No matter how gifted an alchemy apprentice may be, time is always required for growth. The arcane, obscure theories of alchemy and the ocean of formulas—each demands countless hours of study. Many apprentices spend their entire lives without ever truly setting foot in the doorway to becoming an alchemist.
It’s fair to say that anyone who manages to become an alchemist by the age of thirty is a rare genius indeed.
As for someone like Kadgar, who became a Grand Alchemist at forty—there’s only one such person in all of Stormhold.
Yet now, a Grand Alchemist who has concocted both the Volcano Elixir and the Phantom Elixir, whose skill approaches that of an Artisan, is described by Kadgar as 'unimaginably young'...
Although Kadgar didn’t specify just how young, everyone present could guess—the master is almost certainly under thirty-five. Otherwise, Kadgar wouldn’t have spoken so dramatically.
The Blackhorn Auction House has been rooted in Stormhold for twenty years. Everyone here knows the character of its chief appraiser. Kadgar is always precise with his words—even during auctions, he never exaggerates when introducing any item.
When Kadgar says an auction item is truly one-of-a-kind, you could search the entire Northend World and never find a second like it.
And now, it’s the same story...
If Kadgar says this Grand Alchemist is unimaginably young, then he absolutely cannot be older than thirty-five.
Just imagine—a Grand Alchemist not even thirty-five years old, and at any moment, he might step into the ranks of the Artisans.
This kind of insane possibility sent the entire hall into a frenzy. Everyone was guessing, everyone was talking—their interest in this future Artisan far surpassed their interest in the two elixirs themselves.
In just a few short minutes, at least seven or eight leaders of top factions had summoned their most trusted and capable subordinates, issuing all sorts of orders in voices that brooked no argument. As for what those orders were—only they themselves would know...
In short, the final auction hadn’t even begun, and already an earthquake had erupted in the hall.
"Alright, next up—these two elixirs will start at a base price of three hundred thousand gold coins. Each bid must increase by no less than thirty thousand."
Seeing that his desired effect had been achieved, Kadgar finally announced the start of the final auction, wearing a satisfied smile.
"One million gold coins." Kadgar had barely finished speaking when a voice rang out from a second-floor box: "Ashen Tower will take these two elixirs."
The bidder was the same middle-aged man who had earlier competed with Salomon for the Oblivion Inferno.
The feud between Ashen Tower and Sage's Spire dates back to the distant Third Dynasty. These two mage factions, both based in the eastern kingdom, have always been locked in open and covert struggle—vying for resources, talent, knowledge, equipment. They’ll use any means necessary to suppress their rivals.
Hundreds of years ago, there was even a sizable war. Many mages lost their lives in that conflict, planting seeds of hatred in the survivors’ hearts. Although there’s been no direct confrontation since, the secret battles have only grown fiercer over the centuries.
Since Ashen Tower had already made their move, Sage's Spire was naturally unwilling to fall behind.
Although the Oblivion Inferno had cost 1.4 million gold coins, half of that was paid by Leon, so Salomon still had plenty of funds at hand.
"You think Ashen Tower can just take them because you said so?" Kadgar hadn't even spoken before Salomon's voice, rough with a cough, echoed from his box: "One million one hundred thousand gold coins."
Such an obvious provocation—almost a slap in the face. How could Ashen Tower's representative hold back? A cold snort was heard, followed immediately by a new bid.
"One million three hundred thousand gold coins."
"One million four hundred thousand gold coins."
"One million five hundred thousand gold coins."
"One million six hundred thousand gold coins."
"One million seven hundred thousand gold coins."
......
When the price hit one million seven hundred thousand, Salomon was the first to falter. Even with Leon covering half the cost of the Oblivion Inferno, seventy thousand gold coins still landed on Sage's Spire—and that was no small sum. If they spent another one or two million on these two elixirs, Sage's Spire would be stretched thin.
Of course, just because he couldn’t keep up didn’t mean Salomon would ever admit defeat.
"Forget it. Sage's Spire doesn't need these two elixirs anyway. Let's call it charity for Ashen Tower—I'll let you have them..."
The middle-aged mage only responded with a cold laugh...
Without a doubt, this round between the two mage factions ended in Ashen Tower's victory...
But Ashen Tower's win didn't mean the auction was settled. In fact, the real contest was only just beginning.
Sure enough, just as Salomon announced his withdrawal, a new bid appeared instantly.
"One million eight hundred thousand gold coins."
From afar, Leon glanced at the new bidder—a tall, imposing man in his forties, with a cold, stern face and a massive black sword strapped to his back. The blade radiated a thick, bloody aura—no doubt, this was a man who’d survived countless battles. Only such a killer could handle a weapon like that.
"That's Seth, leader of the Silvermoon Mercenary Company." Losing the auction to Ashen Tower was apparently not as crushing as outsiders imagined—Salomon was still all smiles, his cough unchanged. Seeing the confusion on Leon’s face, he patiently explained, "Back when your father was around, he worked with them quite a bit. Silvermoon Mercenary Company isn’t just wealthy—they’re loaded. Watch, Ashen Tower’s about to cry..."
"Two million gold coins."
Whether the middle-aged mage cried or not was anyone's guess, but his voice was noticeably hoarse when bidding. That last round may have beaten Salomon, but Ashen Tower itself was feeling the strain. Two million gold coins was no small sum—even for a top faction like Ashen Tower, it took serious effort to gather.
"Two million five hundred thousand gold coins."
...
With Seth's second bid, the price was pushed to two million five hundred thousand. Ashen Tower hesitated for a long time, clearly wanting to struggle a bit more, and finally offered two million six hundred thousand gold coins.
But right after that...
"Three million gold coins."
This time, Ashen Tower's box fell completely silent...
No, it wasn’t just Ashen Tower’s box...
Now, the entire hall was silent. Every gaze landed on Seth, some shocked, some puzzled. No one expected Seth to bid such an outrageous price—three million gold coins. That kind of money would shake any industry in Stormhold.
Yes, the two elixirs on the auction table were true treasures—maybe even the finest items Blackhorn Auction had ever seen. But no matter how rare, were they really worth this kind of madness?
Three million gold coins—enough to hire a real grandmaster.
If anyone else made such a bid, half the hall would call them insane. But this was Seth. In Stormhold, his judgment was legendary—over the years, he’d rarely made a mistake. Whether it was investing in Goldspark Trading Company or befriending Sage’s Spire, people thought he was crazy at the time. Only later did they realize how far-sighted the Silvermoon Mercenary Company’s leader truly was.
Could it be that these two elixirs are another one of those moves?
At that thought, a few competitors couldn’t help but waver...
But then they remembered—it was three million gold coins. As soon as their hands went up, they dropped them again...
Three million gold coins really was enough to scare everyone off.
"Seth, leader of Silvermoon Mercenary Company, has bid three million gold coins. Is there anyone willing to go higher?" On the auction stage, Kadgar’s face glowed with excitement—he was as happy as could be, and his voice boomed louder than usual.
In recent years, Blackhorn Auction House had seen plenty of big deals, but auctions where the price jumped by hundreds of thousands and closed at three million? Even Kadgar had never witnessed anything like it.