Chapter 251: Comrades, Brothers

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

When Lin Li entered the guild’s treatment room, he saw Macklin pacing around the room anxiously. Perhaps it was due to Orrin’s serious injury, but Macklin’s mood was seriously affected. The group of mages who wanted to visit Orrin was standing far away from Macklin fearfully. Mason was the only person sitting by Orrin’s bed out of the ten-plus people in the room. There was a cup of water in his hand. Lin Li told him to give that to Orrin before he left. Macklin who always liked to find fault with others would definitely not target him now.

“How is it?” Lin Li asked softly as he walked beside Mason.

Mason sighed, and replied, “He looks better, but is still unconscious…”

“Don’t worry, I will think of a solution,” Lin Li comforted him. Then, he called out to Macklin who was pacing back and forth. “I say, Mr. Macklin, aren’t you tired of walking around? Can’t you stop and take a break? I have invited Englos to look at Orrin…”

“HUH?” Macklin gasped. He did not expect that Archbishop Englos was the person whom Lin Li found!

“Oh, yes. There’s Hoffman too…”

Damn. This fella must have had a secret between him and Hoffman! From what the apprentice who returned said, the moment he showed the crystal card in Glittergold Bank, he got treated like a noble guest. When he mentioned he was there to look for Hoffman, people brought him to Hoffman immediately. There was zero obstacles in the process. It was as if it was absolutely normal for a random apprentice to look for Hoffman.

When he saw Hoffman, this plump middle-aged man asked nothing at all. He called for a coach and followed him to the Guild of Magic without further ado.

“Archbishop Englos is here too?” Macklin asked. After all, Englos was one of the Archbishops of the Brilliance Shrine. Even if Macklin was really anxious about Orrin’s condition, he just had to go to the door and invite Englos in all smiles. It was a necessary etiquette that Macklin needed to observe, or else he might damage the relationship between the Guild of Magic and the Brilliance Shrine.

However, Macklin’s smile froze the moment he stepped out of the guild.

What the hell…

Why does that fella who is standing behind Englos look so familiar?

The face of the scrawny man tightly wrapped in the long black robe was as pale as that of a corpse, and the cold and ominous vibes he radiated confirmed Macklin’s suspicion. Who could he be other than Sendros himself?

Goddammit! Why would Sendros appear at the Guild of Magic?!

At that moment, Macklin’s hair stood up. How could he not know who Sendros was? He was a necromancer well known in the recent decade, and had the ability comparable to Legendary-mages. Although he had not appeared in Felan Kingdom in the recent 10 years, his name was known to even young children. The Massacre of Rotterdam was too famous that even the parents today used his name to scare their children.

This time, Macklin was really petrified.

It was not strange for Hoffman to be here, since the other time in the guild hall he’d admitted that he had bought a batch of herbs from Lin Li. As for Archbishop Englos, his presence should be related to Andoine. Macklin knew that this Archbishop owed Andoine a huge favor when he was younger.

However…

How could Sendros be here…? Was he dreaming…?

He was a real necromancer—a semi-human monster. Apart from having a close relationship with Englos, Macklin had not heard how he would ever lend help to anyone else. Even if Felic was talented and had a strong backing, how could this young mage aged 20 even get acquainted with a figure like Sendros?

Wait a minute…

Just when Macklin was stunned, he thought of something…

Didn’t Felic participate in a gathering half a month ago? Macklin remembered that the organizer of the gathering was the Pharmacists Guild. If he did not remember wrongly, apart from having a massive background and impressive abilities, the three big shots in front of him had another similarity. That was, they were all true pharmacists!

Ever since that gathering, Alanna Guild of Magic had been visited by many big shots every other day, from Prince Lionheart Johnathan and Head Assassin Oro to Archbishop Englos and the fatso Hoffman… They were all like trotting horse lamps, and all said nothing when they came to the Guild of Magic. They only tried to strike meaningless conversations with Macklin and Aldwin, and asked about the recent talents from the Guild of Magic…

Freak, ain’t Felic a talent?

