by Zhuang Bifan
"Poof, poof, poof…" With the heat from the Flaming Hands, the fire resistance potion started to bubble. The white mist that curled upwards had a trace of a pungent smell. This was the unique smell of the star sand. When this smell was produced, it was the sign that this bottle of star ink had been successfully concocted.
Lin Li dispersed the flames on his hands, and placed the star ink that had been concocted on the table. Then, he laid out the two sets of leather armor, and started to construct the outlines of two mageweaths in his head.
These two mageweaths had been designed by Lin Li for almost more than a month. When he picked up the crystal pen, he only had to recall for a bit, and he could set the outline of these two mageweaths.
The crystal was coated with a slightly thick red liquid after being dipped in the star ink lightly…
Chapter 170 - Causing Trouble
What Lin Li laid on the leather armor was a fire resistance force field.
Because the star ink was blended with the Fire Resistance Potion, the fire resistance force field produced from this ink would be stronger than those mageweaths that were produced with normal ink. With the addition of the innate fire resistance from the Fire Salamandrid leather, it should not be a problem going to Fire Plume Ridge. Of course, wearing it did not mean that they could jump straight into magma…
Lin Li had already thought about this mageweath for a long while. It was like he drew it without stopping this time. With just a few strokes of the pen, he had already drew the rough sketch of the outline. After mounting a level-5 magical crystal in the middle of the magical crystal, all that was left was to make it more well developed.
Just when Lin Li was focusing on drawing the mageweath, there was a sudden burst of human voices from outside of the door.
Initially, Lin Li thought that Sean had came back.
After hearing again, it was a barrage of scolding.
"Buck, come out now! F*ck your mom. You actually dare to sell a broken armor like this." Before Lin Li could understand what was happening, a muffled voice had already started scolding.
When this scolding voice was heard, Lin Li felt that it was somewhat familiar as though he heard it somewhere. Even more so, it was very recent. It was either today or yesterday.
"I only wore it once, and someone pierced it with a sword. F*ck your mom. If it hadn't been for my luck, I wouldn't have known how I died. I will definitely smash your useless store today."
"No, you can't do this!" As there was a scream from Buck, there was "BAM" coming from outside of the door. The screeching of metal sounded as though the weapons rack had been knocked over by someone. This was followed by sounds of a struggle; he thought that Buck must have started fighting with the other party.
"Scram!"
Lin Li hesitated for a little. He borrowed Buck's room to draw the mageweath. If he was to stand by idly and watch as Buck's store got trashed, it would be hardly justifiable.
"Forget it, I'll offer them some advice…" Lin Li thought about it and stopped his work, deciding to advise them. After all, this was a dispute between a businessman and his customer. It would not reach the degree of someone dying.
Who knew that just as Lin Li opened the door, he heard a windy sound coming over…
At the moment when the windy sound came over, Lin Li instinctively lowered his head. Immediately, there was a beam of light flying past his head. Before Lin Li could stand up, there was crisp "ping" coming from behind…
"F*ck…" Lin Li's heart skipped a few beats when the crisp sound was heard.
He did not need to turn around to know that something major happened…
That sound was obviously made by shattering glass, and in this room there was only a beaker of star ink. What else was there that was made of glass?
"F*ck…" Lin Li really felt like killing somebody. He'd never imagined himself to be so unlucky. If you want to smash the store, then just smash it. What right do you have to smash my star ink?
That was star ink, something that could not be bought from anywhere!
Lin Li glanced towards the table. The beaker has indeed been smashed.
The less than half of the beaker's star ink was flowing down the table. It was all red, just as though fresh blood had been spilled. There was a dagger stuck near the broken beaker. It had to be this thing that flew in from the door just now and broke the star ink that was painstakingly concocted.
When Lin Li came out from the room, his face had already turned livid from rage.
He did not even greet Buck, and just stood at the door's entrance watching who had the nerve to do that…
The trouble maker was indeed someone familiar.
It was the warrior that came to buy the armor. He was fierce-looking, and he even carried a decent fire-attribute magical weapon. The thief that followed him the other day was here today as well. He was now smashing things while threatening Buck for reimburs.e.m.e.nt along with that warrior.
F*ck. I haven't got you to pay me back for the star ink, and you actually asked somebody to else pay…
"May I know who threw this dagger?" Lin Li's voice was terrifyingly calm. If Mason here, he more or less would know the problem. The more polite this fella was, the more likely would there be trouble…
If he spoke to you politely, then you'd better be worried. You could very likely have a spell pounding at your face in the next second.
Unfortunately, that warrior was not Mason. He had no idea whose belongings the dagger that was thrown had crushed.
So, he lifted his head audaciously. "I threw it, why?"
"Nothing, just asking…" Lin Li took the dagger and walked over, handing it to the warrior very politely.
The warrior rudely took back the dagger and stared at Lin Li recklessly. "If there's nothing, then shove it. Don't stand in the way. If you were to get crushed by something, don't blame me."
"I'll watch and leave…" Lin Li smiled, and a surge of magical wave started to spread all over the place.
"What's there to see— ah!"
