Chapter 1292: Transformation
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In a meeting room of the Tower of Dusk, Lin Li met the envoy of the Dwarf Kingdom who had been waiting anxiously for a long time. He was a middle-aged dwarf who had stumpy limbs and a gray beard.
“President Felic, this is Dyason Silverbeard, the envoy of the Dwarf Kingdom and also the clan leader of the Silverbeard Dwarf Clan.” Gavin introduced Dyason, the Dwarf Kingdom’s envoy, to Lin Li after bringing him to the meeting room.
Although the Dwarf Kingdom was a kingdom, it was different from the three kingdoms of the human race, and was made up of individual dwarven clans. The chief of each clan held an important position in the kingdom, and had a certain authority and say in each of their clans.
For example, Odin, the king of the Dwarf Kingdom, was also the chief of the largest dwarven clan, the Thunderbolt Dwarf Clan. Of course, apart from the fact that he was in charge of the largest dwarf clan, one of the important reasons that Odin could become the king of the Dwarf Kingdom was because he had incredible strength at the Sanctuary-realm.
The Silverbeard Dwarf Clan that Dyason was from was also one of the top 10 clans in the Dwarf Kingdom. Hence, Dyason had quite a high position in the Dwarf Kingdom, and he was an important minister who was similar to a chancellor of a human kingdom.
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In fact, at the very beginning, the envoy sent by the Dwarf Kingdom was not Dyason, but another dwarf with a lower status who was also in support of war. After the envoy of the Dwarf Kingdom came to the Tower of Dusk, he once demanded that they return the other half of the blueprint of the Sky-breaker to the Dwarf Kingdom while threatening to start a war if they didn’t do so.
However, the Dwarf Kingdom didn’t expect the Tower of Dusk not to take their threat seriously at all. Not only did they ignore that aggressive envoy, they even began attacking the Dwarf Kingdom’s businesses shortly afterwards.
If it was just the Tower of Dusk alone, the Dwarf Kingdom might not be affected, but as the Tower of Dusk carried out various operations, the Ledin Kingdom and Felan Kingdom soon got involved too. In particular, the Ledin Kingdom had not only imposed heavy taxes on the various ores exported by the Dwarf Kingdom, but also set up a large number of barriers on the borders of the Dwarf Kingdom.
At this point, the Dwarf Kingdom realized that the Tower of Dusk was not a small and powerless force that they could manipulate easily. Immediately afterwards, the Dwarf Kingdom began to investigate and find out more about Lin Li, as well as everything about the Tower of Dusk. However, the information that they found made them even more astonished. It turned out the Tower of Dusk, which they had underestimated, actually shared an extremely close relationship with the top forces of Anril.
The two major human kingdoms, the Ledin Kingdom and Felan Kingdom, were both powerful forces that were no weaker than the Dwarf Kingdom. However, they were both extremely close to the Tower of Dusk, and they even vaguely seemed to be deferential to the Tower of Dusk.
The Dwarf Kingdom did not know what was so impressive about the Tower of Dusk, but based on the forces’ attitudes towards the Tower of Dusk, they had no choice but to reconsider the attitude they should adopt when broaching the issue of the blueprint of Sky-breaker with the Tower of Dusk.
Hence, the Dwarf Kingdom immediately made the envoy retreat, and sent Dyason, who had a higher status, to the Tower of Dusk as the envoy in a bid to show the Tower of Dusk that they valued them too.
However, the Dwarf Kingdom’s approach did not make the people of the Tower of Dusk feel surprised at all. Instead, they continued to ignore Dyason, and made him wait somewhere.
At the beginning, Dyason approached Gavin, the acting person in charge of the Tower of Dusk, in a bid to talk to him about the blueprint of the Sky-breaker. However, he was faced with rejection again, and in the end, Gavin even chose not to see him again. Helpless, Dyason had no choice but to stay behind in the Tower of Dusk’s Magic City. So far, he had been staying there for more than two months, and had almost been forgotten.
Putting aside Dyason’s status in the Dwarf Kingdom, his identity as a Smithing Master earned him great respect everywhere he went, and he would be showered with praises too. However, in the Tower of Dusk, Dyason was given the cold shoulder and neglected by everyone, which was a feeling that he hadn’t felt for a long time.
