Another World’s Versatile Crafting Master c1-1074, page 616
Soon, the members of the Rotterdam Kingdom's team entered the control center, and found a metal box that contained a thick journal. It was rumored to be the notes that the Immortal King had taken when studying alchemy.
Donald initially planned to tempt Angelano with the notes in a bid to get him, the Master of Alchemy, to join the Rotterdam Kingdom.
However, Angelano merely took a few glances at the notes before tossing the journal back at them. When Donald was busy picking up the notes, Angelano disdainfully said, "This is just some low-level alchemy information, and yet you people treat it like a treasure."
It turned out that although those alchemy notes indeed belonged to the Immortal King, they were notes that he had taken down when he first started studying alchemy. It was likely that one of the ancestors of the royal family of the Rotterdam Kingdom back then had secretly taken away that journal using his authority, which the Immortal King might have forgotten about. However, it was, after all, the Immortal King's belonging, and the ancestor didn't dare to take it away openly. Instead, he left it in the room of the control center, but when he finally left, he did not have the chance to take it away, thus leaving behind that information for his descendants.
The real journal that recorded the highest alchemical achievements of the Immortal King was actually the one that the Ashen Warlock had given to Lin Li. It contained the information about the creation of the perfect body. If the ancestor of the Rotterdam Kingdom had stolen that journal back then, the entire Rotterdam Kingdom would have probably incurred the wrath of the Immortal King.
Hence, given Angelano's Guru-level attainments in creating Alchemy Colossus, he naturally was not impressed by such an elementary item. However, what was elementary in Angelano's eyes was actually considered profound to the people of the Rotterdam Kingdom. After just flipping through a few pages, Donald was already certain that the content of the journal was enough to allow the Rotterdam Kingdom, which had reached a bottleneck, to achieve a huge breakthrough in alchemy.
Finally, Donald and Kanber heaved sighs of relief because the value of the alchemical notes was enough to make up for the losses that they had suffered during the expedition. Besides, the two of them were almost certain that they would obtain a boost in status after returning to the Rotterdam Kingdom.
After achieving their expedition goals, the members of the teams from the Brilliance Shrine and the Rotterdam Kingdom all wanted to leave this hellhole. However, it was not up to them. Although they had already found what they wanted, getting out of here alive in the end still depended on the Tower of Dusk's opinion.
"Master Felic, I wonder what your goal of the expedition this time is. As long as you need our help, we will definitely do our best to assist you." After Donald put away the alchemy journal, he immediately ran to Lin Li to ostensibly show his loyalty, but in reality, those were just nice words which he did not really mean.
Of course, Donald didn't know that they had already acted as Lin Li's cannon fodder several times throughout the journey, and they even had to continue being his cannon fodder.
Lin Li didn't explain to them what his goal was, but after the team was reorganized, he brought them straight to the underground central area where there was a large Teleportation Portal that led to the top floor of the Central Tower. It was also the same floor where the control crystal was placed.
Actually, the real control center of the Sky Castle was the topmost floor of the Central Tower where the Sky Castle was controlled using the control crystal. The underground control crystal was just auxiliary. Under circ.u.mstances where there were no control crystals, it would allow one to obtain a basic control of the Sky Castle.
Archbishop Martin and Donald and the others were already very familiar with the structure of the Sky Castle. Hence, when they saw that Lin Li was going to the real control center, they couldn't help but be a little surprised. At the same time, they made some unbelievable guesses too.
Could it be that his real purpose for coming here was not to find any treasure, but to gain control of the entire Sky Castle!? Archbishop Martin and the others were in disbelief at that thought.
However, they thought about how Lin Li had no intention of exploring the other areas of the Sky Castle during the initial cooperation, and instead had his sights fixed on the Central Tower. That seemed to confirm Archbishop Martin's conjecture. Moreover, they also knew that Lin Li had already taken away the valuable things in the Central Tower when he had first explored the Sky Castle. If it wasn't for gaining control of the Sky Castle, why would he bother making another trip to the Sky Castle?
