Chapter 660: Negotiating
In terms of size alone, the magnificent crystal ball was probably the greatest one in Anril which no other crystal b.a.l.l.s could compare to. However, they could not find a mageweath that would allow this crystal ball to function, despite having recalled all of the mageweaths in their memory and those they had read about in legends.
Although the mageweaths that they were familiar with would definitely exert more power on this ma.s.sive crystal ball, it was still far from being able to optimize its functioning. It was also an insult to the crystal ball and wasting it, just like wasting a Legendary magical crystal on exerting level-1 magic.
However, when everyone approached the crystal ball, they discovered that there was already a complex pattern which seemed to be a mageweath on it. However, none of them were learned enough to identify the complicated mageweath which was complex but did not affect the patterns on the smooth and transparent crystal ball.
Although they had no idea what kind of a mageweath it was, they all knew that the High Elves wouldn’t draw any low-level mageweaths, even despite being extravagant. In fact, it was also their penchant for luxury which made Lin Li and the rest certain that they would definitely use the best mageweath to exert all of the value and power of the crystal b.a.l.l.s.
Although the mageweath seemed rather mysterious to everyone, Lin Li, who was a Guru of Inscription, was not clueless about it. Strictly speaking, it was a mageweath array which was comprised of 13 fantasy mageweaths that were absolutely horrifying. As long as the controller of the crystal b.a.l.l.s were willing, the ball could cause an unwelcome intruder to never find the way out and have a tougher time than they did in the Orderly Maze.
“Mage Felic, did you recognize the mageweath on this crystal ball?” Elder Randy asked in a sincere and open-minded manner immediately when he noticed from Lin Li’s expression that he seemed to have figured something out.
In the past, Elder Randy would probably harbor some disdain for Lin Li after seeing the latter’s behavior, even if he didn’t say it to his face explicitly. A young mage who had just stepped into the Legendary-realm and devoted all his energy to magic already had a hard time getting to where he was. How could he have the extra energy and time to delve into other aspects?
However, the numerous miracles that Lin Li had created made Elder Randy change his impression of Lin Li, and he no longer dared to make any judgment on him, as Lin Li would never fail to impress Elder Randy and make him realize that he had underestimated him once again.
Elder Randy was not the only one. After hearing Elder Randy’s question to Lin Li, everyone looked away from the crystal ball and s.h.i.+fted their gazes onto Lin Li. None of them had any doubts at all, and it was as if Lin Li was the only dispenser of information that was reliable and true.
Although the value of the rare crystal ball was high, Lin Li had his own ideas. Hence, after hearing Elder Randy’s question, he decided not to hide the fantasy mageweath array from them, and instead even explained briefly to them about the purposes and functions of the mageweath array.
As soon as Lin Li finished explaining, everyone, including Elder Randy, couldn’t help but gasp and turn to look at the huge crystal ball. Although Lin Li didn’t mention the magic level of the fantasy mageweath array, they could tell from its functions that it was definitely not something that could be created by a Master of Inscription.
Such a ma.s.sive crystal ball, coupled with a stronger fantasy mageweath array, could be considered an artifact! Cheyenne could not contain the excitement within him at all; he really wanted to move the crystal ball back to Aminya City.
The Malfa Family and Dark Blade had been at odds for many years, but due to the three leaders of the Dark Blade, the Malfa Family had always been at a disadvantage. After Cheyenne entered the Legendary-realm, he could finally stop being at disadvantage, but to his surprise, the three leaders of the Dark Blade were actually promoted the Legendary-realm one after another too, making the situation even harder for Cheyenne to control. Had it not been for the setting in Aminya City, the Dark Blade would have probably destroyed the Malfa Family long ago.
However, even then, the Dark Blade had also invaded Aminya City several times, during which they caused great damage to the Malfa Family. This time, during the quest for the Immortal King’s treasure, Cheyenne hoped to find something that could balance the strength of the two forces, and perhaps even allow him to surpa.s.s the Dark Blade.
The huge crystal ball in front of Cheyenne was like a highly coveted treasure of his dreams. Although it could not be used for offense, the terrifying power of the fantasy mageweath array alone was enough to give the Malfa Family a stable foundation and an edge over the Dark Blade when placed in Aminya City.
Another benefit was that Cheyenne could free himself from it all. After Cheyenne entered the Legendary-realm, he had no choice but to keep to Aminya City in order to prevent the Malfa Family from being attacked by the Dark Blade. With this crystal ball and the overpowering fantasy mageweath array, Cheyenne no longer had to worry about the Malfa Family getting attacked when he was not around.
However, at this juncture, Cheyenne was well aware that he could not decide who the crystal ball would belong to in the end, because the elves and the Tower of Dusk were also present. Since the elves lived in the Emerald Forest, they might not need such a defensive treasure, but that might not be the case for the Tower of Dusk. Although Lin Li, who was also President Felic, was incredibly powerful, the Tower of Dusk was still a newly established force after all; hence, it would probably need the treasure more than him.
However, Cheyenne’s thoughts were a little different from reality. The one who truly valued and coveted the crystal ball was Elder Randy. Although the Elven Kingdom was greatly developed now and seemed to be doing great, Elder Randy could not help but consider the future survival of the elves, especially since he was the eighth elder of the Emerald Council.
The elves had been living in the Emerald Forest for many years. Although they had a natural protective barrier, their population was low, after all, and they could not compare to humans at all in terms of reproduction rate. They would only lag further and further behind. Now, there were still plenty of Legendary leaders amongst the elves, and humans were also busy with domestic warfare. Those were the only reasons the elves could survive.
But, who could guarantee that humans would not stand together as one and dominate the entire Anril in the future? When that happened, the natural barrier of the Emerald Forest might no longer be able to protect the elves. The elves were definitely not worrying for nothing, because it was only a matter of time before that happened.
