctuary-realm might not be able to do it just with determination. However, there were too many precious treasures in Lin Li's hands which contained the seven basic Laws, such as the debris of the stars, the God of Mages Geresco's Book of Eternity, the control crystal that contained infinite mana, and the resurrected Seed of Eternity, as well as the magical crystal of the Dragon of Destruction. If he still couldn't take the crucial step with so many treasures, he would be better off dead.

  The control crystal of the Sky Castle was taken out of the Ring of Endless Storm and placed in the meditation room. Lin Li could bask in the pure, infinite mana every moment. Although Lin Li had reached the peak of the Legendary-realm, the meditation was still very useful and effective for him.

  More importantly, Lin Li did not restrict the magic tides of the control crystal, allowing them to fill the entire interior of the Tower of Dusk. Hence, in the process of him striving to enter the Sanctuary-realm, the mages of the Tower of Dusk were also basking in the magic tide at the same time. Even if they were not mediating deliberately, they could still reap great benefits from it.

  However, stepping into the Sanctuary-realm required more than just pure acc.u.mulation of mana. The real key lay in mastering the nomological power and the usage of power through the understanding of the laws. The Sanctuary-realm was about mastering the Laws and making the nomological power their own.

  Comprehension and enlightenment came before mastery. Only by comprehending the laws to the extreme could one truly master the Laws. Some people could understand the true meaning of
the Laws immediately, but Lin Li couldn't pin his hopes of entering the Sanctuary-realm on such an ethereal and illusory guarantee. However, he didn't have time to slowly acc.u.mulate.

  However, Lin Li had fortunately obtained all seven pieces of the debris of the stars which contained the seven laws of the world. It could be considered the epitome of the seven laws. It was just like how tasting honey would be better than imagining the taste of honey. Those seven pieces were like real honey which Lin Li had had the chance of tasting, thus giving him an advantage over the others.

  Although Lin Li relied on the Power of Light and Darkness to achieve his current accomplishments, the seven laws were closely related. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to constitute an entire world. Hence, even if Lin Li only wanted to get an extreme comprehension of the Laws of Light and Darkness, comprehending the other five fundamental Laws would be very beneficial to him too. Besides, Lin Li was not satisfied with just mastering the Power of Light and Darkness. After all, only Sanctuary powerhouses could be considered godly existences.

  Chapter 847 - Surging Dark Tides

  Apart from comprehending the basic laws of the seven pieces of the debris of the stars, Lin Li did not slack in reading the Book of Eternity. Having really seen the power of the Sanctuary powerhouses, Lin Li had a deeper understanding of the issues mentioned in the Book of Eternity.

  The things recorded in the Book of Eternity were more than just powerful magic spells. It also included the detailed experience of each stage of the journey that the God of Mages took to enter the Sanctuary-realm. Reading the Book of Eternity was just like following Geresco from the Legendary-realm to the Sanctuary-realm, and making the best choices at every junction after breaking through the obstacles along the way.

  That was probably the reason Geresco, who had left the Book of Eternity behind, had such great faith and confidence that the person who obtained the Book of Eternity would be able to enter the Sanctuary-realm in a very short time to accomplish the great feat of sealing the big rift.

  Having comprehended the debris of the stars and read the Book of Eternity, Lin Li didn't forget to continue incubating the Dragon of Destruction's crystal. Actually, he still wouldn't be able to hatch a descendant of the Dragon of Destruction like Tutankhamun and Nefa. His main purpose was to acquire the experience of the Dragon of Destruction through the infusion of mental strength into the Dragon Crystal of the Dragon of Destruction, as well as the mastery of the Laws of Darkness and Destruction.

  After settling the matters at the Brilliance Shrine and the Darkness Shrine, followed by the purification of Rodhart in the underground palace, Lin Li went on to visit Gran Town where the status of the Tower of Dusk in the Breezy Plains was discussed. With this all done, he finally had some rare leisure time in the Tower of Dusk. However, Lin Li was actually busier than ever, and his days were all fully packed. He had a hectic schedule, and kept himself busy to improve his strength and step into the Sanctuary-realm as soon as possible.

  At the same time, the development of the Tower of Dusk had also begun to get back on track, while the impact of the suppression by the various forces gradually disappeared. However, just like Lin Li had expected previously, not all forces gave up on opposing the Tower of Dusk. Even if they didn't dare to make any extreme attacks on the Tower of Dusk due to the warning from the Ashen Warlock, they would still resort to commercial threats, which were not restricted by the Ashen Warlock.

  However, with the natural disintegration of the alliance of forces that boycotted the Tower of Dusk, the remaining ones that were still targeting the Tower of Dusk seemed rather weak, and could not come up with many methods.

  Initially, almost all the forces of the Breezy Plains—except the Malfa Family and the Glittergold Trade Union, which were close to the Tower of Dusk—had all stopped supplying various raw materials like ores and herbs to the Tower of Dusk. Hence, the Tower of Dusk had no choice but to make up for the shortage of raw materials by increasing the orders from the Ledin Kingdom and the Elven Kingdom. However, that naturally caused the costs to increase accordingly.

