by Zhuang Bifan
Of course, the most obvious and outstanding one was still the Dawn Cathedral of the Brilliance Shrine. From time to time, the luxurious carriage would move past the white chapel. Others who didn't know would simply think that they were going in circles, but when he returned previously, Lin Li heard from Domingo that there were more than 100 churches of various sizes in Sparta. The largest one was located next to the square in the city center, and was helmed by a cardinal.
The carriage stopped slowly in front of the palace. The guards were all standing neatly on both sides of the gate of the palace. A red carpet was extended from the gate, all the way to the spot where the carriage stopped. The Foreign Affairs Minister Harquis led Lin Li onto the red carpet, and they walked past the guards before entering the majestic Royal Palace of the Ledin Kingdom. Right from the beginning to the end, everything was carried out with diplomatic etiquette, which Lin Li found to be a novelty. However, those were nothing considering his current identity. Even a level-23 Legendary-mage deserved respect from the king.
Although the interior of the palace was gilded and brilliant, it did not attract too much of Lin Li's attention. After all, he had already seen Osric's mausoleum and the Sky Castle. Hence, it couldn't really be considered luxurious in comparison. The High Elves were really the epitome of living in luxury, and their pursuit of everything luxurious was something that humans could not compare to.
Lin Li followed Harquis all the way to the hall where the king received the foreign diplomats. As the guards in front slowly opened the doors for them, they were greeted with a clear view of the hall. As the door opened, King Sinelli, who was initially sitting on the throne, slowly made his way down the stairs and walked towards Lin Li smilingly.
"Your Majesty, this is the owner of the Tower of Dusk, Master Felic," said the Foreign Affairs Minister Harquis. He then turned to look at Lin Li, and said, "Master Felic, this is His Majesty, King Sinelli."
Queldala was a surname of the Ledin Kingdom's royalty, and originated from the High Elves' language. It was said that the Ledin Kingdom did have some ties with the High Elves during the Dark Age, though it was unknown what their relationship was. Perhaps only the true successor of the Ledin Kingdom would know the truth.
Although the relationship between the king of Ledin and the High Elves was unclear, Lin Li felt that King Sinelli was rather handsome, and he seemed to resemble the High Elves a little, though Lin Li was unsure if it wasn't just a misconception. Of course, it was not that there were no outstanding humans in terms of looks. Lin Li reckoned that he was probably misled by the surname.
"It's my utmost honor to see you, Your Majesty." Lin Li bowed slightly to King Sinelli out of respect despite everything that happened to the caravan previously.
"Don't stand on ceremony, Master Felic. It's my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to see you, the youngest Legendary-mage in the Felan Kingdom." Sinelli smiled and bowed before gesturing for Lin Li to take a seat. Instead of returning to the throne, he sat down beside Lin Li.
Sinelli's move shocked the Foreign Affairs Minister Harquis, but after thinking about the rumors that surfaced in the past two days, he didn't find it that unacceptable, because there was a new decree put in place by the pope.
Looking at King Sinelli who was seated beside him, Lin Li didn't feel flattered at all, and simply had a better impression of him. After a few polite exchanges, Lin Li asked about Sinelli's purpose in seeing him this time. After all, he was not a real envoy of the Felan Kingdom, and he could only represent the Tower of Dusk.
Sinelli had carefully studied the information about Lin Li. Although it was not very detailed, he still managed to gain some understanding of Lin Li's character. Hence, after hearing Lin Li's question, Sinelli didn't hide anything, and simply truthfully said, "Master Felic, I invited you here this time mainly to discuss the matters of trade."
"Oh? Your Majesty, please go ahead," Lin Li said while showing some interest.
Chapter 773 - Touch To Pass
Most of the Tower of Dusk's main commercial networks were in the Felan Kingdom, and their foreign transactions were few. The greatest one thus far was still the purchase of Magical Crystal Cannons from the Dwarf Kingdom. Although the most famous potions of the Tower of Dusk were available for sale in the Ledin Kingdom, most of the transactions were done through partner channels, and there were only a few of such channels for the Tower of Dusk. Hence, the Ledin Kingdom was basically considered an undeveloped v.i.r.g.i.n land for the Tower of Dusk.
