Chapter 145 (1/2)

Chapter 145: Reaping All Kinds of Rewards!

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Herrera went straight back to the academy after leaving the palace to report on the incident on Jade Street to the dean. Link was only a Magician with no rank or position at the moment, so there was no need for him to hurry anywhere. He took his time staying at an inn in the capital city, waiting for the title deed and declaration letter from the king.

Despite the terrible calamity caused by the Dark Elves recently, the Magician’s Fair still went on as usual. Not only did the size of the crowd at the fair not decrease, there were, in fact, more people now who flocked to this part of the city to visit the site of the disaster.

Seeing that the fair was still going on, Herrera had placed Link’s Matchstick wand and his other magic gear at a magical equipment shop in Jade Street. Link was sure that someone would buy them up soon enough.

Link stayed at the inn and didn’t venture out anywhere at all. He spent all his time in his room working on the Flame Blast bracelet that was meant for the black-dressed lady.

He’d completed the rough sketches for the bracelet in the palace and had spent another day perfecting the details. By early morning of the second day, he was ready to roll up his sleeves start the real work.

He had all the best materials on hand – thorium, gold, and Fire Crystals. Furthermore, no one was there to interfere with his work. Thus, Link was able to devote all his energy to the intricate manipulation of the high-quality materials into complicated structure and patterns. As time went by, Link became more and more engrossed with his work that he began to take pleasure in it. There was nothing else in the world that he would rather be doing at that moment.

The whole process lasted for three whole days, after which Link successfully produced a beautiful Flame Blast bracelet with its main body made of gold and its Mana-conducting lines of thorium. The Fire Crystals were used as the nodes that made up the magic seal on the bracelet.

The bracelet was shaped like a Phoenix that would wrap around the wearer’s wrist with its head connected to its tail. The Phoenix was well known to die in a burst of flames and rise again from its ashes, so it was a becoming design to use in a Flame Blast bracelet. Each of its feathers was delicately rendered by Link’s dexterous skills, and surrounding each feather were lines of thorium while beads of Fire Crystals were placed right in the middle of the feathers. They acted as magic seal nodes, with the biggest Fire Crystal bead making up the eye of the Phoenix. It was truly an immaculate magic gear both in its design and in its function.

The Fire Crystal that was the bird’s eye was different from the rest on the feathers, though. The crystals on the feathers had sharp edges so they would sparkle as light danced on the bracelet’s surface when it moved. The Fire Crystal that was the eye of the Phoenix, on the other hand, had been polished into a smooth teardrop shape that seemed to radiate with mysterious charm – in fact, it was the presence of this eye that had made the Phoenix bracelet look so uncannily life-like.

Viewed simply from the aspect of its appearance, this bracelet was impeccable.

As for the bracelet’s functionality, Link had incorporated two very useful Supreme Magical Techniques modifications in the Flame Blast spell that was stored inside the Phoenix bracelet – resonance and accuracy. He’d also designed a robust pattern for the runic lines so that the spell wouldn’t be misfired or destroyed unless if it was bent and distorted by an external force.

And finally, there was the signature Link had left on the bracelet. Although it was just a gift he still thought leaving his signature on his work was a must because each piece of work successfully produced was a source of pride for the enchantment Magician. And so Link left his signature on the inside of the bracelet where it would be hidden when worn.

Now the bracelet was complete. Link’s heart was filled with pride as he inspected the finished product. He even felt slightly reluctant to give it away to someone else.

He then put away the bracelet and went back to his work table to check the materials that he had left. He discovered that he had an ounce of thorium, 3 ounces of gold and 15 pieces of cut Fire Crystal left.

Naturally, Link kept all these materials for his own use in the future.

This was the time he really understood how much money an enchantment Magician could make. He no longer wondered how Herrera could earn enough profits from her enchantment skills to buy a huge amount of magic materials. Even the leftover materials could be sold for an ample amount of gold coins.

As his work was now done, all that was left was to wait patiently. Link was confident that the black-dressed woman would soon come to meet him, so in the meantime, he stayed in the inn reading his magic books. When he had time to spare, he would take the wooden box given to him by the High Elf prince out and examine it.

The wooden box was lovely and very well-made with some masterful carving done on its surface. Imagine Link’s confusion then, when he opened it and discovered that there was nothing but a thumb-sized white stone inside.

Yes, it really was just an ordinary-looking stone and nothing else. The stone’s only unique feature was probably its somewhat smooth surface, but other than that, Link simply couldn’t see what was special about this rock.

He couldn’t detect a trace of Mana or spot any runic patterns on the stone and there were no jolts of energy fluctuations coming from it at all – to put it simply, the white stone was indistinguishable from any other old rock you could find by the riverbank.

The prince wouldn’t play a joke on me, would he? Link wondered. What was he thinking giving me this white stone?

Link was confounded and couldn’t think of any reason why the prince would bestow him such an odd gift. After scrutinizing it for a while, a notification suddenly appeared on the interface.

White Stone (Indestructible)

Quality: Unknown

Effects: Unknown

(Note: A gift from Prince Philip.)

Well, at least it was true that the stone was indestructible. Link had actually tried to use enchantment techniques to change its properties and appearance, but none of his current tricks had had any effects on the stone. If it hadn’t been for this strange property, Link would definitely have thrown the stone into some corner and leave it there a long time ago.

Could it be made of a material with too high a quality that it is beyond my capabilities to do anything to it? Link wondered. Could something like that exist, though?

After examining it for a while longer Link finally gave up with a long and deep sigh. He then closed the lid of the wooden box and put it back in its place. The was the first time he’d come across such a mystifying object ever since arriving in this world.

A day later, a messenger from the palace finally delivered the declaration letter and title deed from the king. Though these were only meant to be official documents, they were nevertheless of such a high quality that they seemed to be luxurious ornaments. The documents were stamped with the royal seal which had magic properties and were so intricate that they were extremely difficult to forge. Most importantly, these documents plainly stated the king’s declaration that Link was now a Hereditary Baron of the Norton Kingdom whose seat of power was at the Ferde Wilderness.

The title deed had also clearly marked the boundaries at the south-eastern and north-western edge of the Ferde Wilderness, leaving no opportunities for disputes.

One thing worth mentioning was how King Leon seemed to be afraid that the new Baron would be too poor, so he put the coastal seas on the eastern side of the Ferde Wilderness under Link’s ownership as well. Although the sea there was full of jagged reefs and unsuitable to be turned into ports, at least it was teeming with fish and other sea creatures that made some degree of fishing activities possible. Though it was impossible to get rich by relying on this alone, at the very least the new Baron wouldn’t starve to death.

King Leon is indeed a considerate and generous man. Link then continued to examine the official documents with a contented heart when the idea of going back home suddenly popped up in his mind.

This body that his soul inhabited was a younger son of the Viscount Hamilton Morani. He’d left home for more than a year now and had successfully entered a prestigious magic academy and had even been awarded the title of a hereditary Baron. It was time for him to go home.

He wasn’t going back to show off his glorious achievements, of course, but only because he realized that there was still a duty that he must fulfill back home.