"And who are you?" William Merlin frowned, his gaze lingering on Farrow for a moment. That superior, condescending look almost made the usually smooth-talking Farrow lose his temper on the spot.
"My name is Farrow, chief alchemist of the Gilded Rose." Farrow took a deep breath, forcing down the urge to curse, and introduced himself in a tone that was neither servile nor arrogant.
"No wonder..." William Merlin only responded with a scornful snort to this introduction, then turned away and never looked at Farrow again. When he looked at Leon, his expression grew visibly impatient. "Alright, Matthew Merlin, I don't have much time and I don't care about your nonsense. But before I came to Seaview City, the old men in the family insisted I help you get rid of that pitiful debt. Fine, just to shut them up, I've brought you a Grand Alchemist..."
At this, William Merlin stepped aside slightly to let the middle-aged man in black robes come forward. "This is Angmar, a Grand Alchemist I brought from Auckland. From today on, he'll be taking over all technical work at the Gilded Rose. Have someone hand over the magical materials and alchemical formulas to him. He'll show you how to get rid of that pitiful debt."
"I'm afraid time is a bit tight..." Leon was being honest. The Gilded Rose had expanded so rapidly lately that magical materials now filled several warehouses, and the alchemical formulas had multiplied so much even Leon couldn't keep track. Completing the handover in a single day was basically impossible.
Unfortunately, William Merlin once again ignored Leon's opinion...
In fact, William Merlin had been issuing orders from the start, never intending to listen to anyone at all.
"Angmar, you're good at potion alchemy, aren't you? Go check out the alchemy lab and the magical materials upstairs. Brew a few bottles of alchemical potions to put on display. Honestly, it's absurd—a shop in such a prime location only has a hundred or so alchemical items. I have no idea how you run this place as the owner..."
"Yes, Young Master William."
Angmar nodded, just like William Merlin, never sparing anyone else a glance. After receiving his orders, he went straight up the stairs and entered the second-floor alchemist's lab reserved for Leon.
"Come on, Matthew Merlin, let’s see how a real Grand Alchemist works. And you too, chief alchemist of the Gilded Rose…"
This time, Leon didn’t even bother to roll his eyes. "Let’s go, Farrow…"
"Archmage Merlin, is your cousin a bit… off in the head?" Farrow couldn’t help himself as they walked up the stairs, gesturing to his own temple.
"Maybe he was bitten by a dog when he was a kid…"
Leon said maliciously, but was suddenly interrupted by a startled cry from upstairs. For a moment, he thought something had gone wrong in the alchemist’s lab. But when he rushed up, he only saw William Merlin standing at the alchemy table, his face filled with incredulous shock. "How can it be this outdated!"
"Outdated?"
"Damn it, do you think these alchemy tools aren’t outdated? Look at this—a glass beaker from Crystal Workshop, made ten years ago, can’t even prevent mana leakage. And this, a test tube from Crystal Workshop, seven years old, can’t even maintain a stable temperature. Aren’t you worried about temperature fluctuations causing an accident? What kind of alchemist’s lab still uses such obsolete equipment?"
"Listen, Archmage William, this is Seaview City, not Auckland…" Leon was at a loss for words. Auckland is the kingdom’s cultural and economic hub, and the main Crystal Workshop is based there, so of course alchemists there get the best gear. But Seaview City is tiny in comparison—not even worth opening a branch. These tools took a lot of effort for the old steward to import from Rockridge."
"Alright, alright…" William Merlin shook his head, clearly exasperated. "Now, bring out your best magical materials. If Angmar takes a liking to two or three items, you’ll be free of that pitiful debt in no time. I heard it’s eight thousand gold coins? Pathetic…"
"Farrow, go check what magical materials are left." Leon hadn’t been to the Gilded Rose in days and had no idea what was still in stock.
Farrow was quick and efficient, soon finding several types of magical materials—leftovers from when Leon was brewing Angel Elixirs. If used sparingly, there was enough for another seventeen or eighteen bottles.
But as soon as those magical materials were placed on the alchemy table, Angmar’s expression soured, and William Merlin’s reaction was even more dramatic: "Seriously, Matthew Merlin, is this all you have left—these inferior magical materials?"
"Inferior magical materials?" Farrow bristled. Damn it, inferior? Do you even know what you’re talking about? The so-called inferior magical materials you’re mocking are used to brew Angel Elixirs—Angel Elixirs, you hear me? Boosts strength, restores mana, infuses holy power. How many potions brewed from 'inferior' magical materials have you ever seen?
Once again, Farrow’s protest was ignored. William Merlin, the cousin dropped in from the sky, simply bypassed both Leon and Farrow and cast a mana detection spell…
The moment the spell was cast, William Merlin’s face showed surprise for the first time.
"Huh, I didn’t expect this rundown alchemy shop to have rare magical materials!"
"Rare magical materials?" Leon was stunned, then his expression changed. The rare magical material William Merlin mentioned—could it be…
Sure enough, just as Leon thought that, William Merlin bent down and pulled out a crystal test tube from beneath the alchemy table.
Intricate alchemical arrays were inscribed on its surface, and inside were several drops of black liquid.
"Not bad, you even drew a sealing array. Looks like your Gilded Rose isn’t as backward as it seems…" William Merlin said with a satisfied smile.
"Put it back." Leon’s brow furrowed.
You’ve got to be kidding—that was Obsidian Blossom sap. Just one drop could cause a massacre in Seaview City. Leon had only meant to extract some for experiments, but William Merlin, that walking disaster, just had to find it…