Almost at the same time, a sliver of light had cut through the skies. The bolt possessing the Divine Power plunged accurately between the two will-o-the-wisps with its shadow in tow…
“No!” The scream of the Lich was filled with despair. Strong Divine Power erupted, and in an instant, only a silver blaze arose.
The body of the Lich was melting as fast as snow in the sunshine in the middle of this silver blaze. As the silver blaze grew stronger and stronger, the screams of the Lich became fainter and fainter. Finally, it was completely turned into a pile of ashes.
The lingering black mist cleared away at once, and the sky was blue again. With the death of Bhaskar, everything returned to its original tranquility.
“Phew…” Standing in the place where Bhaskar died, Lin Li took in a breath heavily before bending down and gently pulling the bolt from the ashes.
It was called the Sun’s Spike, and was among Lin Li’s most unsuccessful investments so far.
Why “among”?
In addition to the Sun’s Spike, there was another one—Hollow Spike. The two crossbows—one of light and one of dark—had cost Lin Li a total of 200,000 gold coins.
Back in the Endless World, Lin Li had spent a lot of thought in order to get these two crossbows. Who knew that shortly after acquiring them, the Hunter had received the Stars of Fury. In addition to its amazing power, this mythical weapon also came with seven bolts made of Meteorite Debris, each of which contained unparalleled power.
With the seven Meteorite Debris bolts in hand, the Sun and Hollow Spikes were naturally no longer useful. The sharp weapons that were bought with 200,000 gold coins could only be set aside in the Ring of Endless Storm, such that for a long time afterwards, Lin Li was unable to raise his head because of this matter. He referred to them as his two most unsuccessful investments.
He’d never thought that these two most unsuccessful investments would have suddenly erupted in another world, killing Bhaskar, who could not even be destroyed by the Death Sentence, in one fell swoop.
Lin Li kept the Sun’s Spike back into the Ring of Endless Storm, then looked at the ashes on the ground, and spoke without any rhyme or reason, “You died justly…”
Lin Li was about to leave after uttering these words that he himself did not even understand when he suddenly discovered thick, black mist surging up from the pile of ashes.
“Damn!”
With the previous experience, Lin Li took out the strange crystal from his pocket without any hesitation this time; then, he saw that thick, black mist pouring into the crystal as if attracted by some kind of force…
With the continuous influx of the black mist, the crystal in his hand began to warm up—just like when he had entered the Shadowglen!
“I get it, I get it…” This time, he really understood.
Lin Li was even certain that among the many mageweaths engraved on the crystal, one had to be used to absorb the power of death. After the power of death was absorbed, some of it had to be converted into mana to maintain the normal functioning of that huge mageweath array, while the rest was stored. When this power reached its limit, the creature that was sealed in it could be activated.
It was like the other night, when the Shapeshifter suddenly appeared as they were dealing with the high-level Vampire.
Of course…
All these were merely Lin Li’s speculations. The secrets of the crystal could only be unravelled after he had studied the mageweath array thoroughly.
Even with Lin Li’s strength as an Inscription Guru, it was not an easy thing to study that mageweath array thoroughly. It was an extremely huge and complicated process; Lin Li would need a lot of time to understand and analyze it, and the Shadowglen was obviously not a suitable place to do that.
Lin Li shook his head helplessly. He threw the maroon crystal into his pocket, then slowly walked back to the cave.
When he returned to the cave, almost everyone was looking at him as if they were looking at a dinosaur.
The others were not to be blamed for making a fuss; why did he have to behave in such a perverse manner in the first place? Think back to what he’d done—he had absorbed the Death Sentence with the Torrent of Elements, and then released it instantaneously, severely wounding the powerful Lich.
And he wasn’t done after all this—he had pulled out a crossbow that was emitting massive Divine Power…
Having done such a wicked thing, he couldn’t blame others for looking at him as if he was a dinosaur…
When the Lich was turned into ashes, almost all of them wanted to strangle him by his neck and ask, “Do you dare to be a little more perverse?”
Alright, he wouldn’t dare anymore…
The rest of the day was calm. Not to mention powerful undead creatures like the Lich, even creatures such as the Skeletal Warriors had no chance to appear in the public eye, and Lin Li naturally had no occasion to display his perverseness.
That night, Kayla and others were not driven out of the cave. Lin Li’s explanation was that they did well during the day, so this was a reward for them.
In the past, Fedrick would have been furious, but after the day’s battle, he was almost turning crazy. How could he have the courage to be furious? After nightfall, Fedrick found a corner and spread his blanket meekly. In order to be on the safe side, he even asked Sarsen to help lay a Ward of Secrecy around him before going to bed for fear of snoring in the middle of the night and bringing disaster to himself…
At dusk the next day, the seven-days trial finally came to an end.
When the melodious bell sounded over Shadowglen, Kayla and the others could hardly wait to pull out their Teleportation Scrolls. No one wanted to stay in a ghostly place like the Shadowglen, let alone live in a cave and be subjected to the changing moods of a freak…
***
Lin Li was just recovering from the giddiness brought about by the teleportation when he saw Macklin’s drab, old face.
