"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Solon thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I think it was about the Heptachord Theorem."
It was just a casual remark—Solon hadn’t taken it seriously himself. But unexpectedly, as soon as he spoke, Salomon, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them: "Are you saying that while reading Vanrison's Formulas, he called the Heptachord Theorem nonsense?"
"Uh... I think so." Solon was caught off guard by his teacher’s sudden reaction.
"Now that’s interesting..." Salomon smiled, then softly chanted a spell. His withered fingers traced the air, gathering immense magical energy at his fingertips. A visible ray of light sliced through the air, and the entire space seemed to tear open, revealing a curtain of white light.
Within the light curtain, a young mage sat leisurely at a desk, reading, a faint smile occasionally flickering across his face as he muttered to himself.
It was a replay of what had happened earlier in the library.
A Magus’s Time Reversal spell could trace scenes from more than ten years ago in the river of time, let alone something that happened just moments before.
Of course, the shorter the time span, the clearer the scene.
Just like now—the image in the light curtain was so clear you could see every strand of hair. Even Solon, standing a bit farther away, could see the young mage holding Vanrison's Formulas, flipping through the pages with a strange smile, as if he’d stumbled upon something truly ridiculous...
Just what was so funny...
The young archmage pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure it out. Meanwhile, the Magus beside him seemed to have discovered something, a look of astonishment flashing across his aged face.
When Vanrison's Formulas reached page twelve, the young mage set the book aside. His already peculiar smile grew even stranger, and he seemed to mutter something under his breath.
At first, Salomon’s face showed only mild surprise. But when the young mage began mumbling to himself, Salomon’s expression suddenly turned pale. His right hand, sustaining the Time Reversal, trembled violently, and even the white curtain of light quivered.
"Teacher, are you..." The young archmage was startled. After all these years at Sage's Spire, Solon had never seen his teacher so shaken.
"It's nothing..." Salomon shook his head and waved away the now unstable Time Reversal. "Alright, go out for now. I need to think."
"Yes, Teacher."
After Solon left, the study fell silent once more.
Salomon sat for a while longer before rising and heading to his desk, where he began to write a letter...
The letter was addressed to Star Sage Joey, one of the three titled archmages in the eastern kingdom and Salomon’s mentor for twenty years. In it, Salomon described everything he’d just witnessed in the Time Reversal.
Just now, Salomon hadn’t told Solon that Matthew Merlin wasn’t the first mage to call it "nonsense."
In Salomon’s memory, at least one other mage had said the same.
That mage was none other than Star Sage Joey!
Years ago, Cloudspire Tower had been researching the Heptachord Theorem, led by Star Sage Joey himself. At the time, he’d made the same comment: the Heptachord Theorem was utter nonsense, misleading countless mages. Yet, the research at Cloudspire Tower had stalled for years, the lack of several key data points keeping progress at a standstill.
But just now, when Vanrison's Formulas reached page twelve, that young mage named Matthew Merlin murmured a few words to himself.
The Time Reversal spell had no sound, so Solon hadn’t heard what was said. But Salomon, reading his lips, saw a sequence of Nether Runes—runes containing four data points, any one of which could potentially disprove the Heptachord Theorem.
That was the real reason Salomon had lost his composure...
When the long letter was finished, Salomon sealed the envelope and called Solon back in.
"Have someone deliver this to Cloudspire Tower, and make sure it reaches Star Sage Joey."
"Alright, I’ll take care of it right away."
"By the way, when Mage Merlin comes by tomorrow, bring him here. I have a few things I want to ask him."
"I will, Teacher." When Solon left the study again, he was even more bewildered and surprised.
After all, Salomon’s study wasn’t a place just anyone could enter.
Just look at the last time Monty and his son came—a merchant richer than anyone in Stormwind and a grand mage not yet thirty, bringing a lucrative business proposal. Even then, Salomon only invited them to the reception hall on the top floor...
So what was so special about Mage Merlin? Just one offhand comment about "nonsense" had made Teacher lose his composure, almost disrupting the Time Reversal, and now he’d personally asked to meet in the study.
………………………………
In the end, Lin Yun didn’t go the next day.
