by Zhuang Bifan
That was usually what normal people would expect when they saw that dull metallic surface. It looked just like any other common metal box. It was not strange for it to lack magical waves.
However, the fact that the box contained the Book of Eternity changed everything.
The Book of Eternity had the knowledge that was the essence of Geresco's whole life. Every page was created from the Tree of Eternity that had incredibly strong magical force. Not to mention that the box was made from a normal metal, even if it had been crafted from the Eternal Adamantine, it would not have been able to conceal the powerful magical waves within it.
Although Lin Li still had no idea as to how the box functioned; he was only sure that knowledge of magic was required to open it. One would never be able to succeed just by thrusting a random iron wire into the keyhole like Stephen even if he had a hundred years to do so…
This is weird… Lin Li's doubts grew bigger the longer he looked at the box. How could a common metal crate be able to conceal the magical wave of the Book of Eternity? Could it be that the box had been treated by mageweaths?
That couldn't be it. There are neither obvious mageweath markings on the box, nor the source of mana that could supply the box with power. Even if the box had been treated by a mageweath, it would not have lasted for 1300 years.
"F*ck!"
Just when Lin Li was still trying to figure out the workings of the box, a bit of rust flew into his eyes. Then, he saw a bright glow in front of him. When he looked at Stephen again, his gaze was filled with sympathy.
Trouble definitely would follow such careless thrusting…
Chapter 438 - Elemental Iron
Lin Li was right. Such careless thrusting would definitely lead to trouble…
Just when Stephen was putting all his attention on turning the iron wire in his hands, there was suddenly an eccentric magical wave that radiated from the metal box. The magical wave was as unusual as one could possibly imagine it to be. There were no signs to tell the source of the magical wave. It was as if the magical wave had appeared out of nowhere.
Furthermore, that magical wave changed very quickly. At the beginning, it was nothing but a trace of magic. Immediately after, it was amplified and changed into a surging tide of magic. It was like a huge wave, and was rushing towards Stephen at top speed!
"F*ck!" Stephen exclaimed. Being a high-ranking Archmage who had good and accurate control over the flow of mana, Stephen could sense the danger when the magical wave rushed towards him.
However, danger came too quickly. A high-ranking Archmage like Stephen could not keep up with the changes happening at the speed of light. It was faster than the speed at which mana usually flowed at. At that instant, Stephen only managed to cast a Water Shield before getting engulfed by numerous beams of light…
Lin Li witnessed everything very clearly. The beams of light were actually numerous magic arrows. Among the offensive spells, the impact of magic arrows was not the weakest, but it was one of the weaker spells. It couldn't be helped. This was a very simple and shabby spell that did not require any elemental sequencing. One just had to let the magic out for the spell to take effect.
This was the only spell a mage apprentice could instantaneously cast. However, it was not frequently employed by them as it was really weak.
That was no exaggeration. There was a mage who did the calculations very long ago. If one were to use a magic arrow against a Four-element Shield, it would require him to cast it 100 times for cracks to appear in the shield. As for shields that were stronger than the Four-element Shield… It would be almost impossible.
However, there were millions of magic arrows that shot out. Collectively, they looked like a meteor shower. Quantitative change led to qualitative change. That overwhelming volley of magic arrows broke Stephen's Water Shield instantaneously!
That was a fatal crisis. No Archmage could survive in such a situation. Unless he had his own Magical Domain after he reached the Legendary-realm, he would not be able to make use of the laws of magic to alter the direction of the mana within the magic arrows.
However, everything would have an exception…
Although Stephen was not in the Legendary-realm, he survived the attack of the million magic arrows miraculously…
Stephen plucked out his necklace at the instant when the magic arrows broke the Water Shield.
Lin Li could not believe how that action allowed Stephen to create several layers of Elemental Shields instantaneously. He counted seven layers of the shield, and saw that the shields stacked on top of each other, creating an impregnable magic wall. Lin Li assumed that the wall would also be able to resist a Legendary-level powerhouse for quite a while.
