by Zhuang Bifan
Apophis had not been merely toying with Lin Li during the fight. In fact, he took the time to give him some pointers here and there. While he did not say too much, nor was the teaching done in a nurturing manner, they were all critical issues for Lin Li to fix, giving him instant enlightenment each time he heeded Apophis' advice.
"What should I do then?"
"Well, hehehe…" Apophis suddenly looked at him cunningly, his burnt beard bouncing as he spoke. "I wanted to tell you this when I came to the Breezy Plains, but turns out you're a bastard who doesn't know how to respect the elderly. How dare you fool such a nice old man as I. Damn it, what do you mean a masterpiece of Moke? You really think I'm a fool?"
"That's called a mageweath array…" Lin Li did not want to reveal this for fear that he might appear on the Supreme Council's radar and bring himself trouble, but seeing as he was asking a favor from someone now, he couldn't care less if he did get exposed…
"Well, it's just a mageweath array, what's the big deal, fancy bringing in Moke…" The old man finally won the verbal fight, and could not help the smug grin on his face, only for his smile to suddenly freeze. He then jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Mageweath array?"
"Yes…"
"Damn it, I don't believe you, how can there be such things as a mageweath array?"
"It's just some lowly mageweath…"
"Even that's not possible!"
"…" Lin Li rolled his eyes, and decided to keep his mouth shut.
The old man flailed around before he realized something was off. He stared for some time at Lin Li, who had gone quiet, before carefully asking, "It really is a mageweath array?"
"It really is…"
"Seems true, a normal mageweath cannot be that powerful. It looks like an Alchemy Array from the flow of the mana… that's right, it must be a mageweath array indeed…" Apophis stared at Lin Li for a long time before he smiled happily, his cunning face looking angelic all of a sudden. "Hahaha, I knew that Andoine was not that capable, but at least he is a good judge of character. See, he struck gold this time. Quick, tell me kid, are you a Master of Inscription or a Guru of Inscription? Damn it, mageweath array? You can't be a Divine Smith, right?"
"That's exaggerating too much, these are merely some lowly mageweaths…"
"I don't care if they're lowly or not. Kid, how about we make a deal? I'm going to need a powerful mageweath soon, get it done for me and I'll teach you the way…" The old man seemed to worry that Lin Li would not buy his words at this point, and thus confidently assured, "Don't worry, if you follow the way I teach you, given your talent, I'm sure you'll surpass the Legendary-realm in less than a year!"
Lin Li stared at the old man for some time before he said, "You have to give me the ingredients…"
"Deal!"
The two stayed in the library until afternoon. It was somewhat impolite for the host to hide away in the library, leaving the guests alone. Moreover, these guests were all important figures, like the two Archbishops of the Brilliance Shrine, the High Priest of the Darkness Shrine, the prince of the Felan Kingdom, as well as the boss of Glittergold Trade Union… none of them were guests any ordinary person could afford to invite…
However, everyone knew who the people in the library were, and nobody dared say a word. Well, given their status, even if they had to wait a couple of days instead of one afternoon, they would have to continue waiting too.
The young-old pair only slowly came down the stairs when it was time for lunch.
"Kid, remember what you promised me, or you'll feel my wrath!" Apophis walked ahead as he threatened Lin Li with his cunning smile.
"Alright, alright…" Lin Li, however, was limping behind him. His face was swollen on one side, and he looked pathetic.
As Herza was preparing for the ceremony, Lin Li slid away to his room to change into a new robe and tend to the wounds on his face. He applied some balm, and cursed inwardly. This old man was rude indeed, why did he have to go for the face of all places? A dozen Wind Blades came flying at him and turned his face into a swollen mess. Thankfully, he had prepared a Recovery Potion, or else he would not know how to face his guests…
When Lin Li exited his room, the ceremony had officially begun.
