by Zhuang Bifan
Lin Li subconsciously opened his mouth and started drooling excessively. The Warlock's Eyes was also known as the third eye mages owned. It was purely constructed from mana, and could travel anywhere within the reach of Lin Li's magical elements. However, there was something blocking the Warlock's Eyes now. Could it be that there was a place even his magical elements could not enter?
Lin Li composed himself, and decided to venture to that place personally. He was very curious about the thing that could obstruct his magical elements. After confirming that there were no signs of Rodhart awakening, he brought the two Undead followers towards a secret chamber in the bas.e.m.e.nt.
There was no reason to stay here. If Rodhart woke up, Ujfalusi and Norfeller would not have the ability to deal with him at all. Hence, Lin Li could only bring them along with him, and if Rodhart were to wake up, he would accept his misfortune.
Lin Li walked past the tall platform that was built with bones, and led the other two through the side entrance behind it. After passing through a considerably short corridor, they found themselves in a room. If the structure of the palace was like a common palace's, the room should be for guests to rest in, which meant it was just a normal room.
There was a tall bookshelf by the wall. Apart from magic books, there were also many biographies written in the High Elves's language. Lin Li found the hidden levers very quickly with the help of the Warlock's Eyes. He walked towards one of the thicker books and gave it a hard push. What followed a noisy sound of some mechanism was the opening of a secret door below the table in the room, revealing a passageway leading down.
They saw a wall at the end of the passageway when they walked along the path. There were no more doors or hidden levers. It was as though they had encountered a dead end. If not for Lin Li's Warlock's Eyes' lack of ability to pass through it, Lin Li would have thought that there wasn't anything behind that wall.
"Master, should we blast this wall to pieces?" Ujfalusi asked.
"Yes," said Lin Li as he nodded. Yet, after giving the wall a closer look, he waved a hand to stop Ujfalusi who was about to cast his spell. "Wait, there's no point. It is a Magic-resistant Gem."
There were many dim-colored gems etched on that wall. People who were unaware of it might have thought that those were some common stones due to their grayish hue. However, Lin Li was very sure that these dark gray stones were authentic gems.
The function of the Magic-resistant Gem could be inferred from its name. It had a strong resistance to magical elements, and each one of them was as good as an Elemental Shield. With the help of inscription, the gems were arranged according to the magic-resistant mageweaths. For each additional Magic-resistant Gem used, the resistance to magic would be raised severalfold. When hundreds of such gems were inlaid into the same wall, the power would be as strong as 1,000 Elemental Shields. Not to mention a Lich like Ujfalusi who was as powerful as an Archmage, even a Legendary-mage like Lin Li himself or a powerhouse from the Sanctuary-realm would have to sigh when they were faced with such a wall.
Lin Li could not help but lament Osric's wealth. It was no wonder that he was overthrown as the ruler of the Felan Kingdom. How many acts of extortion did it take for Osric to acc.u.mulate such wealth? Each of the Magic-resistant Gems was worth up to a million gold coins, and they were rare on the market. Anyone who was not working in the magic industry would definitely want to hide the Magic-resistant Gem if they were to find one. It would act like an Elemental Shield for them against mages.
It would be a total nightmare to a mage if a Warrior were to possess any equipment that had a Magic-resistant Gem. The magic that the mage prided himself on would not be able to harm even a hair on the Warrior, giving the Warrior full confidence to launch all of his attacks against the arrogant mage.
It would be totally impossible for anyone to use physical strength to break the wall that was inlaid with 1,000 Magic-resistant Gems. What would possibly be hiding in the secret chamber behind the wall that would warrant such powerful protection? The wealth these Magic-resistant Gems were worthy of was enough to turn any man crazy. What could possibly be more valuable than these Magic-resistant Gems? Lin Li was full of anticipation for the items behind the wall. But, it wouldn't be easy to get past it.
It was an extremely ordinary wall just like the others. After having 1,000 Magic-resistant Gems set up on it, however, the wall became something even Sanctuary powerhouses couldn't use their physical strength to break apart. Yet, Lin Li was not somebody who only knew how to use physical strength. He believed that there should be many other ways to solve this problem. It would be the matter of whether he could find one or not. There was a well-known figure who once said, "Knowledge is power", and power was one thing that Lin Li never lacked.
Ujfalusi and Norfeller stood at the side quietly. They knew that they were of no help in such situations. What they could do was to stand by vigilantly and not disturb their master's thoughts. While they watched out for safety, Lin Li was standing before the wall, and was observing the patterns those gems were arranged in as well as the mageweaths that connected them together.
It would not require hundreds of Magic-resistant Gems if the Inscriptor only wanted to lay them into the wall, for one would be more than sufficient. Osric wouldn't be foolish enough to use this wall as a display for the gems given that the hundreds of them would only be as effective as just one gem.
Could it possibly be a mageweath array? Yet, Lin Li was not able to relate any of the mageweath on the wall to any array in his knowledge. Lin Li stroked his chin with his hand and lifted his head slightly, and ran his gaze along the different lines at top speed. He knew that any mageweath array had to require three important materials, namely magic nodes, magic pathways1, and the source of mana.
