The instinctual fear of death couldn't fully suppress the impulse for knowledge, but under the direct, murder-filled assistance of Li Lin, a few droplets of cool rationality were showered onto Sade's overheated mind.
"You youngsters are so impatient, if you would just let others finish speaking, with your ability..."
The air transmitting his voice was split by a screaming blade that left claw-like marks on the ground--as thick as fingers and as deep as the width of a palm. The claw marks extended straight towards the tip of the gray robe.
"I do not wish to discuss proposals about grooming watchdogs. I tolerate equality, but if you perceive it as a weakness, and therefore make excessive demands, be prepared to be torn apart after experiencing all the horrors of the world. Please remember and understand my advice before continuing your speech."
"Then... how about we revise my proposal according to your definition of 'equality' - how about we cooperate? Lad."
Sade, who had once lingered at the entrance of the underworld, didn't care whether or not Li Lin's warning would come true. The experienced magician firmly believed that his chances of defeat or death in a possible challenging battle were exceedingly low.
However, his life experiences told Sade that Li Lin was someone who would definitely act on his warning and not just be all talk. If Sade didn't adjust his tone during their conversation, Li Lin wouldn't give another warning the next time they met, and all negotiations would cease.
That would truly be regrettable.
"Cooperate?"
Li Lin chewed on Sade's amended proposal, a smirk playing on his lips that came close to a cold, mocking smile.
The elves who had been watching from behind showed a variety of responses on their faces when they heard the word 'cooperate'.
Cooperation between the "smart", "crafty", "perfect" Li Lin, and a fellow who had just tried to kill him? Well, some shameless things do happen in the world. Li Lin might do some unexpected things, but he was not someone who granted every request. The strange middle-aged magician's proposal, if it wasn't outright lunacy, was at least far-fetched.
Li Lin had no high hopes for the sudden so-called "cooperation" proposal. Without any foundation and relying solely on one-sided enthusiasm, cooperation rarely resulted in success. Normally, the proposal would be killed off during the negotiation process to avoid wasting more time and energy. Most importantly—Li Lin could not squeeze enough benefit from this deal to cover his expenses, let alone make a profit.
The gray-robed magician should have taken a careful look at the bait he offered. Even if thinly disguising it before putting it out there would be better than just tossing him a hollow offer.
He wagged his index finger in front of his eyes and the six wings unfolded silently.
"Won't you consider it carefully? A cooperation in terms of intelligence and knowledge doesn't incur a loss for you, does it?"
Under the sigh of an old salesman who had barely knocked on someone's door only to face immediate rejection, the surrounding mana began to move more rapidly.
"It's troublesome, possessing knowledge beyond mediocrity, but lacking the corresponding vision for the future is such a waste. No, I suppose it's due to your youth and lack of responsibility. How pathetic."
The ground began to shake ominously. Deep underground, mana began to gather, keeping pace with the muttering man's words to shape a new weapon. The land, bulging in a curved arc as if suppressing a monstrous magic beast, looked ready to burst at any moment, signaling an imminent massacre of blood and fire.
"A last chance. How about seeking the ultimate path of magic with me? If we combine our forces, even the 'realm of gods' might be attainable."
The middle-aged man stretched his arms out in a welcoming gesture, an esteemed magician inviting a mere commoner youth. The wording and wording of his invitation were impeccable. However...
Setting aside principles, positions, emotions and so on, among the elves - including the most daring Freya, none of them liked the charity-like invitation. Discomfort and unease churned violently within them.
The eyes of the magician were particularly unsettling.
His blue eyes had always been calm and cool, maintaining composure even during battles. The elves on the opposing side had to grant him that much.
The magician, with arms open wide, was at that moment draped in a thin veil of sanctity by his exaggerated words and actions. The bloodshot, sapphire eyes were filled with a zealot's pure joy at the thought of dying for their doctrine. No elf could remain calm when faced with such incomprehensible fanaticism.
"Boring."
"[Golem],[Compound]——Ignite the[Flowing Flame]!!"