Before the warrior could complete his sentence, he gave out a loud shriek.
Lin Li did not give him any chances. He immediately lifted his hand and fired an Arcane Missile that smashed right into the warrior's face. Even a magical beast would not be able to withstand it while getting smashed in the face by an Arcane Missile while being defenseless, much less a human. Under the immense force of impact, the warrior seemingly flew out instantaneously.
Lin Li was considered merciful. He did not release all of his mana when firing that Arcane Missile. Otherwise, the warrior would have been blown up even with that muscular body. If not, how could he have the strength to lie there panting and m.o.a.ning like now…?
"You… You… what are you doing…" Even though he was not blown up, it did not mean that the warrior was not afraid.
Initially, when he saw the black robe Lin Li was wearing, he had not reacted to it. He thought that it was just normal clothes. Once the Arcane Missile flew into his face, the warrior suddenly recalled what was the most likely profession of people that wore this black robe…
He even recalled the rumors that he'd heard…
Accordingly, among the mages, the color of the robes determined their levels. The darker the color, the higher level. A mage that wore a black robe like this one was a person of prominent position even within Alanna's Guild of Magic. As for how prominent it was, it was not something an adventurer at his level would know…
The warrior lay on the floor, getting more terrified as he thought about it.
If this was really the case, then the opponent could conveniently kill him. There was no need to worry about the mercenary corps' revenge. This was because there was no mercenary corp within Alanna city that would seek vengeance against the Guild of Magic.
Even though Lin Li was merciful, the Arcane Missile was still a level-two spell. When it smashed into the face at such a close distance, it was not lighter than being struck by a pole. When the warrior
struggled to stand up, more than half of his face had already swelled up. Some of his teeth had dropped out, and the blood that was mixed with saliva flowed out of his mouth that could not be closed. He looked to be in a very sorry state.
When this sudden unforeseen event befell the eyes of people, be it Boss Buck or the thief that was wearing a pair of shoes with magical enchantment, they stood there, dumbfounded. Nobody thought that this unforeseen event would be so abrupt. In an instant, the seemingly powerful warrior adventurer had been whipped like a dog, lying on the floor.
"Fe… Mage Felic.." Buck looked at Lin LI as though he had just met Lin Li today.
In fact, he did indeed have this feeling.
He made a few deals with this young mage. He always felt that the other party was a gentle young man. No matter what Lin Li did, he seemed like he always took his own and would never lose his temper. Yet, up to that point, Buck discovered that he had been wrong, and he was severely wrong at that.
This young mage not only would lose his temper, but when he did lose his temper, it was scarier than for most people.
Frankly speaking, the warrior's luck was not that bad.
If it'd been in the past, there was no knowing how Lin Li would have fixed him up.
However, Lin Li was too busy today. After giving him a small lesson, Lin Li did not plan to give him any more trouble.
There were too many incidents today. The star ink had been spilled, and Lin Li had to concoct a new bottle again. The mageweath on those two pieces of leather armor had to be dealt with quickly. When Sean returned, they had to depart for Fire Plume Ridge. This journey was going to be long, and they had to return by the time stated on the invitation letter. There was not much time that could be wasted on such things.
"You guys can leave now."
"Yes, yes, yes, we will leave now…" The unlucky warrior suffered great losses, yet he did not dare to retaliate. Naturally, he was not an idiot, as he could stay an adventurer until this day. Looking at this mage in front of him, it was obvious the mage was not someone he could provoke. Other than admitting that he was unlucky, he dared not have a single thought about taking revenge when facing such a person.
When Lin Li finished his sentence, the unlucky warrior crawled towards the door as though he had been received an amnesty…
Just as he reached the door, Lin Li suddenly went back on his words. "Hold on."
"Ma… Mr Mage, you, you, you… what orders do you have?" The unlucky warrior's face was slightly pale. His life was in somebody else's hand, he could not retaliate even if he wanted to.
"Before leaving, could you tell who actually instigated you to come here and create trouble?"
"No… Nobody instigated us…" The unlucky warrior summoned up his courage with difficulty and completed his sentence. He was sweating profusely. There was an immense pressure when standing in front of this unpredictable young mage…
"Try saying that again…" Lin Li glanced, and started smiling again.
When the warrior saw that smile, it immediately sent shivers down his spine. He clearly remembered that this young mage smiled in this manner as well when he struck out just now…
After hesitating, he still did not confess.
Of course, he did not dare to as well.
He even confirmed that if he were spout out another word, another Arcane Missile would immediately land on his face. He dared not take such a risk.
Chapter 171 - Ore Devouring Beast
The unlucky warrior did not want to confess, and Lin Li did not force him, either. He just bent down and picked up the armor that was said to have issues amongst the mess of equipment on the floor.
It was a common half body armor made from refined iron. It was even plated with Eternal Adamantine in a few crucial spots. The craftsmanship was pretty decent. It was of an above-average standard even from Lin Li's point of view.
The problem stated by the unlucky warrior was the c.h.e.s.t area of the armor. When Lin Li picked it up, he immediately saw a long crack. This crack started from the shoulder, and stretched all the way till the abdominal area. Just by looking, it seemed to be split by a sharp edge.
