The fact that Hoffman could reveal such an unbelievable piece of news meant that the expedition team had probably really discovered something.
A trace of irrepressible excitement flashed in Hoffman's eyes as he nodded, and said, "Yes, the expedition team went deep into Lockdanmo, and followed the clues for nearly half a year. They even lost contact with us at one point, and finally made a shocking discovery in the grand canyon of Gargas."
To be honest, if Lin Li didn't know that Hoffman wouldn't lie to him, he would really find it hard to believe that it was getting more and more ridiculous. The environment in Lockdanmo was already rather harsh in Anril, and the environment in the grand canyon of Gargas that Hoffman mentioned was even harsher. If the High Elves were said to be disgusted by the environment in Rockfanmore, they would definitely detest the environment in Gargas.
In the language of the dwarves, Gargas meant insurmountable, and the grand canyon of Gargas was indeed a natural moat that was almost insurmountable. The entire grand canyon stretched for thousands of kilometers, and the cliffs on both sides were covered with thick ice that had existed for tens of thousands of years. The bottom of the canyon was bottomless, and the darkness was daunting. One could only hear the howling of the cold wind, which seemed to lead straight to the terrifying endless abyss.
The grand canyon of Gargas divided the Dwarf Kingdom and the Breezy Plains into two different worlds, and there was almost no possibility of crossing it. Due to the existence of this natural moat, almost all the trade between the Breezy Plains and the Dwarf Kingdom had to pass through the territory of the Ledin Kingdom. Perhaps that was also one of the reasons why the many forces of the Breezy Plains refused to integrate with the Felan Kingdom. After all, if they were to really integrate with the Felan Kingdom, the Ledin Kingdom would definitely add a lot of obstacles to the trade route.
"About two months ago, the expedition team that went to Lockdanmo returned here, and only two out of the 50 members of the expedition team returned. However, they didn't die in vain, and we discovered an absolutely shocking secret from the things they brought back. In the grand canyon of Gargas, not only is it very likely that there are relics of the High Elves, but the scale is probably far greater than any we have ever discovered before. "Hoffman's eyes were glistening, and his face was filled with uncontrollable excitement.
For a seemingly absurd clue, the Glittergold Trade Union had sent out an exploration team of 50 people, which showed that the Glittergold Trade Union was still as enthusiastic about exploring ruins as before. Those who could join the expedition were probably the most loyal people to the Glittergold Trade Union. Given Hoffman's status, ordinary people wouldn't have specially mentioned that.
At this moment, Lin Li's interest was piqued when he saw Hoffman's excited expression. He asked, "Master Hoffman, I wonder if it's appropriate for me to talk about the amazing discovery that you mentioned here?"
"Haha, Master Felic, you're thinking too much. Since I want to cooperate with you, I naturally have to come up with something that you can trust," Hoffman said as he took out some items and placed them on the table between the two of them.
There were some pieces of stone and a few pieces of metal ornaments. They didn't look too special. However, when Lin Li took a closer look, he saw that some of the stone pieces were engraved with patterns, while others were engraved with the High Elves' Print. The few pieces of metal ornaments were also emitting faint magical waves, especially the patterns on them, which seemed to be part of some high-level mageweath.
Lin Li didn't know much about archaeology, but at this moment, he could tell that the inconspicuous items indeed belonged to the High Elves. In particular, the mageweaths on the metal fragments might not be able to be drawn by current Masters of Inscription, but only top-notch Masters of Jewelry would be able to draw them on small ornaments. However, Masters of Jewelry were almost extinct in the Breezy Plains now, and even high-level Jewelers were famous enough in the mainland. At least, Lin Li had never heard of any Master of Jewelry, let alone a top-notch Master of Jewelry.
"These things do seem to belong to the High Elves. However, I don't know how you determined the scale of the ruins. " Lin Li believed that Hoffman wouldn't deceive him with other things, so the items that belonged to the High Elves should be able to prove that there were indeed traces of High Elves' activities in the Gargas Canyon. However, Lin Li couldn't help but be concerned about the scale of the ruins. After all, a place like the Gargas Canyon wouldn't be worth a trip without sufficient motivation.
