by Zhuang Bifan
Even Archbishop Martin had clearly heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that the enemy was a Ghost. He totally did not notice Lin Li saying "at that time".
Of course, even if he had noticed it, Archbishop Martin probably would not have taken it seriously, and neither would Jeremiah. Ever since Lin Li explored the Sky Castle, only a few years1 had passed. No one would have thought that there would be any significant change in the strength of the Ghost that was in the peak of the Legendary-realm after just a few years.
Archbishop Martin changed the topic, and asked Lin Li about other matters, such as the streets of the Sky Castle and the experiences they had during the expedition. Seeing that Archbishop Martin did not take the matter of the Ghost to heart, Lin Li did not specially remind him. Instead, he continued to have a friendly conversation with him. Anyway, he was just making guesses about the current condition of the Ghost. Besides, with the restraint that Holy Light Magic had on the Undead creatures, the team from the Brilliance Shrine would not be at a huge disadvantage.
As for Jeremiah, it seemed that he had regained some of his face during the conversation just now. There was less resentment in his expression as well. However, he was not satisfied yet. He had lost plenty of face previously, and he was merely getting back some interest now.
At this moment, a young mage from the team of the Tower of Dusk walked over. It was Alan, who was in charge of leading the mages.
Alan had an unnatural expression on his face. He walked towards Lin Li, and said in an awkward tone, "President, a few mages got injured during the battle just now."
Damn it, they actually got injured under such circ.u.mstances. It seems like this bunch of greenhorns have not been training hard enough! Lin Li thought to himself.
Lin Li, who was initially full of smiles and chatting with Archbishop Martin, grew sullen after he heard the news from Alan. Although the mages deployed in this battle were all newly recruited, Lin Li felt that the battle was rather easy. Besides, they had the protection of the Death Knights.
He thought that they still had to go through actual combat sessions as studying magic all day in the Tower of Dusk would only create a batch of magic scholars. The essence of magic was still a type of battle too. It was the weapon that was essential for the survival of weak humans. Mages without combat power would be akin to garbage!
In present-day Anril, there was indeed a batch of mages who were constantly clamoring about the de-violentization of magic as they felt that magic ought to be studied as a culture, and should not be used in fights. The proposals that had been solemnly raised by the councilors of the Supreme Council were aborted due to the opposition of the majority of the members.
Lin Li had always been contemptuous of such debates. He felt that magic was just magic. Just like a sword, magic was a weapon for mankind to survive in this world where life was about the survival of the fittest. Mages had to engage in combat and continuously use actual combat to train themselves. Studying a whole bunch of magic theories would be a waste even if they had strength of high level. If the mages forgot about that, the profession of mages would probably not be far from becoming obsolete.
An even more important point was that a mage's comprehension of the power of magic was inseparable from actual combat. Only by continuously using the power of magic could one continuously familiarize themselves with magic, comprehend it, and master it completely. The reason that there were rarely any outstanding mages like those at the end of the Dark Age among the numerous ones that were currently existing in Anril was the lack of actual combat experience.
In Anril today, even the Legendary-realm had become the pinnacle of magic, and mages below the Legendary-realm could still engage in some training through expeditions and adventurers. However, stepping into the Legendary-realm seemed to have become an impressive achievement. Legendary-mages seemed to have become extremely precious, and were not to get into accidents.
Lin Li didn't care what the other mages thought, but he would definitely not allow the mages under him to turn into pieces of garbage who only cared about flaunting their levels. This time, he brought the newly recruited mages along with him on such a dangerous operation precisely because he wanted them to increase their actual combat experience. However, to Lin Li's infuriation, some of them had already gotten injured during the battle with the Paladins even before the actual dangerous battle.
However, Jeremiah interpreted Lin Li's sullen expression differently. He felt that Lin Li was clearly worried about his subordinates. Generally speaking, if someone was injured, it would be fine to treat them, but to him, Lin Li's expression seemed to suggest that the Tower of Dusk had no means of treatment.
