Chapter 238: Botanical Garden
“Wh-what do you mean it might not actually be Vaughn's Vault...” Salomon was stunned, blinking slowly after a long pause, and struggled to repeat what Sylas West had just said.
“It means Lance might have gotten it wrong...” The seven-leafed plant had already been plucked out by Sylas West, who now held two leaves in his palm, scrutinizing them in the light for a long moment before finally looking up and saying, in an even firmer tone, “Yes, Lance was mistaken.”
“No way...” This time, Salomon had mostly recovered, but he still looked dazed, his mouth hanging open as if someone had stuffed a whole egg inside.
“This is a Phantasm Flower, one of the most commonly used magical ingredients for mind-affecting alchemical potions. When it blooms, it releases a scent that is fatally attractive to ants. So wherever the Phantasm Flower blooms, you’ll usually find a dense nest of ants...”
Seeing Salomon crouch down and try to find an ant nest in the dirt, Sylas West couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. “Don’t bother. The Phantasm Flower only blooms once every few decades. The best you’ll find now are just the corpses of the last batch of ants. And if it really were blooming, that scent that drives ants mad would do the same to you. Not even ten mental wards could save you...”
“Oh...” Salomon stood up awkwardly, still a little unconvinced. “But what does this have to do with Vaughn's Vault?”
“What we call Vaughn's Vault is actually the tomb of the Worldshaper. But in the Third Dynasty, ants invading a tomb was considered a grave desecration. So every tomb from that era, noble or common, was planted with two kinds of plants: Star Orchid and Serpentvine. The scent of Star Orchid repels ants, and Serpentvine is the natural enemy of the Phantasm Flower. Wherever Serpentvine grows, the Phantasm Flower can’t survive. But here, we haven’t seen a single Star Orchid or Serpentvine—only the Phantasm Flower, which should be impossible. Why would Vaughn bury himself in a place like this...”
“Then... then what is this place?”
“If I’m not mistaken, this should be one of Vaughn’s many alchemical laboratories. Records show that before Vaughn reached the Worldshaper realm, he traveled the Northend World for nearly thirty years. During that time, he lived in seclusion in many places, including a documented appearance at Angel Coast. Four Seasons Gorge and Angel Gorge are separated by only a mountain range, so it’s entirely possible he left an alchemical lab here in Four Seasons Gorge...”
At this, Sylas West paused for a moment. “Also, that maze array we encountered earlier wasn’t True Spirit grade—it was the work of a top Grandmaster. That matches Vaughn’s alchemical level at the time.”
Sylas West didn’t notice that when he said this, Leon suddenly furrowed his brow...
It wasn’t that Leon doubted Sylas’s analysis...
In fact, Leon admired Sylas’s deduction quite a bit.
Of everyone in the joint exploration team, only Leon knew the real Vaughn’s Vault wasn’t here—it was on the distant Crystal Isle. A thousand years from now, all the major factions would gather there, fighting a war that would turn the world upside down, until the Ivory Tower finally claimed Vaughn’s Vault for itself.
But Leon knew the truth because he came from thirty thousand years in the future.
Sylas West, though, belonged to this era. Just from a single Phantasm Flower, he’d nearly guessed the truth—an ability truly worthy of admiration.
What made Leon frown was Sylas’s last remark.
That maze array was off...
Leon even suspected that the maze array wasn’t Vaughn’s work at all...
Vaughn’s place in alchemical history is nothing short of pivotal. Even the Saint Alchemists of later generations speak highly of him. Vaughn’s Hexagram Array stands above its era—every alchemist in the future is required to study it. Entire summer courses are filled with analyses of Vaughn’s knowledge, habits, and methods; everything about him is systematically dissected by posterity.
Vaughn wasn’t a typical prodigy—he wasn’t dazzling or wildly imaginative. His greatest achievement was perfecting the details, elevating them to an art form. The alchemical system built around his Hexagram Array became a distinct discipline: intricate, tedious, yet turned into pure artistry in Vaughn’s hands.
