Chapter 9: The Inverted Cross and the Lamp Spirit

After leaping down from the war elephant, the man in black armor approached Li Mingxing. He first glanced at Midalin beside Li Mingxing, then smiled and said, “What an elegant Scorpion Lion you are. Yet your wings haven't grown out, have they?”

Li Mingxing shot the black-armored man a look and retorted, “Did you fall from the ranks of the Holy Paladins, or just from an ordinary knight? Judging from your appearance, your armor hasn't fully completed its corruption transformation. That’s the trouble with the path of corruption—everything must be corrupted by your own hand. If you don’t do it well, you’ll even lose some of your power.”

Li Mingxing’s words did not anger the black-armored man. He simply removed his helmet, revealing a pale face and a head of silver hair.

“I won’t bother telling you my name, but my class is the Fallen Crusader. You may call me Inverse Cross,” he said coolly.

“I’ve asked my mentor, and so far, I’m the only Scorpion Lion there is. I don’t mind if you call me that,” Li Mingxing replied with a smile as well.

Hearing Li Mingxing’s pointed words, Inverse Cross laughed. “I didn’t expect you, Lord Scorpion Lion, to have such a sense of humor. I’m here for a mission required for my complete corruption. May I ask what brings you here?”

“A mission to complete your corruption? I didn’t expect it to be such an important matter. Perhaps I could lend you a hand. After all, I’ve got plenty of time here, and it’s normal to help out one’s own people,” Li Mingxing replied, not answering Inverse Cross’s question.

“That won’t be necessary. I’m almost ready. Frankly, you haven’t been here long, have you? If you need anything, you can come to me. I have some influence in this place.”

“No need. What I want isn’t something you could provide. Telling you would be pointless,” Li Mingxing said without even looking up. “Anyway, luck’s on my side. The merit I gain from discovering the Gem Pool will bring me quite a few benefits.”

As Li Mingxing spoke, another group of flying carpets approached from the city he’d come from. These, however, were not the city lord’s personal troops, but his own.

When the carpets landed by the Gem Pool, Yin Haitao leapt down and, after casting a glance at Inverse Cross, immediately reported to Li Mingxing about his transaction with the city lord.

Originally, Yin Haitao had planned to bargain for another war elephant for Li Mingxing, but the city lord believed the Gem Pool would only last five days and refused to pay such a high price. In the end, the steward gave Li Mingxing thirty double-seated flying carpets, and fully replenished their troops.

Of course, the reinforcements were not elite units, but warriors of mixed bloodlines from various races—third-tier Scimitar Fighters and Spear Throwers. Though their obedience couldn’t be fully guaranteed, Yin Haitao brought them all the same.

Additionally, the city lord gifted Li Mingxing an oil lamp. According to the city lord, there was only a fifty percent chance of summoning the genie within, and only one attempt was allowed. Whether or not Li Mingxing would succeed depended on his luck.

After Yin Haitao finished, Li Mingxing said nothing, but Inverse Cross burst into laughter. “You’re really not doing well, are you? Discovering a Gem Pool and all you get are these scraps? In my city, I might have traded you two or three Titans for it.”

“Is that how you got that Titan follower of yours?” Li Mingxing asked without looking up.

Inverse Cross was infuriated by Li Mingxing’s words. He pointed at Li Mingxing and said, “Kid, don’t push your luck. If you dare speak to me like this again, I’ll make sure you can’t stay here.”

“I don’t care,” Li Mingxing replied coolly. “I never planned to stay long anyway. The sunlight here is too harsh for my followers. I prefer the shadows. But you, if you stay here too long, you might start to resemble those on the side of Light. Be careful—I’ve slain a few apprentice heroes of the Light myself.”

Inverse Cross’s anger only grew. Pointing at Li Mingxing, he threatened, “Don’t let me catch you, or you’ll die a miserable death.”

With that, he turned to leave. After a few steps, Li Mingxing rose slowly and said, “Then you’d best stay here, for once you leave, it won’t be easy to get back in.”

Inverse Cross bristled even more, confused at how a simple visit to observe other apprentice heroes had soured so quickly.

In truth, it wasn’t entirely his fault; even Li Mingxing didn’t quite understand how their meeting had devolved so rapidly. He’d intended to ask Inverse Cross about the situation here, but after only a few words, they were almost quarreling. Much of what was said hadn’t been his true intent.

Clearly, other forces were at work, but Li Mingxing had no mind to ponder further. At that moment, he was examining the oil lamp Yin Haitao had just brought him.

According to Midalin, the lamp was not a local product, but something that appeared in the desert with the sandstorms. No one knew its maker, but everyone knew that if you rubbed the lamp, a blue-skinned genie with a whirlwind lower body would appear to serve the lamp’s master.

Yet such lamps were unlike the common gemstones found everywhere in the desert. Even in cities, they were rare. If the chance of summoning a genie were greater than fifty percent, and if each lamp could serve more than one master, their price would rival that of a war elephant.

Thus, the city lord’s choice to give Li Mingxing a lamp instead of a war elephant was not unreasonable. In this world, such a lamp was a symbol of status. At the very least, carrying one made others view you with more respect.

Li Mingxing placed his claw on the lamp for a long moment before finally giving it a gentle rub. The old bronze lamp suddenly flashed with golden light, and a shower of gold dust burst forth.

Seeing this, Midalin exclaimed excitedly, “It worked! This lamp has a genie.”

Before Li Mingxing could react, a stoic genie appeared before him. Just as Midalin had described, the genie’s skin was blue, with a whirlwind for legs.

Standing before Li Mingxing, the genie spoke in a mechanical voice, “How may I serve you?”

Li Mingxing was stunned for a moment, then looked at Midalin, uncertain how to command the genie.

Fortunately, Midalin had studied these matters and promptly explained the genie’s functions.

First, the genie required energy to function—namely, gemstones from this region. Each gemstone could sustain the genie for half a year, though combat, magic use, or powering up would require more.

Second, a newly summoned genie possessed no intelligence of its own. Like a child, it knew only what had been instilled at creation; everything else had to be learned over time. If the genie was female, “cultivation” might be a more apt term.

Third, a newly summoned genie was only first-tier. Its main use was as a portable storage, with little combat ability and only basic supportive magic. It could not stray more than thirty meters from its lamp.

After listening to Midalin’s explanation, Li Mingxing suddenly asked, “Can I let it use my spellbook?”

Before Midalin could answer, the genie spoke up. “My magic comes from the lamp. As long as there are gemstones inside, I can cast spells. Some spells, however, I must learn first.”

Without hesitation, Li Mingxing handed the genie the spellbook he’d seized from his previous world. The genie flipped through it, and beams of light shot from its eyes.

Li Mingxing could tell the genie was recording the spells. As it did so, he asked, “What kind of magic do you usually use?”

“I possess level one Order Magic. This is a form of natural magic. I can learn other types, but casting them costs double the required magical energy.”

“If you learn the spells from this book, will the content remain?”

“It will. I have level one Learning Spell, which allows me to learn magic from other spellbooks.”

“Which of the four schools of magic do you prefer?”

“Combat and tactical magic, though I am more proficient in tactical spells.”

Through this exchange, Li Mingxing learned a fair amount about the genie’s abilities. He understood that, if properly trained, the genie might become a capable combat assistant. However, it would never be a true mage, for it lacked the essential quality of a spellcaster: creativity.

It seemed it would be some time before he could truly pass on his spellbook.