Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074, page 222
Hence, Lin Li was very curious as to what this benefactor's motive was.
"I don't know, either. I've merely heard this from others, but the benefactor seems to be a Legendary mage…"
Chapter 387 - Working Together
"The heck…" Lin Li jumped in shock. Wasn't the Malfa Family too powerful? They even had a Legendary mage… No wonder they had been in control of the whole Aminya for so many years yet the royal family of Felan had turned a blind eye to it. Unless they really had no choice, who was willing to offend a Legendary mage?
"After joining the Malfa Family, Granger rarely hung out with us, and we only said hello occasionally. I heard Mr Hahn even specially asked him for help this time…"
"Hm…" Lin Li nodded, and did not press further, as he knew that Reggie was probably telling the truth. Why would Granger care about old ties if he was the kind of person who would be willing to give up Black Clouds Town in order to gain recognition? It was a difficult task for any Adventurer in Aminya to join the Malfa Family, especially Granger, who was now being groomed by a Legendary mage—it was good enough that he even said hello to Reggie when they passed by each other in the streets…
"Oh, right. Mr Bandit, how much do you know about the Malfa Family's mission?"
"I know nothing…" Reggie winced as he shook his head. He was afraid that the young mage would not believe him, so he hurriedly explained, "Oh, dignified mage, I'm afraid you misunderstand. Adventurers have low status in Aminya; besides powerful ones like Mage Emendas, the rest of us are merely sacrificial pawns in the eyes of the Malfa Family. They would never tell us the details of such a mission…"
Lin Li thought about it and realized that if these Bandits could get access to classified information and important figures, how would Hahn dare to send them to kill easily? Hahn was merely the butler of the Malfa Family, after all, and was nowhere near the core circle of the Malfa Family. The people he could dispatch were probably only the likes of Reggie…
"Alright, then. Fix the tent and you can leave."
"Huh?" Reggie paused. He thought he heard wrong. How could it be so easy? This young mage was not kidding him, right? Reggie stood there as he stared nervously at Lin Li, not daring to take another step…
After saying that, Lin Li took his map again, and started reading as he rubbed between his brows. They were going into the Scar of Death tomorrow, so how would he have time to care about a few pesky Bandits? But after staring for some time, he looked up again and saw Reggie and his companions were still around, making him frown.
"Why aren't you leaving? Surely you do not intend to stay for breakfast?"
"We are… leaving… we're leaving now…" Reggie finally believed him now, and quickly called his companions to leave the scary tent. However, just as he stepped out, Reggie suddenly recalled something. "Oh, right. Dignified mage, I did hear something about this mission…"
"Tell me about it."
"I heard people say that not only the Malfa Family is here in the Blackstone Mountains. Other forces will be arriving in a couple of days as well."
"Oh?" Lin Li frowned when he heard this. The Malfa Family had a Legendary mage; in terms of combat ability, they could probably rival Roland City and Doland City. They had even spent a few million gold coins to hire close to 200 pretty decent Adventurers. In Lin Li's opinion, this was more than enough to ensure they could pass through the Scar of Death easily. Why would they still work with other forces?
After all, there were pros and cons to working together—it lowered their profits while lowering risks. When it came to a powerful force like the Malfa Family, their every move could influence the whole Breezy Plains, and if they could achieve their goal here alone, they would never work with anyone else.
Could it be that their real objective was not that mutant Crimson Python?
"Yeah, it can't be…" Lin Li found it more strange the more he thought about it. The mutant Crimson Python was only level-20, yet they had already engaged almost 200 pretty decent Adventurers as well as the Malfa Family's mercenary corps and the Legendary mage grooming Granger. Even two mutant Crimson Pythons were no match for all these people, so why would they need to work together with other forces?
But if the Malfa Family was not targeting the mutant Crimson Python, what else could be their goal?
After sending off the Bandits, Lin Li wrapped himself in his sleeping bag and thought for a long time, but failed to think of anything, only falling asleep after he could not withstand the exhaustion when it was close to dawn.
