by Zhuang Bifan
For example, if the heart of a massive beast was required, wanting the heart would be the same as going against the entire tribe of beasts. Besides, it was unknown if there were any nowadays.
For example, another important material would be the eyeballs of the Abyssal Demon Dragon. Osric could summon and command a powerful Magic Legion to slay the Abyssal Demon Dragons and obtain their eyes, but Lin Li couldn't. In the Breezy Plains, Lin Li might be powerful, but could he compare to the Magic Legion of the High Elves? He would probably die after entering the Endless Abyss' depths.
Besides, the other materials like the horns of unicorns, the brains of Evil Eye Tyrants, the blood of ancient wyrms, and many others were all difficult to obtain. Although some materials were rare, they could at least be found in Anril. However, where were they supposed to find the nuclei of the four elemental powerhouses and the meridians of the Titans?
Chapter 845 - Creation Of Life
Actually, the perfect body was generally a combination of the strongest parts of the bodies of various powerful creatures. Otherwise, how could Osric have dared to call it the perfect body? If none of those important materials were available, what would be the point of having the skills and techniques to create a perfect body?
However, the Ashen Warlock smiled, and slowly said, "Don't worry, I won't make you help me for nothing. I have already prepared the materials for the creation of this body. There'll be more than enough. If you do it well, you'll be able to earn a lot from this deal." He then took out some lists of materials and handed them to Lin Li, who was full of curiosity.
"Turns out you've already prepared the materials. In that case…" Lin Li grabbed the stack of lists and took a glance at it, after which he turned speechless and his eyes glistened. The various materials listed on these lists were not much different from those recorded in Osric's journal. More importantly, the quantity of materials Ashen Warlock prepared was more than what was required.
"However, this is not enough," the Ashen Warlock said calmly.
Lin Li was looking through the lists excitedly, and when he suddenly heard those words from the Ashen Warlock, he could not help but ask in bewilderment, "Aren't these enough?"
According to Lin Li's memory, the amount of materials was more than what was required, and the Ashen Warlock had also mentioned previously that he would be supplying him with an abundant amount. How could it be insufficient, then?
"I'm not talking about the materials, but your technique, or rather Osric's technique," the Ashen Warlock said with a faint smile, after which he glanced at Lin Li apprehensively. "According to what I know, Osric's technique is actually far from perfect. The perfect body he created only looks perfect on the surface, but there are some flaws hidden in it."
"What? That body still isn't considered perfect?" Lin Li asked in shock, for he thought that he had already understood enough. He thought that the body that Osric had created was already divine because it was a combination of the advantages of all powerful creatures, yet there were still flaws?
"Yes, now that you have mastered Osric's technique, and your companion has also occupied his body, you should be able to understand these issues. For example, your companion may not be able to fuse well with that body. When he uses the power of that body, does he feel like he can't quite exert it to the fullest? When he casts magic, does the casting feel a little laggy…" Before Lin Li could answer his question, the Ashen Warlock continued to point out the flaws of the perfect body.
The more Lin Li listened, the more shocked he felt. The Ashen Warlock had never seen Connoris using that body, but he had heard Connoris mention experiencing the problems that the Ashen Warlock now brought up. Initially, he and Connoris both thought that it was the degree of fusion which resulted in the series of issues. To his surprise, it turned out that the perfect body was the root of the problem.
At the end, Lin Li couldn't help but smile wryly and helplessly say, "Yeah, that perfect body does have the problems you mentioned, but I'm afraid I can't be better than Osric in terms of technique… "
"No, you can!" the Ashen Warlock answered firmly.
Upon hearing his words, Lin Li frantically explained, "Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to shirk the responsibility or be humble. I'm really just not confident."
Although Lin Li had mastered Osric's perfect body creation technique, he didn't study or research much about it because he felt that it was not of much use to him at present. He didn't need to replace his body, either. Besides, Osric was also a Legendary figure of the Dark Age and the proud disciple of the Immortal King. Since he couldn't solve the flaws of the perfect body, Lin Li felt that he couldn't, either.
