Chapter 352: Introduction
Even now, Sylas West still couldn’t figure out how that battle had ended just moments ago...
Herman, looking as if victory was assured and playing cat and mouse, suddenly collapsed to the ground. And the young Archmage, who seemed on the verge of being drained of his last drop of mana, inexplicably won?
"Uh..." Leon hadn't expected Sylas West to be so direct.
Sylas West had absolutely no idea what had happened in that fleeting instant...
After all, it's my stuff anyway.
Now, Sylas West truly felt that he could no longer see through this young Archmage...
Looking at that almost absurdly young face, he couldn’t help but feel a strange trace of fear in his heart.
“What’s wrong, Sylas?”
“Oh, it’s nothing...” Sylas West shook his head, pushing away those chaotic thoughts and regaining the composure befitting a Title Archmage. “I really didn’t expect those magical materials to actually belong to you, Merlin...”
Hearing this, Leon couldn't help but feel a bit moved—Caron really treated him well. Even with all that busyness, he still managed to arrange these magic materials for him.
"By the way, Lord Sylas West, I heard you ran into some trouble dealing with that python skin?"
Thank goodness Sylas West arrived...
The person before him was a top Grandmaster, after all...
And back at the Vaughn Ruins in Four Seasons Gorge, the alchemy skills he’d displayed had left even Sylas West in the dust. The current problem with the Dark Serpent skin’s spell solidification was beyond Sylas, but that didn’t mean this young Grandmaster couldn’t solve it...
He’d even grumbled about Sylas West a few times...
Looking back now, if Sylas West hadn’t arrived in time, hadn’t been so strict, Barlow probably wouldn’t be any better off than Herman...
Asking for help from someone like this, Sylas West thought, is nothing to be ashamed of...
Moreover, these magic materials originally belonged to this young mage; it's only natural that he should lend a hand...
Meanwhile, Sylas West had finished gathering the alchemists.
"Uh..." Leon hadn't expected Suas to be so direct.
From this alone, you could see how much effort Caron was putting into Leon Merlin's matter—Sylas West, Barlow, plus five Grandmasters, that’s a lineup of seven Grandmasters, and with over a dozen outstanding master alchemists, you could only call this extravagant.
For the Mercury Tower, this was as elite as it got.
After Sylas West notified them, the twenty-plus alchemists gradually entered Caron's lab, most of them with puzzled and bewildered expressions, all glancing at Leon beside Sylas...
"This is Leon Merlin, from Thousand Sails City..." Sylas West stepped back a little, making room for Leon to stand before everyone. "He’s the owner of the batch of magic materials you're working on..."
Sylas West’s words instantly stirred up a commotion below...
Previously, when Caron took charge of these materials, many had speculated about the owner—what kind of person could possess such a collection...
That wouldn’t be surprising...
Barlow genuinely had no idea how he managed to leave the alchemy lab alive...
He also couldn't figure out where he'd found the courage earlier...
It was terrifying...
Just thinking about it now, Barlow could only shudder with lingering fear. How did I get so bold? How did I dare to strike out at such a monster, to shout about being a battle mage? Where did I get the nerve?
Thank goodness Suas arrived...
Only now did Barlow finally understand why Suas had treated him that way after coming in. It wasn’t because Suas disliked him—it was because Suas wanted to save his life...
Funny how he hadn’t realized it until now...
He’d even secretly cursed Suas a few times...
Looking back now, if Suas hadn’t arrived in time, hadn’t been so strict, Barlow probably wouldn’t be any better off than Herman...
It really was luck, pure luck...
Still shaken, Barlow patted his chest as he reached the top floor of the Mercury Tower and began tidying up Caron's private alchemy lab...
Meanwhile, Suas had finished gathering the alchemists.
This time, the alchemists Caron had arranged to handle the magic materials numbered nearly twenty, including five Grandmasters; the rest were all highly skilled master alchemists.
From this alone, you could see how much effort Caron was putting into Leon's matter—Suas, Barlow, plus five Grandmasters, that’s a lineup of seven Grandmasters, and with over a dozen outstanding master alchemists, you could only call this extravagant.
For the Mercury Tower, this was as elite as it got.
After Suas notified them, the twenty-plus alchemists gradually entered Caron's lab, most of them with puzzled and bewildered expressions, all glancing at Leon beside Suas...
"This is Leon Merlin, from Thousand Sails City..." Suas stepped back a little, making room for Leon to stand before everyone. "He’s the owner of the batch of magic materials you're working on..."
Suas’s words instantly stirred up a commotion below...
Previously, when Caron took charge of these materials, many had speculated about the owner—what kind of person could possess such a collection...
There was no helping it—the value of these magic materials was simply staggering...
It really was priceless...
Privately, everyone had tried to estimate the worth of this batch.
The consensus was that it was worth at least ten million gold coins.
Ten million gold coins...
That’s no joke. Even in a place like Auckland, it’s enough to drive people mad. Even a force as powerful as the Mercury Tower would struggle to scrape together ten million gold coins for a single purchase of magic materials...
So, lately, everyone assumed the owner must be one of Auckland’s top powers—the Cloudspire Tower, the Black Tower, Auckland Academy, or one of the Three Great Families...
After all, only those forces with centuries or even millennia of history could toss out ten million gold coins without blinking.
In any case, the stir these magic materials caused in the Mercury Tower was far greater than Leon had imagined...
And now, seeing it for themselves...
It turned out to be just a young man in his twenties...
The alchemists immediately erupted in chatter...
Everyone was guessing, everyone was talking...
Who was this young man, and how could he possibly possess such vast wealth? That was ten million gold coins...
Wait, when Suas introduced him earlier, he said this young man was named Leon Merlin...
Leon Merlin, Leon Merlin...
Could he be from the Merlin Family?
That would make sense. The Merlin Family, one of Auckland’s Three Great Families, has accumulated a terrifying amount of wealth over a thousand years. For them, producing ten million gold coins’ worth of magic materials isn’t that strange...
But the name Leon Merlin seems unfamiliar...
In recent years, the names of the Merlin Family’s three prodigies have spread far and wide in Auckland—Ross Merlin, Oye Merlin, and Lyon Merlin. These three young magi, all having become mages at a young age, are fairly well-known among Auckland’s major factions.
But Leon Merlin...
Who’s ever heard of Leon Merlin?
Could he be a newly emerged prodigy of the Merlin Family?
But no matter how talented, would they really entrust ten million gold coins’ worth of magic materials to him?
And he seems pretty familiar with Suas, too.
Wait, could he be Suas’s disciple?
A few of the quickest-thinking Grandmasters suddenly recalled this possibility.
And the more they thought about it, the more it made sense. Everyone in the Mercury Tower knew that a few months ago, Suas and Fran had visited Thousand Sails City. But when they returned, both were strangely tight-lipped about the trip, never mentioning it again.
Could it be that Suas took Leon Merlin as a disciple on that trip to Thousand Sails City?
And then, with Suas’s reputation, Leon Merlin gained the Merlin Family’s attention?
That wouldn’t be surprising...
Suas is a newly minted Title Archmage, and on top of that, a top Grandmaster—he’s at the height of his fame. Even other top Title Archmages treat Suas with respect...
As Suas’s disciple, of course he’d be valued by the Merlin Family. Entrusting him with such a batch of magic materials wouldn’t be strange at all...