Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  Although Donald was unable to sense the changes in the World Laws, he was still very s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to the magical elements as a Legendary-mage who was at the peak of the Legendary-realm. Hence, he immediately sensed that the magical elements in his surroundings had clearly grown tremendously compared to when he'd entered the Sky Castle.

  "Since when have the magical elements in Anril become so intense? However, isn't that a good thing? Master Felic, what are you worried about?" Although Donald could sense the changes in the magical elements, he could not understand what Lin Li was worried about. After all, the increase in the density of magical elements was indeed a good thing for mages.

  Legend had it that there had been four large-scale magic tides in the history of Anril. Whenever each magic tide appeared, it would allow a large number of mages who were stuck in a bottleneck to break through, allowing human magic civilization to develop by leaps and bounds.

  The benefits of breaking through bottlenecks were not just an increase in strength. For example, if a level-19 Archmage could never enter the Legendary-realm, his lifespan might be about 100 years, but once he suddenly broke through a bottleneck and stepped into the Legendary-realm, he would immediately get another 100 years of life. Hence, to most mages, the appearance of a magic tide was definitely a wonderful opportunity that appeared once in a century.

  Only those who really stood at the top of Anril, such as the three Arbitrators of the Supreme Council and Pope Rosario of the Brilliance Shrine, would know that the magic tides brought about more than just opportunities to mankind. Whenever a magic tide appeared, it would be accompanied by a great disaster known as a Black Current. Even Pope Rosario of the Brilliance Shrine was injured by the Primordial Viper in one, which was evidence of how terrifying the Black Current was.

  That was also what Lin Li was worried about. Back in the Blackstone Mountains, Tutankhamun had once mentioned the Black Current and the magic tides. In fact, the Black Current was not a true disaster. The real disaster for the entire Anril was the magic tides caused by the continuous expansion of the spatial rift. The expansion of the spatial rift would not only lead to the invasion of a large number of prehistoric magical beasts, it might also lead to the collapse of the structure of the World Laws. By then, Anril might really crumble.

  The mission that Geresco had given Lin Li was to seal the spatial rifts caused by the collapse of the Tree of Eternity after he became strong enough. Hence, Lin Li had always been particularly concerned about the spatial rifts. Even though he did not like being a hero who saved the world, he could not sit still and watch Anril get destroyed for the sake of his own survival.

  Now, the changes that appeared in Anril immediately made Lin Li think of the issue of the spatial rifts. The sudden increase in intensity of the magical elements seemed to be similar to the description of the magic tides in the legends. Did that mean that the disaster that Geresco mentioned had arrived in advance?

  Lin Li controlled the Sky Castle and flew straight towards the Holy Mountain of the Brilliance Shrine, not specifically because he wanted to send Archbishop Martin and the others back, but more importantly because he wanted to learn more about everything that happened in Anril recently from Pope Rosario. After all, only someone like Pope Rosario would be able to know more profound things.

  Although the Sky Castle was massive, they could still fly through it quickly. It only took them less than half an hour of flying above the boundless wilderness of the northwestern border of the Ledin Kingdom to reach the vicinity of the Holy Mountain.

  The arrival of the Sky Castle naturally made the people of the Brilliance Shrine and the Ledin Kingdom nervous. No one would be able to stay calm in the face of such a massive object. Soon, the Giant Vulture Knights of the Ledin Kingdom and the Pegasus Knights of the Brilliance Shrine took flight from their respective quarters, and cautiously approached the Sky Castle.

  "Master Felic, I'll just go out and explain to them, so don't be anxious yet. Please don't be impatient." Seeing this, Archbishop Martin immediately tensed up. However, it was because he was worried that Lin Li might annihilate the two major knight orders out of his impatience. After visiting the Sky Castle, he was very confident that the Sky Castle definitely possessed such power.

  "Archbishop Martin, don't be nervous. Since I'm here as a guest, I don't want to be a malicious one. Please go and inform them," Lin Li said nonchalantly to the archbishop. At the same time, he was also observing the two knight orders that were flying close to the Sky Castle.