At this moment, Donald and the others also finally reacted. They finally realized why the Tower of Dusk's team did not want anything when they were discussing the cooperation. It made them feel as if they were there to have fun. It turned out that it was because they were not impressed by those items at all. They wanted the entire Sky Castle.
Frankly, Lin Li's ambition scared Donald and the others, who were well aware of the power of the Sky Castle but never had the intention of taking it for themselves. It was not that they did not want it, but rather that they had the self-awareness that they could not swallow it at all with their small amount of power. Besides, even if they had what it took, it would be impossible for the Rotterdam Kingdom to encroach on the entire Sky Castle.
Besides, that point was also proven along the way. Even if the Rotterdam Kingdom had sent their large armies, they would not have been able to survive the battle against the Undead World and pass the barrier of the Well of the Sun. Donald knew very well that he and the others had made it that far because of Lin Li, the young President of the Tower of Dusk.
It was way too terrifying for them. What kind of force was the Tower of Dusk? They had a young President with a bunch of Legendary-level monsters under him. Now, he even wanted to gain control of the Sky Castle! Donald no longer dared to imagine what a terrifying existence such a mysterious and powerful force would become if it were to acquire the Sky Castle.
In the blink of an eye, the expedition had already left the underground space through the Teleportation Portal, and reached the top floor of the Central Tower. The space on this floor was just as spacious as before, with no redundant decorations, except a pyramid-shaped crystal platform that wasn't very tall on the ground in the center of the space.
Looking at the control panel in front of him, Lin Li couldn't help but feel some excitement, but at the same time, he also had some doubts about the absence of Osric, who was hiding in an unknown place.
Now, Lin Li had to place the control crystal on the control platform before activating the control system of the entire Sky Castle. As long as he did that, the Sky Castle of the Immortal King would entirely belong to Lin Li. Even if Osric appeared, he would not be able to take the control away from Lin Li.
Although they had gone through various obstacles along the way, Lin Li still felt that things seemed to be going too smoothly when he looked at the control panel in front of him. It was such smooth-sailing that it was almost unbelievable.
However, no matter what, since they had already made it that far, Lin Li had no reason to give up. He couldn't possibly wait for Osric to appear. If Osric had been held up by something, Lin Li would have wasted plenty of time by being wishy-washy. Of course, he still had to be careful when necessary as he did not want all his efforts to go in vain.
After getting the members of the expedition team to keep their guard up, Lin Li walked towards the control panel, and took out the control crystal from the Ring of Endless Storm.
However, when he reached the panel and reached out to place the control crystal in the groove, a figure suddenly appeared next to it at the speed of lightning. Before Lin Li could react, the figure had already attacked, and snatched the control crystal from Lin Li.
Just as the figure appeared and snatched the control crystal, a powerful, unparalleled magical wave erupted like a volcano, sweeping in all directions. Even Lin Li, the Sanctuary powerhouse who was at the peak of level-26, was blasted away.
Although they were far away from the control panel, the members of the expedition behind Lin Li were still swept away like leaves getting blown away by a strong gust of wind. They then fell to the ground groggily. Although the few remaining Alchemy Colossuses of the Rotterdam Kingdom were large in size, they were still rolling away like gourds and crushing people, producing new wounded.
Lin Li painstakingly regained his balance in the air before looking at the control panel, only to see Highlord Osric, whom he had always been worried about.
At this moment, Osric, who was holding the control crystal that he had just obtained, was staring at Lin Li, who was trying to regain his balance, with gloomy eyes. Strictly speaking, it was Lin Li's first time meeting Osric. When Lin Li explored the Sky Castle for the first time, he only met the awakened Ghost.
Chapter 997 - Highlord
In Osric's mausoleum, the only thing that controlled the entire body was the wisp of Osric's Soul Imprint. As for the world created by the Immortal King and Alanna from more than 1,000 years ago, those were just counterfeits.
