Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Fortunately, Lin Li did not intend to settle the score with him for the time being. After glaring at Argus, he pulled out two glass bottles and some strange herbs from his pocket, and began to busy himself.
However, that was only temporary…
That was half a black lotus, not half a black bread. It put Lin Li’s teeth on edge to think about it. How could he possibly let Argus off easily?
If this fellow hadn’t pushed him into a corner, how could he have used half a black lotus? They were in a fierce battle; moreover, the conditions were crude, so there was no supplementary ingredient at all. He could only roughly concoct a bottle of Vibrant Potion using the natural heat of the Fire Plume Ridge.
Strictly speaking, it couldn’t even be called a potion.
It was just a mash of Dracaena grass and half a black lotus, slightly heated up by the natural high temperature in the Fire Plume Ridge and swallowed by Lin Li in one gulp.
He had no choice—Argus was coming too close on him at that time.
The power of a level-16 Archmage was something Lin Li could not compete against. In an impasse like this, being able to keep his life was the Heavens having mercy on him; where would he get the time to concoct a bottle of perfect Vibrant Potion?
Such a waste, such a waste! Lin Li felt his liver ache at the thought of it. This was not concoction of a potion—this was a crime! Half a black lotus had produced such a teeny bit of Vibrant Potion; if there was ample time and supplementary ingredients, he could prepare ten bottles of Vibrant Potion with the same black lotus, and it’d be far more effective than the bit of succus earlier on.
However, this was the only way. Lin Li had decided to do so from the start of the battle. He had no other choice; the disparity of up to three levels had exceeded Lin Li’s limit. Apart from the Vibrant Potion, which could bring about a short-term magic immunity, Lin Li could not think of any other way to overcome this unequalled strong opponent.
From the beginning of the battle, Lin Li never thought about defeating Argus with strength. His bet was all on the Vibrant Potion. He seemed to have no ability to fight back, when, in fact, he was doing shady things on the sly. Almost every respite was taken advantage of by Lin Li—he quietly extracted the succus, used the temperature to heat it, and finally stuffed it into his mouth quietly…
To be honest, this was probably Lin Li’s most unsuccessful concoction since he’d become a pharmacist. Half a black lotus was used to make this pinch of Vibrant Potion, and it was an inferior product, no less. If it were other times, he would have been so embarrassed that he’d bang his head on the wall.
But it was precisely this inferior product that saved his life.
If it weren’t for this inferior product, Lin Li would have been killed by the ten Arcane Missiles. How else would he be here alive and kicking at present?
After ten Arcane Missiles, the outcome was already decided.
Sean’s outburst was just an accident. Even without the earth-shaking disaster and the sudden outburst of Sean, Lin Li still had 100 percent confidence in defeating Argus. The Vibrant Potion would bring about 10 seconds of magic immunity. For a Magic Shooter, 10 seconds could do too much.
This was the secret of Lin Li’s resurrection. Although Argus was an Archmage, and also dabbled in some knowledge of pharmacy, how could he possibly imagine confronting a pharmaceutics guru?
Not to mention Argus not being able to imagine what Lin Li had done, perhaps even Andoine would not comprehend his actions as well. He could still concoct a potion in the fierce battle and crude environment where he could easily lose his life at any time? Whom was he kidding…?
Of course, Lin Li had no interest in explaining the complicated process even if Argus wanted to know. He secretly took note of the grudge; when he had the time, he’d have to have a good talk with this Mr Argus. Before that, he’d have to concoct the Gliding Potion first…
The succus of the rootless grass was extracted, which looked somewhat turbid in the sparkling beaker. Lin Li released the Flaming Hands as he swiftly put several black lotus petals into the beaker. The whole process was astonishingly fast. As soon as his fingers moved, the turbid succus had boiled up. Almost at the same time, several black lotus petals fell into it, instantly emitting a hazy white mist.
Although the Gliding Potion was a guru-grade potion, its preparation process was not complicated at all. The only thing required of it was speed. The rootless grass contained very unstable properties, especially when heated. It might result in failure if he was any slower.
