Chapter 122: Grandmaster
Truth be told, William Merlin was no amateur—he was a rather accomplished alchemist. Array-based alchemy might not have been his forte, but he could still make sense of an alchemical array blueprint.
*So why do I feel so out of my depth now?*
The instant the draft paper touched the alchemy table, William Merlin’s eyes went wide—almost comically so. His gaze flicked to Leon, and terror flooded his expression. He wasn’t looking at a fellow human anymore. No, it was as if a monster had appeared before him...
For a moment, William Merlin’s mind was wiped blank. He just stood there, frozen, mouth hanging open in disbelief—a full minute passed before he could even close it.
*What in the world am I looking at?*
*A Grandmaster.*
That’s a Grandmaster!
Suddenly, all the oddities since arriving in Seaview City snapped into focus. Everything made sense now.
Why could Matthew Merlin rebuild the Gilded Rose so effortlessly?
Why did he spend so extravagantly at the Blackhorn Auction?
Why was he on such good terms with Seaview City’s elite?
Why could he maintain a cordial relationship with Lance...
*It all fits. It all fits.*
All of it—every last bit—was because Matthew Merlin was a Grandmaster. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Grandmaster... he’s really a Grandmaster..." William Merlin stood rooted to the spot, dazed, as if the world had tilted beneath him.
He actually had a Grandmaster for a cousin!
*How is that even possible?*
Strangely enough, William Merlin felt a flicker of pride.
*Maybe having a Grandmaster in the family isn’t so bad...*
But pride quickly gave way to a creeping sense of fear...
Because William Merlin suddenly remembered—when he’d first arrived in Seaview City, he’d strutted around in front of a Grandmaster. Tried to get him to haul luggage. Oh, and he’d even picked a fight with the Grandmaster... and got slapped silly for it.
*What was I thinking?*
As those memories surfaced, William Merlin’s legs turned to jelly. He instinctively grabbed the alchemy table for support. It was terrifying—he’d been so brazen before a Grandmaster, and the fact that he was still breathing had to be the result of every Merlin ancestor watching out for him.
Oh, right—Farrow told me I ought to thank President Lance for saving my skin that day...
*Guess he wasn’t joking.*
At the time, I thought he was just being sarcastic. Looking back now, President Lance really did save my life. Seriously—picking a fight with a Grandmaster? Not even a Grand Mage or an Archmage would walk away from that...
Look at all those Archmages in Auckland—who’d be dumb enough to provoke a Grandmaster? If a Grandmaster got annoyed, he could summon a Title Archmage—a legendary rank above even the Archmage—and by then, not even an Archmage would have time to cry.
(Note: Title Archmage is a rare, elite rank in this world, above ordinary Archmages.)
Damn, I was way too brave!
William Merlin’s legs kept trembling as he gritted his teeth, desperately trying to process everything...
*Am I insane, or just extraordinarily lucky?*
"Well, out with it. What do you want?" Leon finally broke the silence, his tone edged with impatience as he watched William Merlin drift further into his stupor.
"I..." William Merlin opened his mouth, but his voice came out strangely crisp. He swallowed hard before he could finally speak, "Can I sit down and talk?"
...Leon rolled his eyes. Cousin, oh cousin, isn't this change in attitude a bit much?
"Go ahead, sit..."
With Leon's permission, William Merlin carefully sat down on a chair beside the alchemy table. He didn't dare get too comfortable—he only perched on the edge of the seat and didn't even lean back.
As for why...
Come on, the Grandmaster was still standing!
"Alright, now you can talk." Leon had no time to analyze William Merlin's psychology. As soon as William sat down, Leon got straight to the point.
"I... I just wanted to ask... do you happen to have a Nether Iron Vein?"
"Hm?" Leon's eyes narrowed, and his gaze toward William Merlin grew noticeably colder.
For Leon, the Bone Plane was his true foundation now.
Even at the height of magical civilization, the Bone Plane was famous for its abundance. Just look at Leon—he'd gone there twice and came back with an Obsidian Bloom, a legendary item that could grant a Grandmaster direct access to the rank of Creator. And that was just what he got after slaying the Bone Demon...
On that tiny patch of black wasteland, there was already something as miraculous as the Obsidian Bloom. So what else might lie beyond the black wasteland? What secrets could the entire Bone Plane hold?
What's more, Leon's Sage's Chapter also required a huge amount of Soul Fire.
That was the key to directly boosting the efficiency of the Mana Harness!
The Bone Plane was absolutely critical for Leon. If he lost access to it, not only would the Book of the Dead be out of reach, but all his magical materials would vanish—and even the Sage's Chapter would lose its power.