Lin Li was looking at it from a technical point of view, while Hoffman was relying on his understanding of history and years of experience in excavating the ruins of the High Elves. After taking out those items, Hoffman took out a piece of paper that had an exquisite and complicated pattern of an accessory drawn on it. He then placed the pieces on the table in the corresponding positions on the pattern before explaining to Lin Li, "Master Felic, please take a look. We found the blueprint of this accessory in a High Elves ruin that we once excavated. It's said that this accessory was specially made for the royal family of the High Elves. Look at these pieces. Do you see anything?"
Lin Li leaned forward curiously, and took a closer look at the drawing and the metal fragments on it. He couldn't help but be shocked. The drawing on the drawing was definitely larger than the actual item, but Lin Li could accurately judge from the mageweath on the metal fragments that they should indeed be the fragments of the accessory in the drawing.
As for whether it was specially made for the royal family of the High Elves, Lin Li had some judgment after seeing the entire structure of the mageweath on the drawing. The mageweath was a Guru-level holy protection mageweath, and one of its functions was to create a domain that could break invisibility. Unless one was a Sanctuary-level assassin, there would be no place for them to hide once they stepped into the domain. Another function was to provide the user with strong defensive power. Even if the opponent's attack power exceeded the limit of the mageweath, it would still be able to help the user resist an almost unlimited attack.
However, what really attracted the High Elves were not the two rather powerful functions, but the fact that when the holy protection mageweath was activated, the user would be shrouded in colorful light, and emit a sacred and inviolable aura as if a deity had descended to earth. That was also the reason that the holy protection mageweath could only be used by the royal family of the High Elves. Even Highlord Osric, who was known as the most powerful person after the queen, did not have the right to use the holy protection mageweath anywhere.
Hence, based on the holy protection mageweath on the metal fragments, it could basically be confirmed that the High Elves' ruins that the Glittergold Trade Union had found probably belonged to a royal family of the High Elves. In the few years that Lin Li had been in Anril, he had been to the Sky Castle, Osric's mausoleum, and the underground palace. It could be said that all of the treasures that he had found were rather valuable, and he really did not care about ordinary ruins.
However, the ruins of the royal family of the High Elves were incredible. Even if they were not famous in history, the royal family would still have a huge amount of wealth that was far greater than that of the other High Elven nobles. Besides, unlike humans, the royal family of the High Elves was destined to be extraordinary due to their bloodline. Having higher talent and more resources gave them an advantage in all aspects compared to ordinary nobles. Hence, the ruins that they had left behind were naturally destined to be extraordinary.
At the thought of this, Lin Li couldn't help but feel a little excited. Looking at the blueprints and metal fragments on the table, he said, "If it's really the ruins of the royal family of the High Elves, it would really be an unprecedented discovery!"
"Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to say. However, no matter which royal family of the High Elves this ruins belonged to, it must be filled with danger, and it won't be easy to obtain it. That's the reason that I hope to cooperate with you to explore and excavate this ruin, considering that you have explored the Sky Castle and Osric's mausoleum, "Hoffman said, looking at Lin Li expectantly, waiting for his answer.
If it was an ordinary ruin, there would be no need for the Glittergold Trade Union to share it with others given its current strength. However, this time, it might be the ruins of the royal family of the High Elves. Hence, Hoffman had no choice but to be cautious. The Glittergold Trade Union started off by exploring ruins, and the most important thing was to be able to see clearly how much they were worth, and not be blinded by the huge temptation. Although it was said that riches and honor were sought after amidst danger, how many people would really risk their lives to obtain riches and honor? It might be possible once or twice, but there would always be times when Lady Luck would take a nap. When the time came, it would really be all for naught.
