by Zhuang Bifan
After deciding on the material for the gold rod, there was nothing else to worry about.
When he was trying to jolt the magical enchantment profession, he washed away countless amounts of gold rods. To do such a thing now was as facile as driving along a familiar road in a light carriage.
There was a small melting furnace in the alchemy lab which was usually used to smelt alchemy materials such as star sand and navy sand. The temperature was a little low, but it was not a problem for Lin Li. At the end of the recitation of a spell, the Flaming Hands was unleashed. The near-infinite mana fueled it wildly and the scorching flame clung to the bottom of the furnace. It took only a moment before the abyss mithril began to show signs of melting.
Lin Li used an iron clamp to pick the red abyss mithril up and, with the other hand, took out a hammer from the Ring of Endless Storm.
Sparks flew on the forging platform; the dazzling magical runes swung back and forth, magnificent like fireworks in the night sky. Under Lin Li's consummate skills, the gold rod forged with the abyss mithril begun to take its form on the forging platform.
A blacksmith guru was totally a demonic existence. In the blink of an eye, a gold rod was almost completed. The whole process was incredibly fast; there were still sparks dancing on the forging platform by the time Lin Li put the hammer down.
Then, he waited for it to cool. Unlike ordinary metals, magical metals could not be actively cooled down; otherwise, it would cause a huge loss of magical properties in the metal. What Lin Li could do was only to wait patiently.
While he was waiting, he put his hand into the Ring of Endless Storm once more.
This time, he took out a magical crystal the size of a longan.
The relationship between the gold rod and the magical enchanter was held together by the final touch of mental strength. The enchanter could not provide mana for the gold rod, so a magical crystal that was strong enough had to be embedded on it. Lin Li had chosen a level-fifteen magical crystal of a Void Walker. It was the strongest magical crystal he could take out at present. Although his hunter form had killed countless back then, he hadn't had the time to transfer most of the magical crystals to the smurf account. It had always been on Lin Li's mind ever since.
Of course, what really strangled Lin Li was the Dragon of Destruction, Azardas.
After the death of this legendary dragon, Lin Li could not find its magical crystal anywhere. The only thing that looked like a magical crystal was a stone found somewhere around its heart. But it was dull, thick, and rough; it didn't possess even the faintest magical wave—how could it be the source of mana for the legendary dragon?
In the end, Lin Li could only dismember its body in anger. After a round of sick ravage, the famous Dragon of Destruction was skinned to the bones and all its remains thrown into the Ring of Endless Storm.
But this was not important. The magical crystal was just to provide the gold rod with mana. If he could kill an even more powerful magical beast in the future, he could always replace the level-fifteen magical crystal.
Chapter 48 - Dragon's Blood Ink
After putting down the level-fifteen magical crystal, Lin Li took out another two gemstones—a ruby and an emerald.
This was the core essence of the gold rod. The ruby and the emerald were collected from the nest of the Dragon of Destruction. After killing Azardas, the mountain of treasures there had left a deep impression on Lin Li; these two gemstones were embellished on top of the pile of treasure, like cherries on a birthday cake.
Lin Li had yet to find out the origins of these two gemstones. He only knew that they looked brighter and purer than ordinary gemstones, and this was the kind of quality the gold rod needed. The purer and brighter the gemstones, the better it would be for decomposition and fusion.
The ruby was used for decomposition, the emerald for fusion.
The gold rod had gradually cooled down and was lying quietly on the forging platform, exuding the unique aura of an abyss mithril. It was a dark and abysmal feeling, just like a bottomless pool.
Lin Li picked up the cooled gold rod. With a slight exertion of strength in his hands, he set the magical crystal onto the tip of the gold rod, followed by the ruby and emerald which were set at either side of the rod.
After Lin Li was done, he opened up the Ring of Endless Storm once again.
This time, he took out a small bag of star sand.
Lin Li looked around the alchemy lab, but couldn't find the amethyst vessel. He couldn't resist cursing the poor, wretched Guild of Magic.
