Chapter 452 - Explosion (2/2)

The thought of that possibility created cold sweat on Hutton’s forehead. That force… is too scary…

The ability to let his enemies turn against themselves made him more demon than demons…

“What are you waiting for? Quick, use your magical equipment now.”

“O-oh!” Lin Li’s voice ascertained Hutton’s suspicion.

However, Hutton did not dare to ask more. Sometimes, it wouldn’t be good to know too many secrets. His curiosity about President Felic’s secrets might make him a suspicious person…

It would be good to maintain their present relations.h.i.+p. It had improved greatly as compared to before. Although they were not close, Hutton had the confidence that he would be able to let the Malfa Family form an alliance with this powerful man.

With that in mind, Hutton transferred some mana into his bangle. It called up the Blue s.h.i.+eld which covered the three men securely.

Immediately after the earth-trembling sound, the mountains and ground started to tremble. A mushroom cloud that created infinite heat waves shot up to the sky. Hutton could feel the warmth through the Blue s.h.i.+eld.

The aftermath of the explosion lingered for a while. When the three men opened their eyes again, the forest had already been changed beyond recognition. There wasn’t one intact leaf within 100 meters. Even the ground beneath their feet appeared as though it had its top layer ripped off. The soil and ashes that flew in the air that was mixed with the thick and heavy smoke seemed like gray clouds.

“That’s too scary…” Hutton muttered in a shaky voice. The fear on his face was not one that could be concealed. If he did not have the protection from the family’s bangle, a tiny bit of repercussion from the explosion was sufficient to turn him into smashed bones.

Even though the bangle was a hand-me-down, Hutton could not help but smile bitterly as he glanced at his right wrist, where was the bangle that had been pa.s.sed down for four generations. The Crescent Bangle was supposed to defend the wearer against critical blows on the Legendary-level, yet it was damaged by that one explosion…

“What a pity…” Hutton slowly removed his bangle. However, his expression did not match his words. As the first heir of the Malfa Family, he knew something better than common mages: life was everything. Any powerful magical equipment would be an idle talk if lives had been lost.

“It is really a pity…” Lin Li agreed. He knew very clearly how the ma.s.sive explosion earlier on was made up of five Azteks that were above level-18. It was a force that could destroy everything. The combined force of the Lich at the Scar of Death and the Humerus Wyrm would not have been able to rival it. Although Hutton’s bangle only protected them from the aftermath of the explosion, it was already considered good magical equipment.

“As long as we’re alive, we can always create more magical equipment,” replied Hutton. There was a hint of sadness underlying his smile.

“Why not…?” said Lin Li after a moment of hesitation. “Pa.s.s me the bangle for the time being, and I’ll think of a way to fix it when I’m back at the Tower of Dusk.”

“Really?” asked Hutton in surprise.

If it had been before, Hutton would not have believed his ears. The Crescent Bangle had been pa.s.sed down for four generations, and was definitely one of the Malfa Family’s top five magical equipment. Unless absolutely necessary, the bangle would always be locked in the family’s treasury for safekeeping.

Once such magical equipment got damaged, it would be nearly impossible to fix it. Not to mention the young mage of the age 20 before them, even if it were the renowned Gilded Rose that monopolized the alchemy¹ industry, it would not have the ability to repair the damaged bangle.

However, Hutton did not dare to doubt Lin Li now…

He had witnessed the extraordinary talents of President Felic ever since he met him in the Blackstone Mountains. Sometimes, Hutton suspected that there should be nothing in this world that could challenge this man.

If he said that the Crescent Bangle had a chance to be fixed, Hutton’s hope shot up from zero. He could not help but believe in that slight possibility.

“I can try, but you can’t blame me if it fails, alright?” Lin Li replied with a humble smile.

To be honest, it would not be difficult for Lin Li to repair such a bangle. He was a man who would be able to reproduce all the legendary magical equipment of Anril if he needed to. His offer to repair the bangle for Hutton was merely out of grat.i.tude for his efforts in defending from that explosion.

The Maze Mageweath Array could ensure the Azteks turned against one another, but it would not ensure Lin Li’s safety. It was in his plans to use the Elemental s.h.i.+eld to protect himself while he distorted his mental strength to escape from the exploding forest at top speed when the Azteks started to fight their own kind.

However, Lin Li knew that he would never escape unharmed. After all, the impact created from the explosion of several Azteks that were above level-18 would be terrifying. If he had not reached the Legendary-realm, he would not have the ability to resist such a force.

Hutton’s Crescent Bangle saved them.