However, due to various reasons, Lin Li and Osric had already been embroiled in various feuds that could never be solved. Perhaps they could be considered old rivals. Even though they were from two different eras, the Sky Castle had become their meeting point.
The Osric in front of Lin Li was not in the form of a Ghost, unlike what he always thought. Instead, it was a High Elf that was well and alive with a real body, and had the aura of life. He had bloodshot eyes, a pale face, and a tall and burly figure, which fitted the description of Osric in myths and legends. He was wearing the legendary Divine King Battle Robe, which was said to have been created for him. The black battle robe was as dark as the night sky. Beautiful patterns were embroidered on his collar, and his silver pauldrons were covered in dim golden mageweaths. The fine silver lines on the robe formed a mageweath array with terrifying power.
At this moment, Archbishop Martin and the rest finally recognized Osric, and while bewildered, they were filled with endless horror. After going through all the obstacles along the way, they felt that they had already seen everything the Sky Castle had to offer. However, when faced with the terrifying pressure radiated by Osric, they couldn't help but shiver uncontrollably.
Actually, Archbishop Martin and the others were not the only ones. Even Lin Li, who had prepared for it, already felt extremely helpless when he was truly facing Osric. The horror that came from the bottom of his heart was something that he had never experienced before even when he was facing the Immortal King's incarnation.
"O-Osric, you've been waiting here!" Lin Li said in a dry and hoarse voice. The seven pieces of the debris of the stars had already begun flying around him a long time ago. However, fear was still pouring out of his heart uncontrollably.
Osric's expression was a bit stiff. After looking at the control crystal in his hand, he shifted his gaze onto Lin Li again. He then coldly said, "I knew you would return. I have to admit, it was indeed my mistake for failing to keep you behind previously. However, this mistake won't happen again."
"Is that so? I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. Even if you have a new body, you'll have to pay the price to keep me here." After saying those words, Lin Li's fear dissipated greatly, and he quickly regained his composure. However, Lin Li, who appeared to be calm, was actually constantly trying to cheer himself on. After all, he was a Sanctuary powerhouse who was at the peak of level-26. He also had the help of the seven pieces of the debris of the stars, so it wasn't impossible for him to fight Osric!
Not impossible to fight? Despite cheering himself on, Lin Li still did not seem to have much confidence under the pressure of Osric.
Besides, Osric wasn't angry when he heard Lin Li's words. Instead, he calmly said, "I have to admit that humans do have an advantage in learning that really makes one jealous. I didn't expect that after only a short period of time, you have already grown to the point where you are qualified to stand in front of me, but unfortunately…"
It was indeed a pity. If Lin Li had enough time to grow, he would definitely become a second Geresco, and even achieve greater success and attainments than him! Archbishop Martin and the rest had already begun to struggle while standing up. When they saw Osric speaking to Lin Li, they suddenly felt extremely small.
"The High Elves have already vanished from Anril. Even if you get the Sky Castle, what's the point?"
Of course, Lin Li knew that he definitely wouldn't be able to affect Osric even if he got the Sky Castle. God knew what he was thinking. However, Lin Li knew that with his abilities alone, he definitely wouldn't be able to deal with Osric. Hence, if he wanted to buy time, he would have to make the people behind gradually get used to Osric's pressure.
However, Osric clearly did not take Lin Li and those people in the expedition team seriously. He did not care if Lin Li was stalling for time, and he did not look at the expedition team at all. Once again, he looked at the control crystal in his hand, and somewhat resentfully said, "Back then, when Teacher left the Sky Castle behind here, I always thought that it was meant for me, but it turns out he reserved it for himself. For the sake of his so-called immortality, he doesn't mind watching his race perish. To him, even his finger is more important than the survival of his race."
Hearing Osric's words, Lin Li recalled the notes that were filled with questions and resentment which he found in the Immortal King's laboratory. At this moment, he also finally understood that Osric had always wanted to find the Sky Castle's control crystal.