Lin Li was wearing a new robe which accentuated his nice figure, making him look nicer than usual. A black pointed hat sat atop his head, and the Dragon's Eye on his Aether Staff glowed faintly. Lin Li looked impeccable apart from the unsightly bruises on his face, and even the grumpy Apophis could not help but utter his praises reluctantly. "Really can't tell that this kid is as shameless as they come based off his looks…"
"Good afternoon, distinguished guests. It is my honor to announce that the Supreme Council will appoint a new president for a Guild of Magic. It will be his mission and responsibility to ensure law and order in the Breezy Plains…" Herza walked on stage amidst the audience's applause. "Now, allow me to introduce you to the new president of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic, the most talented of young mages, the Archmage Felic!"
"Mr Herza, you humble me…" Lin Li walked on stage with a smile as he recited a few well-rehearsed phrases of formality.
At this time, Rina discreetly frowned as she stood in the crowd.
She thought that she had seen the person standing on the stage somewhere before, but when she tried to take a closer look, she was hindered by the large patch of bruises on his face. Why did this President Felic choose his big day to get in a fight? Now, he was stuck with his face swollen on one side…
The more she looked, the more she wanted to laugh. His face was truly amusing. Apart from being red and swollen, it was blue and purple all over as well, looking as though somebody had spilled paint all over his face.
Honestly, Rina was not the only one who was trying to see past the bruises as President Amman of Thunder City's Guild of Magic also found this person familiar.
Strange, why do I find him familiar…? Amman had been wondering where he had seen this young President before ever since the ceremony had begun. This was all too strange; he had been studying a rare prescription he had chanced upon for the past decade, and had never left Thunder City. Judging from this young president's accent, he did not seem to be from Thunder City, either, so why did he find him familiar?
Oh, no, he did leave once a few months ago…
The convention of the Pharmacists Guild. He had brought Milo along and attended the convention. It was also at that convention that he had suffered the biggest embarrassment of his life, and the person who had embarrassed him seemed to be called Felic as well!
When memories of the event came to his mind, Amman suddenly felt a chill run down his back. That was right, it was the Pharmacist called Felic, and they were exactly the same in terms of age and build. Amman suddenly realized why the people of the Brilliance Shrine and Darkness Shrine were invited to the inauguration ceremony of the president of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic. Damn it, Englos and Sendros were here because of the young pharmacist!
Amman felt his hands turn clammy all of a sudden. He had never thought that this Felic would climb the ranks so quickly. He became the President of Breezy Plains Guild of Magic at such a young age, and seemed to be well acknowledged by the Supreme Council. Even Arbitrator Apophis attended this ceremony, and from the way they had walked down the stairs, Amman would have to be a fool not to notice that their relationship was definitely more than met the eye…
Chapter 364 - Starlight Herb
The ceremony for taking up the President position was not complicated. After a simple speech by the new President, Herza announced the official establishment of the new Breezy Plains Guild of Magic. Then, it was Apophis's turn to present a symbolic gift to Lin Li. The old man had changed into a new gray robe; although it was not as formal as Lin Li's black robe, it was filled with a sense of mystery and authority when they were surrounded with that massive magical wave.
The black staff in Apophis's hands had an enormous magical crystal
that was reflecting a blinding yet eye-catching ray of light. Lin Li was surprised to see the magical energy within it. He saw a magical crystal of a beast that was definitely above level-18, and one that had certainly undergone vigorous mageweath treatment before it was set onto the staff. Now, the mana it could provide would without a doubt be close to a Legendary magical crystal!
"Archmage Felic, I represent the Supreme Council to announce that you are now officially the first President of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic," the elder said as he brought the tip of the staff that had the magical crystal against Lin Li's forehead gently. "May the force of magic guide you eternally."
Finally, Apophis handed the staff to Lin Li. This marked the official recognition of Lin Li's authority. From now on, the 25th guild of magic had been established in the Breezy Plains, and it was going to be protected under the name of Supreme Council. This meant that any organization's hostile actions against the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic would be treated as a challenge towards the Supreme Council.