It was this magic wall that saved Stephen…
However, even if the Elemental Shield had seven layers, it did not have the ability to protect Stephen entirely. In fact, Stephen looked totally different when that meteor shower ended.
He looked as if he was just trampled by 100 elephants. There were big and small wounds that looked especially terrifying in critical regions. If some had hit a little more to the side, Stephen's small life would have ended.
Stephen breathed heavily and struggled to drink a bottle of Recovery Potion. He looked more resolved after that, but the bloodstains on his face and tattered long black robe made him really wretched.
"This… What happened?" Hutton exclaimed worriedly after seeing Stephen's miserable state.
"Geresco did not say anything when he passed the box to me. Other than wanting me to wait for you guys here to retrieve the things, I'm not aware of other matters," Tutankhamun said as he waved his hands indifferently.
"Are you saying that you don't know?" Stephen snapped in rage. "This box has been with you for 1300 years. How could you not know anything?"
Stephen's rage was justified. He'd nearly died from those magic arrows that rained on him. If it were not for his quick reflexes to cast seven layers of the Elemental Shield, he would not have been able to stand there alive anymore.
"You should ask Geresco…" Tutankhamun still sounded unaffected. However, Lin Li knew that if Stephen still continued to make a fuss, he would be in trouble. Tutankhamun was a descendant of the Dragon of Destruction. Being one of the invincible black dragons of the world, how could his honor be challenged by a mere Archmage?
To be honest, Lin Li would not mind if Tutankhamun intended to punish Stephen…
But, now is not the time…
There was no time to waste now. The mana depletion would only last for a maximum of five minutes. If they were to miss the chance, there would only be another unlucky fella…
"I shall try it, then…" Lin Li said as he stood from the table.
"You?" Stephen questioned disdainfully.
First-hand experience gave Stephen the clearest understanding of how impactful the magic force within the metal box was. That blanket of magic arrows had the ability to pierce through the Four-element Shields. Despite employing the Dark Blade's strongest magical equipment, the Element Sigh Necklace, it could only act as a temporary defense mechanism. Only a Legendary-level individual could balance the force of the attack.
As for that President Felic… He still needs another century to do that…
"Yeah," Lin Li replied, and did not care about Stephen's disdainful gaze. He took his time to search his pocket.
Shortly after, Lin Li fished out a dark metal rod.
Lin Li had not used this rod that had been coated with deep mithril ever since he defeated Cromwell in the battle in Jarrosus. Magical enchantment required a huge amount of magical crystals, and Lin Li only took interest in magical enchantment at least at Master-level. He would need to use dozens of level-15 magical crystals and drain half of his energy for the enchantment. Furthermore, there was no need for Lin Li to employ any enchantment spells now. Andoine once advised him against heavy reliance on magical equipment. He was afraid that the illusion of strength would lead Lin Li astray, and he'd lose the
opportunities to improve.
However, Lin Li did not intend to use mere magical enchantment this time…
The dull gold rod was not least eye-catching. It only emitted faint magical waves in Lin Li's hands like a low-level magic scroll or some lousy magical equipment. At this time, not only Stephen, even Hutton who knew the abilities of President Felic started to become confused…
Hutton could recognize the gold rod as specialized equipment used by magical enchanters. However, he could not fathom the intention behind President Felic bringing it out. Did he think the magic arrows weren't powerful enough? Did he want to make the magic arrows more deadly with magical enchantment?
"I still thought you would have a good idea…" Stephen commented. He could not suppress his sense of disdain for Lin Li. "I say, President Felic, are you intending to use that metal rod to open the box?"
"Hush…" Lin Li whispered, not affected by the meager insult. He did not even lift his eyelids when he turned to look at Stephen. "Mage Stephen, don't you want to change into a new set of clothes? Or do you think it is nicer to expose your whole b.u.t.t.o.c.k.s to the world?" Lin Li asked sincerely.