Finally, he thought it over and pulled out a glass beaker from his pocket instead.
With one hand grasping the opening of the pouch, Lin Li shook it carefully, letting a little star sand into the beaker.
An azure blue halo appeared in the beaker with that little bit of star sand. Through the refraction of the beaker, it looked as gentle as if in a dream. But Lin Li did not dare to get immersed in it. The star sand had to be held in amethyst; otherwise, the mana contained in it would disappear. He was forced, having no other way but to use a glass beaker for the time being.
Once the star sand was poured into the beaker, Lin Li speedily took out a bottle from the Ring of Endless Storm.
As soon as the bottle stopper was pulled out, a thick scent of blood filled the alchemy lab. It was the blood of the Dragon of Destruction—the most important ingredient for the Dragon's Blood Ink.
Half a vial of the dragon's blood was poured into the beaker. It instantly merged with the star sand. If looked at from up close, one could even see thin blue threads swimming in between the crimson.
Another spell recitation for the Flaming Hands sounded. Lin Li carefully controlled the mana, letting the flickering flame stroke the bottom of the beaker gently. The dragon's blood began to boil, and a peculiar smell permeated the air. It was the smell of heated and evaporated blood mixed with the freshness of the star sand—a smell that was strange and pungent.
Threads of blue were slowly dissolving in the boiling blood.
This was a remarkably slow process. The dissolution of each blue thread seemed to darken the dragon's blood by a fraction. By the time the last strand of blue thread disappeared, a deep blue hue was faintly glowing in the crimson liquid.
Lin Li stopped the output of his mana and placed the completed Dragon's Blood Ink at a side.
Then, he opened up the Ring of Endless Storm again. This time, he took out a crystal pen carved from crystal.
The center of the crystal pen was hollow and the tip was covered with fine lines. Lin Li dipped it into the star ink. The thick dragon's blood ink flowed along the lines from the tip of the pen and quickly filled the pen as its lead.
Lin Li picked up the gold rod at hand. The crystal pen dipped in the dragon's blood ink leaped swiftly, sketching lines on the gold rod. Since seeing the deep silver, these lines had been played back in Lin Li's mind hundreds and thousands of times. Every line and stroke had been conceived countless times. There was no need to hesitate where to set the magic nodes and where to construct the magic circuits. With merely a gentle brush of the nib, the lines were there, as if undesigned.
If the owner of the mageweaths in the level certification was present, he would have to praise Lin Li once he saw how impressive the latter had been. The construction of two high-level mageweaths at the same time had completely transcended the scope of inscriptions; moreover, the two mageweaths were mutually opposed and mutually exclusive.
However, Lin Li was swiftly penning away at that moment.
In the blink of an eye, the two mageweaths had taken shape.
The two magic circuits led to the end of the magic crystal, from which magic was continuously absorbed. 26 magic nodes encircled the ruby and the emerald like a myriad of stars surrounding the moon. The power of the two mageweaths was thoroughly activated through the ruby and the emerald.
Lin Li drew the last line at the same time the dragon's blood ink dried up.
Lin Li let out
a long sigh and looked at the abyss mithril gold rod on his hand. It had no trace of the previous coarseness. The l.u.s.ter was dark and abysmal, the patterns exquisite and delicate. Under the embellishment of the two sparkling, pure gemstones, a mysterious yet resplendent aura was revealed.
It would be an almost perfect gold rod if it was coated with deep silver.
After he was done with all these, he took out the deep silver necklace from his pockets.
Holding the necklace in hand, he unleashed the Flaming Hands again, the massive power recalled as soon as it was released. When he opened his hand again, the fine deep silver necklace had been melted into a thin piece. The whole process was tremendously fast, the release and recall of his mana was done in a flash. It was not until he had covered the gold rod with the thin piece of deep silver that he somewhat felt his palms burning.