  After the gathering in Gran Town ended, the news of the Ashen Warlock being impressed with the Tower of Dusk was spread around the Breezy Plains, and various forces immediately resumed supplying materials to the Tower of Dusk. There were even some forces that took the initiative to lower the price of raw materials in order to salvage their relationship with the Tower of Dusk. After all, after the Tower of Dusk's status was confirmed, it was undoubtedly ranked among the top powers, together with the Mithril Alliance which was part of the three major forces. Including the Glittergold Trade Union, those were now the five major forces of the Breezy Plains. Without a strong background, no one would be willing to fight against such a powerful force. Otherwise, they would be the ones losing out.

  However, there were also several forces that were still refusing to give up, especially the George Family. It was not a member of the five major families of the Mithril Alliance, but it was said that the Mithril Alliance intended to let it join them and become the sixth family of the alliance. The George Family started off with a mining business, and had been in the Breezy Plains for almost a thousand years. They also had several excellent mines.

  In fact, the strength of the George Family might be similar to that of the Malfa Family in the past, or perhaps slightly inferior. Compared to the five major families of the Mithril Alliance, it was way inferior, and was far from being qualified to join the Mithril Alliance. However, the George Family happened to have a mine that produced a rare magical metal known as the Dark Crescent Tungsten. It was produced in small amounts, but it was exactly what the Forging Workshop of the Tower of Dusk needed.

  Initially, the Dark Crescent Tungsten was not valued by the Smithing Masters, because it was not easy to refine, and the usage and dosage were difficult to grasp. However, Lin Li was a Smithing Guru who definitely knew how to use the Dark Crescent Tungsten. Only a small amount of Dark Crescent Tungsten would be used in forging, and as long as one mastered the precise dosage and usage of it, there would be no need for any mageweaths in order to make weapons sharper or stronger. Hence, the Forging Workshop of the Tower of Dusk had long used the Dark Crescent Tungsten in forging, making it one of the necessary magical metals.

  Although the Tower of Dusk also had a swamp mining area which produced various rare magical metals, the output could not keep up with the demand. Hence, they had always been purchasing large amounts of Dark Crescent Tungsten from the George Family to make up for the gap. There were many forces operating forging businesses, and the Tower of Dusk was the only one that purchased the Dark Crescent Tungsten in large quantities. Those who were conscientious would definitely be able to see how important the Dark Crescent Tungsten was to the Tower of Dusk. Hence, it was not surprising that the George Family would refuse to supply the Dark Crescent Tungsten.

  Didn't the Ashen Warlock say that no one was allowed to disrupt the current peace? We were merely refusing to sell our belongings, so no one could say anything about that, aye? Although the George Family would make less money for a short period of time, the mine was not going to become damaged. We would even get to join the Mithril Alliance. What was not to love?

  Since the Dark Crescent Tungsten was a rare magical metal, it couldn't be found anywhere else1. Although the Tower of Dusk still had several raw material supply channels, it still wouldn't be easy to make up for the gap.

  The Archmage Seth who was in charge of the Forging Workshop tried plenty of methods, but still failed to get a piece of ore from the George Family. Hence, he had to report it to Lin LI.

  "He's just a clown who's trying to stir trouble. Since he doesn't want to sell it, let him be,' Lin Li said calmly after hearing the report.

  Soon, the George Family discovered that not only did they stop receiving orders for the Dark Crescent Tungsten, they couldn't sell other ores, either. The various trade unions that usually ordered ores from then had all received a new and cheaper sou
rce of supply overnight, and that was the Tower of Dusk.

  Doesn't the Tower of Dusk have its own Forging Workshop? Why have they begun selling ores again? The George Family tried to find out the reason from the various trade unions, only to hear that the output of the Tower of Dusk had decreased, and the ores that they produced were more than enough. Hence, they had to start selling them. The George Family obviously wouldn't be so silly as to believe that reason. The Tower of Dusk was clearly trying to take revenge on them because they refused to sell the Dark Crescent Tungsten.

  The Forging Workshop of the Tower of Dusk did have their output affected, but they didn't have to rely on selling ores to maintain a livelihood. Besides, the ores that they had sold to the trade unions were not from surplus caused by a reduced output. The current ores for the Tower of Dusk were either from their own territory or purchased from the Ledin Kingdom. Not only did they have an abundance of them now, they would have more than enough when the operation of the Forging Workshop was in full swing.

  Most of the ores used in the Forging Workshop of the Tower of Dusk were actually high-quality ones from the Ledin Kingdom, while the ones sold to the trade unions were all mined from the Tower of Dusk's territory. The quality was similar to that in other areas in the Breezy Plains.

  The George Family had also thought of lowering prices in a bid to win their customers back. However, the benefits that the trade unions obtained were beyond just low prices. It was said that they also had other business partnersh.i.p.s with the Tower of Dusk. Hence, they definitely wouldn't give up the Tower of Dusk and return.

  When the George Family realized the situation, they had no choice but to look for the Mithril Alliance in a bid to come up with a solution. After all, they were working for the Mithril Alliance. However, the five families of the Mithril Alliance were all ancient families that had existed for over a thousand years, and they didn't lack those ores. Although they were wealthy enough to purchase the ores from the George Family, it wouldn't be sustainable in the long run. It would just be like them providing for the George Family.