"Nope, this doesn't look like a mageweath array…" Lin Li muttered as he shook his head after looking at the formation on the wall. "If it's really a mageweath array, then the arrangement of the source of mana and the magic nodes is really terrible. Apart from the mess, how could the source of mana and magic nodes be placed so far away from one another? Even if one were to use a Legendary magical crystal as the source if mana, it wouldn't withstand such a great exhaustion of mana."
Being developed as a subject together with traditional magic, there were many places that the study of mageweath and traditional magic complemented each other. In fact, mageweaths were as rigorous as traditional magic. Furthermore, as mageweath had always been a mainstream subject, there were naturally many people who studied them. As a result, there were plenty of chances people could make refinements to them. Up to the current generation, there had already been thousands of interpretations developed for dozens of theories. Together with the innumerable formulae derived over time, the subject had long been perfected.
Lin Li was wondering if there was a possibility for the arrangement on the wall to be a mageweath array, but the Inscriptor of the system would have to be a horrible apprentice. Such a design would only be seen in the work of the newbies. The level of mess and tedious details had caused the mageweaths to lose their original simplicity and gracefulness.
Of course, this would be impossible…
How could Osric, who had engaged innumerable manpower and resources, as well as the Magic Legion to take all precautions against attacks, decide to create such a trashy mageweath array? It would really be a joke…
Osric might not be as well-versed as Lin Li across the different occupations, but he was the great leader of the High Elves. How could he be unable to find any inscription talents?
"Connoris, can you tell what's happening on this wall?" Lin Li asked Connoris casually.
"Nope. In fact, the design looks rather aesthetic. Are you thinking too much? What if these are just beautiful patterns?" Connoris sounded guilty when he said that. Frankly speaking, he knew that Osric was not a man who pursued luxury. Hence, he had to have his reasons for arranging the mageweaths in such a manner.
If these were mere decoration,
it would be a waste to use so many Magic-resistant Gems on the wall. Lin Li shook his head, and did not blame Connoris for his lack of knowledge. After all, he did not expect there to be a legitimate answer. But, that reminded him of the purported mageweath arrays that people discovered on the four Alchemy Colossuses. Lin Li thought that it might be the Alchemy Array on the four figures instead as it was something that could provide the Alchemy Colossuses with a source of energy.
Lin Li knew that despite being an ancient deity, it was impossible for Connoris to be an expert in everything. He was content with the information he had acquired.
The source of mana would make sense if it was the Alchemy Array, yet when Lin Li tried to look at all the patterns in detail, he gradually frowned. Even though he had never seen a real Alchemy Array, his knowledge in the basic theory behind it was really solid. However, the patterns before his eyes were very different. He wasn't able to form any connections between them and the theories.
It would be useless trash even if it was an alchemy array on the wall. If Lin Li were any common man who considered that, he would be finding ways to acquire these gems. However, Lin Li subconsciously felt that even if there was no sign of energy in the seemingly harmless wall, it might not be appropriate for him to act so recklessly.
Lin Li lowered his head and closed his eyes gently. Although he stopped looking at the patterns on the wall, he put his fingers on the bridge of his nose, deep in thought. He didn't believe that Osric would leave behind a useless pattern on the wall. If it was neither a mageweath array nor an alchemy array, what could it be?
Apart from the sound of Lin Li's breathing, the entire secret chamber was filled with silence. While the two Undead creatures never dared to disturb the thought process of their master, Connoris, who felt guilty, similarly did not want to make any noise in Lin Li's mind.
Lin Li organized the information he'd gathered about the underground palace. In fact, there wasn't any mention of the underground palace in the diary Gerian told him about. The parts about how there had been valuable objects and important construction works being conducted in the place were mere guesses. Not only did it seem that there might not be any useful information from the diary, Lin Li felt that the author of the diary was unsure if Osric was building an underground palace or it was only a one-time transportation of goods. Although the place was the Breezy Plains, the Dragon Mountains weren't named in the diary. Hence, Lin Li did not have high hopes about gaining any information about the interior of the palace.
He knew that if he couldn't verify the information Gerian told him, it would be a waste of time to delve into the matter. After all, there were too many legends that circulated over thousands of years. There were people who tried to verify those tales arduously, but were turned into fools by the others. Gradually, no one cared about such stories anymore. It's probably the "magic circuits" from before. Magic pathways appear for hundreds of chapters from this point onward, so it seems like the author made some change to his terminology.
Chapter 493 - Magic Gears
Lin Li was certain that Gerian was not the first person to have read the diary in the thousand of years. The content of the diary was full of vague hypotheses. Anyone would have deemed it as something created to trick people.
However, now that Lin Li had found the underground palace, he could be sure that its author had to be somebody who had lived in the past. Then, might he be able to glean some clues from the diary? Although Gerian did not bring the original diary with him, he had written down all of its contents based on his memory into a notebook and passed it to Lin Li when they parted ways.
Did I miss any information? Lin Li thought as he took out that notebook and flipped through it casually despite the fact that he had already remembered all of its contents. Suddenly, his hands stopped, and a smile appeared on his face. Although the diary did not have a detailed description of the events, there was something he could use a diary to ascertain—the dates.
