Chapter 245: The Bustle
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“You are saying that Matthias knows you are keeping in touch with me?” Lin Li frowned. It was not good news to him.
“No, no, no. I don’t think it is that serious.” Argus shook his head, but the expression on his face turned anxious. “But I can tell that Matthias trusts me less than before…”
“Maybe your failure in the Fire Plume Ridge upset him.”
“Hmm, it might be due to that too…” Argus replied.
“Don’t worry. No one else knows about this matter. As long as we don’t tell anyone, it will be a secret forever,” Lin Li a.s.sured while patting Argus’s shoulders. He knew what Argus was worrying about.
“Hope so then…” Argus forced out a smile, but his expression did not become even a bit better.
“Alright, you go back first. Update me again if you need to. Don’t come to the Guild of Magic like today. If Matthias were to find out, you wouldn’t be able to explain it to him,” Lin Li advised Argus after realizing that the sky was getting dark.
“No, it is alright. Matthias has not been coming to the Guild of Magic for a few days already…” Argus told Lin Li. “Oh, yes. Matthias’s ability is improving at considerable speed. He was close to level-15 the last time I saw him…”
“What?”
This time, Lin Li was really taken aback.
Matthias is close to level-15 already?
Lin Li was very aware of Matthias’s ability. Matthias was still around level-11 when Lin Li had first come to Alanna—at most a little better than Mason and Orrin. Yet, to be able to advance from at most level-12 to nearly level-15 was terrifying. Lin Li managed to achieve that just with the trial in Shadowglen and his experience in the Omniscient Tower.
Despite being envied by Andoine for his talent, Lin Li had not even improved at such a monstrous speed before. How could it be possible for Matthias? Did Matthias take in the energy from the wyrm like he did?
“I feel that it is unusual too…” agreed Argus. “I saw him twice these few days. He grew even stronger the second time I saw him. It was as if he was a different person. He became… became very weird…”
“Alright. Thanks, Argus. I will take note of him.”
After sending him away, Lin Li returned to the Guild of Magic. He did not know why the guild hall was so quiet and empty today. There were only a few young mages, all rus.h.i.+ng around anxiously as though they all had important things to attend to.
What is the situation now? Lin Li went back to his place full of doubts. He was surprised to see only Mason there—Orrin who hated to move around and Kevin who loved to visit them were absent. As for Sean that usually would not come back, let’s just consider him nonexistent…
No one knew it it was because he got tortured too harshly by Orrin, but Mason seemed to have changed much in personality. At this time, he was actually sitting in the room alone with just a magic book. He was so immersed in the book that he did not realize Lin Li came in.
“Brother Mason, why are you alone?” asked Lin Li after he settled the little Dragon Hawk down.
“Oh! Felic, you’re back?” Mason jerked up from the sound of the knocking on his door. “I say, where have you been these days? How could you disappear for over 10 days just like that…” Mason asked. He was surprised by Lin Li’s appearance.
“I went out for a while, and brought you some good things.”
“Like what?”
“Shh…” Lin Li reached into his pocket mysteriously and fished out a few scrolls. “I copied these in secret. Go and split this with Orrin, and don’t let anyone know.”
“Oooh~” As Mason received those scrolls, he realized those were all spells between level-10 and level-15. They were so rare that one might not be able to find them in the Omniscient Tower. Mason was so elated that he had no time to wipe his drool from excitement. He lay the scrolls on the table and started to pick those he was interested in.
“Oh, yes. Brother Mason, where are the others?” Lin Li asked casually.
“The others?” Mason looked up from the pile of scrolls. “Oh yeah! I would have forgotten about him if you did not mention him. Kevin and that pretty boy went to watch some fun. Why aren’t they back yet?”
“What’s interesting?”
“Haha, it is something great…” The mention of this diverted Mason’s attention from the scrolls. He pulled a chair over and started explaining.
“The Guild of Magic is really full of life these few days. Renowned people kept visiting us—for whatever reasons. Prince Lionheart Johnathan came a few days ago, followed by a.s.sa.s.sin Oro from Ruby Moon and Archbishop Englos… Oh! The person that visited today is even unexpected. Felic, I’m sure you would not guess it correctly…”
“Other than that fatso from Glittergold trade union, I really don’t know who would come,” Lin Li said as he pursed his lips.
