Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  "Alright, let me give you some time to think about this, then," said Lin Li as he sat motionlessly on his spot. It seemed like he expected the two of them to make the decision right here instead of giving them days and nights to decide on the partnership.

  Elder Jorre and Cantory were initially intending to return for a more detailed discussion. Lin Li's stance had also made them too uncomfortable to engage in a private conversation. Elder Jorre finally started the ball rolling by speaking to Cantory directly. "Cantory, I know your concerns. But I'm sure you are aware of the situation the kingdom is in right now. If that information can help us succeed in the mission, I'm sure both His Majesty and His Lordship would recognize your contributions," he spoke with his voice lowered.

  "But…" said Cantory. He wanted to rebut Elder Jorre, but he understood what the elder was also trying to bring across with those words. He was extremely clear about the situation the Gilded Kingdom was in. Although he was uncertain about what would happen to the Endless Ocean, he feared that the Breezy Plains would be coming at them soon. If that day were to come, no one would know how much the nautical materials owned by Gilded Kingdom would be worth anymore.

  Furthermore, even if the Gilded Kingdom did not need to retreat, the drastic transformation of many marine regions had been very worrisome recently. As this might mean a discount on the value of their nautical information, it might be better off for them to hand them to the young president in case he were to add any more conditions to the deal after knowing the changes within the Endless Ocean.

  This thought settled Cantory's heart so much that he even felt a sense of joy.

  "Elder Jorre, I understand. Let's do what you suggest then," said Cantory in a suddenly different tone.

  Although Cantory and Elder Jorre had made the decision, both of them felt that it was only acceptable if they could gain benefits from the deal as well. It wouldn't make sense for them to agree to the demands of the Tower of Dusk blindly.

  Hence, when they turned to continue the discussion, they tried their best to request as many benefits as they could. However, when they tried to put up the same stance as what they did to the other forces of the Breezy Plains, they were overpowered by Lin Li's stance. Lin Li was not agreeable to any additional conditions. Resources had to be bought at the same price as though they were unrelated to one another, and it would be a distant dream to join stocks with the Tower of Dusk.

  The negotiation went on for a while, and it was visible that Lin Li had started to show signs of impatience. Not to waste all the efforts they had put in to get to the current stage of relationship, Elder Jorre and Cantory finally conceded that they should stop insisting further.

  It wasn't until they finally walked out of the main door that they realized that no one had invited them to take a seat when they entered the meeting room. They stood through their discussion without experiencing any niceties.

  The thought of the insulting interaction they had with the young president earlier on made their blood boil the very moment they stepped out of the room. Yet, they could only bottle it up, for they had only walked a short distance from the door.

  Of course, no matter how furious or how strongly they hoped to tear the Tower of Dusk into pieces, both men knew their priorities. After returning, they sent their men to inform the representatives of each of the forces in the Breezy Plains that they were going to hold another meeting on the following day.

  This news surprised the representatives. Could it be due to a successful deal established between the Gilded Kingdom and Tower of Dusk? Although it was not bad news to them, for they had no intention to incite a war in the Breezy Plains, they could not help but feel curious which of the two headstrong organizations gained more advantage in their deal.

  However, the discussion had to continue despite a lop-sided deal. While the Tower of Dusk dared to put up a stance against the Gilded Kingdom, the latter was not a power that these representatives dared to disregard.

  On the day of the third meeting, the Tower of Dusk made a late appearance again, but this time, apart from the unpleasant expressions of the people of Gilded Kingdom, no one made any response to it.

  This meeting was actually a show for Lin Li to watch; there was nothing else to negotiate between the Gilded Kingdom and Tower of Dusk. Although the agreement had yet to materialize on paper, he knew that Gilded Kingdom would not dare to disregard it.

  The biggest show here was the exchange between the representatives from the Gilded Kingdom and the other forces of the Breezy Plains, but Cantory and the rest were not as rigid and headstrong as before this time. They had loosened up on a lot of conditions.

