Chapter 754: The Self-conscious Soul Trader
Those who often plotted against others would naturally be afraid of being plotted against. Connoris would never be so presumptuous as to think that someone would selflessly spare a thought for others. Those who seemed to be considerate would have to be guarded against carefully. Interests were the only thing that could be trusted, and a relations.h.i.+p built on interests was the most fair and reliable.
Although Connoris did not understand Lin Li thoroughly after interacting with him during this period of time, he found Lin Li’s personality to be similar to his. Lin Li was also similar to him before he got put in a situation where he felt threatened.
For the sake of obtaining a truly immortal body, Osric made himself gain incredible power, but that was just one aspect. The greater advantage lay in the infinite potential possessed by his G.o.dly body. Given Lin Li’s character, how could he let such a powerful force be out of his control? Connoris knew very well that even if Lin Li wasn’t worried about it being disadvantageous to him, he wouldn’t give up gaining enough benefits from this body.
Hence, Connoris dared not take the risk at all. As soon as he fused into this body, he immediately took the initiative to sign the contract. Although he would lose some of his freedom, it was the safest option for him. Otherwise, if Lin Li were to be forced into a corner, there would be damage done to both parties, and he would definitely be in a terrible plight.
“Haha, you’re reading too much into things.” Upon hearing Connoris’ words, Lin Li blushed a little, which was rare of him. He turned his head to look around and immediately changed the subject. “Let’s not talk about those things for now. Hurry and help me release my things. If we drag on any longer, we won’t be able to find it.”
Lin Li didn’t admit or deny it. Instead, he simply made Connoris release his four pieces of the debris of the stars and managed to switch the topic vaguely. Of course, he was indeed eager to get his debris of the stars back. Although he could still feel their aura, he had no idea when a Nether Storm would occur, and the loss of any piece of the debris of the stars would be a huge heartache for him.
Andoine and the rest were listening to the conversation between Lin Li and Connoris, and none of them felt that Lin Li was doing something wrong. There was nothing wrong with a better safe than sorry att.i.tude, and that only showed that Lin Li was being careful. However, Rosen secretly found Lin Li to be scheming, and began to feel even more fearful of him.
Connoris waved the Void Spear that he had been holding tightly in his hand, and created a s.p.a.ce crack before Lin Li’s body based on his memory. Although the power was not as great as when Osric used it previously, it was enough for the debris of the stars to pa.s.s through.
Under Lin Li’s summoning, the four pieces of the debris of the stars that had been caught in the chaos of time and s.p.a.ce flew out of the crack in s.p.a.ce. Lin Li finally felt relieved after recovering the four pieces of the debris of the stars. He then reached out to Connoris.
Connoris stared at the Void Spear in his hand. Although he was quite reluctant to give it away after seeing how powerful it was when Osric used it, he knew that Lin Li had to get his hands on that item; hence, he had no choice but to obediently hand it over to Lin Li.
Watching Lin Li take the weapon from Osric’s body, Rosen felt extremely indignant, but he dared not say anything to target Lin Li at this moment. Not to mention, he was now seriously injured, and he probably wouldn’t be able to get the soul in Osric’s body even during his heyday, and would just end up humiliating himself.
However, the crystal coffin was the Supreme Council’s goal this time, and he definitely couldn’t let Lin Li take it! Rosen tried his best to move his body upwards, after which he quickly walked to the front of the crystal coffin. He turned behind, and proudly said to Lin Li, “The Supreme Council has ordered me to bring this crystal coffin back. No one is allowed to look at, inspect, or steal the items inside it.”
However, Lin Li simply shrugged his shoulders, turned his head, and said to Andoine and the rest, “This concludes this expedition. Let’s find our way back.” He then turned around and brought Andoine and the rest away, seemingly completely uninterested in the crystal coffin and its contents. He then left Rosen and the crystal coffin alone.
“Felic, how do we go back? We can’t possibly kill our way through all 72 layers of the abyss,” Macklin said as he looked around the abyss. The fierce battle had already ruined everything, and there seemed to be no way out at all.
“We’ll go back where we came from. There should be Gates of the Abyss there. As long as it is reopened, we can go back to the minaret,” Lin Li explained without feeling worried at all.
Soon, at the place where everyone first appeared in this abyss, Lin Li found the Alchemy Array of the Gates of the Abyss and reactivated it. With Lin Li’s current abilities, it was effortless for him. Not to mention, he still had the Alchemy Guru Angelano by his side. Even the reconstruction of the Gates of the Abyss would not be an issue.
After pa.s.sing through the Gates of the Abyss, they really returned to the minaret, and all they had to do next was to make their way back. They left the minaret, pa.s.sed through the palace, and returned to the endless cemetery through a long pa.s.sageway, all the way until they reached the wall that was equipped with Magical Crystal Cannons. Although most of the Magical Crystal Cannons had been destroyed, there were still some intact ones further in. Lin Li did not stand on ceremony, and immediately got Angelano to control the Alchemy Colossus to dismantle and remove 10-odd Magical Crystal Cannons, which he then placed in his Ring of Endless Storm.
The team then headed to the field outside, where the huge black vortex rotated continuously in the sky above. Lin Li ignored the Elemental Wyrm Xiao Hua, and immediately placed the remaining 12 Death Knights inside Dream Garden. He then flew towards the black vortex together with Andoine and the rest.
Angelano first took some parts out of the Alchemy Colossus, and quickly pieced them together to form a flying alchemy machine. He then murmured some words, and a large Six-pointed Star Array slowly opened up at the feet of the Alchemy Colossus. The luminescence of the Six-pointed Star Array became more and more intense until it overwhelmed and engulfed the entire Alchemy Colossus. When the Six-pointed Star Array disappeared, the hill-like t.i.tan-level Alchemy Colossus also vanished.
