Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074, page 102
What followed was a moment of silence…
Underlying the thunderous shriek was an authoritative command that silenced the entire world.
The earth stopped shaking; the boulders stopped tumbling inside the cave; even the flame on the tail of the Ore Devouring Beast went out immediately.
What they were replaced with was a ray of colourful light.
The gorgeous beam drew a perfect curve across the narrow pathway to the three men and the beast. On the other end was a majestic palace surrounded by wild fire. The light was like a huge door which separated two worlds to each end.
"F*ck…" Lin Li was utterly flabbergasted by the multicolored light. He stood rooted to the ground like a puppet and stared blankly. To ascertain that he was not dreaming, he did something very cliche, which was to pinch his t.h.i.g.h.
"Argh…" Lin Li drew a mouthful of cold breath due to the pain on his t.h.i.g.h.
A-are all these real…?
Lin Li suddenly felt so confused. Why did the earthquake stop out of a sudden? Is there a different world behind that blazing fire? Since I'm in a cave, it can't be a mirage, right…?
"GRRR!" The Ore Devouring Beast finally lost its patience in the standstill. It dug the soil with its sharp claws, while the series of anxious growls continued.
The hoarse voice drew Lin Li back to the present. The gorgeous sight actually caused him to forgot the existence of the beast…
"RUN!" Lin Li shouted at Sean. Seeing that the Ore Devouring Beast was about to pounce on them, Lin Li had no time to care about anything else. He sped off like an arrow released from a bow towards the light.
When the first beam of light shone onto him, Lin Li felt a tinge of warmness. It rose from his right ring finger and spread throughout his body. The warmness was completely different from the suffocating heat in the cave. Although hot, it was not uncomfortable. He felt as though he was hugging a small stove in his arms in the cold winter.
"What's the situation now?" Stunned, Lin Li could not help but look back. Then, he suddenly realized that the ring finger on his right hand was emitting a blinding beam of red.
"Torrent of Elements Ring!"
The blinding red glow was as concentrated as fresh blood. Lin Li could even see that the red was spreading with amazing speed.
At the same time, the Ore Devouring Beast behind him moved. When it pounced towards him, it was like a streak of red light. While Lin Li made his first move, it had already covered an unimaginable distance. Then, as it lifted its hideous head, a ball of fire appeared from its mouth…
"Sh*t!" Lin Li exclaimed as he jumped up into the air. It was too late for him to bring out his Elemental Shield. He could only watch that ball of fire grow brighter in the paws of the beast…
"Boom!"
The gigantic fireball exploded.
Lin Li felt as though every piece of his bone shattered when the bomb hit him.
"Damn it, I'm really doomed…"
Even fools knew the consequences of being hit by an Archmage-level fireball under zero protection. Lin Li closed his eyes in resignation as the pain from his body soared. However, he forced his eyes open immediately again.
No, I can't die now!
Lin Li was not far away from Sean and Argus, who had fainted on the same lush green grass. The light ahead of him was still in a myriad of colors. Through that, Lin Li could see clearly the menacing Ore Devouring Beast leaping towards him at a freakish speed…
"F*ck!" Lin Li raised his arms subconsciously over his face. Then, he saw that the beast was lifted by something when it passed through the color spectrum. What followed was an ear-splitting cry from it as it turned into a ball of ashes…
Chapter 191 - Sky Castle
"Are you kidding me!?" Lin Li broke out in a cold sweat. The Ore Devouring Beast, with the strength of at least level-15, was turned into ashes in an instant. This could almost rival the power of a legendary spell. Lin Li felt his legs turn weak when he recalled passing through the same colorful spectrum earlier on.
Lin Li stood there with cold sweat in his palms, desperately trying to recall what had happened in that moment… The roar of the Ore Devouring Beast, the burning fireball, the colorful spectrum…
Oh, yes, yes—and the Torrent of Elements Ring that was dazzling with red light!
