Chapter 479: Secret
Lin Li had previously had a discussion with Sendros about the Retribution Knight. The Retribution Knight was a legendary Death Knight, and the special thing about the Retribution Knight was that there could only be one Retribution Knight at any point in time. Once a Death Knight became a Retribution Knight, all the other Death Knights would stop evolving and voluntarily come forth to pledge their loyalty to this new Retribution Knight no matter how far away they had to travel to find it.
As these Death Knights became the loyal subjects of the Retribution Knight and stopped evolving, all the power they gained from battles would be transferred to this Retribution Knight so as to help it evolve faster. Hence, every Retribution Knight was scarily powerful, and merely the word legendary was not enough to describe them.
Lin Li had recruited a group of Death Knights by chance back in the Scar of Death, and in the eyes of these Death Knights, he was their Retribution Knight. However, Lin Li was not a true Retribution Knight, and thus did not require these Death Knights to stop evolving so as to help him evolve. Thus, there was a very high possibility that he’d be able to groom all these Death Knights into Retribution Knights.
Since the Immortal King’s arm had created a Retribution Knight before, it might be of help to Lin Li’s plan to groom a team of Retribution Knights. The thought of that heightened Lin Li’s interest in that Immortal King’s arm; hence, he asked Hutton, “What happened after that? What about the Retribution Knight and his team of Death Knights? How did the Immortal King’s arm end up in a small church in Black Clouds Town?”
“Breezy Plains became a living hell under the tyranny of the Retribution Knight and his team of Death Knights.” Hutton looked into the distance with a sigh as he recounted. “Then, the last Prophet of the Brilliance Shrine, Willen, came to the Breezy Plains and purified the Retribution Knight and his Death Knights using the Holy Light, and sealed the Immortal King’s arm in the only church in the Breezy Plains, hiding it below the church in Black Clouds Town.”
Hutton was a skilled storyteller indeed; his poetic account of this secret was so captivating that Lin Li thought he was listening to somebody review a book.
However, Lin Li found something strange while listening, so he frowned lightly and said, “Mage Hutton, as far as I know, while the Malfa Family is one of the most powerful magical families in the Breezy Plains, it has only been around for about 200 years, and is considered a new family in the Breezy Plains.”
The Breezy Plains had a long history, and many families and forces of varying sizes had been set up over the years. Just 200 years ago, there was no place for the Malfa Family in the Breezy Plains. The founder of the Malfa Family was an adventurer named Leo Malfa, who was already at level-18 in his thirties, a genius of his own. When he first stepped out onto the scene of the Breezy Plains, various forces tried to pull him over, but he was a descendant of Geresco’s disciples, so how could he be a subordinate to others? Out of respect for his ancestors, Leo Malfa chose not to serve any force, and set up the Malfa Family by himself. Then, there was another Legendary-mage in the Malfa Family, Cheyenne, and their standing in the Breezy Plains was firmly locked since then.
Hutton paused before he quickly smiled, and humbly said, “You flatter us, President Felic. In my opinion, the Tower of Dusk will surely do much better than us and become the youngest yet most powerful force in the Breezy Plains even though it has only been around for a short while.” As he said this, Hutton could not help but lament the fact that he was now the one who had to sing another’s praises even though he was used to being on the receiving end of it so far.
No doubt there was ample reason he was chosen as the heir of the Malfa Family as he was able to move on quickly.
Lin Li waved his hand and laughed. “That’s not what I was referring to, I just wanted to confirm that the news is accurate. After all, the Malfa Family has only been around for 200 years, and others who have been around for longer do not even know of this. I wonder where you heard this from, Mage Hutton.”
“Oh... This secret was written down in the diary of the ancestor. President Felic, you might recall that our ancestor was once the disciple of Geresco.” Hutton could not help his look of pride at the mention of his ancestor. Geresco was the most powerful mage to have ever lived, after all, and he was known as the God of Mages. It was such great honor to Hutton that his ancestor was once the disciple of Geresco.
While the Immortal King and Geresco lived during different times, Geresco was someone who stood at the peak of the Sanctuary-realm and was called the God of Mages. It was no wonder that he might know of such secrets.
“Oh, I see.” Lin Li nodded before saying, “Since this a secret that has been passed on in your family for so long, why hasn’t anyone tried to retrieve the Immortal King’s arm?”
Given Geresco’s achievements, the arm of the Immortal King was not very beneficial to him, and it was understandable that he never bothered to retrieve it, but why did the Malfas wait so long after Geresco left?
“We had no choice,” Hutton said with a face of indignation and sighed. “We know that we should’ve got our hands on it sooner too, but Willen was the last Prophet of the Brilliance Shrine, and we were unable to break his seal. The only thing we could do was to wait for it to weaken with time.”