  Although the forces of the Breezy Plains had been intimidated by the Gilded Kingdom and Illuminati, they would never let such a thick piece of meat slide from their mouths. Furthermore, having survived in a chaotic place like the Breezy Plains, the craftiness of these representatives was definitely not something Cantory and Elder Jorre could match up with.

  Chapter 1041 - Established Deal

  The men could tell from the loosened attitude that the deal was an extremely important one for the Gilded Kingdom. Thus, they turned into blood-attracted flies that were driven to demand a piece of flesh from Gilded Kingdom.

  What a shameless bunch of people!!

  Cantory and Elder Jorre could only cuss in their hearts as they nodded to agree to every single demand. On the brighter side, these representatives from the Breezy Plains were well aware that they shouldn't be too harsh on the Gilded Kingdom. It took half a day of a heated discussion to put all the agreement onto paper.

  The benefits reaped by the Gilded Kingdom were disproportionately narrowed down from what they were expecting at the start. After all, if not for the dire situation, no one would be foolish enough to sell the factions' mineral resources. Hence, Cantory tried his best to procure a few modest mines near the shore of the Breezy Plains, and secure the ability to acquire resources with the other forces at discounted rates.

  They had also managed to accomplish their mission of acquiring legitimate access into the Breezy Plains. As long as they were in possession of these mines, they would have the authority to dispatch their forces into the Breezy Plains.

  Of course, this authority had its limits. The Gilded Kingdom would be prosecuted by all the forces in the Breezy Plains if they were to exceed the agreed benchmark. Yet, everyone understood that the Gilded Kingdom would only be prosecuted if there were people who dared to report them. Hence, the Gilded Kingdom did not dwell on this matter for too long.

  The other forces in the Breezy Plains gained significant benefits from the agreement as well. The Gilded Kingdom promised them wealth and technology, as well as all sorts of conveniences in marine trade.

  The forces left Calon City after the deal was settled. Lin Li brought his men back to the Tower of Dusk, and the Gilded Kingdom started to fulfill all of their promises. The nautical data which Lin Li had requested was also sent to the Tower of Dusk after around 10 days.

  The entrance of the Gilded Kingdom brought about obvious changes to the situation in the Breezy Plains. Although it seemed like there was only one new addition to the Breezy Plains, the ability the Gilded Kingdom had was not what any forces could match. Although the conditions limited the Gilded Kingdom from deploying too many forces in the Breezy Plains, no other force dared to belittle Gilded Kingdom because of this. To them, the Gilded Kingdom was still a massive force to be reckoned with. It was a force that was comparable to, if not stronger than, the Tower of Dusk.

  Hence, Gilded Kingdom's efforts of securing new connections under the table managed to help them gather a group of forces who were not in approval of the Tower of Dusk. After all, the feeling of submitting to a larger and more powerful organization gave them a different feeling as compared to being under a force with similar status.

  This helped to draw lines to the once chaotic congregation of forces in the Breezy Plains: one group saw the Gilded Kingdom as their leader, while the
other the Tower of Dusk. Although the two groups were not harmonious, it had not created any conflict. Yet, this did not mean that the peace would be long-lasting.

  Lin Li was very clear that the present state of peace in the Breezy Plains was a mere illusion. He was expecting that a war would erupt not long after. After all, this was a conflict over territories. Gilded Kingdom would definitely not be satisfied with the current situation. He knew that the compromise shown by the Gilded Kingdom was due to a lack of preparedness to wage a war.

  It was the same for Lin Li. He was willing to establish a deal with the Gilded Kingdom not only for their nautical information, but also due to his lack of preparedness for a war. Although the present ability of the Tower of Dusk would not let him fear the Gilded Kingdom and Illuminati, Lin Li knew that it would be impossible for him to avoid losses if he were to have a war with them.

  Most importantly, Lin Li did not want to waste too much time here. He wanted the Tower of Dusk to have the ability to eliminate all of its enemies swiftly during the war, and not wrestle with them in a long and arduous process.

