Master Tower

Clutching the Talisman 'borrowed' from Father Balin, Lin Qi stood before the cylindrical tower deep within the campus, his forehead slick with cold sweat.

The tower, constructed from massive dark gray stones, was the tallest building in the entire empire. Some called it the 'Master Tower', others the 'Madman's Tower'. At Fifth University, where Lin Qi studied, it had a formal, official name: 'Special Appointment Guest Professor Laboratory'.

Within this tower resided a group of misfits from all corners, possessing peculiar skills and even stranger temperaments. There were Dark Elves and Shadow Elves who delved into the dark side of the human heart, Necromancers who enjoyed dissecting the internal organs of various creatures, Dwarves who loved tinkering with metal contraptions and were masters of forging, and Goblins skilled in the manufacturing and research of all sorts of weaponry, among others.

The tower stood three hundred and seventy meters above ground and two hundred and fifty meters underground, built using special techniques provided by Dwarves and Goblins. Its base had a diameter of fifty-eight meters, with each floor being vast enough to accommodate two or three reclusive 'Masters' to research whatever piqued their interest to their heart's content.

Since the construction of University City, a continuous stream of peculiar and novel information had flowed from this tower, with some technologies significantly boosting the empire's strength. For instance, the tips of the six Stabbing Swords Lin Qi had sold to The Cripple utilized a special steel-dipping technique provided by a Dwarf Master, granting those Stabbing Swords piercing power above average.

"Alright, I need the shiny Ooh-ooh-call!" Lin Qi clutched his chest with his right hand, silently praying to all the deities whose names and divine posts he knew, hoping to enter and exit safely this time.

In the eyes of many students at Fifth University, this tower was no different from hell. Every year, thirty to fifty students serving the guest professors within the tower either died or were severely injured, with some vanishing inexplicably, never to be heard from again.

Lin Qi was one such 'lucky' individual. He had barely stepped through the university gates when he was selected to be a servant for a guest professor in the tower, a role he'd held for three years. In that not-so-long period, Lin Qi had struggled on the brink of death four times, and he had lost count of the minor injuries. Thus, each time he entered the tower, Lin Qi treated it as an extremely risky adventure.

However, immense risk was matched by immense reward. While the tower was fraught with countless dangers, Lin Qi had also found many opportunities to get rich within it. Otherwise, he would never have been able to establish the Iron Fist Brotherhood, with hundreds of peripheral members, in just three short years.

"For the lovely Ooh-ooh-call! Dear mentor, please don't go mad!"

Tightly gripping the small Talisman scroll in his hand, Lin Qi recalled Father Balin, that scoundrel among clergy, who had sworn that this Talisman was personally crafted by a Bishop from the Seine River archdiocese and possessed above-average defensive capabilities. But Lin Qi knew Father Balin's character well; if he claimed it was made by an archdiocese Bishop, then the true maker was likely just an ordinary divine priest.

A Talisman produced by an ordinary divine priest could probably withstand three to five slashes from a regular warrior. He hoped it would be useful. As long as he wasn't killed by his mentor the moment he arrived, Lin Qi felt the risk wouldn't be too great.

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

Two bronze hyena statues at the tower's entrance shot scarlet light from their eyes. Four beams of red light swept over Lin Qi, making him feel as if he were being scalded by boiling water. Fortunately, an ordinary black iron pendant at his waist flashed slightly, enveloping him in an invisible wave. The hyenas' eyes gradually dimmed, and Lin Qi walked into the tower without incident.

The first floor of the tower was empty, with a simple twelve-pointed star magic array etched onto the floor. Dozens of fist-sized rubies and sapphires glowed on the array. Several cloaked men stood in the corners of the hall, their armor faintly visible beneath their heavy cloaks. They eyed Lin Qi warily, but relaxed their hands from their sword hilts once they recognized his face.

Head bowed, Lin Qi walked silently to a circular iron plate in the corner of the hall.

The men on duty in the hall were high-ranking knights dispatched by the Imperial Military. Any one of them possessed the strength to easily obliterate Lin Qi. In front of them, Lin Qi dared not show any arrogance or negligence. Unlike The Cripple, Lin Qi could openly display his malice towards The Cripple, but before these ruthless, iron-blooded knights trained by the military, caution and humility were the first rules of survival.

The military represented the power of the empire's army, a colossal force that dominated the entire continent. No one dared to act presumptuously before them.

He took out the iron pendant from his waist and placed it on an iron plate beside him. Lin Qi concentrated, channeling his meager mental energy into the pendant. A few dim characters slowly lit up on the pendant. The iron plate Lin Qi stood on shuddered slightly and rapidly descended along a vertical metal tunnel.

The special appointment professor Lin Qi served was a monster. He lived alone on the deepest level beneath the Master Tower. Ever since an experimental mishap years ago, the leaked toxic gas had killed everyone on that entire level, leaving no other living beings besides him.

Master AlchemistKe Cha, hired by the empire with a hefty salary five years ago as a special appointment guest professor at University City, was extremely eccentric. For five years, he had lived in seclusion underground and never ventured out. Coupled with the frequent accidents from his experimental secret medicines, in the past two years, no one other than Lin Qi, his dedicated servant, approached his domain.

The iron plate beneath his feet slowly stopped. Before him was an arched doorway. Lin Qi pressed the iron pendant against the iron door and cautiously opened the portal.

The Talisman in his hand activated silently, and a faint white light enveloped Lin Qi.

Lin Qi's heart immediately relaxed. The Talisman Father Balin had given him this time was a 'Dawn Talisman', borrowing the power of the God of Dawn Light, which was also the Talisman with the strongest defense in the church. The divine power of the God of Dawn Light not only had outstanding defensive capabilities but also considerable recovery power, making it one of the best Talisman talismans.

With a smile, Lin Qi pushed open the iron door. A fist-sized, crimson fireball, carrying terrifying heat, whistled towards him, striking him in an instant.

The fireball was extremely condensed, and its terrifying temperature caused the layer of white light on Lin Qi to quickly disintegrate.

"It's still a defective product! Balin, you son of a bitch!" Lin Qi screamed in terror, his voice hoarse.