Chapter 663: Dead Seed
However, it was useless to think about these things now. Be it Chief Elder Randy or Cheyenne, they were more concerned about the great benefits the Tower of Dusk would get from this Seed of Eternity.
If the legends were true, if the Tree of Eternity could really revive, then the future increase in power of the Tower of Dusk could only be described as terrifying.
The High Elves born from the Tree of Eternity possessed such perfect magical talent that it had people jealous. However, the Tree of Eternity’s power was not just that it gave birth to the High Elves. It was said that the Tree of Eternity had the heaven-defying ability to change one’s magic potential. No matter how bad a mage’s potential was, as long as he was bathed in the radiance of the Tree of Eternity, he had the possibility to break through to Legendary-realm.
During the Dark Age, one of the rewards the High Elves’ queen gave to outstanding warriors was the honor to pray to the Tree of Eternity. Frankly speaking, it just meant a chance to meditate under the Tree of Eternity and change their potential using the Tree of Eternity’s power.
After all, one’s potential was determined since birth, and it limited how high one’s achievements would be in the later stages of life. If a person had very low potential, no matter how much hard work he put in, he would still be limited by his potential. It was why some people couldn’t study magic by nature, and some could only be mage apprentices for their entire lives, while others could reach Legendary-realm without many obstacles.
One’s potential couldn’t be changed via hard work, but the Tree of Eternity could provide such rejuvenating power. Under the radiance of the Tree of Eternity, one would feel that he was revived continuously and his potential was increased little by little. Of course, the effect wasn’t immediate. It would require a very long time even for the Tree of Eternity to make a person who had no magic potential at all to reach Legendary-realm.
Even the process of doing so wouldn’t be easy. Thus, it wouldn’t increase the Tower of Dusk’s power very much in a short span of time. However, the Tower of Dusk didn’t have to rely on the Tree of Eternity to ‘turn a fool into a genius’. Once it had announced the news that it possessed the Tree of Eternity to the public, countless talented mages would be naturally attracted. By then, not to mention the Breezy Plains, the entire Anril would have to live in the Tower of Dusk’s influence.
Lin Li was quite familiar with all kinds of legends in Anril. After hearing Chief Elder Randy mention the Seed of Eternity, he immediately thought of what this seed meant to him. Looking at the floating Seed of Eternity not too far away, he smiled to Chief Elder Randy and Cheyenne, and said, “I’m not going to be courteous now.”
Evidently, Lin Li’s expression didn’t show any signs of being courteous, but rather a firm determination to get the Seed of Eternity. After all, this was the one and only Seed of Eternity. n.o.body could resist such a temptation.
“Oh, please go ahead…” After recovering from their shock, Chief Elder Randy and Cheyenne replied while struggling to put up a smile. Beneath their smile, they regretted so much that they wanted to chop their hands off. If they had known that the third floor held the Seed of Eternity, they wouldn’t have fought over the items in the lower two floors no matter what.
So what if the crystal sphere was huge? It was only a defense tool that could let a person hide inside it. Moreover, there was a limit to how much pressure it could take. There was no such thing as impenetrable defense. Even the purportedly infallible Sky Castles had fallen one by one during the war at the end of the Dark Age.
Chief Elder Randy hadn’t counted on the crystal sphere to protect the elves from harm. He only hoped that it could win some time for the elves to turn the tides during times of crisis. However, if they had the Seed of Eternity, if the Tree of Eternity could be revived in the Emerald Forest, then the elves wouldn’t have to worry about humans attacking the Emerald Forest. By then, it would be the human nations that’d fear the elves.
For the elves, the Tree of Eternity was too important. Although the elves wouldn’t try to raid human warriors, the benefits that elves could get from the Tree of Eternity would definitely be much greater than for humans. After all, almost all elves now had the blood of the High Elves. The Tree of Eternity might not be able to bring the elves to the heights of the High Elves’ rule, but it could definitely make the elves a notable race in Anril.