But the maze array inside the Void Serpent’s belly was completely different...
You could say they’re polar opposites.
The maze array inside the Void Serpent was downright slapdash—not crude or shoddy, but slapdash. It felt as if the creator was cutting corners at every turn, never using an extra mana circuit where the serpent’s natural abilities could suffice. If you wanted to be generous, you might call it 'all-natural and non-toxic'...
Moreover, the logic behind the maze was wildly erratic—unpredictable, almost chaotic. That’s why Sylas struggled so much to crack it; he was simply thrown off by that bizarre, freewheeling mindset...
And so, the question arises...
Vaughn was famously distrustful—aside from his close friend Robinson, he never trusted anyone. Every record states Vaughn always worked alone in his alchemical laboratories, using only Alchemical Golems as assistants. In his entire life, not a single living soul ever set foot inside his lab.
So, who laid out that maze array outside, with a style so utterly different?
Could it be that someone broke into this alchemical laboratory long before the joint exploration team arrived, and used the Void Serpent’s corpse to set up a slapdash maze array?
While Leon was still puzzling over this, Salomon was already cursing: “Damn it, so this isn’t Vaughn’s Vault? Where did Lance get his intel? We spent all that time and effort, and all we found was a damned alchemical lab! No way—when I find Lance, he’s paying me back for my losses!”
“Don’t worry...” Sylas West waved his hand, wearing a confident smile. “This may not be Vaughn’s Vault, but the rewards we’ll get here might not be any less...”
“Oh?”
“Just look around—Phantasm Flower, Mana Fruit, Serpentvine, Voidbloom, Thousandknot Vine... they’re everywhere. These are all rare magical materials. If I’m not mistaken, this is almost certainly Vaughn’s botanical garden for cultivating magical ingredients. Imagine: a Worldshaper’s garden, untouched for nearly two thousand years. The wealth accumulated here must be unimaginable...”
“That’s true...” Leon nodded. This place really was a treasure trove—almost every magical material used in alchemical potions could be found here, and in considerable quantities. If they harvested it all, it would probably supply the Gilded Rose for a decade...
“Here’s what we’ll do,” Sylas proposed after a moment’s thought. “There’s way too much here for us to harvest it all, so let’s split up—four directions, whatever each of us finds is theirs. We’ll meet back here in an hour.” The original forest wasn’t huge, just a few kilometers across, but the sheer quantity of magical materials meant even if all four of them turned into Alchemical Golems specialized for harvesting, it would still take days to clear it out.
So, they set a one-hour limit and aimed to pick only the rarest magical materials to take with them...
“Alright, see you in an hour.”
The four split up, heading in different directions and beginning the harvest at top speed.
Heading south, Leon’s harvesting speed was astonishing. As a top Grandmaster, his eye for magical materials was unmatched in his era. Whether in the woods or the undergrowth, he always found the rarest magical ingredients. With a Spatial Ring on his finger, he had no worries—all he had to do was toss the chosen materials inside...
He swept through the area like a locust swarm, leaving chaos in his wake...
Vaughn was truly wealthy—though none of the materials left behind were one-of-a-kind treasures, their quality and variety were unmatched in Leon’s experience. As he continued harvesting, the pile of magical materials in his Spatial Ring grew rapidly, soon resembling a small mountain.
“Leon!” Just as Leon was enjoying the harvest, Salomon emerged from the thicket.
“Magus Salomon, time is precious—very precious...”
“Damn it, I’ve been duped!” Salomon cursed, clearly frustrated. “You three are all alchemists, and I’m the only outsider—how am I supposed to harvest magical materials?”
...Leon thought about it and realized Salomon had a point. He reluctantly picked out a few valuable magical materials and explained their features to Salomon.
“Forget it, I’ll just follow you and pick up whatever you leave behind...”
...A dignified Ninth-Rank Mage, reduced to this—Leon had nothing to say. He ended up letting Salomon tag along, deliberately leaving half the magical materials for him during the harvest.