Thereupon, the mana output was slowly increased, and the flame on Lin Li's hand burned more vigorously. The deep silver adhered on the gold rod began to melt under the blazing flame. Precise control was required. Any slight mistake could turn the valuable deep silver into nothing. Even Lin Li, who had always been calm, couldn't stop fine beads of sweat from breaking out on his forehead…
The melted deep silver glided over the rod. The mageweaths were like ravines. As the last ravine was filled, the previously mysterious yet gorgeous gold rod seemed to recover its original simplicity. It looked an integral whole, silently emitting a misty silver light.
Lin Li placed the gold rod on the platform and finally heaved a long sigh of relief.
Except for the madness before he had transmigrated, he had never been as tired as he was this day.
Creating a small gold rod utilized almost all the professions he'd acquired.
Weary, Lin Li's eyes fell onto the platform again, and when he saw the gold rod lying quietly there, he seemed to feel that everything was worth it. This was something sufficient to make all the magical enchanters crazy. Forged with the abyss mithril, using the Dragon's Blood Ink to construct the mageweath… two gemstones from the nest of Dragon of Destruction, and not to mention the last coating of deep silver…
Chapter 49 - Invitation
Lin Li was not someone who could keep still. With such a deadly weapon in his hands, was there any reason not to use it?
After a short rest, Lin Li opened up the Ring of Endless Storm again. Without even looking, he grabbed a handful of magical crystals and counted them on the forging platform. There were about a dozen or so of these magical crystals, most of which were level-four and five, with one or two level-six and seven ones.
"I've become so poor?" Lin Li scratched his head in disbelief.
Fortunately, there was no one in the alchemy lab. If these words went out, he would most likely be struck by lightning…
Someone who could grab a handful of magical crystals at once actually had the gall to complain that he was poor?
However, this fellow quickly accepted the reality. He had miscalculated his steps and failed to transfer the magical crystals from the hunter at an earlier time.
More than a dozen magical crystals lay on the table. Lin Li held the gold rod in his hand; after a slight hesitation, he removed the Robe of Wrath he was wearing.
The Robe of Wrath did indeed look insignificant now.
The terrific thing about the Robe of Wrath was that it could carry 30 scrolls and could be activated in an instant. For the ordinary mages, this was definitely a treasure they'd dream about. But to make it fall into the hands of a freak like Lin Li whose mana was infinite was like casting pearls before a swine. It was like giving an eunuch an e.r.o.t.i.c painting—he could see it, but there was no way he could use it…
But Lin Li had always felt it to be fitting after wearing it for so long, and never thought of replacing it. Most mage robes were as such anyway, making an issue out of the scroll space.
Besides, a few low-level magical crystals like these couldn't really turn over any waves, so it wouldn't hurt at all to waste them away…
Lin Li tightened his grip on the gold rod with one hand and controlled with precision the mental strength he had previously imbibed. With the stimulation of the mental strength, the source of mana at the end of the gold rod began to run. A wave of mana was slowly released from the magical crystal and flowed through the complex magic circuit, at last activating the 13 magic nodes.
At the instant the 13 magic nodes were activated, the pure ruby gave off a dazzling light as well. Lin Li extended the gold rod forward; it landed on a level-five magical crystal. In an instant, a ray of light rose from it as the magical crystal was dissolved into the purest essence of magic, leaving only a glittering halo on the gold rod.
It only took the twinkling of an eye from the stimulation of the mental strength to the completion of dissolution. It was indeed different compared to the gold rods that were used in the past. Lin Li's mood was lifted at once; the gold rod in his hands moved swiftly, dissolving the magical crystals into pure magic essence.
After the magical crystals on the forging platform were emptied, there was a thick layer of magic essence on the gold rod. The glittering halo also seemed to have become thick and viscous.
With the change of the mental strength, the mana suddenly took a 180 degree turn, bypassing the complex magic circuit and activating the 13 magic nodes surrounding the emerald. Then, Lin Li lifted his hand, and the gold rod landed on the Robe of Wrath. A series of runes arose instantly and there was a distorted magical wave on the Robe of Wrath. By the time all these subsided, Lin Li completed his first magical enchantment in Anril.