However, this was not a big problem for Lin Li. A pharmacist who had broken through the realm of a pharmaceutics guru was technically perfect. Even if he had attained the realm of a Divine Smith, he would no longer have much room for improvement. The difference between a guru and a Divine Smith lay in the understanding of the essence of pharmaceuticals, not in the superiority of skills.
A bottle of Gliding Potion could not astound Lin Li at all. He had already finished the bottle of guru-grade potion in a dazzling moment. The sky-blue mist permeated the beaker, looking like a scene in the dreams. The Gliding Potion in the beaker was separated into two parts—one was stored in a glass bottle, and the other was left in the beaker until it was cooled. For a distance of less than 100 meters, half a bottle of Gliding Potion would be sufficient. Using too much was simply a waste.
When Lin Li poured it into the glass bottle he had prepared long beforehand, Argus was completely stupefied.
He couldn’t follow what the fellow was doing. He knew the beaker and the herbs, but what was it about putting the herbs into the beaker and heating them with the Flaming Hands?
Argus first squeezed out a somewhat ingratiating smile, and after confirming that Sean would not do anything to him for the time being, asked cautiously, “What… what is he doing?”
“Concocting a potion,” replied Sean with a proud expression on his face. Even a dull-witted man like him knew how prestigious it was to be a pharmacist’s attendant.
“…” Argus was flabbergasted. If he hadn’t thought that he was a ruined man now, he would have spat on this big lubber.
F*ck, need you be so insulting? I am a level-16 Archmage at the very least, and have received high education in magic. Although I am a bit wretched now, my IQ is still above average. You’re calling it concoction of a potion just squeezing some succus out into the beaker and heating it with the Flaming Hands? Then, can I just lie on the ground and say I’ve raped the goddess of the earth?
This lubber is indeed not in the right mind…
Argus looked at Sean, and then at Lin Li, who was in the distance. He admired the fact that it was not easy for two madmen to get together…
And then, he was dumbstruck…
… for he suddenly saw that madman called Felic pouring the liquid from the beaker into his mouth.
“God, he really drank it…” Argus was confounded. Is this guy really a fool? He had taken out a few strange herbs and heated them up with the Flaming Hands, pouring it directly into his mouth. Does he really think he’s some potion master?Meanwhile, there was a slight jubilation in Argus’ heart. Drink it, drink it. It’ll be best if something untoward should happen. Then, I’d have a chance to escape…
Unfortunately, before he could figure out how to run away, Lin Li had taken flight…
“Hell…”
Before Argus’ glazed eyes, a gust of wind suddenly rose, and then he saw the fellow suspected of mental disorder steering the gust, flying to the blazing palace in the sky at an astonishing speed.
“This, this, this… What’s going on?” Argus was so taken aback that he plopped down on the ground and almost went insane on the spot. He rubbed his eyes desperately, trying to prove that his eyes were blurry. Are you kidding me, a flying Magic Shooter!?
Then, Argus realized that his eyes were not blurred. The insane fellow had turned into a black spot, and landed gently on the steps of the blazing palace…
Lin Li could feel the extreme temperature even when he was wrapped in two layers of Fire Salamandrid armor. When he landed on the steps, he could vividly sense a huge magical wave emanating from the depths of the palace. It was a kind of near-substantive pressure, like a huge rock on his body: no matter how he struggled, he could not straighten his back.
As soon as Lin Li landed on the steps, he knew that things were not looking good. The pressure was so immense that even with the strength of a Magic Shooter, there was no room for resistance at all.
Bloody hell, something’s weird… Countless thoughts turned in Lin Li’s mind in this instant. He even wanted to leave this ghost of a place immediately while the effect of Gliding Potion was still there.
In his moment of hesitation, the Torrent of Elements Ring on his hand gave off a dazzling light all of a sudden.
Lin Li felt the pressure lift from his body at once when the dazzling light was released. The enormous pressure a while ago promptly softened; although it still could not be resisted, the feeling it brought to Lin Li was totally different. It was full of hostility earlier on, but presently it seemed extremely gentle. He even heard a voice coming from the depths of the palace, constantly calling out to him…
Subsequently, the bright red door opened without notice.
