Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074, page 424
Even though Lin Li was once besieged by countless Undead creatures in the Sky Castle, he could not help but feel a numbing sensation when he saw the scene in front of him. The Tide of Death summoned plenty of Undead creatures from the world of the Undead. However, the Undead creatures here seemed to have been buried in the graveyard, and Lin Li was certain that all of them had once been living beings.
Chapter 712 - Alchemical Undead Creatures
Lin Li knew about Osric being labeled as a butcher since a long time ago, and he had also heard from Connoris that Osric had used 100,000 souls to create the Ghosts that were occupying the Sky Castle. Nonetheless, it was all based on hearsay, and the so-called 100,000 souls was just a number to him. However, there were countless Undead creatures that had crawled out here and exhibited Osric's characteristic as a butcher.
If they wanted to go deeper into the mausoleum, the battle would definitely be inevitable as the endless Undead creatures were pouring in like a tide. The Skeletal Warriors were raising their swords up to the sky, while hellfire bombs were darting from all directions, drowning everyone in the sea of Undead in the blink of an eye.
"No, these Undead creatures seem to be different," Aldwin said to the mages before turning around to speak to the others around him. "These Undead creatures are too agile, and they even dodge individual magic spells!"
Upon hearing Aldwin's words, everyone carefully observed the surrounding Undead creatures, especially the Skeletal Warriors which had rushed forth to act as shields. The Skeletal Warriors had always been the ones to sacrifice themselves for the Undead creatures, and they were extremely weak, possessing no intelligence. All they knew to do was to charge forward according to the commands they received. Besides, even their so-called charging was extremely slow as well, just as if they would fall apart anytime soon.
However, the Skeletal Warriors that were now dashing at the mages were all tall, burly, and much faster than the average Skeletal Warriors. That alone was enough to prove that they were significantly stronger, but not enough to prove that they were different.
However, everyone was surprised to find that the Skeletal Warriors were slippery when facing the magic attacks, just like what Aldwin said. Besides, the Skeletal Warriors that rushed to the front were not just capable of slashing with the iron swords they wielded, they were also good at using simple combat techniques. That was simply unimaginable. If Skeletal Warriors could use combat techniques, what amazing strength would the more advanced Undead creatures show?
Indeed, those Undead creatures were very different because they were not simply Undead creatures. When the Undead creatures crawled out of the mud, Lin Li had already seen the difference between them. He had also quickly thought of an amazing possibility. Although the Undead creatures were still in their Undead form, they were in essence monsters created by the combination of Necromagic and Alchemy.
Although alchemy's level had fallen in Anril, it was still a very powerful profession in the Endless World where alchemists were rampant. During his adventure in the Endless World, Lin Li came in contact with many alchemists in order to collect unique alchemy formulas. He also headed to the Gloomy Dark Valley to look for the Darkness Alchemist who was almost a Divine Smith.
At that time, Lin Li had yet to obtain the debris of the stars and Stars of Fury, but he was already a top-ranked master in the Endless World. Equipped with excellent equipment, even the fact that the Gloomy Dark Valley was one of the top 10 forbidden places in the Endless World did not stop him.
However, when Lin Li went all the way to the depths of the Gloomy Dark Valley where the legendary Darkness Alchemist was residing in, an Undead Army besieged him. Back then, he didn't know that alchemy could be used on Undead creatures, and he simply thought that he had met an Undead Lord. However, after the battle, he discovered that the strength of those Undead creatures was much superior to that of the ones he normally encountered. Even the Skeletal Warriors were no longer dimwits, and actually fought like real fighters.
That battle really made Lin Li suffer a lot of losses. If he had not had the items needed by the Darkness Alchemist back then, his ending would have probably been extremely miserable. Lin Li also found out from the Darkness Alchemist about the perverted monsters. Unfortunately, he never got to obtain the alchemy formula.
Lin Li had personally experienced the power of the Alchemical Undead as well as had some exchanges with the Darkness Alchemist. Hence, he understood the Alchemical Undead rather well. The Undead creatures that had been strengthened by alchemy would be able to increase their combat power and abilities. On the other hand, they would also develop a stronger resistance to Sanctuary Power, and would not be easily defeated by a light spell.