"…" Stephen's expression changed. He touched his behind subconsciously and realized his skin had gotten exposed from the attack. Although it was only a palm-sized hole in his robe, and nothing as exaggerated as what Lin Li said, this had become his most embarrassing moment in his entire life which he had been living in utmost comfort and luxury.
As the young leader of the Dark Blade, and the top Archmage in the Breezy Plains, it was an extreme insult to be pointed out for his exposed bottom in public. Stephen's palish face turned green, and his veins surfaced on his tightly clenched fist. If not for Tutankhamun and Hutton, he would have launched an attack.
Lin Li did not even look at Stephen. He held on to that mithril-coated gold rod and placed it on the metal box gently.
What followed was a brilliant glow of light…
The air in the wooden house became stale. It was as though Stephen, Hutton, and Tutankhamun—two humans and one black dragon—were trapped by a mysterious force. They could not help but rub their eyes.
The metal box was gone…!
"F*ck…" Hutton cussed as he held his head.
"This can't be! This can't be!" Stephen shrieked. It sounded as though he was being strangled. "This is an illusion. Illusion!"
Tutankhamun was the calmest among the three. After casting a quick glance at the space where the metal crate disappeared, he put his gaze on the gold rod.
Although the gold rod still had the same dullness, there was an additional foggy layer of halo around the tip of the rod. If one had not looked at it carefully, he would have thought that it was just a reflection of the light earlier on.
However, Tutankhamun was no average man. Having lived for countless years, that black dragon had in-depth knowledge about magic as compared to most mages in Anril. How could he not know that the halo was left behind by Geresco's metal crate?
That was the essence of magic…
Only an enchanter's gold rod could extract the purest source of mana.
However, even Tutankhamun would not have thought that a young mage would open the box with such a technique.
In fact, Geresco actually wrote down the way to open the box when he passed the metal crate to him. It was Tutankhamun who decided to use the box to test the three young mages. Stephen's failure was within his expectations. How could a metal crate that was made from elemental metal be opened by a normal lock-picking technique?
The elemental iron was also known as a living magical metal. It had very incredible mana that grew with time. As though it had an ability to meditate, the iron could grow in strength every second. There were also elemental iron mineral veins that had been around for a thousand years that were as powerful as an Archmage.
However, that was not the most eccentric part of elemental iron. The reason that made elemental iron known as magical metal was its innate ability to cast spells. The presence of external factors could trigger the iron to cast spells independently, and the way it cast them would be determined by the way it had been forged. During the Dark Age, there were many High Elven Smithing Masters that could forge many weapons with different magical attributes just by using a piece of elemental iron.
Initially, the method that Geresco left behind was to destroy the Magic Suppression spell that was cast on the metal crate. Then, one had to solve three quizzes that required entry-level Inscription knowledge to unlock the metal box to retrieve the Book of Eternity.
Unfortunately, Geresco could not have expected somebody to use such a violent method to open the crate after 1300 years.
The use of a gold rod to directly disassociate the elemental iron was a very unreasonable technique. However, Tutankhamun had to admit that it was a very effective way.
Of course, one had to be a Master-level enchanter and own a powerful gold rod to be able to succeed. Otherwise, such a forceful method would only trigger the elemental iron and get himself submerged in raining magic arrows…
"Hold on…" Tutankhamun commented. He suddenly realized that the young man placed his gold rod during the time of depletion of the elemental iron. This meant that he would never have been harmed even if he'd failed to disassociate the elements. Hence, Stephen had merely become cannon fodder by taking lead so enthusiastically!
