Chapter 737: The Mage’s Hand
Everyone followed Aldwin’s gaze and saw a palm-sized badge that was in the shape of a shield on top of a crystal rack in the room. The badge seemed to be carved out of a sky-blue-colored crystal, with delicate patterns that were emitting psychedelic rays of light. The badge also seemed to be giving out faint magical waves which seemed to contain some orderly nomological power, although it was not an extraordinary magic item.
Andoine shook his head and smiled at Lin Li. “I finally got to see something real, yet it’s something that I can’t use. However, I heard that the mages of the Tower of Dusk have been taught well by you, rascal. This thing can help you to increase the combat power of the mages by a few percent.”
The magical wave was not very eye-catching, and seemed to only represent a badge of honor, which would directly improve the strength of the mages. It did sound a little exaggerated, but just like the old fogies, Lin Li knew that Andoine was not exaggerating at all, and was instead making a conservative claim.
The commander’s badge was said to be the symbol of the commander of the Magic Legion under Osric, but it was not just a symbol. Instead, it was a magical crystal that contained pure mental strength, and its value was probably not inferior to that of the Evil Eye Tyrant magical crystal that Lin Li had. The Master-level miniature carving technique of this powerful crystallized piece perfectly integrated the Master-level orderly mageweath into the crystal piece, creating a huge and detailed network of mental strength.
After wearing the Commander’s Badge, the commander of the mages could connect all of the mages under him into the network of mental strength. Not only did it allow the wearer to command them well, it would also greatly reduce the difficulty of joint casting by at least half while amplifying the mental strength of the mages in the network.
For mages, mental strength was even more important than mana—not only was it related to the recovery of mana, it was also linked to the manipulation of mana, success rate of casting spells, and so on. A level-18 to level-19 Archmage would be able to exert Legendary-level power with the expansion of mental strength due to the Commander’s Badge. A group of Archmages could even increase their combat power two- or threefold.
For the invincible Magic Legion owned by Osric, powerful mages and excellent magical equipment were certainly important for the Magic Legion to maintain their strength. However, what made them truly invincible and unbeatable was Aldwin’s finding: the Commander’s Badge. If Aldwin had had the Commander’s Badge in the battle with the Fire Demon King, the difficulty and danger of the battle would have probably been directly reduced by half. It would not have been impossible for the mages to go against the Fire Demon King effortlessly[1].
Upon hearing Andoine’s words, Lin Li didn’t say anything, but Aldwin immediately turned around and blushed slightly while staring at Lin Li anxiously. For those present, the Commander’s Badge might not be extremely precious, but the Presidents Aldwin and Lin Li were the only ones who could use it. Aldwin had just obtained the magical crystal from the Fire Demon King, and if Lin Li really wanted it, there would be no reason for Aldwin to object to it.
Lin Li touched his chin with a smile, and said, “We don’t know what we will encounter next. Since the Commander’s Badge can enhance the combat power of the mages, I think it’d be better for us to give it to President Aldwin.”
As soon as Lin Li spoke, Andoine, Aldwin, and even Rosen were incredibly shocked. Although the Commander’s Badge would not allow them to advance tremendously or allow a team of mages with no experience in cooperating to immediately become a real team of mages, the Commander’s Badge would allow the team’s combat power to increase quickly with the help of the mental strength network as long as the mages were slightly trained. Not to mention, the Tower of Dusk was a very famous force in the Breezy Plains.
Lin Li did not hesitate to suggest giving the Commander’s Badge to Aldwin, precisely because he knew how strong the Commander’s Badge was. However, Aldwin was a bit embarrassed to ask for it. Aldwin wanted to decline, but he would glance at the tempting Commander’s Badge every now and then, finding it hard to bring himself to turn it down.
