Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074, page 458
Gavin picked up his staff, and went to the backyard of the hotel with Halsanki who led the way. At this moment, the yard was already brightly lit. The city guard and the mercenaries guarding the goods were facing each other, seemingly about to get into a fight anytime soon. Given the power of the Tower of Dusk, they definitely wouldn't be intimidated by the insignificant city guards. Even if there were only those 200 mercenaries and no mages, they would definitely be able to break through the guards who were surrounding them.
However, everyone knew that they couldn't get physical, because their goods would definitely be confiscated, and they would probably never be able to take that route again. After all, the guards were representing the Ledin Kingdom. Besides, they all knew that the real owner of Ledin Kingdom was not a royal family, but the Brilliance Shrine.
"I received a report that there are prohibited goods in your caravan's cargo. Please lay down your weapons for inspection," one of the officers of the City Guards said haughtily.
At this moment, Gavin also walked towards them, and he pulled out a certificate before saying to the officer, "Sir, this is a pass that has been personally signed by Count Andre. It's a permit for our caravan to skip the checks in the Ledin Kingdom. Would you like to take a look?"
Although Ledin Kingdom was a religious country, everyone had d.e.s.i.r.es, what more clergymen who were officials and nobles. They all wanted to be become bishops, not solely because they wanted to preach the religion. Since a long time ago, the Tower of Dusk had already spent plenty of gold coins to bribe the security personnel who were in charge of the inspections to clear the route. Tolon City was ruled by Count Andre of the Ledin Kingdom; hence, the most effective pass would be one signed by him.
Chapter 768 - Big Shot
Although they had the permit, the Tower of Dusk did not use it often, and would usually just bribe the guards with some gold coins. After all, they would still have to obey the unspoken rules. Anyway, they didn't have to spend much this way, either.
However, Gavin could tell that the guards were obviously out to create trouble. It was something that could not be settled easily with money. Hence, he didn't say much after seeing the situation, and simply handed over the permit that Duke Andre had signed personally.
"Oh?" The officer grabbed the doc.u.ment in Gavin's hands, and seemed to have originally intended to read it under the light of the torch, but when he moved the torch closer, he burned it instead. The pass was made of paper, so it immediately turned into ashes because it wasn't a magical item.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was too careless," he said, clearly not apologetic at all. Instead, he seemed rather smug and proud of himself. He glanced at Gavin, and said, "Are you the leader of this caravan? Someone reported that your goods contain prohibited item. Please get your people to put their weapons down for inspection."
Even a fool could tell that it was definitely not a careless mistake. The fact that he even dared to burn Duke Andre's permit showed that he was definitely a big shot. Gavin began to feel a little worried too. After all, he was not in his own territory. Although the development of the Tower of Dusk was already rapid and intrepid, they couldn't compare to a strong nation.
"Huh, what? Magical Crystal Cannons? The Tower of Dusk is really wealthy, eh!" exclaimed General Clark, who was the commander of the Northwest Legion of the Ledin Kingdom. He couldn't believe his ears when he'd heard the news from his subordinates. 15 magical crystals were worth a total of nearly 10,000,000 gold coins. Most importantly, if it were just ordinary goods, he wouldn't be able to do anything to them other than create trouble for the group. However, it was different for magical Crystal Cannons because they were prohibited weapons.
"General, what should we do about these people?" said the officer, who was the same one who burned Gavin's pass. Obviously, he was not a city guard of Tolon City.
"What else is there to do? Detain them. I shall see how capable they are. How dare they disregard me!" General Clark tried to stop himself from feeling smug as he spoke coldly to his subordinate.
Actually, while those Magical Crystal Cannons might be expensive, they would only be valuable if there was demand for them. If no one wanted them, they would be nothing but a pile of scrap iron. The 15 Magical Crystal Cannons were worth nearly 10,000,000 gold coins, but if Clark were to really confiscate them, he probably wouldn't be able to sell a single one. The high price of the Magical Crystal Cannons was one aspect, but more importantly, the number of magical crystals required to use them was simply not affordable for ordinary people.
