Chapter 903: Invitation From The Supreme Council
Although Chris’ voice wasn’t very loud, it sounded like thunder to the people at the back. All of a sudden, they couldn’t hear anything else, and they did not even know what Lin Li answered.
That was outrageous. Back in the Great Gargas Canyon, the Iceblast Wyrm had already given Lin Li a horned flute which it claimed could summon it to help Lin Li fight once. Next, Lin Li and the Ashen Warlock reached some understanding that was unknown to all of them. Even though the Ashen Warlock didn’t explicitly side with the Tower of Dusk, he was definitely biased towards them.
Now, Chris the arbitrator of the Supreme Council was at the peak of the Sanctuary-realm, yet he actually expressed his willingness to be the backer of the Tower of Dusk. That way, no one in the Breezy Plains or Anril would dare to covet the Tower of Dusk’s stuff!
How could they not be envious!?
Hoffman and Cheyenne, who had long cooperated with the Tower of Dusk, were definitely envious of Lin Li for gaining a huge backer like Chris for the Tower of Dusk. However, they were much more confident about their future cooperation. In the past, various forces of the Breezy Plains joined forces to attack the Tower of Dusk. However, no one had the courage to do so now. Given their relations.h.i.+p with the Tower of Dusk, they would definitely reap great benefits as long as the Tower of Dusk stood strong.
On the other hand, Joseph, Claus, and the others who’d targeted the Tower of Dusk were feeling anxious even though they had already gotten Lin Li’s forgiveness. They were afraid that Lin Li would casually tell Chris about what had happened in the beginning. After seeing their att.i.tudes, even a fool would know how much the arbitrator Chris valued the young President of the Tower of Dusk. If the arbitrator were to hear about what happened in the past and got infuriated, he would be able to destroy them, a so-called top force, with the flick of a finger.
Everyone arrived in the Tower of Dusk and returned to their respective seats. Lin Li introduced Chris to the leaders of the various forces, but Chris didn’t seem to be too interested. Although Chris had an elegant and refined bearing when he spoke to the crowd, everyone knew how to behave, and simply said a few words to him before leaving.
After everyone left, Lin Li asked Chris about the purpose of his visit. He was actually a bit confused. Chris’ appearance was indeed a little sudden, and it seemed like his agenda was not just to see him, a newly advanced Sanctuary-mage who had come from Jarrosus.
“What you have achieved in the Breezy Plains over the past few years is evident to all. The huge development of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic is also a huge contribution to the Supreme Council. Besides, you have also stepped into the Sanctuary-realm. Therefore, after a review and discussion in the Supreme Council, we’ve decided to take you in as a member of the Supreme Council.” Chris simply revealed his purpose of visit.
“A member of the Supreme Council? Is that a little too early, given my current age?” Although the Tower of Dusk now had a strong position in the Breezy Plains, and Lin Li had already entered the Sanctuary-realm, he was still young. Simply put, it was a matter of seniority, and that was something he could only gain with time.
The Supreme Council was not just a generic force, but an organization that was above all other forces and even the royal family. It was at the pinnacle of power in that world, and only the Brilliance Shrine could compare to it. To a certain extent, the decisions made by the Supreme Council could even affect the fate of the entire Anril.
In the Supreme Council, the three arbitrators who held the highest authority had the power to affirm and negate all decisions. However, they did not directly partic.i.p.ate in the management of the Supreme Council, and their subordinates would only hand over major matters to them for the final decision.
There were 100-odd members who const.i.tuted the management committee of the Supreme Council, all of whom were top-notch mages of Anril. They basically possessed Legendary-level abilities, and they were the ones who made most of the decisions for the Supreme Council.
The so-called 10 leaders of the Supreme Council were in fact inclusive of the chairman and vice-chairman. The 10 members of the board had greater authority than ordinary members. The current chairman of the Supreme Council was none other than Lin Li’s master, Andoine. The deputy chairman was Master Rosen, who didn’t get along that well with Lin Li during the exploration of Osric’s mausoleum.
