155 The Highlord

"Haha, I'll go up to the tenth floor first." After waiting for the middle-aged mage to finish listing the dozen prohibitions at last, Mason was already eagerly holding his pass and heading straight up the spiral staircase. Before he left, he said wretchedly, "I wonder what treasures are hidden on the tenth floor…"

"See you at nine." Walking into the largest magic treasure house in the Felan Kingdom, there were perhaps few mages that would not be moved. Orrin left a few words hastily, and disappeared in a twinkling of an eye.

"Okay, see you at nine." After separating from his two teammates by the steps, Lin Li did not rush to the upper floors, but went straight through the corridor to the hall on the first floor of the Omniscient Tower.

Coming in from the main entrance of the hall, Lin Li saw a row of huge bookshelves that were filled with all kinds of books. A large desk was placed in the middle of these bookshelves. Some young mages were sitting by the desk in twos or threes, each concentrating between a thick stack of books. Judging from the magical wave emanating from them, most of them were above level-six or seven, but they were only in their twenties, and several of them were even younger than Lin Li. He reckoned that these were all young talents specially trained by the Alanna Guild of Magic.

Lin Li walked gently into the hall. After circling around in the middle of a row of bookshelves, he quickly found what he wanted.

It was a thread-bound book with a black cover. What was recorded in it was not a magic spell, but a biography written by a bard based on hearsay after the Dark Ages; it included the life of Highlord Osric.

In the hall on the first floor of the Omniscient Tower, besides a variety of low-level spells, the most common books were probably these anecdotes. It was just that this light read was obviously less popular than low-level magic spells. Just like the one in Lin Li's hands—when it was picked up and shaken lightly, the thick dust on the cover was shaken off. It was probably some years since anyone had last picked it up to read.

Lin Li did not care. He shook the dust off the cover, and casually took a seat at the desk. He was even reading the biography with great interest.

Anyway, he had never thought about looking for any spells coming to the Omniscient Tower today.

It was almost evening when they had returned from the Shadowglen, and he was still asked by the two old fellows to forge a weapon. He had also spent a lot of time on the bolts when he returned to the dormitory. By the time they reached the Omniscient Tower after passing through the various checkpoints, it was already time for the largest magic treasure house in Felan to close. It was too late to memorize even if they had found some powerful spells at this time. He'd rather find some light reading on the first floor to pass time and learn more about Highlord Osric while at that.

Speaking of the Highlord, Lin Li was very intrigued indeed.

Since arriving in Alanna, Lin Li felt as if he was always involved with the Highlord. Osric's name was clearly written on the two rags written in High Elves' language. The Torrent of Elements Ring on his hand was also said to have been the ring worn by the Highlord during his lifetime. Even these days, Lin Li was treated with courtesy at the Alanna Guild of Magic because he could help them win the key to Osric's mausoleum.

He had nothing to do, anyway. It'd be good to know more about it.

Lin Li read the biography with great interest with such an idea in mind.

"Savage…" Osric's biography was full of legendary quality, and with the bard's exaggerated writing, Lin Li was utterly stunned as he read.

Speaking of Highlord Osric, one had to mention the conflicting clan of the High Elves.

After the remote years of floods and wilderness, after the Titans and Dragons disappeared in the long history, the High Elves took advantage of this opportunity to rise, and began to rule Anril with blood and magic for thousands of years.

Compared with other clans, the High Elves could be described as perfect—no one could match their superiority in magic. Every adult High Elf possessed at least the strength of an Archmage. With this unique advantage, the High Elves had almost advanced to the edge of magic civilization. They had created one miracle after another with magic. Even 1,200 years later, no clan had the guts to say that its magical achievements were anywhere near that unprecedented glorious civilization.

In the mouth of most bards, the magic civilization created by the High Elves was described as "a miracle beyond the Gods"…

They loved and worshipped all things that were perfect, and their achievements in the field of art were equally amazing. Unfortunately, most of these achievements were destroyed by wars after the Dark Ages. Today, people could barely recover a trace of perfection from the ruins of High Elves.

At the same time, they were a clan full of contradictions.

When dealing with other clans, the brutality of the High Elves had reached an appalling level. In their eyes, other clans were just inferior creatures, whose only purpose was to serve as slaves. When dealing with other clans, the High Elves did not even consider hypocritical appeasement, but only the most direct and brutal enslavement.

The Orcs had tried to resist, but what awaited them was the repression of blood and fire. Six months later, millions of Orcs from 18 clans died under the butcher knives of the Magic Legion. Nearly every village was covered with the hanging corpses of the Orcs. Millions of Orcs had groaned and wailed under the butcher knives, and blood stained large areas of land red.

Highlord Osric was undoubtedly a typical example of a High Elf.

Even in that glorious age of magic civilization, Osric's strength was absolutely the highest. He had even fought with the God of Mages, Geresco.

According to the bard's description, in the war at the end of the Dark Ages, the rebels sent their strongest fighters—seven strongmen of the Legendary-level—to assassinate Osric. They successfully infiltrated the palace of the Highlord, coming face-to-face with the real ruler of the Felan Kingdom, Highlord Osric. Eventually, none of them escaped, and the seven legendary strongmen remained in the Highlord's palace forever.