Fortunately, on this day, Dyason got the news that President Felic of the Tower of Dusk had finally returned from the Gilded Kingdom. He was afraid that he would miss the chance, and he frantically thought of a solution to look for Gavin, and request to see Lin Li.
This time, Gavin didn’t give him any more excuses, and after getting Lin Li’s permission, he brought Dyason to the meeting room.
Although the Tower of Dusk had been established several years ago, and they had some commercial and trade relations with the Dwarf Kingdom, Dyason was full of curiosity about who Lin Li was.
In particular, after being ignored by the Tower of Dusk for such a long time, Dyason was definitely full of resentment. Hence, when he followed Gavin over, he wanted to see what Felic, the person who could make the Dwarf Kingdom bow down, looked like.
However, when he saw Lin Li, Dyason suddenly felt as if he had been burned by fire, and he involuntarily dodged and looked away. Dyason’s heart started pounding rapidly too. It wasn’t the type of palpitation that resulted from love at first sight, but rather one born from the shock of facing a terrifying figure.
That’s way too scary. How can the gaze of this young man be so terrifying!? Dyason had also reached the Sanctuary-realm a long time ago, and was considered one of the powerhouses of the Dwarf Kingdom. He’d never thought that he would one day be frightened by someone’s gaze!
A mere glance from Lin Li made Dyason too scared to reveal a single trace of his resentment. As a Sanctuary powerhouse, it was his first time sensing such fear. Besides, he couldn’t muster a single trace of courage to resist it. It was an unprecedented feeling that he had never had before.
After listening to Gavin’s introduction, Lin Li smiled, and said to Dyason, “Nice to meet you, Envoy Dyason, please take a seat.”
Dyason couldn’t remember the process of himself sitting down at all, and only when someone brought a cup of tea to him and laid it down on the table did he come back to his senses. However, when he looked at Lin Li again after doing so, he intentionally avoided making eye contact with Lin Li before saying, “President Felic, I came here this time to speak to you regarding the Sky-breaker blueprint that is currently in your hands.”
Lin Li had long heard from Gavin about the change in attitude of the Dwarf Kingdom during this period of time, so he didn’t show much enthusiasm, and merely said with an indifferent nod, “I’ve previously sent an envoy to the Dwarf Kingdom regarding the blueprint of the Sky-breaker. You may send some craftsmen here, and build the Sky-breaker together with us. In this case, you’ll be able to get the construction method, while I’ll be able to get what I want. That should be a fair exchange. However, you guys seem to have a different opinion.”
Lin Li’s tone was rather calm and indifferent, but it sounded like the shocking rumbling of thunder to Dyason. If he hadn’t seen Lin Li and found out how terrifying he was, Dyason would probably still have thought of bargaining with the Tower of Dusk. However, Dyason now couldn’t tell what level Lin Li’s strength had reached, and he merely felt pure terror from his soul. He wasn’t in the mood to bargain at all.
At this moment, Dyason couldn’t care less about what he had been prepared to say. In fact, he even stood up subconsciously, and said, “President Felic, you must be joking. After some careful consideration, we also feel that this is indeed a very good opportunity for cooperation. Well, I came over this time in hopes of finalizing the details of cooperation with the Tower of Dusk.”
“Oh.” Lin Li nodded, seemingly satisfied with Dyason’s attitude. He then pointed his finger at Dyason’s seat, and said, “Please have a seat, Envoy Dyason, you don’t have to be so formal. We can have a chat whilst seated. Since you have no objection to this cooperation, I hope your craftsmen can arrive soon. I believe you guys are also very eager to find out the construction method of the Sky-breaker as soon as possible.”
When Lin Li mentioned it, Dyason finally realized that he had stood up, and he couldn’t help but seem a little embarrassed. He had been living for a few hundred years, and had only ever felt this kind of fear and scruples in front of his father and teacher.
After returning to his seat, Dyason calmed himself down, and then said, “Please rest assured, President Felic, I will bring enough craftsmen here with me as soon as possible after I return. I hope that you’ll keep to your promise and not hold back.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I don’t intend to ask for a batch of half-finished products. Of course, whether or not you can fully master the construction method of the Sky-breaker will depend on the talent of your craftsmen,” Lin Li said nonchalantly, as if he didn’t take the construction method of the Sky-breaker seriously at all.