The Ashen Warlock shook his head slightly, and unhurriedly said, "Don't be nervous, I'm not trying to blame you. You probably don't know it yet, but actually, Osric was not the creator of this perfect body creation technique."
"What!?" Lin Li was momentarily stunned—he had never expected to hear that. "If Osric didn't create it, could it be…"
"It's the Immortal King. He's the real creator of this technique, and I happen to have a copy of his notes here. You may bring it home to study it. Since you've already mastered Osric's technique, it should be easy for you to understand these notes. I'm sure you'll be able to learn the techniques soon," the Ashen Warlock said while taking out some notes that were emanating plenty of magical waves.
Lin Li looked at the notebook, and couldn't help but swallow his saliva. It was the notes of the Immortal King! Although the notebook only included the technique for creating the perfect body, it also required technical support in all aspects, which was probably no less than building the Sky Castle. Even if Lin Li had reached the Guru-level in all fields such as pharmaceutics, alchemy, and inscription, he would still stand to gain from the valuable notes of the Immortal King.
At the same time, Lin Li thought of a problem. At the beginning, he found a piece of paper left behind in the Sky Castle by Osric, on which was a message which seemed to hint that he was trying to find something but couldn't manage to. Could it be that Osric had been looking for this journal?
Of course, it didn't matter whether it was it or not. What Lin Li had to consider now was whether he should take on the task. It seemed that the deal was indeed profitable for him, for he would obtain a variety of precious materials and the Immortal King's journal. Although Lin Li was rather wealthy, he was definitely still tempted.
However, would it really be that easy to make a perfect body? Although the Ashen Warlock had provided him with abundant materials, he still needed time to hone and perfect his skills. Owning the Immortal King's journal didn't mean that he would master everything all at once. The Ashen Warlock's body was already devoid of vitality, and Lin Li had no idea how much longer he could wait.
Besides, Geresco's prophecy was going to come true soon, and Lin Li was currently only at the peak of level-24. Although he had taken a glimpse of the power of the Sanctuary-realm, it still wouldn't be easy for him to cross over to the Sanctuary-realm. He couldn't possibly drop everything now and spend all his time on creating a perfect body for the Ashen Warlock.
Lin Li hesitated for a moment, and did not immediately agree to the Ashen Warlock's request. Instead, he said, "Master Roland, I want to know if you have any time limits for me."
"Well, although this body is already declining, I can still wait until you step into the Sanctuary-realm," the Ashen Warlock said calmly. With his current abilities, he had naturally already figured out long ago that Lin Li had seen the door to the Sanctuary-realm.
Upon hearing his answer, Lin Li finally heaved a sigh of relief secretly. After all, it would be impossible for him not to give in to such a huge temptation. As for stepping into the Sanctuary-realm, he wasn't humble about it at all. He simply nodded, and said, "Alright then, I'll agree to your request. After I enter the Sanctuary-realm, I'll use the Eternal Furnace to create a new body for you."
"I look forward to that day. I believe it will not be far aw
ay," the Ashen Warlock said while handing the journal to Lin Li.
Lin Li grabbed the Immortal King's journal, but he didn't flip through it to look at the content immediately. Instead, he suddenly thought of a question, and curiously asked the Ashen Warlock, "Why do you have the journal of the Immortal King?"
The journal contained the technique of creating a perfect body, and was something that Osric could not even find in the Sky Castle. Even Osric, the proud disciple of the Immortal King, failed to get his hands on it. Although the Ashen Warlock was like a mythical figure from the Dark Age, Lin LI had never heard of any ties between the Ashen Warlock and the Immortal King. How did he get the precious journal, then?
"The Immortal King created this technique, while I am the first life that the Immortal King had created using this technique," the Ashen Warlock said calmly.
