Kadgar was still squinting slightly, his expression unreadable. No one could tell what he was thinking. The young alchemist beside him, however, had his eyes wide open, staring at Leon in disbelief. You turned down an opportunity like this—are you insane...?
At this moment, the young alchemist wished more than anything that he could trade places with Leon. If only his own alchemical potions could appear at the Blackhorn Auction, how wonderful that would be...
"Because I need some money. There are four items at the upcoming Blackhorn Auction that I have my eye on. I need to get cash quickly so I can bid for those four things," Leon considered for a moment before deciding to explain. After all, Kadgar had been courteous from the start, and repeatedly turning him down felt a bit disrespectful.
Upon hearing Leon's explanation, Kadgar, who had been squinting, immediately broke into a smile. "That's easily solved, Mage Merlin. I can appraise your two bottles of alchemical potion right now. Whatever value I estimate, you can use that much at the auction—and I guarantee the final sale price will be higher than my appraisal."
"In that case, alright..." Leon nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out two bottles of alchemical potion.
Kadgar glanced at them, his face showing a trace of astonishment. He quickly took the two bottles in hand, frowning as he analyzed them closely. His expression shifted several times, and after a long pause, he finally asked, with a look of shock, "Volcano Elixir?"
"Yes. Volcano Elixir."
Leon replied casually, making Kadgar suck in a sharp breath. "My god..."
The young alchemist who had been wishing to trade places with Leon nearly blacked out the moment he heard the words "Volcano Elixir."
Volcano Elixir. It really was the Volcano Elixir...
Even though no one was paying him any attention, the young alchemist instinctively lowered his head, wishing he could just crawl into a hole and disappear.
The legendary Volcano Elixir—said to make mana erupt like a volcano and instantly propel a Grand Mage to Archmage—had appeared right before him. And he’d appraised it at three hundred gold coins, bluntly called it trash...
That was the mark of a Grandmaster Alchemist. Being able to craft the Volcano Elixir meant you had truly stepped into the ranks of the Grandmaster Alchemists.
A Grandmaster Alchemist...
Someone on par with Kadgar himself. The young alchemist could hardly believe it—he’d actually offended a Grandmaster Alchemist, and one who was only in his twenties!
"And this bottle..." Compared to the others, Kadgar was much steadier. After his initial exclamation, his expression quickly returned to normal, though he eyed the other bottle with some confusion. "Sorry, maybe I’m getting old—I can’t quite recognize this one."
"This is the Phantom Elixir," Leon replied with a smile.
...
This time, Kadgar didn’t exclaim—he was simply stunned.
If crafting the Volcano Elixir marked someone as a Grandmaster Alchemist, then the Phantom Elixir meant they’d reached the very pinnacle of the craft. That was the closest potion to the Artisan rank—a Grandmaster Alchemist who could make the Phantom Elixir had already achieved mastery in alchemical potions. With enough experience and accumulation, they could step into the Artisan rank at any moment...
Kadgar had spent decades studying potion alchemy, but he was still stuck at the Grandmaster Alchemist level. Who knew how much farther he’d have to go before glimpsing the hope of becoming an Artisan.
Even if Master William had once praised this young mage to the skies, and even after seeing him produce a Volcano Elixir with his own eyes, Kadgar never imagined that the second bottle would be the Phantom Elixir—the closest potion to Artisan rank!
Kadgar had prepared thoroughly: how to appraise the two potions, how to offer favors, how to persuade this promising young mage to cooperate with the Blackhorn Auction House, how to recruit him... and so on.
But when Kadgar heard "Phantom Elixir," he realized all his preparations had been for nothing.
Yes, for nothing...
Trying to recruit a potion alchemist who could step into the Artisan rank at any moment—Kadgar couldn’t even bring himself to ask, no matter how thick-skinned he was. Forget the Blackhorn Auction House; even the Blackhorn Trading Consortium behind it would need its highest authorities to appear in person to show proper respect.
As for persuasion or favors—those little tricks were meaningless in the face of a future Artisan.
"Mage Merlin, this..." Kadgar opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he had no idea what to say.
"You seem to have forgotten the appraisal, Archmage Kadgar."
"Oh, right, the appraisal, the appraisal..." With Leon’s reminder, Kadgar finally remembered. But after staring at the two potions for a long while, he realized that what was usually a simple appraisal had suddenly become impossibly difficult.
Kadgar mulled it over for a full minute before finally gritting his teeth. "Mage Merlin, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can appraise these two potions for you. All I can say is, if you’re willing to work with the Blackhorn Auction House, we’ll make these two potions the highlight of the auction. As for the four items you’re after, I guarantee the Blackhorn Auction House will support you fully!"
Even Leon was a little surprised by Kadgar’s words.
Full support from the Blackhorn Auction House meant that, as long as he was determined to get those four materials, the funds available to him were practically limitless!
"Alright then. Thank you for your trust. I’ll leave the arrangements for these two potions to you."
"You’re too kind..." Originally, Kadgar just wanted to win over this promising young mage, but he hadn’t expected such a huge surprise. For the moment, he couldn’t even bother with formalities.
One Volcano Elixir, one Phantom Elixir—completely upended the original auction arrangements. Kadgar now had to scrap the old plans and reorganize everything before the auction began, just to ensure these two potions would get the attention they deserved.
"Well then, Mage Merlin, I’ll take my leave for now."
So, after a few polite words, Kadgar hurriedly excused himself. Before leaving, he called the young alchemist over: "Farrow, look after Mage Merlin for me. Make sure you treat him well. If you neglect him, just pack your things and head back to Auckland."
"Yes, yes..." In truth, Kadgar didn’t even need to warn him. After witnessing all this, Farrow was scared out of his wits—he wouldn’t dare neglect Leon.
...
Stayed up late to finish this chapter for the rankings push—if you’ve got tickets, please spare a few!