That might be the real source of the conflict between Andoine and Rosen rather than the compet.i.tion for the position of the arbitrator. After all, even if there was really one less arbitrator, they would not have the right to take on that position given their abilities.
Upon hearing Lin Li’s words, Chris shook his hand, and nonchalantly said, “I know what you’re worried about. In fact, I’m too embarra.s.sed to offer you a place in the Supreme Council. Given your current abilities, you’re definitely qualified to be a leader too. However, your age is indeed an issue. Hence, I reluctantly agreed to let you be a councilor for the time being.”
“No, it’s a great honor for me to become a councilor of the Supreme Council,” Lin Li frantically said politely.
Lin Li didn’t really care about what rights he would enjoy as a councilor. However, having such an ident.i.ty was akin to having the Supreme Council as his backer. Even though the Supreme Council wouldn’t really make a big fuss over a councilor’s affairs, the ident.i.ty of a councilor was still a deterrent in Anril.
The Tower of Dusk indeed had an unshakable position in the Breezy Plains, but what about outside of the Breezy Plains? Anril was vast, and apart from the several kingdoms that had been established by humans, there were also kingdoms established by intelligent races like the Dwarves, Giants, Orcs, and many others.
The Tower of Dusk did enjoy a good reputation in the Breezy Plains, but it might not be the same in other regions outside the Breezy Plains. It was different for the Supreme Council. Even the Ledin Kingdom that believed in the Holy Light doctrine had to treat them with due respect. The other kingdoms established by other intelligent races did not dare to take the Supreme Council lightly, either.
“Ever since Geresco left, the three of us have been in charge of the Supreme Council for almost 1,000 years, and it’s time for there to be some new vitality in the Supreme Council. I hope that you can bring some good changes to the Supreme Council,” Chris said while looking at Lin Li with admiration and some hope in his gaze.
There seemed to be some meaning in Chris’ words, but Lin Li did not think too much of it. Instead, he curiously asked, “In that case, is there anything that a councilor of the Supreme Council would have to do? Are there any formalities or administrative procedures? I’ll get someone to prepare them.”
Lin Li still remembered when he was inaugurated as the President of the Breezy Plains Guild of Magic in the past. Even though the Tower of Dusk had just been established, the inauguration ceremony of the President was not shabby or slipshod at all. At that time, there were quite a few people who came to celebrate the event, most of whom were big shots. Of course, they gave quite a few gifts too. If he were to become a councilor of the Supreme Council, would they hold a ceremony and give him some gifts too?
Chris seemed to have read Lin Li’s mind. He shook his head, and said, “There’s nothing to prepare. This is an internal matter of the Supreme Council. In 10 days’ time, there will be a regular meeting of the Supreme Council, and you have to attend it as a new councilor. We have made arrangements for everything else.”
Although there was no need to hold a ceremony, and Lin Li would not be receiving any more gifts, he wasn’t too disappointed about it. After all, with his current fortune, there was really nothing else he wanted other than a superior treasure like the Stars of Fury. Besides, others might not be able to afford what he wanted.
“So, where am I supposed to go to attend the meeting in 10 days?” Of course, Lin Li knew that the regular meetings of the Supreme Council would naturally be held at the Supreme Council’s venue. However, the location of the Supreme Council seemed to have always been a secret in the past 1,000 years or so.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take you there when the time comes,” Chris said with a smile. He then looked around curiously, and continued, “Shouldn’t you take me on a tour around your Tower of Dusk now?”
Lin Li naturally would not turn down Chris’ request. He had put in plenty of effort into the construction of the Tower of Dusk, and although it might be a little exaggerated to say that it was like his child, it should be right to say that it was his proudest piece of work. To Lin Li, showing the best piece of work he had done to a mythical figure like Chris was still a relatively rewarding thing.