The next morning, the adventurers packed their things and set off for the Scar of Death under Emendas' orders. However, the journey was much more tiring today as the magical beasts of the Blackstone Mountains seemed to have returned from their break—they all appeared today…
The group had taken nearly half a day to travel less than a few dozen kilometers from their campsite. It was a bloodbath throughout the journey; even the commander Emendas had suffered a few light scratches. There had been a group of about 100 Strigid Gryphons attacking them—these magical beasts were about level-10 to level-15, and were a nightmare when they attacked in the forest. Although the adventurers had killed all of the Strigid Gryphons after a tough battle, they had lost almost 30 people, which was by far the most men they had lost after setting off…
The good thing was that not long after the adventurers had left the forest, they met the other team led by Jason. Lin Li saw him from where he was hidden amongst the crowd, and saw the mousy-looking Bandit and the beautiful Priestess by his side. It had only been a little more than a month, but they had become considerably stronger. The Bandit and the Priestess looked to be around level-16, while Jason had reached level-17. Even when he was standing next to Emendas, he did not look any less formidable.
Seems like the fight at Syer Town helped them quite a bit.
After the two teams reunited, they did not leave for the Scar of Death immediately. Instead, they set up a campsite about three kilometers away from it.
After Lin Li finished his lunch in his tent, he was intending to go out for a breath of fresh air, but he saw a group of people entering the campsite hurriedly. Amongst them was a teen in his twenties; he was wearing a long, green robe, and he looked clean. Put together, apart from his somewhat small eyes, he was quite good-looking.
"The heck, why is this guy here?" Lin Li paused after looking from afar. Harvey? Didn't Rina have her sword against his neck in Blackstone Town?
After Harvey entered the campsite, he did not say anything, but hurried towards Emendas' tent. Following behind him were the butler of the Malfa Family, Hahn, as well as four Mages, four Warriors, and Granger, who had allegedly caught the eye of a Legendary mage.
"Ujfalusi, wake the evil spirit."
"Yes!"
Emendas was talking to Jason when Harvey led them in. The two of them were each leading a group, after all, and it made sense for them to be in discussion in this s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e period just before they entered the Scar of Death.
"Oh, why are you here, Sir Harvey…?" Emendas' heart skipped a beat when he saw Harvey enter looking very grim.
When Harvey entered the tent, he looked unusually grim, and did not even bother greeting Jason before he sat down somewhere, shooting a question right off the bat. "Mage Emendas, I wonder how is that matter going?"
"Well…" Emendas' face fell. "Sir Harvey, I hope you can give me another two days…"
"Another two days?" Harvey's face darkened when he heard that. "Have I been too nice to you, Emendas? Do you no longer pay me any regard? Why are you dilly-dallying over such a small matter? Seems like I need to have a talk with Father…"
"Sir Harvey, you've misunderstood. It's not like that…" Emendas jumped when he heard that. It was not a joke; Harvey was the second young master of the Malfa Family, after all, so if he disrespected him, it was akin to disrespecting the Malfa Family. If their patriarch heard of this, he could forget about staying in Aminya in the future…
"Then what is it like?"
"How can I forget what you said? Actually, I already tried to get rid of Felic the night we entered the Blackstone Mountains, but he was too lucky, and did not even meet a single magical beast in the forest where magical beasts roamed, so he came out unscathed just like that…"
"And after that?"
"After that…" Emendas' face froze. "Sir Harvey, you've seen for yourself when you arrived. We have suffered heavy casualties in these few days. We're down to only over 120 adventurers from over 170. We really cannot afford to deal with Felic now, but don't worry, Sir Harvey. We'll be entering the Scar of Death this evening. I'll have an arsenal of ideas to solve your problem then…"
Chapter 388 - Advance Party
"Emendas, are you kidding me?" Harvey laughed coldly. "You should be clearer than me why the Adventurers are going to the Blackstone Mountains. What's so hard in letting a few others die? If you're giving me this excuse, does it mean you think I can't do anything to you since you know my brother?"
