Chapter Twelve: The Tower of Masters

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Clutching the amulet he had “borrowed” from Father Barin, Lin Qi stood before the cylindrical high tower deep within the campus, sweat beading on his forehead.

The dark grey stone tower looming ahead was the tallest building in the entire Empire. Some called it the “Master Tower,” others the “Madman’s Tower.” At the Fifth University, where Lin Qi was enrolled, it had an official title: “Visiting Professor’s Laboratory.”

Within the tower dwelled a motley collection of eccentrics from all corners of the world, each possessing bizarre talents and equally peculiar temperaments. Among them were dark elves and shadow fairies skilled in probing the shadows of the human heart; necromancers fascinated by the innards of all manner of creatures; dwarves who delighted in tinkering with lumps of metal and mastering the art of forging; and goblins renowned for their expertise in weapon crafting and research.

The tower rose three hundred seventy meters above ground, and delved two hundred fifty meters below, constructed using special techniques provided by the dwarves and goblins. The base spanned fifty-eight meters in diameter, with a single level vast enough to accommodate two or three reclusive “masters” as they indulged in their respective obsessions.

Since the University City’s completion, all manner of peculiar research and inventions had emerged from this tower—some of which had greatly enhanced the Empire’s might. For instance, the six rapiers Lin Qi sold to the Cripple featured tips treated with a special steel-dipping method devised by a dwarven master, giving them superior piercing force.

“All right, I need shiny, clucking gold!” With his right hand pressed to his heart, Lin Qi silently prayed to every god whose name and domain he knew, hoping he would come out of this unscathed.

In the minds of many Fifth University students, the tower ahead was no different from hell. Each year, thirty to fifty students serving the visiting professors within either died or were grievously injured. Some simply vanished, never to be heard from again.

Lin Qi was one of the lucky ones. No sooner had he entered the university than he was chosen to serve as the attendant of one of the professors in the tower, a position he had held for three years. Though not a long time, he had already skirted death’s edge from grave injuries four times, and had lost count of the lesser wounds he’d suffered. Thus, every entry into the tower felt like a high-stakes gamble with fate.

Yet, with great risk came great reward. Though danger abounded, Lin Qi had found many opportunities for profit within the tower—enough, in just three years, to build up the Iron Fist Brotherhood, whose peripheral members now numbered in the hundreds.

“For the love of my shiny, clucking gold! Please, dear Professor, do not lose your mind today!”

Nervously, he gripped the small amulet scroll in his hand. Father Barin, that degenerate among clergymen, had sworn it was a protective charm crafted personally by the bishop of the Great Diocese of the Seine, boasting superior defensive power. But Lin Qi knew Barin’s character all too well; if he claimed the bishop had made it himself, it was more likely the work of an ordinary priest.

A charm made by an average priest would probably deflect three or five blows from a common warrior. Hopefully, it would suffice—as long as his professor didn’t kill him outright at the first opportunity, Lin Qi felt the risk was manageable.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Qi slipped cautiously into the tower.

The eyes of the two bronze hyena statues flanking the entrance blazed scarlet, four beams of red light sweeping over Lin Qi. His body suddenly felt as though it were immersed in boiling water. Fortunately, the plain black iron token at his waist shimmered faintly, casting an invisible shield around him. The hyenas’ eyes slowly dimmed, and Lin Qi stepped safely into the tower.

The first floor was empty, the ground inscribed with an ordinary twelve-pointed star array, dozens of fist-sized rubies and sapphires gleaming along its lines. In a corner of the hall, several men in cloaks stood, the outlines of armor visible beneath their heavy garments. They watched Lin Qi warily, relaxing only when they recognized him and let their hands fall from their sword hilts.

Keeping his head bowed, not daring to make a sound, Lin Qi carefully walked to a round iron plate in the corner.

These men were all high-ranking knights dispatched by the Imperial Army—each more than capable of killing Lin Qi with ease. In their presence, Lin Qi dared not show the slightest arrogance or neglect. The Cripple was a different story—Lin Qi could afford to show his malice openly to him, but in the company of the army’s cold-blooded, iron-willed knights, caution and humility were the keys to survival.

The Army represented the might of the Empire—a force that dominated the continent. No one dared act out of turn before them.

He drew the iron token from his waist, placing it beside him on the iron plate, focusing his scant reserve of mental energy into it. Faint characters gradually lit up on the token, and the iron plate beneath his feet shuddered, swiftly descending along a vertical metal shaft.

The professor Lin Qi served was a monster, living alone on the deepest floor of the Master Tower. Years ago, a failed experiment of his released toxic gas, killing everyone on that level but himself. Since then, no other living soul had set foot there.

Master Kocha, alchemist extraordinaire, had been enticed by the Empire five years ago with a lavish salary to become a visiting professor at University City. But his eccentricity was legendary; he had remained underground ever since, never venturing out. Given his penchant for catastrophic accidents during experiments, in recent years only Lin Qi, his dedicated attendant, dared approach his domain.

The iron plate slowly came to a halt. Before him was an arched portal. Lin Qi pressed his token to the iron door, cautiously opening it.

The amulet in his hand activated silently, a faint white glow enveloping him.

Relief washed over Lin Qi—it turned out Father Barin had actually given him a “Dawn Amulet,” imbued with the power of the God of Dawn and Light. This was the Church’s strongest defensive charm; the God’s power offered not only formidable protection, but also remarkable healing—a top-tier amulet, indeed.

With a smile, Lin Qi pushed open the iron door, just as a fireball the size of his fist and blazing crimson shot toward him with terrifying heat, whistling through the air and reaching him in an instant.

The fireball was intensely condensed, its searing heat causing the white light around Lin Qi to shatter at once.

“So it’s a defective piece after all! Barin, you bastard son of a harlot!” Lin Qi screamed in terror, his voice hoarse and frantic.