The moment Li Lin mercilessly counters, catalyzed by the curses and hate-filled chant. In a blink. A surge of violent energy acting as the lid has lifted the earth towards the sky. The soil pieces, trailing white smoke, thunder into the wilderness around. The shattered pieces on the troop's path have been blown into pieces by the storm raised by the [Blade Wings]. The heat produced by the fast-moving shockwave has pulverized and cooled the pieces that could cause wildfire turn into harmless dust flying far away in the wilderness, where they could not threaten the troops. Despite the timely response, the tremendous blast noise caused the livestock to be restless, and the Elves keeping them had a time controlling the frightened animals.
At the moment when the panicky Elves managed to calm down the livestock, magical creatures crawled out from the holes created on the ground.
Monsters, grotesque as poorly-made clay figures, barely humanoid non-living beings stood up wobbling, radiating dangerous heat which caused distortion of the view on the other side of the heat-haze. The lava acted both as the binding agent for the rock fragments and the main catalyst. The magma flowed under the cracks of the rock pieces like blood. Dark red liquid, much like rotten pus, fell onto the ground as the Lava Golems moved. The green earth inlaid with golden hues started to corrode and turn a hot crimson color due to the pus-liquid.
Just by their existence, just by their mere presence, these monsters were capable of turning spring wilderness into a dreadful lava hell. There were as many as four Lava Golems. The 5-meter tall magical weapon stared directly at the still young man in front of it. Fires blazed in its irregular eye sockets, the caster's intent to burn everything down was clear.
"That's a pretty shoddy job."
The sharp commentary was like a dagger fired from Li Lin's mouth, striking right at the magician's heart, causing the hot magical weapon to stop momentarily.
"Is this some rubbish magic you picked up somewhere, or was your teacher simply a prankster? It seems like you put quite a lot of effort trying to learn it. But a poor magic spell will always be just that.... It's nothing more than a pile of trash that I don't even feel like looking into."
"What did you say?!!"
Sade's voice, both deep and sharp, was a disconcerting mix of outrage and disbelief. It almost didn't sound like his voice anymore.
Everything that Sade had invested into learning this powerful spell: his resources, status, honor and even his life, had been belittled and dismissed like a worthless coin tossed by an adolescent who was neither a magician nor even a basic apprentice. Any other wizard of his stature would explode and launch an irresponsible barrage, having his hard work, practice, and determination all denied.
Anyone able to stay calm and not retaliate after such a rejection and humiliation has probably severed themselves from all sentimental desires and attachments to the mortal world.
Much like a peculiar one called Li Lin.
"If you knew a tad bit about magma, you wouldn't stupidly use ultrabasic magma with less than 45% silicon dioxide (SiO2) as the connection and primary drive. Acidic magma with more than 65% SiO2 would be the ideal choice due to its viscosity and control (see notes), anyone with a brain would know that, wouldn't they?"
Mockery, sarcasm—beyond these, simple and absolute contempt and arrogance towards an opponent's ignorance can be more volatile than any poison, sharper than any blade piercing the body.
Having his pride ripped apart by this savage weapon, Sade could no longer keep up his composure.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah — Enough!! I will shut your venomous mouth once and for all!!!!"
The Lava Golems discharged towards Li Lin, the magician's eyes no longer focused on the unfamiliar knowledge or the key to the treasure trove of learning. That kind of emotional luxury had been exhausted along with the last bit of rationality. The doll-like exquisite face seemed to overlap with those of the great nobles who had oppressed him, and the sketchy rules of the filthy world. The inorganic mask projected a pile of clear and blurred faces.
The boiling brain couldn't handle any more information, the laughing faces crowded his thoughts, the only thing he knew was that he needed to obliterate all the images that drove him insane and the existence that projected them to get a moment of peace.
%%%%%%%%%%%
Time for explanatory mini-theater
Nidhogg: May I ask, Mr. Li Lin, what is the viscosity of the lava?
Li Lin: The viscosity is one of the crucial properties of magma that indicates its state and degree of flow. The content of SiO2 in magma has the most significant impact on viscosity, followed by Al2O3, Cr2O3. Their increased content would raise the viscosity notably. The acid rock has a high content of SiO2 and Al2O3, hence it has the highest viscosity. The volatile substances dissolved in magma can reduce its viscosity, decrease the melting point of minerals, make the magma flow easily, and prolong the crystallization time. Furthermore, the higher the temperature of magma, the smaller the viscosity. The increase in pressure of magma can also increase its viscosity.