“You boys, get out and take a shower. Are you all trying to stink me to death…” the old man chided, but the joy in his tone could not be concealed.
In any case, he was the trial mentor; his disciples had lived in the Shadowglen for seven days, and had completed the trial mission with an almost perfect result. It was absolutely a lie to say that he was unhappy. In fact, although the old fellow was outwardly scolding them, he was actually blooming with joy in his heart. These few kids had not let him down indeed; Macklin knew better how dangerous the Shadowglen was. Even he himself didn’t expect the boys could really last for seven days…
“Damn, let’s see if that idiot, Darian, has anything else to say…” Macklin scolded fiercely as he watched the three figures recede.
He was utterly browned off by Darian in the past few days.
Darian was also some genius. While Lin Li and others were fulfilling their trial missions in the Shadowglen, he had come to Macklin every single day to persuade the latter to deal with the Jarrosus mage who had hurt his nephew.
Macklin really didn’t understand why he had such great energy.
In the past seven days, Darian had been reporting in his tent after lunch every day. He’d begin with criticizing Gerian, who was far away in Jarrosus. He’d talk about how impolite, how arrogant, how overbearing, and how cruel he was. In short, all the adjectives that could slander one were used on the fat man…
Then it was Felic’s turn…
Everytime he mentioned this matter, Darian would put on a tragic face, desperately trying to accuse the country mage from Jarrosus of how nasty he was, as well as how perverse a method he had used to mutilate his nephew. He also said that although his nephew had not contributed much to the Guild of Magic in recent years, he had been diligent after all. It was a pity that no one had spoken up for him even though he was badly injured, et cetera…
“F*ck…” Macklin was boiling with anger at the thought of this; he wanted to throttle Darian and ask, Are you f*cking done with this?
Unfortunately, Darian was an Archmage, after all. He was also an important member of the Alanna Guild of Magic. Even if Macklin was upset, he still had to show him some due respect on the surface.
Macklin really had had enough of it these days. The bombardment of words every day had almost brought him a mental breakdown. He swore that when the trial was over, he would find a way to transfer that idiot, Darian, to a remote mountainous area. If possible, he’d send him to the Ogre’s nest so that he couldn’t appear in Alanna for the rest of his life.
However, it was all right now; these three boys had completed the trial mission of the Supreme Council. From today onwards, they’d be the young mages that the Supreme Council would pay special attention to.
Damn you, Darian, go and find trouble with the Supreme Council if you have the ability. What’s the use of pestering me every day… the old fellow thought shamelessly. I’d like to see if the people from the Supreme Council are cultured like me…
…
“Good evening, Mr Macklin.” Lin Li and others took a comfortable hot bath and each changed into a clean mage robe—all three of them looked refreshed at present.
“How is it, you didn’t encounter too big of a trouble in the Shadowglen, right?” Macklin was in a good mood, having solved a big problem which was Darian. He was showing concern for his disciples—something that was rare of him.
“…” Mason swallowed his saliva. As a matter of fact, he wanted to ask Macklin,Is a Vampire above level-18 and a Lich of at least level-16 considered “too big of a trouble”?
“We didn’t encounter that big a trouble”—Lin Li nodded his head and smiled with ease—”but we saw two groups of undead fighting each other. I wonder what was that about.”
“Damn!”
Macklin was taken aback; he hurriedly called the three guys into his tent, and after looking around and making sure that no one was eavesdropping, he lowered his voice and asked, “You boys really saw two groups of undead fighting each other?”
“Yes, it was splendid!” Mason was already talking with great rapture without waiting for Lin Li to speak. From the thousands of Skeletal Warriors to the large number of high-level undead creatures creeping from the depths of Shadowglen… this fellow always liked to exaggerate, so everything about the size of a sesame was described as a watermelon in his mouth. Besides, the war of the undead was so great in power and impetus that it sounded like the end of the world coming from him. Even someone with great experience like Macklin was taken aback by it.
“Damn, you guys are lucky…” After Macklin heard from them, he remained dazed for a long while before sighing with emotion. “Do you guys know why the undead were fighting each other?”
Mason was startled. “Could it be a crime of passion?”
“…” Macklin almost slapped Mason on the head. Crime of passion from the undead creatures? You can kill one for me to see…
“Was someone manipulating them in the dark?” Lin Li probed.
“Half right.” Macklin nodded, and then went on to say, “They were not manipulated by human beings, but by two powerful undead creatures—one a level-22 Lich, and the other a level-22 Skeletal Lord. For some reasons unknown, these two creatures have been fighting for a long time since the Dark Ages. Almost every once in a while, they will start a large-scale war of the undead.”
“Seriously? Two level-20 undead creatures?” Lin Li started in fright.
“Do you know how bad it was now? That’s why I said that you boys were lucky enough to be involved in such a fight and still come back alive…”
The three of them broke out in a cold sweat at Macklin’s words.