However, Lin Li was interested not in the sales of potions, but in the rich mineral deposits in the Ledin Kingdom. In terms of herbs, Lin Li already had the Elven Kingdom to provide a continuous supply of the best herbs in Anril from the Emerald Forest. However, the Tower of Dusk had always been greatly restricted in terms of forging. Otherwise, they would have long replaced the Marathon Family, and become the largest army equipment manufacturer in the Felan Kingdom.
Apart from the Brilliance Shrine, the Ledin Kingdom was most famous for its high-quality ores. The Ledin Kingdom had rich supplies of numerous rare magical metals. Even the Dwarf Kingdom which was famous for forging had to get their magical metals from the Ledin Kingdom.
Although the Tower of Dusk could also get their ores and minerals imported from the Ledin Kingdom, the quantity they could get was far from what they needed, and the prices were sky-high too. After all, there were two or more middlemen involved in transactions. During each handover, the inversion would increase the value of the ore by a large amount, and it would be hard to suppress it for the Tower of Dusk. If the Tower of Dusk could do without the middlemen and directly import the goods from the Ledin Kingdom, the price would probably decrease by more than half.
If the Tower of Dusk's forging business was no longer restricted by the availability of ores, the Tower of Dusk would probably be able to take over the Marathon Family's share of the business in no time, especially with Lin Li's instructions for the blacksmiths. Although Lin Li wasn't a petty person, he did bear grudges. Besides, he would be able to generate a large amount of income while taking revenge.
Of course, although Lin Li was very interested in negotiating with King Sinelli, he didn't show much of his interest when he was in front of him. He didn't think that Sinelli would give him valueless things like mining rights.
Perhaps business interests and rights were the same. When they were specifically discussing the details of the trade, Sinelli, the king of the Ledin Kingdom, showed his incredible talent in managing business. Hence, he wasn't calculative about the negotiation, and achieving a win-win solution was the main purpose of the business negotiation. That would ensure that both parties got what they wanted while making their due profits. Allowing just one party to gain meant the failure of the negotiation, and Sinelli managed to achieve a win-win solution rather well. He ensured his own benefits while making sure that Lin Li didn't feel like it was unacceptable.
Lin Li had to admit that he couldn't quite resist Sinelli's shrewd attacks in business negotiations, because he had no experience in doing business at all. If it weren't for the fact that he had already seen through Sinelli's hidden intentions, Lin Li wouldn't have gone ahead with the negotiation. He would have left it to the professionals.
In fact, when Lin Li heard Sinelli mention the business cooperation, Lin Li could already tell that Sinelli's true agenda was to establish a friendship with himself. Otherwise, the Minister of Commerce would have been there with them.
Lin Li was also impressed with the method that Sinelli chose. He was not as impatient as others, and did not make promises confidently right at the start of the conversation in a bid to forge closer ties with Lin Li. Such people usually ended up scaring away competent individuals, leaving behind only the unreliable ones. Sinelli showed that he was patient enough when handling this matter, and placed appropriate emphasis on his own interests while being generous with the benefits that Lin Li deserved. He knew how to manage the relationship between the two parties well.
Of
course, Lin Li also knew that once the cooperative relationship between the two sides was stabilized, it would probably be time for Sinelli to put forward some conditions. However, Lin Li did not feel irked by that, because business was business, and mutual benefits were important. The future cooperations would have to depend on how much Sinelli could offer. In Anril, the price to pay for a level-23 Legendary-mage was very high.
Even though Lin Li didn't know much about what Sinelli thought, he could roughly guess what was going on, and he felt some sympathy for him. If he were to be in Sinelli's position, he probably wouldn't be willing to continue staying silent and be a puppet-like king for the rest of his life. Although it was thrilling to hold massive power, it was actually more horrendous than having nothing to one's name.
In fact, although the current Ledin Kingdom was almost entirely controlled by the Brilliance Shrine, it had allegedly been established without relying on the Brilliance Shrine. There was a well-known legend about the establishment of the Ledin Kingdom.