  The Giant Vulture Knights of the Ledin Kingdom rode giant vultures that had a wingspan of nearly 20 meters, and their large bodies could support a person riding on their backs. The knights were all wearing light armor, and they seemed extremely small on the backs of the vultures. They were each carrying a special crossbow, which was their main method of attack. Clearly, the Giant Vulture Knights did not have strong combat power, and only answered for vanguard during battles. Usually, they were in charge of keeping order in the city.

  On the other hand, the Pegasus Knights of the Brilliance Shrine were riding pegasuses with white wings that were similar to those of unicorns. In fact, they were mutant pegasuses that had been passed down from the dark ages, and had nothing to do with unicorns. They purely had feathered wings. Besides, most of their wings were black or mixed in color. The Brilliance Shrine had merely chosen the white ones.

  The pegasuses looked rather valiant, but in fact, they had almost no combat power. The knights on their backs were the ones who were mainly responsible for the battle. Hence, the Pegasus Knights of the Brilliance Shrine almost had no achievements that they were proud of. Their roles were similar to those of the Giant Vulture Knights of the Brilliance Shrine.

  After looking at the Giant Vulture Knights and the Pegasus Knights, Lin Li could also imagine why the Gryphon Riders of the Felan Kingdom could have such a high reputation. The giant vultures and pegasuses only gave the knights the ability to fly, while the gryphons were real magical beasts that were physically strong, powerful, and had high talent in magic. The Giant Vulture Knights and Pegasus Knights would probably be defeated terribly by the Gryphon Riders of the Felan Kingdom.

  While Lin Li was observing the Giant Vulture Knights and Pegasus Knights, Archbishop Martin had already arrived outside the Sky Castle, and declared his identity as the archbishop of the Brilliance Shrine. After a conversation, Archbishop Martin waved his hand domineeringly, and two groups of knights finally flew away from the Sky Castle.

  However, after Archbishop Martin came back, the crowd including Lin Li discovered that there was a drastic change in his expression. He no longer seemed as happy about returning as he used to be. Instead, he frowned.

  "Archbishop Martin, how are you… Could it be that something had happened?" Donald asked in puzzlement.

  Chapter 1012 - Three Years

  "It's been three years. I didn't expect that after only a month or so of exploring in the Sky Castle, three years have already passed in Anril." Although Archbishop Martin was replying to Donald, his tone was filled with disbelief.

  Upon hearing Archbishop Martin's answer, Donald did not believe it at all. He exclaimed, "What? How can it be? Are you kidding!?"

  That was indeed unbelievable. When they were exploring the Sky Castle, they did not lose track of time just because there was barely any difference between day and night there. Even if there was an error in the calculation of time, it would at most be a discrepancy of a few days. How could they have mixed up a period of a month or so with three years?

  Lin Li was also surprised by Archbishop Martin's words, but after carefully thinking about the process of exploring the Sky Castle, he immediately understood where the problem lay.

  In the process of exploring the Sky Castle, Lin Li and the others had entered the few Domain Worlds created by the Immortal King. The first was the world of Alanna from 1,300 years ago, followed by the Undead World that had a revived Tree of Eternity, and lastly, the world that contained
the Well of the Sun. It was normal for the flow of time of those Domain Worlds and that of Anril to be different.

  For example, when they were in the Well of the Sun, the Domain World that was used by the Immortal King's incarnation showed countless evolutions in a moment, and the speed of the flow of time was maximized. However, those who were in that world would not feel an obvious difference in the passage of time.

  Hence, to Lin Li, there was nothing surprising about the fact that three years had passed, and what really made him worried was the timing of the calamity that Geresco had calculated, which Tutankhamun predicted. At that time, he said that it would happen in two to three years. In fact, when Lin Li entered the Sky Castle, there was already not much time left until the calamity that Geresco had predicted. Now that three years had passed, did that mean that the calamity had descended?

  At this moment, Lin Li thought about the changes he felt when he returned to Anril. The sudden increase in the density of the magical elements and the decrease in stability of the structure of the World Laws seemed to have indicated that the calamity had struck Anril.