This time, Macklin understood it completely.

The never-ending streams of big shots were all here to look for Felic.

Felic must have done something that caught their attention during that gathering and attracted all of them to the Guild of Magic.

This fella is too crafty! He did not even say a word about it when he came back. To even blabber about having traded herbs with Hoffman… Nope, I have to discuss this with Aldwin…

The identities of the several men that came were even more unbelievable. They were all true pharmacists, and only high-ranking pharmacists could get close to them.

Damn. Evil Felic must have hidden it very well…

When he was at the Nightmare Mountains, Macklin heard for himself that that fella had once given Andoine suggestions how to improve in pharmaceutics. He knew then that Lin Li must have had great abilities in pharmaceutics. However, Macklin did not expect that his ability was so high. What did it mean to be a high-ranking pharmacist? He must have known hundreds of potion crafting formulas. With all this knowledge, to emerge victorious in a battle between Archmages would be a piece of cake!

Macklin scratched his head. He had indeed seen a monster!

He really wanted to ask if that fella was human. Not to mention that he reached the Archmage realm at the age of 20, he was also proficient in pharmaceutics and forging. With Lin Li being both a high-ranking blacksmith and a high-ranking pharmacist, Macklin would not be shocked if he were to see Lin Li give birth to a child one day…

“Take a seat inside quickly…” Macklin invited the three men into the treatment room hospitably. However, he could not help but want to interrogate that fella after he got Orrin cured!

Englos frowned the moment he saw Orrin when he stepped into the room.

“Felic, I’m afraid to tell you that your friend’s condition is really terrible…”

“Yes, I know that…”

“If I haven’t guessed it wrongly, the injury on his body must have been caused by a fire element magical spell. That is nothing, though. Due to the presence of the Dry Soul Curse, his life force has already been drained. Even if I use my Holy Light Spell on him, the injuries on his body would not get better at all…”

“Then could we wait for Mr. Hoffman to rid Orrin of the curse before you perform the Holy Light treatment?”

“That might work, but it must be quick. If not, after he loses more blood and his life force gets completely drained, only the pope will have the ability to save him…”

“I see.” Lin Li nodded his head and turned to Hoffman. “Mr. Hoffman, regarding the solution you’ve mentioned just now…”

“Let me try…” Hoffman walked in front of the sickbed and raised his right hand slowly. At that moment, his five plump fingers looked extremely agile as though they had no bones inside them. After a few weird hand gestures, a white ray of light shot out from his palm and covered Orrin’s wound instantaneously.

During that process, Lin Li could clearly see that it was as though that ray of light had its own life force, which entered Orrin’s body continuously. At the same time, the black smoke seemed to be triggered and moved vigorously. It was like a thick and dense gray cloud carrying the stench of blood while covering Orrin’s wound.

As the ray of white light grew brighter, the sweat on Hoffman’s plump face grew more copious too. At last, his face grew as pale as Sendros’.

Lin Li knew it was because he had exerted too much energy.

Even though Lin Li knew little about curses, it was evident that Hoffman tried his best in dealing with Orrin’s curse. Those few minutes were enough to exhaust and turn him into a pallid man. His sweaty face turned ashen as though he had just run at least 10 kilometers.

Sh*t, now I owe him a big favor…

Hoffman was a real businessman. Since he was willing to drain his energy to save Orrin, he would expect greater returns. It would be hard for Lin Li to reject his requests in the future.

“Bastard Gryffindor, I’m not going to forgive you!” Lin Li muttered furiously under his breath. The thought of owing three big favors gave him a terrible headache. If there weren’t so many people present, he would have taken his revenge on Gryffindor right and then.

“Felic, come here…” While the three master pharmacists were toiling away, Master Felic called Lin Li over.