This made sense, Lin Li mused as he secretly observed the expression on Hutton’s face while looking nonchalant. He suddenly knocked his knuckles on the table before saying, “I get it now, but I have another question...”
“What question?”
Lin Li smiled, and asked, “As far as I know, Master Cheyenne is not well-versed in Necromagic...?”
“Well...” Hutton’s expression stiffened when he heard this.
Lin Li smiled, and said, “I remember you said that the arm of the Immortal King created a Retribution Knight, and from this we can see how powerful the Death Energy in it is. I guess only Necromancers would be interested in this arm, right?”
This was the Breezy Plains, after all. No matter whether it was the magical kingdom of Felan or the holy kingdom of Ledin, both of them were extremely biased against Necromagic. Studying Necromagic was akin to seeking one’s own death, and even given the Malfa Family’s power and influence in the Breezy Plains, they would never dare commit this taboo.
While the Malfa Family had a Legendary-mage holding their ground, Cheyenne was really not as powerful as one might expect him to be if they considered all the powerful people there were in the whole Anril. Only someone like Sendros who had Legendary powers and was also the High Priest of the Darkness Shrine could research Necromagic without any qualms.
If the Immortal King’s arm could create a Retribution Knight, then the Death Energy in it had to be incredibly powerful and pure. Lin Li could not think of any use for it besides Necromagic. For a powerful family like the Malfas, the Immortal King’s arm might be of an impressive origin, yet would not serve any practical purpose. No matter how powerful it was, if it did not have any use, who would dare go against the Tower of Dusk over something worthless?
If there was a Necromancer or Undead creatures amongst the Syer Bandits, then it would all make sense, but there were only Colossuses and 10 orthodox level-18 Archmages in their camp. There was nothing about Necromagic, and thus Lin Li had no reason to suspect them.
Hutton’ gaze was sheepish. After all, there were some temptations that were just too difficult to resist. He was the first heir to the Malfa Family, though, and was above many in terms of his thinking and knowledge. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Forgive me, President Felic, but this concerns a family secret, and I did not disclose everything. Alright... the Immortal King’s arm’s existence is absolutely true, but it is actually also holding onto a powerful magical weapon...”
“Oh!” Lin Li smiled and nodded his head. That was it—no matter how much power of death was held in the Immortal King’s arm, it was of no use to most. The magical weapon, on the other hand... Now that would truly be what attracted others the most.
No matter what the magical weapon was, it had to be something extraordinary if it was what the Immortal King had used to kill the Dragon of Destruction. A magical weapon of that caliber had to be irresistible to anyone, and even the Malfa Family would not hesitate to sacrifice the whole Doland to get their hands on it, much less a small Black Clouds Town.
Hutton broke out in a cold sweat as he saw the young President Felic smile while watching him. What is this guy smiling about, and why does his smile look so creepy? Does he think that the Malfas are involved in this?
The first heir of the Malfa Family, breaking out in a cold sweat just because someone was smiling at him ambiguously? Everyone who did not know the context would bellow in laughter upon seeing this, but Hutton did not feel embarrassed at all. After all, this young man was not merely a President of a Guild of magic, but also the youngest Legendary powerhouse ever in history. This was a matter concerning the survival of the Malfa Family, and it was not at all embarrassing for him to fear a Legendary-mage.
“President Felic, the Malfa Family does covet the Immortal King’s arm and... and the magical weapon, but I swear that this has nothing to do with us,” Hutton explained with a panicked expression.
“Hehe, you’re thinking too much, Mage Hutton. Since you have accepted my invitation, then we are allies, and there must be trust between allies.” Lin Li could tell that Hutton was not lying, so he tried to appease Hutton in order to preserve their working relationship.
Hutton breathed out a sigh of relief. Having a good relationship with this young President was much more practical than pursuing the mythical magical weapon. He was the youngest Legendary-mage in history and the holder of three of Geresco’s relics, as well as the chosen one according to Tutankhamun—all of this suggested that he was a person with endless potential. How the other forces would dream about having such a person as an ally! Why would he want to stand against him?
The questions Lin Li had were somewhat answered now, and even though he did not know who the ones supporting the Syer bandits were, at least he knew the root of the issue. Lin Li really hoped that the Immortal King’s arm and the magical weapon did not fall into the wrong hands.
While the ancestor of the Malfa Family did not record what the magical weapon was in his diary, Lin Li could make a guess even though he’d had no idea about it previously.