The legend had it that the founder of the Ledin Kingdom, Solan Quelsala, one of the most powerful Sword Sages of Anril, was the closest human friend of the Dragon of Time Nozdomo, one of the Dragon Aspects. The Dragon of Time Nozdomo was the one who supported Solan Quelsala in building the powerful Ledin Kingdom at the end of the Dark Age.
It was said that Dragon of Time Nozdomo had the power to travel through time and space, control the passage of time, and shuttle between the past, the present, and the future at will. It used those powers and abilities to guard the time of Anril and allow the world to develop in the right direction. With the support of the Dragon of Time, it was probably not difficult to build a powerful kingdom.
Of course, there was no evidence to determine if Solan Quelsala had established the Ledin Kingdom with the help of the Dragon of Time or not. However, as the founding leader of the Ledin Kingdom, Solan Quelsala had indeed made his name known in history, and that was an indisputable fact. If he didn't have the help and support of the Dragon of Time, it could only show that he was extremely outstanding.
Unfortunately, after the fall of a generation of heroes, the Ledin Kingdom experienced a chaotic civil war, and was then attacked and subdued by the neighboring nations. Initially, there were hopes for it to unify the powerful kingdoms of Anril, but it only managed to gain a foothold by relying on the Brilliance Shrine at last. Although the establishment of the Brilliance Shrine had little to do with the Ledin Kingdom, the Ledin Kingdom would still be an unknown force if not for the mediation and deterrence provided by the Brilliance Shrine.
After some negotiating, Lin Li reached a consensus on some commercial agreements with King Sinelli for the trading of potions and ores on behalf of the Tower of Dusk.
Actually, the Tower of Dusk's potions had long been available for sale in the Ledin Kingdom, but because of various reasons, it was not very famous. After reading the information and asking Lin Li about it in detail, Sinelli was definitely tempted. In fact, gaining such a rich source of supply of advanced potions from Lin Li was a huge benefit to Sinelli even if he only managed to talk to Lin Li about business.
However, there was definitely a price to pay for advanced potions. Although Sinelli was the head of a nation, it still wasn't an easy task for him to touch the treasury. Moreover, he did not dare to reveal anything about the plot that he had hatched. Otherwise, he would definitely be dethroned.
Fortunately, Sinelli could tell that Lin Li was very interested in the ores, and thus put forward a proposal to exchange ores for potions with the Tower of Dusk. Not only would that benefit them both, it would also avoid arousing suspicion.
That suggestion did not cause any damage or loss to Lin Li, and the only difference was the lack of gold coins. After all, barter was the most primal form of trade. As for the exchange ratio between the potions and ores, gold coins were just a standard for reference. If the potion was worth 1000 gold coins, Lin Li would be receiving 1000 gold coins' worth of ores.
After discussing the content of the business deal, Sinelli did not get the details written down on a contract, because some things were inappropriate to be written in black and white. Sinelli simply handed a token to Lin Li. The specific contract for the trading of ores and potions would be signed by the Tower of Dusk and the nobles.
Lin Li left the palace and boarded the luxurious carriage, going back to Delano City. Recalling the negotiation process along the way, Lin Li sighed and thought to himself that if Sinelli were in a place where there was no suppression by the Brilliance Shrine, he could perhaps become a promising king. Unfortunately, the power of the Brilliance Shrine… had compelled Sinelli to choose an extremely difficult path.
Lin Li returned to the Holy Mountain of the Brilliance Shrine to see that the Pope Rosario's body had basically recovered. Hence, he finally had the opportunity to ask questions about theurgy.
Although Lin Li had read the Light Bible before, he was just trying to figure out and grasp the concepts on his own, and he only managed to learn something because of the research that he had done on the debris of the stars Holy Light and Power of Light. However, he still had some doubts about the difficult questions and problems he encountered.
Pope Rosario was a powerhouse of the Sanctuary-realm, and his attainment in Holy Light Magic alone was probably unsurpassed in the entire Anril. To Lin Li, being able to receive some guidance and tips from such a formidable Sanctuary-realm powerhouse was just as good as the gains he had obtained in Osric's mausoleum.