"I'll ask one last time, who was it that asked you to come?" Lin Li could guess what was the issue just by looking at the armor in his hands.
"…" The warrior broke out in a cold sweat from fear, but his mouth was tightly shut. It was not because he did not want to say, but because he really did not dare to. The person that made him do this had very powerful backing. Now, he only wished that this young mage was making wild guesses.
Maybe if he were to persevere for a while more, he would let him off…
The warrior could only console himself in this way.
The warrior shut his mouth tightly, but the thief at the side could not tolerate it anymore.
"Honorable Mr Mage, we admit that we are not your match. But, you also can't just willfully accuse us, right? The armor that was bought yesterday had already been split at night by somebody with a sword. You've seen that crack yourself. If it was not because my friend got lucky, he would've been already dead. Shouldn't Boss Buck compensate us for selling us such an armor?"
"Well said, but you seem to have forgotten something…" Lin Li only smiled when facing the thief's questioning. "While creating this crack, have you guys thought about how much strength is required to create such a long crack?"
"…" The thief's face suddenly froze. It was as if an invisible hand had shoved a cloth into his mouth.
Lin Li smiled, and turned around to look at the warrior, praising him sincerely, "You must be Titan's descendant. You didn't get injured from such a powerful slash. You even have the energy to seek trouble with Buck the next morning. You must be from a circus…
"Also, could I trouble you guys to be more professional?"
"…" The two of them were baffled with the lesson taught to them. They stared at each other blankly.
"So unprofessional even when falsifying. Such a lack of professionalism…" Lin Li shook his head as if he'd been expecting better. "Look at this opening yourselves, does it look like it was caused by a sword? It's more like it was gnawed by a dog. Just look at it yourselves, there are even serrations. Your swords can cause serrations?"
The warrior and thief were full of confusion while listening to Lin Li lecture them old-fashionedly.
"Ok…" Lin Li felt thirsty after lecturing for so long. He only then passed the armor to a dumbfounded Boss Buck. He used a perilous look to glare at the thief and warrior. "I'll give you a chance. If you don't say it now, you won't have the chance to say it later…"
"We…" The warrior opened his mouth, and thought of continuing to deny it, but only spoke halfway before Lin Li glared at him. Instantaneously, he felt like there was something stuck in his throat, and his voice was terrifyingly hoarse. "We… We can't say…"
"You're scared?" Lin Li glanced outside, and then advised the warrior softly, "Relax, there is a total of four people here. If none of us says anything, who would know what happened today? You just need to pretend as if nothing happened later, and walk out with swagger. Nobody would suspect anything…"
"Furthermore… even if this incident spreads out, nobody would suspect you guys. I'll honestly tell you something. That gentleman behind you isn't just involved with you guys only. Just less than an hour ago, Buck just sent off another group of people…"
Lin Li's words were just casually spouted.
The moment he came in, he saw that Buck's face was bruised, and faintly became aware that something was off. It was just that he did not think about things from this perspective. However, after the warrior and thief came in, how could Lin Li not figure it out?
Such incidents were too common…
Within Alanna city, there were countless cruel businessmen using such methods to undermine competitors. However, it went overboard this time. Not only were two batches of people sent, Lin Li's star ink was also carelessly smashed. Thinking about that half of a beaker of
star ink, Lin Li's c.h.e.s.t started to feel tight. Under the influence of these circ.u.mstances, he started to look at those two in menacing manner…
"So, what is it going to be? Hurry and decide, I am running out of patience. If you really want to keep mum, I won't force you to speak, either. It's just that when you came in just now, you smashed something of mine. You have to compensate for this loss. It doesn't cost much, just a bit more than 100,000 gold coins or so. I'll give you a discount, and round it down to 100,000 gold coins. You can leave whenever you pay me back. It's fine if you don't return me… Recently, I am lacking a few living humans to conduct magic experiments. The bodies of you two look pretty decent, I just might be able to use them…"
"…"
When the warrior heard this, he thought he was going to die.
What kind of joke was this, demanding more than 100,000 gold coins instantly? As an adventurer, how could he have such a huge sum of money? The words of these young mage were not a joke. If he really conducted magical experiments on them, would it not be worse than death?
He had heard of the cruelty of mages.
Accordingly, some of these really psychopathic mages liked to dissect living humans and transplant all sorts of magical beast limbs on them, creating a monstrosity that was half human and half beast.
Just the thought of it gave the warrior goosebumps…
The warrior swallowed his saliva, and used a voice that was softer than a mosquito to spout out a few words with difficulty." Hammer of Glory…"
When this voice that was softer than a mosquito's was heard by Buck, his complexion changed immediately. "Hammer of Glory?"
"Yes…"
The warrior looked at Buck; unknowingly, Lin Li suddenly felt that his gaze towards Buck had a trail of pity. Lin Li rubbed his eyes, and he was not mistaken. This guy that he had almost forced to commit suicide was now looking at Buck with full of pity.
All of these was obviously caused by a placed called "Hammer of Glory"…