Actually, Farrow had no idea that when he and Howes stepped out of the alchemy lab, Leon was already aware someone from Twinmoon Radiance had arrived...
Leon had been poring over the stone tablet, a fresh idea brewing in his mind. He'd meant to have Perry call Raymond up, but before he could even mention it, Perry came upstairs talking about Twinmoon Radiance. Apparently, they'd sent an alchemist over, wanting a 'technical exchange' with the Gilded Rose.
Perry's face was tinged with worry as he spoke.
Roger Merlin used to run the alchemy business. Perry had watched him for years—he knew exactly what this 'technical exchange' meant. It was just shops trying to outdo each other, hoping to crush their rivals and snatch a bigger slice of the market.
'Technical exchange' sounds nice, but in reality, it's just coming over to trash your reputation and put you on the spot.
"Heh, figures they'd show up." Leon wasn't the least bit surprised. When the Monty Family held their alchemy press conference, he'd already guessed this so-called exchange would land on his doorstep sooner or later.
The Monty Family wanted a piece of Seaview City's alchemy market, and there was no getting around the Gilded Rose. The Elixir of Hope had turned the Gilded Rose into one of Seaview's top shops. Once the expansion was finished, it wouldn't just be 'one of' the best—it'd be the best. Twinmoon Radiance might look impressive, but to most folks, it still lacked a signature product like the Elixir of Hope.
Now that the Monty Family had announced the Void Elixir and Berserker Elixir at their press conference, they finally had the technical clout to challenge the Gilded Rose.
If they didn't show up for an 'exchange' now, Leon would have to wonder if Monty's IQ was as low as Mason's...
Truth be told, Leon wasn't worried in the slightest.
Leon could even guess—the so-called Void Elixir and Berserker Elixir were just cheap knock-offs of the Volcano Elixir and Phantom Elixir.
Back at the Blackhorn Auction House, Monty dropped four million gold coins on the Volcano Elixir and Phantom Elixir. Leon knew right then some alchemist must've been eyeing the techniques inside.
But does it really matter?
Alchemy isn't something you can just snatch up like cabbages at the market.
Any Grand Alchemist worth their salt, if they put in the time, could tease out a few tricks from an alchemical item—maybe something about material handling, design philosophy, or the finer points of operation...
But in the vast history of Northend World, has any master alchemist ever managed to plagiarize a Grandmaster?
Grandmasters? Forget it...
Even copying between master alchemists has never happened in Northend World's history.
All you get from analyzing an alchemical item are the most basic, surface-level techniques—the real core is always out of reach.
That's why alchemists always pass down their secrets the old-fashioned way: master to apprentice.
There are things you only truly understand when your teacher tells you face to face.
Those secrets—that's the real heart of alchemy.
If you try to learn everything through analysis, unless you’re a creator yourself, you might instantly see through a novice’s work. But that’s just knowledge and rank—analysis only gets you so far.
All you’ll get from analysis are knock-offs like the Void Elixir and Berserker Elixir.
One second of immunity, a fleeting burst of frenzy...
Leon couldn’t even be bothered to give these knock-offs a second look.
………………
By now, Farrow had already dragged Howes into the Gilded Rose’s main hall. The place was packed—word had spread that Twinmoon Radiance and the Gilded Rose were going to face off in a technical exchange. Some folks were from the Sage's Spire next door, some from the Mercenary Guild, others were shop owners and alchemists from all over...
By the time Farrow walked in, there had to be at least a hundred people packed into the hall.
"Why are there so many people..." Farrow grumbled. These guys must have nothing better to do—if there's a spectacle, they're first in line. Damn it, the Silvermoon Mercenary Company is off fighting at Razor Rift right now; why don't you go watch them instead? Scared you'll end up bleeding out, huh?
After muttering to himself, Farrow scanned the crowd again and couldn't help but frown.
"Hawkins?" he muttered. Standing dead center was a middle-aged man, maybe in his forties, with an utterly ordinary face and a robe that had seen better days.
But Farrow knew—this was a Grand Alchemist.
A Grand Alchemist from the Black Tower!
Before Farrow joined the Blackhorn Auction House, he’d studied alchemy at Auckland Academy—the Black Tower’s old stomping grounds. Hawkins was already famous back then: a Grand Alchemist in his thirties, invited to lecture Farrow’s class.
Not long after, Hawkins was recruited by the Black Tower. Farrow also knew Hawkins wasn't just a Grand Alchemist—he was a formidable Grand Mage. When Farrow headed to Seaview City, Hawkins was already fifth-tier. Now? Probably sixth or even seventh...
This is going to be a headache...
"Let me introduce myself. Hawkins, Grand Alchemist of Twinmoon Radiance. You’ve probably heard—just a few days ago, Twinmoon held an alchemy press conference. That Berserker Elixir? My work." Hawkins spoke as if the crowd barely registered; not a single face was worth his attention.
As a Grand Alchemist from the Black Tower, Hawkins had every reason to be proud.
Even in all of Seaview City, only three people were worth Hawkins’s notice: Sophron, one of Sage’s Spire’s three giants; Lance, president of the Alchemist Guild; and Kadgar from the Blackhorn Auction House. The first two were nearly Grandmasters, and Kadgar had the Blackhorn Merchant Guild behind him. As for the rest of Seaview’s Grand Alchemists, they were nothing in Hawkins’s eyes...
Because he was a Grand Alchemist from the Black Tower!
And the Gilded Rose? Not even worth mentioning...
So what if the Gilded Rose launched the Elixir of Hope? Strip away the cost, and it’s nothing special—just for mage apprentices, and any ordinary alchemist could make it with the recipe.
If President Monty hadn't begged and dangled rare magical materials, I wouldn't have bothered with the Gilded Rose.
Technical exchange? Yeah, right...
A bunch of ordinary alchemists—do they really deserve to trade techniques with a Grand Alchemist like me?
***********
[Author’s Note skipped: non-narrative content]