"Sir Harvey!" Emendas exclaimed after he opened his tired eyes wide. The calm atmosphere turned tense at once, and although his voice was not loud, it carried a definite and firm tone. "You drank too much."
"I'm…" Harvey was surprised by that Archmage who suddenly got very serious. "I… I was only joking…" he said softly.
"Some things are not to be joked about," said the Archmage as he closed his eyes again. He had a very composed and relaxed expression as if nothing in the tent concerned him.
Due to the shock from Emendas' sudden reaction, Harvey lost his interest in reprimanding him. Then, he left with Hahn and Granger.
After watching the three men leave, Emendas sighed in relief. He picked up the map from the coffee table and started to discuss with Jason when they should depart.
"Brother Jason, I'm thinking of reorganizing my team before we set off. You know, we met many kinds of trouble these few days. We even got attacked by the poisonous Strigid Gryphons this afternoon, and lost dozens of brothers…
"Actually, we still have sufficient time. If we set off after lunch, we would have the entire afternoon to go through the Scar of Death…"
"Oh…" Jason nodded distractedly. Although his eyes were fixed on the map, his mind was occupied by the conversation between Harvey and Emendas.
Could the Felic they were referring to be… that Felic?
The thought of it made Jason laugh at himself. How could it be possible? How could that young mage be willing to become an Adventurer who worked for money? Alright, even if the world had gone mad, and that young mage really became an Adventurer, who would dare to employ him? Not to mention the Malfa Family, even if it was Felan's royals, no one would have the means to hire a mighty man who could kill a Humerus Wyrm…
In fact, he even had a Lich as a servant…
Moreover, Jason knew very well that this young mage definitely had a very powerful background…
After he returned from Syer Town's ruins, Jason tried to ask around to find out more about Felic's identity. Coincidentally, he had a friend from his hometown who was also an Archmage in the Alanna Guild of Magic. Thinking that his friend should know some relevant information about Felic since he was a mage as well, Jason attempted to meet up with him when he returned to the hometown for a visit.
However, he did not expect that mentioning Felic's name would cause his friend to open his eyes widely and question Jason how he knew of that freak…
After Jason told his friend about his encounter at the Syer Town ruins, he was stupefied. He stared at Jason for quite a while before exclaiming, "I can't believe you're still alive!"
Then, that friend started to talk with Jason about the magic trial at Alanna Guild of Magic, where he witnessed the craziest mage apprentice in history…
Jason's mouth was open wide when he heard about the happenings at the Alanna Guild of Magic. Although he had seen Felic slay a Humerus Wyrm, and how a Lich was his servant, Jason could not imagine there could be such an extraordinary human…
When the friend finished his story, Jason also secretly wiped off his cold sweat. Looking back, when he was at the ruins of Syer Town, his discussion with Sienna was as good as committing suicide. It was fortunate that nothing happened afterwards. Otherwise, the rage of Felic's mentor, the Legendary-mage Andoine, would be enough to burn Sienna and himself into ashes.
"I believe you have heard about the Sanctuary-realm mage, Apophis, one of the three arbitrators in the Supreme Council? I heard that the old man had been living in the Tower of Dusk for half a month…" That was a vital clue about Felic's background, which Jason's friend gave him before he left…
Who would dare to employ such a man as an Adventurer?
"Oh, yes. Emendas, regarding the Felic you were talking about…"
"Felic?" Just mentioning the man gave Emendas a headache. He massaged his temple and sighed helplessly. "He's just an unlucky mage who offended Sir Harvey for God knows what reason. Now, Sir Harvey has been nagging at me all day to get rid of him in the Blackstone Mountains…!"
"Mage?" Jason's heart skipped a beat. What were the odds for this name to match this occupation? "How old is he?" asked Jason frantically.
The frustrated Emendas did not notice Jason's unusual expression. He frowned and tried to recall Felic's particulars. "If I'm not wrong, he is around 20, with black hair and eyes. He seems to be very cheerful, and is very polite when he speaks. I really don't understand how he offended Sir Harvey…"
"Damn…" Jason gasped. He knew it meant trouble.