When Lin Li left the Gloomy Dark Valley, the Darkness Alchemist was conducting an amazing experiment, claiming to be strengthening Humerus Wyrm using alchemy. The items that Lin Li brought with him were important materials required for the strengthening process.
The Alchemical Undead! Lin Li stopped thinking about the past, and instead looked at the Undead Army outside. He then rubbed his eyes, and a look of d.e.s.i.r.e formed in his gaze. If he could obtain the alchemy formula, he might be able to strengthen his Death Knights using alchemy. He believed that it would help increase the battle power of the Death Knights.
Unfortunately, the Alchemical Undead were not formed by simply throwing Undead creatures into the Alchemy Array, for the knowledge involved in this was related to a study of life. Although it couldn't be said that it was the creation of life, the Alchemical Undead would not be formed without such knowledge—an inanimate sculpture would be formed instead. Creating an Alchemical Undead was only possible for a real Guru-level Alchemist. Even Lin Li dared not try till now, because the consequences would be dire if he were to fail. The lunatic Osric was probably the only one who would dare to do it.
However, Osric had to be somewhat confident since he had the audacity to create the Alchemical Undead. After all, no one knew what kind of extraordinary techniques there might've been in the Immortal King's laboratory. When Osric plundered the laboratory, he might have found some alchemy formulas.
Besides, Osric also had the Eternal Furnace which he used to create the Ghost that was occupying the Sky Castle, forming it using 100,000 souls. Lin Li wondered if the Alchemical Undead had anything to do with the Eternal Furnace. After all, Connoris mentioned that Osric created the Eternal Furnace for the sake of creating a new body for himself in addition to trying to replicate the Sky Castles.
Facing the tremendous pressure brought by the Alchemical Undead, the mages gradually seemed to be overwhelmed. Although the vast majority of the Undead Army were Skeletal Warriors, each Skeletal Warrior had power close to level-10, and also had battle abilities. Every mage could clearly feel that they were facing a formidable army.
Even several Legendary powerhouses joined the battle at this time. Rosen and Andoine guarded their respective teams, and continuously bombarded the Undead Army with powerful Legendary magic, causing numerous Undead creatures to be blasted into bits. However, the two Legendary powerhouses were not in the least bit relieved or relaxed, because the power of the Undead creatures had completely exceeded their imagination.
The only person in the team who was idling about was the young mage Lin Li. Despite seeing the tension rising, he still didn't intend to intervene.
"Felic, don't forget your identity. You are also a member of the Guild of Magic. We're not in the Haiga Mountain Range now, and the people around you are not your associates, but your companions!" Rosen shouted angrily as he cast his spell. It seemed that the news of Lin Li loafing and idling about while reaping benefits in the Haiga Mountain Range had already spread to the Supreme Council.
"Felic, have you thought of any solution?" asked Andoine, who was also anxious, but did not suspect that Lin Li had any ill intentions.
He did have a solution, which was rather simple too, but the key was whether or not they could find that item! Lin Li stroked his chin and looked back and forth. The Alchemical Undead had already been supplemented with Alchemy elements; hence, they were no longer controlled by Necromagic. Just like the alchemy puppets that Lin Li had obtained, the alchemy center was the only thing that could control the Alchemical Undead. In order to deal with them, annihilation would be one solution, but the simpler one would be to look for the alchemy center and control them.
"Stop attacking, switch to full defense, and keep it up. The problem will be solved soon," Lin Li said to the anxious Aldwin before flying up into the air and looking around the cemetery. He then released his immense mental strength and continued to spread it out while carefully sensing the mana fluctuations in this space.
"Don't listen to him. Once we lose initiative, we will be doomed!" Rosen refused to believe that Lin Li could really solve the current situation. If they were to stop, they would indeed be able to defend for a while, but it would be hard to attack again.
Aldwin was feeling conflicted because it was akin to putting the entire team of mages at stake.
