Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074

by Zhuang Bifan

  One, two, three…

  Like the falling autumn leaves, dozens of Skeletal Warriors had been reduced to ashes in a flash as the Flaming Storm continued its onslaught. So rapid was Lin Li's use of magic that the Skeletal Warriors were caught in the sweep of magic before they could even rise from the heaps of gold coins, which left the great hall empty in a matter of seconds.

  Still, Lin Li did not let his guard down one bit.

  At this point, Lin Li could not be more sure of the fact that this was the tomb of a top-notch Necromancer. Song of Death mageweath, Gem of Curse, and the disaster energy field… which of these could have belonged to anyone besides a powerful Necromancer? How could he not expect anything besides these lowly Undead creatures?

  Hence, Lin Li grasped the Aether Staff tightly with both hands.

  Indeed…

  Before Lin Li could unleash the fourth Flaming Storm, a noise came from the great hall, and Lin Li realized all of a sudden that the stone door opposite the great hall had opened.

  "Damn it… " Lin Li felt his heart tighten.

  Unsurprisingly, a sea of Undead creatures poured out just as the stone door gave way.

  This was definitely a bone-chilling sight.

  Corpses, vengeful spirits, Skeletal Warriors, and Hell Ghouls…

  Undead creatures of all kinds came swarming in waves drenched in a stifling death aura, looking like tiny dots from afar. Even if Lin Li had stayed a week at the Shadowglen, where the Undead roamed, and witnessed a great war of the Undead creatures, he could not help but be dumbfounded when presented with this scene. While they were trumped by the ones in the Shadowglen in terms of quantity, they easily won with their variety. This was a banquet of the Undead creatures of some kind—as the door opened, every lowly Undead creature you could name came pouring out of it…

  "Is this a joke… " The thought of death came to Lin Li as he stared at the throngs of undead creatures. If he'd known this would be the outcome, he would have fled with the Gem of Curse instead of exploring the burial grounds of a powerful Necromancer. Look where this brought him—even if he used the Thousand Miles of Ice spell to expel the undead creatures, it was going to take him at least a day…

  "M-Mage Felic, what do we do now?" Ysera swallowed saliva with difficulty, feeling regret deep in his guts. He would have slapped himself if he could. God damn it, why did he interfere with the affairs of the Guild of Magic? Great, he would be smashed into jam by the sheer number of the Undead here now.

  "Protect President Gerian and retreat outside first, I'm going to stall them." Lin Li quickly made a decision knowing he would not be able to take on so many Undead creatures. The only way out was to escape, and even that had to be done separately…

  "Nonsense, I don't need any protection!" Ysera had not even had the chance to speak before Gerian had scolded from aside. However, after his scolding, he suddenly realised the condition he was in, he would be of no help even if he stayed and thus the middle-aged fatty changed his tone. "Even if you think this old man will get in your way, I can leave on my own, at least let Ysera stay to help, it shouldn't be much of a problem…"

  "That's enough!" How could Lin Li not understand Gerian's concern? This was really not the time to debate who should take the risk, however, and as he continued kindling the firewall, he turned to Ysera, who was hesitating at the side. "What are you waiting for? Take President Gerian and leave immediately! "

  "Oh, ok…" As Ysera stared at the Undead creatures that were pressing in on them, he knew they could not delay further. Without worrying about Gerian's consent, he grabbed his robe, and dragged him out of the mausoleum.

  Seeing the two retreat outside, Lin Li let out of breath of relief, and slowly retreated as well, maintaining the firewall blocking the Undead creatures all the while.

  However, at that moment, something unexpected occurred all of a sudden…

  Just as Lin Li finished the last wave of Flaming Storms, intending to retreat outside of the mausoleum, a black puff of smoke appeared in the center of the great hall. Lin Li whipped his head around at hearing a noise, only to find that the stone door had shut tightly. Lin Li paled at this moment. His escape route was gone as the army of Undead creatures closed in on him—bad things really came in threes!

  "F*ck, you really want to trap me in here, huh? " Tightly grasping the Aether Staff, Lin Li began his recitation yet again.