After coming out of the meeting room, Dyason did not stay at the Tower of Dusk any longer, and instead embarked on his trip back to the Dwarf Kingdom. On the one hand, the dwarves were angst and feisty by nature, and on the other hand, he had finally made progress in the negotiation with the Tower of Dusk after being ignored for more than two months. Thus, he obviously wouldn’t stay any longer.
Dyason left the Tower of Dusk, while Lin Li reentered the Sky Castle, and continued with the transformation. According to his previous request, the transformation plan of the Sky Castle had been modified, and all they lacked now was sufficient resources.
However, Lin Li wasn’t worried about the resources. As long as Connoris gained control of the Endless Abyss, a large amount of resources could be shipped over soon. When the time came, the transformation of the Sky Castle would progress rapidly, and his plan would be realized soon.
Seeing that everything about the transformation of the Sky Castle was proceeding according to his plan, the sense of urgency in Lin Li’s heart finally eased a little. However, he knew very well that he couldn’t put the improvement of his personal strength on halt while transforming the Sky Castle. An increment in his strength, even by a mere trace, would be crucial when the mysteries were unraveled.
Therefore, after making arrangements for the Sky Castle, Lin Li headed to the inverted tower below the Sky Castle, and once again entered the Meditation Land that Geresco had created. He had to calm down and get a peace of mind in order to consolidate the gains he had made in the Gilded Kingdom during this period of time.
Soon after Lin Li entered the Meditation Land, a large abyssal door suddenly opened in the middle of the Sky Castle, followed by a large number of Abyssal Demons surging out from the door. However, unlike what one would expect based on common knowledge, these Abyssal Demons did not kill and destroy everything around them after they came out. Instead, they arranged themselves neatly in a row like an army.
Fortunately, Gavin and the others had already received Lin Li’s instructions, and did not cause too much chaos as a result. However, they had no choice but to pause the modification works in the center of the Sky Castle while activating some mandatory defensive measures. On the other hand, the mages of the Mage Legion got ready for any changes in front of the door under Gavin’s lead.
Soon after Gavin and the senior executives of the Tower of Dusk arrived in front of the door, a figure suddenly walked out of it. It was Connoris, who had gone to take over the Endless Abyss.
Since Mosari had died, the Endless Abyss had lost its master, but Connoris had fortunately obtained Mosari’s Heart of Demon, and had learned of it way ahead before the Demon Lords of the Endless Abyss had. Hence, after he returned to the Endless Abyss, he immediately gained control of the Endless Abyss, after which he suppressed all the demons in one go.
After becoming the true Lord of the Abyss, Connoris relied on the spell Lin Li gave him to make the Gates of the Abyss open in the middle of the Sky Castle. Afterwards, the Abyssal Demons that would scare mortals all began transporting the resources from the Endless Abyss to the Sky Castle continuously like physical laborers.
The acquisition of the Endless Abyss had undoubtedly brought about great help to the transformation of the Sky Castle. Not only was there a massive number of specialty resources from the abyss, there was also the massive Abyssal Demon army. The Abyssal Demons were almost all close to or had reached the Legendary-level. However, spurred by Connoris, the new Lord of the Abyss, they succumbed and performed odd jobs.
After all, Lin Li’s modified transformation plan for the Sky Castle was no longer for a small revamp. In fact, it probably wouldn’t be much simpler than a complete reconstruction of the Sky Castle. While technical knowledge and skill were important, physical labor was also mandatory for such a large-scale transformation.
The labor used in the Sky Castle in the beginning was provided by the individuals that had been transferred from the various mercenary corps of the Breezy Plains. Not only did Lin Li have to pay them a handsome sum as remuneration, he couldn’t put too much pressure on them. However, there was no need to bother about humanity with the Abyssal Demons, and Connoris wasn’t a kindhearted person, either. He wouldn’t be benevolent to the Abyssal Demons, and would naturally exploit their power to the very end.
Now that both the manual labor and resources were available, the transformation process of the Sky Castle immediately sped up by more than 100 times. The appearance of the Sky Castle would change almost every single day, and even the people who participated in the transformation themselves were overwhelmed by the speed of the transformation.