Chapter 701: Sword Forging

“Come on, stop pretending, kid. It’s only been a while since we last met, and you’ve already made so much progress. I was really right about you. Let me introduce you to Master Rosen. His proud disciple Gryffindor has already reached the peak of level-19, only one step away from the Legendary-realm. Learn well from him. Stop being a jack of all trades and embarrassing me,” Andoine said while pulling Lin Li towards him and introducing him to the skinny old man beside him. He sounded extremely proud and smug like a person out to anger others.

“Master Rosen,” Lin Li greeted. Although he had never met Rosen before, he knew his disciple, Gryffindor. Despite the fact that he didn’t have a good impression of Gryffindor, he wouldn’t fool around like Andoine did.

Master Rosen seemed to be in his sixties, and he was extremely skinny with his head full of white hair. His face was covered in wrinkles, and apart from the sharp and menacing gaze in his eyes, he seemed just like an ordinary old man. After hearing Andoine’s introduction, he didn’t flare up, and instead nodded slightly before saying in a hoarse voice, “Indeed, Andoine has really got himself a good student. You should be level-23 now, you’re almost surpassing your teacher.”

Anyone would be able to tell from Andoine’s introduction that he wasn’t on good terms with Master Rosen. There was no expression on Lin Li’s face, but he kept his guard up and carefully observed Rosen.

“This is one of the arbiters of the Supreme Council, Master Megard,” said Andoine who introduced Lin Li to another elder instead of answering Rosen.

“Master Megard,” Lin Li said with raised brows. From the moment he entered the door, he felt that Master Andoine, who used to be mysterious to him, was at the same level as him, level-23. Although he looked just like an ordinary old man, he was at level-23. However, he could not tell what Master Megard’s level was, but that meant that he was probably in the Sanctuary-realm.

Another thing that caught Lin Li’s attention was Megard’s identity as one of the arbiters of the Supreme Council. If he remembered correctly, Andoine and Rosen were both members of the Supreme Council and seemed to be fighting for the position of an arbiter. Lin Li wondered if the two of them had taken part in the mission this time for the sake of their competition.

It seemed that Aldwin was waiting for him. Given their abilities, it would be effortless for them to snatch the key from the Sword Sage of the Storm. Of course, in this world, not everything was up to the Supreme Council, and they also had their concerns when it came to making decisions. The Supreme Council had also developed an interest in Osric’s mausoleum. Hence, it was no wonder that Aldwin would seem displeased.

“Well, very good, Andoine has produced a good student.” Megard looked at Lin Li without any expression on his face. It seemed that Lin Li’s abilities which were not proportionate to his age did not make him feel the slightest surprise. After a perfunctory remark, he looked away and said, “Aldwin, go and arrange the bet. I believe that kid Al’Akir wouldn’t turn you down.”

That kid Al’Akir… Lin Li shivered and thought to himself that only an old fogy would have the audacity to call Al’Akir a kid.

In the world of Anril, no one else dared to offend the Sword Sage of the Storm. He wasn’t a fool. Besides, the Guild of Magic simply wanted to prolong the bet, and not get the key forcibly. If the Guild of Magic were to lose again, Megard probably wouldn’t try to vie for it even though he was an arbitrator.

A mage who was also a blacksmith? Even the arbitrator, Megard, who was in Sanctuary-realm, probably wouldn’t be able to create a decent magical weapon. It was just like asking a Warrior to draw a mageweath. Unfortunately, there were more than just Warriors in the Adventurers Guild. Al’Akir had always been pleased with his achievement, which he regarded as the proudest piece of work he had produced.

Soon, the Alanna Guild of Magic and the Adventurers Guild reached a consensus on the previous bet that they agreed on. The place to fulfill the bet was not a public area in Alanna, but in a Forging Workshop belonging to the Sword Sage of the Storm, Al’Akir. Al’Akir was trying to express some respect for Megard. After all, every tool in his Forging Workshop was superb, and would be a huge bonus to his success rate of forging.

“Aldwin, this is my private Forging Workshop. You can see what else is needed. I will get someone to prepare the items for you lest you say that I didn’t give you a chance.” Although Al’Akir agreed to the bet, he was already the winner; hence, he obviously wouldn’t be pleased to extend the bet. Since Megard, who he feared, wasn’t present, he felt that there would be no need to give Aldwin a good attitude.