At the thought of this, Lin Li raised his hand in confusion and examined the Torrent of Elements Ring on his hand with a strange look. The dark red light still flickered faintly; the scorching heat seemed to have been solidified…
That was right; it was the Torrent of Elements Ring!
Lin Li remembered it distinctly—when he passed through the colorful spectrum, the red light on the Torrent of Elements Ring seemed to gleam all of a sudden. At that moment, the colorful glow was like a shield; it not only firmly protected himself, but also Sean and Argus, who were beside him.
Lin Li scratched his head with a sluggish look on his face. There was probably more to the secrets of the Torrent of Elements Ring than he had imagined.
He could still remember the Lich once said that this was the ring of Osric, the Butcher, back in the Shadowglen. Later, in order to unravel the secret of the ring, Lin Li specially searched for relevant information in the Omniscient Tower, including Osric's life and the massacre that shocked Anril. However, there was never a single word on or description of the ring.
To think that this ring had revealed its miraculous nature once again in the Fire Plume Ridge.
All of them had passed through the colorful spectrum. The Ore Devouring Beast had turned into a mass of ashes; the three living men had come out unscathed. The signs were so obvious that even a fool could see it was definitely related to the Torrent of Elements Ring.
As for what the relationship was, Lin Li was at a loss. All of this was really too bizarre; all the doubts were intertwined in a mess. It was almost impossible to even gather up the threads, let alone to uncover the secrets one by one.
"Sh*t!" Just as Lin Li was puzzling over it, he suddenly realized a serious problem. "This hell of a place. How do we go back?"
The colorful light ahead was still shining, just like a mirage that clearly reflected everything in the cave. But, with the Ore Devouring Beast serving as a warning, he dared not approach this spectrum of death even if he was given a hundred times more courage. That was where a level-15 magical beast was reduced to ashes in a flash. Although he did not encounter any problem previously, who could guarantee that it would be equally safe should he do it again?
It was not a big deal making a joke. But joking with one's life seemed to be a little too dumb…
Lin Li hesitated for a moment, but at last shook his head resignedly. He looked around in the hopes of finding another way.
It was then that he had the time to take a good look at this place.
This was a totally different world, surrounded by green grasslands and bright wildflowers, and there was a beautiful forest farther away. When Lin Li lifted his eyes, he could see a few rabbits hopping out of the woods. All of this complemented a peaceful and harmonious scene.
In addition to this harmony and tranquility, flames lit up the sky.
The green grassland and the burning fire in the sky were two completely different scenes, but they were so harmoniously blended together that instead of adding a hint of cruelty to this grassland, it unexpectedly added some gorgeous colors to the surroundings.
Lin Li scratched his head. He roughly remembered that he had seen a palace in winding flame through the colorful spectrum earlier on in the cave. For a moment, Lin Li was puzzled in spite of himself. Was the flame in the distance the place where the palace was situated?
"Hey! It's daybreak. You two guys are still asleep?" Lin Li deliberated for a moment, and decided to go and have a look first. But before that, he had to wake up the two guys who were lying on the ground…
"Hell…" Argus staggered up from the grass. He looked up at the distant woods, then at the sky-high fire, and finally his eyes stopped on Lin Li…
All of this made Argus weep without tears. He felt that no one could be more unlucky than himself in this Fire Plume Ridge. It should be an easy and joyful assassination, but he had implicated himself in it in the end. A level-16 Archmage was beaten into disfigurement by a level-10 warrior, and then he had lost most of his mana. He was probably worse off than a Magic Shooter at present…
Hell, hell, hell, hell. This is living hell! Argus was depressed mad at the thought of this.
However, he dared not utter a sound at all. The two fellows before him did not know what sympathy was, especially the one who had died and came back to life. Shivers ran down his spine at the thought of how merciless they were. Argus could sense it clearly when the bolt was plunged into him—if possible, that fellow would not hesitate to plunge the bolt straight into his heart.
The reason why they kept his life was merely because he had some value…
"Shut up." Lin Li had no time to be concerned with how Argus thought of him. After shooting a glare at the fellow, he proceeded to wake Sean up from the ground. "Sean, watch after this fellow. Don't let him go anywhere."