Because it was the day the Gilded Rose reopened. With the thirty thousand gold coins from the auction of the Chromatic Elixir, the old steward suddenly had plenty of funds—not only did he easily pay off Felix’s debt, he also began planning the revival of the Goldspark Trading Company.
Originally, Lin Yun hadn’t wanted to rush. Thirty thousand gold really wasn’t much—buy a few magical reagents and it’s nearly gone. It’s enough for daily expenses, but reviving the Goldspark Trading Company... well, maybe that’s a bit ambitious?
But the old steward couldn’t wait any longer...
Lin Yun refused several times, so the old steward started playing the sympathy card—sighing by Lin Yun’s ear every day, lamenting about his age, wondering how many years he had left, and what he’d say to the old master in the afterlife if Goldspark Trading Company was still half-dead after all these years.
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In the end, Lin Yun was forced to compromise. Forget about reviving Goldspark Trading Company for now, but at least the Gilded Rose could reopen.
So, the barely warmed pile of over twenty thousand gold coins was taken out—renovations, hiring staff, buying supplies, and after all that, there wasn’t much left.
Then the old steward was left dumbfounded...
What now? The money was gone, but what about an alchemist? A shop without an alchemist is like a restaurant without a chef.
The old man’s hair turned even whiter over this—after all, alchemists are expensive. Even twenty thousand gold would only cover two months’ salary for a top alchemist. Now, with just a few hundred gold left, should he hire a couple apprentices to muddle through?
That would ruin the reputation...
In the end, with no other options, Lin Yun had to step in himself.
After leaving Sage's Spire yesterday, Lin Yun didn’t go home but dove straight into the Gilded Rose’s alchemy lab. After a whole night’s work, using the leftover cheap magical ingredients, he managed to produce a dozen or so alchemical potions, plus a few enchanted armors and weapons. As for magic relics, well, that was wishful thinking—the materials just weren’t there. No matter how much knowledge Lin Yun had, he couldn’t conjure miracles out of thin air.
As for the opening ceremony and all that, Lin Yun didn’t have to worry—those were the old steward’s job. Lin Yun just handed over his night’s work, then found a room in the Gilded Rose and slept soundly.
After a whole night of intense labor, even the most energetic alchemist would be exhausted. Only Lin Yun could manage it—his Mana Vortex was far stronger than most mages, and his mind held alchemical knowledge from millennia in the future. Problems that stumped others were trivial for him.
Even so, that night drained all his energy. His Mana Vortex ran at full capacity, his magic was spent, and just making it to bed under his own power was proof of his youthful stamina.
He slept straight through to the afternoon, only waking when the sun was about to set and a noisy commotion roused him.
"Are they trying to get themselves killed..." Lin Yun muttered groggily, planning to sleep a little longer.
But it was as if the people outside were doing it on purpose. Before he could even turn over, there was a dull bang—either the main door or the counter had fallen...
"Enough already!" Lin Yun couldn’t take it anymore. He leapt out of bed, threw on his robe, and stormed out, determined to see who was so lacking in common decency...
He entered the hall to find a crowd. Shelves had been knocked over, the counter smashed, and the freshly renovated hall was a mess. The new hires had already retreated to the sidelines, leaving only the old steward, who was shouting himself hoarse in argument. Among the crowd, one young mage stood out, visibly agitated and conspicuous.
"Smash it! Trying to sell fake goods to Mason? If you don’t give me an explanation today, I’ll wreck this crooked shop and report you to the Merchant Alliance. Let all of Seaview City see how shameless Goldspark Trading Company really is!"
"Get out! You’re not welcome here!" The old steward had served Roger Merlin for twenty years, treating the Goldspark Trading Company’s reputation as more important than his own life. Hearing Mason insult it, his anger erupted—forget about treating him as a customer, he tried to shove Mason out the door.
Ordinarily, an old man couldn’t threaten a mage, even if he were twenty years younger. But Mason was so worked up, flailing and shouting, he barely noticed the steward. As a result, the shove actually sent Mason stumbling...
"Old man, you dare lay a hand on me?" Mason’s face darkened...
A proper mage, nearly knocked down by a sixty-year-old steward—if word got out, how could he show his face again?