A red carpet extended from the depths of the palace until it reached Lin Li’s feet. When he stepped on it with some uneasiness, he felt as if he had stepped on fine silk. The palace was a magnificent sight—there were pure gold candlesticks, bright silver decorations, and moonstone floor tiles so shiny and smooth that they could even reflect a strand of hair clearly.
Everything in the palace was full of luxury. When Lin Li walked along the red silk, he felt as if he were in a dream. Such extravagant decorations should not appear in reality at all. Look at the diamonds embedded in the ceiling—from a distance, he could only see a patch of glitters, just like stars in the night sky.
Under the bright starlight, there was something even more dazzling.
It was a golden hammer. When Lin Li saw it, he knew what was the origin of the pressure he had felt before right away—it was from the golden hammer. The unending magical waves that emanated from it made Lin Li, who was close to the realm of an Archmage, tremble.
The power contained in it was so powerful that it gave Lin Li a feeling it was no less than the strength of a legendary mage. Whether it was the powerful Macklin or Argus—who had once put him in despair—it was a difference between a firefly and the sun when put in comparison with the hammer.
Lin Li felt dampness in his palms as he walked towards the hammer stepping on the soft red carpet.
The hammer was lying there quietly. Lin Li only had to bend down to hold it in his hands…
“Despicable! Do you have manners or not? How dare you grope others so casually…”
“…” At that moment, Lin Li really thought he had encountered a ghost…
“Why are you spacing out? Aren’t you going to put me down?”
For a moment, Lin Li was wide-eyed and dazed. He stared at the hammer that was desperately struggling in his hand, and after a long while, he stuttered, “It’s… it’s you who’s talking?”
“Duh!” The hammer scoffed as it struggled violently again. “Hey, did you hear me?!”
“Yes, yes, I hear you…” Lin Li nodded distractedly, but did not loosen his grip at all. Instead, he clutched the hammer tighter in his hand.
This was probably what it meant by “there are all kinds of fish in the sea”…
Lin Li was totally thrown off balance. Before picking up the hammer, who would have thought that it could not only jump, but also swear at people? Lin Li was at a loss as he held it in his hand.
“Hey…”
“Oh, oh, oh. Put you down, right?” Lin Li snapped back into composure after being urged for another time, and he quickly put the hammer down. After a careful deliberation of words, he asked with a cautious look on his face, “Uh… How do I address you? Mr Hammer, or?”
“What Mr Hammer? That sounds awful…” Mr Hammer seemed to be in a good mood after being put down. Although there was still some dissatisfaction in his tone, he did not swear. He merely told Lin Li in discontentment, “You can call me Moradin; by the way, lad, you look like a human being?”
“Yes, I am a human being…”
“Weird. How did a human come here? Aren’t they all hanged by Osric, that moron…”
“O… O what?” Lin Li was so startled that he stammered as he talked. “You mean Osric? You know Highlord Osric?”
“Duh…”
“…” Lin Li almost bit his tongue when the words reached his ears. “Then, what’s this place?”
“This is the Eternal Furnace, the private smithy of Osric.”
“…” Lin Li only felt a constant buzz in his head in that moment.
He finally remembered…
There was a story in Osric’s legend. In his later years, the amazing Highlord became interested in forging techniques. So, he sent the Magic Legion to conquer the Dark Iron Dwarves. Countless Dark Iron Dwarves craftsmen were sent to his palace to demonstrate forging techniques day and night. The Highlord had attained the level of the Master of Forging in just a short year.
There had always been a rumor circulating in Anril—Osric, when conquering the Dark Iron Dwarves, also took away the Thor’s Hammer, a sacred relic that the Dwarf clan had inherited from generation to generation.
Moradin… Moradin…
Didn’t this name mean Mjölnir—Thor’s Hammer—in Khuzdul 1 ?
Lin Li felt his scalp go numb abruptly as he stared at the bizarre hammer…