“What?” Lin Li glanced at Macklin cautiously. He was prepared to face Macklin’s interrogation as to how he’d managed to invite the three big shots at one go. Macklin would have guessed what he did during that gathering…

“Nothing much, I just wanted to have a chat with you…”

“Alright, alright. You don’t need to ask me anything—I will tell you myself. That’s right. I met them during the gathering at the Pharmacists Guild. All of them wanted to get close to me as I’m knowledgeable in the pharmaceutical field. Hence, when I requested that they help me, they agreed immediately. Period. What else do you want to ask?” Lin Li was very direct. He told Macklin of all that had happened.

“F*ck, only you know how many things you have hidden!” Macklin cursed after listening to Lin Li’s account. He glared at him unhappily, but he shook his head. “But, this was not what I wanted to talk about…”

“WHAT?” Lin Li nearly fell on his buttocks. So he had come clean with the old man for nothing??

“Who told you to act smart…?” The old man pursed his lips. Then, he asked Lin Li seriously, “Are you thinking of finding trouble with Gryffindor?”

“Crap, that’s a must!” Lin Li burst out in rage upon hearing Gryffindor’s name. He said through gritted teeth, “Didn’t you see that he attacked Orrin with Pyroblast? If not for Orrin’s strong health, he would have died from that. How would he be able to have the strength to use any curse?”

“That’s right! That bastard Gryffindor owes a beating!” Macklin cursed righteously. Yet, after that, he frowned again. “But, Felic… You might not want to create a conflict with Gryffindor these two days…”

“Why can’t I?” Lin Li frowned. Gryffindor nearly killed Orrin with a Pyroblast! Was this old dude forbidding him to find trouble with Gryffindor? Did he become senile due to his fear of Sendros?

Lin Li, Orrin, and Mason had been living together for the past two months. From the beginning when they started off clearing the tasks Macklin gave them, to struggling in the Shadowglen together and being study buddies in the Omniscient Tower every day, and then learning from each other in the arena every other day together, their relationship had surpassed any normal friendship. They had become the best comrades and the closest brothers. Gryffindor’s act of attacking Orrin with a Pyroblast was the same as him attacking Lin Li with it.

How could he not avenge Orrin? How could Macklin say that…?

Lin Li still remembered when they were at the Nightmare Mountains, when Bathrilor’s father, Archmage Aeron wanted to attack him, it was Orrin who rushed in front of him to defend him.

How could Lin Li not avenge such a comrade, such a brother?

“Felic, listen to me…”

“Why should I listen to you, Mr. Macklin? Gryffindor had injured my teammate. My teammate who had protected me from Archmage Aeron. Can you give me a reason not to take revenge for him?”

“It’s simple. Because that bastard Gryffindor is lucky. He has a mentor from the Supreme Council. So please do not get into a conflict with him…” Macklin sighed. “Do you know who is Gryffindor’s mentor?”

“Do I look like I care…?”

“Gryffindor’s mentor is called Rosen. He’s like your mentor Andoine, who had reached the Legendary realm, and is one of the leaders in the Supreme Council.”

“So what?”

“Nothing. But, I have to tell you something. The relationship between Rosen and Andoine has not been very good these 10 years. Because they are the leaders of the Supreme Council, they have the chance to become the next Arbiter of the council.

“If you were to beat Gryffindor up, the issue will spread and it will absolutely affect the competition between them. The Supreme Council is not like Alanna Guild of Magic. They have terribly stringent rules and your actions might affect Andoine directly…

“Imagine: if Andoine were to lose to Rosen, would Rosen forgive you and Andoine as the new arbiter? Alanna Guild of Magic might even become his target. I’m sure this will not be what you want to see…”

“Really?” Macklin’s words stuck Lin Li. His frown loosened. But, when he looked at Macklin, he could not help but feel a little suspicious.

“Damn, do you think I don’t wish to beat that bastard up? Let me tell you, my urge to do so is stronger than yours. Do you know why that is so? Orrin’s mentor is Ronald, a friend I have known for a few decades. When Orrin first came to Alanna, he had asked me to take care of his only disciple. Or why do you think I would put aside all my commitments just to become the trial mentor of you brats? What were my motives? I just wanted to see for myself how powerful the magic genius that Gerian mentioned was, as well as take care of the student of my old friend…”

“Alright, I must admit that your explanation is reasonable. But, I just can’t swallow this anger! You’d better tell Gryffindor to hide well, and don’t let me meet him in Alanna!”