Putting the Robe of Wrath back on his body, Lin Li could clearly feel that he was surrounded by a powerful wave of magic resistance.
Even Lin Li felt surprised at it. The power of this magic resistance was totally beyond his estimation. Usually, at least a level-fifteen magical crystal essence was needed in order to achieve such a powerful effect.
But, on the second thought, there was nothing strange about it.
The gold rod was certainly a sick item. The abyss mithril itself could strengthen magic resistance, and after being greatly enhanced by the deep silver, a low-level magic resistance attribute had been made incredibly potent by him. If the Robe of Wrath was worn out, it would probably make mages under level-five utterly depressed…
Lin Li meticulously put away the gold rod into the Ring of Endless Storm and began to envision other high-level magical enchantment. A low-level magic resistance attribute could be this sick; then wouldn't the Dragon's Clout and Flow of Eternal Wisdom send people to heaven?
By the time Lin Li came out of the alchemy lab wearing the enchanted Robe of Wrath, the leaders of the various forces in the guild hall had almost all dispersed.
Only a few leaders of the smaller forces still crowded around Kevin, desperately trying to pull friendship with him. Poor Kevin had been acting as an auctioneer for the whole morning and was so tired that his limbs were weak, and yet he was blocked by these leaders. This made it impossible for him to either leave or stay easily…
He seemed to have found a savior when he saw Lin Li coming out from the alchemy lab. He excused himself from the leaders in a hurry and quickly fled.
"Felic!" Kevin caught up from behind and greeted Lin Li.
Lin Li was a little puzzled. "Eh… How were those fellows willing to let you go?"
"I told them, why don't I ask President Gerian out to discuss the details with them?"
"Pft…" Lin Li nearly choked on his saliva hearing the words out of the blue. Discussing the details with Gerian? Kevin was trying to push him into the pit of fire…
"Oh, right. Proper business at hand." Kevin suddenly recalled halfway through the walk. "The Castellan has sent someone with an invitation, inviting Uncle Gerian to a banquet."
"What has it got to do with me?"
"Uncle Gerian's intention is for the two of us to go in his place…"
"Damn! Where's he?" Lin Li knew the old fellow was up to no go
od upon hearing what Kevin said. He was still thinking about making Lin Li the president of the guild; if not, why would he want him to attend the castellan's banquet?
"News just came from the Demon Fall Valley, there's something important and they want Uncle to go over. He should almost be out of Jarrosus by now."
"Oh?" For reasons unknown, Lin Li would recall the first time he came to the Guild of Magic and the middle-aged man who felt like a poisonous snake whenever the name of the Demon Fall Valley came up. "What happened there?"
"Seems like there's a conflict with Shadow City. Time was tight, so Uncle Gerian did not tell me the details. He only told me to inform you of the banquet."
"Then let's go just this once. When is the banquet?"
"Tomorrow night."
Chapter 50 - Banquet
There seemed to be some celebration today; the Castellan Mansion was brightly lit with lights.
Lin Li and Kevin got out of the carriage, and soon a servant came up to meet them. He took the invitation card from them with great respect and politely escorted them into the mansion.
Outside the richly decorated banquet hall was a garden full of exotic flowers and plants. The banquet had not yet started and many guests still remained in the garden. As the two passed through it, they naturally drew curious looks from the other guests.
Although Kevin was honest and low-profile, he was Gerian's nephew after all. Moreover, he was also famous for being the magic genius of Jarrosus City since young. There were some sharp-eyed ones among the guests present, and both of them had barely taken a few steps when they were recognized by these people.
The Guild of Magic was at the peak of its power now; who in Jarrosus City wouldn't want to claim a relationship with them? Now that Gerian's nephew had graced the event, how could the guests hold back?
In the blink of an eye, Kevin was surrounded by a crowd of guests.