"Oh, yes, there's something I forgot to tell you …" Lin Li held the hammer in his hand, and smiled maliciously. "Other than being a lousy warrior, I'm also a pretty good blacksmith. You should know about blacksmiths, right? So, I advise you to be more obedient. If you really piss me off, I'll throw you into the furnace and see if the legendary Mjolnir will also be melted. "
As Lin Li said that, the strange hammer in his hand suddenly stopped struggling. After a long time, Lin Li heard a hoarse voice. "What … What do you want to know?"
"Your background." After Lin Li finished speaking with a smile, he kindly reminded it, "Take note — this is your real background, and not some darn Mjolnir. I really don't know what you're thinking. Don't you know how to look in the mirror before putting on the Mjolnir? Look at yourself, your whole body is full of potholes, and you're even worse than those old prostitutes who have been receiving customers for decades. How dare you call yourself the holy relic of the Iron Dwarves? Do you have any shame? "
"…"
"Forget it, let's cut the crap. Be more obedient, I really don't have much patience …"
"You guessed right, I'm not a holy relic …" After a long silence, the hammer finally spoke. "I'm just a imprisoned soul."
"Hmm." Lin Li nodded, and gestured for it to continue.
"There's something I have to clarify. Regarding the Brand Dusk on your hand, I really just want to borrow it. I have no ill intentions." Perhaps it was really afraid of being thrown into the furnace, this time, the hammer finally became obedient. Before answering Lin Li's question, it did not forget to defend itself. "My background is a very long story, and it has little to do with this matter. If you really want to know, I can tell you at the end. Before that, you can call me Connoris. That was my name before I was killed by Osric."
"Alright, Connoris, tell me first, what's your motive for wanting this Brand Dusk?"
"I need it to control the Eternal Furnace."
"It can control the Eternal Furnace?"
"Yes, you should know the origin of the Brand of Dusk. It belonged to Highlord Osric. As far as I know, this ring never left Osric's side when he was alive. Even 1,200 years later, there is still a trace of Osric's mental strength left on it. To a certain extent, it is equivalent to the inheritance of the Highlord's mental brand. This is the reason why you could pass through the Gates of Ashes unscathed."
"Is that trace of mental strength still there?" Lin Li was a little puzzled. He remembered that before the duel with Cromwell, he had also integrated a Spiritual Brand into it, and thus understood the secrets of the ring. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be two Spiritual Brands on a piece of magical equipment. Otherwise, it would be like having an affair, and something would definitely go wrong.
"Are you trying to say that you've also left your Mental Brand on it?" Connoris asked instead of answering Lin Li's question directly.
"Yes …"
"This is actually not contradictory. If I'm not wrong, what you have is just an incomplete Brand Dusk, and what you've mastered is only a small part of its power. Osric's Spiritual Brand is still sleeping deep within the Brand Dusk. Otherwise, your power wouldn't be so weak. It's no exaggeration to say that completely mastering the power of the Brand Dusk is equivalent to being another Osric!"
"F * ck, it's that powerful?"
Connoris' words almost made Lin Li bite his tongue. Back in the Nightmare Mountains, Lin Li already knew that this was a powerful piece of magical equipment, but he didn't dare to imagine that it would be so powerful. What was the concept of another Osric? He was a person who could fight against seven Legendary powerhouses alone, and even emerge victorious. If he really had such power, it wouldn't be a myth even if he could sweep the entire Felan Kingdom with a wave of his hand.
"I know you don't believe me, but the truth is that it is that powerful. To tell you the truth, I died under the power of the Brand Dusk 1,200 years ago."
"…"
"Forget it, let's not talk about this." Perhaps because he had been reminded of the sad past, Connoris seemed to be in low spirits. After remaining silent for a long time, he continued, "Actually, that's the reason why I'm borrowing this Brand of Dusk from you."
"What reason?"
"It can save me from this damned hammer, and at the same time, allow me to have a new body."
"A new body?"
"That's right." Connoris sounded proud. "Now, I'm going to tell you a real secret. Other than Osric himself, I'm afraid only I know about it. During the decades when my soul was imprisoned, I witnessed almost everything that Osric did, and he didn't have his guard up against me. Sometimes, he would even tell me some of his thoughts, and this secret was told to me by Osric himself."
Lin Li almost held his breath subconsciously. He instinctively believed that what he was about to hear would be an earth-shattering secret.
"The real Eternal Furnace is not used for forging, but for creating life …"
"What did you say?" Lin Li almost spat out a mouthful of saliva.
"How much do you know about the race of High Elves?" Connoris still did not answer, but asked a question instead.
"High Elves?" Lin Li was a little confused by the question. He recalled for a long time before he told Connoris everything that he had read in the books, and added a few of his own opinions in between. This question and answer session took almost 10 minutes.
Finally, Lin Li used this sentence to conclude, "These lunatics even think that they are gods."
"That's why the Eternal Furnace was created." Connoris' voice sounded unhurried.
Lin Li swallowed hard. "Are you trying to tell me that the purpose of Osric building the Eternal Furnace is to prove that he is a god?"
"You guessed it right."
"He's crazy …"
"He's not crazy." Connoris' voice was not loud, but it was unusually certain. "That's right. Osric did a lot of unexpected things in his later years. He killed 100,000 humans in one night, conquered the Dark Iron Dwarves for a moment of interest, and built a huge mausoleum for himself. But I can tell you with certainty that Osric is not crazy. On the contrary, he was more clear-headed than ever in his later years. Do you know why he killed those 100,000 humans?"