The blue projection let Lin Li amend his plans immediately. The process was smooth-sailing as well. It not only eliminated the 10 Azteks, but also ensured that he remained unharmed within the sphere of protection. Apart from the Maze Mageweath Array, Hutton’s Crescent Bangle played a significant role. He would return him that favor if he could repair the bangle for him.

Hutton was not aware of Lin Li’s thoughts. He only knew that since President Felic said it himself, it meant that the Crescent Bangle could really be repaired.

“Could a person like you be able to repair the Crescent Bangle?” That was Stephen, who interrupted before Hutton could express his grat.i.tude to Lin Li. His words were as straightforward as expected. “Don’t think that I don’t know what’s on your mind. You must be planning on stealing the Crescent Bangle from Hutton. Although the Crescent Bangle is damaged now, the mana left in it is sufficient to make it good magical equipment that can defend against level-11 spells. These types of magical equipment would be worth a million gold coins. How is it, Mage Felic? Am I right?”

“Is it worth that much money…?” Lin Li muttered as he rubbed his nose, and stopped paying attention to Stephen. Lin Li knew that the more attention he gave to people like Stephen, the stronger they would be yapping away at him. The best way was not to give him any attention, unless he meant to smack Stephen to death with a rod to prevent future trouble.

After all, Lin Li was really busy now…

Although the Azteks had been killed by the explosion, their corpses were still in the forest. Those were valuable treasures to Lin Li. The body of an Aztek contained extremely powerful fire elements. Its red wings were especially good ingredients for magic armors. Once such a magic armor had been created, it could be used to firm up a Flame s.h.i.+eld. Then, its magic defense would be as strong as an Archmage’s!

The horns on the head of the Aztek could be used to enable weapons to have the ability to damage any type of magical weapon and magic s.h.i.+elds. That would be injurious to enemies that were close to level-20.

It was rare to see Azteks that were above level-18. Even if he were to see them on normal days, he might not have the chance to get their corpses. Now that 10 dead Azteks were in front of him, how could Lin Li miss such a valuable opportunity? Lin Li busied himself with the collection of the Azteks’ wings and horns, and paid no attention to Stephen.

Unfortunately, Lin Li did not expect Stephen to be so absurd today. Although he did not show his interests in Stephen, that dude did not have the intention to let him off.

“Stop there!” That was Stephen when Lin Li was walking around to find the bodies of the Azteks. “Stop feigning ignorance. Mage Felic, isn’t it time to tell us the truth? What is your motive in luring us into this forest?”

“Stephen…” Hutton called Stephen uneasily. Stephen’s words were not to be trivialized. He was outright accusing Felic of plotting against everyone. If he wasn’t careful, he could damage his relations.h.i.+p with Felic, and when they started to turn against each other and be injured in the process, it would be even harder for the three of them to locate the palace Tutankhamun was talking about…

“Hutton, I’m not trying to lecture you, but you should have your limits as a nice person. Didn’t you see that fella hiding above after he lured us into the forest? If not for our good luck in the group of Azteks turn against one another, we would have been killed in that explosion,” Stephen said as he fixed his deadly glare onto Lin Li. It was filled with anger and injustice. “Also, the compet.i.tion for Geresco’s relics was supposed to be between me and Hutton, who are the real descendants of Geresco’s disciples. What are you to compete with us?”

“Stephen, this is Tutankhamun’s idea!” Hutton replied anxiously after seeing Stephen getting out of hand. He could not help but speak with a higher pitch.

Unfortunately, Stephen did not pay attention to Hutton. His glare did not move away from Lin Li. “Don’t be so c.o.c.ky just because you have the support of the Supreme Council. I’m not bragging, but let me tell you that the Supreme Council is really nothing in the Breezy Plains. Offending us Dark Blade only mean death. Do you know that the Darkness Shrine is behind the Dark Blade? Do you think that the Supreme Council would want to offend the Darkness Shrine just because of you? Quit being naïve. Why don’t you be more tactful and leave this compet.i.tion? Or else, you would not be the only one going to regret all this. Your so-called Guild of Magic would be implicated and buried with you when the time comes!”

“Have you finished talking?” Lin Li asked smilingly. He had been listening to Stephen silently as the latter had nagged. Only when Stephen took a pause did he ask that question.

“What?” Stephen said as he recalled the experience he had in the wooden house. The sight of that smile caused him to lose all of his words. He took a step back subconsciously. “I’ve finished my piece. What do you want?” Stephen added on unnaturally.

“Shut up when you are done…”