Osric merely said a few words about it.

"Kill those loathsome bugs!"

Then, there was the infamous massacre—the most well-known event in Osric's life. 100,000 rebels were hanged overnight. This horrible massacre also earned him the nickname, The Butcher.

But, few people knew that in addition to this massacre, Osric had actually done a lot of things in his life…

The legendary life of Osric almost perfectly illustrated the conflicting nature of the High Elves. Behind the cruel nickname of The Butcher, he was also a wise scholar with profound knowledge, a powerful mage, a versatile craftsman, and a famous artist. Osric, shrouded by numerous halos, could only be described as amazing.

At the end of the Dark Age, the High Elves laid the foundation of pharmaceutical theory and developed the complete framework of pharmaceutics on the basis of this theory. Highlord Osric was a real Potion Master. In the description of the bard, Osric's pharmaceutics level was exaggerated to an incredible degree.

All sorts of magical potions had rendered Lin Li dumbfounded. In particular, the biography mentioned several rare formulas Osric had discovered in his later years; even Lin Li, a pharmaceutics guru, had only heard about them.

In his later years, Osric became interested in forging.

So, he led the Magic Legion and conquered the Dark Iron Dwarves.

Countless Dark Iron Dwarf craftsmen were sent to Osric's palace to demonstrate forging techniques for him day and night. It took less than a year for the Highlord to make amazing progress in the field of forging. Four of the seven most notable pieces of magical equipment in the Felan Kingdom today came from Highlord Osric.

Osric's life was full of legendary quality; especially after 1,200 years, looking back on his life, it really felt like reading a novel, but the satisfying kind of novel where the main character was invincible.

Lin Li felt satisfied reading it.

However, after the satisfaction, he looked back, and suddenly realized that there was not even a trace of the thing that he wanted to find…

That day in the Shadowglen, the Lich's mention of the "butcher's ring" almost caused Lin Li to encounter the bite of mana. At that time, he had vaguely guessed that the Torrent of Elements Ring on his hand was most likely related to the High Elves' Highlord.

The reason why he stayed in the hall on the first floor was not only to find some light read to pass time, but also to see if he could find some clues about the Torrent of Elements from Osric's life story.

Unfortunately, nothing was found…

Lin Li shook his head and closed the thread-bound book again. He was about to stand up and put it back on the shelf when, suddenly, he heard light footsteps behind him.

"How did you come here…" Lin Li looked back and found that it was his two teammates.

"We've copied a couple of spells and came to call you back together. I say, Felic, what on earth were you reading to be so fascinated?" Mason pulled a chair furiously and sat down on Lin Li's right. The sound of a fuss prompted several young mages who were reading to glare at him.

"Idiot, keep your voice down." Orrin glared at him. The fellow was always so overjoyed that he forgot his surname. Could he make a lot of noise in a place like the Omniscient Tower? It would be trouble if they attracted the attention of the Archmage outside the door.

"Ooh…" Mason remembered where he was after being stared at by several young mages. He nodded his head, but his eyes fell on the thread-bound book. "Bloody hell, after so long, you're looking at this stuff? Felic, is it necessary for you to come to the Omniscient Tower for something that you could get with a few silver coins on the street…?"

"I had nothing to do anyway." Lin Li looked at the sky; it was almost time for the Omniscient Tower to close. He got up and put the thread-bound book back on the bookshelf. Then, he left the hall with his two teammates. As they exited the gate of the Omniscient Tower, Lin Li asked, "How's the harvest?"

"Haha, the harvest is too great!" Mason's face was filled with excitement at the mention of the harvest in the Omniscient Tower. Without waiting for Lin Li to ask further, he began to talk in full swing. "I've copied down two level-ten spells and one level-12 spell…"

"This…" Lin Li scratched his head, and asked in doubt, "Can you use it?"

"I'm a genius. It doesn't matter if I can't use now. After a year and a half, maybe I can even use a level-15 spell…" When Mason finished, he looked around furtively, then lowered his voice and said, "Besides, even if I can't use it, other people can always use it. I can take them back to Chevan City…"

"…" Lin Li listened to this and suddenly understood that it was no wonder the tower was like a military restricted area. All access needed to be certified and all kinds of annoying rules were laid down. It was all because there were many people like Mason…

However…

It didn't seem to be a violation of the rules. Anyway, when the Alanna Guild of Magic approved them coming to the Omniscient Tower, they had most probably thought about this. He should also copy some the next day. That old fellow, Gerian, would probably be spoilt with delight when Lin Li brought it back to Jarrosus when the time came…

Lin Li was turning things over in his mind as he crossed the lawn with his teammates. They walked along the corridors all the way back to the guild hall.

As soon as the three of them entered the guild hall, Mason pulled Lin Li's sleeves from behind, and said, "Felic, look over there…"

"Look at what?" Lin Li was taken aback.