  Just as the first syllable rang out, a tall figure appeared from the puff of black smoke. He looked to be a young man in his twenties. With his black cape and a pale face as well as the air of elegance radiating from him, he looked to be a High Elven aristocrat from the Dark Ages.

  How can my luck be this bad… This air of elegance only served run a chill down his limbs.

  Lin Li clearly remembered that two months ago in the Shadowglen, he had seen the same air of elegance which, correct, belonged to the high-ranking Vampire who had died a mysterious death in the end.

  The same gory stench, and the same eerie blood-red pupils.

  This dude had to be a true high-ranking Vampire.

  I'm in big trouble… Lin Li could not help but gulp as he thought of how powerful a high-ranking Vampire could be…

  This high-ranking Vampire could well be the leader of the Undead creatures. As he arrived atop the black fog, the great hall quieted down in an instant. The corpses stopped their growling, and the vengeful spirits ceased their painful whimpers; even the Skeletal Warriors wielding their machetes stilled as if held by an unknown force, standing frozen in their spots, and only the lights in their hollow eyes continued flickering.

  The death aura coming from the high-ranking Vampire was incomparably powerful, just like the legendary aura of a dragon. So powerful it was that Lin Li found himself gasping for breath. At this point, he realized that this Vampire was so powerful that it was probably above the one back at the Shadowglen…

  Despite mastering many core magical mantras and attaining the 16th level which was coveted by every Archmage, he was probably still no match for the powerful Death Energy.

  At this point, all Lin Li could do was to continue his recitation, praying that the Thousand Miles of Ice spell could buy him some time…

  However, at this point, the black-cloaked High-ranking Vampire did something beyond Lin Li's wildest dreams.

  He lowered his head, his pale face filled with loyalty and passion, and then… he kneeled down.

  "The Great Immortal King, you have finally arrived… "

  "Huh?" Lin Li almost choked on his saliva out of shock. W-w-what's going on now?

  Wait a second… The Great Immortal King?

  Is this another muddled dude?

  Lin Li remembered clearly that a few days ago, in the Aurora Square, the mage named Garat had called him the "Mighty Immortal King" as well, even going as far as to say that "He would wield skeletons as his staff and be crowned king once again". Indeed, it was almost the same scenario as the one now, and the same look of loyalty and passion, rivaling the most devoted followers of Brilliance Shrine!

  Do I really look like the Immortal King? Lin Li touched his face unconsciously, thinking to himself, Am I really that unlucky?

  "O Mighty Immortal King, on behalf of the Lus Feratu Family, I pledge our allegiance to you!" As Lin Li remained doubtful about the situation, the Vampire kneeling on a single knee carved a line on his forehead with a long and sharp nail…

  Blood trickled out of the gash…

  "What the hell…" Lin Li's eyes bulged at the sight. While he knew little about Vampires, he had heard Andoine mention on occasions that they usually pledged their loyalty using a blood oath like this…

  What the high-ranking Vampire was presenting now was a blood oath in its most complete form.

  With fresh blood as a guide and with life bearing witness, he lay down a vow to never betray—such was the blood oath of a Vampire.

  Lin Li froze in shock, for he knew that if he walked over and painted the blood on his forehead with
his finger, it would seal the blood oath. This high-ranking Vampire would become his most loyal servant, so fiercely loyal that he would give his life up for Lin Li without a second thought if he was asked to.

  At this moment, Lin Li really felt as though he were in a dream.

  For some reason, he had barged into a mausoleum, and stumbled upon unimaginable wealth presented in the form of gold coins. All of this would have been thrilling enough, but little had he known that a high-ranking Vampire at least level-18 would pledge his allegiance to him using a blood oath!

  Chapter 294 - The Highlord's Younger Brother

  "How can I do that… " Lin Li said half-heartedly as he had already proceeded to dip his finger into the blood. Not once did he stop to think if this could be a trap, as there was no need to do so. There were countless Undead creatures in this great hall, and with a high-ranking Vampire at least at level-18, why would they risk the Vampire's freedom with a blood oath when they could destroy him so easily.