"Listen to him, since he said there is a way, that must be the case." Although Andoine did not know what Lin Li had in mind, he did not doubt him at all. Everyone thought that Andoine had been raising Lin Li ever since he'd been a child, but no one knew that he'd only known Lin Li for three years. Besides, when he'd first met Lin Li, the latter knew nothing about magic, yet he managed to achieve such great accomplishments within a short period of time.
Aldwin looked at Lin Li who was in the air, and then thought about the rumors about the Haiga Mountain Range. At last, he clenched his jaw and ordered the mages to give up on counterattacking and turn to full defense.
The surrounding magic suddenly stopped, and Rosen angrily yelled at Aldwin, "What are you doing? Do you want to lose this group of mages? Don't forget, this doesn't just concern your Alanna Guild of Magic!"
However, at this time, Lin Li had captured the special fluctuations emanating from the alchemy center to the Alchemical Undead. He immediately walked past the Undead Army and flew towards the huge tomb in the center of the cemetery.
Everyone watched Lin Li leave and fall onto a tomb, unsure of what he was doing. The formidable Undead creatures around him suddenly stopped, and silence was restored in the graveyard.
"Kid, what the heck have you done!? Why have all the Undead creatures stopped moving!?" Andoine asked excitedly as he smacked Lin Li on his shoulder after he returned with the item.
Lin Li shook the alchemy center in his hand while giving new instructions to Alchemical Undead, and explained to Andoine, "You know alchemy. These Undead creatures are not ordinary Undead creatures, but were made using a combination of Necromagic and Alchemy." He then briefly mentioned the relationship between the Alchemical Undead and the alchemy center.
"So, these Undead are now listening to you?" Andoine asked when he noticed that the Alchemical Undead around him were slowly retreating. He couldn't believe his eyes at all, and was overwhelmed with joy. He thought, This kid is full of surprises. Not only did he improve tremendously in magic, he even convinced Old Grimm and Balbo with his achievements in pharmacy. He actually managed to win the half of the key from Al'Akir using a random weapon that he made.
Lin Li nodded and directed the Alchemical Undead to form a neat row before advancing toward the other side of the cemetery. Upon sight of this, even Aldwin and the rest were extremely surprised. With the Alchemical Undead in front of them, they would be much safer.
"Mage Felic, you really do have some affinity with Undead creatures. You already have two Undead servants in the first place, and now you've managed to subdue so many Undead creatures. Even a real Necromancer will have to take his hat off to you," Rosen said with a sullen expression, sounding rather bitter. He had witnessed the strength of those Undead creatures just now, and knew that they were 100 times stronger than ordinary Undead creatures. Yet, they were now being controlled by Lin Li; that was absolutely surprising.
While the Undead Army led the way, everyone followed slowly behind, and walked for about more than half an hour. Seeing that the death aura had disappeared without a trace, they finally felt relieved, and they could already see a long wall in front.
Damn, how did Osric create such a huge mausoleum? It's probably larger than the Sky Castle! Although Lin Li had obtained the Alchemical Undead, he was not too happy. To him, the most important thing was the formula for creating the Alchemical Undead, and not an Undead Army. He wasn't planning to attack any cities, so there was no need for such a massive army. What he needed was the formula for the Alchemical Undead so that he could strengthen his Humerus Wyrm and Death Knights.
Chapter 713 - Magical Crystal Cannons
The rumors about the Haiga Mountain Range expedition had actually spread widely as the Malfa Family and the elves had all spread the word about Lin Li and his subordinates reaping benefits and taking advantages all the way from the Green Dragon cave to the Sky Castle. The main reason was because Elder Randy and the rest were very touched about Lin Li mustering the courage to sacrifice himself and save the elves at the end.
Of course, although the elves and the Malfa Family knew that the rumors were true, they sounded rather unrealistic to the others. The mages here had also heard them, but they did not believe them at all. However, after everything that happened today, they vaguely began believing those exaggerated rumors. Everyone watched as the young mage Lin Li subdued the Undead Army effortlessly. Hence, the rumors were not exaggerated at all.