"To your right… quick, look…"

"How come it's this guy…" Lin Li looked in the direction that Mason said and immediately saw a familiar figure—a fellow in his twenties; tall, handsome, and dressed in a well-tailored blue mage robe. His appearance seemed to be in line with a lady's standards of Prince Charming; it was a pity that he walked with a limp, making people feel uncomfortable when watching…

"Matthias…" Lin Li was somewhat surprised. He knew very well the strength of his strikes. When the four Arcane Missiles went down, Lin Li knew that this guy would probably be bedridden until the end of the trial. It had only been ten days, and the fellow could walk already; was he not merciless enough at the beginning?

"I didn't expect this guy to be able to walk so fast…" Mason was also surprised.

"He won't be able to walk again soon." Orrin's eyes were fixed on Matthias, who was still in the distance. The dense chill in his voice seemed to freeze even the air. With Orrin's character, how could he possibly forget the incident back then? It was probably the first blow that Orrin suffered after coming to Alanna. He had always been very proud; apart from Gryffindor, no other young mages were worthy of his attention. Although there was Felic, he was a monster, and could not be measured by human standards.

But, Matthias' sneak attack was always on his mind. Now that he had run into him in the guild hall, how could Orrin let him off that easily?

"Felic, I've got something to discuss with you." Orrin, who never asked for help, had used the word "discuss" for the very first time today.

"Don't worry, I won't interfere." Lin Li did not even have to ask; he knew what Orrin wanted to do. After receiving the fireball with his body that day, Lin Li knew he had guessed wrong—Matthias' strength could never be above Orrin's. The reason why Orrin was injured was probably due to a sneak attack.

Lin Li wasn't worried at all now that Orrin wanted to finish off by himself. So, he coolly agreed to it.

"Thanks."

In the meantime, Matthias discovered the three figures.

This was perhaps what "meeting enemies opens new wounds" meant.

Matthias looked at the three men as if he were going to eat them; his fists were tightly clenched. From a distance away, Lin Li seemed to be able to see the bulging green veins on his forehead.

But, Matthias quickly smiled.

Mason rubbed his eyes to make sure that he was not wrong. The guy was really smiling, and he was smiling very brightly, such that Mason thought he had seen a ghost. He subconsciously poked Lin Li, who was beside him, with his hand. "Felic, do you think that guy's so mad he's become neurotic?"

"Maybe he was scared into it…" Lin Li responded irresponsibly. In fact, he was puzzled as well. From Matthias' words and deeds, Lin Li could tell that he was not someone that easy to dismiss. Lin Li did not believe that Matthias was someone who would meet enmity and smile.

Had he really become neurotic from the scare, seeing how brilliantly he was smiling?

"I can't believe that you all are still alive…" Just as the three of them were wondering, Matthias limped towards them, the smile still on his slightly pale face.

But, in Lin Li's opinion, the smile was exceptionally uncomfortable to watch. It was like when Old Merlin was smiling at Gerian—he was obviously so furious that he could vomit blood, but he was still putting up a smile on his face. It was unbelievably fake.

"I say, Matthias, can you stop smiling so fakely? There are no outsiders here. Everyone knows I've broken your limbs. Take it easy; there's nothing to be ashamed of…" Lin Li was an honest man—he'd always say anything that was on his mind. But, being too honest often hurt other people…

"You…" Matthias almost couldn't catch his breath. The smile he had tried so hard to squeeze out was distorted immediately.

"Matthias, listen to my advice. It's better for a disabled man to cleanse his heart and limit his inner desires. Don't worry too much about things like whether we could come back alive or not. It'll affect your recovery," Lin Li spoke with sincerity as if he was really concerned for an old friend.

"What did you say?" After all, Matthias was only in his twenties. How could he stand this kind of provocation? His hands were tightly held into fists, and fire seemed to be bursting from his eyes.

"Look, you're agitated again…" How could Matthias rival Lin Li in eloquence? Matthias had only spoken a few words, and he was already trembling in agitation.

But, then again, according to Lin Li's character, how could he possibly have said so much to Matthias? As early as when the latter came to incite them, Lin Li would have delivered a fireball straight to him. Would he be crapping so much with Matthias? What crap…

Half the reason for wasting so much saliva was for Orrin.

Lin Li actually couldn't wait for Matthias to pounce on him after provoking him with a sincere face. Then, he would run on him a few words and drive him into a fair duel with Orrin. It'd be considered fulfilling Orrin's wish.

However…

Matthias seemed to be behaving a little out of the ordinary today. This fellow had to have taken the wrong medicine. He was still glaring angrily with his fists clenched a moment ago, but he relaxed very quickly, and even put on a fake smile on his face. "Forget it. It doesn't make sense to be angry with a country bumpkin like you…"

Having said that, Matthias leaned close to Lin Li's ear and said in a low voice, "However, you must be careful not to make yourself become like me…"

"Ah… what?!" How could such a threat frighten Lin Li? He looked at Matthias in surprise, and raised his voice so much that half of the hall could hear him. "Mage Matthias, did you say you are impotent? Oh my God, that's terrible…"

Almost half of the guild hall was attracted by this exclamation. At least dozens of mages looked towards them at the same time…

"…" Under the sympathetic eyes of the mages, Matthias was flushed as he told himself, Endure, endure!