  As Lin Li felt the boiling blood on his fingertip, he confirmed his suspicions. This had to be a blood oath. The reason was simple. As an Undead creature, a Vampire's blood was unbearably cold. Only when they made a blood oath did their blood boil with their soul fire, just as the blood on his fingertip did…

  The boiling blood felt like a blazing ball of fire on his forehead; before Lin Li could react, millions of fragmented memories formed a wave and flooded his mind. Voices and scenes, old and new, came together in a flurry, fighting a war in his mind. Amidst the chaos, the fog shrouding one particular voice and scene slowly disappeared, just like dust-sealed scrolls being revealed to him. Lin Li knew that this was the soul fire of the Vampire, encompassing all his memories from the day he became an Undead creature to this day as he offered his soul fire to seal the blood oath. The boiling drop of blood was brimming with all of these memories…

  "Whooo…" Countless memory fragments pieced themselves together. At long last, Lin Li let out a long breath of relief. Scanning the many Undead creatures in the great hall, he saw that not a trace of violence and murder resided in their eyes, only compliance and respect. Lin Li could even tell that they would comply with any of his orders. At last, he let his gaze fall upon the high-ranking Vampire.

  "Norfeller, could you tell me about the origins of this mausoleum? "

  "Norfeller" was the name of the high-ranking Vampire. Not only did Lin Li come to know of the Vampire's origins from the fragments of memory, he also knew that this Vampire was half human and half High Elf. Born in the legendary Dark Ages, Norfeller had even once served as the personal guard of a High Elf aristocrat.

  "As you wish, Master…" replied Norfeller. He remained on a single knee, compliance and respect evident in his voice.

  His deep and raspy voice brought them back to 1200 years ago, when the High Elves still ruled the world and Osric reigned over the Felan Kingdom. This reign and dictatorship, however, came with stir of a brewing storm. The human army had destroyed six Sky Castles, and the High Elves were about to lose their last weapon. Naturally, the High Elves aristocrats started to panic, and the aristocrat Norfeller served was no exception.

  According to Norfeller, the aristocrat was named Giovanni—he ruled over the lands south of the Breezy Plains. He lost everything he had in the war, and had no choice but to escape to Felan, where he begged his half-brother Osric to offer him protection. Sadly, the once decorated Highlord was now utterly devoted to building a mausoleum in his old age.

  Perhaps it was an understanding of his plight, or maybe he had been inspired by Osric, but after a night of pondering, the distraught Giovanni approached Osric and asked for the piece of land by the Demon Fall Valley.

  Osric did not refuse him, and recalled the Magic Legion that resided at the Demon Fall Valley that very evening.

  From then on, Giovanni lived in the Demon Fall Valley, building himself a mage tower and sending countless slaves to dig the grounds to build him a true underground palace.

  Following that, he began his research on Necromagic.

  Necromagic was a taboo amongst the life-loving High Elves, who thought it a belittlement of life. In those times, any High Elf who practiced Necromagic was treated like a heretic and burnt to death.

  Hence, Giovanni's research on Necromagic remained a secret to everybody but his personal guard Norfeller. Not even his half-brother Osric knew about it.

  Giovanni's research lasted 10 years. As time went by, the human army had already taken over vast areas. The sound of horns came ringing from the borders of the Felan Kingdom, and as the ruler Osric grew frailer each day, the people knew that the Highlord's time was nearly up…

  The human army finally invaded the Breezy Plains that autumn. In that same autumn, Highlord Osric also came to the end of his time. The raging fires of war reached Alanna from the Breezy Plains as Osric's two sons battled each other for the throne each day even as they lived in fear of the human army. At that time, Giovanni did the unthinkable: he turned himself into an Undead creature.

  Or, more accurately, a Lich.

  Giovanni buried the brand of his soul into his life case, hence obtaining immortality through an unorthodox method.

