novelDoubts
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Many people would perhaps never be able to enter the Legendary-realm throughout their lives, and entering the Sanctuary-realm was a far-fetched dream for most Legendary powerhouses. Indeed, while Lin Li's talent would probably allow him to enter the Sanctuary-realm, he was still just a level-23 Legendary-mage at the moment. Could the fate of the Darkness Shrine really be left in his hands?
The five high priests were not worried about Sendros doing anything that might harm the Darkness Shrine, but this time, even the powerful Darkness Shrine could not deal with the issue at hand. What could a level-23 Legendary powerhouse do? Although the Darkness Shrine had somewhat deteriorated, it did not lack level-23 powerhouses. The chief high priest Sendros and the five high priests were all Legendary-level individuals.
As for the power of the Tower of Dusk, they were indeed developing well under the management of Lin Li. Within just over two years, it had already surpassed the Dark Blade which had existed for hundreds of years, and become an incredible force in the Breezy Plains. However, compared to the Darkness Shrine, the Tower of Dusk was still rather small currently. If the Tower of Dusk was compared to a person, he could be called a genius, but the problem was actually the same. Regardless of how it developed in the future, it was still far from surpassing the Darkness Shrine, Supreme Council, and Brilliance Shrine.
Lin Li naturally didn't know what the five high priests thought of him. It didn't matter as long as they were cordial on the surface. He was only there because of Sendros' invitation, and Sendros was showing him due respect by bringing so many people out to greet him. Lin Li even vaguely felt that it was too much.
As Lin Li followed Sendros into the shrine, he finally had a more intuitive impression of this mysterious place in Anril.
In various stories and legends, the Darkness Shrine was almost synonymous with the words "horror" and "evil", and the Darkness Shrine was described as a spooky and filthy place. Of course, it was also because of the deliberate misleading done by the Brilliance Shrine. However, the demand for believers in the Darkness Shrine was far less than that of the Brilliance Shrine. No one bothered to retort or raise a dispute.
Of course, not all of that was wrong. At least, for humans who naturally longed for light, passing through the Night Canyon to the square outside the shrine was indeed an eerie experience. However, in the shrine, there wasn't much of a spooky vibe, since there were rows of bright magic lamps, even though it was not as bright as day. According to the believers of Darkness, Darkness was their religion and their source of energy, but that did not mean that they would completely eradicate light.
Although it was one of the most powerful forces in Anril, the decorations in the Darkness Shrine were not very luxurious, but they gave off a simple and elegant vibe which allowed everyone in there to feel extremely at peace. The ground that was paved with obsidian magical gemstones was smooth, flat, and reflective, resembling the starry night sky. Although black was not the main theme for the walls, roofs, and pillars, black was mandatory. All the other colors seemed to be meant for complementing black. Having gotten used to seeing luxurious decors, Lin Li felt comfortable in the Darkness Shrine both visually and spiritually.
Everyone arrived in the hall and sat down separately. According to Sendros, Lin Li was a guest of honor; hence, he was allowed to sit next to him. The five high priests did not have any objection, even though they didn't think that Lin Li and the Tower of Dusk could be of any help to the Darkness Shrine in resolving the crisis at hand. They didn't look down on Lin Li, though.
Two years had passed since the incident in the Blackstone Mountains. For most people, two years or so was probably not enough for them to improve their own strength even by just one level. Although Sendros had long known that Lin Li was incredibly talented in magic, he knew that Lin Li had great accomplishments in pharmaceutics, and he could not help but be astonished by Lin Li's incredible attainments.
The hall seemed rather quiet. Sendros and Lin Li were the only ones who were talking. The five high priests were seated quietly, and it was unknown if they were listening or busy thinking.
Meanwhile, Sendros and Lin Li began talking about everything that happened in the Blackstone Mountains, to the Lord of Darkness in the Abyss of Tharlen, to the Sky Castle, the Seven-Realm Spiral, and Lin Li's conflict with the Dark Blade.
Regarding the matter of the conflict with the Dark Blade, Lin Li hypocritically expressed his apologies[1], but obviously the Dark Blade was nothing in the eyes of the Darkness Shrine, and Sendros simply said that they'd been asking for it. Of course, they tacitly refrained from mentioning what the Darkness Shrine thought about the Dark Blade attacking the Tower of Dusk. After all, no matter who was at fault, the Dark Blade had become a thing of the past, and there was no need to bring them up and affect everyone's mood.
At the mention of the powerful Ghost in the Sky Castle, Sendros' face grew a little sullen. As he was a Necromancer with abilities that were close to the Sanctuary-realm, no one knew the power of the Undead Heaven better than he did. Lin Li explained to everyone that he was lucky enough to have escaped by dashing into the Teleportation Portal at the last moment, but Sendros knew that it was impossible to escape from the Undead Heaven just by relying on luck alone. Not to mention, there were 36 towers that formed a Psychic Array. Without any special means, he would definitely have been pulled back by the powerful force.
However, although Sendros could tell that Lin Li was hiding the matter, he still continued to question him. An ambiguous smile formed on his face when he heard Lin Li say that he had escaped from the Undead Heaven. It was as if he had already seen through Lin Li's tricks.