Although Angelano did not have the ability to use magic, since he was a goblin, he was a strong Alchemist Guru who could use the Alchemy Array to create a s.p.a.ce for storing his t.i.tan-level Alchemy Colossus.
“Hmph, once I keep it in my s.p.a.ce, it would be hard for him to take it from me again,” Angelano muttered as he jumped onto the flying alchemy machine while watching Lin Li and the rest who were gradually approaching the black vortex in the sky. Of course, he had no idea if he would be able to survive the torturous treatment inflicted on him by the demon Lin Li. At the thought of this, he suddenly felt incredibly dejected. He secretly decided to run as far away from Lin Li as he could.
After pa.s.sing through the huge black vortex, everyone finally returned to the ground in the familiar Shadowglen. The three Undead Lords who’d opened the Immortal Door had already gone missing, while the Sky Tower of the Supreme Council was continuously emitting mana waves in the sky. However, as everyone appeared, the mana continuously became more restrained.
“Master Felic, if there’s nothing wrong, may I leave?” Angelano asked while maneuvering the small makes.h.i.+ft alchemy aircraft and staring at Lin Li with anxiety. He just wanted Lin Li to agree so that he could flee as quick as possible.
“Leave?” Lin Li asked again, causing Angelano’s face to turn pale immediately. However, what he said next made Angelano’s horror turn into joy. “Didn’t you want that magical crystal?”
“I do, if you’re willing to give it to me, I’ll definitely take it!” Angelano exclaimed in joy as he nodded profusely.
“I’ll definitely stick to my promises. Take it,” Lin Li said as he took out Balak’s magical crystal and handed it to Angelano who had a look of disbelief.
Angelano extended his hand. Just as he was about to grab the magical crystal, he suddenly retracted his hand again with a look of dismay, and said, “Master Felic, can you first take out the Fire Demon, otherwise…”
When Angelo manipulated the t.i.tan-level Alchemy Colossus, he had incredible combat power that was close to the Sanctuary-realm. However, due to his body’s quality, he was weaker than an ordinary human, yet the Fire Demon King was a powerhouse who was near the Sanctuary-realm, and was extremely powerful as well. Even though the Fire Demon King could not fight Lin Li at all, it was a piece of cake for him to kill an insignificant Goblin.
“Oh, I haven’t considered it enough. It’s not impossible to let the Fire Demon out, but this process is still quite difficult. Why don’t you wait for this whole thing to be over and come back with me? I’ll think of a solution. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely fulfill what I promised. I’ll give you the magical crystal even if it’s difficult,” Lin Li said with a look of dismay as if he were facing a tough issue that was harder than the battle with Osric.
Angelano looked extremely conflicted, and was stuck in a huge dilemma. When he finally saw the magical crystal in Lin Li’s hands, he swallowed his saliva, and said in a shaky voice, “Okay, fine, you definitely won’t lie to me. I know…”
“Okay, go with me to meet the arbitrator of the Supreme Council. After we’re done with everything here, I’ll bring you home.” Lin Li then turned to follow Andoine and the rest to the Sky Castle. However, the look of dismay on his face vanished, and was replaced with a smug smile.
Angelano was a true-blue Alchemy Guru. Lin Li admitted that there was no way he could compare to this Goblin in terms of alchemy. Moreover, the knowledge of alchemy in his head was complete and faultless because he had learned it from the Goblins of that era. According to the current division of levels, Angelano would probably be considered a Divine Smith.
The knowledge of Alchemy Arrays, Alchemy Puppets, and Osric’s mysterious alchemy research was all in Angelano’s head. As long as Angelano was duped into going to the Tower of Dusk, Lin Li would get to know everything there was to know about alchemy. Besides, Angelano was extremely old, and had experienced almost the entire Dark Age. Hence, he definitely knew a lot of the secrets of the Dark Age and the location of some mysterious treasures. That would be immeasurable wealth for Lin Li.
How could Lin Li possibly let go of such a rare master of Alchemy who had incredible abilities in creating the Alchemy Colossus? Lin Li was just lying to him when he said that he couldn’t take the Fire Demon King out of Balak’s magical crystal. He was just trying to lure him back to the Tower of Dusk. The Fire Demon King had signed a harsh Soul Contract with Lin Li, and as long as Lin Li gave his commands, the Fire Demon King would have to leave the magical crystal obediently.
Angelano naturally didn’t know that he had become a fish caught on Lin Li’s hook. With joy written all over his face, he followed closely behind Lin Li. He seemed to have changed his impression of him as he thought, This human demon may be a bit cruel, but he is a man of his word. We haven’t even signed a contract, yet he’s already promised to give me such a precious magical crystal!
Hearing Lin Li’s words, Andoine and the rest tried their best not to burst into laughter while feeling sympathetic towards the Goblin Angelano.
Everyone entered the Sky Tower to see that the arbitrator Megard was waiting quietly in the hall with a faint smile on his face. He even looked at Lin Li with a tinge of admiration, making Rosen feel incredibly jealous.
After they took their respective seats, Rosen, the leader of the operation, told the arbitrator Megard about everything that they had encountered in the mausoleum. Out of fear for Lin Li, Andoine, and Aldwin, he dared not add fuel to the fire or talk bad about Lin Li. Instead, he described everything without emotion, and finally handed the damaged summoning staff to Megard.
“Okay.” Megard nodded slightly, and motioned for Rosen to return to his seat without making comments. Instead, he looked at the crowd, and slowly said, “I think you must be curious why the Supreme Council values the crystal coffin so greatly, and why I let those three Undead Lords off.”
Even Rosen had no idea what the Supreme Council wanted the crystal coffin for, and merely knew that it was the main agenda of the trip this time.