Jeremiah actually didn't feel surprised about that at all. Looking at the composition of the team of the Tower of Dusk, he felt that it was generally made up of mages and knights. Unlike them, the team from the Brilliance Shrine, which possessed a large number of Priests who were good at healing, could use the Power of Light to heal the wounded as and when they wanted.
Therefore, injuries were very troublesome for a team like the Tower of Dusk which could only use potions to heal their injured team members. However, the effects of Recovery Potions could not compare to the treatment theurgy of the Priests at all. The Recovery Potions would at most control the development of the injury, and then slightly increase the speed of recovery. Even common physical wounds would take at least a day or two to recover when treated with ordinary potions. Besides, if the injuries were more severe, they might not be able to recover for a few days, and the injured person would basically be out of the operation.
Of course, it wasn't that there were no potions that could compare to the effects of the healing theurgy, but they would all have to be at least Master-level potions which cost more than 10,000 gold coins. Usually, they would only be equipped by important members of the expedition. No one would be willing to use them on their subordinates.
Although they had heard from others that the Tower of Dusk's businesses were rather large in scale, and had been doing well in the Breezy Plains despite having only been established for a few years, Jeremiah did not think that the Tower of Dusk would be generous enough to use such precious and valuable Master-level potions on a few injured subordinates, even if they could afford to do so.
At the thought of it, Jeremiah was filled with joy, and he was thankful that he had not left immediately. After waiting for such a long time, he finally found a chance to salvage his pride.
Jeremiah suppressed the excitement in his heart, and tried to force a look of sympathy on his face. He said to Lin Li in a low voice, "President Felic, it's such a pity. I did not expect that misunderstanding to bring such a loss to your team. However, you don't have to worry too much. Since you and Archbishop Martin are friends, you are my friend too. If you need any help, feel free to say so."
Jeremiah's words could be considered sincere, and even Archbishop Martin was stunned. That was simply too surprising. Prince Jeremiah, who had always been arrogant, actually managed to say such polite words in such circ.u.mstances. Is he the same Jeremiah I know!?
Archbishop Martin had known Jeremiah for more than a day or two. Although the relationship between the two of them was not excellent, he was also quite familiar with Jeremiah's temperament. Jeremiah might not be the type to take revenge for everything, he was also not generous. However, Prince Jeremiah actually still said those words despite having been shamed previously. Archbishop Martin wondered if his persuasion worked, or if Jeremiah had really come to his senses.
To be honest, at this moment, Archbishop Martin even felt somewhat relieved. He appeared much more enthusiastic and friendly than usual when he spoke to Lin Li precisely because he understood Jeremiah's temperament. He hoped that Lin Li could be more tolerant of the prince's rude behavior in their following cooperation.
After hearing Jeremiah's words, Archbishop Martin even felt somewhat heartened, as if his own child had suddenly become sensible. At the same time, the cha
nge in Jeremiah's attitude was also the reason Archbishop Martin was more confident and less worried about the following cooperation with the Tower of Dusk.
However, before Lin Li could even reply, and just as Archbishop Martin was about to feel gratified, Jeremiah raised his chin and smugly said, "There are only a few subordinates of yours who got injured, right? That's not a big deal. Must you be so vexed? Since we're friends, why don't I take the initiative to supply you with a batch of potions? Take them to heal your careless subordinates. We have Priests and potions here."
As soon as Jeremiah said those words, the surroundings instantly became silent. Everyone seemed to have become immobilized, and the atmosphere became extremely bizarre.
Archbishop Martin, who had originally been pleased with Jeremiah's change in attitude, and was planning to continue from there, was dumbfounded as well. There was a look of shock, disappointment, agony, and disbelief in his eyes. His gaze was extremely peculiar. Should be months I think... Same for the next sentence.