The Guild could even have their own piece of land, including the authority over it. Hence, they would be able to collect taxes, and also have a pool of human resources there. All in all, everything would go according to the wishes of the Guild of Magic, with no interference from the royalty of the Felan Kingdom. That was an agreement put in place 1300 years ago—all guilds under the Supreme Council would be able to acquire land they could call their own. In return, the kingdom would be able to employ mages who were below the Legendary level as soldiers if they were to be invaded by enemy forces.
Of course, the royalty of Felan would not provide that land without any conditions. They had no choice, actually. As land was limited, their younger generation would be left with nothing if they decided to give land away to another 20 guilds.
Whether the guild of magic could acquire that piece of land would depend on their true abilities. As long as they were powerful enough—even if they merely took over the Ledin Kingdom—the royalty of Felan would not mind offering them the legal authority to rule. Since they were not required to provide resources for their soldiers, they had nothing else to lose.
However, to the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic, it was still a distant dream. They only had around 10 mages. While their majority was at least Magic Shooters of level-13, their strength was too weak in numbers. Even if they were to take over a piece of land, they would not be able to protect it well. It was like how the Jarrosus Guild of Magic was not only robbed of the Demon Fall Valley, but also lost their Emerald Tower due to a fire. Although they managed to rebuild it with the help of Lin Li, it was still Jarrosus. The power of the Shadow's Nest was too insignificant; any other forces in the Breezy Plains would have been able to crush his guild of magic into pieces. If Lin Li were to make any mistake on this land, he would not be able to deal with them alone.
The ceremony was an incredibly simple one. Ending with Lin Li's act of accepting the staff, it did not have any boring and long speeches, and lacked the bustling excitement as well. But, the simple ritual was not shocking to any of the guests. Being all big shots of different statuses and positions, the process of the ceremony was not important. What mattered was the meaning behind the ceremony itself.
When the young man received the staff, it meant that there would be another force that was not to be belittled in the Breezy Plains. Although it seemed that this force was still very weak, at least half of the number of guests present had absolute confidence in Lin Li. They believed that as long as the young President was in his position, this force would grow to become an invincible one…
After the ceremony ended, Hoffman went over to Lin Li with a smile. "Hehe, big congratulations to Mage Felic… Oh, I should call you President Felic. As I've said, if the Supreme Council wanted to build a guild of magic in the Breezy Plains, you were the most suitable candidate for the President. To me, only a rare talent like you would have the right to be in this position here in the Breezy Plains! I'm absolutely certain that the elders in the Supreme Council have made the best choice…"
"Nothing like that, Mr. Hoffman. The Guild of Magic has just been established, so we will still need the support from the Glittergold Trade Union…"
"That's for sure. As long as it is something I can help you with, feel free to tell me!" Hoffman promised Lin Li without thinking.
"I will thank Mr. Hoffman in advance then."
"You're welcome…"
After that, Hoffman called an attendant over. He gave him some instructions in a low voice before turning back to Lin Li.
"Oh, yes. President Felic, apart from coming to congratulate you, I had prepared a gift as well. I hope you will like it."
"Mr. Hoffman, you are too courteous…"
As the two men conversed, an attendant entered the room with a box made of jade. From the first look, there was nothing special about it, but after Hoffman opened the lid of the box, it caused many to gasp in shock…
"This…"
Lin Li was one of those who were stunned. Frankly speaking, he had expected Hoffman to present him with a gift at this ceremony, yet he had not expected it to be such a precious treasure.
"So many Starlight Herbs?"
He did not believe that Hoffman could present him with a few hundred stalks of Starlight. It was definitely an exorbitant gift. To a Master Pharmacist, such an amount of Starlight Herb meant riches in astronomical figures. A bottle of Radiance Potion that could prevent the bite of mana would sell for up to tens of thousand gold coins, and the whole lot of Starlight in that jade box would certainly let him create more than 50 bottles of Radiance Potion!