  After turning himself into a Lich, Giovanni did not attempt to resist the human army. Instead, he quickly moved all that he had into the underground palace. The day he was done, he killed all the slaves with Necromagic, and turned them all into his most loyal servants.

  Due to his loyalty, Norfeller was turned into a high-ranking Vampire who retained his memory and intelligence, and served as the right-hand man of Giovanni who commanded the army of Undead creatures.

  "What about now? Where is Giovanni?" Lin Li could not help his suspicion upon hearing this.

  "Lord Giovanni has already died, the brand of his soul had already disappeared 1200 years ago when he moved into the underground palace…" While Norfeller's voice was still filled with the same air of compliance and respect, a trace of his complicated feelings slipped through at the mention of his previous master.

  "Dead?" Lin Li could not control his shock at this. Wasn't that too fast? Didn't he just turn into an immortal Lich? Lin Li clearly remembered Andoine telling him that every Lich lived almost eternally, and even if they were killed, they could revive themselves with the brand of their soul that remained in the life case. Even if Giovanni was a freshly created Lich, surely he was better than that?

  "Yes…"

  Norfeller nodded as he remained kneeling. As Giovanni retreated into the underground palace with his army of the Undead, he found an altar situated right at the center of it. This altar had been already present as the slaves built the underground palace, but as they had mostly been peasants from various tribes, none of them knew what the altar represented.

  Giovanni was the only one who knew…

  Just as he set foot into the underground palace, Giovanni felt a great force of Divine Power coming from the center of the altar. This was undoubtedly a cruel joke for the newly born Lich—such Divine Power was hidden in an underground palace made for Undead creatures? It felt like being in a tank with a ball of fire.

  Perhaps he had been too sure of himself, or maybe he did not want future troubles knocking at his door… no matter what it had been, Giovanni made a decision to check out the interior of altar upon seeing it for the first time. Norfeller recalled that Giovanni had gone in alone—not a single underling followed, not even the most trusted Norfeller.

  The accident happened then…

  Norfeller heard a cry an hour after Giovanni went into the altar before he saw Giovanni rush out covered in flames. Till this day, Norfeller could recall the terror of the flames, just like that of the legendary Judgement Day. Even a spark of that fire could destroy an Undead creature, and numerous Undead turned into ashes just as Giovanni emerged from the altar. If not for his quick thinking and flying away after turning into a bat, Norfeller would not be speaking to Lin Li today…

  Just like Lin Li, Norfeller had initially though
t that Giovanni would survive the Divine Fire as he had already turned into a Lich. Soon, however, he could clearly feel that the Divine Fire was not just burning Giovanni's body, but also his soul—even the brand of his soul locked in the life case was not spared.

  Sadly, as Norfeller realized that, the last bit of the brand of Giovanni's soul had already been destroyed…

  Thus, nobody knew what Giovanni saw inside the altar, and nobody knew what was the fire that could parallel the flames of Judgement Day. Norfeller only knew that Giovanni's dying words were: "1200 years later, the Immortal King will open this sealed door. Norfeller, you must follow him and serve him…"

  Hence, Norfeller waited 1200 years in this underground palace until Lin Li came through the mausoleum's door…

  "… " Lin Li brushed his nose without a word, thinking to himself, F*ck, how can there be such a coincidence?

  Chapter 295 - Meteorite Debris

  Lin Li still remained in shock as the number of questions in his mind only grew even after Norfeller told him everything he knew. Why did Giovanni study Necromagic? Why did he build the underground palace? Why were there so many things hidden in the altar, and why did it shoot out such powerful Divine Fire? Who was this damned Immortal King, and why did he find the issue revolving around him all the time?

  Lin Li found himself out of breath as the questions weighed down on him like boulders. He found everything about the Immortal King terrifying as it resembled a trap someone had meticulously laid down for him.

  "Damn it, who has so much time in the world to be after me? Be prepared to feel my wrath!!" Lin Li never thought he would be so vexed standing in the midst of so many Undead creatures that this would be the first thing he said.

  Norfeller remained on one knee, not a single movement on his sculpted features and pale face. It was as though his new master's outburst did not affect him at all.