Chapter 119: Absurdity
"President Lance, it's me—William Merlin! I asked you for advice last year at the Merlin Family estate. Remember me?" William Merlin burst in, looking as if he'd found his savior. He didn't care whether he'd bumped into the old man with the door; as soon as he entered, his face lit up with excitement and he began introducing himself.
"Ah, it's you, William. Why are you in such a rush..." Seeing William Merlin, Lance's expression finally softened, and whatever annoyance he felt vanished. Lance had devoted his life to the Alchemist Guild of Seaview City, mentoring countless alchemists over the decades. He couldn't help but favor young talents like William Merlin.
Besides, Lance had close ties with the Merlin Family—he was practically a senior to William Merlin. Of course, as an elder, he wouldn't hold a grudge against a junior, but he couldn't help but wonder: Last time he saw William Merlin at the family estate, the young man was calm and collected. Why was he so flustered now in Seaview City?
Unfortunately, William Merlin had no idea what Lance was thinking. The moment he saw the master, all William Merlin could think about was how to make Matthew Merlin suffer.
"Here's the thing, President Lance. That Matthew Merlin tricked an alchemical formula out of me. I just wanted to talk to him and ask for some compensation, but not only did he refuse, he even injured me in the alchemy lab!"
After speaking, William Merlin shot a provocative look at Lin Yun.
But there was a hint of bravado in his gaze—more show than substance.
William Merlin was arrogant, but he wasn't a complete fool like Mason.
The moment they clashed in the alchemy lab, William Merlin realized just how wrong he'd been. Matthew Merlin wasn't some mage apprentice stuck at a bottleneck for years—he was a true high-level Grand Mage, and probably far stronger than William himself.
For William Merlin, this was a devastating blow.
It stung even worse than those two slaps across the face...
A branch member of a family, cast out and wandering, had somehow surpassed him in magical strength—and William had been groomed as a Merlin Family heir since childhood. Among the younger generation, he was at least in the top five back home.
Yet here in Seaview City, he was knocked down in an instant, and even got slapped—twice—for good measure.
The contrast was almost too much for William Merlin to accept...
But children of great families have one advantage: whether they like it or not, they quickly face reality and come up with a countermeasure.
William Merlin's solution was simple: If I can't beat you in magic, I'll drag you into alchemy. There's no way you're as strong in alchemy as you are in magic.
That's right, I'm going to frame you.
I'm a Grand Alchemist, and I'm going to frame you right in front of a Grandmaster. What are you going to do about it?
Can you even explain yourself?
Do you know alchemy as well as I do? Is your relationship with President Lance as close as mine?
So, after saying this, William Merlin shot Lin Yun another provocative look, then flashed a confident smile...
"Absurd!" Sure enough, President Lance's face immediately darkened.
At that moment, William Merlin couldn't have been happier. Did you hear that, Matthew Merlin? President Lance just called you absurd! You're just the owner of a shabby Gilded Rose Alchemy Shop, and now a Grandmaster has called you absurd right to your face. How are you going to survive in Seaview City after this?
"Alright, President Lance, don't get upset over something so trivial. I'll handle it." Leon smiled, even trying to comfort Lance.
Hmph, still trying to bluff your way out...
William Merlin couldn't help but sneer, thinking Matthew Merlin was far too naive. Stealing an alchemical formula from the Merlin Family is no joke. You think you can just talk your way out of it with a few casual words? Naive.
"This isn't trivial—it's theft of an alchemical formula!" President Lance, usually so composed, now looked absolutely livid.
"Yes, yes, I know—stealing an alchemical formula. I'll talk to William about it in a moment." Leon looked helpless; facing this cousin he'd never met before, he really didn't know what to say. It seemed that once Lance left, he'd have to have a proper talk with Cousin William...
At this point, William Merlin had no idea how Leon planned to "talk" to him...
The worse Lance's mood became, the happier William Merlin felt...
Here it comes, here it comes—Matthew Merlin's about to get what he deserves.
William Merlin tried to hide his excitement, sneaking glances at Lance's reaction out of the corner of his eye...
"Do you even know what you're saying?" Lance raised his hand, pointing at William Merlin; he was so furious he nearly spat in William's face. "Do you have any idea how serious it is to steal an alchemical formula?"
Exactly! Do you know how serious it is to steal an alchemical formula? William Merlin was practically elated, silently agreeing with Lance. But after a moment, something felt a little off.
Why is President Lance pointing at me?