“Actually, you do not need to put up with him that long…” Macklin smiled slyly. After looking around furtively, he asked Lin Li in a low voice, “Did you hear about the rules of the finals?”

Lin Li froze and asked, “What rules?”

“Herza personally told me that the finals allowed “accidental” injuries…”

“Really?” Lin Li exclaimed and his eyes brightened immediately. He did not expect that it was allowed in the finals.

Doesn’t this mean that I can push the blame away if Gryffindor were to be harmed?

The old man nodded gravely and confirmed his doubts. “Yeah.”

“That’s great…”

“But I would like to remind you that the finals will take place at the Sky Tower. Aldwin had established multiple mageweaths to greatly lessen the impact of attacking spells. If you plan to injure Gryffindor, you have to use powerful magic…”

“Noted…” Lin Li nodded understandingly. He fixed his gaze on the Omniscient Tower in the distance. It seemed like he had to visit the tower one more time in these two days. He had not copied down that one magic spell that would create a devastating impact…

When the two men finished conversing and returned to the treatment room, the exhausted Hoffman was already leaning against the back of the chair, resting. When he saw Lin Li entering the room, he told him breathlessly, “The Dry Soul Curse is almost cured. I will leave the rest to Archbishop Englos…”

“Thanks, Mr Hoffman.”

“It’s nothing…” Hoffman replied, and shook his head tiredly. “But let me go and rest now…”

“Will do,” Lin Li replied. Lin Li was really glad after hearing that the curse had been broken. If not for the presence of the curse, with the ability of Archbishop Englos, Orrin would have been already saved earlier.

Englos really lived up to his title as one of the four Archbishops of Dawn Cathedral. A simple ray of Holy Light from him was enough to summon an accumulation of Divine Power into the air. His abilities were on a different level relative to Bishop Raleigh. The wave of Divine Power was like a flowing stream, having tremendous momentum but not threatening, and was forever filled with a peaceful and harmonious vibe…

When the Divine Power generated a warm white light, it was like a water curtain covered Orrin’s body. As the magnificent wave of Divine Power entered him, life could be seen from Orrin’s ghastly complexion. The wound caused by the Pyroblast turned from blood-red to pinkish. His muscles squirmed continuously and recovered quickly under their eyes.

“Amazing…” Lin Li gasped. This was the first time he saw Englos with his spells. He could not believe that such a simple Holy Light Spell could generate an effect much more powerful than the Recovery Potion. Could the legendary pope revive a dead person using this as well?

He saw how ignorant he was. He’d always thought magic was the most powerful force in the world. It seemed that The World of Anril was so huge that it was worthy to learn from other occupations as well.

“Szz…” When the warm light dispersed, Orrin who had been lying on the sick bed finally frowned and let out a faint sound.

“How are you, pretty boy?” Mason rushed over to Orrin in surprise. Although he was insulting him, his tone could not veil the amount of concern he had for him.

“Moron, sh… shut up…”

“Thank goodness…!” Mason exclaimed in relief. Since that fella could scold people even before he opened his eyes, it meant that everything was well now.

“Thank you, Archbishop Englos,” Lin Li said gratefully. Orrin was finally dragged back from the edge of death!

“You’re welcome,” Englos said smilingly. He stood up and waved goodbye to Lin Li. “Alright, Master Felic, your friend should be fine now. I still have things on with Sendros, thus I will be going back to Dawn Cathedral first.”

“Are you leaving already?”

“I have no choice but to rush too… Oh, yes! Master Felic, if you are free, you can visit me at Brilliance Shrine. I hope to ask you some questions with regard to pharmaceutics.”

“Alright. I will definitely visit you when I have the time.”