“President Aldwin, although the mages under Felic do need the Commander’s Badge too, it is the most appropriate for you to have it given the current situation. We are getting closer to Osric’s burial place, and it is bound to get increasingly dangerous. The Commander’s Badge can improve the combat power of the mages, which is also very helpful for us during this trip,” said Rosen, who finally agreed with Lin Li. However, it was mostly because he didn’t want Lin Li’s Tower of Dusk to improve and increase in strength because of the Commander’s Badge. Moreover, he also felt that Lin Li was probably just giving up the badge now to look good, and would still claim it once Aldwin declined; hence, he wanted to persuade Aldwin to take the badge so that Lin Li would suffer a loss.
Andoine glowered at Rosen, and remained silent instead of refuting, though he was a little displeased. It was because even though he rarely interacted with Lin Li, he knew that his student Lin Li would never shortchange himself.
Seeing that Lin Li seemed to be earnest about giving the badge away, Aldwin said a few polite words and strode towards the crystal rack to grab the Commander’s Badge that he had been coveting without hesitation.
“Wait!” Just as Aldwin was about to grab the Commander’s Badge, Lin Li suddenly stopped him by calling out. Staring at the Commander’s Badge, he slowly took two steps forward.
Upon hearing Lin Li, Rosen sneered, and mocked, “Why? Mage Felic, are you regretting your decision? Sometimes, you have to see whom you’re playing tricks with.”
Back when they were dealing with the silver-armored knights, Rosen exerted the influence that he secretly had in the Alanna Guild of Magic in order to assert dominance and prove his authority. Hence, that resulted in a crack in his relationship with Aldwin, which was difficult to repair. Originally, Rosen didn’t care much, thinking that with his own strength and that of the mages he controlled, he could cope with the dangers that followed. However, he didn’t expect to see the traps in the abyss kill off all of his companions.
In the subsequent tasks, Rosen clearly saw that Aldwin and Lin Li were getting closer to each other, and the magical crystal of the Fire Demon King also made them form closer ties. That was not what he wanted to see. Even though there was a strain in their relationship, he could not allow Aldwin to gang up with Lin Li. Otherwise, he would be truly isolated in the following parts of the mission.
Although Rosen’s provocation made Andoine want to curse his heart out in anger, neither Aldwin nor Lin Li reacted. Aldwin turned back and looked at Lin Li, who smiled and said, “The Commander’s Badge is not here. As long as your hand touches it, it will disappear immediately. I’m afraid it will be difficult to find it again.”
“What! This is fake?” Aldwin was greatly taken aback as he turned to look at the Commander’s Badge again. However, no matter how hard he tried to use his mental strength to sense it, he felt that the item was physically there, and the nomological power did not seem to be fake, either.
“Hah, the Commander’s Badge is clearly right there, and its waves are definitely real. Your lie is not clever at all.” After confirming the existence of the Commander’s Badge, Rosen immediately continued to sow discord between the two of them. He felt that it would be a waste if he were to let go of the opportunity.
“It’s not wrong to be clueless, but it’s really disgusting if you act like you know it all when you’re just plain ignorant,” Lin Li gibed while pointing to a few unassuming objects on the crystal rack. He said, “There is a solidified magic that seems to be a shrinking Orderly Maze. If you don’t take the Commander’s Badge in a correct manner, it will be sent to another place. Although you can’t see where it is sent, I believe Osric will not let it fall into the hands of the intruders.”
When Lin Li and Cheyenne explored the Sky Castle previously, the powerful Sanctuary-level Orderly Maze was what sent them straight to the Seven-Realm Spiral. Originally, the Orderly Maze was difficult to notice, and it would not emit even a trace of special magical wave. However, Lin Li obtained some information from the magical crystal that controlled the Sky Castle. After he left the Sky Castle, he carefully analyzed the characteristics of the Orderly Maze, and gained some experience with it, at least in terms of identification.
Moreover, Lin Li could detect the aura of Nothingness around the Commander’s Badge. If the reduced Orderly Maze was activated, the Commander’s Badge might be sent directly into the chaos of time and space. Although the Commander’s Badge was extremely precious, it was very fragile because it was made of the crystallization of mental strength. Hence, it would probably be smashed and crushed instantly in the chaos of time and space.