"Yes!" Sean nodded, and carried out Lin Li's order meticulously.
It didn't matter that he was methodistic, but Argus nearly lost his mind…
For the honest Sean, there was only one way to watch after Argus—that was to hold him firmly and carry him like a bag of goods on his shoulder. Only in this way could he not run around freely. It would not take much for Sean, who was nearly two meters tall and stronger than a magical beast, but Argus couldn't even shed a tear if he wanted.
A level-16 Archmage was carried over the shoulders like a bag of goods—how was he going to stand before others in the future?
The three of them… Or it should be, two of them and a bag of goods walked towards the place on fire.
As he passed through the green grassland, Lin Li could clearly feel that as he got closer to the fire, the Torrent of Elements Ring on his hand was getting hotter and hotter; it actually felt as if it were roasted by fire at the end.
This peculiar feeling made Lin Li all the more confused…
From the Sunset Mountains to the Shadowglen, and then from the Shadowglen to the Fire Plume Ridge, the Torrent of Elements Ring was becoming stranger by the time. At the beginning, it only created an element channel that allowed him to win the duel in Daylight Square. However, in the Shadowglen, the Lich had called it the Butcher's ring. When they arrived at the Fire Plume Ridge, the ring had turned even more restless. There was an unusual breath surrounding it on the whole.
Lin Li was utterly dumbfounded when the three of them crossed the green grassland and stood in front of the blazing fire. "This, this… could this be the Mountain of Inferno in the myths?"
The verdant grass stretched from the foot to the far end of the horizon. Lin Li looked up and saw a ball of fire burning in the sky, like an infinitely close sun. A blistering heat and powerful magical wave was radiating out unscrupulously from the fire.
An edifice hovered quietly in the sky.
"F*ck…"
Lin Li rubbed his eyes violently. He thought he had to have seen it wrong…
Nothing had changed—the fire was still burning; the huge building was still floating. It was really a floating edifice.
Lin Li was dumbstruck by the sudden finding.
The luxurious and extravagant architectural style was definitely one unique to the Dark Ages. If he remembered correctly, this was probably the legendary Sky Castle—the peak of the High Elves' architectural art!
At the end of the remote Dark Ages, the entire High Elves clan fell into a frenzy. Almost all High Elves believed that they were the most perfect of creatures—and that they were living gods. In the legend of the High Elves, the palaces of the gods were above the vault of heaven.
Hence, they made use of their magic civilization, which had been developed to its peak, to create seven floating cities.
These seven Sky Castles represented the four elements of earth, fire, water, and wind, and the three factions of light, darkness, and chaos. In their legend, the world was made up of these seven rules. Even from the present perspective, these seven Sky Castles could be described as true miracles. The extreme extension of imagination and the perfect combination of architectural and magic art had created these seven unprecedented miracles.
Unfortunately, the war that happened afterwards destroyed everything.
Six of the seven Sky Castles had fallen; the only one that was still standing had also retreated into the cracks of time and space with the last warriors of the High Elves in the last battle. There had been no news from them for 1,200 years.
The day's experience had gone far beyond the scope of Lin Li's understanding. Even if he had the ability to foresee the future, he probably would never think that he could see such a fearful thing after a disaster…
Of course—this wasn't a real Sky Castle.
Compared with the real Sky Castle, this edifice was at most the tip of the iceberg. The seven almost invincible fortresses of war were much larger than the edifice before them. In the distant dark ages, the Sky Castle was also known as "the castle that never falls". With the support of magic civilization at its peak, one Sky Castle could even destroy a country.
1,200 years later, most of the facts had disappeared in the long river of time, but various signs showed that although the coalition forces had won the war back then, they had most likely used some shady means to fight against the seven Sky Castles…
But one thing was certain. The edifice was essentially the same as the Sky Castle. It was also powered by elemental forces and built with magical materials.