  Hence, the Tower of Dusk needed this time to grow their strength instead of entering a war in such a haste. The mages who followed Lin Li into the Sky Castle still needed to use this time to enter the Legendary-realm, while the rest who stayed in the Tower of Dusk had to use the time to assimilate all the energy they had previously gained from the magic tides.

  Hence, nothing changed as a result of the deal. Everyone stuck to Lin Li's original plans of using the resources in the tower to advance. To them, it did not matter how the future would change. What was important was the possession of strong abilities that could help them overcome and survive all changes in the future.

  It was the same for Lin Li. Although he had obtained the nautical data, he did not use too much time to look into them. Instead, he continued to train at the Barbarous Arena. If he could have the abilities of the Immortal King and Geresco, it would mean that no one in Anril would be a threat to him. It would not matter whether the future entailed war or peace.

  Lin Li again defeated 10 powerful Sanctuary-level opponents, and was faced with an ancient wyrm. The ancient wyrm was as powerful as Sindera the Iceblast Wyrm. Lin Li had lost count of the times he wrestled with the ancient wyrm. Although he had been defeated by the wyrm countless times, he could feel significant improvement to his abilities. He started off being defeated by the beast almost instantly, and then switched to being able to withstand it for a few seconds, then minutes, and finally hours. Although Lin Li's mana saw no visible improvement, he saw drastic enhancement in his combat abilities.

  Lin Li had wrestled with this wyrm for three days and three nights before being defeated by it due to a moment of carelessness the last time. This time, he had enough confidence that he could send this challenging opponent back to its nest.

  The wyrm that appeared at the arena did not attack Lin Li immediately like before. This time, the malicious looking wyrm showed signs of vigilance against Lin Li. It seemed to be suppressing its massive mana. It was as though its mana was acc.u.mulated behind a floodgate that could be released at any moment to destroy any obstacles in its way.

  Lin Li had felt that he was not the only one who had been benefiting from the arena. The abilities of his opponents had been increasing as well, albeit slower and less visibly. Especially so for those opponents at the start—their ability seemed to be stagnant, perhaps due to their intellectual limits.

  But, this wyrm had great intelligence and showed the most obvious improvement from the arena. Although its level remained the same, it had become more and more cunning, and even learned many battle tactics from Lin Li. It was this concurrent improvement that prevented Lin Li from defeating this opponent.

  However, Lin Li was considered Geresco's direct disciple. The things he had learned from Geresco were not as simple as what the ancient wyrm had learned from its observation of him.

  Sounds of explosion reverberated in the entire arena as the battle continued.

  Lin Li's agile figure flashed around as he cast different powerful spells with his Helios' Scepter. The ancient wyrm was not a pushover, either; its eccentric voice sounded through the arena, and chased Lin Li mercilessly.

  Lin Li was getting more familiar with the attacks of the ancient wyrm. While it would seem a terrifying encounter to the eyes of the public, it was difficult to pose any threat to Lin Li. In reality, the strength of magic was not the only consideration for someone with his abilities. The mastery of the laws in this world as well as the ability to strategize the usage of mana had greater roles to play at his level.

  No one should expect him to eliminate his opponent in a single strike. His series of spells was like chess pieces of a game. The gain and loss of one or two chess pieces would affect the entire game. Each and every chess piece worked in sync with others. Their main goal was to create a subtle trap together to lure the opponent into it.

  The ancient wyrm created a storm with his growls. Its blinding glow created a cast over the arena. But, after the cast dissipated, Lin Li saw that he was surrounded by a dozen of Solar Spheres. They were blocking all the open spaces, leaving no room for Lin Li to maneuver. Each of them emitted a gust of terrifying and destructive aura.

  Yet, Lin Li was not intimidated by this at all. It was a tactic he had once used.

  Chapter 1042 - Stone Slab

  Each one of those Solar Spheres was a powerful magic spell that had been temporarily sealed. The power of dozens of Solar Spheres exploding at the same time would never be as simple as one plus one equaling two.