"What!?" Lin Li was astonished and dumbfounded the instant he heard the Ashen Warlock's answer. The piece of news was completely unexpected. The origin of the Ashen Warlock had always been a mystery in the Breezy Plains. Although there were various speculations and rumors that spread around, no one had guessed that the Ashen Warlock was actually a life form created by the Immortal King.
To Lin Li's disbelief, the Ashen Warlock said that he was the first life form created by the Immortal King. Creating life was a completely different concept from creating a body. In other words, the Ashen Warlock already had a real soul after he was created.
The creation of a body was basically like the creation of alchemy puppets and Alchemy Colossuses by an Alchemist, but the techniques involved were much more miraculous and amazing. However, the creation of life was taboo for mortals, because it was a realm that truly belonged to the gods. Any attempt to break the forbidden rules would be tantamount to blasphemy against the gods. However, the Immortal King tried doing so, and even successfully created the Ashen Warlock, which was simply utter provocation and blasphemy against the gods!
Filled with incredible shock, Lin Li walked out of the tower that was regarded as a sacred ground by the others but was actually shabby on the inside. The leaders of the major forces had already left a long time ago, and were no longer standing in the open space outside the tower. Lin Li believed that the matter that happened today was mind-boggling enough, and would give them a huge headache for a long time. Norfeller and Ujfalusi were the only ones who were standing there quietly.
"Master, Hoffman said that he has an urgent matter to attend to at the Glittergold Trade Union. He wanted us to relay his apologies to you once you came out," Ujfalusi said respectfully.
"Okay, we should go back too," Lin Li said with a nod. He could more or less guess what Hoffman was referring to by the urgent matter. After the gathering, the Tower of Dusk's status in the Breezy Plains had become extremely stable, and Lin Li reckoned that he would receive a request from the Glittergold Trade Union to strengthen their cooperation.
When the various forces followed the lead of the three major forces and requested the Ashen Warlock to expel the Tower of Dusk from the Breezy Plains, Hoffman did not stand up to support the Tower of Dusk, but he did not follow the other forces and drag Lin Li down. What he did was actually commendable. Besides, Hoffman had been showing to other forces his support for the Tower of Dusk ever since Lin Li arrived in Gran Town, and simply backed out a little when he was facing the judgment of the Ashen Warlock.
After all, the Ashen Warlock was known to be daunting and brutal. Hoffman was representing the Glittergold Trade Union, and even if he had a close relationship with Lin Li, it would still be impossible for him to put the interests of the entire Glittergold Trade Union at stake. Hence, Lin Li didn't think he should blame Hoffman for anything.
The gathering brought a lot of changes to the Tower of Dusk which Lin Li had never thought of before. He originally planned to go to the outpost on the border which High Priest Rogge had mentioned. However, he decided to drop the idea of going there to explore for now after considering that Gavin and others were unaware of the news yet.
Upon sight of Lin Li returning safely, those who knew what he had gone to do were instantly thrilled. Although they didn't know what had happened at the gathering, and had no idea what the Tower of Dusk had gained or lost, they knew that the Tower of Dusk would stand strong and there would definitely be hope of a comeback as long as Lin Li returned safely.
In the conference room, Lin Li briefly told Gavin and others about what he had experienced in Gran Town. Although Lin Li sounded rather calm, Gavin and the rest found the story extremely thrilling. The three major forces' joint attack was supported by all the top forces. If someone else had been in Lin Li's place, they would definitely have been scared soulless.
The Ashen Warlock's words instantly turned the malicious intents of the three major forces into dust and made everyone shout for joy. At the same time, they also knew that the Tower of Dusk had gained the recognition and affirmation of the Ashen Warlock. Not only did they retain all the existing territory, they also received an invisible protective amulet. They were very confident about the future of the Tower of Dusk.
However, Lin Li did not mention anything regarding the deal with the Ashen Warlock, because it had nothing to do with the Tower of Dusk. While being distracted and excited, Gavin and the rest did not dwell on the reason for the Ashen Warlock to value the Tower of Dusk so greatly. In their opinion, the Tower of Dusk's development and Lin Li's abilities were worthy of the recognition.