Pure mana was required for the magical Crystal Cannons, and that kind of mana could only be supplied by magical crystals. Besides, it couldn't be an ordinary magical crystal. Even a level-15 magical crystal would only last for 10 shots. Even if one could afford it, they might not be able to use it. Apart from Lin Li who had excavated various treasure ruins and gained a massive amount of wealth, no one else could afford to supply the Magical Crystal Cannons with mana.
The Dwarf Kingdom could produce Magical Crystal Cannons for their own use, but so far, there were only 18 magical Crystal Cannons on their city walls. Besides, it was said that the kings of the Dwarf Kingdom were all been banned from using the cannons unless they were on the verge of death and faced with formidable enemies.
Of course, Clark was not a thief, and he didn't want to confiscate those goods to sell them. Hence, it didn't matter how valuable they were. The most important thing was how valuable they were to the Tower of Dusk.
Clark had just been transferred to the Northwest Legion as a general, being responsible for the defense of the northwest of the Ledin Kingdom. Hence, it was not an exaggeration to say that the entire northwestern region was his territory. Shortly after he rose to the position, his subordinates reported to him that the caravan of the Tower of Dusk was delivering a lot of important goods to the relevant nobles and officials. However, he was not included.
In fact, Clark did not really care about that small amount of money, and he merely thought of them as a caravan from a foreign force. However, it was a matter of pride to him because he was the only one who was excluded from the list of officials who were supposed to receive gifts. That would only reflect badly on him.
Of course, after discovering that the confiscated goods were actually 15 Magical Crystal Cannons, Clark also knew that the gifts that the other officials were receiving were also exorbitant. That made him find it difficult to suppress his anger. As a general, he had never heard of the Tower of Dusk before. Even the members of the Supreme Council, with the exception of the powerhouses of the Sanctuary-realm, would have to follow his rules.
"But, General, Duke Andre seems to be very close to this Tower of Dusk. After all, he is the cousin of His Majesty…" Although the young officer was very courageous and brave, he could not help but be worried that Clark wouldn't defend him. After all, without Clark, he was just a small officer who would be insignificant to Clark.
"Andre? He's a royal and a believer of the Holy Light, and yet he colluded with heretics to smuggle prohibited weapons? Would he dare to come forth!?" Although Clark was only a viscount, he was also an army commander and general, and was really not afraid of Andre, who was only respected because of his title.
On the Holy Mountain of the Brilliance Shrine, Lin Li did not read the Light Bible. Instead, he was explaining some pharmaceutical problems to the higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine in a pharmaceutical lab.
"Master Felic, regarding the technique you mentioned yesterday, I practiced it continuously when I went back, but I still can't meet the minimum requirements in terms of speed. Do you have any special tricks or technique for that?" asked Fergor, who now seemed just like an elementary school student as he stared at Lin Li sincerely.
Lin Li seemed to have also gotten into the zone as he said sternly like a strict teacher, "Speed? You're trying to formulate potions, not perform acrobatics. Rhythm is what you need, do you understand? The heating duration for various herbs and the timing for specific actions are all a kind of rhythm. What is speed? If you're looking to be fast, you might as well cook all the herbs in one pot!"
However, after being harshly reprimanded by Lin Li, Fergor was not at all infuriated. Instead, he was overjoyed. The people beside Fergor, such as Archbishop Domingo and Head Holliard, surprisingly did not make fun of Fergor. Instead, they focused on noting down everything that Lin Li said in their own journals.
It couldn't be helped. Lin Li was a pharmaceutics Guru, and anyone could tell that Lin Li was already prepared to leave. Hence, it might just be their last lesson. If they wanted to ask him any more questions in the future, they would have to look for him at the Tower of Dusk. For ordinary people, that wouldn't be an issue. However, they were big shots of the Brilliance Shrine, and any slight movement of theirs would involve various other issues. Hence, they couldn't just go anywhere they wanted.