"How would I know …" Lin Li rolled his eyes. He thought to himself, How could a normal person like me understand the thoughts of a psychopath like Osric?
"Because creating life requires a large number of soul samples."
"Psychopath …"
"That's right. This fella is really a psychopath." Connoris scolded excitedly. Then, he sighed helplessly. "But you have to admit that Osric is not an ordinary psychopath. At that time, even I felt that creating life was impossible. But who would have thought that in just 10 years, Osric almost succeeded …"
Lin Li frowned. "Why is it 'almost'?"
"Because strictly speaking, what he created can't be called life …"
"What exactly did he create?"
"I don't know what it was either …" Connoris's answer was strange. "I only know that after this failure, Osric became a little neurotic. He would often go crazy for no reason. Many important members of the Magic Legion were killed by him during that period. After he calmed down, Osric would kneel in front of the corpses and repent regretfully. When he repents, the most common sentence he says is — I'm sorry, I didn't want to do this, but, but he's coming back soon …"
"What's the background of the 'him' that Osric mentioned?"
"I don't know. Osric never mentioned it. I only remember that after he failed to create life, Osric seemed to have changed into a different person. He frantically plundered the wealth of other races and used it to build a huge mausoleum. You should have heard of that mausoleum, right? At least 100,000 humans died when this mausoleum was built. It's impossible that there are no records of it in your human books … "
"Yes, I've heard of it."
"How about it? Are you interested in that mausoleum?" Connoris was indeed a monster who had been with Osric for hundreds of years. He actually did not forget to tempt Lin Li at this time. "If you are interested, I can give you some clues in exchange for the Brand of Dusk. What do you think?"
"Nothing much!" Lin Li replied angrily. He was really annoyed and amused by this fella. How could he still not forget to tempt Lin Li at a time like this?
Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong target. Lin Li was very clear of his own capabilities. How could the mausoleum of the Highlord be entered by anyone? Without the power of the Guild of Magic or the Adventurers Guild, it was impossible to even think about it. There were all kinds of traps and countless curses waiting for him …
Moreover, what could a few clues do? If he really wanted clues, he would look for Macklin. Why would he need to exchange with him?
"What a pity …" Connoris was not disheartened even though he failed to tempt Lin Li. He continued, "On the day the mausoleum was built, Osric came to the Eternal Furnace for the last time. That time, I saw with my own eyes that he used the essence of the earth element, a pile of steel, and an extremely complicated mageweath to create something that was close to life."
"What is it?"
"This thing …" Connoris hesitated. "I also don't know how to describe it. In short, it is a very strange thing. It does not have its own consciousness, much less its own soul. It is purely the most primitive instinct. Even when its creator, Osric, attacked it, it dared to resist!"
"Oh …" Lin Li nodded, and did not continue asking.
He had already understood. The essence of the earth element, incomparably hard steel, and complex and mysterious mageweath. Weren't these the necessary conditions to create a puppet? Lin Li remembered clearly that one of the branches of alchemy was to specialize in the creation of puppets. It was said that when one reached the level of a Divine Smith, the puppets created could even be comparable to the ancient Titans.
However, this had nothing to do with Lin Li. He had never chosen any branch. To a certain extent, he was a very traditional metallurgist, and took the path of the king of Alchemy Arrays. The reason why he chose this was entirely to complement the knowledge of Inscription. Guru-level compound inscriptions and Guru-level Alchemy Arrays could be described as almost omnipotent.
Most of the knowledge he knew about puppets came from his peers. He could coax amateurs, but when it came to the high-end field of creation of life, he was not much better than Sean …
"The biggest weakness of these creations is that they do not have their own soul. But to me, this has become the biggest advantage because I have been dedicated to the study of souls when I was alive."
"Dedicated to the study of souls?" Lin Li frowned, and asked doubtfully, "You were a Necromancer when you were alive?"
"No, no, no … A low-level profession like a Necromancer is not worthy of my noble identity. To tell you the truth, I am in the business of souls. As long as the price is right, you can talk to me about any kind of soul, be it lowly, noble, dirty, or pure … Are you interested?"
"F * ck, a demon?"
"Wrong, you should call me the great Soul Trader, the great philanthropist, Mr. Connoris."
"Pfft, a demon is a demon. What great philanthropist, great Soul Trader. You deserve to be killed by Osric for doing such a wicked business …"
"You don't have any sympathy …"
"Sympathy for a demon? Are you kidding me … "
"Look at me now. Can I still be called a demon?"
"You mean, you want to create a puppet to transfer your soul?"
"Yes, yes, yes! How about it, can you help me? I have been waiting for this day for a long time. This damned hammer is really too much. I really want to walk with my legs even in my dreams … "
"What benefits can you give me?"
Connoris hesitated for a long time, and seemed to have finally made up his mind. "As long as you can help me, I will tell you the way to control the Eternal Furnace!"
"No, you tell me the way to control the Eternal Furnace first, and I will help you create a new body. Don't get this sequence wrong."
"…" Although he was unwilling, the great Soul Trader had to lower his noble head in front of the only chance. "Deal, I hope you will keep your word!"
"Don't worry, sincerity is the foundation. Although I am not some damned Soul Trader, I still understand this principle."
"Alright, I believe you!"
"You can only believe me …" Lin Li pursed his lips, and did not give Connoris any face. It was obvious that the Brand of Dusk was its only hope. If it missed this opportunity, it did not know how many thousands of years it would have to wait. With such a big handle in his hands, why would Lin Li be polite? Since this fellow was a demon, Lin Li did not have any psychological burden when he extorted it.
A man and a hammer walked through the corridor, and soon they reached a tightly shut door.
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