Chapter 929 - Holding The Sky Castle
Jeremiah also sensed that there was something amiss about the atmosphere. When he saw Archbishop Martin looking at him that way, he thought that the old fogy could not bear to part with the potions, so he smiled nonchalantly, and said, "Archbishop Martin, like you said, we are all friends! Now that a friend is in need, don't be so stingy. It's just a few potions. How much can they be worth?"
The moment he heard those words, Archbishop Martin almost vomited blood, and he wished he could dig a hole in the ground and jump right into it. He was filled with resentment. How could he think that there was a change in Jeremiah's attitude? Had he remembered that rascal's identity a step earlier, he probably would not have been in such an awkward position.
In order to prevent Jeremiah from saying anything else that was overbearing and would make Archbishop Martin want to kill himself, the latter grabbed his arm, and quickly said to Lin Li, "President Felic, let's stop at this today. You have things to attend to as well. I will not waste any more of your time."
After quickly bidding farewell to Lin Li, the archbishop ignored Jeremiah's reaction. Although he had no idea how he had mustered the strength to pull away the knight that was at the peak of the Legendary-realm, he nonetheless did so and fled quickly to his team.
The two of them kept walking far away, but Jeremiah finally broke free from Archbishop Martin. Filled with disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, he said, "Archbishop Martin, what are you trying to do? Aren't you very familiar with that Felic? I'm just giving them some potions. It's not a big deal. Must you act so exaggeratedly!?"
After looking at Lin Li, who was already returning to his team in the distance, the sullen-faced Archbishop Martin finally lost his temper. Infuriated, he yelled at Jeremiah, "Give them some potions? Felic is the one who dissolved the Viper's poison in the past. Do you think he lacks those potions!?"
He then stopped bothering with Jeremiah, and quickly strode towards the team in exasperation.
At this moment, it was Jeremiah's turn to be dumbfounded. That piece of news was just like a thunderbolt that made him turn numb. The Viper's poison could only be dissolved by a pharmaceutics Guru. A mere Master-level potion was considered nothing to a pharmaceutics Guru.
Recalling what he had just said, Jeremiah thought, I actually wanted to give a pharmaceutics Guru a few potions. Could there be anything more embarrassing than this!?
Jeremiah turned beet red, and his face almost looked like it was dripping blood. Even though he knew that not many people had heard about what happened in the past, he felt that there was still some contempt and sarcasm in the eyes of the people who looked over. He had no choice but to lower his head and hurriedly scurry back to his tent in a pathetic manner.
Damn it, Felic must have done it on purpose. Otherwise, why would he have put on such a sullen expression!? At the thought of the expression Lin Li had after hearing that his subordinates had gotten injured, Jeremiah, who had returned to his tent, considered it carefully. He was almost certain that Lin Li was out to embarrass him.
During the confrontation between the Tower of Dusk and the Brilliance Shrine just now, the Paladins had been almost completely defeated. Although no one was injured, their pride had suffered a lot. On the Tower of Dusk's side, only a few mages were slightly injured, but the results achieved were enough to turn anyone's head.
Given the stark contrast, there would probably be no one who would be dissatisfied with the combat power of their subordinates just because a few of them had gotten injured. At least in Jeremiah's opinion, if he were in Lin Li's position, he would find the victory to be joyous even if a few of his people had gotten injured or even killed.
That was also the reason that Jeremiah was increasingly certain that the damned Felic was pretending to look frustrated simply because he wanted to make Jeremiah take the bait and embarrass himself. However, even if that was the case, what could he do? He was the one who took the initiative to say those words; hence, he could only bear with it. He hoped that he would have a chance to salvage his pride in the future.
On the other hand, Lin Li and Alan also returned to the team of the Tower of Dusk. There was no need to worry about the injuries of the several mages, but they would definitely be taught a lesson by Lin Li.
However, the mages of the Tower of Dusk knew that their President had already entered the Sanctuary-realm, and was a noble and almost godlike existence. It was an honor for them to be reprimanded by him.