A man that is 20 years old, has black hair and eyes, is always smiling and speaks politely… Which other Felic can he be?!
"Brother Jason, what's with you?" Emendas asked. He wanted to continue their discussion on the reorganization of troops, but noticed Jason staring at him blankly as though he had been possessed.
"N-nothing, nothing…" Jason could not sit still anymore. "Apologies, Emendas, I suddenly remembered I still have tasks at hand. I will take my leave now. As for the reorganization of troops, you can settle it yourself. I have no opinion on that…"
Then, Jason left the tent in a hurry.
At the same time, Lin Li was frowning in his tent.
Lin Li heard everything about the conflict that happened inside Granger's tent through the evil spirit. He was not surprised by the reason behind Harvey's d.e.s.i.r.e for his death. He knew that only a moron like Harvey could've thought of getting rid of himself in order to get closer to Rina…
But, Lin Li was still very curious about that Archmage.
He understood that although Harvey was a idiotic man, he was still the second young master of the Malfa Family. This reason alone was sufficient to let him do anything he wanted in many places. Now that he even lashed out at Emendas… What could Emendas' background be to let him reprimand Harvey like that?
"Master, Harvey had his men call upon Johnathan…" Just when Lin Li was still at a loss, he suddenly heard Ujfalusi's voice. His servant had been spying on Harvey with the evil spirit.
"What?" Lin Li stood up. "Why did he look for Johnathan?"
"It seems that…" Ujfalusi hesitated. "It seems that he wants Johnathan to bring an advance party into the Scar of Death…"
"Whose idea is that?"
"Hahn's."
"Goddammit…" Lin Li cursed angrily.
The Scar of Death was a place filled with danger. Not to mention Johnathan, there wouldn't be much hope for even Emendas if he were to lead a team into that place by himself. Hahn was indeed an inhuman bastard if he would send his distant cousin to death like this.
"Let's go and find Brother Johnathan." Lin Li picked up the Aether Staff beside him, and brought his team out of their tent.
After a while, Lin Li found Johnathan, who was packing his luggage sadly.
"Brother Felic, what brings you here?" Johnathan asked in surprise when he looked up to see Lin Li and his teammates walk into his tent.
"We just heard the news that you have to lead an advance party into the Scar of Death. We are here to ask if you can bring us along as well. We might be able to help you…"
"No, no, no. Brother Felic, I can agree to everything except this. You should be aware that being in the advance party entering the Scar of Death is no different from sending yourself to straight death. It will be lucky if one person can survive out of 10 that go in. I'm just unlucky to receive this suicide mission. I can't drag you along, Brother Felic…"
"Hehehe…"
After he was rejected by Johnathan, Lin Li did not insist further. He smiled and went straight to Hahn, and volunteered to join Johnathan's advance party and enter the Scar of Death together.
"Really?" Hahn could barely contain his joy when he heard that. At first, his sudden plan of letting Johnathan lead the advance party was part of his intention to get rid of that man who had been bragging about his cousin relations with himself to everyone. He wanted to make use of this chance to shut his mouth eternally.
Yet, he had not expected that this Felic would actually volunteer to join Johnathan…
Damn, I've hit the jackpot. I actually accomplished the task Emendas found difficult! Sir Harvey should be delighted if I send that fella into the Scar of Death. Later, I would not need to worry about my life with the Malfa Family…
"Sure, when do you plan to set off?" asked Hahn. He agreed to Lin Li's request straight away.
"Right now."
Chapter 389 - Silencing People
This was probably the first time Hahn agreed to something so readily. Before Johnathan finished packing his luggage, his team increased by four people. Johnathan tried to object Hahn's arrangement, but to no avail. He shook his head and brought the four new members towards the Scar of Death.
The advance party consisted of 12 people. Apart from Lin Li's team and Johnathan, there were seven other Adventurers, and Lin Li knew four of them…