Lin Li had Gavin, who had been standing guard at the entrance, call Gerian over. Since the people of the Malfa Family had arrived and his mages had also recuperated and were in good condition, it was now time to plan an attack on the Syer Bandits.
“President Felic, let the Malfa Family lead the attack,” Hutton offered as a show of his sincerity. Even though he had heard Lin Li tell him about the situation with the Syer Bandits, and knew that there were Alchemy Colossuses and Archmages, he was not worried. After all, even the few people from the Tower of Dusk had been able to keep them occupied for two months. He figured these Colossuses and Archmages were nothing too difficult to deal with.
“Heh, thank you, Mage Hutton,” Lin Li said with a smile, agreeing to Hutton’s offer. Of course, he did not take it seriously—while others might not know how powerful an Alchemy Colossus was, he knew.
Hutton relaxed upon seeing that Lin Li had agreed to it. While it might sound a little harsh, this was a proof of allegiance of some sort, and seeing that Lin Li had agreed to it, it seemed that there was hope that they could improve their relations.
Hutton gathered his courage and carefully said, “Well... President Felic, there are some things that I need to discuss with you...”
“Oh, please go ahead. We are allies. If it is within my power, I will definitely help you.” Even though the Malfas had set him up before, they had now submitted to him, and he did not suffer any loss; hence, Lin Li could not be bothered to be petty.
“You see, I heard that there is a new batch of potions in Doland that came from the Tower of Dusk. Hence, I would like to ask if you could supply the Malfa Family with some of it,” Hutton said as he stared closely at Lin Li’s face to observe his expression, ready to change the topic as soon as he noticed something was wrong.
After they heard about the new potion in Doland, the Malfa Family could not stop talking about it, as their main fighting power was their mages, and their requirement for potions was naturally an astronomical number. The worst thing was that they might not even be able to obtain the potions they needed even if they could afford it.
Lin Li was a generous man to his own people—as evident from the benefits the Tower of Dusk’s mages enjoyed. Since the Malfa Family was an ally, but not quite his own people, he could not just offer them the potion without gaining anything in return.
Lin Li thought for a moment before he said, “I can accede to your request, but as you know, the Tower of Dusk has only been set up for a few months, and I am not very familiar with the Breezy Plains, which makes it hard for me to gather ingredients needed for potions. I heard that the Malfas have a plot of land growing many herbs in Moon Scar Valley. If you’re able to supply me with herbs at base price, then it will save me a lot of trouble, and the supply of potions will be guaranteed.”
“No problem, no problem.” Hutton was overjoyed—it was nothing for him to supply herbs at base price, as they did not rely on the profits from selling these herbs. They did not have a pharmacist, either, and they would not earn much by selling it to the Pharmacists Guild. Hence, it was much more valuable to exchange them for potions from the Tower of Dusk.
“Alright, then it is set. Once all this ends, we can discuss the details of our business.” Lin Li was satisfied with this outcome as well as he thought to himself that the Tower of Dusk really needed to groom a few pharmaceutics apprentices.
Ever since they started working with the Glittergold Trade Union and the Gilded Rose in potion business, Lin Li had to spend a lot of time making potions. He was without a choice as he had been too much of a perfectionist and spent too much money on the Tower of Dusk. After he returned, Gavin briefed him about the potion business, and as the business did better, the demand for potions grew as well. Even though he still had a lot of stock left, his two partners had already started to sell these potions on a limited basis a month ago.
While Lin Li obtained a large amount of wealth from the Throne of Darkness, he could not give up the business just because he had a large reserve. Since the business had to go on, he had to groom a few pharmaceutics apprentices so that he’d have more time to study magic.
But he would have to seriously consider whom to groom. If he chose from within the Tower of Dusk, he could be sure about the person’s character, but that’d mean that he might not have enough gifted apprentices to groom. He could also get people from the Pharmacist Guild—surely the two old men would not give him trouble given his reputation.
After discussing some details, the two men returned to their tents to rest before they dealt with the Syer bandits the next day.
At the crack of dawn, before anyone from the Malfa Family or the Tower of Dusk had woken up, thunderous noise came from afar, and was gradually coming closer. It startled the birds and shook the earth as though the mountains were about to collapse.
The strong magical wave shocked the mages from both camps awake as they frantically grabbed their magic staves and rushed outside their tents. Even a fool would know that it was an enemy attack given the situation, but the Malfas were still puzzled—how could there be such powerful mages among the remaining Syer bandits?
As they rushed outside and looked up, they saw that the sky above them was covered in dull red fire clouds. The fire clouds continued to churn as the powerful magical wave made every mage quietly gasp in awe. Everyone knew that an unusually strong spell was brewing, and this was not something any single mage was capable of.
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