“…” Mason gaped at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“H-h-how… how did you know?” Mason stuttered, staring blankly at Lin Li like he was a ghost.
Lin Li pursed his lips. Wasn’t that obvious? Other than these old fellas, who would make their way to the Guild of Magic?
Trouble’s big! What if Macklin brings them over?
Lin Li looked around guiltily. “This is a little complicated to explain now. Oh, yes. Brother Mason, why are you spending your entire afternoon here reading books? I bet you haven’t had your lunch. Why don’t we go out to find a place for food? I’m very hungry…”
“Oh, you’re right…” Mason scratched his head. He suddenly realized he had not eaten. “Give me a while,” Mason said as he put the magic book aside.
“Which scroll should I pa.s.s to that pretty boy?” Mason pondered as he held onto the scrolls. He could not bear to share them with Orrin. “I shall decide that later…” Mason said as he put all the scrolls in his pocket unreservedly.
“…”
After coming out from the Guild of Magic, the guild hall was still quiet.
“Thank G.o.d…” Lin Li wiped his cold sweat. He was still glad for his good luck in not b.u.mping into that old man Macklin.
However, his joy did not last long. He was greeted by a voice behind him.
“What a coincidence, Mage Felic.”
“HUH?” Lin Li jumped. He saw it was Sa.r.s.en when he turned around. Lin Li also saw someone he despised behind Sa.r.s.en.
“Hehe, good evening, Mage Sa.r.s.en and Mage Gryffindor,” Lin Li greeted them with a superficial smile. Deep inside, he was very curious how Sa.r.s.en and Gryffindor ended up together. Lin Li clearly remembered that when he’d first come to Alanna, that top mage from Felan was not really friendly toward him.
Furthermore, that man was not on good terms with Orrin…
Lin Li just could not bring himself to have any good impression of that man at all.
“Hehe, I met Mage Gryffindor when I went out to settle some things. So, we came back together.” Although Sa.r.s.en was an arrogant man, he did not dare to show his egocentric nature in front of Lin Li. He had seen clearly how the Pharmacists Guild sent for a coach to escort that man, as well as how the people there treated him with utmost respect.
Even Sa.r.s.en’s knees could understand that the mage named Felic was not any random man on the streets.
Gryffindor nodded his head, and agreed reluctantly, “Yeah.”
He clearly remembered that man to be Orrin’s teammate.
His relations.h.i.+p with Orrin could be likened to water and fire. When he was 10, his mentor brought him all over Felan Kingdom to almost all Magic guilds. He fought almost all young mages—including Orrin.
Orrin had been a level-9 mage back then, while Gryffindor a level-8 mage. They were both young talents who had attracted the attention of many. In the end, Orrin defeated Gryffindor with his level-9 abilities after much difficulty.
That battle became a lifelong stain on Gryffindor’s pride.
After returning to Alanna, he had always been thinking of ways to defeat Orrin. He researched into magic every minute tirelessly. With the help of his talent, he’d managed to break into the Magic Shooter realm. His subsequent improvement could be described as vigorous. He had the abilities of a level-14 Magic Shooter at a young age. After three years, when Gryffindor challenged all the magic guilds again, he finally defeated Orrin at Rotterdam.
But, to Gryffindor, a battle was not enough to erase that disgrace from three years earlier. He hoped his mentor would let him meet Orrin during the finals.
Gryffindor knew that the finals allowed mages to make mistakes… such as inflicting too much injuries…
As for the two teammates Orrin had, he was never concerned about them.
He understood the reason why Felic could emerge victorious against Macklin in the arena.
Gryffindor clearly saw Macklin suppressing his energy and underestimating his opponent. He did not doubt that he would lose to Felic.
He was only a little surprised. Gryffindor clearly knew that the last time Macklin lost to Felic was due to Macklin suppressing his abilities and his personal underestimation of his opponent.
As for that Orrin who’d just reached level-10, he was not even an ant in front of him.
How would two ants—one big and one small—deserve his respect?