"President, I think we should announce the news immediately. I believe our members while cheer and rejoice hearing this piece of news," Gavin said, unable to contain his excitement. The other senior executives also chimed in.
"Okay, you'll be in charge of that." The piece of news would greatly boost the morale of the Tower of Dusk, so Lin Li nodded in agreement. Nonetheless, he reminded, "However, there is something you have to pay attention to. The competition between us and the three major forces like the Mithril Alliance does not end here. The Ashen Warlock has merely limited our competition to a certain range. I don't think they will admit defeat just like that."
Chapter 846 - Remaining Calm On The Surface
Upon hearing Lin Li's reminder, Gavin and the others immediately snapped back to reality and realized what was going on. The joy on their faces diminished, and they solemnly said to Lin Li, "Please rest assured, Mr. President. We definitely won't give them any chances. No matter what tricks they get up to, they'll end up being severely injured by us."
Lin Li had no doubt that the three major forces definitely wouldn't dare to do anything to the Tower of Dusk itself, because they had already been warned by the Ashen Warlock. They could only resort to dealing with the Tower of Dusk using some tricks. However, with the current commercial foundation of the Tower of Dusk, they wouldn't be affected easily.
After giving some brief and simple instructions to them, Lin Li headed to the Eternal Furnace that was on the top of the tower, and saw Connoris who was making modifications to the Death Knight in the core of the Eternal Furnace.
"How was it? What kind of person is the Ashen Warlock?" Connoris asked as he immediately paused in his actions when he saw Lin Li entering.
"Aren't you the Soul Trader who knows it all? Why don't you know anything about the Ashen Warlock?" Lin Li joked as he recalled the time when Connoris often claimed to be the know-it-all Soul Trader when he was sealed in the hammer.
"Of course I know about the Ashen Warlock. I suspect that the last clone I left behind in Anril was killed by him. However, the origin of that guy is so mysterious. He appeared out of nowhere, and I bet no one in Anril knows where he's from," Connoris defended himself while ignoring Lin Li's teasing.
"Actually, you may not believe it, but I really know of his origin. According to him, he's a life form that the Immortal King created," Lin Li said truthfully. After all, he might need Connoris to help in building the new body using the Eternal Furnace.
"Haha, I was right, you don't know, either… Wait, what did you say
!? What about the Immortal King…?" Connoris was extremely astonished, and couldn't recover from the shock. He was expecting Lin Li to say that he didn't know, but to his surprise, Lin Li made such a shocking statement, which caused him to be dumbfounded.
"You took so long to react. Seems like he was right about there being flaws in this so-called perfect body of yours," Lin Li teased while staring at the dumbfounded Connoris. Of course, the flaws that the Ashen Warlock mentioned did not include the lack of IQ.
Before Connoris could register Lin Li's words, he got a great shock again because he heard that his body was flawed. He stepped forward to grab Lin Li, and nervously asked, "What? What exactly happened? What creation of life? What flaw!?"
"Okay, don't be so nervous, I didn't say that I'm not going to tell you," said Lin Li, who finally broke free from Connoris's hand. He then pushed him away, and said, "If you want to hear the answer, stand properly!"
Connoris was about to dash forward again, but after hearing Lin Li's words, he had no choice but to remain standing while still feeling just as nervous as before. "Hurry and speak up. What exactly is going on?"
"This time, the Ashen Warlock made a deal with me, and he wants me to create a perfect body for him. He also told me that the technique for the creation of the body was not invented by Osric, but by the Immortal King. He's the first life that the Immortal King has created using that technique," Lin Li explained. Lin Li honestly still found it rather incredible, but he had no reason to suspect that the Ashen Warlock was lying.
"The life he created? Are you sure he said life, and not body?" Clearly, Connoris had immediately discovered the key of the issue, just like Lin Li at the beginning.
"Yes, life," Lin Li answered firmly with a nod.