“Don’t ask me about forging, ask him about it,” Aldwin said while introducing Lin Li to Al’Akir. He was not angry at all.

Al’Akir thought that it was a person from the Supreme Council that would forge a weapon, and did not expect Aldwin to introduce a young mage whom he found familiar to him. All of a sudden, Al’Akir frowned as a piece of memory appeared in his mind. He couldn’t help but be surprised. “It’s you!”

Lin Li touched his nose embarrassedly, took two steps forward, and said, “Mr. Al’Akir, we meet again.”

Even until the day he died, Al’Akir would never forget the fact that Lin Li had taken away a Legendary magical crystal in exchange for a Detoxification Antidote. In order to hunt the Legendary Salamander back then, the Adventurers Guild activated six major adventurer teams and suffered countless casualties. Even Al’Akir himself was poisoned by the Salamander. Lin Li then gave him a Detoxification Antidote without hesitation, and mentioned that he wanted something from the Salamander’s body in exchange only after Al’Akir had finished the antidote. In the end, the precious Legendary magical crystal was taken away by Lin Li right in front of him. Although he didn’t want to be jealous or hate a young man, he was still deeply anguished by the fact that the Legendary magical crystal had been taken away from him. The pain that he felt could not be gotten rid of by any potions.

“Young man, it is no wonder that the Salamander had died in your hands. You are indeed young and promising.” Al’Akir could tell back then that Lin Li had the power of an Archmage, but after just a short period of time, he had already entered the Legendary-realm, and his strong magical wave seemed to have already surpassed his own.

Ding, ding, ding… The rhythmic sounds of knocking filled the air in the Forging Workshop.

Upon hearing the crisp and melodious sounds, the members of the Adventurers Guild, including the Smithing Master Al’Akir, all got a great shock. They knew that no matter what skill the young mage had, the fact that he could produce such sounds simply meant that he was at the level of an advanced Smithing Master.

Lin Li stood on the forging platform, and his movements were extremely fluid and smooth even without the help of an assistant. He didn’t slack and was performing smoothly. The people watching felt that an assistant would hamper him instead.

It was simply a kind of enjoyment; the knocking was just like beautiful music, while his fluid movements were like a beautiful dance. Everyone seemed to have slipped into a trance, and seemed to have forgotten where they were and why they were there. Even Al’Akir, the Smithing Master, seemed to have forgotten that he would lose the key to Osric’s mausoleum if he were to lose the bet.

A sudden screech finally caused everyone to snap out of their trance, and their eyes suddenly focused on Lin Li’s hand. The long sword that had just been forged successfully gave off a menacing vibe.

“Wonderful!” Al’Akir could tell that he had already lost, and had to admit that even he himself might not be able to craft such a good sword.

Upon hearing Al’Akir’s gasp of shock, the members of the Guild of Magic let out a long sigh of relief. Actually, asking him to extend the bet was rather unreasonable in the first place. If they were to lose, they would not only lose the opportunity to explore Osric’s mausoleum, but also suffer a huge blow to the pride of the Guild of Magic.

“This is definitely a Master-level masterpiece,” Al’Akir remarked while grabbing Lin Li’s sword to give it a few strokes. He could not believe that it was created by a mage.

“What’s the matter, Al’Akir? When do you plan to fulfill this bed?” Aldwin asked eagerly with a smile.

“You can rest assured that we, the Adventurers Guild, will keep our promise. We will not make excuses like some people.” Although Al’Akir conceded, he still made a sarcastic remark. After all, it was Osric’s mausoleum, which was a huge treasure.

Holding the other half of the key, Aldwin and the rest left the Adventurers Guild happily.

The Sword Sage of the Storm, Al’Akir, stared blankly at the long sword in his hand. He couldn’t figure it out at all. How could there be such a pervertedly competent powerhouse in the Guild of Magic? Not only did the 20-year-old young mage have a strong magical wave, he was also extremely proficient at forging. When he first met Lin Li, the latter gave him an antidote that could dispel the toxin of the Salamander.

Wait a minute, damn it, I just got duped. Isn’t that kid the President of the Tower of Dusk from the Breezy Plains!? Since when did he become a member of the Alanna Guild of Magic? I did make a bet with them, but not with the Supreme Council! Al’Akir flung the sword at the anvil, after which it suddenly flashed and got split into two by the sword.