It was not Lin Li's first time in the Sky Castle, but he did not choose to explore it alone now. Even though he had already stepped into the Sanctuary-realm, the strength of the Ghost was still rather scary to him. After all, it was the Ghost of the Highlord Osric. Since there were now the teams from the Brilliance Shrine and Rotterdam available, he would definitely make use of them to share the burden and pressure.
Hence, like the other two teams, the team from the Tower of Dusk also began to set up a temporary camp there on Lin Li's command. Although there were plenty of houses surrounding them in the Sky Castle, they had already been vacant for thousands of years, and even if the magic gears and magic traps would no longer pose a threat, it would still be easier to put up a tent.
To the senior mages of the team, putting up a temporary camp was a piece of cake as they were familiar with it. On the other hand, the greenhorn mages who had just joined simply stood neatly in a row, and the Archmages were all listening carefully to the President's lecture like obedient children.
Regardless of whether it was the Tower of Dusk's Magic Net Array or other battle formations, the most important factor was their tacit cooperation. Hence, when someone got injured, the problem would not just lie with the victim, but also his companions who had a huge responsibility. Lin Li could tolerate many kinds of mistakes made by the mages under him, but that was an exception because that was not just being irresponsible to oneself, but also to the companions who trusted the said person.
Lin Li's lecture was much more powerful than any magic storm as the greenhorn mages were all so ashamed and guilty that they wished they could be swallowed up by the ground. After having scolded them for more than 10 minutes, Lin Li finally stopped, and waved for Alan to take them away to resume training.
"Felic, why don't you continue exploring the Sky Castle? Do you really plan to wait for those two useless teams?" As soon as Lin Li dismissed the greenhorn mages, Angelano, who was clad in colorful armor, scurried over excitedly. It was not exaggerating to say that those two teams were useless. The Paladins of the Brilliance Shrine were defeated by the Tower of Dusk in just one round, while the Alchemy Colossuses of the Rotterdam were despised by Angelano. His Titan-level Alchemy Colossus could easily step on and turn them into scrap metal.
As soon as he looked at Angelano's outfit, Lin Li couldn't help but cover his forehead with his hand, filled with regret for not forcing Angelano, who had no aesthetic sense, to change his colorful armor.
He'd initially thought that only t
he team of the Tower of Dusk was exploring the Sky Castle this time, but to their surprise, they ran into the people from the Brilliance Shrine and Rotterdam. This time, the image of himself and the Tower of Dusk was completely ruined by the atrocious shorty.
Of course, that was just a casual thought of Lin Li. He soon thought of the serious problem, and said, "By the way, Angelano, make a summary of the weaknesses of those Alchemy Colossuses of the Rotterdam Kingdom's team and hand it to Alan for him to take a closer look."
"Felic, you must be kidding. Every part of that garbage is a weakness. If you want me to write them down, how long is that going to take me!?" Angelano immediately retorted in disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e upon hearing Lin Li's words. Indeed, that was the case. As an alchemist, he could see numerous flaws in every part of the Alchemy Colossuses, and it would be torturous to make him note them all down.
"I want the weaknesses that are susceptible to attacks, like those that would paralyze them once they are struck by an offensive spell." That was something that Lin Li himself was able to do, but firstly, he did not want to waste energy on it, and secondly, he didn't want to see Angelano's embarrassing armor.
Lin Li was more or less at ease about the team of the Brilliance Shrine. It was not just because of his friendship with Archbishop Martin; it was more importantly because of Pope Rosario's attitude. As for the people of the Rotterdam, Lin Li did not trust them at all. If they really wanted to get up to some tricks, he would not mind leaving them there.
"Okay then, but after this, you must help me set up a Four-Element Chaotic Array for my armor." Although Angelano did not think much, he did not forget reaping benefits from Lin Li.
Although he was also an alchemist, Angelano favored Alchemy Colossuses, and Alchemy Arrays were Lin Li's forte. The Four-Element Chaotic Array was Guru-level Alchemy Array. After the alchemical elements were fused, there would be a huge weakening.