  The calamity had already begun, but Lin Li did not think that he was already prepared for it. Although he was already a true Sanctuary powerhouse, that was precisely the reason he was clear about how difficult it would be to seal the spacetime rifts. Even though he had already reached the peak of level-26, and was in essence only one step away from level-27, he still did not have the confidence to complete this mission that Geresco had left behind.

  The only thing for him to be thankful for was the fact that although this calamity that Geresco had predicted had already begun, it had yet to go into full swing and escalate to the point where it was unmanageable. In other words, Lin Li still had some time, and he did not have to seal the spacetime rifts immediately.

  "Master Felic, what do you think about this matter?" Although Archbishop Martin was the first to get that news, he was still in disbelief about the fact that three years had passed even though they had only spent a month in the Sky Castle. Seeing that Lin Li had slipped deep in thought after hearing that news, he quickly asked Lin Li for his opinion.

  Since that was already the truth, there was no point in worrying anymore. Putting aside his worries for the time being, Lin Li said to Archbishop Martin, "This actually isn't strange at all. Do you remember the strange worlds we entered when we were in the Sky Castle? That should be the cause of this problem now. Well, it's better not to talk about this issue now. There must have been plenty of changes in Anril in the past three years. I'd like to meet with Pope Rosario and find out some things."

  Archbishop Martin was initially already thinking about how he could invite Lin Li to the Brilliance Shrine. Hence, after hearing Lin Li's request to see Archbishop Martin, he agreed happily.

  Controlling the Sky Castle, Lin Li first headed to the capital of the Ledin Kingdom, and landed the people of the Rotterdam Kingdom on the ground. The latter would have to figure out how to get back to the Rotterdam Kingdom on their own. Lin Li was not a cab driver, and was not obliged to send them all the way to their doorstep. Then, Lin Li changed the direction that he was moving in, and brought Archbishop Martin and the others to the vicinity of the Holy Mountain. He appeared out of courtesy, but he did not let the Sky Castle move all the way above the Holy Mountain.

  After handing the Sky Castle over to his subordinates temporarily, Lin Li followed Archbishop Martin to the Holy Mountain.

  Due to the fact that Archbishop Martin had been missing for three years, the people of the Brilliance Shrine thought that Archbishop Martin had died in the Sky Castle. At this moment, they were all exceptionally shocked to see the sudden appearance of Archbishop Martin. In particular, the archbishops like Englos and others who were his old friends all flocked to the foot of the Holy Mountain to welcome him.

  "Master Felic, why are you with Martin?" When Englos and the others saw Lin Li and Archbishop Martin walking over together, everyone felt a little strange. After all, after Archbishop Martin had entered the Sky Castle, he lost all contact with the Brilliance Shrine. Hence, they did not know that the three forces had united to explore the Sky Castle.

  "This time, we managed to explore the Sky Castle smoothly all thanks to Master Felic. Otherwise, I'm afraid you guys would really never see me again," Archbishop Martin said emotionally when he saw his old friends, and thought about the near-death experiences that he had in the Sky Castle.

  "Did you guys meet in the Sky Castle? Hurry and tell me what's going on. Why did you spend three years exploring the Sky Castle?" The few of them were immediately curious after hearing the archbishop's words. Thus, they quickly began asking about their exploration of the Sky Castle.

  However, Lin Li was extremely eager to find out about what happened in Anril, and did not have the time to discuss that matter with them. Hence, he said, "Dear all, I hope to see His Holiness the Pope as soon as possible. Please help me call the pope. Let Archbishop Martin tell you guys what happened in the Sky Castle."

  Seeing that Lin Li seemed to be in a real hurry, Englos and the others did not delay any further. They immediately sent someone to go to the Church of Dawn at the top of the Holy Mountain to call Pope Rosario. At the same time, the rest of them walked towards the mountain while asking Archbishop Martin about the various experiences he had during the exploration of the Sky Castle.