Damn, this fella is sly…
Chapter 439 - Magical Crystal
That gave that kid a huge advantage… Tutankhamun thought to himself. He was not an amateur like Hutton and Stephen. Although he did not specialize in magical enchantment, the vast knowledge and experience he had acc.u.mulated over the years allowed him to grasp critical aspects of any issue. Elemental iron was one of the most valuable magical metals in Anril. During the Dark Age 1300 years ago, only the royals of the High Elves had the right to use magical equipment made from elemental iron.
Furthermore, the powers of elemental iron grew with time. When Geresco created this crate, the elemental iron mineral vein he used was at least a few thousand years old. The mana within it was comparable to a magical crystal's.
By itself, the essence of magic had neither form nor substance. It would only radiate dazzling beams of light after undergoing a complicated elemental sequencing. Although the halo on the tip of the gold rod was faint, its mere existence was terrifying enough.
If one were to make good use of that essence of magic, he would be able to complete at least three magical enchantments at the Master-level!
Furthermore, it being extracted from the elemental iron allowed the essence of magic to inherit qualities unique to the elemental iron. This meant that if one were to use that essence for magical enchantment, the equipment undergoing the enchantment would also grow in power as time passed. Over time, it would be as great as the legendary Divinity Metal!
If we let this essence of magic take its effect on a magical weapon that was made of the Divinity Metal…
The thought made Tutankhamun smile. How could the Divinity Metal land in the hands of a mortal? All of the Divinity Metal had been dug out during the prehistoric times, when the Titans battled with the Dragons. Those metals were used to create 12 Titan Dragon Spears. Now, anybody who wanted to get their hands on any magical weapon made from that metal could only enter the Pantheon to look for the remains of the 12 Golden Titans.
Tutankhamun still did not know that it was exactly what Lin Li intended to do. By this time, Lin Li had already planned out what magical equipment he wanted to forge. He just had to bring that essence of magic back to start work immediately.
"Oops, I opened it accidentally…" Lin Li said as he smiled hypocritically, and put away the gold rod with the essence of magic casually.
"…" Hutton nearly went out of breath. Can you put more effort into your pretense of humbleness? How could you say that you unlocked the box when you actually let such a big crate disappear? What a shameless man!
On the other side, Stephen rea
lized that he would never see Felic embarrass himself. He realized he was the joke. If that happened to any other man, it would be nothing to fuss about. However, Stephen was a man who experienced comfort and luxury ever since he was born. No one in the Dark Blade would go against his wishes. This included his three elders. They would dote on him and fulfill all of his requests. Over time, he had grown to become a man who could never handle any failures.
Stephen had thought that he would be the first to claim all the objects within the metal box. He had not expected himself to be attacked so miserably by the numerous magic arrows when he actually employed the utmost refined skill of lock-picking which most mages did not know.
How could that Mage Felic resolve all issues with just one gentle touch of a metal rod? The stark difference between himself and Felic naturally induced hate within him…
However, Stephen had not been blinded by anger. He knew that there was still a Hutton who came from the Malfa Family by his side. If he were to start a battle, Hutton would be very happy to join forces with Felic to get rid of himself. Hence, Stephen only gave Felic one deadly glare before lowering his head again. No one knew what was on his mind…
After the blinding light beams faded, the relics of the God of Mages appeared.
There were three items lying quietly on the wooden table. They were namely a book, a key, and a magical crystal. There was a handwritten sentence on the cover page of the book: "Knowledge is the most powerful belief of a mage!".
"This is really the Book of Eternity…"
That sentence was a well-known quote by the God of Mages. He said it while standing on the top of the Omniscient Tower on the day Alanna Guild of Magic was established. Ever since, it had become a quote every mage held dearly by.
The three young mages would believe the book on the table to be the real Book of Eternity even without that quote. There was a chance for every thing in the world to be fake, but not magical waves. In Anril, mages were always referred to as prophets and intellectuals. That was because mages used their hearts instead of their eyes to make sense of the world. There were many things that could lie to the eyes, but not the heart. Hence, a mage could identify the issue of any topic critically even if there were thousands of strands and loose ends before him.