The crystal ball might not be enough to make the elves invincible, but it could help buy some time for the elves during the most dangerous situations. The minute amounts of time bought were not to be underestimated, because they were actually enough for changes to take place, and they could also be the factor that’d result in the extinction of elves and a change in Anril’s structure.
Perhaps the crystal ball might not be needed by the Elven Kingdom currently, but it was necessary to prepare in advance for the sake of the continuation of the elven bloodline. Elder Randy wouldn’t tell the rest about this, but he had clearly expressed his desire to obtain the crystal ball.
Although no one said anything, their att.i.tudes were self-explanatory.
After a moment of silence, Elder Randy said to Cheyenne, “Mage Cheyenne, I think we need to talk about the owners.h.i.+p of this crystal ball.”
In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that Cheyenne was an ally of Lin Li, Elder Randy would not have been so kind and courteous to Cheyenne. After all, strength and actual abilities were the basis of compet.i.tion. The comparison of strength between Cheyenne and the elves was obvious. Lin Li was the only variable.
Upon hearing Elder Randy’s words, Cheyenne’s heart sank immediately, for he could already imagine what the outcome would be. However, Cheyenne was still a little unwilling to give up the crystal ball. Hence, he nodded and followed Elder Randy to the side, where they discussed the crystal ball’s owners.h.i.+p.
While Elder Randy and Cheyenne were talking, Lin Li walked around the crystal ball casually. The crystal ball did not mean as much to him as it did to the other two; he would consider taking it if there wasn’t a mageweath on it, but now…
The crystal ball that already had a mageweath array was very strong, but not powerful enough for Lin Li to be bent on getting it. The Tower of Dusk was designed by Lin Li, and the defensive ability of the tower had always been a top priority in his design. There were plenty of objects in the Tower of Dusk that had more defensive power than offensive, just like this crystal ball. The All-Kill Array alone was already way more powerful than this fantasy mageweath array. Besides, the Tower of Dusk also had the dozens of magical crystal cannons that Lin Li had just bought as well as the Sky-breaker that Lin Li had ordered. Even without the Eternal Furnace, the defensive abilities of the Tower of Dusk could be described as overpowering.
Hence, Lin Li didn’t value the crystal ball greatly, and left Elder Randy and Cheyenne to talk about it. He knew that they would look for him once they reached a consensus.
Although Elder Randy and Cheyenne were not hostile nor had a heated argument, it was clear that neither wanted to make concessions easily. Lin Li walked around the crystal ball, and after he was done making one round around it, there was finally an outcome to their discussion.
After all, the elves were wealthy and generous. Hence, Cheyenne finally had no choice but to nod resignedly at the conditions laid by Elder Randy.
However, Cheyenne did not feel like he had lost out after the negotiation, though he found it a pity to give up the crystal ball. In fact, Elder Randy did not resort to any tricks or abuse his authority during the negotiation, because he took into consideration Lin Li’s ident.i.ty.
Elder Randy knew that Cheyenne was just worried about the threat that the Dark Blade imposed on the Malfa Family; hence, he used that as a breakthrough point for the negotiation. Although he did not directly state that he would help Cheyenne get rid of the Dark Blade, he took out a few of the projects that he had worked on with the Dark Blade, and handed it to the Malfa Family together with some supplies that were a form of compensation.
However, that alone did not make Cheyenne any less worried or fearful, since the threat imposed by the Dark Blade still existed. Hence, Elder Randy offered to provide him with some military support, just like how the Malfa Family was given the support of the elves in Roland City.
In fact, no matter what kind of army the elves sent, they would definitely be of aid to the Malfa Family because the Dark Blade wouldn’t dare to attack the Malfa Family easily as long as there were some elves present in Aminya City. After all, even in the past, the Dark Blade had never dared to turn against the elves. Not to mention, the Dark Blade was no longer as powerful as they used to be now.
After successfully negotiating with Cheyenne, Elder Randy approached Lin Li, and anxiously said, “Mage Felic, we have already discussed with Mage Cheyenne, who’s willing to give up his part of the owners.h.i.+p of the crystal ball. Mage Felic, what’s your stand?”
Of course Elder Randy had to be anxious. Back then, Lin Li gave the poisoned elves some antidote and Elder Randy promised him plenty of conditions in exchange for his help. He even gave away the treasured Star Scar Robe of the Queldana Family to Lin Li. G.o.d knew how much advantage the human mag Lin Li had taken. Even Princess Elune and the two other elves were feeling equally nervous, and were all prepared to hear Lin Li demand for a hefty compensation sum.
Lin Li gently stroked the surface of the crystal ball with his fingers, and smilingly said, “Elder Randy, you’re being too polite. Although this crystal ball is also very important for the Tower of Dusk, all of us experienced so many difficulties together. It won’t be wrong to say that we’re now friends. If I don’t ask for anything in return, you’ll definitely feel bad about it. Haven’t we talked about buying herbs before? Why don’t you reduce the price that we have agreed on previously by another 10%?”
“W-what?” Elder Randy couldn’t believe his ears at all. Was this the request made by that greedy and insatiable human being?
Although Elder Randy was convinced with Lin Li’s power and abilities, he had never carried much hope for Lin Li’s character. Besides, it was also precisely because of Lin Li’s extraordinary strength that Elder Randy was ready to burn a hole in his pocket.
However, Elder Randy did not expect Lin Li to merely ask for a 10% reduction in the price of herbs sold to him, for it was nothing too major to the elves. It seemed that Lin Li had merely asked for the robe because he wanted to punish them for being arrogant. Elder Randy suddenly felt that Lin Li was actually a nice person.