The burning fire was the power source of this palace. Judging from the blood-red color, the main material of this edifice was probably the Infernal Magic Iron that Lin Li longed for. If Lin Li's memory served him well, the glaze on the roof that was similar to a dragon's scale was likely polished by the Sun's Crystal of general size…
This luxurious architectural style drove Lin Li insane just thinking about it…
Whether it was the Infernal Magic Iron or the Sun's Crystal, they were all precious magical materials. But here, they were used as construction materials. Such a huge palace would have consumed enough materials to buy a city if it had been converted into gold coins.
From what Lin Li saw, "luxurious" was no longer adequate to describe it…
"Hell…" Argus lay on Sean's shoulder; his eyes were glazed and his expression was dull.
Although Argus looked ghastly in his current state, he was once a level-16 Archmage. How could he not even know what Lin Li knew? It was possible that he knew better than Lin Li what a floating palace meant.
Of the three, perhaps only Sean could remain calm—he did not have any idea about magical materials, let alone what the Sky Castle was. In his eyes, it was probably just a weird building, just like the Emerald Tower in Jarrosus City…
When Lin Li stood there, the Torrent of Elements Ring on his hand was searing; Lin Li even felt this strange ring was struggling desperately to be rid of his control and rush up to the blazing fire in the sky. When Lin Li clenched his fist, he could even hear a voice in his heart constantly urging himself, "Go up, go up!"
"Sean, take off your leather armor." Lin Li gritted his teeth fiercely. He decided to go up and see it anyway. If he did not take a look at a palace like this, he was afraid that he would be tortured by curiosity in time to come.
"Orh!" Sean did not question, and took off his leather armor right away, baring his toned muscles.
Sean tried to take off his gloves as well after handing the leather armor to Lin Li, but was stopped. "No need for the gloves. The leather armor is enough."
Lin Li took the leather and put it on his back just to hide the spot that was torn by the Ore Devouring Beast.
The four elements of earth, water, fire and wind could provide the power for the Sky Castle to function. The magnificent palace before them was obviously powered by fire, which was the fruit of the High Elves' civilization. The magic power contained in it was far beyond ordinary people's ability to endure.
Fortunately, Lin Li was wearing Fire Salamandrid leather armor. As long as it could cover the area torn off by the Ore Devouring Beast, he could even dive in magma.
After putting the leather armor on his body, Lin Li opened the Ring of Endless Storm, and achingly pulled out half of the incomplete black lotus.
At the sight of the partial black lotus, Lin Li couldn't help but glare at Argus. His bitter and hateful eyes immediately frightened Argus, but he couldn't understand why this cruel fellow should look at himself with such freakish eyes…
Chapter 192 - Mjölnir
Fortunately, Lin Li did not intend to settle the score with him for the time being. After glaring at Argus, he pulled out two glass bottles and some strange herbs from his pocket, and began to busy himself.
However, that was only temporary…
That was half a black lotus, not half a black bread. It put Lin Li's teeth on edge to think about it. How could he possibly let Argus off easily?
If this fellow hadn't pushed him into a corner, how could he have used half a black lotus? They were in a fierce battle; moreover, the conditions were crude, so there was no supplementary ingredient at all. He could only roughly concoct a bottle of Vibrant Potion using the natural heat of the Fire Plume Ridge.
Strictly speaking, it couldn't even be called a potion.
It was just a mash of Dracaena grass and half a black lotus, slightly heated up by the natural high temperature in the Fire Plume Ridge and swallowed by Lin Li in one gulp.
He had no choice—Argus was coming too close on him at that time.
The power of a level-16 Archmage was something Lin Li could not compete against. In an impasse like this, being able to keep his life was the Heavens having mercy on him; where would he get the time to concoct a bottle of perfect Vibrant Potion?
Such a waste, such a waste! Lin Li felt his liver ache at the thought of it. This was not concoction of a potion—this was a crime! Half a black lotus had produced such a teeny bit of Vibrant Potion; if there was ample time and supplementary ingredients, he could prepare ten bottles of Vibrant Potion with the same black lotus, and it'd be far more effective than the bit of succus earlier on.