"This is absolutely absurd. You're accusing Seaview City's most outstanding alchemist of stealing your formula? William Merlin, is this how the Merlin Family raised you? When I go to Auckland this year, I really need to talk to your grandfather—see if you're truly fit to be the family heir!"
Wait a minute... Did the old man just say—William Merlin?
Damn it, what does 'Seaview City's most outstanding alchemist' mean?
Isn't Seaview City's most outstanding alchemist supposed to be Grandmaster Lance? When did I ever say Grandmaster Lance stole my formula?
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William Merlin's mind was thrown into chaos...
Questions started popping up one after another, but every possible answer made William's heart race with dread. He didn't even dare face the truth—if it was all real, it was terrifying. Was Lance just rambling, or had the world gone insane?
"For the Merlin Family's sake, I won't hold today's deception against you. But William Merlin, everything that happened here—I will report it to your grandfather exactly as it happened." Lance looked at William Merlin, gave a heavy, cold snort, then turned to Matthew Merlin with a slightly apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Archmage Merlin, for letting you witness this farce. As for the conditions we discussed, I'll consult with everyone and give you an answer in three days."
"Alright, I'll be waiting for your good news, President Lance."
"Very well, I'll take my leave." Lance sighed softly, then opened the door and left the meeting room. But before he stepped out, he turned back to give William Merlin one last look.
He didn't say anything more, but the warning in his eyes made William Merlin's legs go weak...
"So, dear Cousin William, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
"Well, um..." Now that only William Merlin and Leon were left in the reception room, William's already shaky legs felt even weaker as he remembered what happened earlier in the alchemy lab. Damn it, this guy's magical strength is just freakish...
What if he grabs me again and slaps me twice until my face swells up?
Just a moment ago, he could at least hope President Lance might rescue him. But now even Lance was gone, and facing this freak alone was just too much pressure...
"Oh right, I still haven't moved my luggage!" William Merlin blurted out, then bolted like a rabbit...
...Leon stared at William Merlin's fleeing figure, mouth agape for ages, unable to close it.
Back in the Merlin Family's guest room, William Merlin couldn't help but brood...
Damn, I really got the short end of the stick this time...
Not only did he get slapped twice until his face swelled, but he also managed to offend President Lance, a Grandmaster. How did Seaview City get so terrifying? Out of nowhere, a Grandmaster appears, and even Matthew Merlin has magic far stronger than his own. Wasn't this place supposed to be barren and backward?
Honestly, William Merlin didn't want to spend another minute in Seaview City—this place was just too weird, too abnormal.
If he could, William Merlin would leave Seaview City right now and return to the Merlin Family, never seeing Matthew Merlin again.
Unfortunately, William Merlin couldn't leave just yet...
Because this time, William Merlin had come to Seaview City with a mission.
Besides helping out his cousin he'd never met, William Merlin had another mission.
Right now, the Merlin Family desperately needed a supply of Nether Iron Ore. But Nether Iron Ore was scarce throughout the entire Norland world—difficult to mine, rare in quantity. The Merlin Family had tried all sorts of ways but still hadn't found a stable source.
Just a few days ago, the Merlin Family received word that, in Seaview City in the eastern part of the kingdom, a large number of weapons and armor forged from Nether Iron had suddenly appeared. The news excited the whole family, and after following the clues, they discovered these items came from a shop called the Gilded Rose Alchemy Shop.
And this Gilded Rose Alchemy Shop belonged to a young man named Matthew Merlin.
He was a Merlin too...
So the Merlin Family started paying attention.
And once they did, they discovered that Matthew Merlin was actually a branch member of the family who’d been living in exile. His grandfather, Judd Merlin, was the younger brother of Patriarch Hoffland Merlin, who decades ago suddenly left for Seaview City with his only son, for reasons unknown.
After that, a lot more details came to light.
The Merlin Family realized their lost branch hadn’t had it easy in Seaview City. Matthew’s father, Roger Merlin, had built a massive trading company, but died in a shipwreck a few months ago. The company collapsed overnight, leaving Matthew with a debt of eight thousand gold coins.
And Matthew Merlin wasn’t doing well either—twenty years old and still just a ninth-level mage apprentice.
So Patriarch Hoffland Merlin personally ordered a family member to go to Seaview City and offer some help to their lost relative.
Of course, most important of all, they wanted Matthew Merlin to reveal the location of the Nether Iron Vein he controlled. In exchange, the Merlin Family was willing to officially recognize him as one of their own.
Wrote 3,000 words in a rage right after waking up, without even washing my face! I can't help but admire my own diligent attitude. Classmates, shouldn’t such a hardworking author be rewarded with a vote?