"Just like that, I was trapped in the chaotic flow of time and space for almost half a year. Fortunately, the Teleportation Portal was intact. Otherwise, I would have really been buried in a Nether Storm. After returning from the Haiga Mountain Range, I had no plans for a new adventure. However, I had plenty of things to handle at the Tower of Dusk, and when I was finally done, the people from the Alanna Guild of Magic came to look for me. Hence, I had no choice but to delay the visit to your place again. Speaking of which, the matter with the Alanna Guild of Magic was also an agreement that I made with them long ago..." Lin Li did not notice Sendros' expression, and simply continued to talk about the exploration of Osric's mausoleum. Of course, it was nearly impossible to notice any expression on Sendros' stiff face.
The bet made between the Alanna Guild of Magic and the Adventurers Guild was rather well-known, and had also become the laughing stock to countless people. Hence, Sendros and the rest were naturally aware of it. However, after listening to Lin Li's description, the five high priests became even more worried because they all knew that the President of the Adventurers Guild, Al'Akir, was a Smithing Master. Since Lin Li could fulfill the bet, he was clearly at least a Master of forging.
If Sendros' purpose in seeing Lin Li this time was just for forging connections, it would naturally be better for Lin Li to be more competent. However, even forging Masters and pharmaceutics Gurus wouldn't be of any help to the Darkness Shrine this time. Time was equal for everyone. Regardless of how talented Lin Li, who was in his early twenties, was, 20 years wouldn't be longer for him compared to others. Even if he had been studying every day and night since he was born, he could at most allocate his time well, and schedule creating magic, potions, and forging for different time slots.
Of course, Lin Li was competent, but it was undeniable that scheduling some of his limited time for other skills would definitely affect his learning of magic. The five high priests already had doubts about whether Lin Li could help the Darkness Shrine survive this crisis, and when they heard that Lin Li was also a Master of forging, they began to feel even more apprehensive.
Lin Li did not feel uncomfortable about their silence at all. After all, he was chatting with Sendros, and it would be normal for them not to intervene. While Sendros posed timely questions, Lin Li continued to answer, and told him about the matters regarding Osric's mausoleum, the three Undead Lords of the Shadowglen who had made a pact with Geresco, the massive Immortal Door, the whole other world outside the mausoleum, the huge Alchemical Undead, the three butchers of Osric like Angelano, and the Fire Demon King who had guarded the mausoleum for over a millennium...
When Lin Li said that they actually managed to reach the 72nd floor of the abyss, and had a fierce battle with the legendary Zago Demons, the five high priests seemed to have temporarily forgotten about their troubles as they listened to Lin Li's account attentively. Although they had all been living for countless years, everything that Lin Li had experienced in the past two years or so was probably more exciting than everything they had experienced in their entire lives.
They gasped unanimously, especially when Lin Li mentioned the perfect body created by Osric lying in the crystal coffin. Osric was a mythical figure, and although Lin Li and others had merely fought the perfect body he created, it was definitely a wonderful experience.
Although the five high priests were surprised, they did not reevaluate Lin Li's abilities because of that matter. After all, they felt that Osric's perfect body probably might not have power that exceeded the Sanctuary-realm. Those who were in the Sanctuary-realm could be considered demigods. Hence, how could a mortal create a god-like body? Besides, Lin Li also said that the so-called perfect body was still bound by the crystal coffin, and could not exert its full power at all.
If Lin Li knew what they were thinking, he would probably cuss his heart out immediately. What did you mean a wonderful experience? That perfect body that had Osric's Soul Brand possessed power of the Sanctuary-level. Besides, he also had the most bizarre and eerie debris of the stars, Nothingness. That battle could be considered the most hopeless one that Lin Li had ever experienced since he arrived in Anril. The thought of the suppression he'd felt in it would still make him shudder.
For Lin Li, there was no longer a point in hiding things about various incidents. His acquisition of the three relics of Geresco was also a well known fact in the Breezy Plains, and he had also set the Eternal Furnace on the top of the Tower of Dusk. Ordinary people might not be able to identify it, but how could someone like Sendros be unaware of what it was? As for the perfect body created by Osric, Lin Li didn't mention that Connoris was an ancient deity, and simply said that it was a Demon Lord Osric had caught in the past.
When they came to the topic of Lin Li's visit to the Darkness Shrine, Lin Li stopped for a moment, looked at Sendros, and continued, "Master Sendros, Priest Jyker and Priest Balesi have both mentioned that you invited me here this time for something important. Would it be convenient for you to let me know what it is now?"
Ever since he left the Brilliance Shrine, Lin Li had been thinking about the matter, and trying to figure out what that important thing was. He did not think that Sendros merely wanted to listen to his stories. However, he also knew his own significance. Although he seemed rather competent at level-23, he was still far from being a true powerhouse. At least, the Darkness Shrine didn't lack someone of his level. It was true that Lin Li was irreplaceable only for the fact that he was a pharmaceutics Guru. If Sendros needed him to make a potion, he could have just explained it directly from the start. There was no need to keep Lin Li in suspense at all.
Before waiting for Sendros to answer Lin Li's questions, the priest Zoquila, who had been seated quietly, suddenly said in a hoarse voice, "Master Felic, the experience that you gained over the past two years is really shocking. Although you have been emphasizing that it was all based on luck, we all know that without a certain level of abilities and strength, it would have been impossible to seize the opportunity even if it had been in front of you. I have a few questions about magic that I'd like to discuss with you. Would you be interested?"
That matter concerned the existence of the Darkness Shrine, and it was even more serious than the matter of Pope Rosario being poisoned. The five high priests did not approve of letting Lin Li find out what the matter was about, since they still had no idea if Lin Li could be of any help to them or not.
[1] The Dark Blade was affiliated with the Shrine.
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