The Tower of Dusk had grown to the point where there were more than 1,000 mages, and it was naturally impossible to arrange for all of them to live in the tower. Besides, the Tower of Dusk was different from the other Guilds of Magic. They were not built in the same city, and the mages recruited were not only from Doland City, but also from various other regions of the Breezy Plains. It was unlike the Jarrosus Guild of Magic where the Emerald Tower was built right in Jarrosus City and the mages each had their own residence in the city.
Hence, living quarters had been built in the Tower of Dusk, and the closest to the Tower of Dusk was a relatively independent building with two floors and boasting an environment that was rather elegantly decorated, which was specially built for the elite mages.
In the periphery outside the mage’s residences, there was a curved building that was made up of adjoined three-story buildings. There were two rows of such buildings, and in addition to serving as the living s.p.a.ce of the mages, the buildings in the outer radius were similar to city walls and served a defensive purpose. Of course, since it was meant for defense, the materials used to build them were very st.u.r.dy even though they weren’t tall. Besides, there were Magic Arrays around them, as well as a large number of mageweaths. It could be considered a tough defense to break even for Legendary magic spells.
The residence of the elite mages was enough to accommodate more than 200 mages, and although the living conditions of the ordinary mages were slightly inferior, their residences could accommodate 2,000 mages. If the residences were fully occupied, the power of the Tower of Dusk would definitely reach an astonis.h.i.+ng level.
However, as Lin Li entered the Sanctuary-realm and the Tower of Dusk became the Magic Land of the Breezy Plains, there would definitely be mages from all areas who would apply to join them. At that time, they might even have to expand the Tower of Dusk. Of course, it wouldn’t be troublesome, as he just had to add another round of buildings to the outermost periphery.
In fact, Lin Li had taken some inspiration from the Sky Castle when he designed the entire architectural layout of the Tower of Dusk. However, he didn’t have to set up Conquering Mageweaths; hence, it didn’t seem like a maze.
In addition, among the various residential areas, there were several libraries that were specially set up, and they contained magic books of varying depth of content. The mages did not have to deliberately study in the Tower of Dusk. The books contained core magical knowledge, and only the elite mages or the ones who had received permission from the higher-ups would be allowed to enter to study.
The area opposite the residences of the mages was the buildings of the Tower of Dusk’s businesses, and the Forging Workshop took up the largest amount of s.p.a.ce. It was also the residence of the blacksmiths and other talents.
Chris was originally not too interested in the Forging Workshop, since they just housed some blacksmiths who would hammer and forge metals. However, when Lin Li brought him into one of the Forging Workshops, he couldn’t help but get a great shock. It turned out that the Forging Workshop was not filled with blacksmiths, but with alchemical machines with complex structures.
“Was this created by the Goblin Angelano?” Chris had lived for so many years, but it was really the first time he had seen such a sight.
There was a row of hammers on the alchemical machines that were lifted and dropped neatly. After being struck a certain number of times, there would be a mechanical lever replacing the billet with a new one before the striking resumed. The ones that were replaced would be processed separately in bulk.
Goblins were short in stature and lacked mana and power. How could they build such ma.s.sive Alchemy Colossuses? With their power, they probably could not even raise the hammers used by blacksmiths. How did they break the metal into the parts they wanted? They managed to do so by relying on their mastery of the alchemical machines, and used the power of the machinery to accomplish things they couldn’t do themselves.
Lin Li sometimes even wondered if the world would’ve become like the one he was in before he transmigrated if the goblins had not perished, and instead dominated Anril like the High Elves had.
Of course, alchemy machinery was not omnipotent; the machines in the Forging Workshop only provided the preliminary processing of metal, and the true creation of magical weapons would still have to be done by the blacksmiths. The significance of the existence of the alchemy machinery was to provide more secrecy for the techniques, and also to reduce the workload of the blacksmiths to a certain extent.