The team finally stopped. According to the map, the high wall that was not too far in front could be regarded as the central area of the mausoleum. They reckoned that the hibernation place of Osric and his massive wealth should be behind the city wall.
No one could deduce just how much wealth Osric had acc.u.mulated before his death, not even those who had studied the history of that period. They could only say that it was a massive number. Even the map of the mausoleum did not mention how much wealth was buried in the mausoleum. However, now that they were staring at the huge wall, everyone finally gained a new understanding of Osric's wealth, which was clearly far greater than what anyone could imagine.
Everyone looked at the towering wall while being a little distracted, only to see that it was filled with Magical Crystal Cannons produced by the Dwarf Kingdom. That was a massive amount of wealth that managed to shock even Andoine and Rosen who were authoritative figures of the Supreme Council.
Aldwin's and Macklin's eyes were glistening because the Magical Crystal Cannons were worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins each, which meant that the grand total of the Crystal Cannons was definitely massive. Besides, if the Crystal Cannons were to be placed randomly on the Omniscient Tower, no one would dare to offend the Alanna Guild of Magic at all.
Lin Li touched the Ring of Endless Storm on his finger and wished that he could stow all of the Crystal Cannons in the ring. The Tower of Dusk now had no shortage of mana, and although there were more than 20 Magical Crystal Cannons installed, no one would turn down more of such easy and powerful weapons. Lin Li thought, If I were to put more cannons on every floor, the entire Tower of Dusk would be full of Crystal Cannons that will destroy even the powerhouses of the Legendary realm.
Everyone was still staring at the Magical Crystal Cannons on the wall and daydreaming. All of a sudden, someone yelled, "Look at the muzzle, it seems to be acc.u.mulating energy!" The cannons had already emitted a dazzling glare, and they were targeting the crowd thinking of moving the Crystal Cannons home.
The Alchemical Undead that were still appearing extremely menacing just now were badly damaged. Although the Alchemical Undead were far more powerful than ordinary Undead creatures, they could not resist the destructive power of the magic cannons. The surrounding Magical Crystal Cannons had also begun to turn their muzzles while emitting bright rays of light.
"Hurry up, defense, defend all you can!" Aldwin yelled. It would be impossible to run, and no one could beat the speed of light, not even the gods, let alone the Archmages who had yet to enter the Legendary-realm.
The 200-odd mages raised their staffs at the same time while chanting some spells. Finally, when the second shelling came, they put up a large Elemental Shield. A ray of light erupted in the air, shaking the Elemental Shield, which now seemed to be on the verge of breaking. Even with the Legendary defensive spells, the mages might not be able to sustain their defense any second longer under the bombardment of the numerous Magical Crystal Cannons.
The Magical Crystal Cannons were the most direct form of attack. They would compress mana to its limit, and then bombard the target directly without any additional magical attributes. However, their power was the most brilliant; the amount of power was determined by the amount of mana. It was so powerful that even Legendary powerhouses could not resist it.
Seeing that the almost all of the muzzles of the Magical Crystal Cannons had already turned towards them, Lin Li knew that there was no more time for him to hesitate any longer. If all the Magical Crystal Cannons were to bombard them, their Legendary Elemental Shield would be as fragile as glass under a hammer. Even the Legendary powerhouses would have no choice but to die.
"There's nothing we can do. Destroy it!" Lin Li exclaimed helplessly while using the alchemy center to control the Alchemical Undead.
"Mage Felic, since you knew that you can't block those magic Crystal Cannons, why did you spread the Undead creatures? Do you think that they are more important than the living mages!?" Rosen hollered angrily after seeing that Lin Li had dispersed most of the Alchemical Undead.
"Look for yourself," said Lin Li who could not be bothered to answer his idiotic question. Some people just loved thinking that others were the same as them.
Some of the mages were puzzled by Lin Li's approach, but when they looked at the city wall, they discovered that the muzzles that were initially aimed at them were now chasing the Undead. There were only less than 20 Magical Crystal Cannons facing them. However, even then, the power still could not be resisted by the mages' Elemental Shield, which would be broken within less than 20 seconds.