However, just as everyone was lamenting about time passing too quickly, a pastor arrived and fearfully said, "Master Felic, there's someone outside asking to see you. He claims to be Gavin from the Tower of Dusk, and says that there's something important that he'd like to see you for."
Hearing this, the senior executives' faces grew sullen. Since someone from the Tower of Dusk had arrived, it was clear that it was time for their pharmaceutics lesson to end.
Lin Li found it bizarre as well. After all, Gavin had been responsible for most of the affairs of the Tower of Dusk, and he also had the power to make most decisions. Even if something major had happened, Gavin probably would have just sent someone over to relay the message while he tended to the Tower of Dusk.
"Yeah, I know, you don't need to bring him here. I'll just go look for him," said Lin Li, who then headed to the foot of the Holy Mountain by himself without waiting for Gavin to be brought there in order to save time.
"Wait a minute, Master Felic, I'll go with you. I have a question, and I'd like to ask you for guidance," Holliard interjected as he frantically scurried over to chase after Lin Li. Clearly, no matter what the issue was, Lin Li was going to leave anyway. Otherwise, he could have just made Gavin to come upstairs and report the situation to him.
Lin Li did not refuse. Anyway, he could not fly on the Holy Mountain, and walking wouldn't take up much of his time anyway. Even if the higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine had no issues, they had all improved greatly in the past few days under his guidance. At this moment, it was necessary for one of them to see him off. Since everyone knew that he was cooperating with the Brilliance Shrine, they wouldn't arouse any suspicion.
Yet, after they made it to the foot of the mountain, everyone got a great shock. Although they had long heard about the pharmaceutical business cooperation between the Brilliance Shrine and the Tower of Dusk, the scene was a bit too flabbergasting. Lin Li was walking in front, while Holliard, the head of the Holy Paladins, was following him and asking him some questions eagerly. Fergor was walking behind them together with the other big shots of the Brilliance Shrine, such as Archbishop Englos, Archbishop Domingo, and Cardinal Jefferson.
At the foot of the Holy Mountain, Gavin was pacing back and forth anxiously, and when he suddenly heard a greeting coming from afar, he quickly turned his head to look at the staircase of the Holy Mountain. Gavin thought that he understood Lin Li very well. After all, Archbishop Martin was the one who personally invited Lin Li to the Brilliance Shrine when he visited the Tower of Dusk.
Chapter 769 - Conflict Between The Old and New
However, he still couldn't believe his eyes. There were a few elders surrounding Lin Li while he was making his way down the mountain. They were all archbishops and cardinals, staring at Lin Li with respect and awe!
Since the President is respected so greatly by the Brilliance Shrine, the matter about the caravan should be rather easy to solve. At the thought of this, the anxiety within Gavin finally faded, and he frantically walked towards Lin Li and the rest.
"Gavin, did something happen at the Tower of Dusk?" Lin Li asked in puzzlement.
Gavin lowered his head and greeted him before explaining with an apologetic expression, "President, the caravan that I was in charge of bringing to the Dwarf Kingdom to purchase some Magical Crystal Cannons…"
After hearing Gavin's brief explanation, there wasn't much of a change in expression on Lin Li's face. However, the higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine began to frown. Lin Li had given the pope an antidote for Viper's poison, and although it was just fulfilling an agreement that they had made previously, it was still no exaggeration to say that Lin Li was the benefactor of the Brilliance Shrine. Besides, he was a genuine pharmaceutics Guru who might even be the legendary Son of the Holy Light. The caravan of the Tower of Dusk was now being detained on a site belonging to the Brilliance Shrine. Wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Brilliance Shrine?
"No hurry, let's go. Take me to see General Clark," Lin Li said to Gavin without blaming or reprimanding him.
Although Gavin was one of the authoritative figures of the Tower of Dusk, the people in the Ledin Kingdom had probably never even heard of the Tower of Dusk. Hence, they definitely wouldn't be bothered to take Gavin seriously. However, Lin Li was different. Even without the Tower of Dusk, he was still a Legendary powerhouse no one dared to take lightly. Hence, while the matter was indeed hard to handle for Gavin, it was nothing for Lin Li.