Lin Li leaned back in his chair and looked away from the table, gently tapping his fingers on the armrest. After all, it was the ruins of the royal family of the High Elves. It would be impossible for Lin Li not to be tempted, but seeing that the catastrophe that Geresco had predicted was not far away, he wondered if it was worth it for him to spend time and energy on this matter.
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Li finally turned to look at Hoffman with a smile on his face. He said, "Since Master Hoffman has even shared this news with me, what reason do I have to turn you down?"
Hearing that Lin Li had finally agreed, Hoffman couldn't help but secretly heave a sigh of relief. He said, "In this case, Master Felic, shall we talk about the specific details of this cooperation?" Although there were many forces in the Breezy Plains that were powerful enough to cooperate with the Glittergold Trade Union, Lin Li and the Tower of Dusk were the only ones that Hoffman could really feel at ease cooperating with.
In this world where the strong preyed on the weak, those who trusted others easily would often die a horrible death. As the President of the Glittergold Trade Union, how could Hoffman not know that? The temptation of the ruins of the royal family of the High Elves was too great. At the same time, it also meant that the dangers within were definitely beyond imagination. Finding partners that were not powerful enough would not work at all, and partners like the Mithril Alliance would have to be wary of each other during the exploration.
However, Lin Li was different. Be it when he cooperated with the Malfa Family to explore the Sky Castle or the Alanna Guild of Magic to explore Osric's mausoleum, Hoffman had a detailed understanding of them, and knew that Lin Li was a reliable ally. Although Lin Li had a conflict with the Dark Blade during the exploration of the Sky Castle, which resulted in the death of the Legendary Assassin Lansdale and Stephen, which had been repeatedly mentioned by the enemies of the Tower of Dusk, Hoffman was different. However, Hoffman knew the inside story, and also knew how Lin Li helped the elven elders and the others when they were evacuating. Hence, in Hoffman's eyes, there was probably no other partner in the entire Breezy Plains, or even the entire Anril, that was more reassuring than Lin Li.
Since the two of them had decided to cooperate on this matter, they naturally had to talk about the distribution of benefits. A reliable cooperation was built on the basis of a fair distribution of benefits. Regardless of the relationship between the two parties, the distribution of benefits had to be discussed clearly.
Due to the importance of the matter, they did not leave it to their respective subordinates to discuss it, and instead let Hoffman and Lin Li discuss it alone. In fact, there were not many things to discuss. One was how much effort the two parties would put into the exploration this time, and the other was how to distribute the gains from the exploration. No one knew what was in the ruins, and it was naturally impossible to discuss every item in detail. Besides, there might be nothing at all. Hence, they simply discussed how to divide the gains.
It didn't take long for the two of them to agree on everything. First of all, they agreed on the possible size of the ruins, and agreed on the amount of effort each party would put in. The distribution of benefits was set to be equal, and regardless of what they obtained, the person who obtained it would compensate the other party. Hoffman had actually made a small concession on the rules of the distribution of benefits. After all, the amount of effort that both parties had to put in was equal, and the Glittergold Trade Union was the one who had discovered the clues to the ruins. If they were to be calculative, it would be reasonable for them to take 10% more.
Of course, Hoffman's concession did not mean that he was really at a disadvantage. First of all, it was not easy to find a trustworthy partner in this world that was full of deception. After all, anything could happen in the ruins, and it was not uncommon for a team to be destroyed because of trust issues in the history of Anril. In addition, the power that Lin Li had agreed to send was only superficial. Lin Li himself was not an ordinary level-24 Legendary powerhouse, not to mention that he had trump cards like the debris of the stars, the baby Elemental Wyrm, and the Lord of Nightmares.
After discussing the cooperation, Hoffman put away the items, and continued to chat with Lin Li about the situation in the Breezy Plains. In particular, Hoffman was still emotional about the things that happened in Gran Town that day. He had never thought that the Ashen Warlock, who had been living in seclusion in Gran Town for thousands of years, would actually treat Lin Li and the Tower of Dusk differently.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