Mason and Orrin felt extremely thankful—luckily, they were grouped with Felic. If it hadn’t been for his Petrifying Potion, they might have been captured by the group of undead creatures and presented to the two powerful undead lords as tribute.
“Alright, cut the crap. Now let’s get on with business.”
“What business?”
“You all have done well this time.” Macklin’s creepy old face revealed a rare hint of admiration. “24 mages participated in the trial, but only 13 completed it, and you boys made up three of them. Before you left, I told you that this trial was decided by the Supreme Council. That is to say… the reward for accomplishing the mission will also be issued by the Supreme Council.”
“Reward?” Mason’s eyes lit up at once.
“Yes, reward!” The old man was in a good mood. His disciples were rewarded by the Supreme Council; as their trial mentor, he was naturally proud of it.
“Heh heh, Mr Macklin, can you tell us in advance what kind of reward is the Supreme Council giving us?”
“No.”
“Damn…”
“But I can disclose in advance the Alanna Guild of Magic’s reward to you…” The old man grinned, and whispered, “Congratulations, you are free to enter and exit the Omniscient Tower for the next two months!”
“Really?” Not to mention Mason, even Orrin and Lin Li’s eyes lit up at the mention of it. What kind of place was the Omniscient Tower? It was the largest library in the whole Felan Kingdom. For mages, the Omniscient Tower was an absolute treasure house of magic. The vast majority of spells circulated in Anril today could be found in it.
Moreover, every mage who had ever entered the Omniscient Tower would leave a reading note in it. To some extent, this reading note was equivalent to a mage’s lifelong research experience—this was not a joking matter. No matter how incompetent a mage was, he would acquire some unique skills more or less in the decades and centuries of research. These skills were the most precious gift in the world for mages.
Moreover, which of the mages who could enter the Omniscient Tower were incompetent stuff?
For the mages of the Felan Kingdom, the Omniscient Tower was a true Holy Land of magic.
Even Lin Li couldn’t help but get excited at the thought of being able to enter the Omniscient Tower.
Forget about those lost spells; those reading notes were something really precious things to him. After all, he was exposed to magic only for a short period of time. Although Andoine had laid a solid foundation for him, he had no time to master some of the more peculiar spell-casting skills. If he could enter the Omniscient Tower, his strength could at least be raised to a higher level…
Lin Li pondered, and asked with some doubt, “By the way, Mr Macklin, if we go to the Omniscient Tower to study, will we have enough time to complete the next trial mission?”
“Trial mission?” Macklin chided angrily. “What other trial missions are there? You have accomplished the mission issued by the Supreme Council. Would I possibly make you stay in the Shadowglen for another month?”
“Then…”
“There’s no more trial missions.” Macklin’s reply was very simple this time. “In the next two months or so, you can stay at the Omniscient Tower every day to study as you await the finals, and then… You guys can go back to your guilds.”
“This isn’t bad…”
“Alright, we’re done here. You boys, quickly pack your things and return to Alanna with me.”
…
The party of four returned to the Alanna Guild of Magic after a bumpy carriage ride.
“Oh, right, Felic, wait a minute. I have something to discuss with you.” Macklin stopped Lin Li after they’d entered the guild hall.
“Mr Macklin, what’s the matter?”
“This…” After the old man stopped Lin Li, he stood there and rubbed his hands in embarrassment. It seemed that he didn’t know how to broach the subject.
“Mr Macklin, is it about magical weapons?” Lin Li knew what the old man wished to say upon seeing the latter’s expression.The old fellow had to be worried and want Lin Li to give him some assurance, but he was afraid he’d anger Lin Li with his words, so he was all shilly-shallying there, acting like a sissy…
“Yes, yes, yes…”
“Do you want me to forge one now?”
“Yes, yes, yes…” The old fellow nodded in succession.
“Sure.”
Lin Li’s straightforward reply was totally unexpected to Macklin, such that the old fellow stood there dazed for a long time before coming to a realization. For a moment, his smiles were all about flattery. “That’s great, that’s great. I knew you’re honest and kind. Come, come. Let’s slowly talk about it in the smithy…”
Macklin heaved a long sigh of relief when he led Lin Li out of the guild hall. To be honest, he was afraid that this kid would not agree, and even more afraid that his words would offend him. The sentence earlier on was euphemistic, but the worry was undoubtedly expressed.
Macklin had lived for a long enough time to understand that anyone who had a certain ability would inevitably have some strange temper. Especially in the field where they were good at, no one could tolerate the slightest doubt. It was like the kid in front of him—he seemed to be very easy to talk to, but Macklin knew very well that this kid had a more terrific temper than anybody else.
Luckily, the kid was understanding today…
At the thought of this, the old fellow heaved a sigh of relief.
Lin Li did not speak as he followed Macklin out of the guild hall.
He could understand Macklin’s feelings. After all, it was a bet on the future of the guild; even if the old man had trust in him, it was entirely reasonable for him to be worried as well. It was not too much trouble for Lin Li if he could use a weapon to calm the old man down. Furthermore, he had just obtained two fangs and a magical crystal; he could mighty well make use of this opportunity to put them to good use…
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