  In the previous battle, Lin Li used that exact move to almost defeat the ancient wyrm, but unfortunately, his efforts went up in smoke because of a slight error in control. It was actually not very difficult to seal just one Solar Sphere, and the difficulty lay in making all of them explode at the same time while allowing them to complement each other instead of canceling each other out.

  Lin Li wasn't too surprised, because he had already detected from the magical waves of the sealed spheres that the ancient wyrm had only learned to make the move seem legitimate, and there was a major issue with the arrangement of the other magic spells. Lin Li did not have to flee in a hurry at all. After casting several layers of magic defense on his body, the Helios' Scepter emitted a bright stream of light in his hand, striking one of the targets before the sealed sphere erupted.

  Almost at the same time, the ancient wyrm also detonated all the sealed spheres, causing horrifying magic spells to be blasted out immediately. However, because of Lin Li's previous action, there was a loophole in the ancient wyrm's trap. When the sealed sphere that was the first to erupt attacked Lin Li, it somehow blocked the power of the other magic spells for Lin Li.

  Lin Li passed through the gap in the trap immediately as the gemstone on the top of the Helios' Scepter flickered continuously. Like a flood, the wave of magic spells surged towards the ancient wyrm which still had a look of surprise in its eyes.

  "Howl!"

  As soon as it came back to its senses, the ancient wyrm knew it was caught off guard by Lin Li, and finally let out an angry roar. In the ancient wyrm's opinion, it was obvious that it had been tricked by this tiny human again. Otherwise, how could Lin Li have remained unscathed, unlike the ancient wyrm which had been tormented badly?

  However, the ancient wyrm was different from the other beasts, after all. Despite its anger, it did not get fl.u.s.tered and mess its plan up. Seeing that Lin Li's magic spells were blasting hard towards it, it immediately cast its Domain World.

  It was an extremely dim world where the sky was filled with countless stars, while the ground was covered with countless wyrm skeletons. Intense death aura was contained in it, but there was also the aura of decay. There was also some sacredness and might. It was the dragon graveyard, which was the final home of the ancient wyrms. It represented the death and peace of the ancient wyrms.

  The wave of magic spells that Lin Li had cast immedia
tely surged into the world of the dragon graveyard, and countless skeletons of wyrms began growing some flesh again at a speed that was visible to the n.a.k.e.d eye, as if he had turned back time. They then flew into the sky to deal with the overwhelming magic spells.

  "World!" Lin Li raised his Helios' Scepter high, and instantly opened his World Domain, and a human world appeared in his domain. In that human world, the spirit of resistance of humans was fully showcased, from the beginning of mankind to the resistance against all sorts of difficulties, including fights against the sky, the earth, and the wyrms, as well as hunting magical beasts.

  At the same time, under the influence of the World Domain, the magic spells that Lin Li cast naturally incorporated the fighting spirit of humans. The challenges and battles against the wyrms and even gods involved a fearless spirit that allowed the power of Lin Li's magic spells to be multiplied.

  The collision of magic spells and the collision of worlds caused the space in the World Domains to be shattered like glass. After the various violent collisions, the world of the ancient wyrm's dragon graveyard began to change subtly. Countless green seedlings had appeared on the barren land, and gradually covered the ground of the dragon graveyard, giving the dead and lonely world a wisp of vitality.

  In the center of the dragon graveyard, a special seedling began growing rapidly from the head of a wyrm skeleton. It then spread out and covered everything in the surroundings, making it its fertilizer. Under the nourishment of the wyrm skeletons, the seedling's growth became faster, and it became much larger than the wyrm in the blink of an eye.

  Although Lin Li had spent a long time in the domain, everything was actually a matter of moments for Lin Li and the ancient wyrm outside. When the ancient wyrm sensed the problem in its domain, the inconspicuous seedling had already grown into a gigantic tree that almost covered the entire Domain World, just like the fallen Tree of Eternity in Anril.