Furthermore, it was just the simplest Radiance Potion. If he could get ahold of the rare Moonlight Flower, and combine it with Starlight Herb, he could create the Heroic Potion, a potion that even Sword Sages dreamed of—a treasure that could increase one's Combat Energy unlimitedly. Compared to a level-17 magical crystal, it would definitely not be any less valuable…
"Hehe, hope President Felic can appreciate the small gift…"
Although Hoffman seemed to be very humble when he said that, he was actually really nervous. The Glittergold Trade Union might be wealthy, but it'd taken a lot of effort to collect hundreds of Starlight Herb stalks. However, it did not matter to Hoffman. He was certain of one thing: the herbs would become a dozen of bottles of Radiance Potion in his hands, but a dozen of bottles of Heroic Potion in Lin Li's.
If Lin Li could gift him one or two bottles of the second potion at that time, it would overwrite the cost of these several hundred herbs…
"Mr. Hoffman, I'm accepting your gift. Don't worry, I'm not a forgetful person. If I am successful in using them to create the Heroic Potion, half of them will go to the Glittergold Trade Union!"
"Then I will thank President Felic in advance…" Hoffman said gleefully. He would have been content with a bottle or two, and had not expected the young President to be so generous to promise him half of what he'd produce. If he could really get half the amount of it, how would this single box of Starlight matter?
"Oh, Mr. Hoffman. Are you free these two days? I have a business proposal to discuss with you…"
"Yes, of course! I will be in Doland in the next two days. Just call me over when you are free."
"That's a deal then."
"Sure."
While the two people chattered with each other, Englos brought Rina over.
"Hoffman, you really placed me in a difficult spot by giving such a valuable gift. If mine doesn't match the standard you set, isn't it an embarrassment for myself?" Englos remarked playfully. "Luckily, I am well prepared…"
"Old man, stop acting mysterious. If you have anything good, just show it to us…" Hoffman said jokingly. Being Pharmaceutical Masters who had known each other for a very long time, their interaction was devoid of any formalities. Hoffman was not offended by Englos at all. "How could I not know how your Brilliance Shrine is? It was my Glittergold Trade Union that helped to fund your shrine when it was being bui
lt in the Breezy Plains. I really doubt that you can offer anything good…" he said in disdain as he pursed his lips.
"Hehe, Hoffman, you have guessed it wrong this time. You stingy man…" Englos laughed. Then, he fished out something from his pocket…
Chapter 365 - Magic Lamp
"F*ck…" The sight of that object stunned Hoffman. He stared at it for quite a while. "Old dude, how could you take this out just like that? Aren't you scared that Rosario will fall out with you?"
Although both of them were Master Pharmacists, they were closer than any other people. Hence, they were very straightforward with each other, and Englos did not mind being called like that as well. He only smiled back at Hoffman.
Rina at the side, however, could not stand that attitude. "Mr. Hoffman, please mind your language," said the pretty Paladin in a frown.
"…" Hoffman knew he was not polite too. Yet, being a thick-skinned man, he only rubbed his nose awkwardly.
"Rina, it is alright. You can go first…" Englos tried to help ease the situation. "This fat mouthy dude is like that. Now that I teased him, it is only normal for him to act salty towards me…"
"What a fierce little girl!" Hoffman commented as he laughed the matter off. "Although I'm teased by Englos, there's nothing to be embarrassed about…"
"Mr. Englos, your gift is too valuable…" Lin Li hesitated. He did not reach out his hands to receive Englos' present. He had no choice. Compared to it, the entire box of Starlight Herb was nothing.
Englos was holding a golden oil lamp around the size of a fist. Perhaps because of its age, the oil inside had long dried up, and the surface pattern of the lamp was also somewhat fuzzy. It looked smooth and sleek, and quite antique. If it was placed in an antique shop, it would definitely be sold for a good price.
But, Lin Li knew that the value of the oil lamp was not only limited to that…
That almighty Soul Trader had once told him a story.
Rumors said that when Osric led the Magic Legion to invade the abyss, 23 Abyssal Demon Lords were killed. Among the 23 of them, at least half was sealed up by Osric.