Such a loss was something Leon simply couldn't afford...
Ever since he'd returned from the Bone Plane, Leon had been looking for ways to strengthen himself—even risking his life to use the juice of the Obsidian Bloom to craft magical artifacts. Why? Because he'd sensed a watchful gaze from the Monty Family, and from that Black Tower Archmage.
Now, with one careless question, William Merlin had suddenly triggered all of Leon's alarms.
In that instant, Leon even suspected that William Merlin already knew about the Bone Plane. Otherwise, why would he ask about the Nether Iron Vein?
In that moment, the first thought that flashed through Leon's mind was to silence him permanently.
"No, no, no, you've got it all wrong!" The hint of killing intent in Leon's eyes nearly scared William Merlin out of his wits. "Listen to me—I just came to talk about cooperation. Really, cooperation!"
"Sorry..." Seeing how frightened William Merlin was, Leon calmed down, realizing his reaction had been a bit much.
He had gotten a huge amount of Nether Iron and magical gems from that Archmage's Spatial Relic. Afterwards, those Nether Iron and gems were sent to the Gilded Rose and turned into alchemical items.
With so many alchemical items flooding the market, it was impossible not to attract attention...
It was only natural that people would guess he had a Nether Iron Vein.
"That's right, I do have a Nether Iron Vein. So what?" Leon thought it over and decided to admit it. After all, next month he'd be bringing in plenty of Alchemical Golems to start mining in earnest, and even more alchemical items would hit the market. There'd be no way to hide it then.
"That's fantastic, cousin..." William Merlin was instantly thrilled, so much so that he even forgot his fear of Leon and blurted out "cousin." Only after saying it did he remember Leon was a Grandmaster, and he quickly glanced at Leon to check for any sign of displeasure. Seeing none, he bravely went on: "Cousin, do you know that the Elder Council has offered a sky-high price for your Nether Iron Vein!"
"Oh?" Leon immediately realized his guess was right—the Merlin Family had figured out he possessed a Nether Iron Vein through the alchemy market in Seaview City.
Thinking about this, Leon relaxed a little. If they just wanted to cooperate, maybe they could talk. He was just curious what kind of offer the Merlin Family would make.
"Those old guys promised that as long as you hand over the Nether Iron Vein to the Merlin Family, they'll immediately recognize your branch as direct descendants—including your father and grandfather..." William Merlin, overjoyed, rattled off the Merlin Family's conditions in one breath.
But as William Merlin kept talking, he noticed that with every sentence, his Grandmaster cousin's face grew darker—by the end, Leon's expression was downright stormy.
William Merlin's heart tightened, and he didn't dare say another word.
He just watched Leon cautiously, trying to figure out what he’d said wrong.
"Damn, how could I be so stupid!" William Merlin was smart enough—after a moment's reflection, he realized his mistake, and wished he could slap himself.
Damn it, I forgot again...
This was a Grandmaster!
To a Grandmaster, what did being a direct descendant of the Merlin Family even mean?
In fact, if the Merlin Family learned that a Grandmaster-level descendant was out in the world, the entire Elder Council would probably come to Seaview City to welcome him home.
Even the Merlin Family, one of the kingdom's top forces, hadn't produced a Grandmaster in two hundred years. And this Grandmaster cousin was so young, with such terrifying magical talent.
If someone like that returned to the Merlin Family, he'd instantly become the only candidate for the next Patriarch.
Thinking this, William Merlin instantly realized he'd said the wrong thing...
Luckily, when it came to reading the room, William Merlin was nearly as sharp as Farrow. Almost as soon as Leon's face darkened, William put on a look of righteous indignation.
"Those old guys are insane, trying to trade direct family status for your Nether Iron Vein! Don't worry, cousin—my father and I will fight for you in the Merlin Family. We'll make sure those old guys offer enough. If they don't, not only will you refuse, so will we!"
"..."
"By the way, cousin, you'd better keep that Nether Iron Vein under wraps. When I was in Auckland, I heard the Black Tower people were asking about the Gilded Rose..." William Merlin was getting more and more comfortable, calling Leon "cousin" with increasing familiarity.
"Black Tower?" But when Leon heard this, he was instantly startled: "You mean someone from the Black Tower is asking about the Gilded Rose?"
"Yes, I heard it's Solan's people."
"Solan?"
"Right, Solan Monty—a ninth-level Archmage, the Black Tower's most promising candidate for Title Archmage. He's in the Azure Plane now, and should be back in a year." William Merlin paused, then added, "Come to think of it, Solan Monty is closely connected to the Monty Family in Seaview City."
"Solan Monty, the Monty Family..." Leon muttered to himself, then suddenly smiled. "I see..."