Such a pity! Chief Elder Randy couldn’t help but sigh. Was he really too old now that he had made so many wrong judgments? s.n.a.t.c.hing that d.a.m.ned crystal sphere hastily on the first floor, he didn’t have the courage to bet on the treasures on the upper floors. As a result, he missed such a good opportunity to revive the elven race.
After getting the three kinds of magical equipment owned by the High Elves’ Magic Legion, Cheyenne was originally in a good mood. In fact, he was very satisfied with what he had gotten for this trip while coming up to the third floor. However, after seeing the Seed of Eternity, his regret was no less than Chief Elder Randy’s.
Although the magical equipment that Cheyenne had gotten was more valuable than the crystal sphere, it was nothing compared to the Seed of Eternity. So what if he had gotten the Magic Legion’s equipment? Could his team reach the High Elves’ Magic Legion’s standard just by using that equipment? A group of Archmages would still be just Archmages even if they used it. The gap between an Archmage and a Legendary-mage couldn’t be made up for with mere equipment.
On the other hand, while it was a bit exaggerating to say that the Tree of Eternity could turn an idiot into a genius, it could certainly make a mage with considerable potential reach Legendary-realm easily. In Anril, how many people were stuck at the peak of being an Archmage and had no hope of reaching Legendary-realm now? Once the news about the Tree of Eternity spread, those Archmages would swarm towards it.
However, it was too late to change anything now. Although the team didn’t make any agreements outrightly, they already had some sort of unspoken understanding from the earlier quests. Since they had already taken the items on the lower floors, they naturally had to leave this to Lin Li.
What made Chief Elder Randy and Cheyenne gloomy was Lin Li’s behavior. Be it when they were collecting the crystal sphere or the Magic Legion’s equipment, Lin Li didn’t try to extort too much, though they were prepared to give up a lot. Moreover, Lin Li kept mentioning friends and allies, making himself seem so upright and just. However, it was all just a facade.
Speaking of the Seed of Eternity, given its heaven-defying abilities, even the firmest alliance would inevitably fall apart under such temptation. Be it Chief Elder Randy or Cheyenne, neither was a merciful sort. After all, it was common for teams to turn against one another at the end of a hunt for treasure.
However, although Lin Li was only a level-21 Legendary-mage, Chief Elder Randy and Cheyenne didn’t even dare to have such a thought. After all, Lin Li’s true abilities was totally ahead of his level.
Which level-21 Legendary-mage could easily break Stephen’s Soul-devouring Domain? Which level-21 Legendary-mage could survive a stealth attack from the Legendary Bandit Lansdale totally unharmed?
The last guardian of the Seven-Realm Spiral shot Legendary Bandit Lansdale to his death from afar. That arrow made everyone feel a sense of desperation. However, what was his outcome in the end? He was killed by this level-21 Legendary-mage with just three arrows. Even now, everyone still shivered upon thinking of those three arrows.
Although everyone here was clear that most of the power came from those three strange arrows themselves, they also knew that a normal level-21 Legendary-mage certainly couldn’t control such power that was close to Sanctuary-level.
In addition, other than those three arrows, who knew how many other secrets this level-21 Legendary-mage who continuously created miracles had. Level-21 was the best camouflage he had. Everyone who took the level seriously could certainly suffer.
The team didn’t move. Before Lin Li had taken the Seed of Eternity, a move could result in a misunderstanding. However, everyone still couldn’t hide the envy and jealousy in their eyes. After all, this was the legendary Seed of Eternity! Any faction that got it would get a rise in power. No, not just a rise, but a great leap from the ground to the clouds.
With all eyes on him, Lin Li slowly approached the Seed of Eternity. If not for the ma.s.sive amount of mana hidden inside it, probably no one would pay any attention to this insignificant little seed. Lin Li stretched out his palm slowly, fearing that any slight air current would make the seed disappear.
Only when Lin Li had really put the Seed of Eternity in his hand did Cheyenne and the rest dare to walk up to take a closer look at this legendary seed.
However, when the team walked close to examine the Seed of Eternity’s magical waves, they discovered a shocking fact. They couldn’t sense the slightest bit of life from this Seed of Eternity.