  Although Lin Li had used the people of the Brilliance Shrine as cannon fodder during the exploration of the Sky Castle, Archbishop Martin was extremely grateful to Lin Li for his help. Hence, when Archbishop Martin was recounting his experiences and sharing it with Englos and the others, Archbishop Martin did not hide his gratitude towards Lin Li, and simply praised him endlessly, treating him like a selfless role model. Even Lin Li felt a little embarrassed when he was listening to it by the side.

  As Archbishop Englos and the others heard Archbishop Martin praising Lin Li for saving him and his subordinates, they thanked Lin Li enthusiastically several times throughout the journey. No matter how thick-skinned Lin Li was, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed. After the person who had gone to invite Pope Rosario returned, Lin Li was finally freed from his misery. He quickly followed that person to see Pope Rosario.

  Lin Li chatted with Pope Rosario in the Dawn Cathedral for a long time before Pope Rosario personally walked him out of the door. Fortunately, the senior executives of the Brilliance Shrine like Englos and the others all knew that Lin Li was also the Son of the Holy Light who had helped Rosario get rid of the Viper's poison in his body. Hence, they did not seem too shocked. Others would probably have been flabbergasted to the point of losing their minds.

  During Lin Li's conversation with Pope Rosario which lasted half a day, Englos and the others also found out from Archbishop Martin about the entire process of the exploration of the Sky Castle, as well as the fact that Lin Li had obtained the Sky Castle. Although Englos and the others were shocked that Lin Li had obtained the Sky Castle, Lin Li's battle with Highlord Osric and the strength he displayed was what they truly marveled at.

  Of course, Archbishop Martin did not forget to mention that Lin Li owned the powerful magical weapon that contained a pure power of Holy Light, and had the magical ability of increasing the abilities of the devotees through the baptism of Holy Light. When Englos and the others heard that, they immediately had the same idea as Archbishop Martin, and that was to make Lin Li visit the Brilliance Shrine frequently to increase their power through the help of that magical weapon.

  There was no need to think about snatching it from him at all. It was not that Englos and the others were righteous. If someone else had such a special magical weapon, they would not have to consider anything at all. They could either rope him in and get him to join the Brilliance Shrine, or rule him a heretic and exterminate him, which was something that the Brilliance Shrine had done plenty of since its establishment.

  However, Lin Li was different. Not only was he the Son of the Holy Light, he was also a tru
e Sanctuary powerhouse. Apart from Pope Rosario, no one in the Brilliance Shrine would be able to compare to him in terms of strength. Besides, Pope Rosario definitely wouldn't form a feud with a Sanctuary powerhouse over a magical weapon as such.

  Hence, when Lin Li walked out of the Dawn Cathedral, Englos and the rest hurriedly approached him, and politely requested to see the magical weapon that contained the power of Holy Light.

  Lin Li did not mind giving the Brilliance Shrine some benefits. After all, the Brilliance Shrine had been cooperating well with the Tower of Dusk. The senior executives of the Brilliance Shrine, Englos, and the others had always had friendly relations with him too. However, he could not be bothered to do that now. Although he had learned about the changes that took place in Anril in the past three years, and knew that the calamity had not escalated to an unmanageable degree, he had been away from the Tower of Dusk for three years. Hence, he was eager to go back to see the development of the Tower of Dusk in the past three years.

  In particular, Rosario mentioned that the mages in Anril had been improving to various degrees due to the magic tides. A large number of mages who had been stuck in a bottleneck and might never have been able to advance another step further had broken through their bottleneck under the influence of the magic tides. At the same time, the magical beasts of Anril had also advanced greatly in level after being affected by the magic tides.

  To others, it might seem like a good thing, but for people like Lin Li and Pope Rosario, it could not be regarded as the progress of human magic civilization. Instead, it acted as a hindrance in the development of magic civilization.

  Although it was a good thing to break through the bottleneck, the bottleneck might only be a temporary hurdle for some who were gifted in magic. With some training and enlightenment, they would be able to break through the bottleneck successfully as well. However, the appearance of the magic tides seemed to have caused the mages to lose the experience of breaking through the bottleneck. If they were to encounter another one, it would be difficult for them to break through once more with their own power.