"Archbishop Englos, Archbishop Domingo…" Lin Li turned around with a faint smile to the big shots of the Brilliance Shrine, and continued, "I'm sorry, but our caravan encountered some issues that I have to deal with. I have to go and handle it. I hereby bid you goodbye. You're all welcome to visit the Tower of Dusk anytime you'd like."
Seeing that Lin Li was about to leave, the higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine were starting to get a little anxious. Although the matter seemed to be rather trivial to them, they still couldn't stop Lin Li from settling his own matters for the sake of clearing their doubts and answering their questions. Besides, the matter happened in their territory, and while it would be alright if they didn't know about it, now that they had heard it, they couldn't just keep mum.
"Wait a minute, Master Felic, I still have a few questions for you. If you don't mind, may I consult you about it while you're on your way there?" asked Holliard, the leader of the Holy Paladins. He was initially only an intermediate pharmacist, but under the guidance of Lin Li in the past few days, he already became an advanced pharmacist. In fact, he was almost a Master-level pharmacist according to the current standards in Anril. He was well aware of how important Lin Li's guidance was to him; hence, he definitely wouldn't want to waste any opportunity. Of course, another reason was that he wanted to go with Lin Li to see who the person who was ruining his learning opportunity was.
There were many others who shared the same thoughts as Holliard, but it was obviously impossible for the entire group of higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine to tag along. Immediately after Holliard spoke, Archbishop Domingo decided that he, too, wanted to consult Lin Li along the journey. As for Englos and the rest, they had no choice but to glower at the two of them who were quick to act, and bid Lin Li goodbye helplessly.
Although the 15 Magical Crystal Cannons that had been detained were worth nearly 10,000,000 gold coins, Lin Li did not immediately fly there to settle scores with Clark. Magical Crystal Cannons were indeed expensive, but there wasn't much demand for them anyway. Hence, he needed not worry about Clark selling them away. Hence, the four of them left Delano, City of Dawn, and headed towards Sparta, the capital of the Ledin Kingdom, in a luxurious carriage that was stamped with the Brilliance Shrine's badge.
Although General Clark was the commander of the Northwest Legion, it was now a time of peace; hence, he didn't stay in the base. Instead, he returned to Sparta right after dealing with the legion's affairs. The fact that he detained the caravans and goods of the Tower of Dusk had also spread like wildfire, and caused an uproar amongst the aristocrats of Sparta City.
In fact, many people were clueless about how significant the Tower of Dusk was in the Breezy Plains. The only thing that caught their eye was the identity of the two parties involved in the conflict. One of them was General Clark, the commander of the Northwest Legion, while the other was Count Andre, a traditional noble who owned a large region in the northwest of the Ledin Kingdom. He was considered a powerful figure of status in the Ledin Kingdom.
At this juncture, the focus of the dispute between the two parties was no longer the caravan of the Tower of Dusk, but had vaguely become a battle between a traditional noble and a rising one. Neither of them had expected it all. Otherwise, they wouldn't have intervened in the first place and ended up at a point of no return. Others would usually try to solve the issue as far as possible, but the two of them were simply stirring trouble and blowing things out of proportion.
Lin Li and the other higher-ups of the Brilliance Shrine did not expect such a trivial matter to become the spark that ignited trouble and caused a huge conflict between the big shots of the new and old forces of the Ledin Kingdom. At this moment, Lin Li and his companions were actually seated in a luxurious carriage and discussing the various pharmaceutical problems while slowly moving towards Sparta where the conflict arose.
Delano the City of Dawn was rather near Sparta, and even though they traveled slowly on the carriage, it only took them half a day to reach the gate of Sparta. The city guards in front of the gate dared not stop them, because they saw the Brilliance Shrine's badge on the carriage. Instead, they even saluted them piously when the carriage passed. They were even more respectful to the Brilliance Shrine than they were to the king.