“How alarming. Even a Sanctuary Master would find it difficult to deploy the Orderly Maze, let alone shrink and solidify it,” said Rosen, who clearly did not believe Lin Li. Although he had yet to see the real Orderly Maze, there were plenty of records about it in the Supreme Council. At the end of the Dark Age, an arbitrator of the Supreme Council had once entered the High Elven Queen’s palace together with Geresco. In that palace, there was the same Orderly Maze as in the Central Tower of the Sky Castle; hence, he was clear about the difficulty of exhibiting this at the Sanctuary-realm and solidifying it.
“Do you want to make a bet? If the Commander’s Badge disappears, you must use that staff that summoned the wyrms as a form of compensation to the Alanna Guild of Magic.” Lin Li shot Rosen a disdainful glance. He did not actually want to taunt him—he just wanted to make him shut up. Although the staff could summon wyrms, it was definitely no less precious than the Commander’s Badge.
“Felic, how are we supposed to take the Commander’s Badge?” Aldwin clearly already believed Lin Li as he eagerly asked about the method of removal of the Commander’s Badge.
Undoing the solidification of Osric was one solution, but it was definitely not applicable here. Regardless of whether or not the solidified state of Orderly Maze would be dissolved, the disappearance of the Orderly Maze would probably open a crack in spacetime and cause the Commander’s Badge to be devoured by it. The only thing they needed to know now was the way to put it in. However, it was simpler said than done, and God knew how he could retrieve the Commander’s Badge.
Lin Li glanced at the crowd and his eyes suddenly lit up. The goblin Angelano was the first to follow Osric, and Lin Li reckoned that he might know something. Hence, he said to the Goblin, “Angelano, you and Amatir seemed to be rather close. He used to be the commander of the Magic Legion too. He must have used the Commander’s Badge. Have you ever seen how the badge is removed?”
Although Lin Li was inquiring with a look of excitement, Angelano could not help but feel a cold chill down his spine. The scene of Lin Li previously torturing the Fire Demon King immediately appeared in his mind. The alchemy machine began rattling and clanking again.
“W-what?” Angelano asked while trembling.
“Are you feeling cold?” Lin Li looked at Angelano with a peculiar expression, bewildered, and continued, “I’m asking you if you still remember how Amatir took out the Commander’s Badge. Or are there any rules that Osric likes to set in the Orderly Maze?”
“Yes, yes, the Hand Of the Mage. It’s the lowest-level Hand of The Mage.” Angelano didn’t dare to hesitate for a moment. While talking, he cringed again; it seemed that he wouldn’t overcome the psychological trauma anytime soon.
In the Orderly Maze, nothing would be affected as long as the rules of the maze were followed. However, if any was violated, the person responsible would be immediately punished by the rules. Who would think of using the Hand of The Mage to pick up something from the rack? Besides, the Commander’s Badge was extremely weak and fragile. Even a Legendary powerhouse would worry about dropping it on the ground.
Of course, they weren’t in the Eternal Furnace, which was definitely not the same as the former place of the Highlord Osric. However, with the hint, Lin Li nodded at Aldwin and carefully studied the Laws of the Orderly Maze with his understanding of the maze, after which he affirmed Angelano’s words with a nod.
Aldwin didn’t even chant magic spells. Instead, he took two steps backwards, and immediately launched the lowest-level Hand of The Mage. As expected, he managed to grab it easily. After getting the badge successfully, he broke out in a cold sweat. The magic spell’s burden was nothing, but the psychological pressure was too overwhelming. Had he not known that the Commander’s Badge was precious, he wouldn’t have felt as distressed. If they were to watch the precious gem disappearing after getting it, they would definitely go mad.
Later, Lin Li tossed a piece of metal and watched as it flashed out of existence. Aldwin and the rest were filled with fear, but at the same time, they were also more convinced with Lin Li. Rosen was the only one who turned pale and turned around to leave the room while Lin Li stared at him provocatively.
[1] I think the author means keeping up in battle effortlessly, and not winning.