Indeed, the rule of the High Elves was overthrown at the end of the Dark Age, but the biggest reason that caused the High Elves to fall was precisely because of the absence of the last Sky Castle. Although each of the seven Sky Castles contained massive power, their most powerful form was the one where all seven were combined to form a Magic Array that could suppress the world.
Had the seven Sky Castles really formed a Magic Array under the control of the High Elves, both sides would have been heavily wounded even if the combined resistance of the humans and other rebellion forces were led by Geresco City. In fact, if the High Elves had been ruthless enough, they would've been able to destroy the entire Anril with the Magic Arrays of the seven Sky Castles.
However, what really caught Lin Li's attention was Osric's claim that the Immortal King had kept the Sky Castle for himself. Lin Li was puzzled by his statement. Since the Immortal King already owned the Sky Castle, why would he save it for himself?
Although the Immortal King seemed to have disappeared before the war broke out at the end of the Dark Age, and no one knew where he had gone, Lin Li could vaguely sense through various signs that the Immortal King had been observing the war throughout the Dark Age, and had not really left Anril. The Well of the Sun was the very proof of that.
The High Elves' Well of the Sun could sink into the Great Whirlpool only because Geresco had caused the Tree of Eternity to fall. Clearly, the Immortal King only kept the Well of the Sun in his world after that. Since the Immortal King had never left Anril, and the Well of the Sun had always belonged to him, why did he have to leave it for himself?
"Yeah, my race has already perished, but yours still exists, and I believe you will soon be able to see the significance of me taking ownership of the Sky Castle." Osric's eyes flashed, and he put away the resentment in his emotions. He opened his palm at Lin Li, and countless magic spells gathered and surged towards Lin Li like a roaring flood.
Lin Li, who had already summoned the seven pieces of the debris of the stars, had been keeping his guard up against Osric. In the blink of an eye, the terrifying magic spells broke out, and the seven pieces of the debris of the stars erupted with great power. A Domain World that was filled with vitality immediately appeared.
Almost at the same time, Osric began to launch a bombardment of infinite magic spells. The dense sounds of explosions filled the air, while Lin Li's Domain World began vibrating vigorously under the violent magical explosion. Lin Li's Domain World also began shaking like it was the end of the world.
Osric said that although Lin Li was qualified to stand before him, it was only because he had stepped into the Sanctuary-realm, but in terms of strength and abilities, they were still worlds apart from each other.
Lin Li was now a Sanctuary powerhouse that was at the peak of level-26, and the power of his seven pieces of the debris of the stars would allow him to gain the upper hand even in a battle against a level-27 Sanctuary powerhouse. However, as the Immortal King's proud disciple who had already become a Sanctuary powerhouse at the end of the Dark Age, Osric managed to be reborn now through some means, yet his strength was not reduced.
The Domain World that Lin Li had built with the debris of the stars was torn by Osric's magic spells in the blink of an eye. The seven pieces of the debris of the stars broke free from the void. That was the difference in strength, and Osric did not have to use his own Magical Domain at all. He managed to crush Lin Li's powerful Domain World with just some ordinary magic spells.
In the instant that Lin Li's Domain World shattered, Osric suddenly appeared in front of Lin Li, and he tried to punch Lin Li's head with his pale fist forcefully.
Seeing that the fist was rapidly enlarging in front of him, Lin Li quickly activated his Space Robe, and he escaped from Osric's attacking range in a flash. Although he had escaped, Lin Li had broken out in a cold sweat. He was sure that if he had suffered a solid punch, his head would have been blown off.
Just as Osric was about to continue chasing Lin Li, a giant sword beam sliced through the void, and immediately slashed against Osric's hand, which was holding the magical crystal. However, in the face of the sword beam, Osric waved his hand gently and nonchalantly. The sword beam that was enough to break a mountain peak shattered, and turned into countless orbs that dissipated into the void.