Due to his mastery of the debris of the stars, Holy Light, Lin Li had a great advantage when he studied Holy Light Magic, and it was more than just rapid progress. The studying of Holy Light Magic, coupled with Rosario's tips, gave Lin Li a deeper understanding of the Laws of Holy Light and a better mastery of it.
Chapter 774 - Clue
The two could be considered complements for each other, and shared a linear relationship. When one improved, the other would improve significantly too. It would be reflected in Lin Li's strength.
Back in Osric's mausoleum, Lin Li had already vaguely seen the threshold to level-24. After learning on the Holy Mountain for a period of time, Lin Li mastered Holy Light Magic and the power of the debris of the stars Holy Light. The door of level-24 could be considered to have slowly opened up for Lin Li, who was only one step away from becoming a true level-24 Legendary-mage.
Of course, during this time, the higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine who were keen on pharmaceutics were also ecstatic about their gains, in addition to the improvement of their own strength. Lin Li was to them just like Rosario to Lin Li. In terms of pharmaceutics, there was probably no one in Anril who had achieved as much as Lin Li did in pharmaceutics. A few answers to their questions were enough to make them feel euphoric.
Lin Li lived a disciplined and routine life on the Holy Mountain, which even made him unaware of the passage of time. Every morning, Lin Li would go to the Dawn Cathedral on the top of the Holy Mountain, ask Pope Rosario about theurgy, and then hear Rosario's stories about the Dark Age. In the afternoon, he would give some tips and answer the pharmaceutics questions from the archbishops and the Chief Judge. When he was in the mood for it, he would also demonstrate the preparation of several potions.
At night, Lin Li would make a summary of everything he had leaned in the day, and then get immersed in the precious classics collected by the Brilliance Shrine. However, Lin Li also read other books about the history of the Brilliance Shrine and various other myths. After exploring the Sky Castle and Osric's mausoleum, Lin Li knew that the myths and legends might not be all fictitious in Anril. It was good to have more knowledge, for one would never know when they might need it.
However, when he read the information about the Brilliance Shrine, Lin Li discovered that there was actually very little information about the once-famous Paladin Rodhart, who was also now the Retribution Knight in the underground palace of the Dragon Mountains. Even in some history books about that era, the information a
bout him was vague, and there wasn't a single mention of his name at all. However, after he thought about it carefully, Lin Li could more or less understand the reason for it. After all, he was the Retribution Knight who had killed countless lives. Regardless of how much he had contributed to the Brilliance Shrine, no one was willing to mention him.
Of course, for Lin Li, it was rather sad. The two pieces of the debris of the stars, Polar Snow and Raging Flames, were still in the underground palace of the Dragon Mountain Range. Once he fulfilled the order placed by the Felan Kingdom, he would be able to get the magical crystals of the Ice and Fire Twin Dragons. It would then be time for him to get the two pieces of the debris of the stars and the Ice and Fire Magical Domain.
When he'd gone to the underground palace previously, the Retribution Knight hadn't given him any trouble. However, Lin Li reckoned that the Retribution Knight would definitely attack him if he had made too much commotion in the underground palace.
Although Connoris said that Prophet Willen had severely injured Retribution Knight Rodhart once, Lin Li wouldn't really use the unreliable piece of news as his safety net. Retribution Knight Rodhart had been hibernating in the underground palace for numerous years, and God knew if it might change after waking up. During his peak, he had actually reached the Sanctuary-realm.
During the exploration of Osric's mausoleum, an arbitrator of the Supreme Council managed to subdue the three Undead Lords in Shadowglen with just one simple trick. The power of the Sanctuary-realm was something that could not be resisted by the Legendary powerhouses. Even for the Legendary powerhouses, the gap was still worlds apart.
There was still the perfect body of Osric previously lying in the crystal coffin in Osric's mausoleum, which gave Lin Li nightmare-like memories. At that time, Lin Li was not alone, and was actually in the company of several other Legendary powerhouses like Andoine, Rosen, Aldwin, and the numerous servants Lin Li had summoned. If it weren't for the fact that the perfect body had been restricted, Lin Li and the rest wouldn't have been able to come back alive.