Dates were to be in any diary entry. Yet, what was the use of knowing the date the underground palace had been established?
The underground palace had been built a century before the extinction of the High Elves. Lin Li could remember reading from a book, titled The Book of the Forgotten, that the previously unknown study of the magic gears that did not enjoy much importance had been popular for a period of time then.
Although no one could verify the origin of the magic gears, most people believed there to be a relationship between the study of magic gears and alchemy, or that both of them originated from the Goblins' Era. Indeed, there were a lot of technical skills necessary to produce the well-known Alchemy Colossuses that were related to magic gears.
There was also a product from the application of the magic gears called the Gear Puppets. From their appearance, they resembled the Alchemy Colossuses, yet both items had vastly different powers.
The energy of the Alchemy Colossuses came from the numerous alchemy arrays on their bodies. Each array was responsible for different types of functions, and the area on magic attack and defense was just one of them. The alchemy arrays were in charge of many fundamental functions that included the drive for the movement of the colossuses—which would be similar to human muscles.
With that, there were the Gear Puppets that used gears and the force of transmission to replace some of the basic alchemy arrays. The main mechanism was not magic, but the gears. Unlike most of the people in mainland Anril who saw it as unorthodox, Lin Li was really familiar and comfortable with them.
Of course, this special characteristic made the absolute distinction between the puppets and the colossuses. To most people, the study of magic gears was useless; they'd rather pay a lower price for their servants, whom they could easily find. What was the use of those boring gear puppets?
It was this perspective that turned the study of magic gears into a disdained one. Hence, in the world of magic civilization, such a skillset had little demand despite it being novel. If not, the civilization of Anril would have been on a different path.
In reality, the Gear Puppets were only one of the many basic applications in the study of magic gears. Conservation of energy was a very unique advantage of magic gears. While it might sound absurd, it was really powerful under special circ.u.mstances.
Both mageweath arrays and alchemy arrays depended on magical crystals for energy. The effects of mageweath arrays and alchemy arrays, however, would decrease as time passed due to the weakening of any magical crystals—regardless of their initial strength. When it finally reached its lowest threshold, beyond the needed amount for activation, it would be as good as opening the door wide for any enemy inside.
As compared to those arrays, the effects of magic gears would never dwindle as long as they were deactivated. Magic gears could unleash their original effects despite the passing of time. Hence, they would be rather useful when it came to protecting tombs.
If it were real magic gear, then the wall of Magic-resistant Gems would not be a challenge to Lin Li. When he used the Scroll of Wishes to wish for all of his life skills to be raised by one level, although he did not manage to raise his skills in magic gears to the Guru level, it was pushed to the Master level together with his knowledge in minerals. The Master-level was sufficient for making Lin Li a real talent in such a forgotten area of study.
Lin Li went back to the wall, and started recalling everything he knew about magic gears. He inspected the wall very carefully. The change in perspective helped him to have a clearer view of the situation.
Lin Li was really grateful that it did not require any knowledge beyond his abilities. There were two ways to destroy those magic gears. One, settle it once and for all: locate and damage the energy source. Without the source of energy, the magic gears would naturally be deactivated. Two, outwit all the traps: either deduce all the loopholes of the magic gears, or activate the traps prematurely to eliminate them.
However, Lin Li chose to settle the issue once and for all. He fe
lt that it would be more realistic for him to locate and damage the source of the energy so as to prevent future implications. Usually, people would think that the long-living Amethyst Turtles would be best sources of energy.
The Amethyst Turtles were considered one of the magical beasts with the longest lifespan in Anril. People had discovered a 70,000 years old Amethyst Turtle in the vestige of the Titans that had lived through the years. Of course, that Amethyst Turtle was not any source of energy for the magic gears then, but a Titan's pet.
The Amethyst Turtles were very powerful. Those that were older than 20,000 years old would be able to reach the Legendary-realm—the peak of their potential. They would never get to enter the Sanctuary-realm even if they were to live another 200,000 years. Their temperament was much gentler than any other Legendary beasts', which made them incredibly easy catch. Hence, Lin Li could tell that nine out of 10 trap makers would use Amethyst Turtles as the core of the mechanism. The last trap maker might have had some bad luck, being unable to find an Amethyst Turtle.
Since the underground palace was built by Osric, Lin Li believed that the supply of energy would not be weaker than one Legendary-level Amethyst Turtle. Therefore, how could he let go of such an invaluable treasure?
Despite not having any source of mana or magic pathways, there still were traces that helped Lin Li deduce the setup. Although the installation of gears and chains had been intentionally hidden from sight, they were sufficient to lead a gear master like Lin Li to its energy source.
As Lin Li paced around the wall, he scrutinized every line on it, and made huge calculations. Finally, a bulb lit up in his mind. He stepped out of the secret chamber and followed the clues.
Although Ujfalusi and Norfeller could not understand why their master left the secret chamber, they followed him without a word. By now, both were rather crestfallen. The inability to help their master made them feel like they had failed as Lin Li's followers.